X
Marks the Spot
From
"Marketers Milk The Sexy In 'X'", Shift Magazine,
January 12, 2001
It began long ago with "The X-Men" and
Xerox, and became ubiquitous in the past decade,
first with "Generation X" and then with the
"X-Files," "Xena" and a host of others. The letter
X has become ultra-cool, and has come to suggest
something mysterious, secretive and, of course,
sexy. Now marketers use the letter to sell
everything from razors to bras to
anti-depressants.
But X has become so pervasive that some
believe it will soon become passé, if it hasn't
already. There's a very real danger of, dare we
say it, overexposure.
Key Points:
- "In our research, when a client wants
something that's leading edge, out-front
technology, or something that will give graphic
appeal to the brand, X is an excellent
reference," says James Dettore, founder and CEO
of Brand Institute, the largest brand-identity
company in the U.S.
- "I think X is the coolest letter in the
alphabet because so few words begin with the
letter X, because it's the hardest letter in a
game of Scrabble or a crossword, because it's
enigmatic and mysterious, because it looks cool
- it's just two lines crossed," says Frank
Spotnitz, executive producer of The X-Files.
"It's cooler than Z."
- "X is really for losers," says Naseem
Javed, president of naming company ABC Namebank.
"The creative mind has serious limitations.
Because of 'The X-Files,' everyone thinks the
Xbox, X this, X that. This is really mental
constipation. Is X a better way? I will say no.
It is a very difficult letter to work with.
Right now, because of 'The X-Files,' it has been
diluted to the discounts."
BrandEra POV:
- There's no doubt that something as simple
as a letter can take on strong associative
meanings and then infiltrate public
consciousness. This has happened countless times
before, and marketers have always taken
advantage of it ad nauseum. The idea is to get
in on the ground floor or to leave it alone
altogether.
- Zeitgeist catch phrases (or, in this
case, catch letters) become diminish in potency
as they become increasingly pervasive --
ultimately to the point of self-parody. "Where's
the beef," anyone?
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Ads
On Wheels
From "Rebirth
Of The Wackymobile" by Roy Rivenburg, The
Los Angeles Times, January 15,
2001
After practically disappearing in the
1970s, motorized vehicles in the shapes of hot
dogs or telephones and other objects are enjoying
a kind of renaissance. Dozens of these
advertisements on wheels are back on the streets
again, handing out samples, sponsoring jingle
contests, or even raising money for charities by
showing up at sporting events, fairs and any other
event that draws a crowd.
Key Points:
- This new generation of Wackymobiles are
more technologically advanced than the ones in
the 70s. Amenities include chocolate-scented
exhaust, GPS navigation, and grand electric
powered tongues, and top speeds for these
vehicles can even get to 100/mph.
- The company responsible for the
construction of these vehicles is Prototype
Source. They have made the Hershey Kissmobile,
the Pfizer Revolution Mobile (which is a huge
cat), the Planters Peanut Hotrod, the Meow Mix
Cat, Claude the 3,000 pound lobster for Red
Lobster restaurants, the Zippo Lightermobile,
and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile in the shape of
a huge hot dog. It was actually the emergence of
the Wienermobile in 1992 that started the orders
pouring in. Price tags can run as high as
$500,000.
- Drivers of these promotional vehicles
complain about missing freeway exits because
people pull up alongside to take pictures or to
give their approval, preventing the wackymobile
from changing lanes. As well, constant remarks
and comments are made to the drivers, and often
it can take over an hour to put fuel in the car
because of the crowds the vehicles attract.
BrandEra POV:
- With all the advertising clutter on TV,
Radio, Newspapers, and Internet, wackymobiles
are a great way to break through all that and
grab the public's attention.
- Wackymobiles can really work for
companies looking to humanize themselves and
create an image that they are a company with a
sense of humor that the public can relate
to.
- Like all good ideas, unfortunately, if
the wackymobiles catch on and more and more of
them find their way on to the streets, their
originality and effectiveness as good marketing
tools will undoubtedly decrease.
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Boo
Take Two
From "Boo.com
Tries Again, Humbled And
Retooled" by
Michelle Slatalla, New York Times, January 11,
2001
We remember Miss Boo like it was yesterday;
as we "tried on" clothing in a cyberdressing room
at the old Boo.com Web site, the mascot would
raise an eyebrow at our findings. After a $185
million dollar marketing campaign on the
"confusing but very very hip" site, Boo folded
last May. But like the best of fiends from horror
flicks, Boo.com is back with a vengeance, and a
tighter budget from owner Fashionmall.com. The new
Boo, though, is a portal selling other company's
products -- not its own.
Key Points:
- Apparently hip, without confusion and
condescension, is what consumers want.
- Portal growth continues as more former
sales sites become weigh stations for other
retailers.
- No amount of marketing or glitz is going
to work if the shopping experience is an
unpleasant one.
BrandEra POV:
- The site has rebranded itself in a way
that any failed product might attempt to do. It
even issued a sort of apology for its former
mistakes and failure to connect. Bottom line:
Dotcoms can go back again, with a retooled
mindset and a lesson in PR.
- The switch from seller to portal is
something we're going to see more of on the
Internet; look at the success of Daily Candy,
which features reviews of and links to items for
sale on other sites.
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