Monthly Archives: November 2007

ok, i guess advertising does work

Proctor and Gamble (P&G) is the world’s largest advertiser, and according to Ad Age’s Global Marketing Report earned that title by spending $1-million an hour making sure we knew who to turn to for teeth that sparkle and outdoors fresh laundry. To the tune of around $8.5 billion in ’06, nearly twice that of closest competitor Unilever. And that’s a lot of toothpaste and detergent.

The short take is that P&G wrote the book on knowing the product, knowing the market and supporting the message to reach the desired result.

ape + drums = cool

Like gorillas? We do. Phil Collins? Uh, depends. Drums? Way. Chocolate? Dumb question. Then hurry on over to Glass and a Half by Cadbury and ch ch check it out. This is what marketeers mean when they throw the viral adjective around. Don’t get it? You’re trying to hard. Stick around after the show to see what the larger point of the exercise is.

Check back later to get linked to the latest in French cartoon stripper porn that uses pole dancing flamingos to sell the hell out of chock full o’ vitamins fruit juicy delicious Orangina brand beverages.

voodoo brands – oooo, they’re really scary

Sharp-eyed readers will recall that earlier this year reference was made to the recently resurrected Orville Redenbacher’s starring role in a new popn’ corn campaign that’s been referred to as “Deadenbacher”. Ouch!

In what I call nostalgia gone nuts, Schlitz is back, and guess what? This time around it’s positioned as a “premium” lager, which for someone with a memory of the original (me) ranks it right up there with Busch Lite and Old Milwaukee.

In 1976, the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company was 2nd in the country, but shortly thereafter cost cutting led to skunky beer and the century-plus brewery bowed out to the flickering image of their final way less than effective tv campaign, quickly dubbed “Drink Schlitz Or I’ll Kill You” by ad industry types. Stroh’s acquired the brand and it’s now back in bottles, running in Florida and Minnesota test markets.

blackwell tackles dealers, vendors

LeMans Corp. Sales VP Greg Blackwell offers fresh insight on the dealer-internet situation in the Aug/Sept 2007 issue of Dealer World. In a candid, should-read interview he also touches on marketing, or lack of same, by the aftermarket segment in building brand and creating consumer demand.

“I think a lot of vendors have forgotten how to build demand for their product,” says the Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties sales overseer.

He makes the points that to retail successfully dealers have to stock product in depth and offer it in a knowledgeable and exciting way, and that product demand and interest is created by the manufacturer, not the distributor. Along the way he also dispells the nagging doubts of some springing from the recent slowdown in two-wheeled sales.