sheerbrandage

I am considering Filene’s Basement more of a brand resurrection than a brand renaissance. While the company has dwindled in the last few years, Bostonian have always known the brand. The facade at the original Downtown Crossing location remains as a shrine to the once prominent retail brand with hopes of rising once again to [...]

I first came across this story in the “Odds & Ends” section article on Boston.com: New Zealand airline issues nude safety video. Basically, Air New Zealand created a “Bare essentials of safety” video that features:
“body painted Air NZ staff star in our new Bare Essentials of Safety video, created for our Domestic 737 services.”

Talk about [...]

While watching TV last night, I caught the new Orbitz Travel commercial…

…and could help but notice that the golfer on the far right of the screen has the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) logo on the chest of his shirt. Though somewhat subtle support, support nonetheless. While I am used to see this as a sticker [...]

I just came across an article on the Yahoo! Buzz Log that asks Beef in the Chicken? The article explains that the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise has used beef powder in its grilled chicken sandwich. I am curious to see how this affects the KFC brand in the long term, but I can see how [...]

It doesn’t matter how much you know about cars. There are only a few factors that the general consumer will consider: price, style and fuel efficiency. Most people think that hybrids are the best option.  The list of environmentally conscience celebrities  driving the Toyota Prius around Hollywood might as well be the cast list for [...]

It’s a taste revolution and the High Fructose Corn Syrup is the new casualty as beverage brands are taking an “all natural” approach to sweetening its products. Pepsi has introduced Pepsi Throwback as well as a Moutain Dew version that:
For a limited time, Pepsi and Mountain Dew are offering consumers a taste of the past with their own versions of Throwback, two new limited time only products inspired by the ’60s and ’70s, sweetened with natural sugar in a retro-looking package.
My brother has tried the Pepsi Throwback and thinks it tastes like Coca-Cola, who at the moment, have yet to introduce a naturally sweetened soft drink. The only other soda is 7-Up, which has advertised “100% natural flavors” for a few years now.
Update: Pepsi has also introduced Pepsi Natural in limited markets and has introduced Pepsi Raw in the UK. Both come in glass bottles. Arguably the best way to enjoy a carbonated beverage.
But it’s not only soft drinks that are taking the plunge. I have been drinking Snapple Peach Iced Tea since I was in high school, recalling the label changes from the Boston Tea Party to the most recent sun over a tea field, but was blown away by the new “All Natural Snapple made from Black and Green Tea Leaves.” The brand has always said its products are “made from the best stuff on earth,” but an all natural product with just 5 ingredients, they finally can back up that claim. The new brand promise is “The Best Stuff on Earth Just Got Getter.” (follow @Snapple on Twitter)
My Take: While I have a hard time parting with the original Peach Tea, I enjoy the flavor and will just have to become used to the new “all natural” flavor.
Glaceau, maker of VitaminWater, has followed suit with the recent introduction of VitaminWater10, which is naturally sweetened and touts 10 calories per serving. In its Mother Nature/Water Inc. ads (reminiscent of the 2008 Jeep Liberty  “Pouring In” ad) the brand uses the line, “It’s One-Upped Natur

Leave it to the Bruins to be the Boston sports breakout success story, earning the top seed in the NHL’s Eastern Conference for the  and Stanley Cup playoffs. This Thursday, the Bruins face the 8th seeded Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs. A complete reverse of last season’s first round match up.
I’ve been following the B’s all season, as I am a firm believer that hockey is amazing in HD. But for those who haven’t be watching this extraordinary run…
The Bruins, who in recent year’s have been the black sheep of Boston sports in the wake of championships from the Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics, launched a new ad campaign for Boston Bruins TV. And they are hilarious! As Barstool Sports reported: Bruins Marketing Department Strikes Gold With New Ad Campaign. Yahoo! Sports also reports: If they awarded the Stanley Cup for commercials, the Boston Bruins are your champions.

The other videos are available on monkeypants39’s YouTube channel.
It is my understanding that Mullen is responsible for the ads. It’s nice to see a local agency that understand the Bruins brand produce great spots like these.
The Bruins also introduced a “3rd” jersey this season, which I love and think also has positive impact on the brand. It’s a modern version of the “Old Time” Logo. It’s been extremely difficult to find 3rd logo merchandise, but I found an awesome T-shirt at the ‘47 store on Newbury Street.

