BrandsAmongMany

JetBlue is regularly at the forefront of the air travel industry. They were one of the pioneering brands on Twitter. They recently launched a deals-via-Twitter feed, @JetBlueCheeps. And now…well now they’ve raised the bar even higher. I just noticed the following tweet via @JetBlue:

At first I had to wonder why it would be worth it. But that lasted for all of about 3 seconds when I realized that I’d just paid $335 for a single round-trip flight in January. For a few bucks more, the All-you-can-jet pass would cover that trip and another weekend jaunt to wherever I want that JetBlue flies (according to the fine print, the pass includes domestic taxes and fees, though international flights will incur a extra cost to cover those).

It appears that this might be a test-run for a further program as it’s only available for travel from Sept. 8 to Oct. 8, 2009 - I’m going to venture a guess that perhaps this is a slow season for the airline. But regardless, for the cost of a ticket-and-a-half, you could take a serious vacation. Or fund your business travel for the entire month.

Personally, I think it’s a great idea. Go JetBlue!

Attention brands: Don’t call me!

Unless I’ve booked a trip through you or there’s an emergency with an upcoming interaction that I’ve previously planned with you, DON’T CALL ME. RoadRunner Sports, this means YOU!

I was really excited when I placed the order for two pair of running shoes at half of retail price (as advertised on your website). I was really bummed when you informed me that, despite being listed as available on your site in two different colors, you didn’t actually have either available to send me to fulfill my order. I was annoyed when you believed that this failed attempt at service entitled you to email me on a regular basis.

But now? Now I’m MAD. You’ve called me - without my permission - on multiple occasions to play a recording. When I tried to reach a real person through that recording to take my number off your calling list, I couldn’t. So consider yourselves blacklisted in my book. I will never place another order with you again. Period.

But you know what’s worse (for you, that is)? I’m gonna tell everyone I know not to order from you either. This is not ok. This is not customer service. This is not excusable in the slightest. In short…

DON’T CALL ME.

It would seem that quoting Seth is like standing on a streetcorner and repeating exactly what that guy next to you is shouting, but this quote is well worth repeating:

Join in the onslaught about the new Skittles site:

Blogs
Twitter
#Skittles on Twitter

And…just to fuel the controversy, check out this.

Part of today’s talk that’s making the rounds is the announcement of SI One, Southwest Airlines’ newest custom jet design. I remember when the Shamu plane was launched - probably about 15-20 years ago. It was right around the time that Sea World opened in San Antonio, and there was a bunch of chatter about Shamu One, a Southwest jet painted to look like an Orca whale.

Unlike the more wholesome, endearing patterns of the past, however, SI One is undoubtedly more risque. I’m all for branded airline partnerships. In fact, this is a great idea. If you can bring my ticket price down by putting an image on a plane in a place where I don’t even have to see it as a passenger, more power to you! This one, however, just feels a little…off to me. Not to complain about scantily clad women, but from the brand’s perspective, exactly what value does this bring? Other than giving the plane an undoubtedly Hooters-esque appeal I mean?

I think Kevin’s comment on the Southwest Airlines Blog put it pretty succinctly:

Ran into a quick, interesting read from blogger Jake McKee titled Reason #234593 People Don’t Trust Companies (via a tweet from @meat99). It’s a quick, interesting read about the recent fumble by Beanie Baby maker Ty and their newest addition to their doll lineup: Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia. (If the significance of the names doesn’t hit you immediately, don’t worry - it took me a minute too. Perhaps it’ll be more clear if you consider the names of the newly annointed first-daughters of the Obama family…)

It didn’t take long for the action to make waves - CNN has good coverage of the issue, which resulted in an official statement by White House representatives, here. When pressed on the matter, Ty’s initial statement was full of legalese and “cover our collective asses” language:

A Ty representative told CNN the company generally avoids naming dolls for “any particular living individual,” because doing so might interfere with how kids use their imaginations to play with them. But they wouldn’t reveal the source of their inspiration for the new figures, telling CNN that information relating to the development of the company’s merchandise — including how it comes up with products, product names, and trademarks – is proprietary.

