I have been seeing a lot of Target commercials recently advertising its low prices for the holiday season. And based on the campaign, it seems that Target isn’t only interested in advertising its low prices, but making shopping for others even more awkward. I will be the first to admit that I am a humbug around the holidays, hate surprises and rarely exchange gifts and Target has done a great job reminding those of us how horrible we feel when we get something nicer or more expensive than expected. I am actually pretty surprised there aren’t more pharmaceutical ads this time of year for all the depression and anxiety the holidays seem to bring to many. The last thing shoppers need is a reminder that we’re in a recession. Sorry, kids, but we’re in a recession, so Santa had to cut back like everyone else. Lovely.

I like Target and proudly shop there, but I find the commercials put people in awkward situations, which in turn, make me feel awkward, as well (think of someone like, or worse, being like, Michael Scott and Andy Bernard, from The Office). When I think of the Target brand, I’d rather not think of being lucky that I got to enjoy the holidays. Personally, I would rather Target use its “Spread the Joy” campaign and partnership with Hasbro and The Salvation Army as the center of the primary holiday branding strategy. Social responsibility, philanthropy and giving back are what should be more important right now. Maybe next year.

Though I think the new “Great Gifts at Surprisingly Great Prices” campaign is a strategic miss, it is ironically on point with Target’s mission:

…To make Target the preferred shopping destination for our guests by delivering outstanding value, continuous innovation and an exceptional guest experience by consistently fulfilling our Expect More. Pay Less.^® brand promise.

The additional videos from the campaign can be seen on Target’s Channel on YouTube. Its nice to see that Target has integrated the marketing plan to include online, socially driven content.  SPOILER ALERT: Some of these commercials seem a bit dark, but naturally end happily.

Editor’s Note: Back from the dead, it seems. I’ve been working on a project for a class I am taking at Emerson and working with a Non-Profit here in Boston to improve their marketing program. My keen observation and knowledge of integrated marketing principles helped me notice the “Cookies + Targeting Advertising” link buried in the Privacy + Security section.

I am considering Filene’s Basement more of a brand resurrection than a brand renaissance. While the company has dwindled in the last few years, Bostonians have always known the brand. The facade at the original Downtown Crossing location remains as a shrine to the once prominent retail brand with hopes of rising once again to its original glory. Alas, the wait may be over. According to today’s Boston Globe article Basement hopes for bounce of the century:

Filene’s Basement is launching its biggest advertising campaign in a decade, with network and cable television spots, newspaper ads, and gift card giveaways to celebrate the brand’s 100th anniversary.

As Filene’s Basement enters its first holiday season after emerging from bankruptcy protection this summer, new owner Marcy Syms wants to make a splash with the historic company that claims to have invented the bargain.

Filene’s is launching an integrated marketing campaign $1 million campaign which will include:

• commercials on “Good Morning America,’’ the “Today’’ show, and the “Early Show’’ during this week’s launch and during the week of Thanksgiving.
• Filene’s workers will be wearing “Where Bargains Were Born’’ T-shirts and buttons,
• and anniversary mugs and T-shirts are available for sale.

In addition to that:

Filene’s Basement is gearing up for the holiday season with its marketing campaign emphasizing its legacy of bargains. The advertisements show customers raving about designer goods at Filene’s Basement, and a six-minute 100th anniversary DVD will be aired in stores featuring footage from a documentary film on the history of Filene’s Basement. The store promotions include free $10 gift cards, free anniversary T-shirts, and up to $200 off men’s suits.

It seems that Filene’s is taking the right steps to relaunch the brand and this integrated approach has the ingredients to be very successful. It’s nice to see a brand re-emerge from bankruptcy during tough economic times.

Editor’s Note: Now, I would like to share a personal anecdote about what the Filene’s Basement brand means to me. During World War II there was a military dance held at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. In attendance were a young captain from Connecticut and an army secretary from Boston. She was wearing a red dress from Filene’s Basement. The red dress caught the eye of the young captain and after correspondence throughout the war, their relationship grew and upon his return from overseas, they were married, had children, grandchildren (one of which is me) and even a great-grandchild.

I was watching tonight’s episode of House and saw this commercial.

UPDATE: To explain the true greatness of this ad, I had been fast-forwarding through the commercials and actually went back to watch this commercial after it caught my eye. I then hopped right on my computer to find the video for the purpose of this post. The integrated marketing campaign was enough to distract me from the TV to learn more about Diet Dr. Pepper’s branding campaign. House stayed on in the background and I know what happened and all, but the ad was obviously pretty powerful.

Based on my immediate follow up research, I found that this is a fairly integrated marketing communications program that is based around weExist: The Social Network for the Unbelievable. The network is Diet Dr. Pepper Guy’s profile page and features a list of “Pals”, a message board, personal information, photos, video clips and an additional weExist microsite.

