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Posted on March 3rd, 2011 - No comments yet

Billboards can get old fast. You see a huge message with some bright colors and an image of something that is supposed to stick in your mind long enough for you to act on it. It’s a traditional method of advertising that’s been in need of an overhaul for a very long time. Improvements on billboards have come a long way though as evidenced by billboards that include lit up screens, QR codes and statements that keep people thinking way beyond first glance, but Gillette has really raised the bar high with their latest.

Gillette, the men’s shaving company who is endorsed by Yankee Derek Jeter, has put up a billboard that will change every day until March 6th. And this isn’t just changing the background or a few words on the billboard, the change actually occurs with a clever twist. The billboard space is in New York City’s hip SoHo district and features one of the city’s sports super heroes in Jeter. Gillette has created a billboard that will literally shave the face of Jeter as the days pass.

The first stage will show Jeter with a clean face, the next day with some stubble, the next with Gillette shaving cream and then back to the first. It’s a brilliant concept that ties the brand, the product and the audience into the entire experience.

Lifestyle

Cops Fine Man For Videotaping Them Sleeping… On The Job

Posted on March 1st, 2011 - No comments yet

Here is some disturbing news from Canada of all places. It turns out a man was driving and saw a police cruiser pulled over on the side of the road with the engine running. There weren’t any other cars around and at first glance, it looked as though the car was unattended. The man driving the car decided to pull over and see what was going on and in doing so, discovered something shocking.

The police car was not unattended, the two officers inside were just sleeping! Both had their seats reclined and were in deep snooze when the man did the only thing a normal person in this situation could do… Whip out the cell phone video camera and start recording!

Well, engulfed in embarrassment and fearing the inevitable firing from their jobs, the two police officers did what police officers would do in this situation… Detain the man and then give him a ticket for a bogus traffic infraction they never even saw!

And now, the video proof.

Once this video became a hot issue, the police department in Quebec released a statement that is almost laughable (hopefully only because it’s being lost in translation) that stated something along the lines of the officers being on a break. How many jobs are there where you can pull over to the side of the road and take a nap? Probably a lot but I never thought cop was one of these.

Empower Sales, Lifestyle

Don’t Assume The Worst About Customers

Posted on February 24th, 2011 - No comments yet

Mint has released an interesting post recently that warns businesses of one of the most widely used concepts in practice, assumptions of the customer/consumer. The post goes into detail about how consumers are treated through advertising and business tactics, but the main thing to take away from the post is that a lot of the time we’re taught to assume these things.

For instance, the concept of “free,” no matter the context will drive customers to purchase a product. Although it sounds true enough, the assumption is actually wrong. Customers are a lot smarter than a lot of businesses give credit. We are smart, we ask questions and to be honest, we prefer quality over quantity most of the time.

Another interesting assumption Mint talks about is customer loyalty. There are a lot of businesses out there that focus on their elite customer group in hopes of creating influencers, but the bottom line is that as consumers we basically trust our own instincts, not someone else’s.

Mint is a great resource for business best-practices and the point of their latest post is to preach to businesses that transparency is key. Be honest with the customer and trust that we’ll make the right decision or don’t do anything at all. Don’t assume we’re children and don’t assume that we need constant coddling in order to understand that you want us as loyal consumers. It’s not rocket science, it’s just common sense.

Read through the entire post from Mint here.

Lifestyle

The Most Desperate Cities In America?

Posted on February 22nd, 2011 - No comments yet

In a crude, yet interesting test conducted by the nice folks over at Blog NEU, it has been determined (sort of) that the two most desperate cities in America are…

The men of Chicago and the women of Houston.

Before you jump down the throats of the people who conducted the test, it’s probably best to take the results with a big grain of salt. The study involved creating two fake profiles for online dating sites. One of the profiles was male, the other female, but both explicitly showed desperation. With fake trates such having a pet rat and being open about their own alcoholism, the profiles seemed to have been written to ward people away, but the exact opposite happened.

Click through to Desperately Seeking Anybody to read through all of the results.

It turns out that there are a lot of people out there looking for (for lack of a better term) desperation in their significant other. It has been stated that confidence is key when meeting someone because it shows your comfort level with your emotions, but as the conducted study proves, confidence might not be the end all.

