Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

It’s that time of year again. The chatter brews about the Super Bowl. Not the game—usually a snorefest—but the extraneous stuff that swirls around it. Ads, musical performances, drunken football legends, inappropriate comments…you get the idea. This year, as in recent years, I suspect our anticipation will be met with pretty much the same: nothing.

Think back to Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 and how Janet Jackson’s booby hypnotized the FCC into making Puritans out of networks. Remember the broadcast? Justin, Prince of Pop, gyrated. Diddy and Nelly checked their junk and Kid Rock sported a shirt made from an American flag. Even a professional streaker, usually a great 11 o’clock News digestif, was completely overshadowed by Ms. Jackson’s breast. Oh yeah, the ads. Who could forget the pooting horse for Bud Light? Ads for erectile dysfunction rivals Levitra and Cialis (introducing 36 hour power!) previewed along with old faithful Viagra.

In the aftermath 200,000 Americans complained, The FCC slapped CBS with record $550,000 fines and increased indecency fines more than 1,000 percent. While Nipplegate was the lightning rod, the pooting and repeated use of the word “erectile” got caught up in the storm, making that halftime show the poster child for low morality in pop culture.

A Time magazine poll in 2005 revealed 66 percent of Americans believed the FCC overreacted.

TV doesn’t raise our kids; we do. Sure, we don’t want them exposed to grown-up things too early, but things happen. We have to instill a sense of morality in them. Pop culture has always titillated. That’s its job. Parents can use these opportunities to give children reasoning power to hopefully prepare them to make tougher decisions later.

Super Bowl XLII rolls around on February 3. It’ll be hyped before and quickly forgotten afterwards. The acts will be tame and the ads lame. They’ll skirt controversy. By hiding unpleasant or unfamiliar subjects, we pretend they don’t exist. Isn’t that doing kids more harm than having a conversation with them? Are we too uncomfortable? My dear Puritans, the Internet doesn’t mind enlightening our kids. Unless I subscribe, I’m not a fan of gratuitous adult stuff in primetime. However, a little interest would bring the Super Bowl back into this century. Alas, thy heart believes it shalt not be giant, probably rather pat.

I don’t know a lot about search engines. And I don’t know anything about becoming a parent. But the combination of the two is fascinating. It seems search engines are becoming fruitful in the area of well…being fruitful and multiplying. A Web site called Nymbler can find the perfect name for your unborn child. Based on names that you enter, the engine will generate new names that you may not have thought of or even heard of before.

Let me include a disclaimer here since I am of childbearing age and have been married for more than five years (apparently the longest a married couple should remain childless): children are not in our near future. But this site is so much fun. First I entered some names I have always liked: Wyatt, Lucas, Maggie, etc. It came up with some good results, all of which seemed like names I would consider. Then I started messing with it. I entered names like Star, Precious, Birdie (it does have some limitations: Flower and Sassy do not exist in the database). The results? Princess, Emerald and Whisper were some of my favorites. Imagine the possibilities: you could use this site to find a name for your pet, your alter ego or even a stage name for when you become a contestant on American Idol.

The voodoo behind this search wizardry is even cooler than the site. Nymbler combines the research and analysis of a human expert with a technology called Hunch Engine, developed by Icosystem, a company based in Cambridge, Mass. The Hunch Engine works on a genetic algorithm. In their words, this innovative technology  “solves the dilemma of searching when you don’t really know what you are looking for, but you’ll know it when you find it.” That is me every day of my life. Clothes, home décor, food, shoes, my car keys (wait, that doesn’t really apply here). The algorithm takes the information you give it and identifies subtle patterns. Then it gives you personalized suggestions.

If you haven’t been impressed yet, get ready. The Hunch Engine is trainable. It can be taught to recognize patterns in all sorts of input. Without getting too sci-fi, this search engine can get inside your head and tell you what you will like. Hunch Engine responds to what you give it, but it brings you new ideas, new options in multiple nuances.

I’m hooked. Now I just have to have enough kids to use all of these great names.

What do you do with 1500 pounds of spent coffee? We do something a little unheard of in Class A office space, we reuse it. Eeeewww! Not what you think! We only brew our creative jet fuel once. However, every week 30 pounds of used coffee grounds are reincarnated in compost. Those rich Columbian relics of countless brainstorms, late nights and waaaaaaaay too early mornings have a lot of energy in them. Specifically, soggy nitrogen which cooks with dead leaves, grass clippings and other stinky kitchen scraps.

Shortage of landfill space makes compost recycling an easy process for converting decomposable waste into rich, clean, natural fertilizer. Modern composting originates from early 20th century European organic farming. With the 1999 issue of the Landfill Directive to “prevent or reduce as far as possible the landfilling of waste", the EU elevates that whole reduce, reuse, recycle thing even further.

