On The Ground Looking Up

Audi Goes Papercraft To Introduce The A7

Taking 245 hours to make and measuring over 4 feet long, this papercraft version of the new Audi A7 probably does not do great in snow but is pretty sweet to look at. Artist Tares Lesko created the model for the brand and really seems to know his way around an exacto knife. Now if they only followed suit with many other papercraft models and released the template to print out and make your own.

Via

Why The MTV Skins Controversy Reveals A Huge Flaw In The System

There has been a lot of chat and ink being spent on how many major advertisers have pulled out of advertising on the new MTV show Skins. Advertisers like GM, Subway and H&R Block have removed their ads after catching flak from the Parents Television Council (PTC) and other groups. The PTC is now going after the other advertisers who have as of yet not pulled their support.  Whether they remove their ads or not, the fact that this situation is occuring reveals a serious flaw in how media is treated by agencies on behalf of their clients.

Let's look at Skins. The UK version of Skins, showing on younger network E4 is a big hit, in fact it won a BAFTA award and has been renewed for a 6th season as well as a big screen version. So of course it would make sense that a US network would want to pick it up. It also has been somewhat controversial in the UK beacuse of it's rampent use of sex, drug use and profanity but in general it is well accepted and it is showing on E4, not something more 'serious' like the BBC. 

When MTV announced that it would produce a version of the show, I was wondering how it would do so while keeping the general feel of the original and yet abiding by the guidelines of american television. But in reality, it made perfect sense, it will get viewers for the very reasons that it is controversial. Now here is where my issue comes to light.

Why would advertisers, who were not understanding of the content, want to advertise on a show with such taboo subjects, if they were not prepared for the reaction. Anyone with a Netflix account can watch the original shows on demand to see what they are in for. MTV said they were going to be relatively faithful to the content and within the first 10 minutes of UK episode 1 we have seen bare breasts, bare asses, masturbation, rampant use of words like cock, nipple, twat and fuck and the discussion of getting one of the main characters laid in order to finally lose his virginity at 16. There is also constant discussion of drinking and drug use. All being spun by attractive teens seemingly oblivious to how society wishes to see them.

So, any media planner worth their salt should have done a little of this homework and said to their client "Skins, it could be a big hit, but without a doubt it is going to catch some heat, are you up for defending your placement in exchange for the potential upside of attention and affinity that this show may bring", It is called risk tolerance. Is the risk of the backlash worth the upside that you can get from a potentially hot and certainly talked about show, especially within your target demo.

Instead of taking a risk tolerance approach to whether they should have been there in the first place (I mean really, what was H&R block doing there to begin with?), all of these advertisers acted shocked when they get requests from groups like the PTC (whose main mission is to complain about television shows and pressure advertisers to remove their ads, augmenting their future power to do so) and run scared.  Either support the content or don't, but at least be educated enough to make the right decision. The UK version seemingly did not rile advertisers because they understood what they were buying.

Which brings us to another hypothesis, that these advertisers could potentially have used the airing and subsequent pulling out of the show specifically to re-enforce their "American" values and showing that they too, like many conservatives will not tolerate this type of content for the youth (despite their initial support). This stance allows them a PR angle that is bound to get them more attention for their position (and product) than their ads would have gotten being part of a 2 minute block in the second half of the show. Not the most honest way to plan media IMO.

Either way, it shows me that more thought needs to be put into the media planning discipline and that really understanding both the medium and the content you wish to align with is paramount to media success. Something that it would seem the planners placing GM (on some key other brands) into Skins seemed to forget.

The Cheesiest Billboard I Have Ever Seen

Crackers, Gromit, Crackers!

That's what we need for this Virgin Media billboard made of cheese recently mentioned on Gizmodo.

It took Prudence Staite and staff 8 days to complete and weighs in at 110KG. It is made up of 10 different types of cheese and i guess on a sunny day would also make the world's largest fondue?

