The fact that one of his first new voice over gigs is for Kraft Mac & Cheese….even makes it better.

You know you love it.

My first thought: Starbucks is changing its to reflect its new product or services offerings. This seems to be a valid reason, right? Starbucks does offer more than coffee; pastries, some music cds, etc. so the logo shouldn’t be limiting in the product offerings… but don’t most coffee shops?

My second thought: Is this mark, the siren, as it is now, a strong enough graphic for the company going forward? We all know how Nike dropped the word Nike and only uses the mark, the swoosh, in it’s branding. In the case of Nike though, the swoosh is on the side of the shoe and is a prominent mark that everyone (and I mean everyone) on the Earth know without the name included.

Is the Starbucks mermaid as recognizable? Will people notice this logo with the same fervor as the Nike swoosh? AND, is the mermaid the part of the logo that should have been the new essence of the brand? Yes it’s more interesting than the words, but is it more instantly recognizable or the part of the logo people will be looking for when needing coffee?

Here’s my thought process: I’m not a fan of the siren…no loyalty to the mermaid, that’s all. So making it the primary mark doesn’t resonate with me.  My general rule for logos: the simpler the better. Yes, this logo is simpler, but reducing the logo down to what it is now, doesn’t seem to simplify it because it  is still too busy and has too many parts. This logo, as it stands without the words Starbucks Coffee isn’t as strong as before. Maybe it’s all the loose openings around the logo. It doesn’t seem as tight and solid as its predecessor.

What do you think about the new logo? Will you even know where Starbucks stores are located without the old logo? Will you even notice?

We’d love to hear your ideas, so post a comment on The Side Note Blog, send us a tweet @Weise_Ideas, or find us on Facebook: Weise Communications.

Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO talks about the new logo.

Have you seen the first post-scandal Tiger Woods – Nike ad featuring a voice-over from Tiger’s deceased father Earl Woods? The ad is being discussed on talk radio all across the country; it has been the topic of many articles and newscasts. As much as I would like to debate the ethical considerations of using the words of someone from beyond the grave to sell a product, let’s set aside the judgment about whether or not this is in bad taste and focus on the effectiveness of the ad – for Nike.

There is no doubt that this ad rises above the clutter of advertising messages. However, in my opinion, from a business perspective, Nike has simply lost site of the goal of advertising.

When working with clients, we categorize advertising goals to accomplish one or more of the following:

1. Raise Awareness of the Brand/Product
2. Identify Position/Image for the Brand/Product
3. Establish Customer Expectations for Brand/Product
4. Increase Sales of Brand/Product

It is clear that the ad most likely impacts the position/image of Nike. Using a vintage interview of a father admonishing his son and repurposing it to tie to the current scandal is fascinating, but what does it accomplish for Nike?

When asked about the ad, Nike released the following statement: “We support Tiger and his family. As he returns to competitive golf, the ad addresses his time away from the game using the powerful words of his father.”

Huh?

In some ways, this ad feels like a corporate sponsor spanking a wayward spokesman. The messaging is disconnected from the company. Usually, that makes as much sense and spending money to advertise a product no one wants.

However, Barbara Lippert, Adweek’s Advertising Critic gave an insight into this unusual voyage into brand management on an interview with CBS Early Show (April 8, 2010). From Nike’s point of view, Tiger is too big to fail and they need to prop him up. This is Nike’s attempt to get the scandal over with and begin selling product again.

Simply stated, usually Tiger does ads selling Nike. This time, Nike did an ad selling Tiger.

For nearly a year, speculation and rumors about the product were rampant.  All sorts of ideas were out there and included what the name should be (the iTablet was the most accepted name, and we still think it might have been a better choice)…and photos were speculative too….from the badly photoshopped, enlarged iphone to the relatively believable photo of what turned out to be pretty close to the actual iPad.

