With today’s busy schedules, sometimes do you ever wish you could be in two places at once? Whether it’s in the office, out of town with clients, at a really interesting trade show/conference or even at home with your family. Even though technology allows us to work from anywhere in the world via our laptops and iPhones, “Face time” is still critical in the work environment. Making it happen can be a challenge.
So what can you do? Anybots, a Californian company now sells what it calls a “personal avatar” that enables people to participate in meetings and other events from afar.
Equipped with a speaker, microphone, camera and video screen, the wifi-enabled device can show live video of the person operating it, or it can simply display a still picture. Either way, the robot’s eyes glow as long as the user is logged in. The Anybot glides around quietly and smoothly, giving the human operating it complete visibility and access to the events going on.
Hey, it’s only $15,000. I think I’m gonna hit Mr. Weiner up for one.
And, as an agency that specializes in developing and promoting similar proprietary brands for major retailers, we’re not surprised. Consumers continue to demonstrate a healthy acceptance of brands off the beaten national-name path, especially in certain categories where the quality of these products has risen to, or exceeds, the level of the best nationally-branded ones. Apparel, perhaps surprisingly, being one we’ve found at MSI for two specific breeds of shoppers these days: price-conscious heads of households looking for a trusted endorsement on lower-priced items, and those confident, low-budget “fashionistas” who know a look they want and see themselves, not the name on the label, as the authors of their own style.
For retailers, these celebrity-endorsed brands offer a sort of instant equity that a totally new name, logo or packaging can’t, as well as long-term, savings over developing a brand from the ground-up…If done properly. Indeed, for every Martha Stewart success there are countless other ill-conceived, half-hearted or sloppily-executed efforts that wind up costing more in wasted time and money. So identifying, integrating and supporting the right personality is key. To that end, there are essentially two types of celebrity-endorsements to consider as we see it, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. The first of these is the hoary traditional ‘Paid Celebrity Endorser’: a typically shorter-term tactic to bolster some specific facet of a brand (i.e. contemporize an old one, elevate a pedestrian one, etc.) by association with a popular personality who owns this attribute; the paid relationship is obvious to all, with no further connection to the brand than a paycheck and some contractual use. For those over 40 think Susan Anton, or Steve Martin’s ‘Be somebody!’ drink umbrellas in The Jerk.
The other more interesting (and I’d submit, sound) model is the increasingly prevalent ‘Celebrity Brand’ in which an actual, differentiated entity is established that: a) evokes a certain sensibility that imbues a product or line with new value, b) aligns with the retailer’s own brand and its core shoppers’ attitudes and c) is built upon the celebrity endorser’s personality, but ultimately stands for something in and of itself (e.g. “style on a budget”) that can be owned and managed to over time. Such is the actual relationship that it may even include the celebrity’s design or product input, if they have the credentials for it ideally.
Jessica Simpson brand shoes, clothing and accessories are avilable at Macy's
Queen Latifa Fragrances are also available at Macy's
Again, there is no ‘better’ model per se, simply two different ones I hope to have made a case here for distinguishing between the two. But from where we stand, the
latter partnerships do offer greater potential for long-term ROI, new store traffic around desirable exclusive items, and the addition of a real asset to a retailer’s portfolio—versus a catchy ad or two to cover up its deficiencies.
Watch their star continue to rise in days ahead…We will be here.
This years Oscars were the worst ever, and here’s 10 reasons why…
1. JAMES FRANCO
Twelve minutes into the broadcast (exactly one minute after taking the stage with co-host Anne Hathaway) he realized he’d made a terrible, terrible mistake. After realizing that cutting off his arm probably wouldn’t help, he applied a smirk and stood there for next three + hours.
2. ANNE HATHAWAY
After realizing she was on her own, she was forced to muster up all her talent and trudge on through. Unfortunately, she only has the talent of a high school talent show sophomore.
3. BEST SONG CATEGORY
Unless you have a song that is integral to the movie (like every song in Magnolia) just eliminate this category. It is really just a gimme to some bad Disney movie (such as the Phil Collins song that beat every song from Magnolia…I’m still a little bitter about this). As long as we’re on the topic, Gwyneth Paltrow can’t sing. Stop asking her to.
