Experience Manifesto

Robot mannequins strike a pose | TECHNOLOGY | NEWS | tvnz.co.nz

Thanks to Engadget for the tip on this story. Kind of funky. Kind of scary.

The mannequin moving in the store window is no longer a fantasy. A Japanese firm has developed a mannequin robot that can strike a pose for customers - and spy on who they are and what they're buying.   

"Mannequins have been static but this will pose for the nearest person by sensing his or her position," robot designer Tatsuya Matsui told a news conference.   

"It makes the product the mannequin wears look more attractive, increasing consumers' appetite to buy," said Matsui, who heads Flower Robotics Inc.   

The female robot, code-named Palette, can draw inspiration from the world's most beautiful women, using motion-capture technology to replay the movements of supermodels.   

But Palette will double up as an industrial spy, with the maker planning to program it to judge the age and sex of shoppers and even identify the bags they are carrying and pass along the information to stores for marketing purposes.

Link: Robot mannequins strike a pose | TECHNOLOGY | NEWS | tvnz.co.nz .

Link: Flower Robotics Inc.’s Palette robo-mannequin - Engadget -www.engadget.com.

MediaPost Publications Home of MediaDailyNews, MEDIA and OMMA Magazines

Now, these guys know how to put their money where their mouth is! It'll be interesting to see how their upfront compares to previous years.

Weather Channel Upfront Is Really Cool (Pun Intended)

by David Kaplan, Friday, Feb 25, 2005 8:30 AM EST

THE WEATHER CHANNEL IS PREDICTING snow, sub-freezing temperatures, and lots of ice during its 2005 upfront events planned for March 12 in Quebec, Canada. This year the all-weather channel has invited advertising decision-makers to join them to experience the awe and beauty of the weather first-hand. The Quebec event will be held at the Ice Hotel, an ice and snow architectural wonder, with activities such as dog sledding, snowmobiling, and ice sculpting workshops accompanying the sometimes frosty negotiating postures of buyers and sellers. "This event will break through the upfront clutter," said Paul Iaffaldano, executive vice president and general manager for TWC Media Solutions. "By providing advertisers with the opportunity to experience the weather, we're showing them what our viewers live each and every day."

Given the steady snowfall in the Northeast, some media buyers might hope that The Weather Channel switches its meeting to somewhere more clement, like Bora Bora.

Link: MediaPost Publications Home of MediaDailyNews, MEDIA and OMMA Magazines.

Link: Business activities - Ice Hotel.

Adrants: Body Billboardz Launches Exchange For Human Ad Space

Sometimes, there's just nothing I can say!

Aligning itself nicely with the explosion of eBay-sold body ad placement is Body Billboardz, a network bringing together those who are willing to sell space on their body with advertisers interested in buying that space. Body billboards, or human ad space, has become a, some say, unique way for advertisers to promote their product or service.

BodyBillboardz.com is a brand new classified ad-style website. The website launched on February 2 and is especially popular with money hungry, carefree college students trying to pay off debts and earn a little extra cash. And look stupid in the process. Profiles are created by those willing to be "branded" and matched the corporate sponsors, who can review each participant's demographic and psychographic profile and align it with their advertising plans. Members are from the United States, Canada, and Germany in the age range of 19-35 years and are allowed to upload photos so the advertisers can view the potential image of their 'walking billboard'. OK, GoldenPalace, here's your goldmine.

Link: Adrants: Body Billboardz Launches Exchange For Human Ad Space.

Link: MIT Advertising Lab: future of advertising and advertising technology: Update: Human Bodies As Media.

John Dvorak's Second Opinion: Absurd paid-search ads show that nobody pays attention - Computer Hardware - Computer Software - Software - Opinion

When Andy Rooney starts to complain about advertising being too ubiquitous, as he did on last Sunday's "60 Minutes," then it's time to consider the observation and its rationale. Link: Experience Manifesto: CBS News | Rooney: No Place To Hide From Ads | February 20, 2005 20:30:35.

Advertising wouldn't be noticeably ubiquitous unless one of two things were at play. One, it works so well that people can't find enough outlets on which to advertise. Or, the other possibility, it's not working well at all and these are desperate times.

I pick the latter, otherwise what I'm about to explain would not go so unnoticed or ignored. It's hard to say how immune or numb people have become to advertising, but it's as if spam, junk e-mail, has become a theme in other venues other than e-mail.

