A few weeks ago MTV premiered a new “reality” series about young self proclaimed Guidos and Guidettes, that appear to have been rejected from Real World casting auditions, called “The Jersey Shore.”  I must say that previews for this awesomely bad show had me intrigued from the very beginning, and as the season continues I get more excited for each episode. Not only has the show given MTV another hit reality show, but the cast and the lifestyle portrayed has become a marketing force with in both interactive and traditional media channels.

Although big name advertisers like Dell and Domino’s Pizza have pulled their ads from the shows time slot, it appears that many nontraditional forms of marketing are capitalizing on the show’s popularity. From blog posts, quotes, to Facebook Applications such as “Jersey Shore Name Generators” and viral videos here – are some of my favorite Jersey Shore marketing materials.

Facebook added an application that would produce your Jersey Shore nickname.  Some of the more popular names from the show being Mike “The Situation” and Nicole “Snooki.”  I tried the generator out and it provided me the nickname Christos “The Sausage Party” Ellis.

Take the quiz for yourself

*note you may need to login to Facebook

Chicago’s local free news paper The Red Eye has several blog posts regarding the show.  My favorite being ‘Vote for best fist-pumpin’ “Jersey Shore” quote – Part 5,  which is a weekly recap of the episodes including an area to vote for your favorite quote of the week. 

My favorite quote so far would have to be from DJ Pauly D where he explains how to battle to house music with fist pumps, he says “It’s like we beat up that beat!”

The new movie Youth and Revolt actually marketed their movie in ads that ran on MTV starring the Jersey Shore cast and actor Michael Cera.  The cast gives Michael lessons and tips on how to be a Guido.

Watch for yoruself

The original post is created by: Marketing Support Inc.

View MSI’s latest product video, developed for Chamberlain to showcase their newest addition to their brand of DIY home access solution.  Far from a typical product introduction, MSI helped launch the new Chamberlain Wireless Motion Alert (CWA2000) system by developing this 5-minute mock documentary.  It humorously demonstrates how the CWA2000 (has enabled one couple, the Harrisons, to take control of their property as it relates to the everyday battles of pesky neighbors, rambunctious teenagers, and neighborhood pranks.  Shot to resemble an amateur home movie, the video follows the Harrisons as they take a stand to protect their home and sanity by installing the CWA2000 at key locations around their property.

In addition to visually showing where the CWA2000 can be installed, the video also conveys ease of installation, affordability, reliability and functionality of the CWA2000 sensors.  Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ChamberlainDIY#p/a/u/0/8Q7sRyXuNuM

Original post here: Marketing Support Inc.

It’s funny how many meetings and arguments I’ve sat through lately about the merits or utility of brands in tough economic times: “Why are they needed?”. “Do consumers even care?” And of course the most ironic chestnut of them all: “We can’t spend money on that stuff right now.”

To which I will repeatedly say the same thing I’m going to here now: You’re already spending money on your brand, and very likely wasting a ton of it on things like errant purchasing decisions, misaligned innovation, bad licensing deals, and disorganized or uninspired personnel.

You’re spending it on the oft-overlooked other half of your brand: the functional and operational one that drives the engine. And while it’s the less sexy stepchild of logos and TV campaigns more commonly associated with ‘brands’ the past 10 years or so, it’s arguably the more important one as it tells you when to run that campaign, or if you should at all, what media to mix, or what sponsorships to cut or pursue.

Indeed, in tough times a strong brand actually becomes a vital corporate decision tool that helps allocate time and resources to keep everyone moving forward on a single, straight path. And last I checked that’s pretty much the point of any enterprise, isn’t it?

So sure: if you’re simply regarding brands as superficial image-driven entities limited to the province of wacky creative types, then probably do hold off on the re-branding for a bit longer. But if you’re looking to work smarter not just harder and truly leverage every dollar and hour in 2010, then strengthening and ensuring the fundamental health of your brands should be at the top of any to-do list. And there are a host of smart, resourceful ‘non-creative’ types like strategists, researchers and planners who can work their own magic to help you do so.

At their best, brands can provide a prism through which to view and manage every aspect of business operations, fostering focus and even providing yardsticks for financial ROI. Which–getting back to my argumentative client we started with—is probably the sole agenda of their next internal meeting after ours.

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Everybody needs a good deal these days, especially in this economy.

Have you heard of Groupon? I hadn’t, up until about a month or so ago. My friend Jason at the office introduced me to the idea so that I’d go in on some coupons for this organic sandwich shop that opened up around the corner. By the way, it’s Hannah’s Bretzel and the club sandwich is fabulous!

 I usually pack my lunch, because when you work in the loop, a sandwich is $10 and you can’t eat a sandwich without chips and those are $1 and then you get thirsty… you get what I’m saying. Next thing you know you’re spending $60 a week for lunch.

Groupon was offering 2 for 1 sandwich deal…. $20 coupon for $10, which gets you (2) sandwiches. Good deal, especially if you split with a friend. Great way to get attention to a new establishment and allow consumers to try something new and not have

It’s gaining in popularity and has popped up in industry trade pubs as of late. Check out the article below from Advertising Age.

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=141172

The original post: Marketing Support Inc.

