Author: AdweekMedia

You don’t see a ton of marketing efforts in the U.S. aimed at our Indian American population, so this branded-entertainment effort by the Dubai-based airline Emirates is definitely notable. The airline has produced a "Bollywood variety show" on Star India Plus and SET Asia, two cable outlets that run Indian-focused programming in the U.S. (It also runs on Hulu.) The show, which is called Destination: Bollywood and has separate singing and dancing versions, looks like an American Idol for South Asians, though there’s no equivalent of Simon Cowell on board. There’s a reason you don’t see that many marketing efforts directed at Indian Americans: That population was only about 1.7 million in the U.S. in the 2000 Census, though that number has no doubt grown since then, which means we’ll probably seeing more stuff like this in coming years. Hooray for Bollywood!

—Posted by Todd Wasserman

Call it "404 Marketing." Burger King is launching a campaign on Digg in which failed searches on the network will produce an error message promoting the fast feeder. For instance, if a user types in a nonsense word like "byrwe," a message will read, "No results for ‘byrwe’ were found. Looks like your search had a typo. Blame it on your tiny hands. The beefy $1 Burger King Double Cheeseburger gives tiny hands some trouble, too." The message then provides a hypertext link to see examples of that "trouble." (The campaign is expected to go live later this week. It was also up briefly last week.) BK isn’t the first advertiser to sponsor error messages. Similar things have been done with actual 404 "This page cannot be found" error messages in Singapore and Brazil, and probably elsewhere. Are there any unexplored frontiers of Web advertising? Don’t say captchas. Seth Godin has thought of that.

—Posted by Todd Wasserman

Turns out McDonald’s wasn’t the first to super-size meals. Artists have been doing it for a millennium in one of the most notable portraits in history. There’s a report out today from the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab in Ithaca, N.Y., which examined 52 famous renderings of the The Last Supper, with surprising results about portion control—or lack thereof. The study found that between the years 1000 and 2000, the main-course size in the artists’ work increased by 69 percent, plate size by 66 percent and loaves of bread by 23 percent. There could be a simple explanation, in that food became more plentiful and less expensive over time. Reflecting that in art would’ve made sense. But the results are being published in April’s International Journal of Obesity, so obviously they’re trying to tell us something about the sorry state of our waistlines and the role that heaping helpings of food plays in that. Still, I don’t see any chips, soda or candy in that meal or any overweight apostles. Not to get too biblical, but maybe we could learn a lesson or two from the loaves and fishes. In moderation, of course.

—Posted by T.L. Stanley

I learned several things by watching videos submitted to a contest called "Do you Flip?" In no particular order: Gabrielle Reece looks amazing under water, Stephen Colbert can’t train his dog, babies have funny expressions, and daredevils make good subjects. Cisco, the marketer behind the ingenious little Flip camera, says it will use random clips from folks, famous or otherwise, in a new ad campaign. Everybody’s invited, but there’s already some stiff competition (see above) and one vid that reminds me of an old Kids in the Hall skit. People are getting pretty creative in the space of 10 seconds or less. Flip asks that submissions be family friendly and logo free, with the participants willing to be part of a produced commercial. No word on how many of the videos will be included in the upcoming campaign, but Flip can likely make good use of all those free, bite-sized pieces of consumer-generated content. Operative word: free. So, go ahead and send in your cat’s adventure on a treadmill. You know you want to.

—Posted by T.L. Stanley

When he’s not blowing off reporters, Crispin Porter + Bogusky creative guru Alex Bogusky is indulging his passions, which include using his creative powers for good. One such extracurricular activity is Green Garage, a Boulder, Colo.-based business that promises to "green-tune" your old clunker by installing a dual-stage oil filter and biodegradable oil, among other eco-interventions. In step with the current wave of green brands, it also avoids preachiness in favor of upbeat, common-sense arguments about saving money. A Crispin-produced ad running locally in the Boulder market also maintains that tone with line-drawn animation showing "Ron," a guy who loves his SUV but feels bad that it pollutes the environment. Thankfully, Green Garage allows him to keep his gas guzzler. "A happy wallet leads to a happy Ron living on a happy planet," says the voiceover. Most environmentalists would probably be happy if the Green Garage concept works, even if they are less sanguine about some other Crispin clients, like Burger King and Coca-Cola.