It started with junk mail, then junk e-mail, and now junk advertising. What I'm describing here is junk advertising.

I'm basing this observation on an inundation of idiotic computer-generated advertisements now appearing on the Google Website, Google Adsense and elsewhere. In fact, we turned this into a family game: Try to find the funniest computer-generated ad based on a Google search.

It works like this: Normally, you type in a search term and Google delivers results plus some "sponsored links" that are supposed to have something to do with the search and are as hopefully as appealing to the reader as the real listings. So, for instance, you type in "Ford replacement parts" and some vendor who wants to get your attention pays Google for that specific search term. When someone uses the term, their advertisement appears.

Somewhere along the way, a few of the more aggressive advertisers, led by eBay, decided that it was open game and they'd buy any noun being searched. After all, they sold almost everything, didn't they? So now the game begins.

The first winner came from a reader of mine who observed that if you searched for "pinto beans" you'd discover that eBay sold new and used pinto beans. Another reader found that eBay sold Mormons, too. I posted some of the most ludicrous examples on my weblog. Visit the Dvorak blog.

Link: John Dvorak's Second Opinion: Absurd paid-search ads show that nobody pays attention - Computer Hardware - Computer Software - Software - Opinion.

CBS News | Rooney: No Place To Hide From Ads | February 20, 2005 20:30:35

I'm sorry that I missed this piece about advertising from Andy Rooney. It would have been a lot of fun to hear him rather then just read the words. But, however, it's delivered, it's an important message for us to hear! (Emphasis mine.)

Our advertising in America is really well done. Some of the most creative people in this country are in the business. The trouble is, many companies are selling their product better than they're making it.

You can't get away from being advertised at anymore. I come to work every morning, and the CBS building has been defaced with ads for its television shows.

The average time taken for commercials in an hour of television is 20 minutes now - one third. That's close to the limit of tolerance people have for commercials; they go for the "mute" button. So the networks sneak commercials into the program themselves, like the Bud Lite plug in the show called “Survivor.”

I get mad every week because they won't leave my piece alone. While I'm trying to keep your attention with what I'm saying, they distract you with a plug for “Cold Case.”

In the office here, we have ads coming in all day on the fax machine. How come a company using our FAX machine for their ad doesn't have to pay for our paper?

The great new communications tool, email, is inundated now with Spam, unsolicited advertising.

Wherever you go, you're being advertised at. There's simply no place to hide anymore. Taxi cabs everywhere carry advertising. It's on the sides and backs of trucks. Buses are covered with it. I don't want to be sold something everywhere I go.

I used to look forward to my mail - now mail is more a pain than a pleasure. Two-thirds of all the mail I get is advertising. And I throw it away without opening it.

Vogue is a beautifully done magazine but the table of contents is on page 28. Everything before that is advertising. Then there's another 46 pages of ads before a letter from the editor. The first little article is on page 82.

We're all familiar with the theaters that say the movie starts at 7 p.m. We know it doesn't. They turn the lights out at 7 p.m. and you have to sit through 15 minutes of commercials. You don't leave because you paid $9.50 to get in.

No matter where you go, advertising is in your face.

Most of us don't mind a certain amount of advertising. It can be attractive and interesting. It pays my salary. The only thing wrong is, there's too much advertising for advertising’s own good.

Link: CBS News | Rooney: No Place To Hide From Ads | February 20, 2005 20:30:35.

Join a conversation on Adrants here: Soflow - Forum Topic - BETA Version.

CMT.com: Seeking Vice President, CMT DUKES OF HAZZARD INSTITUTE

Not only is this a cool promotional program, but come on, this is a good gig! And take a look at the Monster posting too. Very clever!

Want to throw your cowboy hat into the ring to become the Vice President, CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute? Well, slap on your "Daisy Dukes" -- or tight-fittin' jeans -- practice your Yeeee Hahhhh and apply for the ultimate dream job: getting paid $100,000* to watch The Dukes of Hazzard on CMT.

CMT celebrates the return of one the most beloved pop culture hit series, of all time, The Dukes of Hazzard. A six-figure income is being offered to a Dukes of Hazzard enthusiast to be the new Vice President, CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute.

