OMG U R So Watching the Same Movie as Me

“if you pause this again I am gonna kill you!”

There is an article on Tech Consumer today that describes a new HD DVD feature for the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix home release. It’s called “community screening,” and according to the article it will utilize the Ethernet connection built into each HD DVD player.

Here is how “community screening” technology works. The host invites others to watch the movie, and then can simultaneously watch while, “chatting live with your friends while you watch.” Only the host can control the viewing of the movie (play, pause, etc).

I am beyond perplexed about the attractiveness of this feature. It just doesn’t seem completely thought out.

From the official release site:

“Invite other owners of the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix HD DVD to simultaneously watch from their own internet-accessed players and text with your remote, PC or cellphone.”

Just a quick note to the movie studio….communication has been available through your PC and cellphone before this feature became available. So you have added texting through remote, which I see absolutely no one taking advantage of.

Maybe I’m out of touch with the youth market, but I just can’t see this catching on. I can’t think of a time I have ever wanted to watch a DVD simultaneously with someone else who wasn’t in the room with me. Except, of course, when Space Jam comes on TBS and I call all my friends so we can watch it together.

If I’m marketing this, here is where I’m selling this feature: constantly traveling or divorced parents. You would call your son or daughter up, and you could watch a movie ‘together’, even if you are apart. Or maybe job training or education DVDs, where you could coordinate a class and then the instructor ‘hosts’ a simultaneous viewing. But that would necessitate lots of people owning HD DVD players, and that just isn’t happening – yet.

So this feature may just be ahead of it’s time. But I hope executives aren’t pushing this as a feature that will put HD over the top of Blu-Ray. If so, they could be in for a looong holiday season.

Andre Still Has a Posse

Today I took the brand new Karmaloop TV service from Karmaloop for a spin today, and it definitely has a lot of promise. I always dig an ‘insider’ look at an underground-type of industry. My favorite segment so far is an interview with Shepard Fairey, artist and founder of Obey. It was a Fairey experiment that produced the famous image above, which you probably recognize if you were skating in the mid-90’s.

Before I get to the content of the interview though, let me just say that Karmaloop CEO Greg Selkoe clearly should not be interviewing people. He is eating the microphone, his questions are pretty dumb, and he introduces himself with aliases? Who does that besides Sal Masekela and Sway? It detracts from the person you are trying to interview and just doesn’t look very professional. I admire him because he has been pretty successful, but leave the interviewing to someone else!

Once Shepard Fairey took over the interview, it became very insightful. He spoke on his humble roots and how the whole ‘Andre the Giant has a posse’ meme came about. Fairey really goes global when commenting on his reaction to the growth of the ‘Andre’ image:

“…it really opened my mind to the ideas of an image in public sparking a reaction that is something that is outside of advertising and the usual signage that you see that raises people’s awareness about what’s going on around them.”

I had just read something about influential street artist Banksy and his exhibit here in New York. Fairey’s comments got my mind rolling on the whole awareness idea. In advertising, we really inundate the public with ‘awareness’ campaigns that are trashed and forgotten almost immediately. Today one of my clients sent out almost two million direct mailings to consumers. They are hoping 95-98% of recipients don’t trash the piece immediately.

Comparatively, Fairey’s Andre image was first published on a sticker in 1989, and almost twenty years later his art has grown into not only a full business, but has influenced many people to look at the world in a different way.

All we have to do is take some time and create real creative work for our clients. More than just words on a page describing policies and legal. Make them feel something as well. This can be accomplished just as thoroughly with art as a traditional print or TV campaign. But make it something rare – make it something your target will seek out and obtain, rather than have it stuffed into their mailbox. Only then can we create influential works to last over time.

More Than Popcorn

Brandweek just released in a report that in-theater advertising has experienced a 15% increase since 2005. I’ve never really thought much about in-theater advertising, but clearly it will increase in popularity and importance with film budgets ballooning and the threat of busts increasing.

The truth is, we have become pretty darn good at picking a flop when we see it. Sure, some well received movies still flop (see Shawshank Redemption and Grindhouse as my favorites) but we’re rarely fooled by junk such as The Heartbreak Kid (Ben Stiller seriously needs a new character type) and the biggest loser, The Adventures of Pluto Nash.