4. LENA HORNE vs. COREY HAIM
Ms. Horne was a lovely woman and a great singer. She was not a great movie star or actress. She appeared in movies where she sang. She was the final “In Memormiam” this year and was awarded a special tribute. Mr. Haim was in the movies pretty much his whole, troubled life. He was not even included with those “gone but not forgotten” this year. He died as he lived, snubbed by the Oscars.
5. TWITTER and FACEBOOK
I’m not sure if social media is killing award ceremonies or saving them, but I enjoy reading snarky comments more than I do watching those being snarked upon…or something like that.
6. “PERSONALIZING” MOVIE STARS
There seems to be a new trend of personally talking to the nominees from the stage, and telling pithy little anecdotes about how talented and special they are. These people get to playact for a living. They make more money than anyone can ever spend (except maybe, Nicholas Cage) and they are being given a statue to prove they are worthy of such a charmed life…that’s enough. If they don’t know they are special by now, then maybe they’re not.
7. INVITE SOME MOVIE STARS
Jude Law is not a movie star. Kirk Douglas was, but is no longer. Get some Hollywood big shots in there…Where was Brad and Angelina? Where was Julia Roberts? Where was Tom Cruise? For the love of all things classy, WHERE WAS GEORGE CLOONEY???
8. JUST SAY “THANK YOU” AND WALK AWAY
We know you’re grateful and that you love your agent and your mom. Unless you have something really funny (and really short) to share, just say, “well, isn’t this nice” and walk away.
9. THE FASHION
Actually, I only enjoy fashion missteps, of which there were none this year that made me laugh. This is your chance designers…no one remembers the pretty ones…we remember Bjork and Cher.
10. TWO WORDS: TOM HANKS
You know who should host the Oscars? Tom Hanks. You know why? Because he can. You need someone who is established enough to make fun of people in the room without it being awkward. You need someone comfortable with making fun of themselves without it being too true. The best thing about the Oscars this year was Mr. Hanks doing all these things on a special edition of the Jimmy Kimmel show after the Oscars…enjoy…
A friend who is in retail marketing at a local bank asked the other day – “We only have $5,000 to spend, what should we do?” I really wanted to tell her to go to a tall building, and after alerting the local television stations, throw the money off the roof for passersby to pick. I’ll give the client her money back if some local station doesn’t run it.
But here is the right answer – she needs to fix some key pages on her bank’s retail website. She needs to make the World Wide Web the Local Wide Web. It isn’t a very old site, but really isn’t very well made for search engines and didn’t show up in any of the obvious searches by location that I or any prospective customer might have done. She didn’t have to do a lot to improve the site: page titles, meta information, some keyword-based html text would have gone a long way to correcting the problem. All told, a handful of pages could have been re-written, re-designed, and re-built for about $5,000 (it’s not a fancy site). And instead of 15-seconds of fame on the late news, her local brand would have a higher search return so that when people looked for a bank in their neighborhood, this lady’s bank might actually show up.
While we’re on this subject, a local retail brand with multiple locations has got to make sure each location is listed in text that the search engines can see. People that want tires in Glenview search “tires in Glenview,” not “tires.” So, if you have a location in Glenview, make sure the search engines know that. If you have a retail location in the town next to Glenview, you can also get your share of people looking for “tires in Glenview.” A simple way is – with each retail location, include a simple phrase that lists the communities around your location. So, if your location is in nearby Morton Grove, add: “Serving Morton Grove, Glenview, Niles, Skokie, Des Plaines.”
In retail branding, with a little effort, you can get a huge long-term return by making the World Wide Web the Local Wide Web.
So, my first blog entry as a mixed nut…seems like such a daunting task! I have been neglecting my old blog lately so this will give me an opportunity to find an outlet. Let’s see, where should I start? Lately my life has been consumed by my child, to be quite honest. I imagine that I will be using this space to write about her, our life as a family, and how marketing plays a part in my child’s life, etc. (Hey, I gotta incorporate some work into this thing, right?!)
Right now we’re just starting to be mobile at home. Baby has decided that she can no longer be bothered to stay put, we must crawl, crawl crawl…to the dog’s toys, the I-Phone cord, the laptop, you name it. Basically anything but the soft, cuddly baby toys we’ve placed on the floor for her enjoyment.
Life with an 8-month-old baby has been pretty interesting and amazing. I can’t imagine how things will be when she is walking, playing dress-up, having OPINIONS and TALKING BACK. Those days seem so far away right now, but really, they are closer than I think.