The job responsibilities for the Vice President, CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute are:

watch The Dukes of Hazzard every weeknight on CMT;

know the words to The Dukes of Hazzard theme song, "Good Ol' Boys," written and performed on the series by the legendary Waylon Jennings;

serve as media expert on The Dukes of Hazzard for the CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute: must be available for TV, radio and newspaper interviews to share passion for The Dukes of Hazzard on CMT;

write the CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute online blog for cmt.com;

be passionate about The Dukes of Hazzard on CMT;

make appearances at special events such as Dukesfest 2005 in Bristol, Tenn., (June 4-5, 2005).

Ben "Cooter" Jones, a favorite character on The Dukes of Hazzard series will lead the CMT Good Ol' Boys (& Gals) Executive Search Team.

Questions candidates will be asked include:

If you Bo, Luke and Daisy took off in The General Lee, what would happen next?

If Waylon Jennings wrote your theme song, what would be the title and chorus?

Which character on The Dukes of Hazzard do you most identify with and why?

CMT anticipates that the new Vice President, CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute will be announced at the fifth annual Dukesfest at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol to be held Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5. More than 50,000 Dukes of Hazzard fans are expected this year.

Link: CMT.com: Seeking Vice President, CMT DUKES OF HAZZARD INSTITUTE.

Link: US-CA-NATIONWIDE-Vice President, CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute.

Calling Preteens with a Barbie Phone

Mattel hopes its doll-themed prepaid cell phone -- a real working one -- will be a hit with girls and turn its classic toy hip again

It's amazing she doesn't already have one, but Barbie is finally getting a cell phone.

Mattel, the world's largest toymaker and the company that made Barbie famous, will soon start selling cell phones alongside the Barbie My Scene toy line. Barbie My Scene features a series of dolls with a greater air of modernity than the original Barbie -- they tend to wear hip clothes and brandish a personal digital assistant rather than a frying pan.

TRANSCENDING DOLL PLAY.  The new Barbie-brand phones aren't toys at all, but real phones. Mattel expects them to appeal to 8- to 14-year-old girls and will offer them in all stores that carry Barbies, company executives told BusinessWeek Online.

The initial rollout of the Barbie-brand phones is slated for April, and such nationwide stores as Target, Wal-Mart, and Toys 'R' Us will have them on shelves starting in July. In a nifty cross-promotional move, a teen actress in a not-yet-named Hollywood movie will brandish a Barbie phone around that time.

The phones are the first prepaid -- meaning the user prepays for calls -- cell phones targeting the "tween" girl market. It also marks an escalation of Mattel's efforts to make its Barbie doll, which saw sales slip 8% last year, hip once again. Mattel and software and content partner Single Touch Interactive are jointly marketing and distributing the phone. "It transcends traditional doll play," says Timothy J. Kilpin, senior vice-president for girls marketing and design at Mattel. "It's steeped in entertainment. It allows girls to interact with the brand."

FIRST PRETEEN TARGETING.  It's just the latest digital entertainment move by Mattel. On Feb. 17, at the American International Toy Fair in New York City, it unveiled a slew of gadgets, including a handheld entertainment system that allows kids to create their own minimovies out of video clips.

Nokia, the maker of the new phone, may get a boost from the product. The Finnish concern has been struggling to maintain its market share. Ditto for a yet-to-be-named national wireless carrier that will provide the service to this very youthful and unproven demographic. "This particular age group has yet to be addressed in a structured program anywhere in the U.S.," says Richard Siber, CEO of the wireless consulting firm SiberConsulting.

Certainly, Mattel isn't the first outfit to market cell phones to the youth market. In recent years, several wireless-service providers like Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile have successfully sold prepaid cell service to 18- to 30-year-olds. But this is likely the first time a business has gone after preteens.

PARENTAL TOOL?  Mattel and Single Touch are offering the Nokia 3587i phone, which features a full-color screen and voice dialing. It also lights up when a call comes in. The phone, expected to retail for $49.95, will come with 30 minutes of airtime, with additional minutes sold in $5 increments. It also boasts three stick-on faceplates -- so a girl can dress up her phone with a leopard-colored sticker to match her purse, for example -- nine exclusive wallpapers, and three exclusive ring tones.

"It's an 'aspirational' demographic -- young girls looking to the older girls," explains Anthony Macaluso, CEO and founder of Single Touch Interactive in San Diego.

