Chip Martin

Wisconsin Corvette Club Celebrating 50th Anniversary

chip — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:00:00 GMT

A ~~Dummy's~~ Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin
Mannequin American views and guidelines on marketing/PR trends, news from the world of puppets and ventriloquism, bits of humor and other interesting but useless information. I post every Tuesday and Friday.
My Background
What I Do
About Brown & Martin, Inc.

Promo Video Now Accessible Online

You probably don't care, but a promo video for Dale and his suitcase posse is now available online. It features me, Bertha the Bag Lady, Shaggy Dog and many others. By the way, Dale and Bertha's YouTube video has 100,000 views. I have no idea how it is more popular than my YouTube video. Bertha must have more friends.

Anyway, you can click here or on the photo to see our promo, or go to http://www.dale-brown.com/ and click on videos, and then click on the link to the promo video that's listed before the YouTube videos.

Better yet, tell your company to book us now to make your next company banquet or holiday party the most memorable and best ever! Go to http://www.dale-brown.com/ to send us an inquiry.

WCC Celebrates 50^th Anniversary

The Wisconsin Corvette Club (WCC) is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year. One of the oldest Corvette clubs in the country the WCC boasts 149 members ... which probably makes it one of the largest clubs as well. You can't pick Leslie and Dale out, but in the photo above they're standing on each side of their black Corvette ... just behind the 50^th Anniversary banner. I'm in the photo too ... but I'm in the trunk ... nothing new about that.

The not-for-profit club hosts several events each year to benefit the LeRoy Butler Foundation and the Spina Bifida Association of Southeastern Wisconsin. WCC also sponsors a steady stream of speed events, rallies, car shows and social activities for avid Corvette owners.

It's a fun, active group of car enthusiasts who meet once a month at the Machine Shed located at the intersection of I-94 and Highway J. Learn more about the club at its Web site, http://wisconsincorvetteclub.homestead.com/

Three Entertaining Beer Commercials

The cool thing about Stella Artois beer commercials are that they maintain a semblance of flair without ever forgetting it's ultimately still just about beer.

"Pirate Paper Boat" takes place somewhere chic and French Riviera-like. A woman fails in her attempt to flag down a waiter for a Stella Artois Legere; an entirely-too-suave dude, separated from her by the breadth of a fountain, witnesses her distress and sends her his Stella in a paper boat.

It'd be a charming little piece if the ad stopped there. But it doesn't. They call it Pirate Paper Boat for a reason! Click here to see this highly original spot.

But my favorite beer commercials remain those that include "The Most Interesting Man in the World" for Dos Equis. The main character is a Hemingwayesque man of all men, shown in flashbacks with black beard bench pressing women in short skirts or waking up a party simply by walking into it. "The police question him simply because he's interesting. His blood smells like cologne."

The commercials are effective in stirring something within male beer drinkers, which shows how easy it is for guys to slip into the target demos seeking a bit of vicarious adventure. Most importantly, the commercials are funny.

Click here to see a 30 second spot.

And finally, click here to see this clever spec creative for Steam Whistle Brewing. The company bought the spec ad and it's now paying to run on CBC. Most spec creative gets nowhere. So this is a "good news" story with a happy ending.

Speaking of Funny Commcercials

From Luvs Diapers comes this very funny video about what it feels like when a child is told that their getting a new sibling; but in this case ... well, you'll just have to click on the link. It's 2 minutes of "funny" and it's an amusing way to highlight an issue that parents, already overloaded at that stage, usually shrug off.

Using Social Media to Engage Employees

chip — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:00:00 GMT

No Hangover Wine Available ... Some of Us Can Celebrate

Ever since Managing Editor, Cullen Murphy, interviewed Dale for a 10 page article on ventriloquists in 1989, I've enjoyed reading The Atlantic. (Trivia note: Mr. Cullen is also the author of the "Prince Valiant" comic strips.) In The Atlantic's latest edition I ran across an intriguing story about Dr. Hennie van Vuuren, of the University of British Columbia's Wine Research Center. After 16 years of research the good Dr. has figured out how to genetically alter yeast to remove the headache-inducing properties of red wine and many white wines. (This man should obviously be canonized and receive a Nobel prize of some sort.)

If you're a wine lover who's prone to headaches but you oppose genetically-modified crops, you now have a dilemma.

The yeast in question, called ML01, became commercially available in 2006. Consumers of U.S. wine, however, have no way of knowing when it's used--unless they buy organic wine, in which case it's not. U.S. labeling laws do not require producers to reveal the presence of GM ingredients. (There's a big controversy there that I won't get into.)

