Madonna put on an entertaining halftime show. Despite M.I.A.’s gesture it was well received. For most people, it seemed like a welcomed event to have a three-decade performing music veteran on stage since last year’s performance by the Black Eyed Peas wasn’t so well received.

It’s interesting to consider the collection of previous Super Bowl halftime performers… In 2010 we had The Who. The year before, Springsteen played. The year before, Tom Petty. Before that was Prince, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Janet Jackson, Shania Twain and U2.

What’s interesting is that ever since the birth of online music, whenever we need an entertainer for the masses, we still reach back to performers who were popular before digital music arrived.

Why?

It’s an interesting thing to ponder…

Over the course of modern music history, we have had giants. People who, no matter what your individual favorite performer was at the time, everyone can agree is great: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Michael Jackson and all the aforementioned Super Bowl performers. Giants who defined their times.

But today, with the splintering of music such as it is, we have very few giants. We have people who are great in their genre, but very few entertainers who critics and mass amounts of consumers alike both get behind and champion.

Perhaps because of this, when it comes time to choose a performer for a TV event that draws over 110 million American viewers we find ourselves looking back into the past to find someone that most people will enjoy. There’s only so long that can go on.

So while we’re becoming a society that champions individual preference, we’re resigning the notion to draw together for common likes. We’re becoming more ingrained and defined by our own clubs. Which is good. But if we can’t come together and unite around common things, are we creating a watered down culture that is undefinable for future generations when they look back? Elvis defines the 50s. Hendrix the 60s. And so on.

Who will be the key musicians to define this decade?

Madonna put on an entertaining halftime show. Despite M.I.A.’s gesture it was well received. For most people, it seemed like a welcomed event to have a three-decade performing music veteran on stage since last year’s performance by the Black Eyed Peas wasn’t so well received.

It’s interesting to consider the collection of previous Super Bowl halftime performers… In 2010 we had The Who. The year before, Springsteen played. The year before, Tom Petty. Before that was Prince, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Janet Jackson, Shania Twain and U2.

What’s interesting is that ever since the birth of online music, whenever we need an entertainer for the masses, we still reach back to performers who were popular before digital music arrived.

Why?

It’s an interesting thing to ponder…

Over the course of modern music history, we have had giants. People who, no matter what your individual favorite performer was at the time, everyone can agree is great: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Michael Jackson and all the aforementioned Super Bowl performers. Giants who defined their times.

But today, with the splintering of music such as it is, we have very few giants. We have people who are great in their genre, but very few entertainers who critics and mass amounts of consumers alike both get behind and champion.

Perhaps because of this, when it comes time to choose a performer for a TV event that draws over 110 million American viewers we find ourselves looking back into the past to find someone that most people will enjoy. There’s only so long that can go on.

So while we’re becoming a society that champions individual preference, we’re resigning the notion to draw together for common likes. We’re becoming more ingrained and defined by our own clubs. Which is good. But if we can’t come together and unite around common things, are we creating a watered down culture that is undefinable for future generations when they look back? Elvis defines the 50s. Hendrix the 60s. And so on.

Who will be the key musicians to define this decade?

Madonna put on an entertaining halftime show. Despite M.I.A.’s gesture the show was well received. For most people, it seemed like a welcomed event to have a three decade performing music veteran on stage since last year’s performance by the Black Eyed Peas wasn’t so well received. But the Peas aside, it’s interesting to consider the previous Super Bowl halftime performers and what it might say about music… Prior to the Peas we had The Who. The year before, Springsteen played. The year before, Tom Petty. Before that was Prince, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Janet Jackson, Shania Twain and U2.

What’s interesting is that ever since the birth of online music, whenever we need an entertainer for the masses, we still reach back to performers who were popular before digital music arrived.

It’s an interesting thing to ponder…

Over the course of modern music history, we have had giants. People who, no matter what your individual favorite performer was at the time, everyone can agree is great: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Michael Jackson and all the aforementioned Super Bowl performers. Giants who defined their times.

But today, with the splintering of music such as it is, we have very few giants. We have people who are great in their genre, but very few entertainers who critics and mass amounts of consumers alike both get behind and champion.

Perhaps because of this, when it comes time to choose a performer for a TV event that draws over 110 million American viewers we find ourselves looking back into the past to find someone that most people will enjoy. There’s only so long that can go on.

So while we’re becoming a society that champions individual preference, we’re resigning the notion to draw together for common likes. We’re becoming more ingrained and defined by our own clubs. Which is good. But if we can’t come together and unite around common things, are we creating a watered down culture that is undefinable for future generations when they look back? Elvis defines the 50s. Hendrix the 60s. And so on. Who will be the key musicians to define this decade?

Madonna put on an entertaining halftime show. Despite M.I.A.’s gesture the show was well received. For most people, it seemed like a welcomed event to have a three decade performing music veteran on stage since last year’s performance by the Black Eyed Peas wasn’t so well received. But the Peas aside, it’s interesting to consider the previous Super Bowl halftime performers and what it might say about music… Prior to the Peas we had The Who. The year before, Springsteen played. The year before, Tom Petty. Before that was Prince, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Janet Jackson, Shania Twain and U2.

