Chip Martin

Market with Photobombing

chip — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 12:30:00 GMT

A Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American Marketer

Non-Marketing News: A house fell on a man. He's going to be OK, and his wife hopes that maybe now he'll notice that she recently got her hair done. Get it? Because it took a house falling on him?

How to Get Your Product in More Photos ... Photobombing

If you really need to get your brand into more photos just put it there and shoot it. Photobombing works and people love it.

Go forth and shoot. And tag.

Take a Super Model to Work

I'm sorry ... this just made me laugh. It's stupid, I know, but Sports Illustrated Super Model Kate Upton does a great job of poking fun at herself, all to sell Skullcandy's ear phones.

They're Used. Some of Them Have Stains.

Here's a local commercial for used mobile homes ... and it's worth a look and a laugh. Here's a quote from the ad. "A bouncer in Birmingham hit me in the face with a crescent wrench five times and my wife's boyfriend broke my jaw with a fence post. So if you don't buy from me, it ain't gonna hurt my feelings."

Watch, listen and laugh ... but don't tell Robert that you laughed at him. (Sorry there's an ad prior to this commercial for Cullman Liquidation.)

His Feet Smell

"If the smell of your feet is getting to you." This print ad for Dr. Scholl's says it all with an attention-getting visual.

1960's Ads Worthy of "Mad Men"

chip — Wed, 30 May 2012 11:30:00 GMT

A Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American Marketer

1960's Tiparillo Ads Were Chesty

Thanks to CopyRanter: I've heard that cigars are phallic ... but here are a couple of Tiparillo ads from the 60's that promote "pairs." If you want to see the entire series of six ads, click here ... and be sure to read the copy. (The words are down below the photos, in case you didn't notice.)

The 60's Were "Stacked"

I've shown this ad before, but it's recently been making the rounds on other marketing blogs.

The copy reads, in part: "The beauty photographed above is a total cooking appliance strategically stacked and endowed with the most refined developments..." (Mad Men at work.)

If the man looks familiar to you, you're old. It's actor Richard Deacon, who played Mel Cooley on The Dick Van Dyke Show and Fred Rutherford on Leave It to Beaver. He's in the ad because he was also a gourmet chef. She's in the ad because ... well, you know.

What Makes This Subaru Ad Work so Well?

chip — Tue, 29 May 2012 12:30:00 GMT

A Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American Marketer

Non-marketing News: A California man has sued BMW North America and a motorcycle-seat maker claiming that a four-hour round-trip ride on his 1993 BMW bike with a "ridge-like" seat gave him "a severe case of priapism (a persistent, lasting erection)" that's persisted for 20 months and counting.

The Wolf v. BMW lawsuit alleges that Wolf has continued to suffer the erection problem since the September 2010 ride ... and, as we know from Viagra ads, anything lasting more than four hours is a problem.

Why the Subaru Ad Works so Well

I really like this ad. A dad leans through an open window of a car door, dispensing driving advice to his 7-year-old daughter who's behind the wheel. The little girl is giggly cute and after a bit tells her dad she'll be fine. Cut to dad who winces his agreement, then back to the daughter, only now we see her as she really is - not through her dad's eyes - and she's a mature-looking teen. The car pulls out of the driveway as dad watches. "We knew this day was coming and that's why we bought a Subaru," the narrator intones.

Here's a quick lesson in why I think this ad works so well:

Attention-Getting - A cute little girl behind the wheel of a car is obviously wrong. It grabs you.

Simplicity - There's no complicated story or concept to follow. You get drawn into what's going on immediately, and you aren't beaten over the head with the selling point (benefit). It just becomes obvious.

Reality - The ad is about a human condition that every parent has felt. Subaru simply attaches itself to it. The setting makes sense. It's familiar and feels real, not contrived.

It's also very telling that Subaru has been running the spot for almost two years, and it's still as relevant and compelling now as it was when it debuted in 2010. Think how many other spots air that aren't anywhere near as durable or as compelling even the first time you see them.

Get a Room!

Funny and sexy ... 30 seconds spots just don't get much better than this one for Mr. & Mrs. Smith, a travel publisher and hotel booking service that specializes in boutique, individual and small, luxury hotels. The company is based in London.

The Walk-in Fridge

If you ever wanted a "walk-in fridge" this Heineken commercial will make you lol.

Click here.

New Beer Economy

This is an old ad ... but it is still funny. Click here to see a very funny ad for Toohey beer.

Get Your Project Rubber Stamped by Don Draper

Need a boost in persuasion to demonstrate your creative savvy? The Don Draper rubber stamp puts the legendary Creative Director's seal of approval on whatever you managed to dream up in your last whiskey-induced stupor.

Because if he can't be railing at you in real life, his overbearing grimace can at least stand with you in ink. All yours for a paltry $26.50!

Another Ventriloquist is a Hit on America's Got Talent

If you didn't see it, click here to see ventriloquist John Pizzi add a whole new dimension to ventriloquism on America's Got Talent.

John will join our vent friend Todd Oliver in Las Vegas. Let's hope they both go a long way on the show.

Why Humor in the Workplace is Good

chip — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:30:00 GMT

A Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American Marketer

Non-Marketing News: A Virginia woman won two, $1 million lotteries in the same day. Said the woman, "I'm on kind of a lucky streak, maybe I should buy a lottery ticket."

More News: Men think women who wear red are more likely to give a green light to sex, according to a new study. Psychologists at the University of South Brittany in France found that wearing red signaled "greater sexual intent" to the 120 male undergrads who took part in the study, even if the outfits weren't sexually suggestive.

Participants in the study also believed that women in red outfits were more attractive and more likely to have sex on the first date. Women in white, blue and green were judged to be less attractive than women in red, in that order. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/men-lady-red-ll-hop-bed-article-1.1065899#ixzz1stuHdDsE

Why Humor in the Workplace is Good

Humor in the workplace bonds employees together, levels the hierarchy and reduces the tension in stressful environments. It also humanizes management ... showing them to be people who can laugh at themselves and be part of the group. Most importantly it can be helpful in getting people to do what you want.

For more info go here.

Do Possums Make Good Pets?

Geico has come up with yet another winner. Click here to see The Possum and lol.

Truthful Billboard

Deodorant Ads Can be Funny

Click here to see a humorous ad for Degree Deodorant.

No Need to Work Out to Get Six Pack Abs

"Get a 6-Pack in Seconds," which is about how long the 6-pack will last.

Win a Puppet and a Trip to the Ventriloquist Convention

Do you want to be a ventriloquist? Do you want to be the next Terry Fator? Guess what!? Terry Fator wants to send YOU to VENT HAVEN this summer, so he's set up a SCHOLARSHIP and Axtell is offering you a FREE PUPPET ! Find out more info here! http://www.terryfator.com/scholarship.html

Why is Terry making this very generous offer? In his own words: "Throughout my career, there were times when I wanted to go to the Vent Haven ConVENTion, but couldn't simply because I couldn't afford to. Because of this, I would like to give back to the Vent community by offering up scholarships to help two deserving ventriloquists who may not have a chance to go because of financial reasons. Apply for your chance to the right, and good luck!"

As an added bonus, if you win, chances are you'll get to meet ME at the convention! Okay ... I guess that's not really such a big deal.