But another part of the problem is, we just aren’t as motivated to head out to the movies with the ticket prices still rising. I know if I’m borderline on a movie, or just don’t feel like making the time, I’ll wait for the DVD. And even then, if a friend says it sucked then I won’t even put in that much effort.

So the challenge then is to drive people to the theater. Make the experience memorable, and customers will go and line up during opening weekend. Give them an added on performance to go along with the movie, and maybe they will be happy to shell out the $30-$40 it can cost to have a date at the movies.

I’m not a marketing genius, but I do know that studios are shelling out millions to place their movies in every available media slot and open space outside of the theater. I literally just watched “The Comebacks” sponsor a spot in the intro to the ALCS game four. And I know Transformers was sponsoring NFL football this weekend (now where was the tie-in there?)

But then you arrive at the movie, and there is no special effort to connect. There is no reason to show up before the previews. If the only experience is the movie, then why NOT just wait for the DVD and watch it in your own home? Save some of the millions from stuffing your movie down our collective throats. With the power of the Internet, we’ve been reading about your movie for months. And even if we haven’t, the local paper and news reviews your movie before it opens.

I think some of the movies coming up have incredible potential. Slash Film, an awesome preview and review film blog, recently posted their 55 Must See Movies of 2008. Movies like Cloverfield, Be Kind Rewind, Jumper, and of course Iron Man look like sure-fire hits. Couple the movie with something unique, some free schwag, something that says, “we gave a damn that you specifically came to the movie.” I’m thinking a glossy book of pictures from shooting, or a comic that supports the storyline. The more interest the movie studio shows, the more we as viewers will return.

In the end, the movies can be a welcome escape for a lot of people. The movies captivate our attention in the way few other things do (sports and musical performances come to mind). But with the expansion of the home theater, it takes something extra to get us to choose the movies for our night out. But as the numbers show, in-theater advertising is a channel that has serious growth potential, both economically and creatively.

UPDATE: The Movie Blog author John has written an article on why commercials before movies are worse than piracy. Makes it even more important to have a relevant, creative, well connecting idea for marketing to filmgoers.

What’s ‘All-New’ Mean Anyway?

I was watching the Eagles-Jets today and those annoying ads for Cadillac came on. You know which ones I’m talking about – the tag is “when you turn on your car, does it return the favor?” I’m sure running those ads during every single break in the action will increase sales exponentially. But I digress.

When the commercial break was over, the announcer ran through the list of sponsors, including Cadillac, who “invites you to drive the all-new 2008 STS.” And for some reason this really struck me for the first time.

How many times do you hear the term “all-new” just stuck onto a product, as if it is completely different? I would be willing to bet the 2008 Cadillac STS looks pretty remarkably like the 2007 version, and also looks a bit like most other Cadillacs. It’s a car, after all.

There is no need to try and blow people away with every new model – we’ve come accustomed to the fact that in 2008 there will be a new model of car from every car company. Just introduce the car, give us the reasons why we should want to purchase it over the next car, and then move on. No need to beat us over the head with it, or try to pretend like you reinvented the car for this model.

And that is happening everywhere, in all kinds of different markets. We look at simple tags and feel like there must be one more word, one more adjective we can fit in there. ‘All-New’, ‘totally redesigned’, ‘first of it’s kind’, ‘revolutionary’. Most of these words are stuck where they just don’t fit at all, like for a Cadillac. And I think as reader’s and listener’s we have come to tune them out completely.

And if they are being tuned out, then they aren’t being effective as marketing messages.

Rabbits are Awesome!

Just saw the new Sony Bravia ad, it’s awesome. It’s had so much hype and build up, I can’t believe that it totally delivered. I really enjoyed it, I think you will too. The graphics and music are really fun and work together so well.

Great for Sony, I hope this results in a whole bunch of sales so we can see more ads like this!

Also, here’s the “making of” they did on this commercial – so inspiration for somebody like me (and you too):

Open Letter to Ad Execs re: windorphins

This is a post that most surely will be edited, revised, re-written, added on to, addendum-ed, fixed, etc. in the months to come. Basically, this was the catch-all title for my rants on different topics. Today’s topic (well, I’ve been thinking about it for the last few days) is advertising on the MTA, or the New York City Subway.