The Wine Institute, which represents many California wineries, decreed that "no genetically-modified organisms be used in the production of California wine." At the same time, California's sole distributor of ML01, American Tartaric Products, Inc., said that it was doing an active business with several vineyards. (Those two sentences combined gave me a headache. Pass the ML01.)

Beginning this year though, American Tartaric no longer distributes ML01. In fact, Dr. van Vuuren is currently the sole distributor "at this stage," serving 40 clients in the United States and Canada, the only other nation where GM yeast is currently not banned.

To see the complete article from The Atlantic, click here.

A Sip of the Past

Speaking of hangovers, according to Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC) ... (I need to meet some members of this organization...) the American cocktail scene which has been infatuated with newer, faster and sweeter drinks, is now giving way to older, slower and pre-prohibition era cocktails.

For instance, Rye whiskey, a key ingredient in many old-fangled cocktails, hasn't been popular since the Great Depression. But last year the liquor saw sales jump over 30%. The entire spirits industry on average sees an increase of only 6% per year.

"It's worth bringing these drinks back because they're about balance and flavor," said Alyssa Shepherd, a member of the Boston chapter of LUPEC, which was founded in Pittsburgh in 2007 and now has branches around the country. Shepherd's group describes itself as "a classic cocktail society dedicated to breeding, raising and releasing nearly extinct drinks into the wild." (Last night I caught a few of those drinks that they released and today I feel like I'm nearly extinct.)

"Classics" are drinks whose formulas were concocted before or just after prohibition. Famous ones include Manhattans, Tom Collins, Old Fashioneds and Juleps. Back then drinks were formulated so that imbibers actually tasted the alcohol. For instance, a simple bourbon Old-fashioned is advertised as "Nothing more than a slug of good whiskey on the rocks, with a couple of dashes of bitters, a little sugar, and a twist of lemon peel to take the edge off." (I think I took so much "edge off" last night that I nearly hit center.)

According to LUPEC, more and more bars are going back to listing drinks under headings such as "Sours & Daisies," "Collins & Fizzes," "Old Fashioneds, Flips & Sangarees" and "Royales." For the uninitiated, flips are made with a whole egg and royales are doused with Champagne or sparkling wine.

Now I'm going out to find a member of that association ... even if it means having to stop in every bar in town. I'm nothing if not a tenacious researcher.

Why This Blog Lost ... a Commentary

Brown & Martin, Inc. recently entered this blog and the B&M newsletter in the Paragon Awards of the Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Our informative and entertaining bi-monthly newsletter has been continuously published for the past 17 years and has earned a wall full of awards. This year was no exception as B&M brought home a plaque or a trophy or something else that says we're doing an adequate job of producing a newsletter for our clients. I don't know what we received because no one saw fit to take me along to the banquet which was held at the Metavante Club inside Miller Park. I really wanted to go because my Uncle is a bat and I thought there would be a chance of seeing him at Miller Park.

This blog was also entered in the competition. I didn't win. If it was possible to wripe this smile off my face, I'd do it.

Two professional communicators judged the quality of my work. One judge raved about my blog's "cheeky" style and engaging content. She gave me an "Excellent" in almost every judging category. Based on her score, I should have easily won top honors.

However, there was a second judge. The second judge started out by writing, "Posts to blog are engaging and made me want to read more." She gave me an "Excellent" for "Creativity: Originality of design, scripting, or execution." So far, so good. Unfortunately that was the high watermark.

Here's her next comment. "Didn't understand why "Dummy" has a line through it on the blog." Huh? She's kidding right? The last person who called me a "Dummy" got a kick to the groin. I'm a Mannequin American. It says so at the top of each blog post. I think anyone who doesn't understand the joke should disqualify themself as a judge of my blog.

The rest of her comments were thoroughly contrary to what the first judge had to say. And while the first judge's scores were all "Excellent" and "Above Average" the second judge saw fit to give me mostly "Average" or "Below Average" marks. I don't mind the "Below Average" because this blog isn't meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator. It has a specific audience. So some will like it and some will not. (Apparently the second judge falls into the latter category.) What really irks me is being labeled "Average." How many other Mannequin Americans do you know who have their own blogs? "Average?" I think not. "Sucky" maybe. But not "Average."

So I didn't win. Disappointing? Sure. Everyone likes to win. Bewildering? Somewhat. How can two "qualified judges" have such opposing views of the same material? And if they have opposite opinions, which one is right?

I'll probably give the competition another shot next year in hopes of learning through constructive analysis ... which is something that I really didn't get this year. But maybe I'm expecting too much. After all, I'm just a ~~Dummy~~ Mannequin American. Get it?

More Companies Using Social Media to Engage Employees?
According to a survey by the Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Research Foundation, employers faced with reduced communication budgets are turning to social media to keep their workforces engaged.

