Watching Weight and Watching Public Relations

This morning as I rushed into the lobby of my agency trying to beat the sign-in clock, I was approached by a woman, not unlike the woman portrayed above, carrying a stack of (what appeared to be) flyers.

"We're having a Weight Watchers meeting today in the building and you're welcome to come," she said. As if it made it more appealing, she added, "It's free."

While it wasn't just me, but rather a crowd of people (mainly women) waiting for the next elevator, I still found it rather in poor taste and avoided eye contact.

None of the women around me, including myself, were out of shape. None even appeared to be remotely overweight. In fact, one even looked like she'd benefit from consuming a few gallons of ice cream.

But while most people would get that she wasn't offering the invitation based on the invitees weight, you couldn't help but infer that that's what was intended. It's only a few steps removed from saying, "You're fat. Stop eating donuts."

I didn't really find it offensive so much as comical that a woman, mind you, would feel that other women would be thrilled to be invited to a Weight Watcher's seminar while angrily waiting for an elevator and flanked on either side by co-workers. To say that her timing was off would be an understatement.

I could imagine this scenario working out fine for, say The Emril Lagasse's school of cooking seminar, The Breast Cancer Society seminar, or The Good Housekeeping Magazine seminar. But to approach a group of women and ask that they attend a presentation about losing weight is just dumb.

I'm still trying to figure it out. Would I be able to do this? How could she not see the flagrant foul? She was walking toward a cliff and her intended audience wanted to shove her.

It's just another case in point for the struggle that is a brand. Kudos to Weight Watcher's for their new ad campaign. I dig it.

But BOO for whoever hired this lady.

Another personal post

I forgot to mention. While I was getting married, celebrating the holidays, and back in VA, I was also getting a new nephew.

He was born the day before the wedding (show-stealer). But we were more than happy to have him any time. Here's a video pre-arrival of his big sister (Clara) requesting that her dad "go get da babby brudder."

James update.

James is about to get a baby (Jack Russell) sister (Vesper). So we let him sleep on his own bed in the hotel.

Don't request room 114 at the LaQuinta in Clemson, SC.

Fonts

There's a Hobo Std.

Really?

The elephant.

Let's just go ahead and get it out. The Super Bowl. It's this weekend if you haven't heard. And if you haven't seen, Youtube is choice for breaking some of the highly anticipated ad-porn you're pining for.

Youtube is great on many levels as I'm sure everyone in the universe is well aware. It's a supreme (and free) way to put the fire under most any brand. Plus some videos give you a little more - like an inside peak on what it's like to create the holy grail of advertising: A Super Bowl spot.

While some have spoiled the fun and released their spots early (Career Builder), others have made clever teasers to build the suspense. Here's one from Bridgestone and The Richards Group:

Surf's up

Why do we "surf the web"?

Why don't we "ride the web" or "dive the web"? Maybe we could "side-saddle the web" or "skate the web".

No?

Snuggie

Like most people remember where they were when Kennedy was assassinated, I too recall the moments when I saw ground breaking ads. I remember the first time I saw a MasterCard "Priceless" spot. The first "I'm a Mac/PC" spot. And now, the first time I saw the Snuggie spot.

I was at the gym on the treadmill. It came on one of the many TVs without sound. Yet, still, I struggled to keep myself from dropping limp on the conveyor belt below me as I watched the horror unfold.

I could hear the announcer in my head - he was brimming with excessive joy and enthusiasm for this groundbreaking device that lets you enjoy the comforts of a blanket without all the hassle! (What?)

I usually enjoy 800 commercials. They're sly use of over acting and making simple things seem extraordinarily complex thrills me to no end. But this one took it over the edge.

Now, you too can experience the pleasure. Here's the original followed by an extremely well made spoof that pretty much sums up what everyone's thinking. Don't wait! View yours today!

ORIGINAL



SPOOF

Seriously.

I hate to clutter le blog with these kinds of entries. But, really? Really?

ProFlowers is trying to relate to me by dropping the OMG. The only problem being, that relates to my 15 year old sister who doesn't buy flowers for anyone.

It just further proves that every little bit of communication - whether a billboard in Times Square, or a puny little email blast - says something about your brand.

And right now, I'm not a fan of what ProFlowers is saying about itself.