However, it appears that this tone didn’t fly in the slightest. A quick look at the Ty website reveals that just ten days since the CNN article was published, the manufacturer has already added both dolls to its “retired” list and renamed them:

“In deference to the wishes of the First Family, Ty Inc. has officially retired the Ty Girlz names Marvelous Malia and Sweet Sasha. We have renamed the dolls Marvelous Mariah and Sweet Sydney.

While the names Marvelous Malia and Sweet Sasha were inspired by this historic time in our nation’s history, the dolls were not intended to bear the likeness of the First Daughters.

Of course, the note, presented by Ty Warner (founder and CEO of Ty), still smacks of that “I’m sorry you feel that way” type of language. Rather than a genuine apology, it seems to have an underhanded feel of “I’m sorry we won’t be able to make money off you…” I think Jake put it well in his original post; Ty has succeeded nicely in presenting consumers a reason to purchase from someone else.

This morning The New York Times featured a great article about the Presidential Inauguration that is right around the corner and corporations jumping at the opportunity to stamp their brands on it.  I don’t know if it was because I spent the majority of my day yesterday in Ikea, but this definitely caught my interest:

That’s right. Ikea has recreated the Oval Office in Union Station (check out more pictures here).

Other brands taking advantage of the Inaugurations’ captive audience are Quaker Oats (by holding Quaker Oat parties featuring mom’s that blog), Hennessy with limited edition bottles and Pepsi-Co.  It’s a new wave of political consumerism.

And I think it’s pretty amazing how many brands are excited to align themselves with the new presidency. While it’s not surprising (what company would want to miss a captive audience) it is a sign of ‘change’ — I don’t remember many Ikea recreations of Guantanamo.

I love the Nissan Shift campaign, probably one of my favorites in the world of car advertising. Yet, their most recent truck commercial seems familiar. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great spot, horrid music aside, but there something wrong here.

Now, compare and contrast.

See what I mean?

One of my favorite writers is Paul Arden, author of Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite and It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be. The books challenge everything, from ideas to thinking, and are the most inspirational pieces of literature I have ever read. I have read hundreds, maybe even thousands of blogs, but it wasn’t until I came across Dave Trott’s Blog that I was immediately reminded of the late Paul Arden. Dave Trott, CD at CST Advertising, fills the void left after Mr. Arden’s passing with his unique anecdotes and advice for young up and comers in the industry. I recommend anyone clamoring for some daily inspiration or words of wisdom to bookmark or subscribe to the blog.

In my first post I mentioned a few good reads that included ihaveanidea or American Copywriter. Additionally, don’t forget to take a glance at Ad Age, AdWeek, or Creativity Online, especially when it comes to the interactive front of advertising. Lastly, anyone interested in a more in-depth analysis about the business and ideas, I recommend reading the books Ogilvy on Advertising, Purple Cow, Hey Whipple, Squeeze This or anything by George Lois. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to stay relevant and keep up with popular culture, read the Gawkers, Perez Hiltons, and a gem I recently came upon, Magnificent Bastard. And watch Saturday Night Live, it’s pure hilarity.

From the Great Schlep to Gobama, Barack Obama has taken over the interactive “air waves.” Some of the most popular videos on YouTube in recent months directly support Obama’s campaign for presidency and the dozens of celebrity endorsements doesn’t hurt. The “Probama” user created content is significantly helping Obama gain popularity amongst young voters, especially considering the time they spend watching movies on YouTube or forwarding funny videos on Facebook. Obama is sucessfully winning the interactive front of the presidential race. The most recent work of Obama loyalists is Wassup 2008.

Recognize those dudes from the Budweiser commercials? Yeah, that’s them alright, back from an eight year haitus. In case you need a refresher watch this, this, or this. Nice to see these guys back in their element and no longer hosting the show, “The Best Commercials You Have Never Seen and Some You Have.”