Basically, it takes the idea of things that exist taking part in an “I Exist” support group, including the Easter bunny, Santa Claus, and the Diet Dr. Pepper Guy. Santa asks, “So you want people to believe there is a satisfying diet drink?” This ad draws everyone’s attention through its stop motion style of the old Rudolph/Island of the Misfit Toys holiday movies and maintains Diet Dr. Pepper’s brand message of being an “unbelievably satisfying” diet soda.

Editor’s Note: There will be no taste test as I have been laying off soda for the last few weeks. I also tend to stay away from diet soda’s, but I do love Dr. Pepper. I got my fill while working out in Telluride, CO. The great folks at Tracks definitely went through a lot during the 2005-06 ski season.

On my way to Fenway Park for last night’s Red Sox game, I saw this being installed in the plaza in front of the Prudential Center. I figured it had something to do with branding, so I went back today to take some additional pictures and try and learn more about this promotion, advertising campaign and brand strategy. Here is what I found out:

It turns out that Absolut has introduced a series of limited edition Vodka’s based on American cities and the limited edition batch for 2009 is Boston. To launch the spirit, Absolut and Boston have developed a fully integrated marketing campaign including the wall, which features plaques signed by Boston area sports icons, including Red Sox greats like Carton Fisk, Carl Yastrzemski and Johhny Pesky and Olympic gymnast Alicia Sacramone.  (Those are the only ones I remember at the moment. Cut me some slack. It was really hot out today and I could only snap so many pictures on my iPhone.)

UPDATE: From  Absolut Boston on Facebook:

Today ABSOLUT and the Charles River Conservancy unveiled the ABSOLUT® BOSTON Wall of Pride. On view in Boylston Plaza until Sept. 4th, the wall displays the handwritten remembrances of Jim Rice, Johnny Pesky, Doug Flutie, Amy Poehler, The Dropkick Mu rphys and other distinguished Bostonians. Bid for their signed wall tiles in the charity auction and own a piece of Boston history – click the ‘Auction‘ tab on our page.

Either way, this is great for the brand, as Absolut seems to have captured the essence of the Boston brand by incorporating it’s strong culture, history and athletics pride in the campaign. They are also interested in preserving the city which I greatly appreciate as a resident. Al0ng with the mini-Green Monster, the tag line “Everyone gets a piece of the wall,” echoes the sentiments of all who want to someday knock one over, or at least into, the Green Monster (Just a few days ago I was thinking that I could probably hit a ball pretty close). Plus, when you look into the bottle, it actually looks like a piece of the Green Monster.

Does anyone know what agency was responsible for this promo?

Full information on Absolut Boston is below, along with some additional photographs of from the downtown promotional wall.

Based on the information from the Absolut Boston Facebook fan site (http://www.facebook.com/absolutboston)

ABSOLUT® BOSTON is third in a series of limited-edition, premium vodkas inspired by the most distinguished US cities.

Featuring a collector’s quality bottle that honors Boston’s famous left-field wall, its unique, delicious flavor comes from a revolutionary blend of black tea and elderflower.

Mission: To give back to the city it celebrates, a portion of profits from ABSOLUT® BOSTON will go to the Charles River Conservancy – a nonprofit dedicated to the renewal and stewardship of the Charles River Parklands.

Editor’s Note: I saw that Stephanie’s on Newbury was hosting a party for the launch with a variety of cocktail choices with Absolut Boston, as well as an ice sculpture on the outdoor patio. Also, I purchased a 1-liter bottle from Al’s Liquors in South Boston for $26.99. I heard bottles are only $19.99 in New Hampshire, but I couldn’t wait.

I have been informed that this happens in Boxing quite often, but seriously, have we seen a bigger brand name in sports become as tarnished as that of Brett Favre during his on-again-off-again-maybe on-again retirement?

To be honest, it was ridiculous the first time he retired then unretired from the Green Bay Packers. Then, the “Brett Favre” brand name took a bigger hit when he signed with the New York Jets after learning his starting job had been handed down to Aaron Rodgers. Now, already into the NFL pre-Season, Brett Favre has been making headlines all off-season with his indecisiveness and desire to play has done it yet again. ESPN is reporting that Favre will be donning the purple and gold to start for the Minnesota Vikings. And likely taking his old No. 4 from backup to the backup to the backup to Favre, John-David Booty.

Now I don’t mind the fact that Favre still wants to play. The man needs to make a living. And it’s not like KISS has been on a “farewell” tour since the early 80’s. Right?

Anyway, on to the impact of all of this on the brands involved. To be fair, I am going to list them out in the order that I believe took the biggest hit during the last few years.

• Brett Favre: Obviously a brand name in and of himself, “The Gunslinger” has been one of the most recognizable athletes for the last 15 years. His image took the biggest hit, as everyone became tired or the “What will Favre do this off-season bullsh!t.” The name Favre is now infamous, tarnishing his great football legacy.
• The Vikings: We already saw this here in Boston with the Red Sox John Smoltz experiment, so it will be interesting in this will help the Vikings make the playoffs. Either way, I have seen the Vikings as a team desperate to land a Hall of Fame Quarterback publicly, while they have three other QBs on the roster fighting for the top spot.
• The Media: Seriously, this story was old news three years ago, and putting reporters on Brett Favre’s lawn in each off-seasons while he mulled his decision seemed quite excessive. I wish more people took such an interest in me finding a new job. I have had the TV on for about an hour and think less than 5 minutes has been dedicated to stories other than Favre.
• Wrangler Jeans: This is the only endorsement that I can tie directly to Favre. The ads show him playing backyard football with friends for years now. There is only one thing that I can say about the Wrangler/Favre brand strategy: Wrangler’s use of Favre is as consistent as Favre’s decision to retire after every season and then come back in a blaze of glory media spectacle.
• The Packers: To be honest, the Packers made out best in this deal by cutting Favre loose and putting the weight of the franchise on the shoulders of QB Aaron Rodgers. I wish Rodgers and the Packers the best of luck. It would nice to see the Cheese-head brand back on top of the NFL.
• The NFL: Just days after the Eagles sign Michael Vick, the NFL has yet another breaking news story to dominate the sports headlines.

There you have it. I somehow took a person, made him a brand and hopefully described how this entire fiasco had a lasting impact on the brand image of the parties involved.

I have been studying, practicing and researching all aspects of c0mmunications over the last few years. In that time, I have realized that the each aspect of the communications puzzle are important. However, depending on the size, age and ultimate goals of the organization, choosing the right strategy to implement can be broken down into the following four aspects.

• Marketing is about the Concept;
• Advertising is about a Product or Service;
• Public Relations is about the Experience; and
• Branding is about the Image.

Now, before you get all hot and bothered about my beliefs, allow me to explain. And please keep in mind that these are simply personal perspectives and are in the order I find fits best.

Marketing is about the concept

Marketing is an extremely broad term when it comes to defining corporate or organizational communications. When I say it is about the concept, I mean that marketing is part of the business discussion well before any aspect of communication, hiring, or even exit strategy are even considered.

When someone comes up with any business idea, rather than coming up with mock ups for ads and logos, they first need to define the business concept. Therefore, you are marketing the concept or idea on which the business is based, otherwise, you are putting the carriage in front of the horse.

Advertising is about the product or service

Advertising is all about the product you are selling and reaching the people you expect to buy it.  By now, the marketing strategy has already provided the consumer what your company does and now needs to know how they want to help you.

When creating an advertisement, the top selling point in the benefits of the product and service you plan to offer. Classified advertisements are probably the simplest form possible and space is extremely limited, which make it a good example. When selling a car, you don’t need to tell potential buyers that they need to add fuel occasionally and change the oil, as those aspects are concrete and understood. Ideally, you want to focus on the product or service itself and the benefits of yours versus other available options.

Public Relations is about the experience

To relate to the public (which could be the general public, or a more specific group), you need a little bit more than a press release or advertisement that talks about the product. In other words, if they hear about the positive experience of others or the benefits to the community, they will likely be more accepting and supportive.

Without a good story, the public could care less about what you are telling them. Therefore, when seeking public relations based communications, it’s is always important to have the support of others to corroborate what you are saying about your product or service. Without the positive experience or public support from others, new customers might be harder to convince.

Branding is about the image

Now, this is my favorite aspect, as it impacts an entire business. The brand is all about the image and how the company is perceived. If you hear something positive about a company, you are likely to think more positively about them, their partners, employees, communities, etc.

I like to think that branding comes full circle of communications and it starts with the hiring process and human resources. When interviewing candidates, it is important that the ones hiring are proud of where the work, the company culture and fellow employees. As long as the employees are happy, they will speak highly of the company and thus, increase awareness of the brand.

But just about every decision within a business can impact the brand, including stakeholders, such as the sponsorships they choose, the partners they have, the politicians they support and philanthropic ventures. Ultimately, I feel a strong brand in the result of a common mix of the concepts above, along with the support and compliance of everyone within the company and its stakeholders.

So there you have it. A quick breakdown of the communications puzzle. Let the debate begin…

What is it with old school brands becoming cool again? Such as Ray-Ban sunglasses and LACOSTE shirts, among others, that seemed to be all the rage in the 1980’s, but seemed to disappear. These brands have started to reappear as the primary brand names of a new generation.

