No more door crashers?

Black Friday Claims Death at Wal-Mart
Worked Trampled As Crowds Rush Door Buster Sale
By Jack Neff

Published: November 28, 2008

BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com)-A crowd of bargain seekers apparently killed a temporary worker at a Wal-Mart store in suburban New York when people literally broke down the door to get at "door buster" specials inside the store.

The New York Daily News reported that witnesses said shoppers continued to stream past emergency crews as they worked furiously to save the 34-year-old worker's life, before the Valley Stream, N.Y., store was closed.

A statement by Nassau County Police said the incident occurred shortly after the store's 5 a.m. opening time, when shoppers "physically broke down the doors, knocking [the worker] to the ground."

As many as six other people, including a pregnant woman, also suffered minor injuries in the incident, according to reports.

"We're saddened to report that a gentleman who was working for a temporary agency on our behalf died following the incident and a few of our customers were injured," a Wal-Mart spokeswoman said, reading from a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families at this difficult time. At this point, facts are still being assembled, and we're working closely with Nassau County Police as they investigate what occurred.

"The safety and security of our employees is our top priority," the spokeswoman said. She declined to comment further because the investigation is ongoing.

Starbucks Jumps on the Project Red Bandwagon

I also saw this on the Ad Age website. Starbucks has joined the likes of Gap, Converse, Apple and Hallmark in supporting Project Red. They will be running ads in support of the project produced by their new ad agency BBDO with a theme of "It's more than coffee"

Story excerpt:
The Red promotion begins Thanksgiving Day, and runs through January 2. Via the program, for every Peppermint Mocha Twist, Gingersnap Latte or Espresso Truffle purchased during that period, Starbucks will contribute five cents to the Global Fund to invest in AIDS programs in Africa. On Dec. 1, however, Starbucks will contribute five cents for every "hand-crafted beverage" sold, in honor of World AIDS Day.

My question: Is Starbucks just doing this in an effort to prop up their lagging sales over this crucial holiday season? They have a lot of mall stores and people will be out shopping in December. Tying themselves to a strong cause like Project Red is a great way to increase sales by convincing people that supporting Starbucks is a great way to make a difference. Will people support it though or see it as a pathetic attempt considering how maligned they have been in the news as of late.

Deleting the Brand...

According to a video clip I watched on the Ad Age website last night the average movie has over 40 ad placements in it. The video also talked about a study that did brain scans of people viewing shows/movies with placements in them and found that in some cases people "deleted the brand" in their mind. The reporter claimed that product placements no longer work. Unfortunately, the 3:31 long video didn't go into much detail about how the study worked and offered no real support for the claims.

I always notice product placements on shows and movies. And I often notice when they try to hide a brand (like when the Mythbusters cover the Apple logo on their computers...)

My question to everyone is, do you think ad placements are effective? Have you ever seen one and been immediately turned off by the brand? Any other thoughts on the subject?

Copy Cat

Has anyone seen the University of Winnipeg ads and the University of Manitoba ads? They're the exact same! The University of Winnipeg ads have the tag: You of W. Where as the University of Manitoba ads have the tag: U of More.

I know the U of W ads have been out longer and I was quite surprised when I noticed the campaigns were so similar. First, I don't think the U of W ads were that great to begin with - I think they're uncreative and predictable. And second, why would you want to run essentially the same campaign as your major competitor?

I am sure there were probably other factors that contributed to the decision to run this campaign for the U of M despite what the U of W was already doing, but I am still surprised that they decided to use this idea.

But what does everyone else think? Does anyone think that one campaign is more effective than the other?

While looking at the cover of PDN (Photo District News), I noticed that the entire front cover is an advertisement for the new Canon EOS 50D digital slr. Even though I am a total camera nerd, I don't like the idea of using the cover of a magazine for an ad. It seems to undermine the credibility of the magazine. Thoughts?

Live Generously

On my way home from school tonight...yes I was at the school on our day off (my life is That exciting)...I saw a billboard ad that had the words "Live Generously" written in white on a blue background and it was by the Jewish Community something or other. I didn't stare too long because I was driving, but it stuck out to me for this reason:

It appeared near Higgins and Main, one of the poorest areas of the city. I don't think people who live in that area can afford to be overly generous, but maybe that was the point the billboard was making? I started to think, why would the "Jewish Community" put up a billboard there? I thought it was ironic because Jews are known for being stealthy with their money but yet they were advertising a message about generosity. Maybe that's what the billboard is for. Are they trying to combat this stigma?

Who do you think they want to live generously, and what exactly does "Live Generously" mean?

This is pure genius.

Credit to Dustin for noticing this ad campaign. Most of the comments on YouTube question the reality of the ads. The phone isn't real, but the redirect link to the "Come to Life" Nova Scotia website is. The campaign cost the province $300k; is it worth it? The "Come to Life" website was constructed entirely by Nova Scotia citizens, has received plenty of online buzz (to the sum of some 150 000 hits). It seems the payoff is the only problem with the site. The only connection to Nova Scotia comes by clicking on the phone's Release Date in the upper right corner of the site. Many people may not have the patience to search out the payoff. Full credit for trying some new wave of viral marketing.

I Guess I Need A Shave Because I Keep Posting About Gillette...

This was kind of cool. They used this special Gillette Fusion zamboni for the last couple games of the season and playoffs this past May at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston. It was concocted by BBDO. It sures beats having Dave Keam's face on your zamboni!

Harsh Political Adverts.

In an era of harsh advertisements, sometimes there are a few that stand out amongst the bunch as being outrageous, even down right offensive. Here are a couple that may cause you to unexpectedly agree with me. As odd as that may sound.

The Carrot that Inspired Yuppies Across America

Stop using Gillette, use Gillette.

I find this Gillette Fusion razor spot interesting because of the positioning it takes. Gillette is actually positioning against its own product, which is something they haven't done with past incarnations of their razors.
I've always found it funny how they don't just stop making the old ones and force people to upgrade. I guess it works better to phase the old out over time so customers don't try other brands out of discontent at their blade being cancelled suddenly.

Chocolate cures disease

Well, maybe not. But it does cheer you up when the economy's crashing, the environment is going to hell, and winter winds are coming. Cadbury knows how to warm the heart with a picnic, friends, and Broken Social Scene.