valentine ads that will turn you red in the face, for better or worst

here are three ads that has the power to turn you red in the face, for better or worst.

 

beer on valentine’s? that is not the usual alcohol usually considered during velantines. something italian or some bubbly perhaps but not beer. this heineken ad gives beer a new respectability and yes a romantic twist to what happens when you see the bubbles coming out of the chilled heineken. romance with a beer, that works very well.

 

this ad got replies from a lot of people in my timeline in twitter, all of them ladies.

a girlfriend who wanted to be an ex bought ad space in a place where her boyfriend goes to buy his lunch at work. in that ad space, she told her boyfriend she was breaking up with him, complete with the boyfriend’s name and some important information like where his stuff are. for sure the boyfriend would read the message, plus a few more hundreds who go to the same place, the ad space was rented for a month.

and the replies from the ladies in my twitter timeline was unkind and in disagreement with laura. your take?

 

 

this ikea promo ad is for what i think is just a brilliant promo for ikea.

it’s an ads that reads the habits of its target market very well. call it consumer insight that hits home and sits very well on reality among the target market. aside from roses, chocolates and dinner, what else do you do on valentine’s day to celebrate the day of love?

this promises to give a free crib for babies born exactly nine (9) months from valentine day 2013.

for sure this ad will give smiles to couples who read the ad and will generate such an abundance of brand loyalty and goodwill among those who goes to ikea to claim their crib.

my only want on this ad is this – it should have been a full page ad in the leading newspaper with better graphic design and copy. that is really a minor point. on its bare bones design and copy writing, it is still a brilliant ad and promotion. 10 stars plus one!

 

the power of the picture in capturing and communicating ideas

 

 

we have heard it many times before – a picture captures a thousand words. this picture has 10 words in it but beyond that, the picture speaks of a thousand unspoken words on what the picture is communicating, the title of the picture  “judgement”. or how women are judged on the length of her skirt or dress. we don’t just enjoy looking, we also enjoy attaching one of the 10 words based on the length of the dress or skirt about the woman wearing it.

it is a very simple picture and yet it communicates the message very well, with utmost ease and in a very provocative way. words need not be used to communicate the message, we just have to look at the picture.

this is one of the amazing pictures we have even seen in our entire career.

 

 

source:

Rosea Lake, Vancouver Student, Posts Powerful ‘Judgments’ Photo Of Skirt Lengths (PHOTO)

Prudish. Flirty. Whore. Proper. Cheeky. Slut. These are just a few of the words that could be used to describe a woman’s sexual behavior based on her appearance alone, and 18-year-old college freshman Rosea Lake chose to display them starkly — on a young woman’s legs in a photo that has since gone viral. (Scroll down to see the image.)

Lake, who studies graphic design and illustration at Capilano University in Vancouver, never thought she’d become an Internet sensation when she posted her“Judgments” photo project to her Tumblr on January 5th. But something about the picture struck a chord with those who saw it, and within 24 hours the image had been re-blogged 100,000 times.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/18/rosea-lake-vancouver-judgments-skirt-length-photo_n_2504950.html

must see Thailand anti-smoking TV ad – one of the best ever

it is said that the simplest ads are the best ads. that certainly applies to this anti-smoking tv ad from thailand.

cinematic and directorial techniques used were simple and direct to the point, very much like the reality tv shows that is the rage on tv. this directorial style lends to the reality of the ad, making us believe these are real people with real problems on smoking.

the story is also a simple one but its delivery to good dramatic effect. it dramatizes very well the dilemma faced by many smokers – they know it’s bad for them but they keep on smoking cigarettes just the same. they know that it is so bad to their health that they will not recommend it to kids.

the irony in the ad is what makes this ad works very well – smokers consume something that they know can kill will not recommend it to kids but does not seem to realize it is actually on the way in  kilingl them. the note the children give to the smokers hits us who see the ad – don’t worry about me, worry about yourself.

it pulls the right strings in our hearts. let’s hope it does the same in the hearts of smokers that they take action for themselves and stop smoking.

wawamTECH: steve ballmer announces major strategic shift for microsoft’s business model – software, hardware, integration & the cloud

note: underscoring are mine.

TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS, CUSTOMERS, PARTNERS AND EMPLOYEES:

Last year was a big year — we delivered strong results, launched fantastic new products and services, and positioned Microsoft for an incredible future.

For fiscal year 2012, revenue grew to a record $73.7 billion. We also maintained strong cost discipline resulting in cash flow from operations of $31.6 billion, an increase of 17 percent from the prior year. In addition, we returned $10.7 billion to shareholders through stock buybacks and dividends.

We delivered these results while preparing a pipeline of new and updated products that will launch in the year ahead. To best understand what we are about to deliver and what we’re building toward, it’s important to recognize a fundamental shift underway in our business and the areas of technology that we believe will drive the greatest opportunity in the future.