Again, the study was conducted in a vacuum, meaning there isn’t a ton of merit to it, but what is interesting is the responses. Click through to read some of the more interesting ones.

Branding, Commercials

Everyone’s Favourite Volkswagen Kid Takes Off The Mask

Posted on February 17th, 2011 - No comments yet

Last week we talked a little bit about the Super Bowl and all of the great commercials that came out of this year’s game. Not only were they vastly improved from year’s past, but it looks as though one of them is going far and beyond the expectations of anyone. I’m speaking of course of the Little Vader spot for Volkswagen. As I mentioned last week, the spot was making news well before it actually premiered on national television, and now, a week after becoming the darling ad of the big game, it continues.

People are smitten for this kid, and justifiably so. He’s done a great job with conveying his power, disappointment and basically miming his way to stardom. check out some bloopers and outtakes from the spot.

But that’s not all people are smitten with. Everyone wanted to know who this kid was, so leave it up to a popular American morning show to remove the mask.

And if that wasn’t enough, how about a cute little meeting between Lil’ Vader and real Vader? Check out the video below of Max Page (Lil’ Vader) meeting the original Darth Vader James Earl Jones.

Empower Sales, Lifestyle

Post Valentine’s Day Results?

Posted on February 15th, 2011 - No comments yet

As we’re all aware of (mostly our wallets and bank accounts) yesterday was Valentine’s Day. The day where we open up our hearts and our wallets to show our significant others how much we care. For all of the super natural assumptions, beliefs and anything else related to the Hallmark Holiday, one can never deny the fact that we always acknowledge the day. Sure, it could be with someone, it could be alone or it could be with a group of people, but the fact remains, people know and understand that Valentine’s Day exists, boycotting is extremely difficult in today’s society.

Because of this, social networking tracking company Lab 42 ran a brief survey just days before Valentine’s Day and revealed to everyone some interesting numbers. Click the main image below to get the full breadth of the study, but some interesting factoids should be highlighted.

Polling about 400 Americans last week, Lab 42 asked some pretty harmless questions such as relationship status, but the results are quite fun. Turns out 89% of people who are married actually indicate it on their Facebook status and only 79% of people reveal that they are single. This could be interpreted in a number of ways, but one that sticks out is that people are actually happy to indicate that they in a committed relationship. THIS IS A GOOD THING!!! and also quite surprising considering that pop-culture keeps telling us that everyone is unhappy in their relationships.

The next figure to pull from this inforgraphic is what people had planned for Valentine’s Day. This is huge for marketing because it gives insight on people’s tendencies as the day approaches. It wasn’t surprising to read that 30% of all people in relationships planned a date. This is huge for the movie industry, the restaurant industry and (if it existed) the industry that takes advantage of the parking lot over looking the horizon…

Finally, and this is an interesting one, is the percentage of people willing to dish it out for a Valentine’s Day gift. 92% of males and 82% of females answered yes to this question meaning one thing… Cha-Ching! Valentine’s Day is a huge opportunity to move product and make a profit. People are feeling inspired, guilty, in love and anything that makes them open up their wallets. As cynical as it may sound, Valentine’s Day is a big deal for those who are looking to capitalize on emotion.

Empower Sales, Lifestyle

Gaming With The Daughter Is A Great Thing

Posted on February 10th, 2011 - Comments Off

Once again, here at the Empower Sales command centre we’re going to rely on science to play a big part in our lives. Last week we made reference to the scientific link between the smell of bacon and how it can turn sway the mind of a vegetarian. Although it sounds like an outrageous claim, science says it could be true… So there.

In another study, it looks as though the activity of fathers playing video games with their daughters has something to do with making them happier. Although the study, conducted by LiveScience in Utah, does not say that daughters will be happier, it does say there is a correlation. Okay, so before you jump down the rabbit hole and go and buy Call Of Duty for you and you’re little girl to indulge in this weekend, there are some details you should know.

First, the study is speaking purely about age-appropriate games for children under the age of 14. This means that you’re not going to get a lot of support from the rest of the family if you go out and by Halo right now. The study names games like Wii Sports, Mario Kart and Guitar Hero as examples. Basically you shouldn’t be buying games where things get shot and/or killed.