Watching a person grow up before your very eyes, it’s all quite surreal. It’s so over my head. I don’t know what I am in for, I swear I don’t even remember babysitting all that much. To be honest, from what I do remember, I was not really that good at it. I remember my brother and I used to pretend kidnap our baby sister and make ransom notes for our parents using old magazine and catalogue clippings to make the words for the note. Yeah. Someone decided I should be entrusted with parenting.
Anyway, all kidding aside, I do think it’s quite amazing, this parenting thing. This miracle entered my life one day and completely changed it. For 32 years, I did exactly what I wanted, when I wanted. Now I’m on another person’s terms, and I’m quite okay with it. It’s a struggle to achieve balance sometimes in the working mother environment, and I have to admit there are times I wonder, can I do it all? But I think confidence and positive thinking are the key.
Stay tuned for more from my exciting adventures in parenting!
It’s going to be so bad, they’ve even had to reschedule Groundhog Day in Woodstock, IL (site of the movie by the same name). I don’t really think you need a groundhog to make the prediction at this point. Do you?
Here is a taste of our view from up here on the 50TH Floor.
2:00pm- View of Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan
I buy stock photos. A lot of stock photos. Which means I’ve learned the way to navigate a stock website pretty well. But there is no perfect path to that one photo out of millions that says just what you need it to say.
A lot of the products that our agency works with are in the business of making the consumers home life more pleasant. That should be a fairly easy visual goal to achieve, but you’d be surprised.
Here is a current search for just such a product…
Keyword Search: home + people + happy + indoors (pretty straight forward, right?)
Well, that could mean…
A couple of young ladies cleaning up.
Grandma enjoying a little late night reading.
Or, whatever the hell this is???
Here’s another…
Keyword Search: home + family + bedroom + happySometimes you get lucky…
Sometimes you get…
There must have been a sale on robes.
A Teddy Bear Picnic gone horribly wrong.
Or, whatever the hell this is???
A little advice, if your search involves looking for a man hugging a pillow, rethink the whole concept. These photos are ALL creepy.
If you like this kind of thing, there is a bit of fun on the internet called This Week in Ridiculous Stock Photography.
Enjoy such galleries as…
Is Disney World truly the happiest place on earth? Certainly their “I’m going to Disney World” ad campaign makes it seem that way. The commercials are usually broadcast following the Super Bowl and typically feature an NFL player (usually the game’s MVP) shouting that now iconic phrase while celebrating the team’s victory immediately after the championship game. These commercials have also promoted champions from other sports, and winners of non-sport competitions such as David Cook from American Idol. As if, in that moment, when that person’s biggest dream has come true, the next thing they think is “the cherry on top will be going to Disney World!!”
This year, when I am watching the Super Bowl and I plan to see the Bears QB Jay Cutler saying those very words (Hey, this born and raised Southside Chicago girl is hopeful for a repeat of the SuperBowl Shuffle from the Bears)! And at the same time, my husband and I will be saying… “We just went to Disney World”.
The Fisch family plans to test the idea of it being the “happiest place on earth” when we take our two-year-old son for the first time this year. We are betting that it will be about 60% disaster and 40% fun. In our favor is the fact that my son, Brady, is a Disney freak and knows all of the characters, is a thrill seeker and not afraid of any rides, and that there is tons to do and see to keep him occupied and entertained. Betting against us is the fact that HE IS 2 (did I mention that?)…he is impatient, stubborn, prone to tantrums, hates waiting in line, refuses to be contained in a stroller and will be having a challenged nap/bedtime schedule.
But all that being said, this Mom is looking forward to experiencing the magic in his face when he sees his beloved characters LIVE in person and getting the chance to feel like a kid again with my husband. Even though I am not famous and have not won anything monumental (yet… come on lottery)…at least I know I will be able to shout “I’m going to Disney World!”
A branding and integrated marketing agency, MSI offers brand strategies, packaging, merchandising, public relations, advertising, social media, sales promotion and interactive.
With today’s busy schedules, sometimes do you ever wish you could be in two places at once? Whether it’s in the office, out of town with clients, at a really interesting trade show/conference or even at home with your family. Even though technology allows us to work from anywhere in the world via our laptops and iPhones, “Face time” is still critical in the work environment. Making it happen can be a challenge.
