Monday, September 26, 2011

Have a Seat -- at your own risk

There is no question that an "earned" beer always tastes better. Whether, it's the one you proudly imbibe after finishing off some handyman work around the house or the Apres-ski one you toast after a day on the slopes, or heck, simply the one that marks the end of a long Tuesday at work... a beer that follows effort is a beer that brings with it the taste of victory.

In the below marketing stunt, Carlsberg, a Danish beer, takes this insight and expresses it in a unique way. You'll see how 2 people are put to the test of fear, sterotyping and the fear of stereotyping. The concept is nicely paid off by their tagline, "That calls for a Carlsberg." It works great in this situation and no doubt sets the table for many other executions. Up next, a standing-room only bus filled with a half-naked, fully-tattooed, senior citizens.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Tongue Tastic

The story behind Orabrush, a brand new way to fight bad breath, is a lesson both on marketing in today's youtube world and one of perseverance by a little product that could. Invented by Dr. Robert Wagstaff (Dr. Bob), this tiny tongue scraping instrument went from something no company wanted to recently the shelves of 3,500 Wal-Mart's. Yeah, for the little guy!

And the story of how that all happened is told in the first video below. As you'll see, Orabrush proves to us that good products that solve real problems demonstrated in the right way (see the other below video) will find a market and will sell, even if you have to do it yourself and make the retailers come knocking.

Orabrush also shows us how to capitalize on one's viral success. After finding an online audience, they then added a vast youtube library featuring their irreverent Tongue Mascot, also seen below. While it's a simple invention, it takes a not-so simple path to getting to market. Good job, Dr. Bob -- who is probably relaxing on his new yacht treating his tongue to the tastes of champagne and caviar. Afterall, who cares if you fish egg breath, when you have a yacht.

Monday, September 12, 2011

A Disgustingly Smart Idea

Contagion, the new action thriller starring every other popular actor in Hollywood and co-produced I believe by the Hand Sanitizing Association of America, just finished #1 at the box office in its first weekend. While I was not one of the 23 million to see it, I did catch this very clever billboard created to hype the film.

[Insert bad pun here -- on how this idea really grows and presents the opportunity to go viral.]

Warning: While watching this clip, Germaphobes may find themselves experiencing cold sweats, hot flashes, wooziness in the leg region and a dying need to take an emergency shower followed by a week-long vacation in a sterile plastic bubble.