Leggo of My Eggo

I had never watched Mad Men until I signed up for Netflix. I watched the very first episode where Don Draper has to come up with a campaign to combat articles in Readers Digest about the health related dangers of smoking. He manages to coming up with a great ad concept/tagline in the nick of time.

Coming from an ad agency background myself, I love a great concept/ tagline; 
Nike  - Just Do It, Wendy's - Where's the Beef and so on.

Many great concept/ taglines are even tied to a music theme.
Alka seltzer - Plop, plop, Fizz, fizz oh what a relief it is.

Enter Kellogg's famous campaign Leggo of my Eggo. The commercials featured persons engaged in friendly, playful banter over who will get the last Eggo waffle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-Yq1I8gIA0

Now how are you going to top that? Why not take the same tagline and change it up a bit. (Leggo of Your Eggo)  Now they taken the memorable concept of Eggo selfishness to Eggo sharing.

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/dnfU/eggo-thick-and-fluffy-waffles-whisper

Kudos to the creative director. It's nice to see a new twist on an iconic concept.

Commericals Creating A Nation Of Wimps

The Liberty Mutual commercial starts out with a mom saying that Liberty Mutual stood by them when her son got a flat tire. Then they quickly cut to two other young boys who are trying to figure out what a lug wrench is.

Give me a frigging break. Really? Did the Liberty Mutual kid call his mommy when he got a flat tire? What a tosser. Get off your phone, get out the car and change your tire wussy boy.

I fear that today's young men have fallen prey to the ad agency commercial culture of bottled water, cell phones, and fashion fads. We have raised a nation of kids who are afraid to get a little grease under their finger nails.

When I was growing up as a teenager we changed our motor oil, changed our brakes and rotated our tires. We even drank from the garden water hose and mowed our neighbors lawns. Our choice of high fashion tennis shoes were Keds, Converse and PF Flyers.

And yes; we knew how to change a flat tire. IN YOUR FACE LIBERTY MUTUAL.

E-Trade Making Fun of Seniors?

There is a commercial running on broadcast for E-Trade featuring seniors persons in different work scenarios; DJ spinning records, Lifeguard, Fireman and so on.

I get the premise.

These are seniors well pass the age of 60 shown in the context of what could happen if you don't save or in this case INVEST using E-Trade.

Let me be clear on this.
#1 You don't have to make fun of seniors to sell a product
#2 There is nothing clever about this concept; and clearly demonstrates a lack of respect.

This is an epic fail on the part of the ad agency and E-Trade.

'There is nothing clever about making fun of seniors'

The ad agency who wrote the spot and E-Trade marketing team should be made to serve as nurses and aids at a senior living center. Just saying.


  

Google Search Results Favor Huge Directories

Hey boy... 'Page one in Google Search results belongs to me!'.

Google Search Results Favor Huge Directories, Small business websites loose traffic and Google Ad Revenue is Siphoned

This is the way I see it.

Google Search Results Favor Huge Directories, Small business websites loose traffic and Google Ad Revenue is Siphoned

1. Go the the public library and look for a book on 'Food that Prevent Heart Disease'.

2. You open the book and it contains an A to Z reference of where to find ''other books' on the same subject.

3. Libraries DO NOT allow this, rather they move these publications to the 'Reference Catalog'.

4. Directories have a distinct unfair advantage over business websites.

5. Most directories charge a fee for a robust listing... ( 'A paid link' )

6. Most directories charge businesses to access the lead or inquiries.(Money paid directories instead of participating in Google Ad Words ??? )  

5. Examples of mega directories include:
Yext, Yelp, FindLaw, AVVO, Thumbtack, Up City, Merchant Circle, Houzz, Home Advisor, Angies
List, Thomasnet and on and on and on...

6. I suggest directories should be moved to a separate nav tab in Google Search; same way they have separated search for IMAGES, NEWS, MAPS and so on...


Google is allowing directories to siphon off advertising income that would have gone to Google Ad Words. Instead Google is allowing directories to CHARGE small business a fee for a premium listing such as Yext, Yelp, FindLaw, AVVO, Thumbtack, UpCity, Merchant Circle, Houzz, Home Advisor, Angies List, Thomasnet and on.

I call this the Walmart effect, where these HUGE directories siphon off the search traffic from small business websites (doctors, lawyers, home remodelers, plumbers until Google is nothing more than a huge reference catalog).

Google continues the practice that allow directories to grow profits for their own directory businesses and share-holders, while getting a FREE RIDE over Google organic search without having to pay a dime for Google Ad Words.

I wonder what Google share holders would say? 

Dear ORKIN. I know what a roach looks like, thank you very much

Dear Idiots at Orkin Pest Control,

Lots of folk's enjoy a snack when they watch TV, so why do you insist of showing us a bug sandwich?

There is a scene in a recent Orkin commercial where a pest control tech says; 'We know where bugs hide... what their favorite foods are (books, card board, clothes and so on). Then the guy peels back some card board to reveal, what looks like a large sheet of candied brown dots (with legs).

After having been totally grossed out by this commercial, I have memorized the intro, so I can quickly flip the channel before I am served a visual 'bug smorgasbord.

Conclusion:
Every man, woman and child knows what a roach looks like. DUH.
Find a new ad agency that has at least one creative brain-cell. 

Opioid Induced Constipation Commercials should be Flushed

Is it just me? The last thing I would done is step out the restroom of your local cafe and adjust my pants like I had just completed a successful No. 2. Would I want to signal to all my friends sitting at the table enjoying their lunch that I have had a great bowel movement?

Bad writing and a very bad concept my pharmaceutial friends.
Find yourself a new ad agency. 

GE General Electric Commercial Insults Baby Boomers and Millennials

There are three frequently ran commercials featuring a young man who is all excited about writing code for GE. In the first one, the young man is explaining to his parents that he will be working/ writing code at GE. The father presents his son with his grand pappy's sledge hammer. REALLY?

Does GE think that older adults are so out of touch with computers that they cannot grasp the concept that GE uses technology? Hey GE --- it is the older adults that are screaming that manufacturing jobs have left America.

In the other commercial, the young man is surprised at home by all his friends, celebrating his new job at GE as a developer. And here we go again... All his friends are confused about what he will be doing. REALLY? The typically grade-school child understands the concept of programming in the work place.

Finally in the last commercial the young man is sitting at a table with a small group of friends. When he tells his friends about his new job, they start talking about some idiot, useless mobile app. The only thing this commercial demonstrates is the proliferation of idiot, useless mobile apps.

My take away for the brand-messaging of GE's commercials is as follows; 'Dear America, we think you are clueless and stupid, but we would like you to know that at GE, we embrace technology'.