Posts Tagged ‘Ads’

Marketing and the NBA

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

So, I was going to write this blog on how Derrick Rose is a dream come true for the NBA, but damned if anyone knows how to properly market the kid. 

Derrick is a joy to watch and has brought back a certain excitement to basketball that’s been missing (at least in Chicago).  He just makes it all fun again. You would think marketing him would be easy.  But no one seems to be doing it in a way that’s memorable. 

I was going to talk about the Adidas spot that has him shooting a gun (yikes!) that triggers fireworks.  But mostly he’s just being overshadowed by someone I can only assume is a soccer player, since I have no idea who he is.

 
I was going to discuss the “Fast Don’t Lie” spots that proved when it comes to making commercials, Rose is a great basketball player (he doesn’t talk in the ad, just dribbles and shoots…at the end he does wink, and it’s kinda awkward).

 

I was going to talk about how maybe he’s not naturally funny and charming, on camera he comes off a little uncomfortable and nervous, and how maybe that could be his hook. Give Derrick one funny thing to say, maybe a little under his breath and call it a day.  This worked pretty well for some ESPN and TNT ads.

TNT Spot

ESPN Spot

But the more I thought about it, and the more I watched, the harder it was to care a lick about marketing. It’s the playoffs now and it’s hard to wrap my mind around anything more than watching this team play great basketball.

At the end of the season I promise to give it more thought, but right now I’m just too darn excited to keep a clear head.

To leave this blog entry on a positive marketing note, I am including “5 Favorite Commercials with NBA Stars”…I only wish the one with Gheorghe Muresan was better quality, since it is awesome! Enjoy and GO BULLS!

The Popcorn Tape – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL5WnqWqkrY

Chicks Dig Cabbage – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9uaDiRlLBQ&feature=related

Do You Like Popsicles? – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QIH8NrNeso&feature=related

The LeBrons – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnV6ND7PdvE

Shaqtastic! – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo0ncg-2zPY

And one with a picture of Chris Paul - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I44BF3R4rmU

Check out what Crain’s Chicago Business has to say about marketing D. Rose

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Posted in Advertising, Brand Development, Marketing, Mixed Nuts | 1 Comment »

Curated Crowdsourcing Creating A Conundrum

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

How about that title for alliteration. But seriously people, I recently read a few articles about the increasing popularity of curated crowdsourcing in relation to marketing projects.  My thought is that if curated crowdsourcing is the next big trend in the development of logo designs, ads, package design,TV spots,etc. then the ad community and our clients (who may looking at this idea) are in semi-trouble.

 

From what I can see, the argument for a curator approach (a web-based entity that manages/administers resources) is that they can reach out to dozens of art directors, writers and designers to develop and post their work based on a brief. Then the best work is screened, selected and paid for almost like it is done on spec. Not good and a little light on the strategic level, most likely.

 

The curator claim is that with an agency a client works with a limited number of people. That is hardly close to the truth. With an agency a client has the advantage of working with teams from different departments and marketing disciplines, with different perspectives, and a much deeper understanding of the client’s business and the target audience they need to reach…not just from the design side of the business. It is not myopic in any sense.

 

As a result, if you were to test the concepts/ideas/designs developed by the agency against those done by the crowdsource, my confidence (and money) would be on the agency – and it is not just because I work at an agency.

 

Curated crowdsourcing just seems like a cheap bicycle with a few parts missing.

 

bike-with-pieces-missing

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Posted in Advertising, Design, Marketing Plans, Research, Strategic Planning | No Comments »

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