Marobella's Branding SoapBox

The Sailor Jerry Brand of Brand

This is an interesting study in brand creation. Sailor Jerry was a tattoo artist that was at the height of his craft over 50 years ago. He pioneered a certain kind of tattoo style most associated with sailors and military men getting inked. His brand is probably at the height of its success now, over 50 years later. Congrats to the people that master minded its resurgence and stylized the tattoo'ed culture and couture. They even have a Sailor Jerry Rum now, owing allegiance to Rum = Sailors. Very cool brand extension. This brand is an example of staying true to its roots and connecting with a new audience of customers, matching the brands values and design cues with a certain customer base. Check it out at Sailor Jerry Web Store.

Red Sox Sounds Even Sweeter in Italian

One of my favorite stores outside of Fenway Park is offering Tee's in other languages. Smart because Boston, like Chicago, is divided up into ethnic neighborhoods more or less with Irish and Italian being the big two. And, for a third generation Italian from Boston and living in Boston's little Italy for a long time - I am proud of my heritage. Now, only if the Sox would bring back Lou Merloni all would be right with the world.

Good For You Wal-Mart - DraftFCB We Hardly Knew Thee

: Full Disclosure: My agency, Wirestone, while much smaller than DraftFCB does compete time to time with DraftFCB - I assure you that has nothing to do with this post. Ok, maybe a little ;). And, sorry for the long post - I have a lot to say on this topic.

Unless you have been living under the proverbial rock, you've heard about one of the biggest news in the advertising agency business in a long time - DraftFCB winning and then losing Wal-Mart conceivably before the first retainer check showed up.

There are a few things about this story that just doesn't sit right with me. I have been doing new business in some capacity for 15 years, wooing some of the biggest brands in the world and my instincts are telling me what we are reading about in the paper is the tip of the iceberg.

1. Dinners happen. The claim that Wal-Mart was "just" upset about a dinner at Nobu is very shady. Ok, most big companies have a policy about gifts and accepting things such as dinners over x amount of dollars - but is it really even enforced?  My spider senses are telling me that something else happened there - a gift that broke the barrier of acceptable perhaps? A gratuitious trip to somewhere special?

2. Why publicize the Aston-Martin ride? When Ad Age and the Chicago Tribune broke the story about how Howard Draft enticed Julie Roehm with rides in his James Bond Aston-Martin - why brag about it? Why in the world would Howard Draft let that story get out? Sure, that kind of stuff happens - "Lets go fishing on my boat" Or, "You're welcome to use my house in Vail anytime" This kind of stuff has been part of business, well since the start of business. It just is, but don't bang your chest about it. This is what we would call EGO. Funny, I used to work for someone just like that, except his ride of choice was a Ferrari.

3. You're Hired, You're Fired. When the news broke in late October that DraftFCB had won the business, the Trib reported that this would bring almost 200 new jobs in Chicago and that the agency would be on a hiring spree. This was good news overall for the agency community in Chicago and the general economy. Imagine being one of the people that left your job over the past month to join DraftFCB to work on Wal-Mart and now, oops - that job is gone. As a leader, that would keep me up at night. The fees, sure, but the lives of these people have been upended.

4. Good For Wal-Mart! I have never done business with Wal-Mart, but have been close enough to the action in Bensenville to understand it. I finally feel that they did something right lately. Dismantling this review process and starting over takes a lot of effort and I applaud them for that. I am a big believer in winning new business on the backs of hard work, smart ideas and of course above ground relationships. This is a people business and that is important - It is OK to have a relationship with the decision maker, but that cannot be the only impetus for handing over a piece of business.

5. Lions & Smiley Faces Don't Mix. The capper, the icing the final straw had to have been the Cannes Ad in Creativity magazine. I first wrote about it here It's Good To Be On Top. This ad is another indication of blind ego. I still cannot imagine how this could be done. I wonder if they are going to do a It Sucks To Be On The Bottom ad?

6. Could The Blog-o-sphere Have Influenced The Decision? I wasn't the only one writing about this debacle - It had been written about over and over again by industry bloggers. I would have to imagine that Wal-Mart was reading some of these posts. I wonder if the wisdom of the crowds were able to influence this?

Now, it is quite possible that Draft's other accounts will start to defect. Especially if some of those decision makers fell into the trap of accepting some of the same trappings from Mr. Draft. You can bet that the CEO's of those brands will be at least asking about it. Ethics is becoming a hot topic and I am happy that it is starting permeate into our industry. It needs to. The little guy needs to be able to compete on the merits of our ideas, of our capabilities - not just how deep our pockets go or the fact that we have a corporate jet.

I wonder what my friend Steve Cody would say about this crisis management issue over at his RepMan Blog His tagline is Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures - Would be curious to see what he says. Steve?

Update: Repman Steve Cody caught my hot potato, here is his perspective: Two Reputations Damaged Post

Good For You Ami James & RAZR

If the traffic to my blog from my post on November 19th about the new Miami Ink RAZR's Motorola Meets Miami Ink is any indication of the success of that phone, they are flying off the shelves. That post alone has driven more traffic to my site than any other three posts combined. I think these phones are hot and will appeal to sub 25 year olds searching for self-expression. I love how the website now offers you to design your tattoo. Very cool.

