Junior's Fresh Kicks!

As an avid lover of hip hop, sports, and sneakers, when I saw this video land in my inbox the other day I was immediately intrigued.  The headline contained the words "Cool Kids" I was like "there is no way these media people are about to use some of my favorite Chicago rappers to sell their sneakers?!"  Honestly, this commercial is  genius.  The use of the exclusive track in conjunction with appearances from NBA players Amar’e Stoudemire and Chris Bosh, NFL receiver DeSean Jackson and MLB legend Ken Griffey Jr. reinforces the cool/fly factor of both brands.   Nike toes the line between athlete and fashion rebel with an understated finesse.

Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to see the Cool Kids perform, but I have seen/interacted with them  at many events and shows.  To say you can pick them out of a crowd is an understatement.  These dudes have some innovative style, and I love to see what they're wearing.  They stand out in a crowd where everyone  has designed outfits to stand out.  This ad encompasses their individual style (personal and lyrical) perfectly.  Including the song keeps the commercial more authentic to a subset of the target, because the duo are a bit more underground.

One can only assume that during the creative process Nike & Footlocker made a calculated decision to design a commercial that reaches beyond the underground hip hop community,  and elusive sneakerheads.  The brands wisely chose to combine the star power of popular athletes with the rappers.  The choice to include Stoudemire, Bosh, Jackson and Griffery resonates with an even larger audience target,  giving the commercial a more mainstream reach than the underground hip hop sneakerhead.

As a result of all this analysis I am going to rock my Nike hi-tops this afternoon.

Well played Nike.

Better late than never?

Ugh. I feel like I have been trying to update the blog forever.  This draft has been sitting in the edits since the day after the Super Bowl.  I figure it has some good stuff in it so why not post it for the world....better late than never right? (It's in blue.)

I survived the Snowtorious B.I.G. aka Snopocalypse-Windy City edition aka Snowmaggedon 2011.  It was quite an interesting week filled with snow, wind, idiots stranded on LSD (that's Lake Shore Drive to all you non-Chicagoians) and of course the wonder that is THUNDER SNOW.  I was one of the lucky that did not lose power, heat, or even sleep over the blizzard. I attended a snow bunny party in my building and watched the flakes fly.  Of course Rex decided that he would not use his wee wee pad, and I took him out at 9:30 pm during the peak of the 70mph winds.  We were only out there for approximately 90 seconds.

Anyway, Super Bowl Sunday just passed.  I am so sad that my Steelers did not defeat my arch enemy the Green Bay Wackers....oh I "meant" Packers.  Anyway, as a participant in the most watched television show ever I will give my obligatory Super Bowl winner and losers wrap up.

Winner: Clearly Chrysler.  I loved the "We are Detroit" theme. I thought it was intense, and the Eminem voice over coupled with his song "The Moment" was a nice touch.  The ad fought back against the criticism that Detroit is wasting away into a ghetto; that it is a scab and scar America would be better without.  Instead this ad showed what Detroit people are proud of, they will not give up, and they will rise again.  In my classes we question are the ads clear, motivating, and distinct? If yes, you have a great ad.  This ad was all three.  I am quite sure I wasn't the only soul who felt compelled to buy American again. 

Losers:  I have two choices.

The American public as we were also forced to endure limitless sub-par commercials. WHAT HAPPENED TO BEING CREATIVE?! It's the Super Bowl for goodness sake. Do not pound out your usual work!!!!!!!!!!!!  I also felt there were too many movie previews.  Boo.

Coke.  What happened to making sense? They were all over the board, with the soldiers on opposite sides of battle putting their differences aside to share a Coke and then re-drawing lines in the sand.  What about the fantasy world that just left me scratching my head and thinking yet ANOTHER horrible Coke ad.  I say this from a place of love.  I love the products. Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Cherry Coke, Coke Zero=Mad Media Maven YUM. One of my favorite commercials of all time is a Coke commercial "Cake Mix, Wheat Bread, Coca Cola, Shaving Cream."  I REMEMBER the list years later!!!!!! I beg you Coke. Fire your creatives and hire me. This showing was for the second year in a row abysmal.  It was unclear, unmotivated, and indistinct. FAIL.

We all know that Groupon did a bad job.

Anyway-this semester is way busier than I thought it would be.  The weeks seem to fly by.  I am learning a ton at my internship.  The job hunt is......going.   Hoping to land the job soon.  Still pursuing lots of leads. 

Tonight is Chicago's much hyped mayoral election. Should be interesting to watch.  Ciao!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month??!

That's a joke.  In all seriousness these Breast Cancer Awareness (going forward we will say BCA because it's too much to type) marketers have really impressed me. This years media blitz hit the ground running!! It's only October 4th, and unless you live under a rock you know it's BCAM.  You have seen at least ten ads, and perhaps even already donated to the cause.  Personally, I attended a fundraiser Saturday--yes on the second day of the month.  Ford had Neil Patrick Harris encouraging the world to Suit Up! And wear a BCA tie in a prime time commercial of  "How I Met Your Mother." During Sunday's games the NFL players/teams/coaches are all wearing pink either in the form of cleats, gloves, or on their team gear. Even the goal posts are wrapped in pink padding!  But it doesn't end there. 

This evening when I returned home from class I turned on the game in time to see Kelly Rowland singing "Survivor" and breast cancer survivors marching on the football field. Now, I don't want to sound like I don't care about breast cancer. I do. BUT this is almost ridiculous.  I understand that you want to put your cause on the largest platform available, but this doesn't go well with football.  First of all, it's not tradition to see star-studded halftime shows during Monday Night Football.  What was the point?  Wouldn't this be better suited for a format such as Project Runway?  Sidenote: I do believe they'll tie it into Project Runway just wait!! Likewise, where was the rest of Destiny's Child?

There is a such thing as overkill.   It seems whoever coordinated this campaign did not believe in it.  This is based solely on the amount of BCA paraphernalia invading our world.

My rating of the BCA program is three stars.  You have done well with alerting us of your cause. It has become second nature to associate breast cancer with October and pink ribbons.  Congrats.  Where you messed up is in drowning us in your media blitz.  If you lose us now all your efforts were in vain.  It is only October 4th.  We have 27 days remaining in the month.  Let us breathe!

Update: Had some technical difficulties with this post. Better late than never!

I Love You NFL

The NFL Ticketexchange ad shown during tonight's pre-season game between the Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers was fantastic.  I was wondering, "how will Ticketmaster feel about this loss of revenue?"  Well, for those who also thought the same thing they won't!  The NFL Ticketexchange site is powered by Ticketmaster. Regardless, I see a huge success in the near future!

Another great spot was their "we're all winners now" (because the season hasn't started) commercial. The piece showed individuals running through their homes with various team flags in preparation for Game Day.  It got me cheering and I felt a surge of excitement (that only football can cause) when I saw THE CHICAGO BEARS FLAG on the screen.

As a female football fan the NFL and ESPN never cease to amaze me with how well they understand their target.  Their humor is on point, and they pump you up to watch the game. BRAVO!