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Old Spice Man is not the manly smelling grim reaper you think he is for the Old Spice brand

 

Chances are if you opened your eyes at any point last week you saw or heard about the Old Spice YouTube campaign where they sent out customized video messages from the wildly popular "Old Spice Man" played by a ripple-abbed former footballer to all sorts of tweeters. The first reaction by the masses was "Wow, this is the best thing that's ever happened to my eyes and ears. Hooray Old Spice." The digital marketing/social media set immediately began carving their idols of Old Spice Man as this was the campaign that would change marketing FOREVER! Then it all crumbled as we got report after report about how sales are going DOWN not up after the flashy and exciting campaign.

Did you hear me! Sales are going down and the videos have been up for almost a WHOLE week. Uh, I know we love immediacy in the age of digital, but isn't that a little premature to determine the epic failure that so many want to proclaim? For real insights as to the overblown nature of this claim, check out an article from Video SEO leader ReelSEO, which points out, amongst other things, that the sales figures are vague in their sources - but for more of my prescient opinions, scroll down, dude.

People are proclaiming that despite the excitement and freshness of this video campaign that deodorant/body wash buyers don't care because Old Spice is Grandpa's brand. But let me put this out there... I remember entering the junior high gym changing room where we had to wear uniforms for the first time and after class you showered (maybe) but always sprayed, or rolled on the deodorant. In my day you wore Right Guard. I don't know why but you just did. 

Now put yourselves in the shoes of an 11-13 year old boy who is soon to become a lifelong deodorant consumer - and has yet to establish any feelings about Old Spice's previous brand image. Isn't it possible that this young lad sees these videos (and accompanying hilarious TV spots) and identifies with the NEW brand image? Let's take that a step further... his mom.

A big point of the campaign is that ladies are the buyers these days so let's show them a rock hard shirtless dream of a man that they'd like to ride backwards on a horse with. You know Mom likes to watch these videos (she may be married, but she's not dead!) and she probably wants sonny boy to think she's cool, so wouldn't buying sonny boy some Old Spice and making a joke about "smelling like a man," maybe convert to future sales for the brand?

The digital age has brought on this dichotomy of everything happening at a mile a minute, while at the same time trying to build lasting relationships and establishing long term brand loyalty. As an online video producer, I try to create videos that share personality and honesty more than just cramming a product down your throat, so you'll excuse me if I wait a few years before grabbing my shotgun and bringing Old Spice behind the barn to put him out of his misery.

What do you think? Is a dip in sales at the exact time the buzz is created an automatic death blow, or do you wait and see the bigger picture?

SXSW 2010: A “Teaser” to 2011

I’m feeling exhausted and achy, have very little voice left and can’t wait to sleep in my own bed! But the weirdest thing is that I still want to turn around and get back to Austin! In fact, if I were able to, I’d have already booked my flights and hotel for next year… unless we decide to pack up Big Teeth and actually MOVE down to Austin before 2011.

What an experience! And one without a BADGE.  I read several blogs prior to heading to Austin about people’s experiences without badges, most seemed positive – and my experience was no different.  Being in Austin only 3.5 days, there were only a handful of panels I really wanted to attend and I didn’t think I could hit more than 2-3 films a day plus wasn’t that particular about which ones -so costs didn’t add up.   Waiting in line even with a film badge wasn’t appealing – but going 15 minutes before a show to see if there are extra tickets, seemed to be the way to go – especially if the film was at the Paramount. 

I had no badge but I WAS armed with business cards, bookmarks, recipe cards, stickers and pins for both Big Teeth and Fooditude.  It was especially funny to meet people, then figure out if they’d rather me put on my Big Teeth or Fooditude hat.  One thing was certain, I met way more people than I’d ever imagined meeting and people that may have NEVER known about either of my companies had we not ended up in the same elevator, shuttle, line for a film or in the same row at a panel. 

I made it to 4 Film Screenings (all of which were great) and 3 Interactive panels, and a handful of parties (only one that I tried to go to and couldn’t, being badgeless).  I can only imagine how much I’ll be able to do next year if I have a little more time to plan and don’t have to spend a day just trying to get the lay of the land. 

 A few things I learned:

• I really like Austin!
• If badgeless and you can handle the anxiety and you only have a few panels you really want to go to, hide behind a tall friend and carry a very large bag in front of you.
• If you have a friend that stays out later than you and you KNOW won’t be up first thing in the AM for a panel you want to go to, convince them to lend you their badge!
• Make friends with people that are only there for a couple days, seems everyone wants to share the love and offers up their badges or shuttle bracelets to others before they head out of town.  WHY NOT?!?!
• The shuttles from hotels outside of the city were wonderful, but I’d still prefer to stay in the city!
• Never be afraid to chase a car down that's leaving an event you're to ask for a ride, especially if its raining
• If you like food, Austin is a great town, but don’t just eat on 6^th street, that’s not where the good stuff is.
• Austin is a really great city for vegetarians and breakfast lovers!  (2 things I am) Even if I didn’t have a chance to hit up any of Citizen Taco (Austin Food blogger) I’d read before my trip but had the privilege of meeting in person while there)’s top spots for breakfast tacos, I found that even the bad ones were great.

