Change Or Die

_CRISIS DRIVES CHANGE AT CADILLAC

admin — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:52:40 +0000

David Beals is quoted in the latest edition of Advertising Age referring to recent upsets in the auto-ad business as “unprecedented,” and explaining such volatility as the product of “a category in crisis.” As the article suggests, crisis demands innovation, and Detroit’s troubles have led to several radical re-brandings, including Cadillac’s most recent effort to reclaim lost ground against luxury sports brands like BMW and Mercedes with the new CTS Coupe.

To be sure, the CTS Coupe is an impressive departure from previous design. The Journal’s Dan Neil describes it “as the car Frank Gehry and ‘Batman’ animator Bruce Timm would design if their lives depended on it. The [new CTS] looks like it was beamed in from a near future when gangsters are armed with lasers.”

Lasers aside, Cadillac’s decision this week to hire Fallon as the creative agency responsible for marketing the CTS Coupe may signal an even greater departure from old habits than the car’s design. During its tenure with BMW Fallon produced the widely acclaimed ‘BMW Films,’ and helped the German automaker establish its current identity as a premier luxury brand in the US. Over the last decade the United States has become BMW’s largest market.

But Cadillac wants its piece of the pie back, and it has finally seemed to acknowledge that it’s not going to get it by clinging to an identity that, for many, lost its luster long ago. Instead, the company is betting that Fallon can help lead it forward with a marketing strategy that appeals to the same consumers who have driven sales for BMW and Mercedes.

-Francis George, Creative Director

_HUMANS EVOLVING INTO PHONES

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:03:53 +0000

It seems like everyday I find myself reminiscing with someone about a once popular but now laughable piece of technology. My nostalgic musings on the ridiculousness of the Zack Morris phone or the StarTac are inevitably concluded with a smug scroll through the galaxy of apps that now populate my super-smart phone. “How did I survive without my blackberry?” I often hear. How indeed.

But just as I congratulate myself that I stand firmly at the pinnacle of consumer gadgetry the clouds open and I catch a humbling glimpse of a distant peak. One such moment came recently when I learned of a collaboration between Microsoft and Carnegie Melon University to develop “Skinput” technology, which “turns the human body into a giant touch screen.”

The device is in its infancy and presently involves a cumbersome armband and projector, but researchers have already used it to perform an impressive variety of tasks. Skinput senses vibrations in different areas of the body, like when you touch your fingers or even different parts of your palm, and coordinates these inputs with a screen projected onto the skin. Chris Harrison, one of the project’s leaders, “envisions a future device no larger than a small stack of coins, worn around the wrist or bicep, with all the capabilities of an iPhone.”

Zoiks! Two minutes ago I was blissfully ignorant thinking that my 3.5-inch touch screen offered everything that I’d ever need, but now I’m afraid that Zack and I have more in common than I was willing to admit.

Cody Short,

Strategic Coordinator

_THE ART OF THINGS

admin — Mon, 10 May 2010 15:10:09 +0000

Last week RPK took an afternoon to tour the newest addition of the remodeled North Carolina Museum of Art. The sleek aluminum exterior is surrounded with sculptures, fountains and seating areas. Upon entering the brightly lit and clean white foyer, I almost thought I’d walked back into RPK.

I came to my senses, sort of, when I saw a massive, glowing man sitting sideways on the back wall, hugging his knees. To my right was a huge projector screen with a magical tree blowing back and forth with sparkling branches.

A couple favorite pieces to mention: a modern day twist of the Mona Lisa, upside down and made of spools of thread. In front her was a glass ball that revealed the piece right side up within (Devorah Sperber, After the Mona Lisa 2).

In an enormous, neon yellow canvas patched with discarded items and fabric, El Anatsui expresses his Ghanian heritage in Lines That Link Humanity.

Designed by New York-based architects Thomas Phifer and Partners, the new addition showcases more than 5,000 pieces from antiquity to present day. The visit was a treat and inspired our creative minds.

Dave Avis,

Creative Ops.

_IT'S ALL ABOUT LOCATION

admin — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:46:17 +0000

I was recently introduced to the popularly growing location-based service called Foursquare. A friend began referring to himself as ‘mayor’ of various local venues, as the social networking service is based on a game-like premise, sparking my competitive nature to become involved and earn top rank wherever my heels take me.

While Time ranked such location-based technology as no. 1 on their list of 10 Tech Trends for 2010, my ambitious spark waned as I considered the dangers of sharing this personal information. Do I really want people knowing where I am 24/7? Please Rob Me.

Aside from privacy concerns, there are incentives. Whenever you check in at your location, you are updated with other nearby places of interest. Then, as your number of visits increase at a particular place, more credibility is lent to your user review.

As other similar location-based services will continue to emerge, such technology is said to develop on already existing social networks like Facebook soon.

Jenn Yaga,

Public Relations

_iPAD, NOT A FAD

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:04:41 +0000

This week’s blog is in dedication to the latest Apple invention released last week: the iPad. According to Brady Bone, Creative Ops, “The iPad shouldn't exist yet… Apple has shown us the future,” he continues, “Take the agency, I see strategic/account people using [the iPad] as a primary device.”

As a member of the strategic team myself, I’m privy to the aforementioned assertions. Apple should endorse small businesses with iPads and we’ll give them our valuable feedback (and keep them).

