Adult Muppet Movie on the Way
A Dummy's Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Puppet
Mannequin American views and guidelines on marketing/PR trends, news from the world of puppets and ventriloquism, bits of humor and other interesting but useless information. I post every Tuesday and Friday. For information on this puppet's background, go to http://www.dale-brown.com/.
Not All Businesses Are Down
Hershey Co.'s third-quarter earnings nearly doubled to $125 million from $63 million a year ago. How, you ask? The company increased its marketing budget. In a down market, the company increased its promotion budget, gaining market share and doubling profits. Its marketing budget will be up about 25% for the full year and as a result Hershey Co. has turned the tide on its share loss to rival Mars.
The company focused its marketing efforts on Hershey's Bliss, Reese's, Twizzlers and Kit Kat brands, as well as international markets. Hershey has vowed to increase ad spending by another 20% in 2009. See ... marketing can work in a down economy when it's done right.
New Muppet Movie Aimed Strictly at Adults
Many past Muppet-related projects and movies have aimed at least partially, at adult audiences. Some, such as Puppet Up! and Tinseltown are "R" rated and target only adults. These do not come from Disney. They come from the Jim Henson Company's "alternative department," which is a division of Henson's that basically develops projects not for kids.
Brian Henson, Co-CEO of Jim Henson Company and one of the late Jim Henson's sons will direct a new movie, titled The Happytime Murders. (Brian also heads up the hilarious, comedy club Puppet Up! improv group.)
The Happytime Murders will take place in a special type of world where humans co-exist with puppets. However, the puppets are viewed as second-class citizens. And when members of the famous '80s The Happytime Gang start to get murdered one by one, "a disgraced puppet LAPD detective turned private eye - with a drinking problem, no less - takes on the case." (Sounds a little like Roger Rabbit, doesn't it?)
The movie is being described as having a comedy side to it, sort of like Broadway's Avenue Q. I'm still waiting to be asked to do a part in the movie. ... Still waiting ... Still waiting ... Maybe they don't know that Kermit is a personal friend of mine?
Thanks to Lauren Brown for tipping me off about this new movie.
Does This Sell Milk?
There are quite a few video oddities at Must Drink More Milk for the British Columbia Dairy Foundation. The short videos are aimed at touting the "strengthening qualities" of milk. Some are actually disturbing ... scary. Some are funny. Others use an over abundance of bodily function jokes. See for yourself and let me know which one is your favorite. Mine is the deck of cards.
Honda's Musical Road "Turned Off" After 18 Days
Ken Gibson can tell you that it's a little eerie to hear the "William Tell" overture float through your bedroom window at 2:00 in the morning. He first thought the noise was a neighbor playing a xylophone. His neighbor was convinced it was a ghost. Across West Avenue K in Lancaster, two others thought the noise was the high school marching band.
They all soon learned that the tune was coming from a musical road installed by Honda Motor Co. designed to play the overture when Honda Civics and other cars drove over it, as part of a marketing campaign targeting younger folks. The first musical road in the U.S. is featured in Honda commercials that began this month.
The roads feature intermittent grooves similar to rumble strips on highways. The grooves are spaced so that a series of pitches play when a car drives over them. While some residents of the (usually) quiet neighborhood thought the music was great, others thought it got old quickly. After getting complaints, the city decided to cover over the grooves that made the road sing -- just 18 days after it was installed.
But the experiment isn't over. Lancaster officials liked the attention the city received as a result of Honda's road and are considering bids from Wal-Mart and other potential sponsors to build another musical road in a different location. This time, they're hoping to get more revenue out of it.
Ringtones ... Who Needs Ringtones?
The IT guys in our office asked me to include this on my blog. I thought this was a hoax until I went to the Web site ... it's real. You can purchase "Call Me" panties for $9.95 each and your holiday shopping will be done. The wearer is supposed to set their phone to vibrate. According the Web site the panties are made from the "finest material and construction." But after viewing the rather erotic videos that demonstrate the product, you probably won't care what the product is made from.
