PETA Porn

by Lily Wagner
Published January 30, 2009 in New Ideas

We’re all familiar with the age-old adage, “sex sells.”  And while I’ll be the first to agree that sex can have a place in advertising— I believe it’s important to attach the caveat that you have to be smart about it (i.e. know your audience).

When you get a sec, check out PETA’s new ad that was just banned from the Superbowl lineup thanks to its racy content.  The 15 second spot attempts to grab viewers with the tag “Vegetarians have Better Sex,” accompanied by scantily clad women stroking themselves with garden-variety vegetables.  Call me a prude, but watching a half naked woman lick a pumpkin does not exactly have me putting down my forkful of filet and picking up my checkbook.

With approximately 40 million women watching the Superbowl,  primarily for the commercials, your potential reach is huge.  And since women make twice as many charitable contributions as men, they are surely your prime target…so why, oh why jeopardize that and take the porn approach to igniting animal rights activism? 

Be true to your cause—chances are your message is powerful enough without the sex (especially creepy, vegetable sex).  Women are smart—no need to dumb down your content (or take it out altogether). Make your case, if it’s legit their dollars will follow.

Tags: Television

share the love:

Keeping Track

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published January 20, 2009 in Health, New Ideas, Tech

Nancy Berk, psychologist/foundation board member/humorist/author (nancyberk.com) is also my friend and partner in the unending search for ways to achieve fitness and lose weight. Today she sent me her latest discovery, one she claims is motivating enough for me to switch from my beloved Blackberry to an iphone.  

“Yesterday I added an iphone app called “Lose It!” she wrote.”It tracks your weight, exercise (lists tons of options), food (it searches for the food and inserts the calories) and it ends up budgeting the calories and exercise and telling you how many calories you have left in your day to still reach your goal weight.  You put in how much you want to lose per week.  Amazing! So much easier than writing everything down and you don’t have to look anything up (they have restaurant calories, generic, and store brands).” 

Perhaps best of all, each pound you lose sends the graph of your weight tracking on a nice, deep plunge. Yeah, Nancy! (However, the next day when she ‘flatlined’, I think she wanted to choke her iphone to death.) 

It struck me that we get a lot of joy out of writing down the precious, hateful pounds we hope to lose. My Mom was a loyal Weight Watchers’ member and carried her little book documenting her goal weight attainment for at least two decades after her accomplishment. I use one of those little moleskin books and find there’s nothing more guilt-inducing than confessing every snack in your own handwriting.  

Diaries, pedometers, body fat scales, and the best, the ‘which black pants fit now that didn’t used to?” test…we are creatures of ‘the number’. For all the lip service we give to loving ourselves the way we are, and how much it’s all about how healthy we feel, let’s face it. We’re keeping count. We’re taking names. The toys and tools just get fancier. Nothing changes, (except maybe a smaller size, if we’re lucky.) And even if the techno trackers of today are meant to keep us honest and give us inspiration, I’d rather leave that up to a good friend.  At the same time, if Nancy significantly “loses it”–I might be switching my phone service.

share the love:

PostScript to Identity Theft

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published November 13, 2008 in New Ideas

Well, just as I was going into Kelly Ripa withdrawal with the demise of Commerce Bank, last night a commercial popped on with Regis Philbin on a psychiatrist’s couch having an identity crisis and guess what? He and Kelly are now wearing green and all excited about TD Bank. So, in an effort to maintain their personality through a name change, Commerce AKA TD has given customers a way to believe they are still the same good guy brand. I wonder if McDonald’s bought Burger King, would Ronald McDonald switch his red curls for a crown?

share the love:

The Anti-Vigilante

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published September 25, 2008 in New Ideas, Retail

While it’s easy to rail against bad customer service, I wondered how hard it would be to fix it instead?  I’ve had my share of rude clerks and late deliveries, but I realize that there are some retailers that I’ve actually become “friends” with.  Could there be a magic formula that would personalize all my transaction interactions? So as an experiment I decided to become the anti-vigilante. As simple as it sounds, I began to ask people their names. Not the way we typically ask, as in “What’s your name so I can rat you out to your supervisor?” but “What’s your name, so we can know each other?” 

Most mornings, I get coffee from a nice guy who has a cart a couple of blocks down from my apartment. But it wasn’t until yesterday, that I asked, “What’s your name?” “Nazir,” he smiled (and secretly slipped a donut into my bag.) Now, this friendship comes with calories but what a transformation! It’s isn’t coffee anymore; it’s a chance to chat with Nazir.

It worked at the vegetable stand, with a building security guard, with a florist. Eureka! Everyone is so much nicer. I’m lucky that I have a pretty amazing memory, so I can recall my mental Rolodex on a dime. Could we actually recreate service with a smile in a Vigilante Consumer service world? Could a cold digital relationship warm up with a little old-fashioned courtesy?

