Chip Martin

Roseanna Commencement Speech

chip — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:30:00 GMT

A Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American Marketer

Roseanna Roseannadanna Commencement Speech

It's an appropriate time of year for graduates to watch and listen to this gem from 1980 by Gilda Radner.

Don't Ignore Social Media in a Crisis

chip — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:30:00 GMT

A Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American Marketer

Don't Ignore Social in a Crisis

Things happen. None of us like it, and we all do our best to avoid it, but sometimes things go wrong outside of our control. If you have active social channels, it's important to have a plan in place as to how social communications will be managed in a crisis situation-- before the crisis actually happens. You can't leave it to chance because that may make a bad situation even worse.

Pikinis

Ever wished you had a shortcut to a Facebook friend's bikini pics? Well, soon there's going to be a creepy app for that very purpose.

A New York-based developer is creating an app called Pikinis, which will allow users to quickly locate any beach pictures a Facebook friend has uploaded. Users can then "pineapple" pictures they like, making it easier to come back to them later.

Pikinis' managing director Ted Kramer told BroBible in an email: "To be clear, Pikinis is for men and women -- women can just as easily find men's swimsuit photos, and (somewhat surprisingly) we've found just as much interest from women as men."

But the first users of the app, which is currently in beta, seem to be exclusively male. According to BroBible, the app is being tested by frat boys all over the country.

"Lock up those privacy settings even tighter!" Katie Baker at Jezebel advises. I think that sounds like pretty solid advice.

Get Scarred for Life for a Little Extra Cash!

That's the tempting offer being floated by New York City's Rapid Realty, which is offering employees 15 percent raises if they get the company's logo tattooed on their person. Some 40 employees have already done so-either because they love the firm, need the money, or both.

"I was like, Why am I throwing my money away when I could get myself from $25,000 to $40,000 for the same amount of work?" said Stephanie Barry, who might not understand what 15 percent means. "My wife was a little concerned but I said, you know what, it was the best commitment I could think of," said another employee, who's been on the job all of one month.

There are no size or placement restrictions-one clearly ashamed employee got a tiny tattoo behind her ear. And actually, the design isn't terrible. Rapid Realty owner Anthony Lolli pays for the tattoos, which cost up to $300 each. But tellingly, he has yet to get one himself.

Meet Polly-Jo

Polly-Jo was one in a series of vintage ads for Chesterfield that introduced readers to "women who smoke Chesterfield King." If you wanted a date with Polly-Jo you were invited to send 2,120 empty Chesterfield King Packs and your name would be forwarded to Polly-Jo's mom. Seriously.

Ron Swanson on Vegan Bacon

Click here to see the brilliance of Ron Swanson.

Newhart on The Big Bang Theory

Bob Newhart, 83, often turns down requests to guest star on sitcoms, so kudos to CBS's The Big Bang Theory for landing him on its May 2 episode. Exec producer Chuck Lorre asked him what it would take to do one of his shows and, Newhart says, "I specified Big Bang because of the writing and the live audience."

Click here or on the link above to see Newhart's funny opening on the show. He plays Professor Proton, the former host of a kiddie science show who used puppets. "Sheldon and Leonard watched it religiously, and it influenced them to go into science," Newhart says. "When they find out he's doing appearances, they book an appointment." Tailored to Newhart's dry wit, the professor is incredulous of the adoration but plays along for the payday. And he may be back. The last scene "sets it up for me to return a couple more times next season."

Best line: "That's really your girlfriend? Then you're the genius."

Be Careful Who Has the Keys to Your B2B Social Media

chip — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:30:00 GMT

A Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American Marketer

Be Careful Who Has The Keys to Your Social Media

It is all too easy to accidently tweet something from the corporate account thinking that it's your personal account, which can lead to disastrous consequences for a brand. It seems like every week the media is highlighting some dire social media blunder. Check out The 20 Biggest Brand Disasters to see how things can really go wrong.

Some companies are savvy enough to turn these kinds of mistakes into PR wins, but those cases are rare, so it's best to avoid them at all costs.

Hire seasoned social media professionals to oversee your communications and put tools in place that require tweets and other posts to be approved before being published to add an extra layer of protection.

Need a Summer Job?

Hook-up site ArrangementFinders, part of the Ashley Madison empire, has erected a billboard in LA with the headline, "Need a Summer Job? Date a Sugar Daddy." The copy is accompanied by an image of Bree Olsen, porn star and spokesperson for the site. Nah, this won't cause any type of stir.

Making Fat Funny?

Here's a new mockumentary for L'Oreal's Vichy Skin Care which may make it a little easier for women to laugh at their own cellulite follies. I'm not personally familiar with some of these techniques: Body shapers? The shake belt? Butt vacuuming?

If you have two minutes to spare, watch some women indulge in body image self-deprecation. Listening to people make fun of themselves is always a comforting form of comedy.

Of course, after ribbing women who struggle to attain the perfect body, the end of the video shows the lower-half of a lady with flawlessly toned legs and skin that is tan and smooth. I guess Vichy wants to have their cake and eat it, too. Or something like that.

Happy Birthday TaB

From our friend Gene Mueller over at WTMJ radio ... Gene alerted me to the fact that TaB turned 50 years old on May 1st. And here's the iconic commercial that got all the boys hot and helped to make TaB a success.

TaB was Coca-Cola's first try at a low calorie beverage and it still has a small but very devoted fan base ... including our own Leslie Brown who will drive a long way to purchase her weekly 12 pack.

A web story Gene found on Kentucky.com says Coke makes about three million cases of TaB a year--a piddling amount, compared how many other brands it pours out. It's sort of amazing that TaB has survived all these years ... especially when you consider the taste. (Sorry Leslie.)

Candice Bergen Creating Film about Her Father

This Sept. 30, 1978 file photo shows dummy Charlie McCarthy on the lap of actress Candice Bergen as her father, ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, points at Caesar's Palace Hotel in Las Vegas at Edgar Bergen's farewell performance before his intended retirement. He died in his sleep later that night.

A spokeswoman for Candice Bergen says the actress is developing a film about her late father. The big-screen project will tell the story of Bergen's dad and his ventriloquist's dummy that became an unlikely celebrity. The movie will be based on Candice Bergen's 1984 memoir, "Knock Wood."

Alex Jorgensen Puppeteer

From our buddy Mark Mosio, here is a really entertaining video clip of puppeteer Alex Jorgensen and his marionette, Barti.

Proving Fat Kills

chip — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:30:00 GMT

A Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American Marketer

Fat Kills

Click here to see an ad for Kingdom Sports (which I assume is a workout facility) called, "Fat Kills." Dramatic with a humorous ending ... well it's humorous if you have a sick sense of humor.

Guess What They're Selling

RadioShack serves up this strange, suggestive spot featuring gals in bikinis and plastic wrap dancing to Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" and caressing phallic Pill speakers. RadioShack and Beats have joined together to create a commercial that features Robin Thicke, the Beats Pill and a bunch of young ladies who do the actual selling ... I think. In case you're not "with it," Beats Pill is a $200 Blue Tooth speaker system.