Puma is a Lose-a

By Sportscentric contributor Ben Schuman-Stoler

Note: this is also posted at The Building JJ Collective.



Puma has a history of audacious projects that, for one reason or another, always end up falling short of expectations. Remember those ridiculous one-piece soccer kits they proposed? (Look right.)

Their most recent collaboration with fashion icon Alexander McQueen is another project that seems destined to fall woefully short of their goals.

Dig the "movie"--to call such a project an "ad" would be positively beneath them, ha--above.

Directed by the sooo-hot-right-now Saam Farhamand, this, erm, collection of moving pictures is supposed to impress us with Puma's artistic vision? Their sophisticated attempts at unifying athletic wear with cosmopolitan notions of style and dance?

I can't speak for others, but the lasting sentiment I get from the piece is not inspiration; it's more in the realm of the weird and off-putting. The music is cool, I'll give them that. I would love to partake in an epic, rainy duel with that music in the background. But that's about all this has going for it.

Two words keep coming to mind when I watch this: impersonal and farfetched. Like the "Until Then" ads (below), this piece is impossible to relate to and therefore unattached to my own experience. I am not impressed with the choppy images we get of what might well be impressive human movements.

This does not make we want to buy Puma gear.

We know that Puma is not Nike, or Adidas. They should be saluted for thinking outside the box in their attempts to gain entry into the sportswear circle of gods. And maybe the concept of McQueen's "ManCat" as a "creative reference" (whatever that means) will bring a cadre of fashionistas to Puma. But this piece is, literally, too narrow to grab and incorporate potential customers--it does more to turn them away.

This is Bigger than the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl pre-game adverganza is in full swing. I’m fairly unimpressed with this set of ads (although both the dude in the speedo picking his nails and “I’m good” made me laugh), not to mention just a bit bored with all of the early hype. It all acts as a bit of a buzzkill for Sunday and makes me less interested in joining the horde writing about them.

I'm going to write about the world's biggest Slurpee instead.

In my mind, the Slurpee is one of the great American icons. I would put it up there with Super Rope and Smarties and Razzles and all of the great candy and munchies with fun names that have been around forever. Things that aren’t exactly food but are incredibly satisfying.

Thinking of Slurpees conjures up images of riding bikes to 7-11 on hot days after baseball games. Kids have been doing it for decades and still are. What’s better than a Coke Slurpee on a 90˚ day with the hopes of getting a brain freeze?

Slurpee has always done interesting ads—crazy, even—so it’s no surprise to see them doing something fun and different. What is surprising is to see it in Australia. They love it down there. They should. It's brilliant marketing because people are talking about it around the world and it's impossible not to know who it's for. Those Aussies do Slurpees proud. A lot more buzz than what most of the Super Bowl ads will get, and a lot less expensive than $3 million.

Hail Slurpee.

The hype before the hype

The Super Bowl advertising hype is ramping up. Not only will brands be duking it out for the best ads on the game telecast, they’re going head to head before the game even starts to get the early buzz. It’s kind of like the red carpet on steroids.

My favorite clash of the titans is between Pepsi and Coke. As always, they’re looking for an edge vs the other, and the delicious irony is that without knowing it, they’ve spent the past several months developing new campaigns that are mirror images of each other, featuring relentless optimism and unbridled happiness. It almost feels like there are sliding doors between the two agencies and the same creatives are going back and forth doing all the work.

Both sides are claiming they were first, but I’d file this one in the there-are-only-seven-original-ideas-in-the-whole-world department, especially in this year of Hope.

There are the usual differences; like last year’s Charlie Brown spot, Coke goes the way of warm and “ohh…nice…”

And like Pepsi Max’s bobbing heads spot from the past, they go the slapstick route again.

Both fun, with many more memorable ads to come. This one won’t be among them.

I know it's for PETA, but it might be a way to get a whole generation of boys to eat their vegetables...

Move over, Shamwow!

The HAYAE Hall of Fame is going to have to build another wing soon.

Just last week, Shamwow took it's rightful place in the hallowed halls of the HAYAE (Heinously Annoying Yet Amazingly Effective) advertising HOF, heroically hauled there on the back of Vince the Bilingual Pitchman, amid promises of holding 20 times it’s weight in liquid.

