Today, Mashable posted this article about a study that found a portion of the 600 teens interviewed were either losing interest or dropping their accounts altogether.
Along with citing reasons like “losing interest,” some report they are leaving because their parents are on the social media channel, which I found hilarious.
Read the article. I’d love to hear if you’re experiencing any social media fatigue and why you think that is – share via comments.
Also, do you think marketing contributes or alleviates this fatigue?
Do you enjoy hearing from brands, products, and services that you are a fan of?
Diesel, harbinger of coyly apathetic chic, launched their recent Spring Summer 2010 campaign with a faux-cute and music-video-esque “we’re-all-unique-yet-insignificant” TV spot.
As the song A Hundred Lovers by Josep fires up, we see a young couple confab via subtitles and finger dancing. They decide to kick off a simple dance (who the hell is the guy that joins them?) which serves as a device to swap out a variety of people wearing multiple Diesel fashions. Building up to a feverish, stop-frame collage of fashion, the young girl is left dancing alone as she stops.
Questions of the ad’s effectiveness aside, what is striking the lifting of a dialogue and choreography of the famous “Madison” dance from Jean-Luc Godard’s Bande à part, or Band of Outsiders. This classic is on the surface a gangster/heist-meets-love-triangle genre flick. The basic plot involves two men Arthur and Franz (Claude Brasseur and Sami Frey) who enlist the beautiful Odile (Anna Karina) to rob her own house. Of course, there is much more to it and that’s the film’s true enduring appeal.*
While Diesel has been known for its fondness for second-hand cool by lifting from pop culture, this lift is striking for it’s obscurity and lazy execution. Why the Godard allusion? Does it add to the concept? Who in the target audience will know it? Is it just enough to just lift something and just throw it together? Why not plus it and discover something new?
“Neither homage nor knockoff; a ripoff. Worth remembering, too, that Godard gives voice to his dancers’ thoughts.” —@tnyfrontrow
Richard Brody’s concise response provoked further contemplation into what was special about this sequence in Bande à part. It’s not the dance or the music. It’s what Godard does with the moment. As the Madison continues, the music drops out and we hear only their shuffling feet and hand claps. Then Godard himself quickly reveals, via voice over, their feelings and inner thoughts, with an allusion to the German philospher Novalis’ quote about dreams and reality.
With Godard, the public act of dancing becomes an evocative and intimate introspection. The device also makes you, as the viewer, aware that you are watching a film. This is a powerful Godardian technique that is often misconstrued as “distancing the viewer.” It is just the opposite. By being aware of you and the film, you actually become more intimate with the characters in this moment. Behind the veil of the dance, you know their inner thoughts and suddenly you are aware of yours. In Godard’s cinema it is just as much about what we bring to the experience as what his cinema brings to us.
From Joshua Clover’s essay in the Criterion DVD of Bande à part: “Godard sees in such a moment more complexity than a musical comedy would allow, or a grand tragedy for that matter. There’s something of both in the joy and alienation expressed equally in Arthur, Franz, and Odile’s dance, choreographed to bar jukebox and internal monologue. Never have three people been so alone together, a band and apart, in a singular double-exposure of one moment arriving as another passes away.” — Band Of Outsiders: Get Your Madis On, by Joshua Clover
Considering all of this, the Diesel “homage” is a missed opportunity. It’s not a question of whether or not it’s right to steal from another source, itself a complicated question. Godard himself quoted, made allusions, and frequently lifted references from cinema, literature, advertising, and more in his films. It’s really how we borrow and steal.
Richard Brody expanded further via an email discussion:: “I think advertising fascinated Godard (see “A Married Woman”) and horrified him (see “Pierrot le fou”), but in any case, it plays a role in forming the style of his films of the ‘60s; so, though I think that the Diesel ad is just a ripoff, turnabout is, after all, fair play; and it is nonetheless a sign that those films are in fact enduring artifacts of style.”
