Big-Game Advertising

The hunt for market share starts early.

Super Bowl Sunday is nearly upon us. That's gratifying on so many levels.

You're a sports fan? Check. You're awed by outsized spectacles? Check. Got some kind of connection to Baltimore and/or San Francisco and/or New Orleans? Check, check and check.

You're intimately immersed in the advertising industry? Che — wait a minute...you're probably not, are you? Those other 364 days, you probably don't consider yourself a real big fan of advertising. More's the pity.

Ah, but come that blessed Sunday, you find yourself on our team. You not only watch the Super Bowl commercials (and enjoy them, and talk at length about them at work on Monday), you analyze and dissect them. You track the per-minute air-time rates, and you keep score as to which companies and industries are making best use of their Super Bowl advertising dollars.

And if you're anything like us, you're rooting for the home team. That is, you're watching for the local advertisers who've made their play in the Big Game.

No, they're not shelling out $4 million for a 30-second spot like Chevy or Budweiser. But they're probably making their single biggest ad buy of the year. And they're spending that money wisely, since they're capturing a plurality of eyes in their hometown markets.

This year, the local advertisers seem to realize there's more to Super Bowl marketing than shooting the spot and signing the check. There's looped-feedback, or synergy, in this kind of advertising. Just becoming a Super Bowl advertiser imparts gravitas, or maybe street cred.

How do advertisers leverage that? In any number of ways. In the weeks prior to the game, press releases are flying and leaks abound. Some advertisers tease their upcoming commercials, some preview them in their entirety. This year, one of the national advertisers (and only one), is staying completely mum about their commercial. And even that leverages the gravitas, because it has us talking about it. What's the big secret, M&M? We and a few hundred million of our closest friends can't wait to find out.

Seems like there's only one wrong way to do this, and that's to rely on the commercial alone. That's like having a baby without throwing a blowout shower or handing out cigars.

So — we hope our beloved local advertisers take note. You can release your commercials early, or coyly hint about their content. Or you can loudly proclaim the whole thing's super-secret, and tell everyone who'll listen that you have nothing to say.

Just be sure to do something. Leverage that time in the spotlight. The spotlight itself flares and fades fast. It's up to you to make the most of it — before, during, and long thereafter.

The C4:

1. Super Bowl XLVII kicks off Sunday, Feb. 3rd at 6:30pm EST. The beautiful, resilient city of New Orleans is hosting the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers. Will we be watching? You bet.
    
2. You can also bet we won't just be watching the gridiron action. The Super Bowl is the world championship for advertisers. Super Bowl commercials are the standards against which all others are measured. From a professional standpoint, we watch them to keep our fingers on the pulse of our industry. From a personal standpoint, we enjoy them just as much as you do.
    
3. We take this opportunity to salute the local marketers who'll be making their pitch during the big game. While the usual national advertisers are paying more than $3.6 million for 30 seconds of airtime, our local sellers are investing less, but still quite a lot, to gain attention and market share all across Northeast Ohio.
    
4. May they make the most of it. The commercial itself is over in half a minute. It has the potential, though, to keep reverberating. Their options for building hype are limitless — they can release bite-sized teasers in advance, or they can post the whole thing to their website. They can create "behind the scenes" or "the making of" videos...or they can figuratively wink and nod and say "just watch the game." In any case, there's force-multiplying synergy there for the taking. We hope they take it.

A New Icon Is Already Up In The Air

American takes off. Again.

Before & After

There’s much more to the art of branding than symbolism and iconography. But then, without the symbols and icons, there is no brand.

That’s why changing those elements brings such risks. There’s risk in staying stagnant, of course. There’s risk in living in the past. But in updating, in revamping, there’s danger of the noble past being erased.

There might be no more noble brand than American Airlines, and not just because their name co-opts the vision of a society and the ideals of a people. This company, aloft since 1934, helped create our global dominance in aviation. They’re a legacy of Charles Lindbergh and Howard Hughes. They’ve survived the most momentous age not just of flight, not just of travel, but of human experience.

They’ve also been in bankruptcy for more than a year, and have been held up as an example of the decline of airline customer service. If ever a company might benefit from rebranding, that company would be American Airlines.