The new campaign for Dentyne Ice jumps on this intimacy bandwagon with a new campaign called “Make Face Time” reminding consumers that the original instant message was a kiss. How about a hug to replace Reply All? OK, I’m not going that far with the coffee guy, but there’s something to this.

Tags: Customer Service, Retail

share the love:

Let the Little Girl Sing

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published August 13, 2008 in New Ideas

Global news outlets are spreading the story of the singing switcheroo at the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony, where pretty Lin Miaoke lip-synched the performance of cute and more musically talented Yang Peiyi.  While both little girls claim to be cool about it, (they’re seven!) bloggers are raising the flag of why beauty trumped talent, especially at a competition which is all about, well…talent.

My own thoughts flew straight back to my high school. My submission for the commencement salutatory address won the senior competition, no small feat since I graduated in a class of 1100 plus from Philly’s Cardinal Dougherty High School. But I flunked the chance to deliver it since my voice cracked with emotion, so the onstage role went to Peggy White, who’s resonant and more statesman-like voice seemed better suited to the occasion. I admit that I missed the spotlight, but at least I was acknowledged as the author. But come to think of it, what’s wrong with a little emotion at a graduation ceremony? Why do we prefer the perfection of ‘the show’ to the power of what’s real?

Doesn’t most advertising to women engage in this sideshow every day in the name of aspiration? Beautiful models pretending to be captains of industry sit at fake desks in financial services ads, while the women who really are, pony up their hard-earned dollars into the sponsor’s investment products. Skinny girls get not-so-skinny girls to buy into Bally and young flawless models bewitch their lined, older sisters to get Botox. Despite exceptions like Wachovia, Special K and Olay, agencies and marketers brave enough to cast women who look a little more like the customer, are rare.

But we are all in on this duplicity. Smart consumers choose to buy into the ‘the show’ with our eyes wide open. Unfortunately, the little girls in China didn’t get a vote.

Tags: Advertising, Beauty

share the love:

Say Goodbye to Dish Pan Nails

by Tracy Chapman
Published July 25, 2008 in New Ideas

When it comes to doing the dishes, my solution for not ruining a good manicure is letting my husband attack the pots and pans. Now I have to admit, leaving the sink full of dishes has less to do with my nail polish than my aversion to kitchen clean-up.

Don’t get me wrong, my kitchen is decked out with the best cleaning supplies on the market. My last two obsessions were the Tide-To-Go Pen (it works great on placemats and husbands!) and Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (have you tried this on your walls yet?)   

And now I might have a third one which actually makes me want to attack my All-Clads.  Last night I saw a commercial for a really great (or should I say Brite) idea from the folks at Scotch-Brite.  The Ultra Nail Saver Sponge.    

Beyond just the function of this product, I love the fact that they were able to tap into a whole truth about women which is that while she may act as superwoman around the house – taking care of chores, meals, family, pets, job, etc., she also needs reminders that she doesn’t have to come last in line. Scotch-Brite recognizes that she doesn’t need to give up on herself and her nails to get the job done.

As the website promises, Scotch-Brite is reshaping the way you clean…and perhaps think. This one will have a permanent spot in my kitchen. 

 Just Ask a Woman

Tags: Favorite Products, last in line, Whole Truths

share the love:

Wal-Mart is Crafty and it’s Paying Off

by Tracy Chapman
Published July 18, 2008 in New Ideas

It comes as no surprise that Wal-Mart is faring well in this economic climate. Over the years we’ve heard women tell us that while they like Target for fashion, home, and personal items, because of price, Wal-Mart has their wallets more often.   

But now it’s not just about the money. We’ve been watching as Wal-Mart works harder to offer today’s female consumers more than just low prices…and their work is paying off. In fact, during Lehman Brothers’ 11th annual retail and restaurant conference, CEO Eduardo Castro-Wright explained that “Wal-Mart is even better positioned to take advantage of growth when the economy turns around.”  And these changes have gotten me excited about the brand.  

First, there was the March launch of Canopy, their beautiful furniture and home furnishing’s line, which recently caught my eye in Home Magazine and made me do a double take when I realized it was from Wal-Mart.

This month they’ll launch two new assortments from Martha Stewart’s Craft line – Create and Celebrate. And as a bridesmaid once more, I can’t wait to get my hands on these products.

And finally just this week it was announced that Wal-Mart signed an advertising sales deal with Women@NBCU, the new unit of NBC Universal, to sponsor content aimed at reaching a mother and her “momtourage” .  We’ve been talking about women’s board of directors for nearly 10 years now and it’s nice to see a company embed themselves into her network in a way that feels natural.  

We’ll be keeping an eye on Wal-Mart as they continue to make strides at reaching their most powerful customer.