Almost four-fifths (79%) of the respondents reported they use social media frequently to engage employees and foster productivity, outranking even e-mail. (I find that hard to believe because the same study says 56% percent of top executives are not using social media at this time. If top management isn't engaging employees with social media, who is?)

According to the survey company blogs are the most popular social media tool currently in use (47%), with discussion boards ranking the highest for future planned use (33%). (That means almost 1 out of 2 readers of this blog should also have access to blogs from their employers. Again, I find that hard to believe.)

The IABC says, "Companies are moving away from one-way communication models where they send out information hoping people will read it. Using various social media tools, companies can now engage employees in discussions and foster conversations between teams across geographic and other boundaries."

In our firm's experience, larger companies block employee access social media venues like Facebook and MySpace. So I'm not sure how these types of outlets could be used effectively to engage employees. And what about employees who work out in the factory or at construction sites or anywhere else where they don't have easy access to computers? But what do I know ... I'm just a Mannequin American.

Find out for yourself. For more info on the study go to: http://www.iabc.com/rf

Dale wrote an article for Biz Times about his take on employee engagement during the recession. Read it here.

Gas-X Relieves Embarrassment
I enjoy a good "fart" reference as much as the next Mannequin American, but a new series of print ads for Gas-X seem so basic that they may only be entertaining to fourth-grade boys. Copy in the lower right says, "Gas-X Relieves Embarrassment.

What do you think?

There will be no blog on Friday, July 3^rd. I'm going fishing with a relative ... which means I'm going to be using a bamboo pole.

Still a Place for Humor in Marketing

chip — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:00:00 GMT

A ~~Dummy's~~ Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip MartinMannequin American views and guidelines on marketing/PR trends, news from the world of puppets and ventriloquism, bits of humor and other interesting but useless information. I post every Tuesday and Friday.
My Background
What I Do
About Brown & Martin, Inc.

Your "Brand" (Name, Reputation, Image, etc.) is an Asset. Start Treating it as Such
Here's yet another reason not to cut your marketing budget during a recession or anytime for that matter...whether or not you're income stream seems to rationalize it.

A new survey drives the point home by pointing out that most corporate executives see marketing as a cost center, not as an investment. But this study apparently removes all doubt that brands are assets and should be managed as such.

To simplify things, the study reveals that building a strong brand via marketing reduces risk and raises a company's overall value ... which can be of special help during a downturn.

Well, there you have it. Now go out and increase your company's asset value by marketing effectively. (Call me. I can help.)

A Use for Those Old Barbies
I ran across this somewhere in the ether. It's a Barbie foosball table. Finally you can do something with all of those old Barbies on the floor of your daughter's closet. A little creepy without arms, though.

Yes, There's Still a Place for Humor in Marketing

Charlie Chaplin rose to fame because he dared to make people laugh during the Great Depression. And he often dealt with serious subjects. Humor and its chief side effect, laughter, are inherently therapeutic. Let's face it; humans are hard-wired to appreciate fun.

Companies that incorporate humor in their marketing and employee communications appear confident, approachable and trustworthy. All of those things help to sell products and communicate messages during a sour economy. Humor doesn't "degrade" your image. To the contrary, it "enhances" your status. That's why company executives hire me to take part in empolyee meetings and ask questions that employees would love to have the opportunity and the nerve to ask. I get away with it because I provide some levity. But the answers that company representatives give are serious. The fact that they're confident enough to use humor in an employee meetings makes them appear more approachable, confident and credible.

Yes, "brands" can be humorous while remaining smart, informative, useful and responsible. (You're reading an example right now.) So dare to be entertaining. Seriously, it's important. And it's effective. (Call me. I can help.)

Where are the Environmentalists on this One?
Thanks to Gene Mueller at 620WTMJ for this.
We spend millions of dollars every year to remind people to "Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute,"to"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,"and "Think Globally and Act Locally," but when 40,000 of us get together to watch a baseball game ... that crap goes out the window. When we're through with something at the ballpark, what do we do with it? We drop it where we sit. Which begs the question: Why do we do at the ballpark something we'd never THINK of doing anywhere else?

Just to underline how gross this all is, take a look at the cleanup process in the bleachers after a game at Wrigley Field. It's a good thing Mannequin Americans aren't built with gag reflexes, or I think mine would have been triggered.

I like the Monte Carlo, but ...

Here are some things that I like.

I've always liked the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, so I assume I'll like the recently opened refurbished version as well.
I like clever, thought-provoking and humorous marketing messages.
More often than not, I appreciate the intelligent and sometimes not so intelligent, use of sex in marketing.

Here are some things that I don't like.

Over-the-top use of sex in advertising. (Even a Mannequin American has to have standards.)
Stupid copy that adds nothing to the visuals.
The new ad campaign for the Monte Carlo.

Below is a print ad for the new Monte Carlo, with the tag line, "Unpretentiously Luxurious."

First of all, what's "luxurious" about "Debauchery" ... ooops, sorry "Duh Botch Or EE"? (That's so stupid I won't even make a comment about it.)

Let's see, there's a woman laying on the bed with her underwear around one ankle and a sleep mask on her head, a camera on the bed, lots of empty champagne bottles, at least four empty champagne glasses, a phone off the hook, a guy apparently passed out on the floor, another person's feet are visible laying on the floor behind the partially opened door and I think there's an apple with a bite taken out of it lying on the bed. Now that can all add up to a lot of things, but "Unpretentiously Luxurious" isn't one of them. (If they read this, I may never work at the Monte Carlo again.)

You can view three more print ads from the series here, here and here.

How Original is 30 Rock?

Okay this made me laugh and also resulted in my never again being able to watch one of my favorite shows, 30 Rock, without thinking of the Muppets.

Brian Lynch has written a humorous post on his blog alleging that the NBC comedy 30 Rock is a rip off of The Muppet Show. This is a tongue in cheek article, but the similarities are actually kind of striking and very funny. Click here to see them.

Social Media Numbers Don't Add Up

chip — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:00:00 GMT

YouTube Replaces Traditional Web Site
I'm a little behind on this one. A few other marketing-related blogs wrote about this a couple of weeks ago, but I wasn't inspired enough to check it out. However one of my loyal readers, comedy stand-up David Robinson, http://www.ontheroadwithdave.com/ sent me the link and encouraged me to watch it ... which I did. I was blown away.

Now that YouTube has reached maturity, you can find several creative examples of its manipulation emerging. In Charlotte, North Carolina, ad agency BooneOakley replaced its Web site with an interactive YouTube video. (I didn't even know this was possible.)

Rather than the typical agency Web, this site tosses convention aside. In a cartoon they even "kill" an employee on the site. It's really entertaining, interesting and does a good job of selling the agency's creativity. See for yourself. The opening story is pretty funny ... and often true.

Post Your Photos on the Internet at Your Own Risk

If you were looking for another reason not to post family photos online, how about this ... a Missouri family's photo ended up in Prague and is being used to sell groceries.

That might not be the most disturbing thing that could happen, but it's still pretty freaky. The family recently learned that a Christmas photo of theirs was posted in the window of a Czech shop. A friend happened to see it and sent a few photos by cell phone to Danielle Smith of O'Fallon, Mo. "This story doesn't frighten me," Smith said, "but the potential frightens me."

Potential indeed. The next time you post pics of your kids, be aware that they could end up in the hands of someone who uses them for something far more reprehensible than selling groceries. Just a thought.

YouTube Says This is Real. I Wish it Wasn't.

Apparently wiping with a fancy stick is a bold step forward in our personal sanitary habits. The video on the Web site uses an overweight guy to acknowledge that he needs help sanitizing his crevasse, at which point the voiceover says the product helps people retain their dignity. I cringed. And I kept looking for The Onion's logo in the corner ... but it's not there. The female announcer says it's as easy to use as a shower brush. I cringed again. Then I watched the video again. Click here to go to the Web site. The video will automatically run.

Sometimes Social Media Numbers Don't Add Up
While the mainstream press and most digital marketing firms are convinced that social media are changing our consciousness and habits, two recent studies suggest otherwise:

Only 5% of blogs are updated more than once every 120 days, and less than a million are updated every day.
Out of 133 million blogs included in the 2008 survey by Technorati, most are abandoned after the first post or two
While blogging has subsided to levels last seen somewhere in 2005 or so, about half of Twitter's micro-bloggers post, or tweet, less than once every 74 days. Most of the platform's traffic is generated by 10% of its users, according to a Harvard study

Those are still staggeringly large numbers. But the underlying suggestion is that people aren't using social media as much as we're led to believe. To use an old-fashioned cliché to describe this modern issue ... "time will tell" if those "actively" involved in social media are a small cadre of individuals who are merely talking to one another, or are they evangelists spreading the word to millions of others?

And Yet, Another Puppet-related Ad

This ad for Mr. Min, "The new fragrance for wood," freaks me out a little. First there's the teenage Pinocchio guy in the ad ... I thought he was supposed to become a real boy before puberty? Then there's the suggestion that teenage wooden boy wants to smell good. Why? The answer may lead us to the "wood" reference with the "Mr. Min" sign strategically placed (or am I reading too much into that??). I'm not even going to talk about the furry thing that he's lying on.

Then there's his nose. Apparently puppet boy has continued to lie about something. That leads me right back to the "wood" reference. (or am I reading too much into that?)