Tag Archives: humor

November 26th, 2012

Honesty is Hard. It’s Also Mandatory.

We’ve been accused of taking too long to get to the point. ⬆ This is the point. ⬆ Read the post anyway.

So we’ve spoken before about brands and Radical Honesty. We’re going to speak about it again, as this is a lot for marketers to get used to. Remember, we’re the same people who used to go home and sleep like babies after a hard day of telling the world about Camels satisfying your T-zone. But so many nice folks sent us links to this Daniel Baylis article in Fast Company, that we figured we’d better pipe up once again.

It’s a good little article with a couple important takeaways. Like this one:

“The biggest misconception is that brand perfection is necessary before honesty is a valid brand strategy.”

That’s nice, right there. It reminds us that people, for the most part, want to like you. They’re not only looking for a reason to buy, they’ll even help you make your case. “But baby, we need that 75,000 BTU grill! For the children! Won’t you think of the children!?

This one, too:

“In a recent report on transparency in corporate reporting among the 105 largest publicly listed multinational companies, it’s surprising to see that oil companies such as BP and ExxonMobil (also far from perfect) rank much higher in transparency than popular tech companies such as Google and Apple. And in terms of integrity, public perception of Google and Apple continue to fluctuate. If I were a PR executive at these tech companies, my palms would be sweaty.”

Excellent point. Say what you want about BP and ExxonMobil – they’re evil, but they’re reasonably on the up-and-up about it. Meanwhile, Google and Apple, two brands that once possessed halos as bright as supernovaas, now battle it out to see who can embrace the dark side of the Force more quickly.

Our point? We go on and on about Conversation Marketing because we believe your brand is part of a conversation. Moreover, we think you ought to be a good conversationalist. You already have impeccable etiquette – we’ve seen your posture and your Latin declination – don’t forget to use it. Be honest about yourself – customers have highly-developed bullshit radar systems. Have a sense of humor about yourself – better to beat the world to the punch. In general, be someone you wouldn’t mind being stuck in the corner at a party with.

The big finish? This – Mr. Baylis spent a whole lot of column-inches full of words telling you the following: Be honest. Be nice.

Thanks for reading.

 

January 20th, 2011

Long Copy For A Long Car.

Jalopnik.com screen capture 2011-1-20-11-41-43

 

We did not wake up this morning wanting to buy a limo. But if we had, this fine Lincoln for just $1,500 would certainly be tempting. Particularly when we read the amazing copy in this Craigslist ad we saw on Jalopnik. Highlights below.

"This is a 1985 Lincoln Town Car St. Tropez edition limousine. It was built by American Custom Coach has about a 60" stretch and has a dual bench interior configuration…The interior is an appropriate red velvet and could use some refurbishing as unspeakable things have more-than-likely taken place over the interior's 25 years in the biz…The car was recently given a custom exhaust system that exits from corvette tips right behind the front wheels, giving the beast a bark to match its bite. Based on the exhaust system alone the car gets attention; however, should passersby be hearing impaired the custom paint job does the trick.

The exterior is a four piece ode to Americana. The top is a period (1980's) appropriate zebra stripe that beckons "I'm Here to Party" in a primal yet classy manner. The sides represent the duality of modern life as fire and water in a kind of graffiti-chic way. On the hood you will find a fresh take on the classic american phoenix or fire bird with a matte black background that sends an important message to would be communists, terrorists or illegal immigrants foolish enough to be in front of you. That message is, "This is America, Get the Fuck out of my way!" As you approach the rear of the vehicle you are whisked into another universe as you peer into an eery space-scape that typifies the mystery associated with the final frontier. Overall the art on the car gives the audience a taste of the warm apple pie that is America, plus it looks totally bad-ass.

This car is quite the value in this day and age. With the purchase of this vehicle you get: priceless artwork, the ability to carry up to 8 people in style and comfort, and most importantly admission into the elite class of limo owners. This car redefines social mobility (see what I did there with the double entendre) All I ask in return for this car is 1500 dollars but I will entertain any trades or offers not from Nigerian princes."

 

Burning Man-types, we think you'll agree – this car was born for the playa.
Make it happen. (But stop by the Mortar first.)

 

 

 

 

January 19th, 2011

You Have Already Seen This. See It Again.

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So when Things Real People Don't Say About Advertising hit the Tumblrz last week, our in-box just about blowed up. At first, we weren't going to blog it, because we figured  – you're hip, you're a connossieur, you'll find it on your own. But two things changed our mind: One, it's really funny, and we can't resist funny. Two, it's a living exhibition of something we tell our clients all the time – no one wakes up in the morning excited about ads. Not even yours. 

 

January 3rd, 2011

Apparently, You DO Win Friends With Salad.

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In which What Started Out As Slacking becomes Semi-Useful Marketing Intel.  Stay with us – you might learn something!

Did You Know?

Women love salad. When women are alone with salad, it amuses them with humorous anecdotes. You can look it up.

Did You Know?

African-American women love shopping. No, they really love shopping.

Did You Know?

Ease into your New Year's fitness regimen slowly. Or else.

Did You Know?

Somewhere, right now, an HR drone is making Baby Jesus cry. And so soon after His birthday? Way to go, HR.

Did You Know?

By now you must have figured out that this whole Bad Stock Photography Thing is something of a meme. 

Honesty

…So perhaps it's not that weird that Shutterstock, (among others,) has decided to own their badness. After all, sometimes Random Guy With Laptop On His Knee is exactly what you're looking for.

Did You Know?

You totally do not win friends with salad.

December 7th, 2010

The Hills Are All The Way Live.

So you're on the Chamber of Commerce of a town with a name that makes people think of a federal prison in another state. And you probably don't have dumptrucks full of money to drop on a tourism campaign. What do you do? What do you do!?

Well, if you're Leavenworth, Washington, you show a little spine. (Also: cleavage. But still.) Well done.

Next time we're up Seattle-way? It's on – Woody Goomsba style. Ein prosit!

Via AdRants. Produced by HowellAtTheMoon. (groan.)