The King and The Colonel Seeing Eye to Eye...Sort Of

A quick tip of the cap to The Colonel and The King. KFC and Burger King have both taken different paths of innovation, but I believe each will end up with their own success stories.

By now everybody knows that KFC went back to its roots to create the Double Down, which is chock full ‘o so many unapologetically fried calories they had no choice but to exclusively use burly men in their TV commercials. It may not be the best thing for society, but KFC believes its responsibility isn’t to society, but rather it’s to people who like to use meat as their bread. I even love that the name implies that you’re gambling with your health by eating one. They’re throwing caution to the wind, and I salute KFC for staying true to its brand.

On the other hand, you’ve got Burger King. They just announced they’re going outside their wheelhouse in order to start serving brunch. Traditional brunch is best summed up by an old quote from The Simpsons. Its not quite breakfast, and its not quite lunch, but it comes with a slice of cantaloupe at the end. And now, BK is putting its own twist on brunch. Only time will tell if it works, but we’ll no doubt soon be seeing The King extolling the virtues of their tweener meal offerings. And I have to applaud BK for finding fresh ways to peddle their grub during off-hours. But will it come with a slice of cantaloupe?

So there you have it. The Colonel and The King are taking two different approaches for building growth and buzz. One is doubling down on its reputation, and one is going after an untapped weekend institution. Will any of their hearty faithful live to see the day these approaches are deemed success or failure?

First Day Jitters

Did I pack everything I need? Who will sit with me at lunch? What if I can’t find the bathroom?

The first day of a new job is very similar to the first day of school. For a freelancer like myself, the first day of school comes a few times every year (hopefully). But it doesn’t make it any less nerve-wracking, perspiring and exhilarating. We don’t truly know what to expect in terms of team dynamics, project expectations and dozens of other less important pieces of minutiae that can stress out all but the most savvy, veteran advertising creative.

I figure this is a good thing. It means I still care. It means I know there are still things I need to learn. And there are still goals I want to achieve. Guess that’s why I do what I do.

Creative Ways for Creatives to Persevere

I just read that Tina Fey pitched this amazing commercial spoof many times over a number of years before it finally was produced.

In her case, she believes it gathered dust because men dominated Saturday Night Live’s writer’s room. And the reason it saw the light of day was because more and more women who got the joke slowly found they’re way into the sketch pitch meetings.

Reflecting on this story, it’s easy to think the lesson here is that creatives should never give up. But advertising creative is different. This type of perseverance doesn’t often pay off. The expiration date on great ideas can change at any moment. Maybe the strategy changes, maybe you switch accounts, maybe a different agency executes a similar concept. But certainly, your creative director, account director and client don’t want to hear the same idea twice.

So what’s an advertising creative supposed to do when their best ideas don’t make it beyond the internal pitch meeting? How can we persevere?

Some go the spec route, which I only recommend for your absolute best ideas that have to be unleashed on the rest of the world. For the rest of your good ideas, my philosophy is to move on, but never forget.

I have a folder for all of my favorite broadcast scripts and headlines. When I hit a creative roadblock while concepting, I’ll dig out those old scripts for inspiration. Maybe I just need the ego-stroking reminder that I’m funny, insightful, and quick-witted (and gosh darn it, people like me). Or maybe the creative formula that just fell short for one product is a perfect fit for a different one.

So my dream of producing a radio spot involving a pool boy and a stay at home mom will never happen. But who knows, one day it might just inspire me to develop a completely different idea for one of your clients.

How to Make it...Authentic

Here’s a link to the opening of the relatively new HBO show, “How to Make it in America.” Check it out, and then read the rest of this post...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvfIGPiZL-g

I’m not a New Yorker, and I’ll argue to my dying breath that Chicago is a better city, but these opening credits just makes me want to jump off the couch and live in New York. It gives you that feeling of energy that the opening credits of every show from “Sex and the City” to “King of Queens” and everything in between can’t capture. These opening credits make me want to hustle in a non-sports kind of way. These opening credits have given me no choice but to watch every episode of a good, but not great, TV show.

Are they showing me the authentic New York experience? I don’t know, but based on the fact that when I watch the opening credits my heart races the same way it does when I walk through New York, it sure feels like the real deal.

As a person who makes a living trying to convince people to buy and try, there’s definitely something in here from which we can learn. The lesson is that most consumers/viewers just innately know when the energy and story is authentic and when they’re getting a version made to be a little too pretty and perfect.

Lesson learned. Roll credits.

Quaking in their e-Boots

Has there been enough said about the iPad? Um, yeah. Has it been mentioned that the iPad could have a drastic effect on sales of The Kindle? I’d say yes to that too. But why has there been so little chatter about how Amazon (makers of The Kindle) is advertising it? Let’s take a look at the creative for The Kindle, and see if we can answer this question.

Without digging too deep, I’ve seen their new TV spots, website, and one print ad.

The print ad version I saw is on the back cover of last week’s Newsweek. Ironically, the front cover article is titled, “What’s so great about the iPad? Everything.” Between the glowing review for the iPad and all the free media publicity, no wonder the Kindle people are quaking in their e-boots.

The visual in the ad is more or less an actual-size hand holding what I assume is a more or less actual-size Kindle with all of the links of “Madelyn’s Kindle” on its screen. I think they used this image when they introduced the product, and I still think it works. But this word-driven product distracts me with lots and lots of words in the ad. The headline is “Amazon’s #1 Bestselling Product.” Seriously? If this is where the strategy of the brief sends the writer, there are probably plenty of “bestseller” lines with a little more wit and panache. And I wonder what Amazon’s #2 selling item is…a snuggie, a Twilight poster or Bridget Jones Part III?

The ad also has a series of call-outs, such as “Long battery life. Read for up to 2 weeks without recharging.” These call-outs point out what makes the Kindle great and perhaps even life changing. But c’mon, the iPad has now pitted you in competition with the geekiest (in a good way) company out there. You need to raise the coolness factor of your product in a simple and visually clean way.

And Amazon’s #1 bestselling product knows this. Which is why they made a few new TV spots. And these I really like. Each spot uses stop-motion to tell a visual story about a person finding themselves in many different worlds simultaneously. There’s light, fun music playing and the tag at the end says, “Books in 60 seconds.” This is the differentiating message that the Kindle needs and says it all in 4 words. Plus, it has more tech appeal than the print ad, which seems to be speaking to an older crowd that’s a bit more fearful of tech or change.

Now, as a consumer I’m intrigued. So I go the website to learn more, or perhaps even order one. And here’s where it all falls apart again for Kindle. The official website is the product page on amazon.com. So let me get this straight…this product that’s going to change my life is being branded and sold on a page that looks exactly the same as the page where I bought a new vacuum cleaner? I trust the website’s ability to ship me the product, but I’m left with 13,000 customer reviews, an intro video, some product specs, and no consistent messaging.

Overall, the print ad and website are incredibly unsexy, but the TV spots are showing a little cleavage. Will this cause confusion for the average consumer? Probably not. But when you’re competing with a similar product where reading is just one of many options, you need to do a better job of putting your stake in the ground as the e-book leader.

Perhaps the reason there hasn’t been munch chatter about Kindle’s advertising, is that they’re not exactly sure themselves of what they should say or how they should say it.