Yet somehow, we can give only the most hesitant endorsement of American’s recently unveiled image, in the form of a new logo, company colors, and airplane livery. The look is bold, modern, and very striking. The aircraft livery is gorgeous. There’s little to quibble with here.

But there was little to quibble with in American’s old look, which dates from 1968 and was created by the venerable, honorable design house of Massimo Vignelli. For a brand image that’s pushing a half-century in age, Massimo’s design remains powerfully contemporary. It’s also one of the most recognizable trademarks on earth.

For all that, we won’t say that American’s rebranding was a mistake. For a company as stricken as American Airlines, maybe a rebranding was necessary to break with the past, and to start writing a newer, better narrative.

We just hope the American executives realize that a fresh brand won’t write that narrative on its own. The challenges that American Airlines faces are systemic, not symbolic. A fresh brand might bring a reappraisal from consumers, but only a better way of doing business, and a new commitment to service, will bring those consumers on board.  

The C4:

1. American Airlines has just rolled out a new brand; with a thoroughly modern logo, eye-catching aircraft livery, and even new company colors. (Don’t worry, they’re still American, so they’re still red, white, and blue. They’re just a slightly different red, white, and blue.)
2. This is a company that’s been in bankruptcy since November, 2011. They’ve struggled to present a workable plan for re-emergence. They’ve gained a reputation for abysmal customer service. So yes, perhaps this is a company that could benefit from rebranding.
3. But we’ll miss the old brand, created 45 years ago by superstar designer Massimo Vignelli. Few corporate images that old can remain so appealing, so contemporary.
4. Nevertheless, the die is cast. We hope the redesign serves American well. We also hope the company realizes that now that the designers have done their jobs, it’s up to every employee of American, from baggage handlers to executive officers, to create a strong new airline, worthy of its bold new brand.

Dreamliner’s Nightmare

Did Boeing rush to market?

Can you imagine the pressure? You’re already two and a half years behind schedule, with your product hotly anticipated by your customers, your company’s shareholders, your global supply chain, and the world at large. Every problem you encounter with design, every hiccup in your production process, is an instant headline. Designing on the cutting edge is difficult enough. But doing so with the whole world watching? It must have been torture.

That’s what Boeing’s commercial aircraft division was faced with as they rolled out their first new jetliner in decades — the 787 Dreamliner. The Dreamliner was created to be the definitive twenty-first-century passenger jet — the first with a weight-saving all-composite design, the first to replace hydraulics with an electronic fly-by-wire system, the first to power its electrical systems with lithium-ion batteries.

And if you’ve been following the news lately, you know that last item might be a fatal (or at least fateful) Achilles’ heel.

The Dreamliner is now grounded worldwide as Boeing engineers try to figure out why those batteries are overheating. In at least one case, a Dreamliner battery sparked a fire on the tarmac at Boston’s Logan Airport, which took firefighters 40 minutes to extinguish. In a couple of other cases, pilots initiated emergency landings after smelling smoke or receiving automated warnings about electrical problems.

There have been no crashes as a result. No one has been hurt or killed on a Dreamliner. This is the good news.

The bad news is that Boeing’s reputation, and maybe even their ultimate destiny, is caught up with those forlorn grounded jets.

Was there a rush to market? We don’t want to rush to judge. But recognizing that intense pressure, in 2007, 2008, and 2009, as Boeing announced delay after delay, we have to wonder what shortcuts were taken. We’d like to think none. We hope that’s the case.

Boeing has been around since 1916. Their iconic Flying-Fortress and Stratofortress bombers helped save the world from fascism. Their commercial jetliners, from the early 707 to the ubiquitous wide-body 747, have defined the modern age of travel. Air Force One has always been a Boeing aircraft.

It’d be all the more tragic, then, if the Dreamliner failed and brought Boeing to ruin. And it would be tragedy multiplied if we learned it could all be traced to a rush to market.

The pressure to produce can be overwhelming. That pressure can lead to hurried work and imprecision. Depending on the nature of the product, the result can range from embarrassment and financial loss — to the truly horrific.

We honor Boeing and wish them the best. We hope for a perfected Dreamliner and prosperous days ahead for this great American company. Most of all, we hope they’re not fated to become just a cautionary warning, reminding us all to take our time and to get it right.

The C4:

1. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner rolled off the drawing boards in 2007 and flew for the first time in 2009. It entered commercial service in October 2011.
    