LEGS, The Standard NYC and MotherNY Go Big To Launch Fall Line For Target

To launch their fall fashion line, Target bought out all of the rooms on one side of NY's Standard Hotel and planned a showcase, light and dance spectacle via LEGS and Mother NY. This would have been a great experience to see live, but the video does give you a sense of how creative it was. The unedited videos are available on YouTube as well.

Creating A Guerrilla Movement: Operation Beautiful

I saw a story this morning on The Today Show and found it quite relevant to the guerrilla marketing pro. It highlighted the creator- Caitlin Boyle, website and a new book from Operation Beautiful. What struck me is how a simple, guerrilla idea became a movement. The idea was to post simple Post-it notes reminding women to feel good about themselves and their bodies. As we know, body image is a big issue in our society, especially among women and Ms Boyle's idea resonated. Women started copying her idea and sending in photos of their efforts to her site. Fast forward a year or two and you have a mini movement. Watch the story below for more but a few key things to take away:

1. Place messaging in unexpected ways
2. Create a relevant and meaningful connection to your audience
3. Give them the opportunity to champion the message for you

Sounds simple right? It is, you just have to do it right.

Some samples of how the message has spread:

Watch Us On CNN This Week

It has been about 18 months since Alpay Kasal and I launched our Interactive Mirror as a test project on YouTube. Since then we have seen people go crazy for it around the world. From non-profits to corporate clients and from consumers to BtoB, our interactive and touch technologies have been getting so much attention, that we are spinning off a separate company called SuperTouch (more on that soon). CNN came to visit us a month or so ago to film our Mirror in it's natural habitat (our offices of course) and those segments are airing this week.

The segment is called The Edge of Discovery and is airing at some point during following times this week -  7/21 6-7am, 7/21 1-2pm, 7/24 2-3pm and 7/25 6-7pm. Not sure when in the hour it will air but if you watch, you will be able to catch up on the world's events as you wait to see it.

We hope you can watch!

Here is the original YouTube video that started it all:

God Goes Guerrilla @ Comicon Or Secret Promotion For Some Upcoming Movie Or Somesuch

Yeah, I really just wanted to work somesuch into a title. Regardless, according to Giz, this was spotted in response to the upcoming Comicon in SF.

Supposedly done by a Topeka, KS Baptist church that thinks worshiping false idols (in the form of scantily clad vinyl female ninja dolls with abnormally big eyes) has taken it's toll on the black rimmed glasses set, they plan on staging a protest during one of the show days. Yeah, this is gonna end nicely. Set Phasers to confess!

I Only Read Playboy For The Advertisements (NSFW-ish)

With a brand like Playboy, one would think you would not have to get too creative with your ads as the content can sell itself. But still, they have often done a pretty good job with the non-traditional marketing when promoting the magazine (along with the TV channel, merchandise, hotel, etc.).

Here is a collection of 7 creative non-traditional advertisements created on behalf of Playboy.

Summer with Playboy

There is a headlight joke here that I cannot make in good conscious.

Shower stall advertising!

Strike to light a fire.

Billboard is treated with a special paper that becomes translucent when wet.

This one is pretty tasteless if you ask me.

And don't forget all the men and women that are walking around promoting the brand on their behalf every day with tattoos, jewely and tanning brands for their friends and admirers to fantasize about.

McDonald's Goes Green

Every year Chicago dyes the Chicago River green in honor of St. Patty's Day. This year Leo Burnett decided a little landscape marketing for McDonald's Shamrock Shake made perfect sense. Landscape marketing done well often means reacting quickly to the quirky nature of the world around you.

Via Leo Burnett via Marketing Alternatif

Guerrilla 2010: A Secret New Year's Mission

Click here to read my latest op-ed for Brandweek. This one has me going out on New Years Eve and looking for guerrilla opportunities that brands may have missed. Feel free to steal any ideas, they are there for the taking!

This is part of the annual Guerrilla Marketing issue for Brandweek, to read the whole section, just go here.