‘Hair-brained’ stunt goes wrong for Turner

Imagine the scene: in a bustling major metropolis, strange devices with flashing lights are discovered in random locations across the city. Alert citizenry do as they’ve been instructed – report suspicious packages and the police bring the city to a close to investigate.

Was it a terrorist attack averted? No, it was a mindless publicity stunt designed to draw attention to a silly ‘adult’ cartoon to debut on the Cartoon Network in the US.

The electronic devises – a glorified mini LED sign which has one of cartoon characters giving ‘the finger’ and the notation ‘1/31/2007 Never Forget’ – were placed in 10 cities as part of a guerrilla marketing program.

Adding to the mayhem, not to mention the hundred of thousands of dollars the city expended to deal with the hoax, two ‘performance artists’ hired by the marketing company to place the devices refused to take a post-arrest press conference seriously instead started a set piece about hairstyles through the 20th Century.

Despite an apology by Turner Broadcasting Systems (the owners of Cartoon Network), Mayor of Boston, Thomas Maninon is thinking about taking more substantial action against the broadcaster.

While imaginative marketing campaigns are essential to raise awareness and cut through the clutter of other advertising, they should never be at the expense of good taste or good judgement – Turner Broadcasting Systems failed on both counts.

Before running ahead with your ‘great’ idea for a stunt, be aware of the legal and financial implications should you get it wrong. Better still talk to use first.

Wired For Sound

A staggering 96% of children aged between 7 and 14 have access to a mobile phone.

That’s one of the remarkable set of statistics to come from a survey of 3000 children by subscription TV’s Cartoon Network.

The current generation of young consumers are fearless when it comes to new technology and readily adapt to its use.

In fact two-thirds teenagers responded said it would be difficult to stay in touch with family and friends without access to instant messaging, e-mail and texting. Whatever happened to the telephone?

As increasing children have more unrestricted access to the Internet, parents needs to be more vigilant about what their offspring are doing with their time.

Information such as this survey provides additional evidence that tailoring promotional opportunities for older children and teenagers using technology are likely to be successful.

Such marketing programs to be handled sensitively and age appropriately – parents too have access to technology and aren’t afraid to share their views about what they feel is inappropriate targeting of children.

Lane Takes Wrong Turn

We have a revelation for you.

You can’t believe everything you read in newspapers or on the Internet for that matter.

While that may be obvious to you, it would appear that radio personality and print journalist Terry Lane has fallen for another hoax.

In a recent column for the highly respected Age newspaper in Melbourne, Lane claims that park rangers at the world-famous Grand Canyon were banned from answering questions about the age of the park "because the truth will upset Bush's (religious) fundamentalist supporters".

Again like the column six months earlier, Lane’s assertions were false using, ‘spurious Internet claims to back anti-George W. Bush attacks in the paper’.

While high profile political leaders typically ignore the effect sloppy and sometimes slanderous reporting has on their reputation, there are times where private citizens should take action against defamation.

Business Communications Management holds media training workshops of a regular basis that includes units on media familiarisation and media crisis management. The workshops can be held for up to four people at a time and are a must for company directors and marketing directors.

Just For You

Special Offer 1
FREE Chocolates By Design
Book any design work – brochures, business cards, logos/branding, banners and signage – during the month of February and we will give you a FREE box of gourmet chocolates from our client Choclicious at Pacific Fair.

Special Offer 2
Corporate Golf With A Difference
Business Communications Mangement has announced a day for the first ever corporate mini-golf day – Tuesday March 20.

The two hour event will include dinner and drinks. Times are yet to be confirmed but the response to our newsletter invitation has been terrific.

The event includes an afternoon of 18 holes of mini-golf, a seafood barbecue lunch, opportunities for hole sponsorships, a lot of laughs and great networking.

You have all February to book but why leave it to the last minute?

Register your interest today on (07) 5591 8081 and we’ll keep you up to date with all the details.

Client of the Month - Choclicious

Choclicious is a chocolate lover’s delight located at Pacific Fair. The chocolate store and its neighbouring café has an outstanding selection of high quality locally handmade and imported chocolates to suit all taste.

The Bos family, owner of Chocolicious, also owns Bos Fine Chocolates that manufactures chocolates for wholesaling locally and interstate and for the hospitality industry.

Business Communications Management is working with Total Franchise Solutions to turn Choclicious into a successful franchise.

Choclicious
www.choclicious.com.au
Phone: 5572 9633

It’s Just Like A Mini Mall

There is the old maxim in marketing that says the business owner is the most passionate sales person the company has.

That’s why it seems natural enough for the business owner to front his own TV advertisements – who else can demonstrate such enthusiasm?

While some company owners are ideal spokespeople for the business – they’re charming and sincere at networking functions, adept at giving media interviews, present well in front of the camera - there are others who shouldn’t be let loose on the customers – let alone a television audience of thousands.

Our video of the month is a great demonstration of how a cheap, cheerful and tuneful TV advertisement, fronted by Sammy Stephens, proud owner of a furniture store owner in Montgomery, Alabama can obtain international attention.

Hosted and spread on video clearing web site You Tube, this advertisement has been viewed more than 160,000 times as well as appeared on the nationally syndicated Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Busting a move like Sammy’s is not for the faint hearted. Not everyone has the charm or the chutzpah to pull it off.

If you’re planning to become the face of your organisation, there are a few factors to consider:

• Are you confident in front of an audience?
• Can you take personal criticism? Not everyone is going to like what you do.
• Are you genuinely the right person to be the ‘face’ of your company or is ego behind the decision?

Regardless of the decision, using charming, amusing and clever visual creative in your advertising not only creates a local buzz – especially if your TV placement spend is modest – but also gives you the opportunity for your message to spread virally via the Internet.