Shamwow stands proudly beside Head On and Saved by Zero, and they’re all now joined by the newest awesome member:

Snuggie! The blanket that has sleeves!



It’s not often that a product seemingly inspired by Franciscan Monks sells more than four million units in three months, but it’s not often that you can work on your laptop or play backgammon in the dead of winter without getting cold. How many times have I had to warm my hands over the fire when I roasted marshmallows? Not any more!!

It’s a wonderfully weird product with a wonderfully ridiculous ad to match. And it’s a perfect use for Direct Response TV. Say what you will about DRTV, but with the right product and message, it works, big time.

So I salute you, Snuggie, and feel bad for the people at Slanket, who have much better colors but didn’t have the foresight to make such an obnoxiously terrific ad.

When does LeBron play basketball?

Nike, NBA, State Farm, Vitaminwater, Bubblicious., Tampax…what’s this guy not pitching these days? It’s hard to turn on the TV without seeing him in an ad. He was the top non-golf endorser a year ago and he’s only turned it up since then.

The problem isn’t in the way it’s affected his performance on the court. The Cavs are a game behind the Celtics in the East, and Lebron is second in scoring in the league behind D-Wade. So he must be getting some practice in somewhere.

The problem isn’t in sponsors’ ability to do very good ads with the King. You’ve seen the NBA ads. You’ve seen the Nike ads. And you’ve probably seen this new State Farm ad.



Fun. Some terrific moments (I especially like him rejecting the field goal). But I’m not so sure about the wrap-up and how it works for State Farm. What exactly are they selling? The NFL? State farm? Sundays?

Therein lies the problem: I’m not sure he’s figured out how to develop and nurture his value for each specific brand he endorses.

Or his ability to effectively deliver a message that helps to sell and promote each specific brand.

Sounds too marketing-ese and over-analytical? Should we just watch an ad and if we enjoy it be happy with it?

Not so fast. I’d argue that you swapped out the Nike logo for the State Farm logo for the NBA logo in those ads above, the ads would still work. None of those brands has developed an insight about Lebron and connected it to the brand to make it completely ownable. I’m not the only one who thinks so.

So maybe it’s not that he’s being overused; it’s in the way he’s being used. Wonderful ads, to be sure, but better insights would create better value.

Quick.

I would be remiss if I had anything more to say about Miller’s new campaign than this:

Brilliant.

Another one for the HAYAE

Another candidate for the HAYAE (Heinously Annoying Yet Amazingly Effective) advertising Hall of Fame.

First there was The Clapper, then there was Head On. Saved By Zero carried the torch for a bit, but I’m not sure any of them can hold a candle to our friend Vince and his Shamwow!!!!



You follow me, camera guy? You bet I do! And I don’t even have a camera! I love this spot. I could watch it over and over. It’s cheap, it’s human. Vince is the three-card-Monty guy and Monte Hall charmingly rolled into one. But that’s not even the best part.

Vince knows Spanish! (Warning: This one’s longer)



I don’t know if they sang Saved by Zero en Espanol, but this dude’s the real deal, slinging the lingo as if he were born south of the border.

And of course, you know it’s entered popular culture when people start making parodies. (WARNING: expletives galore)

Well done, Shamwow. I dare anyone out there to tell me it’s not a horribly brilliant ad.

Why is this athlete smiling?

Sometimes you can use sports to sell stuff that has nothing to do with sports. Best example is probably the Super Bowl, but here's another. A wonderful campaign from Kuala Lumpur for a fabric softener.

No words, but do you get it? Of course you do. Tough guys unable to prevent themselves from hugging someone they should be pummeling because the should-be foe's uniform was washed in Softlan Eltra.

Another ad in the campaign is just as fun. Well done, Y&R Kuala Lumpur. Could you come over here and teach the GoDaddy and Sales Genie folks a few things?

LeBron, you funny!

Ha!



Who woulda thunk it? Beast on the court, humorous soft touch off it. That really is amazing.

