A Razor Fight

If you work in marketing, you've certainly heard the phrase, "Give away the razors to sell the blades." And if you've ever purchased blades, you know exactly why they say that... because those tiny, sharp pieces of metal and plastic are serious money makers.  Well, someone is now looking to shake up this razor situation. Meet DollarShaveClub.com. 

A new idea in the male grooming category, Dollar Shave Club offers a monthly razor membership starting at just $1 (plus s&h).  This basic package gets you 5 twin blades every month. You can also upgrade to the The 4X or The Executive for a greater quality of blade.
 
Not only does this make for an interesting and different business model, but the way Dollar Shave Club is positioning itself is equally fresh. Dollar Shave Club looks and feels like the anti-Gillette. It doesn't take itself too seriously. It doesn't try to amaze us with the "space-age" technology inside their razors. And they don't have celebrity endorsements.

Nope, Dollar Shave Club uses their young unknown president to present their case. He describes their razors simply as "f*&cking great." He pokes fun at the unnecessary razor accessories you pay for these days. And while the Mach 3, 5, 7 or whatever number they're currently at would find itself backed with millions & millions of ad dollars and sponsorships, Dollar Shave Club created this one simple video. It's funny. It makes a good argument. And it's no doubt destined to go viral.

Yep, unlike a guy with tiny blood-stained tissues populating his face and neck, this is some smooth operating. Well played -- Dollar Shave Club.

Flash Fans

Up in Canada, where a baby's first steps don't count unless it takes place on ice, just about every little boy grows up dreaming of someday playing professional hockey. They imagine the thrill of game-winning goals, exploding cheers from the stands and the majestic hoisting of the Stanley Cup. And for most, that dream is left behind somewhere on a frozen pond.

However, even over the passage of many years, their love of playing the game remains true. So, these men and their average (for a Canadian) hockey skills carry on at the local rink. After work. After putting the kids to bed. After picking a few things at the store. They lace it up and they hit the ice. No fans. No cheers. No glory.

But on one night, with the help of Budweiser, two teams were able to experience a pretty cool moment of "Eh, what if... "

Not Your Average Joe

Honda could spend millions and millions of dollars creating the ultimate marketing campaign about how their cars are built to last. In it, they could include ads that will "cut through the clutter," "create both a rational and emotional bond" and "win international awards." They could have a 24/7 twitter feed, a video game from Zynga, a wickedly cool App and of course, killer product placement in Transformers 4, the legend of the Civic. 

OR... they could just introduce us to Joe, an average guy from Maine sporting a pretty nice mustache who just crossed the 1,000,000 mile marker with his 1990 Honda Accord. Pretty amazing.

Honda wisely and nicely celebrates Joe and his not so average achievement. They document his odometer turning over to the original starting point of 000000. They throw him a parade. And they even buy him a brand new Honda. Now, that is a tremendous example of how to show off the feats of your product while building brand and customer loyalty. If they were really cool though, they would've thrown in a chauffeur.

A very sweet music video

Music videos have always been a terrific place for artists to try something new and get a little outrageous. Well, the following by singer Kina Grannis and director Greg Jardin is exactly that and then some.

Created for the song, "In your arms," this piece of work slash art, took roughly 288,000 Jelly Bellies and 18 months to create. Pretty impressive, especially when considering that most pop artists these days take about 3 hours to write and produce a hit song. You know, the one about putting your hands up in the air and shouting "oh" or "yeah" or "eh-oh" or something of that nature. But I digress, be sure to watch both  the "making of"and the video itself.

Jelly Belly must also be pretty happy with this kind of free product placement... the best since Lady Gaga's outfit for the Beef Industry Council.

Words That Play

Ji Lee, a designer and creative director at facebook, puts together a really engaging collection of type treatments. The concept or challenge behind his effort here was to make words that work as images. It's not only very clever use of letters, but it makes for a brilliant communication device.

If you want people to pay attention to your words, this kind of thinking can achieve it. You can purchase the entire thing, entitled Words As Image, at amazon.com. Or for fun, pick out a word and try to come up with a like visual for it. In honor of Halloween, I'll pick... ghost... oh wait, I can't see it.

Defining a Terabyte

So... the new Panasonic BWT800 3D Blue Ray disc recorder holds a whopping ONE TERABYTE of content. That's right, one whole terabyte.

So... "How much exactly is one terabyte?" you may ask.

Well, Panasonic, with a corresponding marketing campaign, is setting out to define what this massive number means to you. Because after all, one terabyte is big enough to record high-quality HD video for 684 hours or 28 days. This kind of room gives you the power to appease the recording habits of your wife, your kids, your relatives, your neighbors, your neighbors' relatives and your relatives' neighbors. 28 days is an absurd amount of TV.

To hype the magnitude of this number, Panasonic is producing and of course recording 28 days of entertainment entitled, "The Persecution of Rommy Gulla." And unless your name is Rommy Gulla and you live in Australia, this sounds like a pretty fun idea. As described in the video below, Rommy is about to endure 28 very long, very painful days -- all to help quantify one terabyte. You can watch the series via Facebook or Youtube. Viewers can even suggest a prank, vote on pranks and win Panasonic stuff. Day one involved a late-night police invasion and helium.

Overall, this looks like a great example of engaging consumers and showing, not just telling, what your product can do. Now, what prank should I suggest?

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.