The biggest questions I heard right after the announcement were of the usual vain from Apple doubters:

1. Will it sell?
2. Why this version of a computer?
3. Does it have a future?
4. Why this instead of the iPhone or laptop?
5. Do I need to buy another backpack with a space for the iPad?

My first thoughts are these.

1. Of course it will sell.
2. Of course this version is viable.
3. Of course it has a future.
4. Of course this work in harmony with my iPhone and laptop.
5. Of course my backpack will already accomodate the iPad.

Lisa, our Operations Manager, has never used a Apple before. She wants one.

It’s an Apple. Of course she wants one.

Its an Apple. Of course it will be successful. Of course people will love it. People will even love the name (eventually).

A story in the Wall Street Journal, by Susan Davis, gives great support for Scott Brown’s social media strategy, specifically his use of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, being more effective and making a big difference in the outcome of the Senate Race in Massachusetts yesterday (1/19/10).

Atwitter in Mass.: Brown’s Social Media Strategy Tops Coakley’s

Below is an excerpt from the WSJ story:

A study conducted by the Emerging Media Research Council out today found that Brown had a more effective strategy of using social networking tools including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to promote his campaign and connect with supporters.

Here’s a look at the numbers:

Facebook Posts since Jan. 1: Brown (128), Coakley (58)

Facebook Fans: Brown (70,800), Coakley (13,529)

Tweets since Jan. 1: Brown (142), Coakley (144)

Twitter Followers: Brown (9,679), Coakley (3,385)

YouTube Videos: Brown (57), Coakley (52)

YouTube Video Views: Brown (578,271), Coakley (51,173)

What are your thoughts? Do you think that social media really had an effect on the outcome? What have you seen? What are your experiences? We all know social media can make a difference in an election, but do you think social media changing the election process?

Interesting idea? From the graphic below and the buzz on the Web about this, not to mention our post here on The Side Note, Shane is pulling in the customers. Are you in?

Here’s a bit from his site:
A 365 day photography project by Shane Rich. I am booking whole days in 2010 to endorse YOU and any message/theme of your choice through photography. I will closely collaborate with you on creating a campaign that best delivers your message or theme.

I am selling each day for its numerical value. Meaning, Jan. 1st = $1, Jan. 2nd = $2, …. and Dec. 31st = $365.

oncemany.com/

Twitter: oncemany

Following is Shane’s photo and post on the sixth day of the year along with his January 2010 calendar:

Vintage Toy Motorcycle

Straight out of the “Leave it to Beaver” era, I ran across this great video of vintage toy commercials by John Behrens (2009). It seems to be from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. I love how many of the commercials are totally driven to be sold to boys. Then at the end of the commercial, when the voice-over says, “No BOY should be without X toy,” the same voice then says, “And great for girls, too,” with a closeup of a smiling girl holding the obviously boys’ toy.

The level of technology, if you can call it that, is funny to watch and see how far technology has come since even the ’70s.

Collection of Vintage Toy Commercials

Check out this list (one of many I’m sure) of the top 100 online videos from 2009.

The Top 100 videos of 2009 in less than 3 minutes

Now, how many of you wasted hours of time at work watching these videos?

The power of the internet.

Here’s the complete list for your convenience:

1. The Amazing Beat-box Kid2. Elephant Sneezing3. Surprised Kitty4. Weird Animal Gets Tickled5. Cat Kicked By Breakdancer6. Mambo Dog7. Two Dogs, One Cockroach8. So Your Cat Wants a Massage?9. The Horrifying Sleeping Dog10. Baby Does Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”11. David After Denist12. Baby Jack-In-The-Box13. Little Girl Flushes Fish14. Talkative Baby15. The Stay-at-Home Dad Workout16. Dog Freaks Out Upon Soldier’s Return17. Sad Giants Fan18. The Matrix in Legos19. NES Game Cartridge20. Soccer Gutar Hero21. Post-It Note Animation22. Cardboard Animation23. 20-Foot Front Flip24. The Tree Bike Trick25. Bruce Lee Plays Ping Pong26. Man and His Exercise Ball27. This Guy is Good at Everything28. Human Mattress Dominoes29. Little Kid Break Dances on Ellen30. Glow-in-the-Dark Dancers31. Choreographed Wedding Entrance32. Fat Kid Gets Served33. The Crazy Shirtless Man Dance34. Insane Japanese Backpack Commercial35. Ghostbusters A Cappella36. Great Mascot Dance37. Smoking and Singing in the Shower38. Ping Pong Celebration39. Amazing JumboTron Performance40. The Breakfast Song41. Close Call With a Bus42. Man Defies Death Twice43. Woman Passes Out In Front of Train44. Kick to the Face #145. Snooki Gets Punched46. Russian Prank Gone Right47. Accigone48. WoW Freakout49. Bad UPS Man50. Butt Acrobatics51. Bat Prank52. Saving Private Ryan Prank53. Be a Smart Bully54. Fat Kid Sings About Being Fat55. Vanilla Ice Says Sorry56. Extreme Faith57. Jesus Pwn3d U58. Jesus Christ Bail Bonds59. Vince With Slap Chop60. Shamwow Guy in Jail61. Take U to the Movies62. OK GO – WTF63. Billy Mays Re-Dub64. Fat Kid Loves Bacon65. Balloon Boy Pukes66. 80s Video Dating67. Chicken Tetrazzini68. Phillies Fan Ruins News69. The Problem With Live News70. Giant Seagull Ruins News71. Will Ferrell Crashes Newscast72. Students Define Grinding73. Crazy Georgia Fan74. Susan Boyle75. Sharon Osbourne Vs. Charm School’s Megan76. Jimmy Kimmel Vs. Melissa Joan Hart77. Frisky Ewoks on Today78. Kittens! Inspired by Kittens79. Kanye’s Imma Let You Finish80. Mad Men’s Lawnmower Fiasco81. Wrecking Ball Vs. Mini Van82. Conan Hits His Head83. Hot Water Floor Prank84. Terrible Singers, Great Production Value85. Sleepwalking Dog86. Japanese Sniper Prank87. Unbelievable Baseball Catch88. Baseball Spin Swing89. Impossible Baseketball Shot90. Double Bicycle Kick91. Fantasy Football Players Show Off92. 9-Year-Old’s Amazing Hockey Goal93. Oops, Wrong Tackle94. Taco Explodes in Slow Motion95. Crazy Soccer Girl Fight96. Redhead Kid Dances97. Strange Kid Sings98. The Most Drunk Guy Ever99. Risky Business Fail100. Keyboard Cat

The Jaz Drive. Solid State Memory.

After recently purchasing a new external hard drive and being amazed by the advances in technology with respect to cost, I ran across the following infographic and it immediately caught my attention. This infographic shows the evolution of storage media, from the original record players to the latest flash drives and hard drives.

The old rule of thumb has been that every six months technology will double in size or speed and half in price. Well, that may not always be true, but if you haven’t been shopping lately for technology, you’ll be amazed by the current prices.

But now there are groups (well, one actually: American Family Association – AFA) that are all bent out of shape because in the commercial’s lyrics say “You 86 the rules, you do what feels just right.”

I just dont understand the problem with the commercial. What do you think?

I have to run. I am attending a “Celebrate the coming of Winter with this Winter Welcome gathering” at Stapleton’s town center. Now that’s just another PC name for the lighting of the Christmas lights at my town center.  I hope people aren’t upset when they get there to find out Christmas won’t be mentioned anywhere. What a world we live in.

Here are the lyrics for the GAP commercial:
Two, Four, Six, Eight, now’s the time to liberate
Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah, Go Kwanza, Go Solstice.
Go classic tree, go plastic tree, go plant a tree, go add a tree,
You 86 the rules, you do what feels just right.
Happy do whatever you wanukkah, and to all a cheery night.

Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah, go whatever holiday you wanukkah.