Hey Ami (Or Miami Ink producers): If you happen to read this, would love the chance to get my half-sleeve done by you. I can't seem to get in to see you...  Wouldn't this be a good story for the show?  You saw my Blog and invited me down? I think so.
 

Why Retail Advertising Sucks.

I always find myself wondering why retail brands and marketers cannot break out of the box and be innovative. Save for Target, almost all retail brands just do not understand the power of seducing and keeping people engaged in their offering. However, I will add that Target while the best of retail marketers is a little like being the world's tallest midget. They stand out in a sea of sameness that exists in retail. Don't believe me? This Sunday, pick up your favorite Sunday newspaper and take a peek at the Sears Circular. Honestly, the stuff in this ad is the same from week to week. Or, how about Kohls'? I call Kohls' the king of 50% off and brands by the ton. There is absolutely no differentiation in their marketing, messaging and brand. For Sears, their brand is their brands - Kenmore, Diehard, Craftsman and maybe someday Lands End. Here is why I think that retail marketers are so afraid or unwilling to break out of the box:

1. Merchants Rule, Not Marketers - Like in software or high tech companies where the engineers believe that if they build the best mousetrap, people will buy it - in retail, the merchants are the rulers of the land. They believe if they just "buy right" that people will keep coming back. Sorry, with the millions of choices both on and off line people have, having merchandise that is incrementally different than the guy next door isnt going to cut it.

2. The Same Factories in China - I would bet that when the merchants from the sea of sameness go into China on a buying mission, they share the same hotels and bump into each other in the conference rooms of the major manufacturers. Outsourcing has forced the sea of sameness, keep costs down and that limits innovation.

3. No Collaboration - In major retailers the key decision makers work in silos with very little collaboration. Merchandising, Marketing, Store Operations, Web, Retail etc. They all have their own agendas and they all have their own perspective on what needs to happen. There is no way you can drive a brand in a 360degree way with no collaboration. This is something that Best Buy does the best. Even though their campaign ideas are lame, the integration is seamless. I suspect this is because their horizontal collaboration is great vs. working vertically.

4. The Reliance on FSI's - Retailers can spend anywhere from 30% -100% of their marketing budgets on what is called "the heroin" of retail marketing. Retailers believe that people actually want their preprints every Sunday. While this might be true, it is true because retailers have trained them to expect it. And, more importantly haven't given them any other relevant method of habit.

Is it any wonder why specialty retailers and niche retailers are hitting home runs? They understand their customers better than anyone and as a result provide a store environment that they actually enjoy being in and more importantly buy merchandise that appeals to them. And, last buy not least understand how they consume media and market directly to them in a relevant, efficient way. Big box retailers should stop covering their ass and taking the safe route and take some risks. If the risks are grounded in solid insights and are calculated they will pay off.

And another thing, challenge your ad agencies to come up with some better ideas and campaigns. I suspect they want to create something for your brand that breaks through, is different and breaks away from the pack. Let them do it. Please.   

Burger King Big Bumpin'

For a few weeks now, the new Xbox games featuring Burger King characters have been circulating. From what I can tell these are instant classics. Never taking themselves too seriously, but integrating the elements of the Burger King brand in beyond gratutitous ways that comes off as authentic.

Even cooler is I wonder who owns the rights to the subservient chicken and the king himself. Crispin+Porter or BK? This raises the bar for agencies going all the way back to the pets.com sock puppet, creating an avatar that can become marketable. The Geico Lizard peddling Car Insurance in Need For Speed or The Army releasing their own SOCOM game. The opportunities are boundless.

Is Kanye West Going South?

Kanye, Kanye, Kanye, my man - I really do like your music. I really do think you are a ground breaker and do your thing. The ego could be toned down a few clicks, but whatever works. I first read about this at Breaking & Entering and had to say something about it.

I wonder how much Fendi paid Kanye for that real estate. It was reported that he showed at a Fendi party with that on his noggin. Is he really that starved for attention.

I would have been really impressed if tattooed it for real.

Life On The Agency Side, Sound Familiar?

I have a new favorite cartoon blog that parodies life on the agency side.

Here is an excerpt, but Tom Fishburne's blog and book are worth it, find it here Ton Fishburne's Brand Camp.

Creative Imitation, I Mean Inspiration...

Great Ad created by the Ad Workers Local of Milwaukee as seen on the Before & After Blog. This is a very insightful way to portray the old saw of "There are no original ideas in Advertising" - except of course if you are Crispin+Porter.....

The Ski Tour Launches

Big props to Wirestone West for creating the new online presence for the very cool, new extreme skiing competition called The Ski Tour. It will be airing on ABC in the first part of 2007 and is an innovative mix of skiing competition, festivals and awesome music acts. The Wirestone West team captured the personality, attitude and vibe of this competition through the site. Kudos to Mr. Tony Schlangen and Mr. Brad Mitchell for leading the Wirestone teams.

Check it out at The Ski Tour