With the ironic statement of “turnabout is fair play” Richard points to a compelling notion about Godard’s style and how Diesel co-ops it. Almost a half century later, Godard’s 60‘s work is still fresh as cultural shorthand for being cool, but more so because he provoked new ideas on intellectual and emotional levels. Diesel fails in its thievery because there’s no real soul in the work. There’s no humanity. Instead, the people we’re supposed to relate or aspire to are just commodified people-as-products, mere mannequins. The moment is lost because the surface is only an executional gimmick, devoid of any conceptual discovery.
So as brands steal, maybe we could build on what is stolen or borrowed. Twist it or flip it, but make it fresh and new. As Indie Film Icon Jim Jarmusch advises:
“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery—celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from—it’s where you take them to.”
*Bande à part has also highly influenced Quentin Tarantino, who named his production company A Band Apart, dedicated Reservoir Dogs to Jean-Luc Godard, and even did his own quasi-madison tribute with the dance between Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace at Jack Rabbit Slim’s in Pulp Fiction.
But now that childhood obesity is more common than playground scuffles, a seemingly acceptable trend is emerging for political figures, culinary celebrities, and even restaurant chains to target kids with healthy eating and healthy lifestyle messaging.
While I believe this is a noble cause, I took a little look at the effectiveness and intentions behind a couple of marketing programs. Here are my thoughts…
1. First Lady Michelle Obama’s LET’S MOVE! Initiative
It was smart for the First Lady to select this issue for her primary cause. The White House Garden was a brilliant tactic as well, providing the chance for a lot of youth to visit the White House in a unique experience, along with endless photo-ops.
In addition, First Lady Obama’s efforts have been widely covered by media, showcasing her aggresive attention and passion for this cause, along with her ability to get kids active, involved, and even her ability to do yoga in a dress in the desert.
The program’s website, however, is a little less motivating. Loaded with federally-generated content, I wish there were greater calls to action and even opportunities for interaction. Why not post an exercise video every week? I’d do tricep curls with Mrs. O. any day!
While I love this program, it reminds me of “The Smoke Free Class of 2000″ federal initiative that I was part of in 1988. We wore the yellow t-shirts; took the pledge to remain smoke-free; I even chewed out my grandmother for smoking her unfiltered Lucky Strikes. But it was a good thing that no one ever followed-up to see how many of us remained “smoke free.” They would have been sorely disappointed (no, I don’t smoke, but lots do).
My point is, marketing campaigns that intend to change people’s personal habits have to be ass-kicking and interactive. Their progress also must be tracked. There must be follow-up to see if the messaging was affective enough to change peoples’ habits. Michelle Obama wants to solve the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation. I believe it will take a lot more than planting a garden at the White House, putting up a website, and doing yoga in the desert to make a real impact. Someone get Jillian Michaels on the phone!
I love this guy, but it’s a bit embarrassing for us Americans that this Brit felt so obliged to come all the way across the pond to stop us from feeding our youth to death.
I would say his mission looks largely self-promotional, until you delve into his website. There are really useful tools such as online videos, and picture-illustrated, step-by-step recipes that teach parents and kids how to cook their own meals. These are the kind of basic, multi-media tools that I could really see empowering young kids to learn how to cook their own healthy meals at home. It’s also cool how it asks parents to take a pic of the meal they make with their kids and upload it to the Food Revolution Facebook page. Smart.
It’s hard to ignore all the support from celebrities like Eva Longoria and Heidi Klum, who were either born with blessed genetics or can afford full-time trainers and chefs to keep their bodies up to Hollywood’s accordance. But the website also features a story about a 9 year-old who started his own “Food Revolution,” which is the site’s primary call to action, along with a request to “sign the food revolution petition.”
The fact that Oliver is being both active in a range of communities and inciting people to take action to eat healthier and get healthier foods in schools, is impressively action-oriented. Some 600,000 people have signed his petition. I get e-newsletters from the campaign. Overall, the communications plan behind the campaign seems really well laid out.
