Slayterbox1748

Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, believed the wearing of veils stifled a national effort to modernize. While Ataturk could have simply criminalized the otherwise unassuming garb, he understood there would be consequences to usurping tradition. Understanding the value of perception, Ataturk protected his scarfless vision for Turkey by making veils compulsory garments for every prostitute in the country.

By essentially re-branding the veil as the signifier of an undesirable class, Ataturk managed to change the garment’s perception, and in turn the identity of an entire nation.

The decision to re-brand veils may have been only a small measure in Ataturk’s valiant march towards modernization. Nonetheless, the effect begs the question, “how many problems in life can be solved…by tinkering with perception?” At the July 2009 TED Talk in Oxford, England, Ogilvy Group Vice Chairman Rory Sutherland addresses what Ataturk realized over a century ago. One, that all value is actually relative, and that all value is perceived value. The second: persuasion is often better than compulsion.

For more on the value of perception, be sure to check Sutherland’s TED Talk, and read his blog on Brand Republic.

CBS Outdoor, one of many CBS channels (which include CBS News, CBS Sports, CBS College Sports) has launched a new ad campaign this past Tuesday in which keywords would be shown on billboards for consumers to text and receive special offers and promotions from the advertiser. VP Marketing for CBS Outdoor, Jodi Sense, explained:

 “Out-of-home media have been choice marketing outlets for local businesses, and we are ramping up the effectiveness of our signage by giving our clients ways to further engage consumers with direct response messaging and compelling offers,” 

The full story can be found on MediaWeek. 

These guys had the right idea… create a blog, fill it with hundreds of crazy ideas, offer the ideas up for grabs, and hope that some large brand steals an idea and gives you credit. Steal Our Ideas does just that, and in doing so has received notable publicity in the advertising world simply for the concept they created as a whole… the idea that there is such an infinite number of other ideas that we may as well share with each other as long as we’re getting credit in the process. Simultaneously, the blog manages to be witty and entertaining. One fan on Creativity Online even stated, 

Very clever. Wish I could’ve stolen the entire website idea from them.    

Here are a few sample ideas:  

Take a look at the Gillette Fusion Powered Zamboni.

Featured at TD Banknorth Garden, the zamboni ushers in a new breed of branded motor vehicles (take that NASCAR). I’m liking where Gillette is going with this, but my criticism would be that it kind of looks like a vaccuum cleaner (where are you Hoover?)

Nonetheless, I’m keeping my eye out for more of these beauties…hopefully the US Army will catch on so we can see some sweet tank zambonis.

My friend showed me this Gap ad directed by the legendary Spike Jonze. Though the ad is a couple years old and has basically no relevance to the Gap’s more-or-less white bread aesthetic, it’s a surprisingly bad ass commercial. Enjoy.

Everyone has seen popular products practically float through mass media. Product placement is a popular style of marketing, especially with today’s screen media.

In the television show Entourage, the only beer they drink is either Budweiser or Bud Light. In the upcoming film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, 7-Eleven will have their product of the Slurpee drank by the main character on screen. This is an interesting tactic done by 7-Eleven.

Once the film is out in theaters, they will have a new kind of Slurpee titled “mutant-berry.” Hopefully this strategy will work. Entourage and their deal with Budweiser seems to work as that’s the only beer I buy now.

The other day I was walking through my student union and I noticed something very peculiar. Mountain Dew has changed its name to Mtn Dew. I guess they figured they would shorten their name to make everything easier.

Texting is getting huge and often times you will find people shortening the way they write a word to make everything more efficient. I guess the guys over at Pepsi decided to go along with this fast growing texting phenomenon. Check out their website.

ANDREW ADAM NEWMAN / The Body as Billboard: Your Ad Here / NYTimes.com / 17 Feb. 2009

If you’ve watched boxing anytime in the last couple years, you’ve seen advertisements plastered across the backs of many a fighter.

In a delicious breed of branding and shamelessness, everyday folks are sacrificing their bodies to serve as walking advertisements for a variety of companies and a pocket full of sweet, sweet cash. Newman’s article cites a particular craze in which AirNewZealand.com offers free flights to Kiwi-country in exchange for the space on their baldheads.

FeelUnique.com, an online beauty store in England, went even further. Andrews writes: “[The company] paid 10 men and women to apply temporary tattoos with the company’s Web address on their eyelids and then wink at strangers. Chosen randomly from more than 6,000 who applied online, participants were paid 100 pounds (about $149) to wink at people 1,000 times, or 10 pence a wink, an allusion to pay-per-view Web advertising.”

Though a bit ridiculous, companies are getting their name out there, and bald people are getting paid. Believe it or not, in 2005 a 20-year old guy in Omaha offered his forehead for a month and got over $35K from Green Pharmaceuticals!

Anyone who’s driven through Ohio can’t help but recognize the gigantic Mail Pouch Tobacco advertisements plastered on various barns and buildings.

Based in Wheeling, West Virginia, Mail Pouch Tobacco began its barn campaign way back in 1890, reaching its peak in 1960 with an estimated 20,000 barns spread across 22 states. Dang.

Paid between $1 and $2 a year for the use of their barn, farmers were also compensated with a fresh coat of paint…nice incentive for a much-needed service.

It seems as though the branding sh*t show known to us as Barack Obamania has come to a hideous, albeit predictable, conclusion. Yup. The folks @ Clemenger BBDO | Australia present the “Yes, We Can” Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep sale.

Though there had to be a proverbial “straw” to break the camel’s back, I suppose it makes sense for our auto industry to embrace rabid bandwagoneering considering President Obama’s efforts to keep them afloat.

Is the commercial cheesy? Yes. Does it make sense? Kind of. Are you supporting terrorism if you don’t buy a Dodge Nitro with 20″ rims for under $35,000? Probably.

While starfish were legally recognized as being “sea stars” rather than “fish,” fish are now being called “sea kittens.” PETA started this campaign in order to dissuade people from eating fish. As we all know, creating a brand name for an object is what generally constitutes its success and so PETA has simply adopted this tactic in an attempt to rebrand the sea-dwelling creatures with a nickname that appeals to the masses.

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