What’s interesting is that ever since the birth of online music, whenever we need an entertainer for the masses, we still reach back to performers who were popular before digital music arrived.

It’s an interesting thing to ponder…

Over the course of modern music history, we have had giants. People who, no matter what your individual favorite performer was at the time, everyone can agree is great: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Michael Jackson and all the aforementioned Super Bowl performers. Giants who defined their times.

But today, with the splintering of music such as it is, we have very few giants. We have people who are great in their genre, but very few entertainers who critics and mass amounts of consumers alike both get behind and champion.

Perhaps because of this, when it comes time to choose a performer for a TV event that draws over 110 million American viewers we find ourselves looking back into the past to find someone that most people will enjoy. There’s only so long that can go on.

So while we’re becoming a society that champions individual preference, we’re resigning the notion to draw together for common likes. We’re becoming more ingrained and defined by our own clubs. Which is good. But if we can’t come together and unite around common things, are we creating a watered down culture that is undefinable for future generations when they look back? Elvis defines the 50s. Hendrix the 60s. And so on. Who will be the key musicians to define this decade?

In the business-to-business side of the food industry, what goes into building a strong brand is all about putting other brands first.

As a division of J.R. Simplot Corporation, Simplot Custom Foods is riding on an 87-year legacy of building some of the largest restaurant brands. While Simplot is mostly famous for perfecting french fries and potatoes for thousands of restaurants, they’re a new player in private label retail and consumer packaging goods.

Drake Cooper was tapped to help establish Simplot Custom Foods as a “one-stop frozen food megastore” for buyers for supermarkets and national brands. Not only could they offer hundreds of vegetable blends, potato products, meals, sandwiches, and bowls in over 200 configurations—Simplot Custom Foods also provides extensive packaging capabilities, R&D resources, and a widespread, already-in-place distribution network.

While this is all good, hurling around statistics and logistics was only going to add to the clutter in this competitive set. The goal was to create a brand identity and messaging that put the retail customer and buyer first.

The messaging articulated the key insight in a simple new tag, “The Goods Behind Your Good Name.” This simple statement speaks to the business reality of being able to provide frozen food of such a high caliber that any brand would be proud to put its name on the label. Think of it as the matryoshka-doll brand strategy, where all the good things are on the inside.

The new messaging, brand identity, multi-quad tradeshow booth, and trade ad were unveiled to the public at the annual Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) show on November 12th in Chicago.

And to pull it all together, a new website designed and launched during the tradeshow: www.simplotcustomfoods.com

Congratulations and thanks to Simplot Custom Foods.
Shout-out: Mona Teffeteller, John Drake, Jennie Myers, Sean D. Young, Chad Connally, Karma Jones, Amanda Cash-Crowley.

Being a nerdy music lover, I was very interested in the musical selection for the new Microsoft Kinect for X Box 360 TV ads. There are several ads running that were developed by agency Two Fifteen, but one in particular caught my ear since it featured a killer riff from a somewhat obscure post punk band from a few decades ago.

I honestly was not a huge Gang of Four fan back in 1979 when the band released the album Entertainment, but since I have discovered it and rediscovered it and can appreciate the band’s creativity in forging new ground in that era. The guitar style is unforgettable and has been borrowed by a lot of indie artists that we hear today.

For whatever reason, a buddy of mine and I were discussing this album back during the summer (prior to these ads), and I had been listening to the exact track that is used in one of the TV spots. Weird how things like that happen in life sometimes. The track is called “Nature’s Not In It.” My own interpretation of this song is about the human struggles of commercialism and selling out. Thus the title. There is a lot of meat lurking in the seemingly simple lyrics depending on your interpretation and where your mind takes you. Or maybe not.

Regardless, the good news is that the intensity of the song fits the energy of the ad and the product, which is probably the most important thing since we are talking about a few second long snippet.  A guitar riff basically. A killer guitar riff. I doubt anyone is really analyzing the lyrical content of the song anyway.

From what I read, the advertising is getting mixed reviews and although I really like the campaign myself, I do not know enough about the overall strategy to say whether it will be successful. Even harder to say how Gang of Four influences X Box sales. Who knows.

The original Gang of Four band members, namely co-founder Dave Allen, have gone on to do lots of things besides this original band. Even so, a few extra sales for a album that came out on vinyl when most Kinect players (and the idea of digital music) were not even thought about, is probably an OK thing for the Gang of Four gang. At this point in the life cycle of that album, maybe a nice bonus?

All in all, it still seems like a strange twist of fate to hear this song being used to sell that product. But damn that is a great guitar riff.

If you want to read more on the half billion dollar campaign from Microsoft, check out this recent article in Advertising Age.

