The new Brain Age 2 commercials put together by Golin Harris are the most effective television commercials I have ever seen (by far) period. Did I say period? When was the last time you saw a television advertisement, any advertisement, that was based on interaction with the TV?
Let me show you.
Okay, you saw the first one.
a) All of the commercials start by using Pavlov’s classical conditioning technique with the dinging of a bell at the beginning of the commercial.
b) Once you’ve heard the ding prompting you to pay attention, a puzzle shows up on the screen for a few seconds and the anxiousness ensues. When was the last time a commercial required “interaction?”
c) The bell and puzzle are always followed by a computerized version of a talking head asking you if you got the puzzle.
d) The puzzle creates classic board-game competition between you and anybody else in the room . . . and it’s just a TV commercial.
Here’s another
Simply brilliant.
Watch the other three:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEQCSQNFzw8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxDovgFUoaw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT25F66-E94
The December 2007 issue of Connect will once again feature the readers’ choice awards for the 25 people who most influenced business in Utah during the 2007 calendar year.
You may nominate as many people as desired (just revisit this site to nominate additional people). 2006 winners may be nominated for the 2007 list.
The nomination phase will end Friday, Aug. 24 at 6 p.m.
All nominees submitted before the deadline will be listed in an online poll posted Aug. 27 through Sept. 7, 2007.
During the voting period, all Connect readers are encouraged to visit connect-utah.com/25 again to vote for the candidates who best helped to drive business in Utah during 2007.
This is where I sit when I’m working at the Bees games here in Salt Lake City. I feel like I’m in paradise when watching baseball and enjoying a cool breeze blowing in from centerfield. The ballpark is one of the most personally relaxing places to be.
If you haven’t been to a Bees game yet this year, you only have eight more chances. Eight home games left. It’s a blast and tons of fun. Heck, you might even catch a souvenir.
Trapped miners’ families ask union to help force recovery
What are they going to do, institute a draft for rescue workers? Force Bob Murray into the mine with a cattle prod? I’m deeply saddened by all of this, but getting the union involved to try and “force a recovery” is politicking.
Dealing with the unknown is never easy. Are they dead or alive? Is there more that could be done? When do you stop? Hmm . . . that’s a good question. When do we stop _______?
My good friend and local Utah PR guy Clayton Blackham got tracked by a coyote while running one Saturday morning in Little Cottonwood Canyon. You’ve really gotta read this . . .
As I got on one knee to tie my shoe I saw the coyote’s pace quicken towards me. I finished tying my shoe, stood up, grabbed a cantaloupe-sized rock and started running again. I figured if he attacked me, I’d bludgeon him.
I’ve got a client who grew up in the Price area where his father still works in mining industry. His grandparents immigrated from Italy years ago to work in the mines in that area of the state, and I think it’s interesting to hear what he has to say on the whole Crandall Canyon mine issue. His dad has been working on the rescue effort.
All too often people look for happiness, direction, and advice from other people. The danger of this is when people are motivated by how they look to others rather than what is in line internally based upon choice. There is so much about the mining collapse on the news and there are so many opinions. My feelings are that we go with certainty versus gambling. - Read More
I can remember times growing up where we would be on vacation and hear about a mine fire or death of a miner that was at a mine that my dad worked or just have my dad come home and tell me about someone that was killed or seriously injured. It is something that happens because it is a dangerous profession. Actually, people close to me like my little league baseball coach have died in a mine accidents.
One of the reasons there are so many people that work under such duress and in these conditions was brought to my attention by my dad. He informed me that in the 1970’s miners made as much as most professions that required a college degree. - Read More
In PR news today, legendary image guru Michael Deaver has died. He was one of Ronald Reagan’s top advisers and a master at orchestrating the photo op.
I saw a clip in school about him that was supposed to be a “negative” story about how he would place Reagan in front of the camera drinking beer with the people and passing jars of jelly beans around the table in cabinet meetings. His reply was something about how that story only perpetuated his strategy. People saw him drinking beer with the people and sharing his jelly beans with his cabinet members, so it didn’t matter if the news story criticized it as PR spin.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Literally. There’s now an entire industry dedicated to “the image” in politics . . . they’re called advances or an advance. Every presidential candidate who has a team with any concept of image strategy has a team of people that follows the candidate’s exact schedule in “advance” of their appearances. Their job is to set the stage, to create the atmosphere and to make sure that the pictures and images people end up seeing in print or on television are in line with the image they want to surround the politician. Everything from hunting trips to factory visits has a purpose.
Journalists have caught on (see photo of Barack Obama and see photo of Mitt Romney). You normally don’t see photos that are taken this far out from the crowd because they’re not as interesting, but in most cases this is exactly what the campaign crowds are like . . . they’re not crowds at all. In the past you’d see close-up shots (and still do) that make it “feel” like a crowd.
“Oh the media monkeys and the junket junkies will invite you to their plastic pantomime. Throw their invitations away!” - Jermaine Clement in costume as David Bowie.
