Category — advertising

VW’s dogs sing ‘Star Wars’ march to tease Super Bowl ad

How Volkswagen Conducted Its Canine Chorus

In ‘War Made New,’ noted defense historian Max Boot runs through 500 years of battle to show that victory goes to the combatant who had digested and incorporated not just the latest weapon technology, but also the culture and bureaucracy most adept at exploiting this technology.

In other words, it’s not just the latest, greatest military tool that wins battles and wars.

These upheavals on the battlefield show how revolutions in military affairs quickly upend empires, assumptions and future warfare.

It is not hard while reading Boot’s authoritative descriptions of battles in Italy, Koniggatz and Tsushima for me to link the breakthrough tactics and organizations of those winners with the current array of challengers the modern media company faces daily.

The French canons of 1494 and the Prussian needle guns of 1866 were just as revolutionary as the rise of cable and the utility of the internet.

While media companies assail the post-modern methods of web journalism; outdated management techniques and labor fight the radical methods information gathering (When “good enough” journalism is better) while being slow to the punch to counter the hype and monetize the promise of online advertising.

The outcome of media’s struggle to survive depends less on the interest of the public in news, but more on the ability of media companies to deploy organization, staff, technology and tactics to innovate on the sales and content battlefields.

Media pundits sound like an outdated army, scoffing at the enemy’s unwillingness to line up and fight like men when complaints of “inaccuracy” (TMZ leads with early details, while Los Angeles Times and AP do the heavy lifting) and “you’re stealing” (Tighter copyright law could save newspapers: Connie Schultz) are lodged against the likes of TMZ, Newser and Wikipedia.

It’s high time for media companies to learn faster from the likes of Boot, who show how old methods and organization stand little chance and how difficult it is for incumbent s to realize continuous hegemony.

When the voice-over guy gets sarcastic (14 seconds in), you know there was a gaffe.

Maybe voters shouldn’t run from a candidate because of mistakes, but not knowing how many homes you own seems a bit out of touch

Pineapple Express: DVR proof

While fast forwarding through commercials Wednesday, the spot for the new Pineapple Express movie caught my attention.

It’s not the first DVR-proof commercial, but a smart use of type to make me take notice.

Watch the clip in FF:

So, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are costing $16 billion per month (Source), at the same time, society has decided that “If the news is that important, it will find me.”

As Terry Heaton points out, this means it’s up to media to find news consumers.

I guess that $16 billion a month news hasn’t found Americans yet.

As WebGuild put it: Important news will not find you.

This is especially true as newspapers crumble. Editor and Publisher writes: The newspaper industry has experienced the worst drop in advertising revenue in more than 50 years.

So, at a time when the need for being informed is great, how will the lower-cost, distributed methods of web journalism replace newspapers and TV?

Media employees think we’re figuring this out — but reports of our chances of living are greatly exaggerated.

Next superpower, you’re up. Newspaper’s replacement — it’s your turn, as well.

Some parting links:

For a great read on the death of newspapers, check out Out of Print: The death and life of the American newspaper

And, a poem: the news will find me soon enough

One of those new, mostly-annonying Sprint commericals features Ambulance LTD’s Anecdote.

(You should be able to listen to it below using seeqpod.com)

The commerical directs viewers to waitless.org, a nifty videoblog site with tips on how to save time. In their words “Fast forward through the boring parts of life.”

Good song + whimsical use of video online = a campaign this 30 year old, white male cell phone user paid attention to.

As reported around (for example), Nine Inch Nails has a new album coming out that they are promoting via a constellation of web sites and phone numbers. Each, apparently, spirals you deeper and deeper into the story line behind “Year Zero.”

Sadly, NIN, I have zero patience for clicking through un-usable websites to learn more about something that I don’t really care about.

The sites … 1, 2, 3 (there’s more in the first link above or here) all remind me of another band with a mixed-up sense of what a web site should be: radiohead.

I really don’t care much about NIN … so I’m not going to spend time figuring out a web site that’s purposely hard to use. I can’t muster the willpower to learn how to use radiohead’s site … and I love listening to them.

Here’s the odd thing for me, though.

A DJ told me to dial 216.333.1810 to hear another part of NIN’s marketing campaign. I did. And I cracked up as I listened to a recorded scene where a hysterical woman screams and shouts as she’s murdered.

Don’t tell me why I called, or laughed, but in this case, picking up the phone and listening for a minute was much easier than trying to figure out what to click on.

What’s the obvious response after a Cartoon promo causes terror scare in Boston?

1. Steal the “bomb,” photograph it: Ignignokt in the light
2. And, of course, make a kick-ass t-shirt: Mooninite Tee: ATHF is the bomb

Official movie site

The copyright notice at the end adds just the right zing of irony.

And I have to link to his raunchy classic: f%@k her gently