A post about tampons

U by Kotex - Reality Check - (2010) :30

I debated writing this. And then I said to hell with it because it's actually really interesting. So, fair warning this post is about tampon advertising and a company that "got it."

So. It's Monday night. I've turned off my laptop to watch Gossip Girl. Gossip Girl and Lost=two times during the week where I don't use technology.

Brilliant ad (above) comes on from Kotex for the "U by Kotex line" aimed at (what I'm guessing) the hipper cooler girls who get their period? I don't know. But damn was it funny. It mocked everything that advertisers have done for the past years highlighting just how ridiculous commercials are aimed for the "feminine product" industry that make us all usually scream "No way in hell do I ever talk about that." (Advertisers--please take aim at birth control commercials next. We don't talk about that at nightclubs over martinis. Trust me.)

Putting my marketing hat on, I immediately started digging around to find out more about U by Kotex and what else they've been doing. They've really started to focus on breaking the cycle (yep...I know) about the myths and conversations that have surrounded something personal that a girl has to deal with.

There site is FANTASTIC.

1. It's informative about a topic that is relevant.
2. It supports a cause empowering girls to "break the cycle" and create and lead social change.
3. It has FACEBOOK CONNECT. You can ask questions and help support the cause. Who would have thought this type of site would need it? MAKES SENSE.

The campaign totally ties together and actually has a great message empowering girls behind a topic that is usually "censored" across the major airwaves.

I'm one to totally give another agency the "Bravo!" for ads that are great. So, here it is: Bravo to JWT for this.

Here's some great supporting quotes on adland about the advertisement as well.

I Don't Get How People Flew Before Mobile Tech

Checked into my Delta flight yesterday.

Mind you that I am traveling to Minneapolis today (I'm on the flight now) then back tomorrow night. Newark to Austin Friday, then back Sunday night with a layover. Needless to say, 5 airports in 5 days = a crazy me and I want things to be easier.

This did it. Delta has mobile check-ins with a QR code that was texted to me once I checked in. No need to print. Just scan my phone and I'm on the plane. Apparently Continental does this too which is great as I fly them Friday.

I blogged yesterday about the Expedia app (client of mine) that is also worth a read to manage multiple itineraries and lessen the chance of screaming at a child on your flight. :)

Why Google Chrome Is My New Default Broswer

EDITOR'S NOTE: I guess this is just a Gmail thing (thank you commenters), not Chrome. So my post should be titled Why Gmail Is Amazing.

One more for New York

New York’s flashier industries, including big media and Wall Street, have long dwarfed the tech sector here. And the dot-com implosion only reinforced that reality. The fledgling tech scene that was just beginning to hum in the late 1990s flatlined as dozens of Internet companies folded, pink slips replaced party invitations and venture capital firms took their investments elsewhere.

-New York Isn’t Silicon Valley. That’s Why They Like It. - Jenna Wortham

Opting Out: A cop out or a realistic future?

Reviews are golden these days. Consumers have the power to praise or destroy brands by giving them one star or 5 stars based on experiences and interactions. If you tweet or blog about a problem, the likelihood of getting a response from a customer service rep on social media has increased by far over the past year. I can go on and list examples, but you can also look for them on Google. (Kevin Smith Southwest search term is a good start)

By putting your company and brand out there, you immediately open yourself up to comments, feedback and everything else the consumer will say. You have to be ready to take it all in. I'm a strong supporter of this and recommend that our clients put themselves out there and interact with their customers. We've seen great success, fixed problems before they became bigger and gained some great followers and brand ambassadors for them.

But, as wel always need to do: Let's look forward for a minute. Will we hit a point where enough is enough? Do we think that the day will come when brands will say "I'm done" and take down all customer service presence in social media because the reviews and customer service questions and rants become too much?

Review site Yelp has been under scrutiny lately for a lawsuit claiming that Yelp salespeople call small businesses that have been reviewed on the hugely popular business review site, and offer to let them manipulate the reviews if they pay to advertise with Yelp. A recent BusinessWeek interview with CEO Jeremy Stoppelman includes points to clear that up and provided for a brilliant quote at the end of it questioning the same thing I am.

BW: Danny Sullivan, a respected search industry analyst, thinks the only solution is for Yelp to let companies opt-out entirely. That way, only basic information on the company would appear, but no reviews. What not do this? It would go a long way towards proving to businesses that you’re not interested in extorting them.

Stoppelman: Why doesn’t BusinessWeek let me opt-out of having a story written about me? It’s a new generation of people out there (that want to communicate and share opinioins). Some of the content that appears on Yelp might have been created by a newspaper in the past—-say, a review by a restaurant critic. It’s a clear question of free speech. If someone said a reviewer couldn’t write about a particular restaurant, there would be an outcry—how dare he be silenced!

I don't think the opt out trend will happen anytime soon as some companies are just now starting to jump on the response bandwagon. They still see that need, and so do we, that the benefit to doing this is huge and worth the investment. That said, we have to be ready and figure out what will be next.

What do you think?

The Shorty Awards - A Recap

I went to The Shorty Awards last night. We work with Suze Orman at Attention so I was there to support her (yep, she won in the Finance category!) and mix and mingle and hang out with Sesame Street puppets.

The Lowdown:

• Grover was there. Yes, that Grover. From Sesame Street. He also won an award. Well, Sesame Street did.
• The Shorty's got Kanye'd by a drunk guy. I still don't know who he was but he rolled around the floor on stage. Does anyone know who it was?
• Downstairs in the Cocktail lounge you had a choice of three things to drink: Brooklyn Lager, Sparkling Wine and Maker's Mark. It's like they WANTED us to get drunk. (I blame these drinks on my current status of joining in on this crazy event in May.)

All in all, good job Greg and The Shorty Awards. I'll be there next year.

Bonus. Here is the spoof video done by Suze Orman herself: