Whats Next for the Golf World-Without Tiger?

With all the attention on the Tiger Woods sex scandal these days you almost forget exactly what Tiger was famous for in the first place. Looking back at his amazing career many people look at his achievements in wins and performance, however not many people realize what Tiger means to the game of golf. Tiger took the game to a whole new level, he brought more attention, more viewers and more money. He literally revolutionized the game, bringing it to the levels of popularity that only football and baseball once enjoyed. So what will this mean for the game of golf now? Many are looking at how Tiger has lost sponsors such as Gatorade and Nike, but what about the loss to the sport itself? Without the mega superstar that was carrying the sport how can the game market itself to keep the viewers that Tiger brought to it in the first place? And exactly how will they deal with the scandal itself?

The PGA will have to restructure its image, marketing and public relations. Their main goal will have to be to keep the viewership that Tiger brought. They need to know how to keep the game exciting, the question is: is it possible without Tiger?

Why It's Important to Proof-Read

Today employees take multi-tasking to a whole new level, and although this may be good for their employers it may take a toll on the quality of production. Take for example the numerous examples from Fail Blog (http://failblog.org/) the blog where readers send in circumstances of extreme failure. Look at the following and see if you can find whats wrong, go to their site to check out the full posting, warning some are not suitable for younger viewers.

The Extreme Outdoors

Outdoor advertising gives creative minds a boot camp like extreme work out. With so many possibilities to reach consumers in their day to day lives agencies are coming up with extreme and unusual ways to keep people noticing their clients. Check out the work of Mother New York, Creativity Magazine's agency of the year( http://www.mothernewyork.com/?p=190) for Stella Artois at http://theritualproject.com. The campaign itself is is a 21 day project where painters use a simple Manhattan brick building to demonstrate the perfect lager poor-from washing the glass out to the presentation. That seems impressive enough, especially once you see the ad. However Mother New York took it one step further-creating a documentary on the life of a painter as well as the web-site devoted to the project, encompassing what is the perfect integrated marketing campaign. Its got it all-the right media mix, the hype, the buzz, the creativity and the the location. It pulled off its goal-it kept people watching in anticipation,and amazement- and well it made them really thirsty.

The Softer Side of the Super Bowl

Going over the list of Super Bowl Spot Buyers this year there is one that makes the list a little softer. Dove is releasing a new product line-just for men. The well known beauty care product aimed mostly towards women is now tapping into the testosteroney, sweaty, muscle packed world of men's products. They describe the product as being aimed at guys who are comfortable in their own skin, but who want to use a product that won't dry them out. Well what a way to introduce it, to the most watched sporting event of the year! Although the creative aspect has not been released, it will be interesting to see just what they will pitch- I'm sure it will involve a skinny blonde, another guy in a itchy sweater, and a tall dark handsome man with smooth silky bronze itch free skin! I hope they surpirse me though with something out of the box-or should i say bowl?

If You're a Women, You'll Appreciate This!

The Fight Against-PHOTOSHOP!

Recently I've heard and seen a lot about how editors have taken the art of photoshop a little too far. From extra slim hips, to barley there waistlines advertising creators have been taking the photoshop brush to the extreme. However in my readings I have come across some interesting drama, and great campaigns agaisnt the art of photoshop. Take for example Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty, which depicts women for who they really are, and also fights against the normal slimming practices of the typical advertising industry. This campaign has been going on for a few years now, but in its path have come some new interesting twists and turns with the contraversy of photoshop.

In recent photoshop scandel news England has taken a stand against one of its own! Twiggy, the 60 year old supermodel who was brought back to life with her appearances on America's Next Top Model was recently featured in Olay's Definity Eye Cream. However the ad posed her as a much younger, wrinkle free version of her self, upsetting many people, including the British Parliment. After many complaints the Advertising Standards Authority put a ban on the ad, claiming it to be "socially irresponsible" as well as having a "negative impact on people's perceptions of their own body image." Look below at the diffrences and tell me what you think! Thanks to the Brits for finally giving those photoshop people a fight!

Scare Tactics- How far is too far?

Scare tactics have been a handy tool in the back pockets of advertisers since the dawn of advertising time. Remember your reaction to that TV commercial the other night-"what, really, maybe I should get Clorox to kill off those H1N1 viruses, or "holy crap" I guess I might need those Hanes wedgie proof undies that Sarah Chalke struts her stuff in so I don't go around picking 'em in public! Or for you guys, "what, lose my hair! no way"-thank god for Rogaine! Ok, so some scare tactics are used in humorous every day ways, and we can all get a little chuckle out of them. However as consumers are getting what I call the "Advertising Immunity" where simple scare tactics, and many other tactics roll off of them like water on rain proof boots-advertisers are stepping up their game. This is great in some ways such as the new exciting interactive media trends, such as social media, or the great new billboards and outdoor media that cause a few rubber-neckers to do a double take.
However, in the case of scare tactics, advertisers may have taken a step over that line of, um, well, decency. Take for example those On-Star radio clips you hear, while of course driving your car. Great placement, great idea, but man who wants to hear a young baby crying after getting into an accident, or a grown man crying that his legs are broken. I've decided the box of Kleenex may need to be brought along with me everyday. And how about those Brinks home security commercials where the scary man breaks into the home of the unsuspecting wife and kids while dad is away on business. I know it's a sense of reality, but when should a commercial make me want to sleep with the lights on?

The Grand Daddy of em all, the gold prize goes to Quercus, Portugal's Association for the Conservation of Nature. They made an anti global warming commercial that would make Al Gore turn his head. Check out the video below, mark your reaction. I know mine was out-loud.



So how far is too far? Although compelling and convincing, how do you explain the ad to a kid who views it while switching channels between episodes of SpongeBob. Advertisers who want to make a splash need to be careful of how big the splash is, especially if it lands in the hands of the wrong viewer, whore reaction may be more than just an out loud banter.