Our Business: Devices and Services

Last year in this letter I said that over time, the full value of our software will be seen and felt in how people use devices and services at work and in their personal lives. This is a significant shift, both in what we do and how we see ourselves — as a devices and services company. It impacts how we run the company, how we develop new experiences, and how we take products to market for both consumers and businesses. The work we have accomplished in the past year and the roadmap in front of us brings this to life.

Devices With End-User Services

We will continue to work with a vast ecosystem of partners to deliver a broad spectrum of Windows PCs, tablets and phones. We do this because our customers want great choices and we believe there is no way one size suits over 1.3 billion Windows users around the world. There will be times when we build specific devices for specific purposes, as we have chosen to do with Xbox and the recently announced Microsoft Surface. In all our work with partners and on our own devices, we will focus relentlessly on delivering delightful, seamless experiences across hardware, software and services. This means as we, with our partners, develop new Windows devices we’ll build in services people want. Further, as we develop and update our consumer services, we’ll do so in ways that take full advantage of hardware advances, that complement one another and that unify all the devices people use daily. So right out of the box, a customer will get a stunning device that is connected to unique communications, productivity and entertainment services from Microsoft as well as access to great services and applications from our partners and developers around the world.

A great example of this shift is Windows 8. Windows 8 will come to market Oct. 26, 2012, with beautiful hardware that will light up with our consumer cloud services. Windows 8 unites the light, thin and fun aspects of a tablet with the power of a PC. It’s beautiful, it’s functional, and it’s perfect for both personal and professional use. Xbox Music, Video, Games and SmartGlass apps make it possible to select a movie from a PC, start playing it on the TV, and finish watching it on a phone. SkyDrive, our cloud storage solution, effortlessly connects content across a user’s devices. Bing’s powerful search technologies in Windows 8 will help customers get more done. Skype has a beautiful new Windows 8 app and connects directly into the new Office.

Office, too, is taking a major leap forward. The new Office was designed from the ground up for Windows 8 and takes full advantage of new mobile form factors with touch and pen capabilities. It unlocks new experiences for reading, note taking, meetings and communications and brings social directly into productivity and collaboration scenarios. The combination of a Windows 8 tablet with OneNote and SkyDrive has truly revolutionized how to take notes, annotate documents and share information. The ultimate experience with the new Office for both consumers and businesses will come when it is paired with a Windows 8 device and delivered as a cloud subscription service with Office 365.

Services for the Enterprise

Fantastic devices and services for end users will drive our enterprise businesses forward given the increasing influence employees have in the technology they use at work — a trend commonly referred to as the Consumerization of IT. It’s one more reason Microsoft is committed to delivering devices and services that people love and businesses need.

Today, businesses face a number of important opportunities and challenges. Enterprise IT departments are tasked with deploying technology that drives the business strategy forward. They decide what solutions will make employees more productive, collaborative and satisfied. They work to unlock business insights from a world of data. At the same time they must manage and secure corporate information that employees access across a growing number of personal and corporate devices.

To address these opportunities, businesses turn to Microsoft. They count on our world-class business applications like Microsoft Dynamics, Office, Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, and our business intelligence solutions. They rely on our technology to manage employee corporate identity and to protect their corporate data. And, increasingly, businesses of all sizes are looking to Microsoft to realize the benefits of the cloud.

Helping businesses move to the cloud is one of our largest opportunities. All the online services people use today — both from Microsoft and other companies — run on servers in datacenters around the globe. The volume of Internet services used will continue to grow as people connect to the Internet from more devices for more purposes — fueling incredible opportunity in our server business. Unique to Microsoft, we continue to design and deliver world-class cloud solutions that allow our customers to move to the cloud on their terms. For example, a company can choose to deploy Office or Microsoft Dynamics on premises, as a cloud service or a combination of both. With Windows Server 2012, Windows Azure and System Center infrastructure, businesses can deploy applications in their own datacenter, a partner’s datacenter or in Microsoft’s datacenter with common security, management and administration across all environments, with ultimate flexibility and scale. Our business customers tell us these capabilities are critical to harnessing the power of the cloud so they can reach new levels of efficiency and tap new areas of growth.

nokia trips on day 3 of the Lumia 900 US launch – windows phone software bug triggers a 100% refund

US nokia decided to launch the Lumia 900 on Easter Sunday when most of AT&T and Microsoft stores are closed.  every brand manager worth his or her high paying job knows you choose a launch date for a new product only when you are sure your product will be available in the retail stores for consumers to buy it from.

choosing a date when the retail stores themselves are closed is the first time nokia tripped on their Lumia 900 product launch.  now, nokia not only trips but takes a fall – on day 3 of the launch, nokia announces a 100% rebate to those who bought or will buy Lumia 900 due to a data connectivity problem with the windows phone OS. the product is priced at $100 with contract with AT&T, giving a $100 rebate is like givng it away for free.

it’s a magnificent gesture to nokia customers (hello, apple are you listening?) but it does leave a bad taste in the mount for those who have not bought their Lumia 900 yet. this fear that even though it has been fixed (to be done in the future) getting a brand new Lumia 900 that will not work can be very real even if its for free or back to the regular $100 price.

potential buyers will definitely think twice before buying the Lumia 900 or for those decided on it will probably postpone the purchase for as long as they can. with aggressive and more popular competitors lurking, nokia might just lose the sale.

this windows phone OS problem is puzzling to us –  doesn’t  nokia test their products before they launch it in the market? we would think extensive lab and field testing would be in order for cellphones  before they are launched. discovering the OS defect on day 3 of the market launch just sounds too amateurish for such a huge company.

bad news does not end there.  nokia  sent out a press re;lease as advance notice to their 1qtr call scheduled next week:

Our disappointing Devices & Services first quarter 2012 financial results and outlook for the second quarter 2012 illustrates that our Devices & Services business continues to be in the midst of transition.

nokia has announced it will have first and second quarter 2012 results will be below expectation.  it looks like the business decline for nokia that has been going on for sometime has not been arrested.

but here is what puzzles us as well – the announcement states 1st quarter and 2nd quarter results will be bwlow expectations. our question is this – what is the share of  Lumia 900′s launch in their first and second quarter forecast?

there are several possibilities here :

• Lumia 900 was forecasted  very low versus the rest of the Nokia business that its impact to its business is very minimal. marketers typically show a bump in sales forecast when new products are launched.
• if nokia forecasted this very low, does that indicate nokia has little confidence on the success of Lumia 900?
• this early nokia is already anticipating very low sales on the Lumia 900?
• the rest of the business is nokia is expected to perform so poorly that even the bump in sales from the lumia 900 will not be able to push its total sales up?

we have seen thousands of new product launches before but this lumia 900 launch we think is one of the weirdest ever and to some degree has gotten a lot of  bad luck.

————-

from the above, a big  sell down in the stock market for Nokia.  investors sold down NOK by almost -16% to just $4.24 at close. NOK also reached its 52 week all time low last night at $4.20.

 

 

 

 

 

 

why in the world nokia chose the wrong date to launch Lumia 900 in the US – on a day when AT&T and Microsoft stores are closed!

nokia and even microsoft has been making a big deal out of the launch of their flagship cell phone in the US, the Lumia. they even had a pre-launch featuring nicki minaj in times square. the lumia  for both companies is a very important product t launch.

microsoft has launched their mobile phone platform windows but it has not really taken off in the US market with its market share still low even though it has gotten relatively good reviews. the lumia launch with their latest microsoft mobile OS is supposed to bring microsoft back into play in the smartphone market.

the lumia is even more important for nokia. nokia has lost a lot of market share in the past years when it decided to ignore the iphone and stuck with the dumbphone market. it’s key competitors samsung and lg did not ignore the iphone and went after it by coming out with touch phones of their own using the android platform. the result is that samsung and lg are the top two smartphone makers in the US, followed by the iphone. nokia on the other hand is a poor and far 6th or 7th in the market.

though few understood why it went with windows rather than android, the lumia 900 is supposed to give nokia its stage to get back to the smartphone market.

that is great, except that for another strange move nokia chose april 8, Easter Sunday to launch the lumia 900 in the US.

some news articles and bloggers reported that most AT&T and microsoft stores, the outlets who are supposed to sell the lumia 900  are closed for easter sunday.

On Release Date, Crucial Nokia Phone Is Hard to Buy in New York

AT&T said last month that when Nokia’s new Lumia 900 phone went on sale April 8, it would benefit from the company’s biggest product introduction ever, exceeding even the iPhone’s.

The big day is here. But nearly all 39 AT&T stores within proximity of Times Square in Manhattan were either closed for Easter Sunday or did not answer phone calls. The few that were open did not have the handset in stock.

When AT&T stores within five miles of Times Square were contacted around noon, 18 of them played an automated message saying they were closed for Easter. Nineteen stores that were authorized AT&T resellers did not answer the phone, and two AT&T resellers that were open said they did not have the Lumia 900 yet.

The stores that played the automated voice message also played a short advertisement for the iPhone 4S and made no mention of the Lumia 900. “Visit our store to see the exciting iPhone 4S and how only AT&T’s network lets your iPhone 4S download three times faster,” a female voice said.

There was some Lumia-related action in Times Square on Friday night, when Nokia sponsored a performance by the pop singer Nicki Minaj to spread the word about the phone. Nokia roped off a section of Times Square and blasted promotional messages on screens for the show, and even served free signature cocktails with names like “Lumia Light” and “Beautifully Different.” There was only a single table of Lumia 900 phones on display, ignored by most of the guests in attendance.