 I see my experience as a taste of what is to come in the future.  Until next year SXSW!

Can Small Business Owners be Spontaneous?

I’m not the most spontaneous person. Most people who know me would agree. Normally typing my to-do list instead of handwriting it is as “out there” as I get. There are only 2 truly spontaneous things I’ve done as an adult:  Left New York City to move to Chicago with NO job and few industry connections; and quit my full time job to bum around Costa Rica for a month – but that’s where it ends. 

Since becoming a business owner those decisions seem CRAZY.  I over-think every decision, weigh the pros and cons and make sure its what’s best for Big Teeth, and us both in terms of creativity and of course money.

But then last week within 36 hours of the idea coming up, I booked a flight to Austin, Texas only 7 days later to head to South by Southwest (or SXSW for those in the know) an interactive and film festival. I’ve wanted to go to for years but always had an excuse why I couldn’t attend, usually it was money, or lack there of.   What made this year different?  Perhaps I see the potential of increasing Big Teeth’s visibility and reaching outside of Chicago. Perhaps there’s comfort in the fact that I know more people going this year than in the past. Perhaps I should just stop wondering why and leave it to the feeling in my gut, something I usually trust.

Despite my impulsive decision, just minutes after booking my flight I thought, “Am I crazy?”  Which brings about the question – Am I doing a disservice to my company leaving for 4 days?  Will any current clients think we’re putting fun in front of their needs or will they respect the decisions we make for our business?  I hope in this case and in future cases it’s the later because I’m kinda liking this new leaf I’ve turned.

 

Can You Pitch New Business in Flip Flops?

It's pitch time. Quick put on your suit and tie, hook up the powerpoint and memorize those talking points.... Not for us.

We love our direct clients in need of intriguing videos, but also recognize the benefit of working with agencies who have built-in client rosters and could use our production skills. These agencies don't just come to you, so a-pitchin' we shall go. But I think the nature of the pitch has changed. Is it still necessary to button yourself up when new business hunting.

We had a recent meeting at a mid-sized B2B Ad Agency in Chicago. Rather than deliver a "talk at you" Powerpoint presentation, we decided to just go in and chat. This way we could ask them questions about their business practices and what video needs they may have, and they could grill us on what our shooting methods were, editing style, how we do estimates, past experiences etc. We did no slick pitch, just chatted about our respective companies, and then pulled up our website so they could look at some samples of our work and let us walk them through the choices we made.

Some might think this way of doing it appears too casual and shows a lack of preparation (and in some cases with larger companies it might not be the best approach) but I argue that after an hour-plus of this type of meeting, we walked away thinking this is the type of company we would be happy to do work with because the people we met, who would be our direct contacts, all seemed nice and approachable and appreciate the type of work we do. It appeared that they felt the same about us, and will very likely come calling next time a video project comes up.

After all, isn't that what makes for successful working situations; the relationships? As unique as all businesses think they are, there are usually others who can do similar work, so wouldn't you rather work with someone you know you can talk to and trust... even if they wear flip flops instead of loafers?

note: Any flip flops referred to in above post were strictly metaphorical. All toes were concealed, but nice jeans may have been worn.

 

MLB, NFL Need to Get out of the Babe Ruth era

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Why are professional sports so slow to adapt to modern technology and social media? First the NFL employs a draconian Twitter policy  that the Don Quijote of unnecessary PR, Chad Ochocinco, vows to stab with his sword of justice. Next comes a story via SM superstore Mashable about a missed opportunity by Major League Baseball to launch a viral video from a genuine moment by a Philadelphia Phillies fan, that amazingly did not involve throwing batteries at the opposing team.

America's professional sports leagues are extremely blessed with the ability to have essentially 30 (give or take) brands under their umbrella with which to market. Think about all the Cubs, or Cowboys, or Redwings merch that gets sold every year, and imagine the Don Fannuci-like commissioner of each league wetting their beaks from every sale. Isn't that enough for them to be happy - and moreso, shouldn't they embrace the fact that the millions of fans are essentially marketing their product for FREE!

Its not bad enough that the average hard-working fan has to fork over a small fortune to take his family to a game and fill them up with nachos the price of an SUV; but they are treated to a bunch of athletic savants complaining about how underpaid they are (If I hear about one more "hometown discount" contract that involves $200 million I may lose it altogether).

What's so irritating about this is, what are they trying to protect? I get it when the military has to ban tweeting, or when a politician's wife needs to keep some details to herself, but come on, this is a GAME we're talking about. Unless @CC_Sabathia is tweeting signs to @davidortiz I think we can feel safe with Twitter on the sidelines and in the dugouts. For all the commissioners know they might make a few extra bucks - and we KNOW they like that.