Tags: Walmart

share the love:

A Reality Show with Some Reality

by Jen Drexler
Published July 14, 2008 in Moms & Family, New Ideas

So The Baby Borrowers …  I had heard about this show a year ago when there was some backlash against the premise of arming irresponsible teen couples with infants and thought the concept was foul.  As a new mother there were certainly days when I would have handed my twins to the UPS man, but the thought of giving a baby to these bratty, immature high school couples seemed really out of line.   

Here’s the deal.  Teen couples want to be grown ups so they are given a house, a job and an infant (and then a toddler, an adolescent and a senior) so they can give real life a trial run.  During the infant period the real parents sit in a house next door and can watch their baby and these kids playing house on camera during the entire experiment.  If they are appalled by something they can go knock on the door and confront the teens.  There is also a full time nanny with the babies who is allowed to intervene if the baby is in danger. 

When I started to watch the show while I was on the road (my only excuse), I found myself watching the baby’s “real” parents versus their fake teen caregivers.  I needed to understand why someone would volunteer for this show – there are no prizes, no rewards or free trips – and you are donating your flesh and blood for some reality show experiment. But here is the catch, I now look at these parents (particularly the moms) as real heroes for being involved.  They were sacrificing time with their own babies to teach big lessons. Several of the moms were involved because they had been teen moms themselves and wanted to give these young girls a reality check before they got knocked up and found out that babies are a lifelong commitment.  Bottom line, that says a lot about women and their empathy for other women.   

This reality show isn’t worth watching to see if the teen couples make it (they shouldn’t), but if you watch in the background you can feel pretty proud of the moms who are involved. 

Tags: Television

share the love:

Getting in Touch with a Good Night’s Sleep

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published May 14, 2008 in New Ideas

Buying a mattress is one of those furnishing shopping decisions that I can’t make on my own so I asked my husband Joe to go on a test drive at the mecca of zzzz’s, Sleepy’s. Naively, we started shopping the old-fashioned way, bed-hopping through the showroom. Not so fast. Turns out that the mattress business has changed. (Actually, now it’s probably the sleep enhancement industry.)  

Rather than let us do our Goldilocks routine around the store, the sales guy (sleep consultant?) Tom suggested we take a computerized test called BodyDiagnostics ™ designed by mattress maker Kingsdown. Even though Kingsdown has been around for 100 years, they decided to make mattress matchmaking high tech by recording 18 strategic measurements (with your clothes on) and inviting you to lie on a special bed that juggles 1,000 calculations to come up with the perfect choice. Of course, the computer’s top recommendation was a Kingsdown but its ‘type’ seemed exactly like a competitive (cheaper) mattress that we had already chosen just by laying on it. (It didn’t hurt that it was branded “Serta Perfect Night”.) Maybe the system was a gimmick, but it did give us someone other than ourselves to blame if the mattress sagged.  

So, I bought into this cool new world and signed on the dotted line. But a week later, I tried to call Tom with a delivery question. No dice. The store’s number just didn’t answer, day after day. Had Tom left me for another company? No. Like it or not, Sleepy’s wanted me to remain in their automated world, either using their 800 number with a huge phone tree or their speedy website. I have to admit, I missed the human touch. Lesson learned: When choosing products in a high-stakes, difficult to differentiate category, it’s nice to go high tech. But when it comes to service, I want the option of getting up-close and personal. Especially in bed.

share the love:

Consumer-generated ads – best way to sell your brand?

by Tracy Chapman
Published February 26, 2008 in New Ideas

If you were like me on Sunday you had settled in for a night of Oscars. I also had my computer in my lap which came in handy during one of the commercial breaks where Dove asked viewers to choose their favorite consumer generated spot for the new Dove Cream Oil. I immediately voted online and hoped that my favorite of the options given, Speedy Spa, would win.

These ads got me thinking though about consumer generated material. What is the point of giving real people control over the message? Do we believe that real people will do a better job than clients or agencies? That they would be honest and that they would break rules and generally have more fun telling stories that might even sell something along the way?

Well, a look at the two woman-made spots pitching Dove cream oil proves that we’re all brainwashed on formulaic advertising. Two pretty young things (remember Dove, the brand that blessed regular-sized gals in their undies?) parrot the “feel good” benefits of Dove, complete with a product demo and sign off. Surprising copy? Clever visuals? Nope, shower scene meets happy talk. Perhaps consumer-generated ads need their own reinvention. So far, they’ve only proved that either the spots that survive the approval sieve are the ones the establishment would have done anyway…or else we are all like trained seals who can recite product creative strategies that are pounded into us. Perhaps they could take a cue from another Oscar winner, Juno’s Diablo Cody, who showed us that the unexpected can be inspiring and successful.

After looking at some of the other 1272 entries that were submitted to Dove and watching the 5 finalists, I personally would have preferred some of the more real life stories. They would have felt more real for the brand.

Tags: Consumer-generated ads, Diablo Cody, Dove Cream Oil, Juno, women

share the love: