Big Ol' Howdy

Bill Green is a big motherfucker.

I know this because I met him and his merry band of Plaid pranksters at Bar of Soap in a section of Dallas I rarely visit for a quick, cheap beer and a chat about how a Plaid Van can connect with marketing folks from Connecticut to Nashville to Dallas and points in between. It's a fascinating example of putting your money (and your agency's marketing) where your mouth is.

With a simple vehicle wrap, a van-cam, a huge flickr set, an hourly twitter update, IMs ablazing and no shortage of appointments and cold calls, Plaid Nation embraced a bunch of very simple new media and demonstrated just how compelling it can be. Did they get in every door? No. Did they pay for their trip in new business? Yup. Was it fun? Yup. It has the hallmarks of any great marketing endeavor. Including the one where they want to try it again to see what they can do better next time.

And they got to sample some half decent chow (NJ is a tough to town to get a decent barbecue sandwich - or so I've heard.)

Always cool to meet a fellow blogger. And cooler to see them out shifting the paradigm in a silly van full of electronics.

Photo credit: Plaid

Sequel blues

Adrants is featuring the West Coast answer to the Tea Partay. It ain't all that. However...
Thanks to one of the hatin' commenters, I picked up this jewel.


Always funny to hear actual hip hop lyrics.
Makes me think of the Gourds.

...and my little friends

Fox has news.
And like any good creative, he's making it quite a production.

Good for you, bro. Mazel tov.

Say hello to my little friend

Not my best effort, but a good product of an otherwise lackluster afternoon.

Sidebar

I'm in the middle of some animation research and came across one of the finest shorts from one of my favorite artists: the Art Director Hall of Fame's own Chuck Jones. Worth ten minutes out of your busy day. Takes me back to afternoons spent building with Lego in front of the tube.

Creep Factor

Ever the anti-agency, CPB is now racking up anti-PR. Great story in the latest AdAge about how "Deadenbacher" has effective turned ConAgra off "buzz-factor" advertising for good. And then last night Nightline had a heart to heart with Burger King's CMO in which even he describes the fiberglass-headed sometimes-in-your-bed King as, well, "Creepy."

I suppose creepy is a good thing (?) for food advertising, which for as long as I have been a witness, has amounted to little more than a montage of bite-and-smile with only the occasional Salad mobile (Jack in the Box) to keep it fresh. Of course, the Saladmobile still goes at that old tried-and-true advertising principle: try and a make a little sense and uh, you know, sell the product.

And you have to applaud a client who's willing to approve the line "Don't eat at Burger King" (and the agency that is fearless enough to present it).But I gotta say: I'm not getting any hungrier.

Maybe the creepiest part of all is seeing Rob Reilly get all client-friendly in front of a TV camera. How did he describe the Burger King effort? "I think the goal is to be different, and to provide great products and some entertainment and have some, a brand experience beyond just the products."

I suppose when your product lacks a great deal of nutritious value, your added value become "brand experience".

Don't get me wrong: I think CPB is doing category-leading creative for this client. But when commercial entertainment is your product's most redeeming quality, it may be time to rethink what it is you're selling.