Bodybuilding.com approached Drake Cooper to help launch a key initiative through a national print campaign. A key challenge was to help grow Bodybuilding.com’s customer base without alienating its core audience, the competing bodybuilder.

Besides being the largest online sports nutrition company, Bodybuilding.com has really built its success by celebrating the bodybuilder. One aspect of this has been fostering a large, networked community called BodySpace on the site. Here, over 650,000 people connect, sharing workout tips and nutrition regimens. But it doesn’t stop there, the Bodybuilding.com site puts its people front and center by featuring their transformation stories online.

Spending some time reading the transformation stories, it becomes apparent that many Bodybuilders are everyday people overcoming amazing challenges to get into optimum health. It becomes clear that what is really transformed is not just the physical, but all aspects of life.

This motivation is what bodybuilders bring to the gym and when it comes right down to it, this willpower is found right there in every rep. It’s this insight that led to the brand idea of “LIFT LIFE.” This direction allowed the ad campaign to tap into and celebrate the LIFT LIFE, speaking to all audiences—from hardcore bodybuilders, gym junkies, athletes, active exercisers, and the emerging MMA crowd.

The LIFT LIFE gives voice to the willpower that says: “Lift, press, curl, pull until you can’t do one more rep. And then do one more rep. Half-hearted is half-crazy. Don’t show up, just to give up.”

Each ad features BodySpace and Bodybuilding.com bodybuilders in real-life environments. The stunning photography of Andy Anderson captured the LIFT LIFE story across all segments from compelling transformations to the competitive core crowd of bodybuilders.

The immediate feedback from the Bodybuilding.com community has been overwhelmingly positive and reconfirms the core purpose of the Bodybuilding.com brand—to inspire and celebrate everyone who lives the LIFT LIFE.

Look for the ads in major national publications like Shape, GQ, Men’s Fitness, Oxygen, Muscle & Fitness Hers, Flex, Playboy, UFC, and more. For more of the ads in the series, see Andy Anderson’s featured portfolio on LIFT LIFE.

Big Ups to our real-life, LIFT LIFE Models: Jamie Eason, Christina Vargas, Ashley Schutz, Sean Sarantos, Kizzito Ejam, Parker Cote.

Shout Out: Ryan DeLuca, Tanya Vaughan, Jennifer Hetherington, Andy Anderson, Michael Perez, Jennifer Diehl, Cindy Whitehead, Jennie Myers, Dylan Amundson, Sean Young, Karma Jones, Joe Quatrone, Dennis Budell.

Bodybuilding.com approached Drake Cooper to help launch a key initiative through a national print campaign. A key challenge was to help grow Bodybuilding.com’s customer base without alienating its core audience, the competing bodybuilder.

Besides being the largest online sports nutrition company, Bodybuilding.com has really built its success by celebrating the bodybuilder. One aspect of this has been fostering a large, networked community called BodySpace on the site. Here, over 650,000 people connect, sharing workout tips and nutrition regimens. But it doesn’t stop there, the Bodybuilding.com site puts its people front and center by featuring their transformation stories online.

Spending some time reading the transformation stories, it becomes apparent that many Bodybuilders are everyday people overcoming amazing challenges to get into optimum health. It becomes clear that what is really transformed is not just the physical, but all aspects of life.

This motivation is what bodybuilders bring to the gym and when it comes right down to it, this willpower is found right there in every rep. It’s this insight that led to the brand idea of “LIFT LIFE.” This direction allowed the ad campaign to tap into and celebrate the LIFT LIFE, speaking to all audiences—from hardcore bodybuilders, gym junkies, athletes, active exercisers, and the emerging MMA crowd.

The LIFT LIFE gives voice to the willpower that says: “Lift, press, curl, pull until you can’t do one more rep. And then do one more rep. Half-hearted is half-crazy. Don’t show up, just to give up.”

Each ad features BodySpace and Bodybuilding.com bodybuilders in real-life environments. The stunning photography of Andy Anderson captured the LIFT LIFE story across all segments from compelling transformations to the competitive core crowd of bodybuilders.

The immediate feedback from the Bodybuilding.com community has been overwhelmingly positive and reconfirms the core purpose of the Bodybuilding.com brand—to inspire and celebrate everyone who lives the LIFT LIFE.

Look for the ads in major national publications like Shape, GQ, Men’s Fitness, Oxygen, Muscle & Fitness Hers, Flex, Playboy, UFC, and more. For more of the ads in the series, see Andy Anderson’s featured portfolio on LIFT LIFE.

Big Ups to our real-life, LIFT LIFE Models: Jamie Eason, Christina Vargas, Ashley Schutz, Sean Sarantos, Kizzito Ejam, Parker Cote.

Shout Out: Ryan DeLuca, Tanya Vaughan, Jennifer Hetherington, Andy Anderson, Michael Perez, Jennifer Diehl, Cindy Whitehead, Jennie Myers, Dylan Amundson, Sean Young, Karma Jones, Joe Quatrone, Dennis Budell.