The Blog and Pony Show

Archive for the ‘Misc Fun’ Category

Amanda Koenn - 3:37 pm April 5, 2012

Quaker Oats prepares Larry for bikini season

When a long-established brand like Quaker Oats decides to refresh their logo the advertising world pays attentions. Schifino Lee wanted to know the details behind the new Larry and the new look, so we investigated.

The makeover was moderate but very effective to convey the message Quaker Oats is selling its consumers, “energy and healthy choices.” Larry is still sporting his classic Quaker hat but has lost his double chin. “We took about five pounds off him,” said Michael Connors, Vice President of Design at Hornall Anderson. The overall makeover included a hair cut, a pricey facelift, and a trip to the gym. Connors and his team shortened Larry’s hair to keep him looking thin. They also removed the double chin and brought in the sides of his face to introduce a more youthful slimmer look. And the final touches included broadening Larry’s shoulders to finalize his healthy energetic appearance.

Overall, Larry is looking pretty good. Time and tweets will tell how effective Larry’s new look will work for Quaker Oats and PepsiCo Inc.

Schifino Lee - 9:26 pm September 6, 2011

Mad Men with wings?

Passion, jealousy and espionage — they do it all — and they do it at 30,000 feet.

Pan American World Airways was founded in 1927 as a scheduled airmail and passenger service operating between Florida and Havana. With its refined image and famous flying boats, or ‘Clippers’, the airline soon became synonymous with the romance and glamour of air travel.

Then, in the early ‘90’s, when things other than romance and glamour became fashionable, Pan Am flew off into the sunset.

Now, what’s old is new again.

The folks that bought the Pan Am brand name after the legendary airline went bust in the 1990s are trying to revive it.  In addition to the much-anticipated TV show on ABC this fall, we will see the takeoff of Pan Am merchandise, such as the classic blue-and-white bag called The Explorer.

Can the Pan Am brand fly high again?

Pan Am was about people getting dressed up to fly and experience a journey to a dreamy world above the clouds. In today’s flight plan, there is little fun and glamor attached to the thought of air travel. Pan Am offers everyone the glimmer of hope that travel can be a swanky adventure once again. (Then again, didn’t Jet Blue try to do this with their “Jetting” campaign a few years ago?)

Will people feel the same affection for Pan Am now because they remember the brand from 20 years ago? Will a new generation with no memory of the brand embrace Pan Am the way they embrace Mad Men or cocktail culture? If the show succeeds, will someone propose an HBO movie about rump Air or People’s Express?

Maybe blue & white logos are just where it’s at right now – Facebook, Twitter…Pan Am.

So is Pan Am Mad Men Meets the Mile High Club? Or just an eccentric product placement for a brand that no longer exists? As usual, it all depends on the quality of the creative content.

Eric Leventhal - 5:46 pm June 1, 2011

why american villages are safe from typhoons.

Today is June First. A date significant in 3 ways:

  1. The baseball season is statistically over
  2. Hurricane season begins
  3. It is OFFICIALLY way too late to play hockey even though the Bruins face off against the Canucks tonight for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

But back to #2.

Everywhere else in the tropic and subtropical world this time of year is called The Rainy Season. Hurricanes are not guaranteed, but you can be sure there will be a deluge with rolling thunder and eye-splitting shafts of lightening (as there is at this very moment) most afternoons.

So why Hurricane Season? I suspect because Rainy Season sounds too quaint and colonial. Rainy Season is what happens in other places, little places, places where they make Nikes rather than wear them. The USA is biggest, baddest, most exceptional country ever, therefore we do not have showers, rain storms, squalls or even monsoons (which are actually winds that bring or prevent rain on a semi-annual cycle). No, our summer weather is characterized by the mightiest of all meteorological phenomena, the hurricane. Hawaii and California also get hurricanes, although these Pacific-bred storms are properly typhoons. Typhoons can only happen in other places where something that sounds like a baby-talk could be menacing.

Our preference for hurricane over rain is an affect of that national pride that prevents the US from having villages. Everywhere else there are villages. The news media always refer to villages in Afghanistan, France, Japan, Mexico. Not here. Any wide place in the road with a population of 2.5 where a news van stops is still a town.

“Coastal village inundated by typhoon!” It can’t happen here.

 

Eric Leventhal - 7:39 pm May 11, 2011

Baa Baa Black (leather) Sheep

Zynga and Gaga present sheep on hog action starting May 17.

In a cross promotional concept so huge the human brain cannot begin to comprehend it, Lady Gaga has struck a deal with Zynga, maker of FarmVille and other social games popular on Facebook, to promote her upcoming album Born This Way.

Players of a new game called “Gagaville”  will be able to hear portions of the album prior to release and access exclusive, extra  material afterward.

What can one expect down on GagaVille Farm? ”think crystals, unicorns, sheep on motorcycles,” Zynga said in the press release. The madness begins May 17.

FYI: Lady Gaga is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, born 3/28/1986 in NY, NY.

Amanda Koenn - 3:11 pm April 12, 2011

Spin For Kids

The 2011 Spin For Kids Celebrity Bike Spin took place this past weekend at the Glazer Children’s Museum. The host of this years event was Buccaneer great, #51 Barrett Rudd.

The funds raised will benefit Academy Prep, a Tampa middle school which prepares economically disadvantaged students to achieve acadmic success, and PlaySmart, a national non-profit organization that helps kids reach their full potential through sports.

The event was a great success and included 5 hours of spinning on the lawn of Curtis Hixon park with motivational instructors pushing everyone to their limits. After the intense spin a party was held at the Glazer Children’s Museum with a live band, food, drinks and dancing.

Glazer Childrens Museum on Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa, site of Celebrity Spin for Kids.

