Virgin Gorillaz Train

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Gorillaztrain4_2Saw this on Cool Hunting today.  Not the usual same-old train wrapping stunt.  This looks very cool.

"This is how public transport should be done. Unveiled Monday and travelling back and forth between London and Manchester, this tricked-out locomotive from Gorillaz aritst Jamie Hewlett is to promote the forthcoming circus/opera he's involved with called Monkey: Journey To The West . It's based on an ancient Chinese legend and the music has been composed by Hewlett's partner in the cartoon band, Damon Albarn. The show kicks off this year's Manchester International Festival which runs 28 June - 15 July 2007. Click here for more info on the festival."

Click here for more images.

Apple Brand vs. Carrier Brands

This Adweek article [Rivals Prepare for iPhone Debut, May 27] discusses the coming launch of the iPhone, and the resulting competitive response in the mobile marketplace. 

In the piece the iPhone is referred to as "Apple's iPhone" whereas the the rest of the article refers only to the operators' brands ...

"During the same period, T-Mobile unveiled its own version of the iPhone, called the Wing. The Internet-enabled, WiFi equipped device retails for $299 with rebates. Not to be outdone, Verizon executives said in published reports that they would unveil a new WiFi mobile phone in late summer."

Until a few weeks ago I worked for Nokia.  I was always very proud of Nokia's historically firm stance on retaining its own brand identity under tremendous pressure from mobile operators to strip the Nokia logo from its phones.  It's the reason that Nokia is Interbrand's 6th Best Global Brand.  It's also the reason I am cheering for the iPhone's success ... it's nice to see brands like Nokia and Apple stand up for what they believe.


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Latest Update on Dr Martens Print Ads

As a follow up to this and this post ...

"NEW YORK (Reuters) - Footwear maker Dr. Martens apologizedon Friday for any offense caused by ads showing four dead rock icons wearing its boots in heaven - and fired its advertising agency, which, in turn, dismissed an employee it found at fault."

Full article here.  I hate to be a cynic, but something seems weird about this story.  I don't think I have to spell it out, but let's just say I haven't heard this much about Dr Martens since the grunge years.  Sometimes publicity - even 'bad' press - can be a shot in the arm for at least ignite a conversation about a brand.  I'm going to keep an eye on this one.  Watch this space ...

Update on Dr Martens Print Ads Post

A follow up on this post from a few weeks ago about the new print campaign from Dr Martens featuring music icons[Cobain, Vicious, Ramone, etc.] who have donned the brand.  The Adrants blog reports:

"The ongoing uproar over the Saatchi and Saatchi London-created ads for Dr. Martens which showed various rock artists sitting in heaven wearing the brand's steel toed boots has resulted in Dr. Martens parent company AirWair Ltd. firing Saatchi. The ads, which Saatchi claims Dr. Martens approved to run once in the UK's Fact Magazine caused a bit of controversy and complaint. Dr. Martens claims the images in the ads were not approved stating the work is "counter to our current marketing activities based on FREEDM, which is dedicated to nurturing grass roots creativity and supporting emerging talent."

Saatchi says it stands by the work, feels it is not offensive, promises to investigate why the ads were released beyond their intended destination and to "consider the ongoing employment" of the person who may have released the ads to the public. Oh my how things escalate."

Rebuilding Cycling [w/out Lance; w/Doping]

A recent article in The NY Times discusses the hard times cycling has fallen on in the wake of recent doping scandals and the retirement of Lance Armstrong.  In particular the sport is finding it increasingly difficult to attract sponsorship money -- the lifeblood of events like the Tour de France.

The article is worth a read.  But I think it's naive to suggest that companies are weighing the doping scandal and Armstrong's departure equally when deciding to pull their money out of cycling events.

Let's be honest ... if [rather, when] another Lance came around, the money would soon follow.  It's not like Floyd Landis was the first guy to test positive.  In fact rumors have dogged Armstrong for years.  The 'doping defense' is a very clean [and unquestionable] way to back out of the sport until it's renewed.  I don't blame them ... if I was a cycling supporter I would probably feel the same way. 

But one last thought ... is this an opportunity for a new sponsor to come in and 'own' cycling?  Could be a good opportunity for a brand to get in on the cheap and eventually take responsibility for 'rebuilding' the sport. 

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I See Obama as a 325i

Influx Insights posts about a branding study on the democratic hopefuls for 2008.  Admittedly I haven't dug into the study yet.  But it sounds interesting.  According to Influx, "... it takes a look at the candidates as brands; examining awareness, qualities and perceptions."

Apparently Clinton is likened to a Volvo; Edwards to a Prius and Obama to a BMW Z4.  I think Clinton is dead-on.  I think of Edwards as more of a Mercedes station wagon.  And Obama seems like a BMW 3-Series kind of guy [Z4 seems too flashy]. 

Cheat on New York

It's a funny thing ... I travel quite extensively for work yet I have very little involvement in the airline category.  There are two reasons: [1] I have little choice in what airline I fly for work and [2] I've achieved the highest frequent flyer status on a certain airline and therefor am hard-pressed to fly anyone else.  So I rarely pay attention to airline promotions, and even less so to airline advertising. 

That said, a recent out-of-home Delta campaign running in New York has caught my eye.  The tagline invites you to "Cheat on New York" [by traveling to other great cities].  I'm no critic, but the art direction and copy instantly resonated with me.  I also get the sense that the campaign was developed based on deep insights from New Yorkers [and our sense of pride in the city].

I had a surprisingly tough time finding good screen shots.  Here's a link to the promotional page on their website [and screen shot below], but it's not indicative of the creative.  If anyone can provide a link I'm happy to post some images for those of you not in New York.

Delta

Nine Inch Nails Results

As promised in a recent post [read here] I wanted to report that Nine Inch Nails sold 187,157 copies of their latest release, Year Zero, in its opening week [according to Hits Magazine].  That's a 31% dip from their previous release.  Of course I can't make an intelligent argument that their rather involved promotional scheme had no impact on sales because for all I know the album would have sold 50K less copies without it.  But my gut tells me that the ROI on the entire campaign is not through the roof.  Just a guess.  What does seem clear to me is that Nine Inch Nails has a bigger core fanbase than 187,157 people and that someone forgot to ensure that all of them rallied around the album in week 1.

THE Ultimate Icons?

While browsing Adsoftheworld.com these two print ads immediately caught my eye.  I knew right away they were Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse.  People sometimes chastise Disney for being too protective with their brands or too old school with their thinking.  They've obviously done something a lot right when images this abstract are immediately recognizable.

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