Brand mascots on MySpace

USA Today ran an interesting article: Marketers get their mascots in on action at MySpace

Companies have stampeeded to MySpace to pay for official pages and marketing programs. Plus, a number sneak under the radar and put pages up without a media buy.

Regardless, unless you can make it cool and compelling, the teen market may just ignore you.

MySpace.com:
46 million = Unique audience (total number of people who visited)
25 billion = Total page views (includes repeat visitors)
551 = Total Web pages the average person viewed for the month
2 hours, 5 minutes = Avg. total time per person in July
Source: Nielsen/NetRatings, July

Image makeover for the Brawny Man

The new edition of Business Week features an interesting article about how to refresh a brand icon. The Brawny Man is now a pseudo-metrosexual who still chops down trees, but listens to progressive jazz and country music. It is unclear if he is single or married.

There are some great learnings in this article about how the brand team went about defining and refining the persona for this icon.

BUSINESS WEEK: Brawny Rolls out a New Guy
September 6, 2006

Excerpts…

Consumers have long recognized the paper towel brand by its lumberjack mascot. But to stay relevant, he needed an update.

… For 30 years the paper products company had only minimally tinkered with the visage of its successful spokeshunk. He had, after all, helped the paper towels reach an enviable 98% name-recognition rate in the U.S.

… The sandy-blond, sweeping hair and blue denim shirt … both looked out of step. Even the style in which he was drawn seemed to hark back to the glory days of Burt Reynolds and Tom Selleck.

The team set out to create a “character book” for the Brawny man. It includes adjectives to describe him: real, genuine, strong, the ideal next-door neighbor. It also notes he likes to drink beer—Labatts Canadian or a light domestic—and listens to progressive jazz and country music. The debate about his marital status heated up so much that his handlers decided to leave it an open question as to whether he’s single or not.

… Yearlong customer research led to a new, more clean-cut look.

… However he still loves the outdoors, knows a lot about chopping down trees, and is back to wearing the familiar red hunting shirt.

After the change, the company says, his 7% likability score with consumers rose to 74%.

“Brawny stands for strength,” says the executive. “The more he conveys strength, the better.”

… core customers, mothers 25 to 49 years old, are looking for some new things in a man these days. “Women’s expectations of men are very different than they were 30 years ago,” he says. “Eighty percent of our target women work. She’s multitasking. She seeks balance, and she seeks more organization in her life. Men are evolving to play a much bigger role in that area. That provides for a fairly significant emotional connection to our audience.”

Check out Business Week for the complete article and other great articles.

Be sure to checkout the Brawny Academy Web site, where the Brawny Man spurts “woodsy wisdom” while carrying a boulder, chopping wood or performing mouth-to-mouth on a raccoon. [I'm not kidding!]

Take a closer look around you

I’m continuing my theme of inspiration that can be found all around us with examples of some clever elements from various campaigns.

Have you seen the WANTED posters for the new season of Fox television’s “Prison Break?” Check out the promotion posters over at AdRants.com.

Two summers ago, bottles washed up on California shores with messages promoting the television series “Lost.”

Last year’s Mini Cooper campaign distributed Mini Cooper Counterfit kits so enthusiasts could disguise their non-Minis.

As part of the 2005 launch of the Audi A3, a job ad for “retrievers” appeared on Monster.com with secret codes that enthusiasts could use to participate in the nationwide “The Art of the Heist” contest.

So… keep a sharp eye out for what’s around you. You might be pleasantly suprised how clever someone else is.

Happy hunting.
-Roland

Brand Fanaticism

Talk about Brand Fanaticism.

The Firefox Web browser has been downloaded 200 million times (that’s downloads, not users or installs). To celebrate, a group of fans at Oregon State University organized to create a gigantic crop circle. View Photos

For the 100 million download milestone they launched a weather balloon with a logo banner.

For the 50 million download milestone they painted a giant logo on university grounds.

Just think of all that free publicity from loyal users.

Why all this effort for a Web browser? Because…
It’s anti-Microsoft.
It can be installed on Windows, Mac or Linux OS.
It’s a tool used daily and works well.
It’s customizable and expandable.
It’s supposedly more secure than Internet Explorer.

-Roland

Free Stuff for Fliers

Avis and P&G pair up to take advantage of the stricter security restrictions to help ease the strain on air travelers. It’s a great sampling opportunity to build brand awareness and possibly get free publicity for brands/products such as toiletries, GI products, eye drops, etc. that are carried during travel.
-Roland

AP BUSINESS WIRE

Tuesday, August 15, 2006 · Last updated 12:17 p.m. PT

Avis, P&G provide fliers with toiletries

By DAN SEWELL
AP BUSINESS WRITER

CINCINNATI — Travelers stripped of carryon toiletries because of heightened airport security will find a consolation gift when they pick up Avis Rent A Car vehicles in the nation’s major airports.

Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble has donated “smile packs” with its Crest toothpaste, mouthwash and floss that Avis will leave on the front seats of cars at 25 U.S. airports starting Wednesday, Avis spokeswoman Susan McGowan said.

She said P&G contacted the rental car company Friday to discuss a partnership, in reaction to the stepped-up security that dramatically expanded carryon bans in the aftermath of a thwarted plot to blow up U.S.-bound planes using liquid explosives.

“It’s the least we can do after a long day of travel and losing products that you’ve paid for,” P&G spokeswoman Tonia Elrod said.

She said the packs are full-size products, not travel sizes, worth a little more than a total $10 each at retail stores, not including P&G’s costs for shipping them. Elrod said at least 25,000 packs are being shipped initially.

“It was something that was put together very quickly in response to what travelers are gong through,” McGowan said. “This will save them a trip to the store; just something nice to do.”

Check for a good seat before you fly

Check out this article at Search Engine Watch by Chris Sherman: Search Tools for Air Travelers. There are many good suggestions. This one caught my eye…

[EXCERPT]

Even though I fly a lot, I always turn to SeatGuru before finalizing a reservation. SeatGuru features seating maps for all of the major airlines of the world, labeling seats as “good seat,” “be aware,” and “poor seat.”

Mouse over any seat, and a pop-up window will explain why a seat is labeled as it is. I use this feature even when flying business class, when you assume that seats are generally more comfortable than coach seats. On some aircraft, however, not all business seats are equal. For example, “Seat 23 is a standard business seat, but the proximity of the gallery can be bothersome. It tends to get very cold in this area during flight.”

SeatGuru maps also show the location of closets, lavatories, galleys and exits on planes. These aren’t generic maps; to use them effectively, you need to select a specific airline and aircraft. Not sure which airline is best for your needs? Scroll down the menu and use the comparison charts to compare the types of seats offered by various airlines throughout the world.

I checked out SeatGuru.com and thought this was very cool. The pages are a bit cluttered, but the information is valuable. Definitely save that url www.seatguru.com.

I thought this site was an awesome example of someone creating a useful resource I never knew I needed. I no longer have to leave to chance whether I get stuck by the noisy, smelly toilet.

Enjoy.
-Roland

P.S. Read the whole article at Search Engine Watch!

Mod enthusiasts

Mods are not new. But they are a great source of inspiration. Checkout for yourself some of the things people do:

• Case mods (designs, neon lighting, tissue box)
• Accessories (optical mice, keyboards)
• Turning a tin of Altoids(R) into an MP3 player
• Fun with duct tape (iPod boom box)

The list goes on and on. Checkout some new examples at MacWorld.com: Amazing Mac mods

Now, figure out how to motivate that community of enthusiasts. Get inspired. Create something. Better yet, inspire your customers to create something for you. And have fun!
-Roland