—Posted by Todd Wasserman

When a major corporate advertiser proclaims a bit of biz-speak dead, maybe it really is dead, right? Well, let’s hope. This latest ad in American Airlines’ "We know why you fly" campaign from TM Advertising takes aim at the phrase "win-win," which one road warrior deploys so liberally that a co-worker eventually opts to sit in a separate row. But American’s opposition to the bromide seems to have been formulated fairly recently. Last month, in a press release about a partnership with USA Wrestling, Roger Frizzell, vp of corporate communications, noted that it was a "win-win partnership." Frizzell was also quoted in a 2007 Harper’s article using the same dreaded phrase. John Hagen, a senior systems analyst and project manager for American, also once praised the adoption of Sybase IQ as a "win-win for us and our customers." Not that we at BrandFreak are casting stones. At the end of the day, this commercial really shows the ability to think outside the box.

—Posted by Todd Wasserman

Kobe Bryant, the poster child for celebrity endorsers who recover from scandal, still leads Los Angeles Lakers players in big-bucks marketing deals, but Lamar Odom is becoming a hot commodity, too. Could it have anything to do with his six-month marriage to reality-TV star Khloe Kardashian? The 6-foot-10 power forward knows he stands out in a crowd, even a pro-basketball one, but admits his new wife might have jump-started his career in endorsements. "We got married and 3 million people watched, you know what I’m saying?" he tells the L.A. Times. (I happened to be standing outside a restaurant where Odom arrived shortly after his nuptials with a pack of paparazzi in tow. He handled it like a veteran.) Small wonder then that Samsung, Taco Bell and Power Bar are taking advantage of all the hubbub around him. In addition to the Taco Bell spot that aired during the Super Bowl (with co-star Charles Barkley), Odom jumps so high he can dunk on the moon for the current PowerBar Energy Gel Blasts campaign and sings the praises of the new Samsung Omnia II in spots running during the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. And, he tells the Times, he may be just getting started. "I’ll keep doing them as long as they keep coming my way and we play well." That last part? Do your best on the floor, please, and I’ll gladly watch you rack up some extra dough during the ad breaks.

—Posted by T.L. Stanley

A little-known fact of today’s agricultural-industrial complex is that corn doesn’t just show up in most every packaged food we eat, it’s also a key ingredient in things like spark plugs, washer fluid, latex paint, aluminum, insecticide, shoe polish and even explosives. (Hey, don’t accuse us of being anti-agribusiness. These facts come from the folks at the Ontario Corn Producers Association.) And now, into this maze of maize applications comes what has to be the most astonishing corn property of them all: the power to eliminate the funk of kitty. That’s right. According to the folks at the modestly named World’s Bets Cat Litter, the secret ingredient for keeping those noxious biscuits from dispatching a malodorous death cloud into your home is … corn. WBCL, according to the literature, "harnesses the microporous power of all-natural, whole-kernel corn to provide unsurpassed odor control." Heck, the stuff is also long-lasting and eco-friendly—which is presumably no small part of why WBCL can be found in the mansions of Paris Hilton, Martha Stewart and Miley Cyrus, among others. News flash: Corn also recently discovered in packages of frozen corn!

—Posted by Robert Klara

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament has spawned all kinds of bracketology ideas, including Adweek’s own March Adness. So, it’s no surprise that marketers are glomming onto the idea. The latest such effort is Coke Zero’s Brain Bracket, which sounds like a horrible disease but is actually an attempt to crowdsource the brand’s tie-in with this year’s tourney. (The winning idea gets $10,000.) The initial idea, explored in this commercial from Crispin Porter + Bogusky, is pretty lame, perhaps purposely so: a "mascot cam" inserted in North Carolina’s ram. North Carolina didn’t even make the tournament this year. It’s not the worst idea when he’s checking out some cheerleaders, I suppose, but it’s no Whopper Freakout. Speaking of which, you have perhaps the best creative agency in the U.S. on your roster and you’re asking consumers for your next big idea? What a waste. And here’s an idea for you, Coke Zero: How about a contest Web site that actually works?