It’s odd that such a highly anticipated phone is so difficult to purchase in a store on its release date, at least in New York. Analysts and tech followers view the Lumia 900, priced at $100, as the make-it-or-break-it device for Microsoft and Nokia, two tech giants who are struggling to gain a foothold in the smartphone market. Nokia made the Lumia’s hardware, and Microsoft made its software, Windows Phone 7.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/0…easter-sunday/

here is another article on the matter:

Why Is AT&T Releasing Nokia’s Big Phone on Easter?

AT&T has said that the release of the Nokia Lumia 900 will be its biggest product introduction ever. But the phone is coming out on Easter Sunday, when some AT&T stores won’t even be open.

Melissa Havel, a spokeswoman representing Microsoft, confirmed thatonly some AT&T stores carrying the Lumia 900 would be open on Sunday. And she said that “many but not all” of Microsoft’s own stores would be closed. The phone will also be available online.

Mark Siegel, an AT&T spokesman, said: “The Lumia has received tremendous product reviews and we have been taking pre-orders online and in our stores all week. We are already off to the races.”

The choice of date is a puzzling one. Many analysts and tech watchers view the Lumia 900 as the make-it-or-break-it product for Microsoft and Nokia, who teamed up to make Lumia handsets. Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 mobile software, which had its debut in 2010, has barely gained any traction in the United States, and Nokia’s share of the phone market has been rapidly shrinking. The Lumia 900, a Nokia-made phone with Windows Phone 7, was supposed to be the “hero” device with the potential to turn things around for both companies.

It’s difficult to imagine that American shoppers will scout for an AT&T store that’s open on Easter just to try a Lumia 900. And for companies, day one sales are important, because they can serve as a measure of the public’s excitement about a product and determine how it will sell over all.

New models of the iPhone, which is the best-selling handset for AT&T, are typically released on Fridays, giving shoppers a full weekend to line up at an Apple store and buy the phone. And these product introductions consistently turn in big numbers. For instance, first-weekend sales for the the iPhone 4S last year topped four million, according to Apple.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/0…ia-900-easter/

first day,  first weekend and first week sales and internet pre-orders are important milestones to cellphones. actually its apple who has started this trend. apple would make a big deal about how much they have sold and whether records have been broken by their first day, first week-end, first week and pre-order sales on their gadgets. even the length of the lines in front of apple stores during the first day sale has become some kind of measure for the success of its new products.  analysts, techies and consumers apparently have learned to look for these numbers to judge whether a gadget is a success or not.

it’s really just for brownie points and bragging rights,   but as anything apple does, it has become an important yardstick of success.

it drives us nuts to think the marketing team of nokia missed out on the fact that they picked a day 1 launch for their most important new product on a day when most of their retail stores are closed. distribution and sales . specially pipelining sales is one of the most important things you worry about in launching a product into the market. every brand manager makes sure his pipelining sales or month 1 sales is a huge success.  choosing day 1 when the stores are closed is a really dumb idea.

we’re wondering why easter sunday was chosen. it really does not make sense that nokia will choose a launch date when most of its retail stores are closed.

we can only make a guess – the marketing director or whoever it is that chose the date must probably be a christian or catholic. easter is one of the most important dates for chritians and catholics. it is the day when Christ rises from the dead.it is like a new beginning , a restart and the glorious resurrection of Christ from death.

that must be have been the  thought behind the choice for the date. the lumia 900 is meant to resurrect nokia from the grave. launching it on easter sunday totally echoed that sentiment and hope,.

the religious undertone and meaning  is a great idea but it is the same religion that has  kept customers from buying the nokia lumia. stores are closed, not even a religious miracle can save the day for nokia.

12 years ago Kodak was warned of Chapter 11 bankruptcy risk

in september 2000 a power point presentation was sent to the chief marketing officer of eastman kodak that essentially warned the company of a collapse of its business if it did not take action in response to the emerging changes in consumer habits and the market it operated in.

the market that kodak was operating then was fast changing brought about by stand alone digital cameras, cameras in cell phones, the computer and the internet. at that time less and less people were using cameras that needed film, and therefore less pictures were printed and more and more pictures were being shared electronically or digitally.  while smartphones were not yet widespread then, cell phones already had basic cameras and were able to take acceptable pictures. cameras in cell phones was an emerging trend during that time.

that development among consumers were affecting the very market thatr kodak was operating in. it was starting to shrink at a rapid pace.

the market situation kodak was in in 2000

the change that was happening was among the consumers themselves. habits were being changed, usage was altered and consumers were substituting kodak products with other forms of products outside film and picture printing.  this was a major revolution in consumer needs and wants. kodak in effect was becoming irrelevant to the consumer and not even considered as a choice or option.

the powerpoint presentation was not based on any consumer or market research or any business data. it was just based on observing what was happening to consumers, the environment and the author’s personal experience.  it  was calling for a major and almost reinvention of the marketing philosophy and strategy for kodak.

not having real data, it was not exhaustive but the idea was to spark some start page thinking and to develop a roadmap for a major change in strategy for kodak with the end view of not just growing the business but actually helping ensure its survival as a company.