On the surface, I’m with a lot of fans who love this spot. It shows a side of LeBron that we don’t normally get to see. It’s surprising. And funny.

So on it’s own, it scores. But it’s a continuation of the NBA’s “Amazing Happens” campaign, and needs to be evaluated in that context as well. Here’s one of the spots from last year:



Very different. Very, wonderfully amazing. Makes me interested in the NBA. Makes me want to watch more NBA action.

And more than anything else, it makes me feel that NBA players are uniquely interesting and pretty spectacular and just kind of cooler than those other somewhat inferior professional athletes.

I’m drawn to their personalities in an unexpected way. That’s a pretty hard-working ad.

So when LeBron sings Time After Time, I’m loving it and I like him a whole lot.

But it doesn’t make the NBA feel all that amazing.

The first "Year Of..." of 2009

So far, 2009 is the year of the teaser ad in sports. First, G. Now, this:



The rumors are flying: LeBron is leaving to play basketball; Lebron is going to the Knicks/Lakers/Maccabi Tel Aviv Electra; LeBron is co-starring with Hugh Hefner in a reality show called "The Girls Next Door to Lebron..."

I like it. It gives me just enough information to care and wonder, and not enough to give anything away. Hail Nike.

It is Nike, isn't it...?

One for the futballers

Even though I played soccer from 1st through 10th grades, I’ve never been a rabid fan of the Beautiful Game. But I appreciate a lot about it: the stamina, the athleticism, the amazing goals…and maybe most of all, the fans.

One of the best sporting events I ever attended was at Highbury a few years ago to see Arsenal play. The energy in that stadium rivaled the old Chicago Stadium during the playoffs…and this was an early, regular season game. The drum beats made my heart pound, and the chanting made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, even though I couldn’t understand what they hell they were saying.

But what I could understand was the passion, the commitment, the involvement of those fans with their team. I may not concede that soccer is the best sport in the world, but it’s hard to argue that the fans rule.

Nike has taken advantage of that incomparable fan passion to create a soccer spot that I not only understand, but love. It features lovers and haters of futbol phenom Ronaldo.



Could they have done this with any single American athlete? Doubtful. To engender a massive amount of heartfelt passion, you need to start with something that a lot of people are very passionate about, and I’m not sure any American athlete would qualify. Except maybe David Beckham.

Waitasec. He’s not…ah, never mind.

To pull or not to pull?

What happens when your morning mug of coffee is accompanied by a mug shot of the celebrity endorser in whom you’ve invested millions of dollars? There's not enough cream ‘n sugar in the world to make that particular cuppa joe taste better.

But is it bitter enough to pull the ads featuring your bad boy? For T-Mobile, yes.

They did some nice work recently featuring Dr. J, Magic Johnson, DWade and Charles Barkley, but Chuck did his own work on the Scottsdale roadways earlier this year, ushering in the New Year behind the wheel with a blood-alcohol level of .149 percent , nearly twice the legal limit of .08 percent in Arizona.

T-Mobile has pulled the ads. Charles has also lost his NBA studio gig on TNT. Oops.

Wicked, wicked alcohol. It’ll get you in trouble and lose you lots of good things, like jobs and endorsements. And the things that go with them, like really colorful suits and the freedom to gamble away $10 million over a few years. Plus, people will enjoy making fun of you (although it’ll also put you in some pretty prestigious company). Oops.

For now, all the interested parties have done what’s expected of them. Charles has apologized and T-Mobile has scrapped the ads, but like Marv Albert, Steve Howe, Bill Clinton, and probably even Pacman Jones, they’ll be back.

It’s not the illegal part that makes me crazy. It’s the stupid part. It’s watching golden eggs fly away when all you have to do is sit on them. Sad truth is, for the uber talented, there are always more golden eggs.

NHL ad scores. No acting necessary.

Of all of the reasons my children make me feel blessed, one of the best is the fact that none of them play hockey. I like to watch the game, but I haven’t played since 5th grade, when Phil Humbert nailed me with a slapshot above my right eye in his frozen backyard (six stitches). So nobody in our family is much of a skater.

