$200 Burger Not All Bad
A Dummy's Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Puppet
Mannequin American views and guidelines on marketing/PR trends plus bits of humor and interesting but useless information. For information on Chip's performance schedule, go to http://www.dale-brown.com/.
Take a "Twix Moment"
I mentioned this in the B&M newsletter, but in case you're not on our mailing list I thought I'd include it here as well. Twix candy bars have made good use of their new TV ad by turning it into an audience participation adventure on their web site.
In the ad, a guy convinces a girl to come home with him by inviting her over to blog about the media. But he needs a "Twix moment" to come up with that idea. If you visit http://www.twix.com/ you can expand the story and choose your own outcome for the ad. Try it. It's fun. Some of the choices made me laugh out loud.
The adventure is called "Get the Girl." The object of the adventure is to get the girl to the guy's apartment. But there are obstacles! You have to mull your options over during "Twix moments" and then make the right selections to keep the charade going. It's fun, it's good marketing, it's good use of a web site, it's memorable and it's tied to other Twix marketing vehicles. (Helpful hint: at the very end, pick "Be honest." You'll dig what happens. But the correct answer is "Keep up the charade," and that has an equally funny ending.)
When Pigs Fly ... or Floss
I have no idea what a pig has to do with Crest Glide Dental Floss, but this 3-dimensional promotional gimmick recently appeared in New York City. It garnered some internet attention in addition to pedestrian stares. But most comments centered around the word, "Huh?"
On the other hand, here's a promotional gimmick that most people immediately understand.
The "King's" Big Burger is Unjustly Attacked
Burger King has gotten in on the expensive-burger craze. The company unveiled a $200 burger on its menu in one West London outlet, featuring Wagyu beef, Pata Negra cured ham, and a truffle garnish.
While the burger is clearly more promotional than gourmet, CBS News shook its finger at the fast-food chain. In fact, the CBS story took a weird angle on the whole thing: Outrage.
The CBS announcer said, "To some this is a high-end burger. To others though, it isn't a burger." Cut to footage of starving children in Sudan. Enter quote from antipoverty group spokesman. "To come out with this kind of hugely expensive and over-the-top burger and to have 800 million people going to bed hungry every night is just to shoot yourself in the foot."
Huh? They're blaming Burger King for food shortages around the globe?
It turns out that Burger King is donating proceeds to the Help a London Child charity, which assists young people experiencing abuse, homelessness, disability, poverty and illness. This little fact was glossed over by the CBS story. So much for an unbiased, factual, get-to-the-root-of-the-real-story, media.
Winners of the Cartoon Caption Contest. Good job!
We had lots of entries fro our Caption Contest! Thanks for playing. Here are the winners along with additional favorites.
First Place: Your regular anchorman will not be joining you tonight...or ever.
Ann Dolphin, Mount Barker, Western Australia
Second Place: I'll bet you're wondering why you're getting this newscast on every channel.
Francis Stringham, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Third Place: Fred Reaper here, with today's report on The Housing Market.
Sue Morrison, Santa Barbara, California, USA
HONORABLE MENTION (in random order)
Due to the news readers' strike, we are operating with a skeleton crew.
A serial reaper was apprehended this evening in an old folk's home.
And tonight I bring you an update of my in-depth research on fad diets.
And now for the obituaries, or as I like to call it, my client list.
I will be taking over for Brendan today, who is resting on my doorstep as we speak.
