The Iron Curtain To The Tea Bags.

As I staggered though my local shopping centre the other day I paid my weekly visit to Coles supermarket. According to their corporate tagline we the punters should 'Love' them as opposed to those 'Fresh Food' people at Woolworths who presumably we only 'Like'. Anyway, as I entered the store I passed through one of those automatic gate/barrier things that both these grocery giants like to employ. Which made me ask the question 'Why the flamin' heck do they have those things?!!' I mean it seems they're actually trying to prevent their valued (apparently) customers entering the premises to spend our hard earned credit crisis cash. I can understand making it tricky to leave (especially if one has absent-mindedly or otherwise not paid) but why make the entry to their stores so unwelcoming? I go to my local Bunnings, K-Mart or Big W and there's usually someone standing there to welcome me in. "Hello Mr Ronan" they say. "Can we offer you a Laitte and a tasty Cinnamon bun"? OK maybe they don't actually say any of that but at least one feels welcome. Not so with a steel bar across the entry.

Dog, Mule and Charlie

It's a sad reflection on our world when we (that's tax payers...well UK Tax payers to be more specific) have to spend a million pounds on an anti-drugs (cocaine) spot aimed at a 15-18 year old demographic. It's a tall order to be serious and amusing and gritty and getting a serious public health message across and all whilst engaging teenagers. This one ticks all the boxes but I'm still not sure.....

Pretty In Pink

Those of us that follow the Beautiful Game will know that it's been long time since players wore good ole plain black boots. Us marketing guys stepped in years ago so that designs became cool, bright coloured, hi-tech and more importantly that this seasons newest design was a MUST have for all budding football players to emulate their idols. Nike, naturally one of the leaders in football boots branding have just released their latest design......

Dad ROCK!

A combination of two unlikely ingredients can sometimes make the best of meals. Don't panic I'm not going all celebrety chef here. Just making the point that the most impact can sometimes come from having our preconcieved ideas shattered. It's a key tool of marketing. I know I'm not explaining this very well so instead here's a clip of 'The Hold Steady' appearing on the David Letterman Show. Most of the band look like someones drunken Uncle dancing at a wedding BUT the subsequent song and performance is a sublime slice of feel good bar-band rock. If they looked like say the Strokes or The Kings Of Leon then it just wouldn't be as good. See what I mean....

Short but Oh-So-Funny

For those not in the know (I'm rarely in the know about much...) 'Channel Bee' is a UK based TV Internet Channel. This little gem of a plug makes great use of the classic duo of a) Children and b) swear words. I warn in advance of a beeped out swear word for our more senstive readers....

A large queue in the Departure lounge

I like to think that we're pretty high Brow at Mammal. We're really not big on toilet humour or anything that degrades us and our clients to little more than a bunch of giggling school-boys. This said there's a spot for All-Bran that's been given a regular run in Australia featuring former cricket test legend Merv Hughes. Seems the agency responsible felt that his mere presence was enough for the ad to work. That rather quaint 'Down Under' mentality of shoving an Aussie icon in an ad and thinking that'll do. Job done. No decent script or ideas required. Equalling of course a limp and dreary TV campaign that does no-one any favours. Least of all the client footing the bill. This said here's a US version of the same '10 Day Fibre Plan' which doesn't include any top Aussie blokes and though visiting a cliched visual idea and the toilet humour we don't approve of is a darn sight better than the Antipodean version. You can't help but smile as you watch...Tut Tut! Shame on us all.....

Shirts (not hats) off!

Avid readers of this blog will have enjoyed a little piece wot I wrote not long ago regarding shirt sponsorship for English Prem team West Ham United AKA The Mighty Hammers. In the blog I was moaning (who me?! never!) about the prominence of the XL Holidays logo on the shirts taking away from the spirit of the strip and in turn de-valuing the West Ham brand. Good news (well unless of course you just booked a holiday with them...) is that XL Holidays have gone bust and West Ham have now terminated their $20 million sponsorship with them. Taking the logo from the shirts and all the branding from the hallowed ground at Upton Park. I'm assuming that meantime the shirts will, like Barcelona, carry no shirt advertising until a new sponsor can be found. Now THAT'S the West Ham United shirt I want! Pure, simple and proud. And if under new manager Zola we could get a string of wins happening in the Prem, maybe have a decent run in the cup competitions AND convince the club owners to put a cool Mammal logo on the shirts (well we can dream!) then the world would be a happier place.