Axtell Puppet Challenge

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Axtell Puppet Challenge

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/.

Make Face Time

Right around the time subway riders and air travelers are experiencing withdrawal symptoms from lack of Internet connections they may look up and notice ads encouraging them to "power down, log off, unplug ... make face time." The brand with the temerity to tell us to disconnect from our totally wired lives is Dentyne chewing gum. (It's a cute web site. It shuts down after 3 minutes to force you to go out and "Make Face Time.")

The campaign, called "Make face time," features happy people embracing and kissing - their breath presumably freshened by Dentyne - as an alternative to pounding their BlackBerrys or sending electronic messages to their Facebook friends.

The strategy could be a gamble, as the ads are aimed at the people who are most passionate about these digital tools. But I hope it works because it's a refreshing approach. Also I'm tired of tightly gripping the steering wheel of my car because in my review mirror I can see the young lady behind me is paying way more attention to her cell phone call than to her driving.

2008 Axtell Puppet Challenge
For the second year Axtell Expressions is sponsoring the "Axtell Puppet Video Challenge." The purpose of this contest is to show the world how fun and entertaining it is to use and watch Axtell puppets, and to showcase new talent. First place winners in the ventriloquist categories (there's a puppet division too) will receive cash prizes plus an invitation to appear with Terry Fator in Las Vegas. Videos must be at least 1 minute long and not over 2 minutes long. Last year the contest attracted many creative and very funny videos.

To add to the prestige of the contest, Steve Axtell has gathered an unbelievably impressive list of judges. Here they are.

Jay Johnson, Tony Award winning star of Broadway's "The Two and Only" and TV star of "Soap."

Ronn Lucas, Vegas Headliner and author of Better Living Through Ventriloquism.

Kevin Johnson, America's Got Talent Favorite Runner Up, cruise ship and LegoLand performer.

Clinton Detweiler of Maher Ventriloquist Studios (just about all professional vents have ties to Clinton).

And oh, yeah, the guy above is also a judge. Well, there goes all the credibility Axtell was looking for.

Check out the Web site at http://www.axtell.com/ to view the entries which are due by Nov. 15. Better yet, give an Axtell puppet a home and make your own video!

Three Very Funny Commercials
Thanks again to AdRants for these.

Everyone has experienced an embarrassing moment when our parents found out about that not so straight and narrow thing we did for play or for work. When it occurs, you just want to bury your head and forget your parents even exist. In this commercial for Renault, that notion is put to use but with a twist. Because the Renault Twingo is a modern car for modern times, moms who drive them are also modern and don't have a problem with their daughters making a few extra bucks in a job one wouldn't usually include on their resume. Twingo. We live in modern times.

Cleatskins is a product that football players put over their shoes so that they don't slip when walking on cement or tile. (I had no idea there were such things.) This online ad for Cleatskins starts out like a typical sports gear spot. It all seemed very made-for-TV. And then the end happened, and then I laughed, because this is the kinda stuff you can do on the 'net that you can't risk doing on television.

Not one to sit idly by while its nemesis gets a $300 million makeover, Apple is out with two new commercials, one of which directly comments on the amount of money Microsoft is spending on its current advertising campaign. In the ad, we see PC divvying up Microsoft's budget allocating the lion's share to the ad campaign and a minuscule amount to fixing Vista's problems. It's pointed commentary on the all too common viewpoint that advertising can cure all ills. This will probably be one of my favorite commercials of 2008. Brilliant and funny.