—Posted by Todd Wasserman

What’s not to love about cuddly, funny or animated advertising icons? Since they’re not real people—and sometimes they’re not people at all—they don’t get caught up in sex scandals or popped for DUI. They don’t ask for more money, and they never age. A marketer’s dream! But how do consumers feel about them? E-Poll, via Forbes magazine, just released a study of favorite ad icons, and among the top 10 on the likability meter, the vast majority are long-time mascots with a lot of nostalgia value. There are only two newish mascots on the list—the Geico gecko and the Aflac duck. The M&M’s characters, around since 1954, led the pack as the most revered. Others who made the grade include the Pillsbury Doughboy, Tony the Tiger of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes and the elfin Snap, Crackle and Pop characters from Kellogg’s Rice Krispies. (Snap’s been around since 1933!) Other icons on the list have gotten makeovers, like Aunt Jemima, who dropped the mammy-style kerchief in ’89; Mrs. Butterworth, who shed a few pounds; and the Kool-Aid Man, who modernized, but not for the better.

—Posted by T.L. Stanley

That 30-second spot may be the pride of your ad agency, but your hopes of it "going viral" may be overly optimistic. In fact, research firm Millward Brown has two words for that idea: pipe dream! Unless you hire Kim Kardashian to star in it, that is. In a study to be released next week, Millward Brown found that fewer than one in six ads becomes even a mild viral success and that only a tiny percentage of commercials will hit the lofty heights of Old Spice’s "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" (shown here) and E*Trade’s "Milkaholic." It takes some combination of brand engagement, buzz, high-profile celebrity and originality to compel people to seek out a commercial online, watch it and pass it along. The now-famous Super Bowl Snickers ad with Betty White and Abe Vigoda has racked up more than 1.3 million views on YouTube, for instance, because it’s engaging, buzzy and features well-recognized celebrities, Millward Brown said. The Carl’s Jr. ad where Kardashian drips salad dressing on her lingerie and then hops into a bubble bath has upwards of 2.3 million views. (Guys dig it and, no surprise, women are largely absent from that fan club.) The researchers have a few pieces of advice for the creative community, including integrating the TV campaign with other media, seeding the ad broadly, leaving a clear brand impression and producing an engaging spot. And perhaps most important, don’t hold your breath.

—Posted by T.L. Stanley

Hollywood continues to invade your local Walmart. The chain, which has whipped up special in-store boutiques for Twilight DVD releases, is now doing something similar with DreamWorks Animation. Ahead of next Friday’s theatrical release of How to Train Your Dragon—an animated 3-D tale about a teenage Viking dragon-fighter—Walmart is setting aside big areas in its stores for a Viking Ship display and more than 100 licensed products. Months ago, manufacturers like Kraft, Kellogg, Pepsi and Spin Master began working directly with Walmart and DreamWorks to create custom products tied to the movie. The "dragon-ized" products your young Viking will be demanding include foam swords and helmets, apparel, skateboards, hooded towels, sunglasses and snacks. There’s virtually no escaping the hype about this movie: Walmart has developed a How to Train Your Dragon activity book that will be distributed at 1,000 McDonald’s sites within Walmart stores. And you New York City hipsters without a Walmart, don’t be so smug: A 40-foot Viking ship is coming your way, with a two-day docking in the center of Times Square and an appearance by Ugly Betty‘s America Ferrera, who is one of the voices in the film.

—Posted by Noreen O’Leary

Adidas’s house party is continuing. The brand’s earlier star-studded video, released in November 2008, has gotten worldwide attention, not to mention a Simpsons parody. Now, agency Sid Lee has moved the party out into the street, but some things remain the same. David Beckham is still there, though he looks a bit more hirsute this time, and DJ Pilooski is still spinning the tunes, though this time he’s playing his rendition of Dee Edwards’s "Can’t There Be Love" (and no, there’s nothing wrong with your YouTube feed, that’s the way the song goes). Snoop Dogg is a new addition, as are Noel Gallagher of Oasis and lots of people I’m too old to recognize. Once again, it’s a fine piece of advertising, making Adidas’s Originals line seem both of-the-moment and retro, athletic and leisurely.

—Posted by Todd Wasserman

Hard to settle on just one favorite moment from last night’s South Park season premiere, with its "preview" of the new EA Sports video game Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2011. But it might be this: Kenny schools Cartman as Elin slices Tiger with a 7-iron in a game that looks less like a PGA tourney and more like Mortal Kombat. "Oh man, I just lost another endorsement," Cartman says. "How’d you do that?" Kenny’s a sly little devil who apparently knows a thing or two about brand retreat in the face of controversy. He’s also a really good Xbox 360 player, so he figured out a way to administer a beat down while hitting Tiger where it really hurts—in the pocketbook. Shades of real life! The fourth graders of South Park marveled at the violent video game, with Cartman saying, "EA Sports really outdid itself this time," and Stan deciding golf wasn’t so boring after all if there’s fighting and F-bombs. The Comedy Central show, an equal-opportunity offender and still the network’s highest-rated show, makes fun of sex addiction, the CDC, David Letterman and Swedish accents here. So, EA Sports wasn’t alone in having its name raked over the coals. Wonder if they’re laughing?