Happy holidays from all of us at MSI! 

http://www.msinet.com/holiday/2009/ 

And kudos to the team in charge of putting together this year’s fantastic e-card!

Source: Marketing Support Inc.

About 3-1/2 years ago I made the decision to give my Chevy S-10 pickup truck to my niece and take a chance on using the CTA (train and bus) and I-Go car sharing program to get around Chicago. Since then, my life has become a lot less stressful; I no longer sit in traffic dropping f-bombs in hopes I would get to my destination quicker. 

I always thought it would take me twice as long to get somewhere using the bus – fact is, I usually get to where I’m going in the same amount of time. With the addition of Bus Tracker to my mobile device – I can schedule my travel times accordingly. True, the CTA has a tendency of being unreliable at times, but when I compare that to all those times I drove around looking for a parking space, sitting in traffic, driving behind a moron and parking tickets; at this time, I’ll take my chances with the train and bus. 

When I do need a car, I use I-Go. For those who don’t know how I-Go or Zipcar works; you login to their website and reserve a car in increments of 30 minutes. I-Go has different payment options for individuals and businesses depending on how often you need to use a car. One of the nice features with using I-Go is that I don’t have to pay for gas or insurance, it’s all covered by the program. Both car sharing programs have cars parked throughout the city, at this time mostly in neighborhoods downtown and on the northside. However I’ve noticed that I-Go has expanded their fleet into the South Loop, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Bronzville and Hyde Park within the past year.

I’ve spent about a third of what I would have spent if I owned a car since making this transportation transition. For someone like myself, who lives and works in the city, using public transportation and car sharing program has worked out really well from both a financial and transportation point of view. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-car, I just don’t need one at this time.

Need more info?
I-Go website
Zipcar website

Post written by: Marketing Support Inc.

Christos’ Magnificos list of Chicago winter activities:

1. Have a glass, or several, of Glogg (mulled wine)  at a local establishment like Simons
2. Ice skating at Millennium Park.  I have never ice skated so that should be interesting
3. Lugeing at the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex
4. Take in a “fabulous” show maybe Christmas Follies from the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus   
5. Lincoln Park Zoo Lights - Carols, animals, and lights…how could that be a bad time

Original post: Marketing Support Inc.

Here come the holidays! I like that it starts with Thanksgiving. Not too much pressure, just a meal. And really, it’s the same meal every year. Oh, maybe a different pie, or something new in the stuffing, but basically it’s always the same. There’s something very comforting in starting out the season in the same way every year. It also gives everyone a chance to dip their toe into the biggie, the main event, Christmas. I like Christmas. I like it a lot. I like the songs, and the movies, and the tv shows. I entertained the idea of naming one of my sons George Bailey.

This year my sons are turning 6. They were born a few days before Christmas. Every year, up to now, I’ve kind of been in control of what they got for Christmas. I let them choose what they were interested in, giving gentle nudges when they went one way (ie: art kits, lego sets, big wheels and batman) and offering distractions when they choose less, um, desirable paths (ie: pogo sticks and guns). This year the distractions will no longer work. They’re on to me.

Transformers are my nemesis. I don’t like them. They are robots that turn into cars, or cars that turn into robots, I’m not sure of the chicken/egg order of things. Whatever they are, they’re armed and I don’t like it. You know who likes Transformers? Tony. Tony is a boy they go to school with. Tony is great. Every day I hear about what Tony likes and doesn’t like. My sons like Tony. A lot. And I do, too. Tony is a nice kid.

I’ve been trying to push Toy Story toys. For years. Buzz stood a chance, but nobody has really shown an interest in Woody. And now, it’s Transformers. Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. Those are their names. The Transformers. I swear, I don’t even know if they are good guys or bad guys. No one seems to be able to explain the backstory to me.

So, this year, things are changing. My boys are not solely “mine” anymore. They belong to the world of Transformers. The world of Tony. The world. I’ll be ok. There’s a new Toy Story movie coming out next year and they’re already pushing some toys for that. Jack likes the remote control car from the movie, so I’m letting Santa know. They still like the Grinch and Rudolph, so some of what was still is, and hopefully always will be.

Oh, and instead of a turkey for thanksgiving, the rock of all holiday traditions, my mom is cooking a capon. That’s a rooster. That’s been castrated.

Happy Holidays!

The original post: Marketing Support Inc.

Check out MSI’s latest viral campaign for AeroBed: 

www.thinkaero.com/guestrating 

Source: Marketing Support Inc.

In a recent study conducted by Ad-ology titled “Advertising’s  Impact in a Soft Economy” more than 48% of US adults think that the lack of advertising by a  retail store, bank or auto dealership during a recession indicates that the business must be struggling.  Conversely a vast majority perceives businesses that continue to advertise as being competitive or committed to doing business.  The study concludes that it is critical to advertise in the current economic climate to maintain long-term positive consumer perception of your brand.

In another study by the University of North Carolina it showed that marketers that cut spending during a downturn lost share to private labels – share they did not regain.  Another benefit of spending on a consistent basis is that the stock prices tended to increase an average of 1.3% ahead of others.

It takes courage to go against the economic trends but the long term results can be very beneficial both to Main Street and Wall Street.

Original post: Marketing Support Inc.