Hockey is smelly, injury-prone, and expensive, and if your child is on a travel team, you TRAVEL. For basketball or baseball, the farthest you go is maybe the next county. For hockey, you cross time zones.

For all of those reasons, Honda loves hockey. Hockey families need lots of equipment and log lots of miles so they need big roomy cars…like, say, Honda Passports and Pilots. So it’s a natural for them to sponsor the NHL. But it doesn’t mean they have to do such smart ads, like this.



I really like this spot. I may not be a hockey parent, but I’m a sports parent who can relate to the rituals involved in kids’ sports. The packing and unpacking, the early morning games and practices, the special moments watching them play. And the fact that our kids rely on us to make it all happen.

Honda takes this insight and connects it to their products: “As reliable as the people who drive them.” Smart. What’s even smarter is how they tie in their NHL sponsorship, without showing a single NHL player or highlight:

“Official vehicle of the NHL. And hockey parents everywhere.”

Knowing that hockey players are better at checking than acting, another wise move.

Is any press better than none at all?

If so, then so far, so good for G. The reviews are pouring in, the chatter's at full force, and the reception is most definitely mixed.

In these times of fragmented media and distracted eyeballs, there's a very valid argument to be made for the value of making a splash, regardless of how favorable the reactions are.

The media buzz has been mostly negative, which is to be expected from branding experts. Much of the online reaction has been positive and intrigued. Then again, the initial splash from the TV spots isn't translating into youtube success, according to the above article.

So we still need to wait and see. The current spots are just teasers; the proof will be when the campaign rolls out in earnest. I've heard rumors about some wackiness to come on the upcoming Big Game.

I'm sure the work will be fun to watch. I'm not sure the brand will survive it.

Unpredictable service, good ads

I’m a big fan of Verizon Wireless. My loyalty to them (and my contempt for AT&T) is why I got a Storm vs iphone. So I know very little about T-Mobile, other than the fact that their ads with current and former pro basketball players crack me up.

I’ve been paying attention to their ads for a while, mainly because I think Catherine Zeta-Jones is, how you say, shmokin’ hot. CZJ, you were rooked by Zellweger for the Oscar nod. I’d do a number with you any day. But I can’t do it alone…

Since Catherine’s been gone, D-Wade and Charles Barkley have picked up the torch, and they’ve done a great job. The spots are funny and strategic, crafted around T-Mobile’s selling idea of their Fave Five calling plan. They even ran a Super Bowl ad last year, which ranked in the middle of the USA Today Ad Meter, but as high as any ad in the online user poll.



Getting celebrity athletes to act well is so hard. Most of them would rather be on the court than on a set (or on the golf course). And in a spot with a lot of dialogue, the desired nuances in performance that dictate the need to do take after take…it’s just not what athletes want to be doing (Michael Jordan used to start saying “That was perfect. What was wrong with the one?!” after the second take).

There are so many factors involved; obviously, having an athlete with a scoche of acting ability is nice, but it’s rare. So sometimes you have to write around it, and sometimes you can take advantage of it, like in the ending of this commercial:



All challenges considered, the new T-Mobile commercial is wonderfully pleasing. Nice performances, good writing, surprising appearances from Magic Johnson and Dr. J. I’m surprised they didn’t hold this one for the Super Bowl. Seems to have all the ingredients.

If you want to laugh out loud, watch the Heineken spot in my blog from a couple of days ago (you must), but if you want a nice chuckle, and a great example of how to use athletes well, you could do a lot worse than the work from T-Mobile.

Shouldn't they shower first?

Sports Marketing guru Terry Lefton reports in Sports Business Journal that the winning players in Super Bowl XLIII will be able to drape themselves in the first ever official Super Bowl Bath Towel on the field after the game. It’s a high-quality, nine-pound towel (I’m assuming that means dry).

In Lefton’s article, McArthur Towel and Sports President Gregg McArthur says, “[The towel] has always been a great vehicle in sports...anyone at Gatorade could tell you that. We’re taking the next step by turning them into an authentic championship item.”

Except that the Gatorade towel had a reason for being. Athletes sweat, towels soak up.

