Maria Sharapova’s legs are so long, if we stood side by side, they would reach my Adam’s Apple. She is gorgeous. I saw her up close and her gamma ray countenance burned my forehead. Did I mention her legs are really long?
And keep in mind, she’s won Wimbledon and the Australian and US Opens. She’s got athletic cred. So it’s no surprise she's a highly sought after endorser.
In addition to Gatorade, she pitches or has pitched Nike, Motorola, Tag Heuer, Canon (“Make every shot a power shot!”), and of course Speedminton: The extreme racket sport that combines the best of tennis, badminton and racquetball!
Thank you, Maria, for promoting the sport of the future.
She’s as terrible an actress as she's always been, so she’s probably most effective in her print work. Her best performances on moving film are when she’s just playing tennis or holding her yappy little dog. Please don’t make her speak any more!
And now, as reported by Darren Rovell in his Sports Biz blog, she’s leaving Gatorade for Enlyten SportStrips, a new rehydration product similar to the way Listerine breath strips work.
Smart or not? We’ll see. She didn’t make a lot of waves pitching Gatorade. Maybe she’ll do better for an upstart. One word of advice to Enlyten: Don’t make her say anything, or at least let her hold her dog.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Quit your yappin’: Saved by Zero is brilliant
OK, I’ll pile on. But only to disagree with all of the Saved By Zero haters.
No, it’s not a good ad. Not at all. But it’s not all that different from the local auto advertising drivel, much of which consists of the following: cheap graphics, shiny cars, and a somewhat memorable '70’s or ‘80’s song that illustrates the point of the sale...and is affordable.
What’s different about SBZ is how often it has run on very visible programming and how much negative blogging it’s received. Not just one site, but another and another. People must have been saving up their hatred for a while because there’s been boatloads of it heaved at SBZ.
But in one respect, it’s awesome: You remember it.
And that’s a collective You, not just us highly refined ad watchers, but the real people of America who wouldn’t mind some good ole’ zero APR financing.
I’d put SBZ into a very special category of advertising, along The Clapper, Head-On, and our friend Ron Popiel, and hell, let’s throw in Sales Genie. Strictly based on the usually agreed upon purpose of advertising.
Sell stuff.
I’m not saying they’re good ads. They’re terrible ads. But great ads aren’t always effective, and effective ads often suck. And sometimes, legends are made out of ickiness. It just happens.
So whether you meant to get there or not, welcome, SBZ, to greatness.
No, it’s not a good ad. Not at all. But it’s not all that different from the local auto advertising drivel, much of which consists of the following: cheap graphics, shiny cars, and a somewhat memorable '70’s or ‘80’s song that illustrates the point of the sale...and is affordable.
What’s different about SBZ is how often it has run on very visible programming and how much negative blogging it’s received. Not just one site, but another and another. People must have been saving up their hatred for a while because there’s been boatloads of it heaved at SBZ.
But in one respect, it’s awesome: You remember it.
And that’s a collective You, not just us highly refined ad watchers, but the real people of America who wouldn’t mind some good ole’ zero APR financing.
I’d put SBZ into a very special category of advertising, along The Clapper, Head-On, and our friend Ron Popiel, and hell, let’s throw in Sales Genie. Strictly based on the usually agreed upon purpose of advertising.
Sell stuff.
I’m not saying they’re good ads. They’re terrible ads. But great ads aren’t always effective, and effective ads often suck. And sometimes, legends are made out of ickiness. It just happens.
So whether you meant to get there or not, welcome, SBZ, to greatness.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Mark Cuban for Vice President
A continuation on the leadership theme. Have to go there today, considering yesterday’s historic events. And I don’t mean Daunte Culpepper possibly becoming the new Lions’ QB.
How long has it been since you’ve seen a leader with the strength, fire, conviction, and intelligence of our new President? It’s pretty impressive stuff. He might even be qualified for the second toughest job in the world right now: coaching the Michigan football team.
The best commentary I’ve seen on the President-elect and his innate ability to not just motivate, but electrify, came from Mark Cuban. His blog Maverick is often long and thoughtful, mostly about economic issues, but once in a while, he cuts to the chase with a ridiculously insightful POV, which he would probably say is nothing more than his opinion. In this case, his support of Obama was anything but economically motivated—it was a direct result of his pride in being an American. And a great observation on what Obama’s election means to this country. Check it out.
If it’s true that confidence shows itself as generosity, Obama/Cuban might be just the ticket in ’12.
How long has it been since you’ve seen a leader with the strength, fire, conviction, and intelligence of our new President? It’s pretty impressive stuff. He might even be qualified for the second toughest job in the world right now: coaching the Michigan football team.
The best commentary I’ve seen on the President-elect and his innate ability to not just motivate, but electrify, came from Mark Cuban. His blog Maverick is often long and thoughtful, mostly about economic issues, but once in a while, he cuts to the chase with a ridiculously insightful POV, which he would probably say is nothing more than his opinion. In this case, his support of Obama was anything but economically motivated—it was a direct result of his pride in being an American. And a great observation on what Obama’s election means to this country. Check it out.
If it’s true that confidence shows itself as generosity, Obama/Cuban might be just the ticket in ’12.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Hmm...why does this version work?
Same product, same gag, different casting, a world of difference. I’m trying to put my finger on why this version of Guitar Hero’s Risky Business parody works so much better than the one with A-Rod, Kobe, Tony Hawk and Michael Phelps. It’s so hard to figure out…
No it’s not. And it has nothing to do with skin.
She made not be a pro athlete, but Heidi Klum is most definitely athletic. And smart, too, by choosing to star in this ad. She gets to show off her moves, have some fun, and deflect some of the ice princess criticism she’s received for her role hosting Project Runway. It’s an entertaining ad for an entertainment product. And Monday Night Football is the perfect media placement. Hell, run it on every sporting event for the next month. She plays much better in this ad and for this brand than the superstar quartet in and pink tops and barely visible undies. Interestingly enough, fans seem to be agreeing. Go figure.