Mattel and Single Touch are also positioning the cell phone as a parenting tool. Moms and dads will be able to buy those additional minutes for their kids online. When parents activate the new phone, they can go to a Web site, MySceneMobile.com, and list chores they want their children to perform to earn extra minutes. These can include making the bed, doing homework, or not fighting with brothers and sisters. At the end of each month, parents can buy extra minutes if their children have, indeed, behaved.

SENSING DEMAND.  The kids and parents will also be able to buy additional faceplates and ring tones through MySceneMobile.com. "It's customization to fit your image," says Bob F. Aniello, director of Mattel Interactive.

Mattel execs say extensive focus-group work and market tests show a demand for the service. In 2003, the toymaker offered Barbie My Scene buyers a cell phone with 300 minutes of prepaid airtime -- more than 40,000 phones were sent out within a month. "In a way, this project was a marketer's dream," says Aniello. "We had real market behavior that would predict appetite for product."

Let's hope Barbie doesn't use that cell phone when she's driving her convertible.

Link: Calling Preteens with a Barbie Phone.

NEW JERSEY SUES TO STOP BLOCKBUSTER AD CAMPAIGN

This story has been getting a great deal of press for the last few days and is a great example of what happens when your words and actions don't match. Once you make the statement, you need to back it up completely with your actions or the word will get out. There are just too many choices for the consumer to stay with a brand that breaks its promise.

The New Jersey State Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against Blockbuster Inc., charging that the rental chain's "End of Late Fees" advertising campaign is "fraudulent and deceptive."

Consumer fraud act
In court papers filed on Friday, Attorney General Peter Harvey also said the video and game rental company's advertising violates the state's Consumer Fraud Act and Merchandise Advertising Regulations.

In a statement, Blockbuster said: "The fact is there are no longer late fees at Blockbuster, and we are surprised that the New Jersey State Attorney General never directly contacted us about this."

The controversial ad campaign, from the independent agency Doner of Southfield, Mich., started in early January via national TV, radio, online and outdoor placements. Blockbuster's company-owned 4,500 stores are participating in the no-late-fees program, as are an unspecified number of its 600 franchisees.

Conversion to purchase
Ads do not tell consumers that they will be charged the purchase price for the video if they don't return it within seven days or that they'll be charged a restocking fee if they return the video within 30 days, according to the suit. Ads do not "prominently disclose" that some franchised stores continue to charge late fees, the suit says.

Link: NEW JERSEY SUES TO STOP BLOCKBUSTER AD CAMPAIGN.

Link: N.J. to hit Blockbuster with fraud lawsuit? - Feb. 18, 2005.

Link: wnbc.com - News - N.J. Claims Blockbuster's New Late Fee Policy Illegal.

Link: USATODAY.com - New Jersey sues Blockbuster over new late fee policy.

Nipple billboards erected in unusual places

You really have to click on the link and see the picture to really understand this piece! It's quite a hoot!

An unusual advertising spot for a local piercing shop in Rotterdam - the board behind the basket and the basket itself! Yes, it's the new ballboard. These new baskets we're placed smack dab between a high-school and a mosque in the last week of 2004, the hoop has been replaced by a larger than life nipple close-up and piercing ring instead... Naturally locals began complaining immediately, attracting the local and national press attention as they covered it and soon the basket had to be removed.

Link: Nipple billboards erected in unusual places, introducing the ballboard :: AdLand ad-rag.com :: by the adgrunts for the adgrunts advertising blog commercial archive.

Focus: Show Over! Are we finally sick of celebs?

Thanks to ad-rags for the pointer to this article.

They were gods, now they are pests. They could have sold us anything, now they are used to sell anything. Katy Guest on the growing evidence that we are falling out of love with the famous

It used to be so simple: a superstar allowed their gorgeous face to be put on a product and the world said, "That's nice, I'll buy one." Then people who were not quite so famous started advertising things. Then people who were not very famous at all did the same. Still, the products flew off the shelves and the mantra was true: celebrity (however flaky) sells.

But not any more. We have had enough. The automatic association between a famous face and a successful product is over. Shoppers are bored with endorsement and actually finding fame a turn-off when it comes to buying a fish slice or a pair of jeans.

Link: Show Over! Are we finally sick of celebs?.

Link: AdLand ad-rag.com :: by the adgrunts for the adgrunts advertising blog commercial archive.