Secondly, the correlation between gaming time with dad and happiness is stated as only for girls. It turns out that boys spend so much of their free time playing age-inappropriate games without their fathers that the study could not be conducted. It also means that dads are still going to have to find an activity to share with their boys that doesn’t involve a joystick.

If you’d like to read the entire article explaining the correlation, click on through.

Branding, Commercials, Empower Sales

Lil’ Vader Has Taken Over The Online Tubes

Posted on February 8th, 2011 - Comments Off

Let me introduce this piece by saying, “Great Game.” Not only was it dramatic beyond belief, but the Super Bowl on Sunday brought us some of the best commercials we’ve seen in a long time. Although this is simply my own opinion, I feel as though Super Bowl commercials were on a down-swing of late. the past few years have seen an influx of GoDaddy and E-Trade commercials that a lot of us can do without.

But this year has really turned it all around. Not only are we as consumers getting a great mix of products (cars, movies, snacks, ect) but we’re being shown some great ideas. I have a feeling this is coming from ad agencies simply wanting to one-up each other, but as a consumer, I really can’t complain.

This year brought us some great spots from Bud Light, KIA and even some surprise movie trailers, but to me, I don’t think any of them compare to the Lil’ Vader spot from Volkswagen. In a smart move from VW, the spot was actually released about week prior to the game and the traction that it gained online before ever airing on television helped immensely. If you have yet to see the spot, there’e an embedded version below for you to enjoy.

The Lil’ Vader spot hase already sang to the tune of over 10 million views on YouTube and that was probably before the game. Now that it’s gotten such huge exposure on TV, it’s safe to assume that this number will only increase. The spot is clever, cute and speaks to a generation that puts value in imagination.

Branding, Lifestyle, Print Ads

Taco Bell Is Only 35% Meat?

Posted on February 3rd, 2011 - No comments yet

Come on, does that title really surprise you? Be honest with yourself here. Taco Bell brings the 99 Cent taco, and if you look at what’s in your hand – with all of the ground meat, lettuce, tomatoes, the fixins’, you can’t say you never expected this. Well, in advertising news, Taco Bell is actually getting sued for this. As they tell people they serve more than 35% meat in their products, a lot of people are choosing not to believe this.

Things have gone so far that Taco Bell’s parent company Yum! is now being sued.

But in the good humor nature of a North American fast food company the normal reaction is never to just sit back and take all of the lawsuits, instead Taco Bell has launched a brand new ad campaign appropriately titled, “Thank You For Suing Us.”

The company has already taken out some expensive ad space in The New York Times and online posting a letter that explains they aren’t doing anything wrong, but the damage has been done. Click through the image below to read the entire letter to consumers if you like. One interesting fact they present is their own percentage ratio of 88% real beef and 12% “Secret Recipe….

Lifestyle

Bacon Can Turn A Vegetarian

Posted on February 1st, 2011 - No comments yet

Here at Empower Sales Command Centre we’re always looking to prove interesting facts we hear and live by through science… A lot like those guys on Discovery Channel… (The reality is we don’t really have a command centre and most of us aren’t exactly science experts, but we do like to dream a lot)

In any case, a recent study proved something that a lot of us have been thinking about for a long time now. Bacon, that crackling, right-out-of-the-frying-pan beautiful strip of fat and pork, can scientifically change a vegetarian’s mind. Dr. Johan Lundstrom a real scientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Centre studies the relationship between our senses and our emotions. Recently Dr. Lundstrom said that the ratio of fat and protein in bacon speaks directly to the way we live our lives – a never ending drive for calories. In the right environment (often a lazy Sunday brunch) the smell of bacon can actually persuade a vegetarian to come to the dark side.

According to Dr. Lundstrom, a lot of this has to do with the smell of bacon. 90% of what we taste comes from what we smell. So picture this: You’re vegetarian compadre slept in a little later than usual. You, the carnivore wake up a little bit earlier and starts frying a few strips of the good stuff. Before long, the vegetarian awakens from their slumber to the wonderful smell of fresh bacon. The smell triggers a sense of comfort, or whatever else they have previously experienced with bacon, and it’s game over.

Dr. Lundstrom isn’t saying this is going to happen every time, but if it does, don’t be surprised. It has more to do with the smell of bacon than the fact that it’s bacon.

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