Wishful thinking. Apple didn’t even drop a dime for their role in the main story line of last week’s episode of ABC’s Modern Family, when character Phil Dunphy had only one wish for his birthday: the iPad. While Apple may have lost an opportunity to make a few bucks, ABC lent its show a new level of hipness through Dunphy’s character. An AdAge article explains just why ABC incorporated an Apple device:

“Its gadgets and computers are viewed as status symbols, even cultural icons, so it's no wonder to see shows that want to make characters seem hip — witness the perennial appearance of an Apple laptop in HBO's "Sex and the City" — happily weave its goods into scenes and hands."

While the iPad will continue to generate buzz in pop culture, it certainly won’t fall wayside as a fad. On the contrary, the device is a stepping stone into the next generation of technology for businesses and networking.

-Marisa LaVallee,

Strategic Coordinator

_THINKING BEHIND BLINKING

admin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:19:12 +0000

Thanks to Prof. Mike Randall of The University of Endless Learning at The Republik, book reports have returned from the halls of high school to haunt us. Luckily for Prof. Randall, my book assignment did not merely instill applicable marketing principles, but was indeed interesting. Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell, offers insight into decision-making processes:

“Truly successful decision making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking.”

Gladwell first got the idea to write this book after he grew his hair long. He began getting speeding tickets, was pulled out of airport security lines and, most disturbingly, Gladwell was approached by police officers on the streets of Manhattan as a suspect in a rapist case. Gladwell got to thinking about the power of first impressions and began conducting his own research.

Through a multitude of case studies, Gladwell aims to convince readers that quick decisions can be equally as valuable as cautious ones, answer when instincts should be trusted and also demonstrate the ability to educate and control snap judgments/first impressions.

I recommend Blink not only for the business world, but for everyone to read in an effort to expand awareness around decision-making and thus alter behavior positively.

-Robert West,

Commander in Chief

_CHANGE IS THE ONLY ABSOLUTE

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:45:01 +0000

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

Change is the only absolute.

This was the subject of a memo I received less than two years into my first job. It came from the president of our small-but-growing agency outlining some sweeping personnel changes designed to improve our offering by tapping into individual skill sets previously unknown or under-used. The moves didn’t directly affect my role or responsibility, but it forever changed the way I look at business and the world.

It was the single most empowering message I ever received. Fear of the unknown is replaced by a new world of possibilities. Wake up tomorrow with the expectation of change and you will not be disappointed. And after 25 years, every day is still a new opportunity. Change or die, indeed.

For me, it was five simple words. How about you? What has caused you to change the way you see things?

-Dwayne Fry,

Commander / Strategic Ops.

7-ELEVEN TO LAUNCH IN-HOUSE BRAND OF WINE

admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:11:52 +0000

Excellent!
Insert Thunderbird joke here _____________.
Insert Mad Dog 20/20 joke here _____________.

All right. Now that that's out of the way, let me just say, it's about time! What a brilliant revenue stream. You buy cheap wine from 7-Eleven, and when you get the munchies, go back and stock up on microwave burritos.

Although I think they messed up one part - the name. The wine is called Yosemite Road. To me, Yosemite Road sounds like every other winery out there.

To me, half the fun would be arriving at a party with a bottle of Slurrrper(R) or The Really Big Gulp(R), or some other franchised name. People would ask, "Where did you get that? 7-Eleven?" And that's how the marketing buzz begins.

Pun intended.

_DESPERATION MARKETING - OUR CARS WON'T KILL YOU

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:27:32 +0000

In efforts to combat flagging luxury car sales, Mercedes has decided to flag a different aspect of their brand: Safety.

Huh??!!

What's next, Volvo's going to counter their slipping sales with a new campaign featuring their performance?

I suppose their reasoning is that people already know M-B makes great luxury cars, so they wanted to tout something else.

Let me tell you something. The reason everyone knows M-B makes the best luxury cars is because their advertising has reinforced it all these years. Keep this up, and people won't even know what M-B stands for. Luxury? Safety? Low monthly payments?

Remember, once you have your brand message, don't depart from it! Even though you've spend years hammering it out, and you're sick of it, the consumer is not. And when you change brand messages, trust me, consumers won't remember your old one, and your original investment is lost. Does anyone remember McDonald's tagline before "I'm lovin' it?" Thank you.

Watch the TV commercial.

- Robert West
Commander in Chief

_AMERICA ISN'T EVIL - THEY JUST NEED A GOOD PR FIRM.

admin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:57:15 +0000

We need to remind the world about our standard of living. Our poorest people live better than most middle-class people in other countries. Put it this way - as a whole, our poor people have plenty to eat, have cable TV, own cars, and drive them on well-maintained roads. Their poor people work hard labor 18 hours a day, are hungry, sleep on the ground, poop in an outhouse (if they're lucky) and have a life expectancy 25 years less than ours.

map

I suppose we get a bad rap when it comes to wars. Sure, America has interests. When we fight to protect them, we're condemned. However, other countries are not. (China and Russia, we're talking to you). America has the kindest, politest foreign policy of any great power in history. Really. America saved the world from the horrific and murderous Italian Fascist, Soviet Nazi, and Soviet totalitarianism regimes. When we do win a war, unlike any other country, we do not annex their territory - we help rebuild it. For example, we destroyed Germany and Japan in World War II, yet spent billions to help rebuild them. North Vietnam's biggest mistake was winning a war against us, for today, they are a poor impoverished nation. Had we won, we would have helped rebuild and modernize them, and maybe, put in a government friendly to us. Oooh - bad America!!

How about this for a PR campaign - imagine the world without the United States - like the scene in Back to the Future when the nutty professor gets out of a Canadian car. Or we could show the whole world speaking German, living under a socialist regime.

Then again, it might be difficult - I'm doubt if TVs, radios, and the Internet could have been invented under a socialist regime.

- Francis George
Commander / Creative Ops