I didn’t pay that much attention to the commercials during the Super Bowl because I was preparing food and stuff during the breaks, the commercials seemed extra stupid this year and the game was really good. The one commercial that really caught my eye was for Google. It was memorable because it was so simple, spot on with the core of the brand and made an emotional connection. You have to pay attention to it, it is not for people who laugh at men in their underwear who are in them for no apparent reason. Was it worth for Google to spend this much money on an ad? I don’t know. The game was great so all 100 million + viewers were still watching in the third quarter when it aired. I guess when Eric Schmidt said brand advertising was “the last bastion of unaccountable spending in corporate America,” in 2006 he didn’t mean $5M+, one minute Super Bowl TV ads. Maybe he just wanted Microsoft not to feel bad about all of the money that they wasted on Bing. I don’t know who created this ad, I guess it was Google or one of their users. Whatever the return on investment, the ad was cool.
Businesses are always changing logos, so are sports teams. It is an integral part of identifying with a community whether it be a team or a brand. So here are my top five sports logos of all time:
The Milwaukee Brewers recently resurrected the best logo of all time for Throwback Sunday games. The awesomeness if this comes from the M and B perfectly intertwining to form a baseball mitt.
The iconic image of Red Wings hockey perfectly visualizes what made Detroit the motor city. When you see this logo you think hard working and no nonsense.
The Boston Bruins logo brought back for the 2010 Winter Classic shows that the classic “hub” design has evolved over the years but stayed very true to the original design.
Don’t ask me what the Cavs are trying to pull off with their current logo, but whatever it is go back to this classic ASAP. The interlocking letters and net “V” are bold and iconic.
The NHL should do themselves a favor take the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes and move them back to Hartford, rename them the Whalers and use this awesome logo.
In China it is the year of the White Tiger, in the United States it is the year of the consumer. Both are highly endangered species with generations of poachers taking out the White Tiger and the perfect storm of a housing value implosion, credit market freeze, and record unemployment taking out the global ATM formerly known as the US consumer.
image from Wikipedia
How does a consumer brand go to battle these days? With social media becoming more ubiquitous every day there is no where to hide. How does a restaurant get a better Yelp rating and reviews? The same way a restaurant became a hit in the ’60’s, 70’s or 80’s:
Great food at a fair value
A nice host and knowledgeable waitstaff
Something unique on the menu that changed often to bring the dining customer back
No bullshit, ballons for kids or Kobe beef tartare for $75 that tastes like Manwich. No magic social media pixie dust, just a spot where folks felt looked after that made them want to return next week or month and tell their friends about their nice dinner out.
What can consumer brands do to make the consumer feel special? Make a great product and act like you give a shit about the post purchase experience. Rocket science – no, hard work, hell yeah.
I leave you with this from about 2002, some posters??….I fell for it, they cared:
I needed a new pair of boots this weekend after the Boston area was hit with an unexpected two day snow. I wanted to get some classic LL Bean “Bean Boots” I checked their website and they are sold out until March 14th. Luckily I went to their new store in Dedham, MA and they had one pair left that were returned as a wrong size earlier in the day. The store associate said they had been sold out of most boots and slippers since a couple of weeks prior to Christmas. The store was packed on a snowy Sunday two weeks after Christmas. What does this say about what Americans are willing to spend their money during the tail of the great recession?
Brands that back up their products with service and reliability (think Apple and Patagonia as well).
Here are some of the promises that L.L. Bean makes to consumers:
Brands with a unique offering that you cannot find every where and does not go on sale.
This is why I will not be surprised if Macy’s files for bankruptcy in the coming months. What do they offer that is special or what old department stores used to? They are too far down the “we stand for noting” path to return in their current state.
Yesterday was an exciting day for me as a sports fan. The afternoon started with the Winter Classic which is a great spectacle. I am not a huge hockey fan but something makes it incredible when it is played outdoors in a historic ballpark. The game was exciting, including the first Winter Classic fight and an overtime victory for the home town Bruins.
The Rose Bowl was then the focus of my evening. I was nervous going into the game taking into account Ohio State’s recent track record versus tough competition in high profile games. However, Terrelle Pryor exceeded the hype that he brought to Columbus last year with an impeccable passing performance and some powerful runs. It gives all Buckeye fans the tingles to think what might be possible in September.
Steamers are a great seafood option in the winter. They peak in the summer but are available all year round. I prefer mine steamed in beer and garlic and served with drawn butter and broth.
I love shrimp, the larger the better (usually 12-16 per pound count). The higher the quality the ingredients you have to work with the simpler your preparation should be. For these I tossed them with some basic fresh herbs and salt and sauteed them in butter with a Meyer lemon. As the lemon sears gently squeeze it over the shrimp.
The NHL should do themselves a favor take the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes and move them back to Hartford, rename them the Whalers and use this awesome logo.
Brands with a unique offering that you cannot find every where and does not go on sale.