Shouldn’t we learn from them?

The Coats household is trying. We started composting 2 years ago but not being a lover of the dark beverage, we needed coffee grounds to balance the dead carbon stuff. I see a colleague tossing used coffee grounds in the trash. Shazam! Right under my nose, the triple bottom line.

We can save valuable landfill space, create an endless supply of free fertilizer and invest in fair trade products with the savings. I encourage you to set up a coffee collection in your office. Besides being good for our environment, it promotes discussion. No, compost doesn’t smell when finished. It’s magic. Mama Nature handles it. No, it doesn’t take long to decompose. Usually about 1 month. Yes, it does look intriguing, though. It looks like fertile teamwork and forward thinking.

Precious Moments caskets and urns? That’s just creepy. Who would want those big-headed, doe-eyed children following them into the afterlife? And based on a survey conducted by TippingSprung, a branding company based in New York, it was agreed; this brand extension was DOA.

TippingSprung surveyed 785 marketing executives to get their thoughts on the best and worst brand extensions of last year. Some of the best? Newman’s Own Wines, Curves cereal, PetSmart’s Pet Hotel and Food Network’s kitchenware. And the worst? Danny Devito Limoncello. Disney’s Party Fizz (a bubbly, non-alcoholic party drink) and the Humane Society’s Dog Lovers Wine Club. And coming in dead last, Funeral by Precious Moments. (Sorry for all the puns, it’s just too easy).

The strategy for a great brand extension marries the brand equity with a new marketing opportunity. That may seem intuitive, but many brands get greedy when they see a growing trend. They try to force a connection hoping for a piece of the revenue pie. It is an agency’s responsibility to help their clients avoid the pitfalls and find the right brand extensions. The ones that enhance brands, and excite their customers. And ultimately result in an increased bottom line.

Sometimes it isn’t so obvious at the inception. Who would have thought that Bic, which originally sold ballpoint pens, would easily enter the disposable lighter and razor categories? But “quality disposable household items” fit the brand equity they had created with their original product.

The successful brand extensions will make you say, "Oh yeah, that makes perfect sense. They were made for each other."

Of course, I have to pitch a couple of my ideas:

1. American Airlines Luggage: The suitcases and bags have tracking devices sewn into them. Even if they lose your luggage, you can rest easy knowing now they can find it. 
2. Taco Bell should offer an after meal Gas-X strip. (I see a partnership around the corner!)
3. Britney Spears Crotch-less Panties. (too far?) 
4. And finally: I would love to own a limited edition Vera Wang Lexus (I know, I know – but wouldn’t it be lovely?)

Article link: http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=74472&Nid=38370&p=460755

Whenever the Federal Reserve Chairman decides to break the populus off with a little insight, I try to pay attention. Try. The uncomfortable reality of trying to listen to such dry material, however, is that...well...I just can't. Like a good little citizen intern, I make my cup of tea and sit down on the edge of the couch, with studious posture in effect, mental notebook open and ready to capture every morsel. Fifteen minutes in, and I am invariably tuned out. Last night was no different. By the time I snapped out of my Bernanke hypnosis, I had been maniacally blasting fools in Call of Duty IV for some time. I don't even remember getting up and turning on the XBOX. This morning, when I opened my eyes to the new day, I saw my breath. It was cold. And in this breath, I saw signs of inflation.

Let me back up just a few hours. On the way home to the edge of the couch yesterday evening, I first had to trade 36 dollars for 11.3 gallons of gas. When I got home, my girlfriend greeted me in the living room in full winter gear, complete with gloves, scarf and toboggan. I got the message - noone has ever accused Suzanne of being subtle. I had once again let our home heating oil tank run completely dry. THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHT DOLLARS LATER, I had successfully ordered 100 gallons of oil. So let's run back through the math. In the hour leading up to the Fed's big spiel, I dropped 344 dollars on petroleum-based necessities.

According to the AP, wholesale inflation grew by 6.3% in 2007, the largest jump in 26 years. Rising energy costs of various persuasions contributed a great deal to these numbers. My cold-natured girlfriend notwithstanding, I am bringing this up out of concern for my friends to the north. Here in balmy North Carolina, we've barely had a good frost so far this winter. I cannot imagine the hardships being endured by blue-collar families in the frozen tundra of New England, trying to decide - in some cases, literally - whether to eat or keep their furnace going. With the subject of the economy rapidly overtaking Iraq as the issue of distinction in this year's presidential race, candidates are scrambling to offer solutions and plans to save the day. Unfortunately, with a solid two months of hard winter remaining in the frozen North, any proposed plans to ease our burdens will be leaving these poor folks out in the cold.