I wish

For some reason, the lovely American Airlines Center here in Dallas thinks I have $3,000 to rent a "new 12 person suite" to watch a Maverick's and/or Stars game with me and my 11 closest mooching friends.

I covet the thought. But aside from appreciating the exclamatory "JUST" placed meaninglessly in front of the $3,000 price tag, covet is about all I can do.

Thanks for the email though, AAC.

The Amazon Link

I find it more than amusing that Amazon has discovered a correlation exists between people buying Coleman Coolers and Monty Python and The Holy Grail.

Curious.

Yes We Can use that slogan to benefit ourselves.

Political slogans have taken a nice two month snooze. And now, the alarm has gone off and they're once again stirring. The front runner? "Yes we can."

It's beautifully simple, can be wonderfully rhythmic, and painfully imitated.

Watching the NFL championships over the weekend, I was slightly annoyed to find CBS borrowing not only the slogan, but the familiar tri-chromatic postering to promote their line-up of sit-coms.


Boo.

And now, on inauguration day, foreign leaders are slicing themselves a big helping of Obamaism pie. With a heaping scoop of weird on the side.

Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah would like to let me know he supports Barack. How nice. It's quite possibly the strangest banner ad I've ever clicked on: a banner ad that's not even selling anything and links directly to a foreign diplomats web page.

(click image to launch into weirdness)

Maybe this is a good thing: a president the world can get behind.

But while imitation may be the greatest form of flattery, it's still just imitation to me.

Notable Quotes

I'm in the middle of my second Chuck Klosterman book, "Chuck Klosterman IV". It's a compilation of his interesting interviews with interesting people over the course of 10 years. Or, as the spine of the book says: "A decade of curious people and dangerous ideas."

I enjoy his style of writing, and while I'll assume it's not for everyone, it's at least worth a skim next time you're at Barnes & Noble.

Currently, I'm reading an interview he had with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant. And while most of what streams from Plant is incoherent and narrow-minded, there was one line that was strikingly clear. I can only assume I couldn't comprehend most of what he was saying because I'm not that into music. But, perhaps because I'm in advertising, I understood when he said this:

"I don't make my living by making my living. My time is so important that I can't compromise my taste - or my idea of what's right - simply to match someone else's view of what's a good, calculated move."

Of course, that was then followed by "It would have been quite sluttish to come back firing like a bunch of hard rockers." But I suppose that rings a bell too...

Back and Interactive.

After a long and much needed break from life, I've returned. And waiting for me was a new job with interactive agency, Click Here in Dallas. And so, the learning has begun.

There are vendors out there who actually spend their 9-5 coming up with interesting, stimulatingly clever "page-loading" concepts. Yes. The 15-30 seconds you wait for a page to load was brought to you by somebody's work day.

There's a pre-loader museum curated by Space Ship. It's called Pretty Loaded. If you go to their site, a random montage of different concepts streams.

I never thought I'd enjoy spending more than a nanosecond waiting for something to load. And here, there's no promise of anything ever actually loading.

Tracking study.

Have you ever landed on a web page and wondered "How the F did I end up on this page?"

It's behavior. Your behavior. And it was shaped by all the sites before the one you ended up on. They guided you to something you may not have otherwise seen. And there were other internet-gems that you may have passed up to get to where you are.

In Ad grad school, I was once asked to complete a flow chart of a web session. Tracking where I started. And ultimately, where I ended up. Though it might be a good exercise, it felt a bit contrived. I felt like I HAD to find the next page to go to. I was looking for it. When, in a natural setting, I never feel like I'm looking for it. It just happens.

Something happens to guide me. It seems almost like it's a decision already made for me. And who made the decision? A number of people. From brands, to media, to me.

But maybe there's a way, as advertisers, we can use this. To play internet fate. Who knows where it could take you:

whocanisue.com

There's so much to be said about the fact that this site even exists. And that a huge billboard advertising it's existence is on my way to work. Every day.

Merry Christmas

Also liking...

this. Though I hear I'm the last one on the planet to have seen it.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Power to the players.

Totally, wholeheartedly, undeniably digging this Game Stop campaign. Best stuff to come of The Richards Group in '08.

"Coverage you can count on"

is not a phrase I will ever use should I ever be tapped for local news advertisements.

Happy Thanksgiving.

That's it.

Happy Thanksgiving.