I will admit right now that I like the “Rookies” campaign and think that Kylie is the cutest thing on TV right now, but Microsoft’s new “You Find It, You Keep It” campaign is killing me. Produced by Crispin Porter + Bogusky the ads follow actors new laptop buyers in search of their perfect laptop. Most recently, Giampaolo:

As Gizmodo already found out, Lauren, for the previous ad is an actor. But it’s not like we needed a detective to figure that out. But I take more offense to the ads implying that because I bought a Mac, I am not tech savvy and picked a my new laptop over aesthetics alone. In response Gizmodo’s Dan Nosowitz wrote Shocking: New Microsoft Ad Implies Macs Are Inferior.
Now, here’s my response: Yes, I am a Mac. If YOU think that makes me cooler than you (ahem, Lauren), far be it from me to argue with you. However, Giampaolo takes it to a whole new level by claiming the “sexy” Mac is a brand alone and he needs something with real “computing” power. I learned that lesson the hard way when I struggled to keep my Windows based  Dell Inspiron from crashing and had to replace it after just two years. As a result, I purchased a Mac and haven’t been happier. I am now brand loyal to Apple, as is my entire family (MacBook Classic, Air, Pro and iMac, as well as iPod Video, Touch and Shuffle).
My primary argument: Why spend $1500 every couple years on a PC-based laptop when you could spend less than that on a computer that will last (and still be fast) three years after purchase. My MAC was $1299 almost 3 years ago and is still going strong. The Genuis Bar has helped anytime I had a hardware problem at no cost. Giampaolo, I handle my own software issues, thank you. Oh, and nice Saturn!
I have heard that HP’s are the way to go with if you are going to get a PC, so I commend them for choosing them. But just because I chose a Mac for its reliablitly, size, portability and quality, and never cared about the looks, doesn...

Taken with my Kodak Zi6 in HD, here is Ray Allen's game winning 3-pointer in the Celtics/Bobcats game on April 1st.

I wanted to post a list of great brand pranks, but Fast Company has beat me to it. But then again, when you have an editorial staff, this would be an awesome article to be assigned and probably even more fun to research and write. Since its just me here, I have gone ahead and posted the entire thing. Enjoy!

April Fools’ Day: How Pranking Your Customers Can Buoy Your Brand
BY Dan Macsai
Wed Apr 1, 2009 at 11:22 AM
Ashton Kutcher might have coined the term, but it was Richard Dimbleby–as in, the usually somber BBC news anchor–who pioneered the “punk.” On April 1, 1957, during his widely respected news program, Panorama, Dimbleby voiced a two-minute segment on “spaghetti harvesting” in Switzerland (right). As he championed the practice, viewers watched “real” footage of spaghetti farmers pulling pasta from trees. “There’s nothing like real, home-grown spaghetti,“ he concluded.


The footage, of course, was fake. But its impact was very real: Hundreds of viewers called the BBC, wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti trees. (The network’s response: “Take a sprig of pasta, place it in tomato sauce, and wait.”) Today, the gag remains one of the greatest corporate stunts of all time, according to the Museum of Hoaxes.
Since the BBC broadcast, many big-name brands, like Google, Microsoft and Burger King, have played their own April Fools’ Day pranks. (See our detailed list below.) To consumers, the gags seem like fun and games. Yet Richard Laermer, CEO of RLM Public Relations and author of Punk Marketing: Get Off Your Ass and Join the Revolution, says they’re an invaluable marketing opportunity. “Many people think of big companies as cogs in a wheel,” he explains. “A clever April Fools’ Day prank”–like Google Australia’s gDay, which promised to search Web sites 24 hours before they were created–“is a great way to change that.” This holds especially true during a recession, when many people are “desper

Stuart Elliot of the New York Times wrote an article, "Message From a Condemned Car Brand" regarding the Saturn car brand and its new "We're Still Here" ad campaign.

FOR the first time since the financial difficulties of General Motors began threatening the company’s existence, a G. M. division will run advertising that addresses the effects of the precarious situation.

A campaign for the Saturn division of the General Motors Corporation, which is now under way, features dealers — known in Sat

Could anyone have seen this coming? Talk about a shocking Brand Blunder. I mean, the marketing practically wrote itself when Chris Brown’s song “Forever” was used in a new campaign for Wrigley’s Doublemint gum before becoming its own hit single. It seemed like a great brand decision for Doublemint, probably attempting to reach a younger audience. The original Doublemint song is classic, but it’s the same gum my Grandma would offer us and it was time to take the brand in a new direction.
Despite probably being good for the Doublemint brand and even Chris Brown’s own brand identity, very few could have predicted this:
The R&B star [Brown] was being charged with two felonies – assault and making criminal threats – in the alleged beating of his girlfriend Rihanna last month. Even though the couple seem to have reconciled, the case is proceeding. Click for the full article via People.
That is not good, for anyone’s brand. And thus, the commercial and the campaign were most likely pulled from the air. Most people have probably never seen the ad and I’ll admit I heard the song on the radio long before seeing the commercial on TV. Let’s hope both brand identity’s find a way to recover. Though Doublemint will likely be least affected by this incident because they can just bring back the twins. Twins, Basil. TWINS!

Bonus: Slightly NSFW Doublmint Twins Litho.

I am still undecided about the effectiveness of the Coke Brand Managers used to convey that Coke Zero tastes just as good. Personally, I have tried it, but I continually choose to rot my teeth out and drink Coca-Cola Classic.

Either way, the writing in the particular ad is genius. Extra kudos to the Copywriter who came up with the last line: "I want you to pull the knife out of my back when I turn around." Absolutely Brilliant!

I am also undecided about the "Da Da DeDah Da Da." Not really brand effective