When Art & Automobile Meet: Porsche by Design: Seducing Speed

I have had the opportunity to work on some of the biggest, most respected brands in the world. Procter & Gamble, the Quaker Oats Company and NASDAQ to name but a few. And the experience has been great. Really great. But I have to admit that at times I had to dig pretty deeply to get jazzed by the prospect of a paper towel, heretofore only available in white, soon to be available in colorful, country-themed patterns.DSCN2191-framed

I’ve been doing some work recently with the North Carolina Museum of Art. Art in general is something that is much easier to get into than a bowl of Apples & Cinnamon oatmeal. But when that art comes in the form of 22 exquisitely crafted Porsche’s from around the world, that’s an entirely different ball of wax.

I had the DSCN2197-framedopportunity to attend the media preview of Porsche by Design, Seducing Speed at the NCMA last Thursday (it opened on Saturday). The exhibit blew my mind, even for someone who likes cars but is in no way, shape or form a “car guy.”

“Porsche by Design brings together one of the most significant collections of Porsche automobiles ever assembled,” said Ken Gross. [Ken is the curator of the exhibit and aDSCN2229-framedfascinating guy…I had the chance to talk to him before most of the other attendees showed up and it was a very insightful, and entertaining, ten minutes.] “More than ‘just a show about cars,’ the exhibition emphasizes the innate beauty of aerodynamic design, inseparably linked with engineering genius. These cars are superlative examples of uncompromised, artfully restrained design, lending visual form and grace to the notion of speed.”

Or said another way: the cars kick some serious ass! If you’re in the Raleigh area and you don’t see the show, it’s your loss. If you do go, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Pop This Pringles

As a marketer I’ve always been taught that if you ask consumers to do too much, they won’t do it. This is true even if, from the marketer’s perspective, the payoff justifies the effort (oftentimes because the payoff doesn’t come close to justifying the effort from the consumer’s point-of-view.) I think this is clearly the case with a promotion that Pringles is currently running: the Pringles Million Song Summer Sweepstakes.

Maybe I’m more a part of the entitled (Internet) establishment than I’d like to admit. You know, not willing to pay for anything, no matter how valuable. Not willing to do anything more than (maybe) give you my e-mail address (likely the one I set up for just this purpose that I haven’t checked since I registered it). Expecting everything immediately. Maybe.

But Pringles is making what could be a good promotion very difficult to navigate.

First, I have to buy a can of Pringles. Okay, not the end of the world. Every now and then I do get a craving for the hyperbolic paraboloid-shaped potato crisp.

Second, I have to remember to hold onto my receipt, as I have to send “The original store receipt with a big circle around the Pringles purchase.” Do note that in much smaller type it states that there is “no purchase necessary.” The non-abbreviated official rules go onto say that “A purchase will not increase your chances of winning.” Well that’s cool.

But be aware that a “Mail-In Entry without Purchase submissions will not receive a free music download.” What? I thought that was the whole point of the Million Song Summer promotion. Well, as it turns out, I’m actually entering the Sweepstakes for a chance to win “A Concert Trip for two (2) to attend any concert of winner’s choice in the contiguous forty-eight (48) Unites States (subject to Sponsor’s approval).” Really? First, unless I somehow missed it on the site, the only way that I would know that I’m entering a sweepstakes to win a Concert Trip is by reading through the official rules. Second, it’s a bit misleading to say “any concert…” when it’s subject to the Sponsor’s approval. Third, I just want some “free” music. Is that too much to ask of the Million Song Summer Sweepstakes? Apparently so.

Assuming that I did buy some Pringles and I did remember to hold onto my receipt, I now have to go online to http://www.pringles.com and download and print the official submission/entry form. But before I get to the official submission/entry form, I have to tell Pringles what country I live in (assuming I’m not distracted by the “Amp up Your Summer Nights, Buy 2 Cans & Get Your Disco Speaker” sweepstakes being promoted on the page which, coincidentally, is not running in the United States), then click on the Million Song Summer link and then on the download official order form link. [In fairness, this part of the experience may be slightly different from one person to another depending on your browser/settings, whether you’ve been to http://www.pringles.com before, etc.] But it was my experience.

Now I have to complete the official submission/entry form and then “mail it in an outer stamped envelope along with the original receipt showing the proof-of-purchase of the Participating Product with the Pringles Potato Crisps purchase cited to Pringles.” Okay, almost done.

“Upon successful submission of the submission/entry form (which I have interpreted to mean that the submission/entry form was not “lost, late, misdirected, illegible, incomplete, damaged, postage due or mutilated mail”), the entrant will receive two (2) free music downloads at a sponsor-selected digital music website.” Yea, baby.

Assuming that I do all of this before the one million (1,000,000) downloads are given away, now I just have to sit back and wait 4-6 weeks for delivery of my music download code(s) via e-mail. 4-6 weeks. Seriously.