the powerpoint presentation intended to paint a preliminary picture of changing consumer habits, needs and wants that will change the market that kodak was competing in for a change in marketing strategy for the company and eventually lead to new product development for the company that will probably be very different from what kodak was manufacturing and selling at that time.

the powerpoint presentation was sent to another marketing officer, a woman but no action was taken on it.

we wonder now what would have happened if kodak took the contents of the powerpoint presentation and how kodak would have avoided filing a chapter 11 bankruptcy protection that it filed in january this year.

read the full powerpoint presentation here: KODAK Growth Focus

~~mindscape landmark~~
carlo arvisu 

calls by local singers to regulate and tax higher foreign acts are way out of tune, very pitchy

in the last few days, we have been seeing in the news some local singers like ogie alcasid and kuh ledesma  calling for the regulation of foreign acts holding concerts in the country. kuh ledesma was on the forefornt of that one.  ogie alcasid on the other hand has suggested foreign acts should be taxed higher while the amusement tax levied on local artists should be removed.

all this noise from the local singers  is being made as we approach valentine’s day.  there is a large market for valentine’s day concerts in the philippiunes where many go out on dinner and concert dates. on that day, heavy traffic is expected the whole evening through early morning and all the restaurants, hotels and concert venues will be full.

producers of foreign acts know this and they have also made it a point to bring foreign acts to the country on valentines day or a few days before and after valentines itself. bringing the foreign acts to the country on or around valentines day ensures a market for them. there is a ready and willing set of concert goers for these acts even though they will need to pay much,much more for the concert tickets. after all, lovers will not scrimp on a valentine’s date.

why are the local artists calling for regulation and higher taxes?

well, the local singers are singing this tune because they know these foreign acts are very strong competitors for their own valentines concert plans.  many if not all the local singers also have their own valentines concerts. they do this in all types of venues, hotels, restaurants big and small and for the brave ones big venues like he araneta coliseum.

in other words, the local signers are scared shit of competition.

is the solution regulation or banning foreign acts in the country or imposing higher amusement taxes on these foreign acts as the local singers are singing?

these local singers are suggesting these to basically ensure that the local singers have an audience during their valentines concerts, that the foreign acts do not siphon out all the concert goers and leave the venues of the local artists empty or not full. in other words, this is a question of their target market or their audience buying  in to their concerts.

what are the local signers afraid of?

are local concert goers not buying tickets to local concerts because there are foreign acts around?  or because  tickets to foreign acts are cheap that as ogie alcasid is suggesting, the amusement tax on local acts need to be removed and the foreign acts increased?

they are all out of tune.

the reality is the prices of tickets of foreign acts as they stand now are already way costly versus local concerts, anywhere from 3 times to 5 times the cost of local acts.  if price is the issue which the taxes are supposed  to fix, then the foreign acts will not get an audience. but the fact is the foreign acts scheduled for valentines are already sold out since late last year when the tickets went on sale.

these foreign acts are being sold out for one reason – they are world-class performers, world-class singers and they have world-class acts.

we are talking here of someone like justin bieber who at the moment is one of the hottest acts not only in the US but all over the world. bieber has sold many millions of records worldwide. has won awards in the US and considered a phenom in the US music industry. that is the kind of entertainment and performance one buys in spending 3 tp 5 times more on a bieber ticket versus local concerts. and to us that is very much worth it.

if these foreign acts did not go to the philippines, the only way we can see them perform live is for us to fly to the US and watch one of their concerts there. how much is a plane ticket to the US? and how much will you need to spend in hotel and food just to watch a bieber concert in the US? spending 3 to 5 times more than a cost of a local concert ticket is definitely much cheaper than all of the above one needs to spend in the US.

the local artists need to accept that not only do they compete among themselves, they also compete with other singers from abroad. we do hear their songs on philippine radio, watch them on tv in their music videos and other US shows. we even hear the local singers perform their songs on tv almost on a daily basis.

and that is where the core of the problem of the local singers lie.

these foreign acts are popular not only in the philippines but all over the world because they sing and perform their own original songs! they have an audience basically because of the original songs they sing and perform.  some of them have even started trends in music and have changed the music industry in the US and in the rest of the world.

bieber, swift and gaga have their own very distinct styles and universe. they are loved for their individuality and the messages they have in their songs.

our local singers cannot even compare to any of them. in this regard. when was the last time that kuh ledesma and ogie alcasid release an original song of theirs?

the local singers , ledesma and alcasid in particular need to accept that the local acts are nothing, as in zero compared to these foreign acts. the local singers are just that – singers. the foreign acts on the other hand are “acts”, “preformers”, “entertainers” and yes they do carry their own message both in terms of music and lyrics.

the foreign acts have set trends in the music  world with their own unique brand of originality while the local artists have done nothing but sing the songs of foreign singers and composers. that is the reason why local concert goers do not mind buying concert tickets that are 3 to 5 times more expensive than local concerts. if the local singers want to compete with the foreign acts, then they should start singing their own original songs and setting the trends in the local music industry.