That’s right, Chipotle, that devilishly delicious institution that serves up 1,700 calorie piles of Heaven-wrapped-in-a-tortilla is launching a marketing campaign that simply asks consumers to forward their junk e-mail to “nojunk@chipotlejunk.com”. For every 100,000 e-mails sent, Chipotle will donate $10,000 to The Lunch Box, a non-profit that provides schools with resources to make their lunches healthier.
It would have made more sense if Chipotle were rolling out some super healthy-yet-still sinfully tasty menu options simultaneously. Then again, maybe the giant burrito giant just wanted to do something good for the nation’s youth before they got into college and got hooked on their food.
Who knows.
But among these three campaigns, a few things are certain:
1. It’s not taboo to market to kids about food as long as it’s promoting healthy food and lifestyle choices.
2. Campaign tactics range from having national leaders and celebrities as spokespeople, to engaging people online to either do something for themselves or for “the cause.”
Watch these three campaigns, their calls to action, and whether they post results. They’re an interesting case study in the making.
Not to contribute to the hype, but instead to give a little nod to Michael Jackson and his music on this Friday afternoon (he passed a year ago).
The man’s impact on the music industry and pop culture is immeasurable. Entertaining, insanely talented, always in demand: he was the ultimate ‘product.’
You could even say that Michael Jackson, “The Artist,” upped the ante for all-things marketing, advertising, entertaining, and creative.
What impact do you think Jackson had on the advertising and marketing industry?
And, did you ever try the Moonwalk in your living room?
Rip on capitalism and don your Che t-shirts all you want, but as it stands, we live in a system where our day-to-day bread & butter depends on things like profits and losses.
And if there were no big businesses with large budgets to spend on things like marketing and advertising, well…then there’d be no marketing or advertising.
In the movie “Art & Copy,” I believe director Doug Pray eloquently describes advertising and marketing as “art serving capitalism.” Art can exist independent of capitalism; I suppose marketing and advertising can too. They just won’t pay for your bread and butter unless you practice them for a money-making entity.
What’s the point?
Drake Cooper CEO Jamie Cooper recently returned from a magnet conference in Philadelphia. Based on his report back from the conference, smart advertising and marketing agencies are aggressively shifting their business approach from “look at the mind-blowing creative eye candy we can produce,” to an approach that asks “what are the fundamental glitches in your business model and how can we apply some creativity to help you fix those glitches and make more money?”
Duh, right?
Well, that should be a “duh” concept. But it may be one that’s been easy to ignore in times of economic growth and prosperity. I think that many of us in this industry who fancy ourselves writers, artists, or maestros of distinct creative talents, have in the past produced work solely to showcase our own mad skills, as opposed to produce work that truly helps our clients solve their fundamental business problems and then make more money.
The current economic state has served as a gut-check to the entire industry. In the end I believe is a great thing. It seems the leadership at Drake Cooper does as well.
Amidst all the losses and despite lacking profits, there are countless challenges/opportunities to help businesses identify their glitches and, with a little help from business-savvy and intelligent creativity, to help them score great victories in a bad economy.
At the end of the day though, it is the economy. And respecting that is anything but stupid.
“We are a people in motion, whether on the Trail of Tears, Route 66 or the Interstate System. From Jack Kerouac to Willie Nelson, the lure of the road and the promise of the journey still hold us. And it was Lewis and Clark who gave us our first great national road story.”
—from “Why Lewis and Clark Matter” by James P. Ronda, Smithsonianmagazine, August 2003
Many web sites on the history and mythology of the old west look like they were designed by The Apple Dumpling Gang. These presentations are a clumsy mix of brochure-ware and armchair-historian long copy that recalls the achingly tedious history textbooks many of us slept through in Junior High.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, being the old west’s answer to Homer’sOdyssey, has been prone to this sort of neglect-by-design. While numerous sites offer lots of information about various aspects and portions of the trail, most don’t revitalize the history while inviting people to take part in rediscovering the journey (with post-oughties web tech to boot).
The Idaho Travel Council and Idaho Historical Society decided it was time to bring the Idaho chapter of the Lewis and Clark journey to life.