Maybe Kobe should’ve taken his top off too.
No it’s not. And it has nothing to do with skin.
She made not be a pro athlete, but Heidi Klum is most definitely athletic. And smart, too, by choosing to star in this ad. She gets to show off her moves, have some fun, and deflect some of the ice princess criticism she’s received for her role hosting Project Runway. It’s an entertaining ad for an entertainment product. And Monday Night Football is the perfect media placement. Hell, run it on every sporting event for the next month. She plays much better in this ad and for this brand than the superstar quartet in and pink tops and barely visible undies. Interestingly enough, fans seem to be agreeing. Go figure.
Maybe Kobe should’ve taken his top off too.
Monday, November 3, 2008
How Sports And Marketing Are Oddly Similar, Part 1
I know it’s somewhat clichéd. But by their definition, clichés are overused truths, so while it may try your patience to endure them, it also means that there’s some value in them to begin with. So I offer this to you:
Creativity is nothing without leadership. In sports, as in marketing.
The marketing part, as in all business, seems pretty obvious, right? Even the strongest business people in the world can flounder without strong leadership.
But I’d suggest that even the most creative people will flounder, too. Great ideas are one of the single most important factors in business success, but without someone to nurture, refine, and sell them, they'll meet the same fate as a Brooks Bollinger pass. Nowhere, fast. Most ideas that come out looking like diamonds take a lot of polishing to get there. It's a team effort.
Same’s true in sports. Even more so. A strong collection of athletes is just that until someone shapes them into a Team, puts the idea of Winning into their collective head, and leads them. One example of this is the current squad that use to be called “America’s Team,” but now should be called “Where the hell is Tony Romo’s team?”
The key line from yesterday’s stats:
PASSING_Dallas, B.Johnson 5-11-2-71, Bollinger 9-16-1-63.
Ouch. The projected division champs fall to the bottom of the division. Looks like the Cowboys miss their leader.
The other side of the coin is, when one leader falls, sometimes, another rises up. That’s how Mr. Romo got his break (sorry, Drew Bledsoe).
In Chicago, Bears fans are hoping that Rex Grossman is the next Tony Romo, not the next Brooks Bollinger.
Creativity is nothing without leadership. In sports, as in marketing.
The marketing part, as in all business, seems pretty obvious, right? Even the strongest business people in the world can flounder without strong leadership.
But I’d suggest that even the most creative people will flounder, too. Great ideas are one of the single most important factors in business success, but without someone to nurture, refine, and sell them, they'll meet the same fate as a Brooks Bollinger pass. Nowhere, fast. Most ideas that come out looking like diamonds take a lot of polishing to get there. It's a team effort.
Same’s true in sports. Even more so. A strong collection of athletes is just that until someone shapes them into a Team, puts the idea of Winning into their collective head, and leads them. One example of this is the current squad that use to be called “America’s Team,” but now should be called “Where the hell is Tony Romo’s team?”
The key line from yesterday’s stats:
PASSING_Dallas, B.Johnson 5-11-2-71, Bollinger 9-16-1-63.
Ouch. The projected division champs fall to the bottom of the division. Looks like the Cowboys miss their leader.
The other side of the coin is, when one leader falls, sometimes, another rises up. That’s how Mr. Romo got his break (sorry, Drew Bledsoe).
In Chicago, Bears fans are hoping that Rex Grossman is the next Tony Romo, not the next Brooks Bollinger.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Peyton Manning: the best endorser in the business
There’s a reason Peyton Manning is in so many commercials. Like his fellow Gatorade endorser Michael Jordan, he’s money in the bank.
He’s got comedic chops and great timing. The man is funny. As proven by his latest effort for Mastercard.
He’s reliable. He’s sincere. And he’s just so damn likeable.
And more important, he’s got cred from winning the Super Bowl. That way, he can make people laugh without being a joke.
And having worked with him a couple of times, I know that he’s truly a good guy.
He’s living proof that you get what you pay for.
He’s got comedic chops and great timing. The man is funny. As proven by his latest effort for Mastercard.
He’s reliable. He’s sincere. And he’s just so damn likeable.
And more important, he’s got cred from winning the Super Bowl. That way, he can make people laugh without being a joke.
And having worked with him a couple of times, I know that he’s truly a good guy.
He’s living proof that you get what you pay for.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
$1 billion for a plumber's smile?
The new Pepsi logo is popping up everywhere on Ad blogs. The corporate Mega Giant took five months to develop it and will spend a billion dollars to update their 21 year old wavy thing.
That means repainting trucks, rewrapping vending machines, replacing stadium signage and sending out new point-of-sale materials…and that’s just the beginning; picture anything with a logo. Letterhead, briefcases, those slick polo shirts and all of their wonderful corporate clothing, even the napkins in the cafeteria. All will need to change. I still see trucks with logos from the late ‘90’s on one of the brands I used to work on. The is a massive undertaking.
According to Pepsi leadership, each brand has it’s own version:
Pepsi’s logo is a smile, Diet Pepsi looks like a grin, and Pepsi Max will be a full laugh. Hmm. It’s so…what’s the best way to say this…well intentioned, yet horribly unclear, and more confusing than memorable.
It’s a great example of a marketer telling us what they want us to know, not what we might be interested in.
In general, I think change is good, but this is very expensive, very corporate change. If Pepsi thinks people are going to remember the smile distinctions between the different products, they’ve been to one too many logo design presentations.
Some have described the new logo as asscrack. I wouldn’t go that far, but Coke has been kicking ass in the marketing world. And I think Pepsi blinked.
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