SchifinoLee provided all of the marking support for this super event including the logo, flyers and ads.

Eric Leventhal - 7:51 pm February 11, 2011

Milton Glaser’s hidden talent

Not only is Milton Glaser one of the world’s great illustrators, an outstanding teacher and an iconic graphic designer—the man can also tell a joke. And, oy vey, can he curse!

Watch the 82 year old in action here. These come from Old Jews Telling Jokes, my very favorite iTunes podcast.

Milton Glaser, Two Garmentos

Eric Leventhal - 2:40 pm August 17, 2010

On the other hand, everyone now has a gym membership

Naked Office, on UK cable channel Virgin1, is not a behind-the-scenes look at a certain popular comedy series. It’s a reality show about… you’ve no doubt figured it out.

Each week a disfunctional small business in Great Britain is visited by “Leading behaviour change specialist and leadership guru Seven Suphi.” She analyzes their problems and has the staff work through them on a very casual friday. (Come to think of it, it is a behind-the-scenes look). Ms. Suphi explains her method thus, “participating in The Naked Office social experiment will hopefully help employees with their confidence, trust and authenticity.”

Here’s a synopsis from one of Seven’s exposees that puts the graphic in graphic artists as she buffs the morale at a design firm. (That’s 4 puns in 1 sentence. My work here is done).

Tune in next week when Seven works her magic on a wedding planning business where its easy to see who the best man is.

Schifino Lee - 3:54 pm July 29, 2010

If you’re not part of the solution…

The business jargon bandwagon that everyone is riding nowadays is called, “Solutions Provider.” Why merely sell a thing or service, when one can provide a solution?

The strategy of solutions provided has a sturdy psychological basis. There’s a gap in your life or business, some gaping hole caused by a deep riddle or gnawing necessity. If only you could solve it, life would be complete. Hence the Solution Provider, your dedicated partner, friend and enabler. In addition to the “if only” card, the Solution Provider also plays the self esteem card. They provide a unique solution customized to your needs because each of us is a precious snowflake.

Schifino Lee, as a Commercial Identity Solutions Provider, stands ready to assist any business upgrade to the rarified aura of Solutions Provider. Here are some examples:

Egress Solutions Provider: Doorman

Tonsorial Grooming Solutions Provider: Barber

Nutrient Disc Deployment Solutions: Pizza Delivery

Flora Uniformity Solutions Providers: Lawn Crew

Glass Transparency Solutions Provider: Window Washer

Female Self Esteem Improvement Provider: Cosmetic Surgeon

Temporary Child Care Solutions Provider: Baby Sitter

Text to Action Translation Provider: Actor

Satisfaction Obstruction Solutions Provider: Customer Service Rep

Animal Cardio Health Provider: Dogwalker

Transaction Consummation Solutions Provider: Cashier

Domestic Sanitation & Appearance Enhancement Provider: House Cleaner

Spousal Atonement Solutions Provider (entry level): Florist

Spousal Atonement Solutions Provider (mid level): Maitre d’

Spousal Atonement Solutions Provider (advanced): Jeweler

Solutions Solutions Provider: Math Tutor

Eric Leventhal - 4:34 pm July 26, 2010

A survivor of the good old days

When you read about the way he lived, it’s amazing that advertising legend Jerry Della Femina is still alive. In an interview on NPR Weekend All Things Considered, July 24, The multi-agency founder reminisced about the days of the Mad Men when you had a bouncy couch in your office and a bottle in your desk. Taking advantage of the AMC series about the life and hungover times of advertising executives in the 1960s, DellaFemina has released an update of his 1970 memoir From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor.

In those days when the ad revolution (i.e. the rise of the “creative agency”) met the sexual revolution the ads were outrageous and the Madison Avenue workstyle even more so. Nowadays the ads seem quaint and the antics unspeakable. The annual office contest, excerpted from the book on NRP.com, is gauche if not offensive to even the ambisexual AE in the next cubicle.

Some things about the good old days are better off gone.

Eric Leventhal - 2:32 pm May 3, 2010

He served us well

The greatest graphic designer you never heard of has passed away. His name was Leslie Buck. He lived and worked in New York, and if sheer production volume is the measure, he is one of the greatest designers ever.

What you don’t know what he designed? But it’s an icon! It’s blue, white and gold and fits in your hands. It’s very New Yawk. Still don’t know? I’ll just cue up a re-run of Law and Order (doesn’t matter which one). Here are the detectives walking down a cold Manhattan street. One moodily sips some coffee. Okay, freeze-frame. What’s that in his hand? That’s right. Leslie Buck is the designer of the ubiquitous take-out coffee cup known as the Anphora.

As befits a gentleperson of great accomplishment, Mr. Buck, a Czech-born Holocaust Survivor, got a feature obit in the New York Times, which we are pleased to share with you.

Paola Schifino - 10:01 am April 27, 2010

A new model for earning value

On April 17, at an event in Nashville, TN, Tim Tebow said his Super Bowl ad for Focus on the Family cost him sponsorship deals. He didn’t say who objected to his pro-life, pro-traditional family (some would say anti-woman, anti-equality) message. If these companies do not support his values, he’s right not to shill for them.

The recently graduated University of Florida quarterback is learning the ropes as a sports celebrity, trying to find the right balance between his athletic and personal lives. That is: creating value without compromising values. (more…)

Eric Leventhal - 12:59 pm April 23, 2010

4/23/85 A date that will live in branding infamy

Today is the 25th anniversary of the most spectacular failure in the history of brands. New Coke officially began its 77-day life span on April 23, 1985.

The truth is New Coke consistently beat old Coke and Pepsi in taste tests. It sold well and even recaptured brand share for the Atlanta-based beverage maker.

(more…)