Drake Cooper created an re-vamped site with richer design and engaging interaction. Not only are there educational resources, native people history, interactive route maps, galleries, and Lewis and Clark journal excerpts, there are new ways to interact via taking your own trek and even, geocaching.
Visitors to Lewis and Clark in Idaho will learn that there was more to this journey than they once knew. They’ll see that it wasn’t just a story about two explorers and the legendary Sacagawea, but about many men, women, explorers, and native people on the cusp of a challenging, shared future.
“Lewis and Clark matter today because they act as a benchmark by which we can measure change and continuity in everything from the environment to relations between peoples. But more than that, their adventure reminds us that we are not the first Americans (native and newcomers alike) to face difficult choices in troubled times. William Clark, Sacagawea and Coboway lived in a complex, often violent age. The winds of change blew as hard then as now.
When honestly told, the Lewis and Clark story inspires without leading us into simpleminded platitudes. History humanizes us by giving names, faces and texture to our physical and mental landscapes. Not only do the Lewis and Clark stories entertain us, they serve as a map and guide for life on the American ro
These days it’s tough enough for businesses to navigate the uncertainties of the marketplace, let alone have their own state government get in the way. With recent news about new tax burdens on businesses, Oregon and Washington business owners were restless and fuming.
Seeing the opportunity to take a more involved approach in recruiting business, the Idaho Department of Commerce launched an over-night PR push with Idaho “Love-letters” from Governor Otter to Oregon newspapers.
The response was overwhelming and it became imperative to integrate direct response and online components to transform the heightened awareness into qualified sales leads. Drake Cooper turned around a smart, targeted campaign around the theme of “Just Make The Shift.”
The “Just Make The Shift” messaging communicated Idaho’s stable business environment and lower costs of doing business. At the same time, the tone respected Oregonians and Washingtonians and their love of their state. By simply stating that better opportunities are “closer than you think,” out-of-state business could make a simple shift and save costs on doing business.
The heart of this campaign were the facts and costs associated with doing business in Idaho. In direct response a simple mailer with a pull-out chart lined up all the different costs. Online, the same device was executing using flash. This simple execution reiterated the Just Make the Shift concept by shifting perceptions about business in Idaho.
The combined efforts have expanded into target ads in business pubs and have resulted in the phone ringing with businesses waiting to “make the shift.”
SHOUT OUT:
Sara Chase, Justin Yonk, Josh Mcdannel, Cale Cathey, Sean Young, Amanda Cash-Crowley, Joe Quatrone,
*Strange whenever you talk about government restrictions on business you can’t help but resort to medieval analogies. Thankfully for us, that hyperbole goes as far as classic Monty Python references.
Consumer Financial Solutions has offered one-on-one financial counseling to the Treasure Valley and financial education courses throughout Idaho for 40 years.
Back in February, the nonprofit’s board realized the smaller organization couldn’t compete with larger Internet- and call-based operations. So, instead of burning through the organization’s cash reserves, the board decided to give its assets to other Idaho nonprofits that could use the money to expand and strengthen their work, according to CFS Chairman James Haworth.
The result was the “Win $10K for Your Idaho Nonprofit” contest that was modestly launched via a blogger.com account, http://www.win10k.blogspot.com/. Contest rules were simple: create a 30-second YouTube video explaining what your nonprofit would do with $10,000.”
An impressive 120 organizations submitted entries (see them all here).
A panel of six local business leaders volunteered to watch and judge the videos, although judges did not vote for nonprofits they serve as a board member or volunteer.
Five nonprofits won $10,000 for their videos; another seven won $5,000 for their videos.
“We were so excited to hear that our video was chosen to win a $5,000 prize,” says Breanne Durham, First Book-LCSC Coordinator. First Book-LCSC is a Lewiston-based nonprofit with a mission to give children from low-income families the opportunity to own and read their first new books. “This money will allow us to give out an additional 2,000 books to literacy programs in Idaho.”
“We were blown away by the number of groups who entered the contest,” says Haworth. “It shows how there are so many needs in our communities. Idaho’s nonprofits have passionate, skilled staffs, but they need money and volunteers to continue making a difference across Idaho.”