That said, I’m all for finding new revenue streams; the exposure at the Super Bowl is just about priceless, and I applaud all parties involved for being innovative and forward thinking.

In fact, more marketers should embrace the potential for getting their brands out there on the biggest and brightest stage in the world.

I’d like to see Burger King sponsor Championship paper crowns instead of the same old baseball hats. They

SPAM could be the official post game snack.

And just once, I’d like to see the game’s MVP, when asked where he’s going now that he’s won the Biggest Game on Earth, say: “Vegas, baby!”

Got any other ideas for official post game celebratory items?

Time out for some joy

Enough about the Gatorade ads already. Nobody knows who they're for, but they’re cool. Gatorade is gone. It’s now G. It was a sad day for me when they changed Sugar Smacks to Honey Smacks but I got over it and they still taste pretty good. In a couple of years Lil Wayne will be shilling George Foreman grills. We move on.

For now, let’s just be entertained. Here’s a commercial that, kind of like “G,” has nothing to do with sports; it barely has any words, isn’t even in English, but is so clear and to the point and does such a wonderful job of selling the product that it just makes me smile and I want to watch it over and over.



Let’s hear it for pure, unadulterated joy.

Plus, Dutch just sounds cool.

Here it is

The new Gatorade TV ad.



A lot of the usual Gatorade athletes: D. Wade, Kerri and Misty, Jeter, Candace Parker.

Some interesting, surprising new athletes: Serena, skater Chaz Ortiz, softball player Jessica Mendoza (Usain Bolt is in another of the ads).

Some aging athletes who stand for something significant: the great Muhammed Ali, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, Bill Russell.

And current pop culture icons, like dance troupe Jabbawockeez and Lil Wayne, who narrates the spot. PS, I love his voice.

This ad will appeal to a lot of new people. It already has. Especially among hip hop culture, where it's generating buzz and discussion. If Gatorade wants to branch out to young urban influencers, this is a good thing.

It looks different than most tv spots and does an excellent job of making you sit up and take notice. And it’s clear that Gatorade is happy to turn away from hard core athletes and athletic influencers and turn their attention to cultural trendsetters.

For more proof, check out the youtube channel they’ve created (thank you, commenter Carol). There’s sports in there, but you have to listen for it.

A couple of things seem clear:

Gatorade was a functional beverage. G is a cultural beverage.

Gatorade was about function. G is about funktion.

Stay tuned.

The new Gatorade ads Think Different, but...

There’s so much to talk about on the Gatorade front. New packaging, new positioning for the products. Go to their website to see how it all breaks out, and I’ll follow up with some thoughts soon. But their new TV advertising is fresh in my head, having seen it on the BCS games today.

When I saw the ads, I thought of this Apple commercial. It’s one of my favorite ads of all time.



First of all, it’s beautifully written. A wonderful manipulation of language within a scant sixty seconds. Excellence and moderation.

The message glows equally bright. A forward thinking company connecting itself to some of the most forward thinking people who ever lived. A creative company trying to appeal to millions of creative thinkers, encouraging them to join other originals who weren’t afraid to think differently. Or Think Different, as Apple’s somewhat grammatically incorrect tagline exhorted us to do.

Talk about building a relationship and cultivating loyalty.

Like Apple, Gatorade is a great American brand that constantly needs to stay current to maintain its iconic status with young cultural trendsetters and influencers in the world of sports. So after years of colored sweat, Gatorade is headed in another direction.

And it is most definitely different.

I can’t find the ads online yet but I’ll post them as soon as I do. If you see them, please pass them along. The ads on today’s games were teasers for a big reveal that’s reportedly airing on the Super Bowl in a month.

I give PepsiCo credit for “Thinking different.“ They’re not afraid to change. They’ve already demonstrated this with their Pepsi marketing, and they’re turning their lust for change to Gatorade.

To quote the Apple ad, “They have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.”

I think these ads are hard to ignore. And along with the new packaging, I do think they’ll change things for Gatorade. My early observation is, it won’t be change for the better. So far, it all seems messy and random. Bold, yes, but confusing.

But I'm a big fan of change when it's change for the better. So let’s see what they show us on February 1.

The packaging? Well, that's a different story...