So let’s begin with what I, and no doubt everyone around me on the subway, hate. WHY oh why is every inch of most trains covered in the exact same ad? Just yesterday I rode on the Justin Timberlake train, followed by the Budweiser train, and then finally the hated Windorphins train.

Seriously, I hate these Windorphins. No idea what they are, and don’t want to know (although if you do, fellow blogger Syposphere did some research). I just want them gone.

I would probably be hooked, or interested, if the ad wasn’t played to death all over the train. Maybe one ad on the train, maybe two to be sure and cover most of the car. But every single panel? What is the advantage of that? Haven’t any of you ever ridden on the train for more than 5 minutes? You do a lot of looking around, and not just at the people (that gets creepy fast) you really DO look at the ad panels. So change it up a bit (and not just the already annoying copy).

But note what I said there – I DO look at the ads. I do notice them. So the Subway is a good place for ads – no, its a great place for ads. There I am, stuck in a train, listening to some music and just looking around for a good 30 minutes. I am ready to be inundated with advertising messages. But for the love of Mike Staub can you make them interesting? (or at least humorous, as this was)

It’s incredible (but not necessarily surprising) to me when a singular individual, with a tiny tiny ad budget, does better advertising than most professionals in the subway. A few days ago someone had posted their rap group’s flyer over the Justin Timberlake ads. All the flyer included was the name of the group, a website, and then the copy: “(famous rapper) would approve!”

That was it. Was it great advertising? No. Do I remember the group name or the website. No. But someone probably did, and it cost them nothing to make a few hundred paper copies of their flyer. I wish I had taken a picture to provide.

So what can a company do to make an impact in the MTA. Well, a long long while ago I covered a great example of just that (read that post here). The short answer is, make the experience memorable, make it innovative, or give the commuters something to smile about and take with them the rest of their day. ANY of those would work, and a combination just makes it better. And none of those are particularly hard with some thinking.

So don’t just take the JT ad from the magazine, stretch it to fit the subway panel, then send it out. Nope, that sucks.

Instead, create a new concept for this media, base it on the same big idea and appearance, and send it out. Or, if you are going to completely inundate subway riders with your ad content, make it interactive. I was riding yesterday and thinking…what if Allstate replaced subway seats with giant hands…”you’re in good hands…” Run that for a month on a few select train cars, get people laughing, giggling, taking and sending their friends pictures. Then, when the event is over, put brand new benches in the hands’ place. This provides a lasting benefit for the riders – and believe me they won’t quickly forget that.

And yeah, you are going to weird some people out. You might annoy some. But as long as your advertising isn’t inherently annoying like the windorphins, you are good in my book.

Or how about a ski mountain ad running above the swinging hand holds over the seats? Unlucky people who are stuck holding them will appear to be taking a ride up to the top of a mountain. Have I designed it? No, but someone can. Replace the handles with ski grips and you are good to go. A water skiing school or wakeboard gear shop could benefit from this idea as well.

As an industry, we should be working towards making people’s days happier, more enjoyable. Call it a rosy view, but if we all had that as one of our goals, I believe we would be more successful.

I guess the best place to start is getting rid of those damn windorphins.

More links to come over at the scary basement.

Your Entry Sign

In the mornings I check Digg’s most popular list. It’s a good way to catch up on all the coolest stuff that happens when I’m sleeping. This morning I came across this sign and it was very inspiring to me.

Sure, it’s probably illegal to alter a government sign, but what isn’t illegal these days.

It got me thinking – if I had my own entry sign on my office or in my driveway, what would it look like? I know I grew up with a “Yankee Parking Only Sign” next to my bed, a gift from my Dad at a young age. I still have it, although now it occupies a space in my Yankee clubhouse basement.

I’ve been working hard on branding my projects, from “How to Not Get a Job…” to Scary Basement to Big Words. I think this is a great step in the branding process. If I had an entry sign on my Big Words office, what would it look like? How would I customize the world around me to show I had been there?

And the same goes for your workplace. When trying to get a job, how do you customize your resume or tailor your interview to reflect your personality? How do you mark your desk as yours?

What is your Ninja Entry sign? Once I make mine, I’ll be sure to post it here.

