Incite Kitchen

Sometimes...

...it really is a dog eat dog world... literally. 

Bogusky vs. Jobs - Round One

I remember reading about a conversation that took place at some sort of posh Seattle country club in Scott Bedburry's A New Brand World.  It went something like this:
Steve Balmer: "Wieden & Kennedy never really got the soul of Microsoft."
Scott Bedburry: "That's funny, I didn't know Microsoft had a soul."
And therein lies the crux of all the hype regarding Microsoft's hiring of Crispin Porter & Bogusky.  As the old adage goes, great advertising only kills bad products faster.  If Crispin does great work, it could very well be the worst thing for Microsoft.  The fact that Crispin (at least that I know of) isn't confident enough in Microsoft's product to switch their creative staff to Windows machines, therefore creating one of the world's most fascinating marketing-ethnographies, speaks volumes.  Crispin has a soul - Alex Bogusky.  Apple has a soul - Steve Jobs.  MINI has a soul - the product, itself.  Whether it exists in its product or its founder, Microsoft doesn't have a soul.  And, unless Crispin somehow has a way to influence more than just image at Microsoft, I can't imagine any campaign truly working.  That said, I wouldn't be surprised come the launch of the new work, if Crispin completely and pleasantly surprised me.  It wouldn't be the first time they did.

Makes Me Wonder...

Everyday I go home and walk my dog.  Most nights I pass this old BMW.  When I do, I always notice that there is a roll of toilet paper sitting in the passenger seat.  I have no idea why it's there.  It seems to have been there for quite some time now.  It just makes me wonder.

Post-Pangea Day Blues

Pangea Day was May 10th.  And for all the pre-game hype about the global community coming together to see things through each other's eyes, I must admit, I'm a bit sad about the Post-Pangea Day festivities.  In the US, the day after Thanksgiving is famously the biggest shopping day of the year and is somewhat of an unofficial holiday.  Post-Christmas, many countries celebrate Boxing Day.   Pangea Day, like Thanksgiving or Christmas, was a day with a great build-up, but I sadly feel that now that it is over, continuing the conversation is difficult.  The content is either very difficult (I haven't figured out how to do it) or impossible to embed into blogs, news coverage seems to be scarce, and a mechanism to keep the conversation going, unless I'm unaware of something, seems non-existent.  I love the concept of a global community, as much as anyone, I just wish the community had the ability to hang out together, even in much smaller groups (such as: Likemind, Planning For Good, Pecha Kucha Night or All Day Buffet) for more than one day per year.  If I'm missing something here, someone please let me know.

Happy Trails NAU

Although I'm a little late in announcing the news of NAU's unfortunate closing, I at least wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone at NAU for being an inspiration to so many people, for being so willing to take the risk that you did in starting and running your business with such clear and authentic purpose, and of course for your efforts in helping causes for good that are important to so many people.  I'll miss you guys, but I haven't a doubt that what was learned from the NAU experience won't be turned into something, perhaps even better, sometime not far from now.  In the meantime, to anyone else who might be reading this, they're having a great sale here... get it while you can.

Poor Dove

It's been an interesting year for Unilever - especially its Dove brand.  First, the stories started circulating regarding the hypocrisy of its support for the Dove campaign (to raise the self-esteem in women) while simultaneously supporting Axe's campaign (which seemed to just as effectively place women in a shameful light).  This video, which, of course, is the product of a conversation I had last fall with Rye Clifton, is just one example.  Then, just a few weeks ago, Green Peace's version of Dove viral broke, actually prompting a quick and bold reaction from the soap-maker.  Unilever, the world’s largest consumer goods company and buyer of palm oil, weeks later, announced it will start using palm oil from certified sustainable sources by the end of 2008.  Now I hear that it is quite possible that Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty did have at least some retouching.  If true, this would of course be an act that contradicts the point of the entire campaign.  The Advertising Age article that made me aware of this development can be found here.

As a fellow advertising practitioner, I simply can't understand why agencies, clients, or both, continue to think they can pull a sheet over the eyes of the public.  Most people know that ads are "airbrushed."  It's expected to be "fake."  And that's ok.  But, if you're going to be a purpose brand, you simply cannot be anything short of 100% authentic in your efforts.  Agencies: you can't have that "honest conversation" you  worked so hard to sell to the client with people you're trying to fool.  Clients: your agency is dangerous if they're trying to have you live up to standards you can't inherently keep on your own. 

Softsoap turns competition on its head... literally

While it's almost the name of one of my favorite blogs, I think it was TS Elliot who first said, "talent imitates, but genius steals."  In the case of Softsoap brand liquid hand soap, talent imitates, genius steals, and then together they both do a 180 degree turn and squat down a little bit. 

McCain Sings Streisand

It's been said many times before... "in the future, Presidential Elections will have the ability to be won or lost based on old content dragged out on the Internet."  I think the future might be today.  Check out this bit from SNL.

Steve Nash as "The $60-million Man"

Nike seems to be popping up a lot with me this week.  To promote a shoe made of scrap leather and recycled rubber (yet another green shoe technology) basketball player, Steve Nash, made the below ad.  Nash, who also owns production company Meathawk, produced, directed and starred in the 90-second YouTube exclusive with a little help from his friends, for $90,000. The spot launched on Earth Day. 
Now the question remains, what happens when celebrities who already are living ads, start producing content with their celebrity friends to promote brands at bargain-basement prices?

Jordan Brand Cures Writer's Block

More and more it seems that things that are made to connect with one type of person or group of people are discovered by others and appreciated at an equal or greater rate than the intended target.  Honda's Element, designed to be the car of teens has become the car for dog owners everywhere.  Dansko and Crocs are now the de facto shoes of doctor's offices and hospitals in cities across the world.  Even vinegar has been rediscovered rather recently as the ultimate in green surface cleaning.  On a micro-level, last August my wife found Patagonia Capilene to be the perfect fabric for her wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses.  And while I'm sure the folks at W+K New York weren't aiming to inspire account planners with writer's block when they made this spot for Jordan Brand, it was exactly what I needed this morning.