our local singers really need to stop being just singers but more being artists. that is what the foreign acts are – artists.

regulating the concerts of foreign acts will not stop the foreign acts from being popular in the country. we see them on tv and hear their songs on radio. tey are already famous and have a wide fan base in the country even without them being seen in the country in person.  the local singers on the other hand are based in the country  and we see them in our tv sets almost daily or at least weekly. but when we see them perform on tv, we hear them sing other people’s songs, often the very songs of the foreign acts that they want to regulate.

imposing higher amusement taxes on the foreign acts will also not do it. ticket price is not the issue. local concert goers do not buy the tickets of the foreign acts because they are cheap. these tickets in fact are already way too expensive. they buy them because of the artistry of these foreign acts. they like to see them perform the original songs they are famous for.

martin niviera in this article said it right – he is not afraid of the foreign acts because he knows what to do to compete with them. he says he will deliver a great concert to compete with the foreign acts.  i do not think he meant original songs, but martin is on the right track.  it’s a good beginning.

alcasid and ledesma on the other hand are way out of tune and yes very pitchy.

Ogie Alcasid wants higher tax rates for foreign acts

abs-cbnNEWS.com

Posted at 01/07/2011 5:30 PM | Updated as of 01/07/2011 5:30 PM

MANILA, Philippines – Amid all the preparations for his Valentine concert, Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM) board member Ogie Alcasid has also called for immediate regulation of foreign acts here in the country.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News on Friday, Alcasid seconded Filipino pop diva Kuh Ledesma’s suggestion to regulate concerts of international recording artists in the Philippines.

He said higher tax rates must apply to international artists who wish to hold concerts here.

“We must push for higher taxes on foreign shows and lowering of taxation sa local concerts,” he said.

Meanwhile, Concert King Matin Niever and Popstar Princess Sarah Geronimo refused to get affected by the upcoming foreign shows.

new starbucks logo – the resto without a name or the queen with two tails

what? the starbucks logo has a siren? where? since when?

seriously, until now i did not realize the starbucks logo had a siren in it. i know there is some kind of image in it but i didn’t realize it is a siren until i read this whole new thing that is happening to starbucks.

starbucks on it’s 40th year anniversary has announced a change in it’s logo. – from a siren in the middle and around is a band of green with the words in white that says “starbucks coffee”.  they have now changed that to having just the siren and the words all together taken out. the starbucks CEO says it is reflective of the changes that will happen for the companystarung this spring.

to me the starbucks logo are the words “Starbucks Coffee” in white over green, dominant, strong and very clean, very simple and great or in many cases those words on green. geea, they just removed the logo i am familiar with and like from their logo. it  might be the end of the world!

we don’t get it – starbucks just removed from it’s logo their own name. and the one element that most people can relate to and have come to appreciate.  they have removed the equity they have successfully built over the years and during the years when starbucks was most successful.

we think starbucks has 3 enduring brand equities – the logo and name, the decor and design of their shops and their coffee. they just removed 1 of 3 equities that they own.

with the siren logo without a name, what are we supposed to call starbucks now?

we can just see a new generation of consumers, those who are children and not yet coffee drinkers referring to starbucks as The Siren resto or as someoen attempted a similar thing – The Resto Without A Name.

we have seen that happen with  Prince. prince built his act and popularity with the name prince. but for some reason and i am sure a stroke of genius in his mind, he changed his name into this characters or symbols that nobody understood, much more pronounce. (they had a sound?) with the name change, he was then called The Artist Withyout A Name or the Artist Formerly Known As Prince. Prince eventually gave up on his creative idea and brought back his old name.

So now we have the same two options to call this resto – The Resto Without A Name (TRWAN?) or The Resto Formerly Known As Starbucks (TRFKAS?).

Oh, there is a 3rd option, people can call it The Siren. That is of course assuming it will be obvious to people the image in their logo is a siren. Come on, let’s face it, with that logo, people can vfery well call it Queen With Two Tails (QWTT?)

if starbucks persists on using this logo, we can have the next generation of starbucks consumers all confused and referring to their restaurant in many names other than starbucks or the options we have  here.

why a big company with fiercely loyal customers will want to confuse their future customers is beyond us.

not that they are not having problems with their present customers. there is va firestorm being raised by its customers over the internet complaining and disliking the nameless logo.  seriously, we think the starbucks logo is exactly like the Coke or Gap logos – you simply do not mess with it.

this is a WAWAM!

 

reason for change, from thestarbucks website (source: http://www.starbucks.com/blog/looking-forward-to-starbucks-next-chapter):

As we look forward to Starbucks next chapter, we see a world in which we are a vital part of over 16,000 neighborhoods around the world, in more than 50 countries, forming connections with millions of customers every day in our stores, in grocery aisles, at home and at work. Starbucks will continue to offer the highest-quality coffee, but we will offer other products as well – and while the integrity, quality and consistency of these products must remain true to who we are, our new brand identity will give us the freedom and flexibility to explore innovations and new channels of distribution that will keep us in step with our current customers and build strong connections with new customers.