Skaters Get Beamed Up

So after seeing this EA ad for Playstation 3 over at AdRants, I decided to check up on my favorite agency, 72 and Sunny. I wanted to watch their DC Ads again, and see what else they were up to. Luckily, I found a YouTube copy of one of the spots 72 and Sunny made for DC Shoes so this time I can include it for everyone who is too lazy to drop on over to the 72 and Sunny site.

What is most important about this spot is, it’s cool to the SKATERS. To the crowd that already owns the product. They aren’t just trying to convince new little converts to beg their parents for a skateboard. That’s part of the goal, sure, but they are also showing their support for skaters as talented athletes. And they made an video that’s purely entertaining on top of it. That’s something that is sorely lacking in a lot of the “extreme” sport (for lack of a better term – can someone make one up please?) advertising. Don’t just try to convert new groms, but give some support and entertainment to the already converted who are out there busting their butts (literally).

Anyway, I’m over on the 72 and Sunny website and I see a link for spots they did for G4 TV. I’m a recent G4 evangelist, I just started watching “Ninja Warrior” a few weeks ago, but now I’m hooked. So I checked out the spots, and they are amazing. Here is one for Star Trek (the original), which G4 is now playing weeknights at 11 pm.

So good! There are others, like a Star Trek Cribs, and some Man Show ads. The animation is absolutely incredible, so fun to watch. And I won’t forget that Star Trek runs 11 pm on G4 either.

72 and Sunny seems to have it exactly right – pull in creatives from all kinds of backgrounds, throw them together, and watch creativity inspire creativity. Don’t be afraid to try something new, and amazing things can happen. Be motivated to let your product drive innovation! Man I’d love to see their offices! Way to go 72 and Sunny, and keep kickin’ ass!

Gone Running

I love these signs. These are so perfect for the runner mentality, and have that feel of “created by runner, for runner.” They describe the lifestyle of the busy or working runner without “describing” anything. They just represent what their target cares about, and that is how a relevant emotional connection is made.

Via Ads of the World.

Tuesday Morning Links Edition

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of posting yesterday. I’ve been really busy moving the rest of my life into Jersey City. Now I have a nice little office, and a bed (read: mattress on the floor). But now I can finally sort everything out and get back to work! I’ve got an interview today, which is really exciting. I’ll let everyone know what it was like later, I definitely want to describe the experience.

But I started this post to tell you about some great design links I have come across in the last few days. I’m in the process of revamping not only this blog, but starting design for Big Words Ad Agency too. So I have been looking at all kinds of inspirational designs to help me choose which direction to take. So I’ll post a few links so everyone can see what I’m working with here. I found almost all these through Smashing Magazine’s ‘Best of July 2007′.

First, an awesome gallery of ‘inspirational design’. Faveup hopes to get everyone’s creative juices flowing by showing off great designs in logos, business cards, flash, and css websites. You can vote for your favorites, which move up the ranks as more people rate them.

Next, a digg style community for designers called Design Float. This provides constantly updated links and tons of discussion on designs, from furniture to CSS. Really cool set up, neat stuff.

I’ve gotten really into portfolios. Creative people are constantly creating great design, from their actual work to the way they show their work off to the world. Fully Illustrated is the portfolio of Michael Heald, the Head Creative at Lightmaker. This site has won loads of awards, and it’s easy to see why. He has made a beautiful site that is easy to navigate and reflects his personality very well. Fully Illustrated is what I aspire to be…someday!

One more portfolio I would love to give credit to is Onetwentysix. These guys do design, photography, typography, and illustration. But more importantly, they put it all together so well. Their home page is so clear, I love the minimalist design. Check out the project their are putting together for Alejandro Ingelmo. Just beautiful stuff!

Finally, the coolest seven minute video I have ever seen. This photoshop work is better than Tim’s! (no slight meant there Tim, your Illustrator work is still the best Contour can buy). No more commentary from me, just watch. Courtesy of Inspiration Bit.

There is also one of John Locke, from one of my favorite series, Lost.

So that made me feel much better about my day, I’m glad I got to put some stuff down on paper today. I’m off to my interview, then I’ll be around NYC before coming back to do a bit more work today. Cheers everyone, hope you find that job today!