It may just be me but this seems like a lot more effort than it’s worth.

What do you think?

Yep, One More in the “Scare the sh*t out of People” Series

Powerful (…even if the people portrayed in the video are apparently actors.) Check it out. Courtesy of Brandflakes for Breakfast (a blog I highly recommend following.)

One More in the “Scare the Sh*t Out of People” Series…Back on an Elevator.

I missed this last week: Shocking Attempted Murder Turns Out to Be Just Another Marketing Stunt. I am still a little dumbfounded by the notion that this is (apparently) what it takes to connect with people these days. If nothing else, which may in fact be the case, it is highly entertaining for those that share my somewhat twisted sense of humor. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Good? Bad? Or just plain ugly?

Another in the “Scare the Sh*t Out of People” Series

An unusual approach to building engagement with consumers but that aside, brilliantly executed. Enjoy.

Nivea Pranks Unsuspecting Travelers…courtesy of @adrants.

The Centrifuge Brain Project

If you have six and half minutes to burn, I would strongly encourage you to burn them on this video. Amazing. Fun. Funny. Brilliantly produced. Classic.

Gravity is a mistake. The Centrifuge Brain Project by Till Nowak, starring Leslie Barany, cinematography: Ivan Robles Mendoza, sound: Andreas Radzuweit, Lukas Bonewitz.

Enjoy…I certainly did.

Scaring the Sh*t Out of People on Elevators Seems to be a Trend These Days

I ran across this about a month or so ago. Now this from a local variety show in Brazil. I like it.

More on Online Privacy

There’s plenty of evidence that supports the premise that if we give consumers something valuable they will tell us a little (or a lot) about themselves in return. Here’s more from a recent survey from Accenture:

  • Despite the fact that 86 percent of those surveyed say they are concerned about websites tracking their online shopping behavior, 85 percent are aware that such tracking goes on but they understand that tracking enables companies to present offers and content that matches their interests.
  • Nearly half of all respondents – 49 percent – are receptive to their favorite stores or brands using their tracking data to inform their future preferences and make them aware of product availability.
  • When asked to make a choice, 64% of total respondents say it is more important that companies present them with relevant offers against only 36 percent who say companies should stop tracking their website activity.
  • At the same time, however, 88 percent strongly agree or agree that companies should give them flexibility to control how their personal information is used to tailor their shopping experience.

So why are we so afraid to give consumers the choice?

Self Regulation is a Joke

Ad Age published a piece today entitled “What Microsoft’s Default ‘Do Not Track’ Browser Setting Looks Like“.

What it looks like isn’t very interesting (no offense Microsoft). What is interesting – and quite disturbing – is the fact that “few websites or third-party ad firms are honoring Microsoft’s DNT beacon, mainly because the company chose to automate the feature rather than allow users to choose to initially enable it. The Digital Advertising Alliance, the self-regulatory coalition guiding the ad industry’s approach to DNT, told its members to feel free to disregard the IE10 signal.”

You call that self-regulation? It’s a joke…with a punchline that won’t be at all funny.

As I mentioned in a prior post, “I firmly believe that consumers benefit when the ads they are exposed to as they surf the information superhighway are (highly) relevant. And relevance increases in direct proportion to the amount of data we (the industry) are able to collect.”

But if the industry does not make significant headway soon in terms of really respecting consumer’s online privacy, there won’t be an industry left to “self-regulate.”

Am I Really Less Respectable than a Politician?

I was a bit disheartened when I saw the following headline in Advertising Age yesterday: “Marketers rate below politicians, bankers on respectably scale. Only 35% of marketing practitioners responding to Adobe study deemed their profession valuable.”

Now that’s a bit sobering. A career that I have dedicated the majority of my living years to is considered useless not only by the general public but apparently a good chunk of the people sitting down the hall from me.

In fairness, I think the headline is a bit misleading when you look at the way the survey question was asked: “Which profession provides the most value to society?” Is it any wonder that more people chose “Teacher” than “Advertising/Marketing?” Regardless, haven’t we all at one point in our career admitted that what we do doesn’t save lives?

So why do I do what I do?

As sometimes happens when you find yourself pondering life’s greatest questions a sign appears that captures your attention simply because it comes at exactly the right time. For me, that sign came in the form of a post on MediaPost today entitled: “TED: Story Key To ‘Ads Worth Spreading’” They link to a document that summarizes the TED initiative.

Take a read and then tell me you still question what you do for a living. Sure, most of us aren’t saving lives (although some of the examples contained in the article do in fact save lives.) But we do have the opportunity to create work that entertains people. Work that makes people laugh…or cry. Or get inspired to go out and do something positive for the planet.

Maybe I’m short-selling myself but that’s enough for me.