You’ll begin to see our evolution starting this Spring. And there will be much more to come, as we celebrate our 40th anniversary by honoring the millions of customers and thousands of partners who’ve made Starbucks such a welcoming presence around the world. We think you’ll like what you see.

the creatives explain the design change, from the starbucks website (source:  http://www.starbucks.com/blog/so-who-is-the-siren

As a writer, though, I can tell you that there is a lot more to her than just the design and how she looks. This is what she means to me, and to us.

She is a storyteller, carrying the lore of Starbucks ahead, and remembering our past. In a lot of ways, she’s a muse –always there, inspiring us and pushing us ahead.

And she’s a promise too, inviting all of us to find what we’re looking for, even if it’s something we haven’t even imagined yet.

She means something different to every one who sees her, who knows her. For me she’s kind of the final say on the spirit of everything I write and everything we do. Even as I’m writing this, I wonder what she thinks. (She likes it, by the way.)

Here we are today. Our new evolution liberates the Siren from the outer ring, making her the true, welcoming face of Starbucks. For people all over the globe, she is a signal of the world’s finest coffee – and much more. She stands unbound, sharing our stories, inviting all of us in to explore, to find something new and to connect with each other. And as always, she is urging all of us forward to the next thing. After all, who can resist her?

Not me.

apple airs ipad intro tv ad at oscars telecast

we are a fan the ipod touch but we’re not a fan of the ipad. don’t get it why its necessary to buy a bigger ipod touch. we would have bought the ipad if it was a smaller, lighter and thinner macbook, but that is not what happened here.

the tv ad shows it. read more about it here: apple ipad’s intro tv ad – the magic is in simplicity

the apple tablet, the iPad – the good news and the bad news

apple finally launches it’s tablet, the iPad. ues. that is the name, should there be any other? the whole industry, including consumers have been on edge about this product launch with speculations and excitement running through and through since last year. if we have heard and read about it before it was even launched, we should expect a lot more in the coming weeks.

wall street has reacted well, not crazy but AAPL’s price ended slightly up from previous day’s close $207.88, +$1.94.

now, the good news on the apple iPad:

• entry level price of $499 is a winner! this was almost shocking as most were expecting a price range of $600 to $1,000, most on the upper end of the price range. this price point is premium pricing versus netbooks but not crazy premium pricing and just about there versus entry level laptops. while is good news now, it will be excellent news next year when apple, based on previously established strategies will reduce its price on year 2.
• it does what most of what the iphone and ipod touch does.
• most of the 150 T apps in the app store will run on the iPad.
• this is just about there as good news – the name is, well -expected. we were expecting a magical name, but do they really have a choice on the name? you have the ipod, the natural and yes the no-choice name for the tablet should be ipad.

 

now, the bad news on the apple iPad:

• it’s just a bigger iphone/ipod touch. we were hoping it would be  a smaller macbook. the iPad would be redefining the market or creating it’s own if was a scaled down macbook as that would effectively cover what netbooks offer on top of doing what a macbook can.
• the product as is now is good but we do not think it will change our world in a major way. to us, what it is is it’s a much better e-book reader, something consumers will consider buying rather than amazon’s kindle. the price is at a steep premium versus the kindle but it is an apple product and has internet connectivity.
• what this is is a promise of greatness in the future. give the app developers sometime, enhance the features, add new ones and in a year or two, this can change our world.
• there are technical problems, or at least questions for now – it is heavy, battery life and the problem of having no keyboard. these are laptop-associated consumer concerns but can you blame consumers when this product is very close to a laptop. the comparison to laptops, including measuring the product against laptop expectations which is a very natural thing to do for consumers.

bottom line for us – no, it is not yet a buy for us. well, most apple products are much better when it reaches 2nd generation stage. on this one that is much more pronounced and real.

while this is not yet a buy for us, we think it has enough to get the whole market rethinking things and thinking about going after the iPad. it is not there yet, but we are talking of apple here and since they already have this in the market, the market may well be changed by the iPad.

the apple tablet – success to be driven by product strategy

the apple tablet is upon us, literally in a few minutes’ time. the frenzy has not died down and we should expect it to go into super hyper drive within the next few days. 

the apple tablet’s success will be hinged on one thing – what is the product strategy they are adapting for the tablet? product strategy is design and technology design but it goes beyond to the physical and technology heart of the product, at its core is what market does it intend to conquer and what consumer need it intends to tap into, actually, for apple the question is what consumer need it intends to create.

we think apple has two options which may at face value look similar but at it’s core and implication a most fundamental question.

