ridiculous in a good way

Is the bizarro King overdue for a dethroning? That’s the contention of The Atlantic’s business blogger, Derek Thompson. Citing the fact that Burger King has increasingly lost ground to McDonald’s and Wendy’s since the advent of Crispin’s surreal “King” marketing campaign, Thompson concludes that ad push isn’t working:  

“To the surprise of nobody, Burger King’s horrible, creepy advertisement campaign is not working, and the company finds itself falling further behind McDonald’s according to just-released figures. This strikes a huge blow to the idea that what Americans want from their fast food joint is a Bobblehead King doll who sneaks into your bed, raps about square butts, and terrorizes you from outside your bedroom window. Yes, those were advertisements for hamburgers.”

“In other words, thank you America, for compelling our elites to put the strategicback into strategic advertising.”

Gawker is also piling on. But not so fast. The Ad Age article that’s got them both shouting “A-ha!” actually paints a more subtle picture (despite its attention grabbing headline):

“The argument can be made, moreover, that BK was at the right place at the wrong time. Eyeing higher profit margins, BK focused its marketing guns on more expensive items targeted to so-called super fans, young men who theoretically care more about how “Meat’Normous” a burger is than how much it costs and who tend to be the most vociferous fast-food consumers. A smart strategy — until BK got caught flat-footed by a recession that played to McDonald’s sweet spot: the value proposition it clearly owned and had honed over decades.”

“And so the creative approach that put BK on the advertising map for the first time in years seems to have been reconsidered of late as the chain runs spots promoting its $1 Whopper Jr. in heavy rotation. “The mistake BK would readily admit now is that they didn’t promote [value],” said Morgan Stanley analyst John Glass. “That’s why they’re playing catch-up now.”

Before continuing, I should say a couple things in the interest of full disclosure: In 2003, before I began working in journalism, I was an analyst on the leveraged buyout deal for Burger King. Crispin was hired after I finished my work there, but I did work on the team that was turning around Burger King’s marketing–specifically, on its product innovation, not its advertising. I have had no contact with Burger King or my former buyout-industry employers in over five years.  

With that out of the way, I want to point to the most salient fact about the fast food industry that Ad Age, Gawker, and The Atlantic missed: Advertising is a weak lever to effect change in a sprawling, franchised operation like Burger King. Why? First off, one of McDonald’s historically brilliant moves was to own the land that its franchises sit upon–and to lease that land back to the franchise operator. Burger King–and most of its other competitors–don’t have that arrangement. And that matters because as the land owner, McDonald’s has leverage in redesigning its stores that its competitors sorely lack. Witness how well McDonald’s is overhauling the design of its stores, and how lackluster those efforts have been at Burger King and Wendy’s. Granted, part of that problem is that Burger King needs to hire better designers–as these hideous designs prove–but the fact remains that they can only do so much. Moreover, restaurant placement is also vitally important, and McDonald’s has the best land in the business. 

Source: FastCompany

The new campaign features actor Dean Cain (former Superman from TV’s Lois and Clark) in a series of mock-PSAs, advertising the launch of Internet Explorer 8. Produced by Indiana-based ad agency Bradley and Montgomery, the commercials try hard to be funny in spots like S.H.Y.N.E.S.S. (“Sharing Heavily Yet Not Enough Sharing Still”) poking fun at web users who over-share lolcats, while going for the gross-out factor in O.M.G.I.G.P. (“Oh My God I’m Gonna Puke”) featuring a woman who’s accidently seen her partner’s obscene browser history.  

Currently, Microsoft is only airing the ads online (seen on Hulu), but may consider broader broadcast depending on the public’s reception. With IE’s shrinking user base, especially among the tech-savvy, its clear Microsoft is hoping the ads will gain a viral audience online.

See the ads here

If you bought a ticket to MJ’s “This Is It” tour you should read this 

I think the tour should go on with Susan Boyle filling in. 

If you bought a ticket to MJ’s “This Is It” tour you should read this 

I think the tour should go on with Susan Boyle filling in. 

Hopefully your company hasn’t made the list

Our favs: iPhone Baby Shaker app and KFC runs out of chicken. 

The summer film “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” has attracted numerous marketing partners. Two of them, LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A. Inc. and Hasbro, have launched a comprehensive marketing campaign supporting the movie.

Read full article here

I have to point out that this article is sort of misleading.  In an NPR interview with the CEO of Hasbro, Transformers the cartoon and movie were made to sell more toys.  So Hasbro didn’t really partner with the Transformers movie, they have been in bed in a very calculated relationship since the 80’s.

Thank you to all that voted for the Paste Magazine / Heineken ”Give A Band A Good Name” contest. Dignan won the contest with your vote!  The song Two Steps will be featured in the next Paste Magazine CD sampler.  Two Steps is the first single off of the band’s latest record Cheaters & Thieves available June 26.  

We kick off the release with 2 album release shows, one in the band’s hometown of McAllen, TX and the next day in San Antonio, TX.  The band then hits the road for a 2-month tour.  Check out myspace.com/dignan to see tour dates. 

If you are interested in helping promote Cheaters & Thieves please email me at adrian at revoltmarketing dot com

Last weekend the band met up with Spin Earth TV and recorded an acoustic version of Two Steps watch it here 

Paste Magazine and Heineken have partnered up for an online contest to determine which band will be featured in the next Paste Magazine CD sampler.  RVLT MGMT band Dignan was handpicked to be included in the contest.  Vote for them here.  Friday, June 3 is the last day to vote.

Dignan’s second album Cheaters and Thieves  debuts on June 26.  The band will support the release with a 2-month tour.  Check out new tracks and see if they will be in a town near you here. 

Pearl Jam was indeed recording a Target commercial under the direction of Cameron Crowe last week at Seattle’s Showbox theater, Billboard can confirm. But there’s more to the story than an exclusive retail relationship.

While it has been known that Pearl Jam are no longer under contract after 18 years of recording for Sony-affiliated labels, there has been only speculation about who would release their next album and how. Kelly Curtis, who has managed Pearl Jam since day one, conducted a wide-ranging interview with Billboard on Sunday, confirming the band’s next release — scheduled for  early fall — would appear without a U.S. label, but a consortium of partners, including Target, as the “big box” retail partner.

Read full article here