2. In the last half of 2012, Boeing started receiving reports of electrical problems with deployed Dreamliners. At least one caught fire. No injuries or deaths resulted, but in January, 2013, Dreamliners were grounded around the world. They remain so at the time of this writing.
    
3. As Boeing engineers focus on problems with the aircraft’s lithium-ion batteries, the question is being asked: Did Boeing rush this product to market?
    
4. We don’t know. We hope not. We hope Boeing solves this issue and moves beyond it. Regardless, we’re reminded that rushing is rarely good business strategy. We know that pressure can be hard to resist, but that methodical problem-solving is how masterpieces are created. If Boeing’s designers didn’t realize that when they built the Dreamliner, they’re surely realizing it now.

Joe, Java, Black & Steamy

The bean buzz that gets it started.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could pour yourself a cup of creativity? Or share a mug of teamwork? How about brewing up a steaming pot of productivity?

It’s not nearly that simple, but we try, don’t we?

The coffee break, as practiced by our work-a-day culture, is really anything but a break. It’s a communal activity, a team-building retreat, one we can go on every day. And even if we really do "break" from work, for those 15 or 20 minutes, we never really leave. Problem-solving wheels are still turning and collaborative talk seems to naturally congregate ‘round the Keurig. When we return to our desks we’re amped (no surprise there), and much more able and ready to tackle the day’s challenges.

Of course, caffeine is a drug. Our legal-beagles tell us we cannot — must not! — advocate its use to anyone. It’s worth mentioning that our Keurig can just as handily brew decaf, tea, cocoa, hot cider and even soup. Sometimes it even does so.

So if you eschew coffee, well then, more power to you. We don’t really understand you — in fact, we’re not even sure you actually exist. But if you do, we respect your decision.

But sorry, we won’t emulate it. Our coffee time is magical. We hang out, serve each other, kvetch and commiserate.

And we create. Oh yes indeed we do. Sure, we share much creativity when we’re sitting at the brainstorming table or pitching for our clients. To be fair, though, there’s usually coffee within easy reach in all those circumstances.

But when we commune by the Keurig, we’re in a slightly different mindset. Somehow more relaxed, more egalitarian; just friends sharing a cuppa. We never set out to leverage those golden moments. But almost every time, without fail, someone suddenly looks up and says, “Hey! I got an idea…”

We don’t mess with that kind of success. It ain’t broke so we ain’t gonna fix it. We’ll go on seeing what gets brewed up on our coffee break tomorrow, and the next day, and the next.

Speaking of which, hey look at the time. Please excuse us, we’ll be back in about 15…

The C4 (or Four C’s):

1. Coffee. We need it, man. Can’t get out of the house in the morning without it. But it’s not just a jump start. It’s a ritual. It helps build our team and fuel our creativity. If coffee had a face it’d be on our payroll.
2. Caffeine. Yes, it’s a stimulant. Yes, too much of it is a bad thing. But this isn’t just about the pep we get from a cup or 10. It’s about the time we spend chatting and laughing while the Keurig drips its precious elixir.
3. Cappuccino. We never turn down a cup of something fancy like a grande latte with soy milk, sprinkle of cinnamon and a shot of vanilla or Double-latte-foamy-half-caf-whatever. Sure, we’ll give it a try. But we think we can do just as well, and have at least as much fun, with a paper cup filled with the stuff from the gas station. The coffee supplies the jolt, and we bring the togetherness.
4. Culture. We’re not alone in this, are we? Western society was built on the back of the coffee bean, so to speak. Chances are, your workplace is just as java-centric as ours. Do you find your coffee breaks are as productive and as appreciated? Stop by sometime and let us know. We’d love to hear your story. We’ll keep the Keurig on for ya.

Weighted Down In The New Year

New Weightwatchers logo puts on some pounds.

One of the biggest decisions people worldwide make around this time is what to do in the New Year. The biggest resolution is always weight loss, but it seems like Weight Watchers — a major player in that particular arena — has put on some pounds with its new identity. The justification for the change sounds nice, but we fail to see “modern, open and energetic.” If anything it’s flat, not to mention squat and chunky.