• is the apple tablet a bigger version of the iphone/ipod touch?
• or is the apple tablet a smaller version of the macbook?

for sure, there will be common features and design for both strategic options,  but the direction it takes is very much different in taking one over the other. the build-up of further functions and use will be very different depending on where it starts. 

for consumers, the attitude and preferences are clearly and often separate in definition. we do not think any one product can satisfy both needs to the fullest. besides from a marketing standpoint, it is not wise to have such a product. it will be too confusing and too complicated for the consumer to appreciate.

there is a third option. it is something apple has done a few times during our lifetime – define a completely different and completely new product to create a completely new and different market.

we will come back to this point of view after we get to know what is the apple tablet.

2009 (21st) Philippine Advertising Congress moved to Subic, Baguio junked

moving the november ad congress out of baguio and moving it to subic instead is a very wise move.

we think it will benefit baguio and its residents as it will allow them to totally focus on rebuilding their city. having the thousands of ad people in baguio at this time will only divide their attention and efforts, plus the ad congress will add strain and pressure on an already weakened infrastructure.

it would also be much better for congress participants as they will no longer have to worry about what they do during the congress. just driving to baguio for the congress will be extremely difficult on its own, staying in the city in the way that baguio is will be no different.

we wish baguio well and we look forward to subic.

21st Ad Congress moved to Subic 
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:44:00 10/17/2009

MANILA, Philippines — The trail of destruction across northern Luzon left by Tropical Storms “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana) and “Pepeng” (Parma) has forced the Advertising Board of the Philippines (AdBoard) to hold the 21st Philippine Advertising Congress (PAC) closer to Metro Manila instead of Baguio as originally planned.

“It is with reluctance that we withdraw from Baguio, as the city has been most supportive and generous to the 21st PAC from the planning stages right until this moment when preparations are near completion,” the PAC said on its website.

Instead, the ad congress scheduled on Nov. 18-21 will take place in Subic.

“We have never doubted Baguio’s resilience nor its readiness to accommodate the 21st PAC in spite of the disaster. But the further strain thousands of delegates and participants would subject the already weakened northern Luzon infrastructure would put their safety and that of the local people’s at risk,” the PAC said.

Despite the short notice and various requirements, Subic authorities have readily agreed to host the 21st PAC.

Dedicated to victims

The sufferings of the victims of Ondoy and Pepeng are not lost on the advertising industry.

“The 21st PAC is the best time for the industry to come together and reflect on ways to be of service to the typhoons’ victims and to respond to the call of nation rebuilding. Our economy must not come to a standstill. We must help drive the local economy back on its feet,” the PAC said.

“We dedicate the 21st PAC to the victims of the northern Luzon calamity. Part of our proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross for rehabilitation efforts in northern Luzon. This ad congress has heart and a cause. We enjoin all members of the industry to be an active part of this endeavor,” it added.

what the e-trade babies did at the super bowl

the e-trade babies have done it again, this time at the super bowl 2009. did it do it’s magic or are we tired of it all?

view the ad here: http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/

doritos scores in Super Bowl XLIII!

this doritas ad scored big in this year’s super bowl. and the more surprising thing about it is it’s ad not done at madison avenue.

view it here and read about it : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/

memo to microsoft: here is how to make windows 7 succeed, and please junk the retail store idea

we recently read news reports that microsoft will be getting into retail stores. that was shocking. microsoft is a software company – how exciting will a microsoft retail store look like? rows upon rows of boxes of windows 7 and windows office! wow! is the look of a library of boxes an exciting reatail store to go to?

we think microsoft should junk the retail store idea and do something else. we have a suggestion and we think its a sure winner, read here: http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/

adidas takes the whole world into its shoulders and it works!

in a tv ad, the visuals is the workhorse of the ad. if the visuals do not work hard, there is no tv ad to speak of.

this adidas tv ad has simple visuals that will make you understand what the ad is all about. and it works very well. view it here: http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/

apple vs microsoft war part II : windows 7, the best windows ever

battle lines have been drawn. microsoft ceo steve ballmer announced at CES that windows 7, the savior of the vista failure, will be microsoft’s best windows ever.

that can only mean apple will be ready to take windows to battle again in an advertising war. vista’s over-all and enduring failures have allowed apple to come up with a long lost of ads that resulted to the windows brand image tainted and macs selling much more than previous.

all the mac ads were fun to watch, like the one below.

it will not only be the launch of windows 7 that is highly anticipated, it will also be the launch of new ads from apple.

read more about it here: http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/

blackberry storm – storming its brand equity into a marketing blunder

blackberry just launched its blackberry storm cellphone as the iphone killer. since iphone’s launch, the market has been on a mad scramble to launch the iphone killer.

is the blackberry storm the the iphone killer or will it kill itself? this blackberry storm suffers from a critical brand equity flaw. question is will consumers see this brand equity flaw as a big turn off or will they bite.

read about it here : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/

australia’s hahn beer tv spot – no guts no glory?

we have heard of the stereotype – men are from mars and women are from venus. and it looks like hahn beer is also made in mars. read about it here :http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/hahn%20beer