—Posted by T.L. Stanley

It’s no secret that Ford Motor Co. has had a long-standing relationship with the Fox show American Idol. The automaker’s sponsorship includes banner ads, TV commercials starring Idol contestants, and now a sweepstakes with a bunch of 2011 Ford Fiestas as the grand prize. According to Ford, each of the show’s top 12 contestants got the opportunity to design his or her own customized 2011 Fiesta, using colors, body graphics and wheel treatments that reflect their personality. Talk about brand exposure! Ford’s logo is everywhere you look on the Idol site. It seems the strategy is working, because if you asked me to name one brand that comes to mind in association with American Idol, I’d say Ford.

—Posted by Elena Malykhina

Long before Victoria’s Secret sent its first be-diamoned bra traipsing down a runway or aired a Michael Bay action-clip undies commercial, Frederick’s of Hollywood was the glamorous go-to lingerie brand. The bustier-and-garter-belt chain has been around since 1946, with founder Frederick Mellinger promoting risque intimates at a time when bloomers came in three styles: big, white and baggy. With some lean years and a bankruptcy filing now behind it, the iconic Frederick’s is tweaking its image and repositioning for modern-day Bettie Pages and mallrats everywhere. The rebranding campaign, all via social media, has increased sales by 4 percent in the first month, outpacing projections, according to Linda LoRe, the marketer’s president. The focus has been on new products, more trendy merchandise, e-commerce and loyalty reward programs. The campaign, via WhittmanHart Interactive in Los Angeles, has depended exclusively on emerging media, mobile marketing, community building and social networking. (More than 25,000 fans have signed up on Facebook.) Frederick’s is one of a number of heritage brands that have been shaking off the dust and putting their best feet forward lately. In this marketer’s case, that limb happens to be covered with a fishnet.

—Posted by T.L. Stanley

Dude, this is what we call entertaining marketing. Paper-towel brand Bounty has done it again, this time with a gangsta-grooving music video on YouTube. While BrandFreak (and most of the folks in the marketing world, perhaps) thought the R&D guys at Procter & Gamble were pretty buttoned up, this video dispels that myth. (OK, there are probably some conservative types working there.) The two-minute video, which has gotten nearly 400,000 views in a week, shows rapper scientists putting the quicker picker upper to the test. We closed our eyes at one point during the triple dare, but opened them to find the Bounty sheet unstoppable and still absorbing. Go Bounty!

—Posted by Elaine Wong

Those of us who follow marketing on a daily basis will notice a recessionary trend: Brand campaigns with a happy or feel-good theme. When the economy is bad, consumers want something to smile about. That’s the thinking behind a new campaign by agricultural equipment manufacturer John Deere featuring real customers who use their creativity to design "visionary lawn art." The "What Will You Create?" campaign is meant inspire people to express their individuality and passion for the outdoors. Ads spotlight John Deere loyalists like a man from South Carolina who has spent 1,200 hours on his lawn mower tending to his world-renowned topiary garden. JohnDeere.com has been revamped to reflect the effort and encourage feedback from consumers. While John Deere’s products appear throughout the ads, the focus is on the stories. It’s the kind of campaign that really makes you stop and smell the roses.

—Posted by Elena Malykhina

Bella Swan isn’t the only one who wants more face time with a brooding and beautiful vampire. Walmart is back for its second consecutive bite out of the Twilight franchise, opening specialty store-within-store boutiques and planning blow-out parties for this Friday night when the DVD of The Twilight Saga: New Moon goes on sale at 12:01 a.m. The first go-around was massively successful, as the retail behemoth welcomed hundreds of thousands of Twi-hards and broke sales records. This time, the dedicated Twilight swag areas are already set up, and they include themed T-shirts, hoodies, messenger bags, jewelry, books, posters, board games, party snacks and dolls. And it’s not just Bella and her soul(less)mate Edward Cullen who have starring spots. Jacob Black and the Wolfpack get equal billing. Team Jake! With 2,600 stores participating, imagine what this will do for Walmart’s bottom line. That won’t suck at all.

—Posted by T.L. Stanley