New logo

Previous logo

We appreciate the attempt to illustrate a transformation by having the new logo gradate, but agree that isn’t necessarily the best way to do it. It’s a weight loss program — not an invisibility tonic. Weight Watchers offers a lifestyle change and an increase in health and vitality. By losing weight, you gain much more. We think that would’ve been more interesting — and valuable — to represent their brand image in their logo than what was used. Based on their primary audience (women) and how they try to make weight loss look fun and easy, the logo might also benefit from a more feminine, carefree look.

Color variations

It’s easy to get carried away with applying meaning when creating new organizational identities. But sometimes that’s the barrier you were trying to overcome all along — particularly when a company name itself has power. Jeff Halmos, a brand strategist in Toronto, may have summed it up best when referring to Microsoft’s recent brand changes:

“So the question, ‘What do you think of the new Microsoft logo’ is a futile one. You’re not supposed to notice, let alone ask. It’s not meant to be discerned. There is no story here. Nothing to talk about. That’s the point: ‘You have the word; it’s been around; everyone knows it; what’s the problem?’ Any implied or imparted meaning is now being defined by the tribe. Microsoft has no control over its brand anymore. The tribe owns it. The less Microsoft does to get in the way, the longer the tribe will feed.”

One of the main reasons we create identities is to make things easier. Clients shouldn’t have to spend time thinking about which iteration of their logo should be used in one application or another. Identity should simplify, not create more situations where people have to make decisions on color configuration, etc.

More colors mean more decisions, and more decisions mean more time spent not getting things done.

AIG Says "Thanks"

We say "Really?"

Well, it’s nice to be thanked.

AIG, or the American International Group insurance company, has launched a 2013 advertising campaign entitled “Thank You America.” The campaign, which will cover print, broadcast, and Web media, is intended to pass on the company’s appreciation to U.S. taxpayers for the largest financial bailout in American history. It also highlights the company’s return to profitablity, and its contribution to communities coast to coast.

We suppose it’s better to be thanked versus the alternative. We’ll admit, though, that the first thing we did upon hearing this news was to check to see if We The People are paying for the AIG’s expressions of appreciation.

We’re not. As of December, 2012, the Treasury has divested itself of AIG stock and has seen a profit of $22.7 billion on its bailout, dating from September 2008, which totaled $182 billion. All in all, that’s not a bad return from a fiscal episode that was, at the time, absolutely terrifying.

But here’s the thing — our well-thumbed ettiquette handbook tells us that gratitude is typically offered for assistance willingly given. Did any of us actually choose to bail out AIG?

Not by a long shot. AIG got bailed out because their bad decisions and poor investments effectively pointed a loaded gun at our collective heads. The Treasury opted to save AIG because not doing so would have likely sunk the economy.

And there’s something frankly self-congratulatory in this “Thank You” campaign. AIG knows, as do we all, that their corporate image was irreparably tarnished in those dark days of 2008. During the financial industry hearings on Capitol Hill, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), famously suggested on the record that AIG executives should resign — or commit suicide.

We won’t go (quite) that far. But we will suggest that AIG’s appreciation might be better expressed more constructively. Couldn’t they have written a check to the Treasury in the amount they’re spending on this campaign? Or given it to the victims of Hurricane Sandy or Sandy Hook?

Saying thanks is supposed to be an act of selflessness. If AIG is able to learn that lesson, we might be more inclined to say, “You’re welcome.”

The C4:

1. The American International Group, or AIG, was laid low in late 2008 after investing heavily in mortgage-based credit default swaps. When their likely collapse seemed destined to crash our economy, the U.S. Treasury bailed them out to the tune of $182 billion.
    
2. But happy days are here again. AIG has paid back all their direct loans, and the Treasury has sold off all the AIG stock it was holding. We’ve recovered that $182 billion, plus nearly $23 billion in pure profit.
    
3. Which is great. Better than most of us expected, in fact. Why then, does it leave a bad taste in our mouths to learn AIG has launched a massive “Thank You America” advertising campaign?
    
4. Because none of us chose to bail out AIG, and because something about “Thank You America” sounds a lot like “Aren’t We Swell?” For obvious reasons, we’re all in favor of advertising campaigns — the bigger, the better, in fact. But in this case we’d rather have seen AIG spend their advertising dollars on a true act of selflessness. That is, after all, how one truly says “thanks.”