You probably remember KangaROOS. You know, those sneakers from the 80’s that had the pocket on the side to store house key and a small amount of money while out for a jog? Well, I don’t remember having them, but my brother says we did. And whether you had them or not, you’ve got to admit, they were (and apparently still are) pretty sweet.

In what the company is calling “A ROOS Rebirth”:

Just in time to ramp up for a big 30th anniversary, One7 Holdings LLC of Boston, MA, acquired the rights to design, market and distribute ROOS in their native land, the US. In 2009, ROOS launched an exclusive Walter Payton Limited Edition Collection featuring updated styles reminiscent of ROOS first professional sports endorser, Walter “Sweetness” Payton. Today, ROOS continues to gain momentum in the States and around the world.

So among the brands making a “renaissance” of sorts,  KangaROOS recently opened a retail store on Newbury Street in Boston. The brand, which most probably thought simply faded away, a brand that help define those born and raised in the 80’s, now hopes to become just as popular of a brand to a new generation.

Still, I love that such brands have found a “rebirth” in a new generation. I personally think my friend that is a die-hard Chcicago Bears fan needs to own something from limited edition Walter “Sweetness” Payton line. The photos below are of the in-store display. And yes, they do have the word “Sweetness” embroidered on them.

I would love to hear about other brands in a renaissance or one’s you’d like to see make a rebirth.

Editor’s Note: I was thinking about getting a new pair of sneakers and had decided on going with the Saucony Orinigals Jazz Low Pro, but now I am starting to consider a pair of ROOS.

Over the years, the Boston Garden has been torn down and rebuilt. The newest structure has taken on many names and the most recent was celebrated today as TD Banknorth rebrands as TD Bank. As a result, the former FleetCenter, Bank of America Center and TD Banknorth Garden will henceforth be known as the TD Garden. (for a full slideshow of the story, visit the gallery on Boston.com)

To celebrate the rebranding of the bank and Garden, TD Bank and Pierce Promotions hosted the TD Garden Golden Ticket Giveaway today in the Boston area. The giveaway, modeled after one by Willy Wonka (made famous by Roald Dahl, Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp), gave away 5 Golden Tickets hidden in 19,600 candy bars, one for every seat in the Garden.

Now, I was working the event as a “brand ambassador,” but I am completely unbiased when I say that as far as the branding strategy goes, this event was a huge success.

My location in the Financial District was packed and people lined up for multiple blocks for their chance to find a golden ticket. However, that was nothing compared to the line of nearly 10,000 people at the Garden itself, that supposedly crossed the bridge into Charlestown.

All of this was for the minor name change of a brand, but TD Bank turned a quiet sports day in Boston (Sox fans at a loss during All-Star break) into what I consider one of the most successful local promotions in recent memory. If anyone in Boston was unaware of the name change, today’s Golden Ticket Giveaway made them aware of TD Bank’s new brand identity.

Among many possible prizes, the Golden Ticket Prize Packages included:

Behind the scenes tour of the TD Garden for winner and guest

Gift bag for winner and guest

Transportation to and from the arena for the tour

A pair of Season Tickets to the TD Garden for the 2009-10 Season

One Grand Prize winner receives a pair of Season Tickets to ALL the TD Garden events for the 2009-10 Season.

Editor’s Note: Whoever came up with this idea deserves a ride in a real “Great Glass Elevator.” Reclusive, “Candy Man” escort should be optional, though strongly endiscouraged.

Bonus Photo:

According to a CNN article (Brooklyn subway stop named for British bank):

New York’s struggling Metropolitan Transportation Authority has sold the naming rights to the second-busiest subway stop in Brooklyn. The Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street Station will now have the name of a British bank, Barclays, added to it.

Renaming the Atlantic-Pacific Station is tied to the construction of Barclays Center, the new sports arena for the National Basketball Association’s New Jersey Nets.

Also, a story highlight states: Riders express disappointment at “branding” of subway stop. With more than 10 million people passing through The Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street Station each day, it doesn’t really surprise me that riders are upset with the branding of the station. With a British banking company no less. Though, I do question the branding strategy from the Barclays standpoint, as I have a hard time connecting the bank with the Nets, the new area and the MTA.

However, in a capitalist economy this is branding at its finest. I mean, what is the harm in naming it after a financially sound company.  We must all remember Enron Field, now Minute Maid Park, so let’s all hope this doesn’t happen again (with the subway station or basketball arena). And while we are all walking around with brands on our cars, clothes, food and transportation, what is the real harm of having a branded subway station? Especially since everything else in the subway system is plastered with advertisements.

Similarly, there have been recent stories about WNBA teams selling the naming rights on the front of team jerseys. While this has been commonplace on jerseys around the world, specifically in European soccer leagues, this has caused a major debate in the United States. For more information, read “For love of the jersey, plain is preferred” by ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski.

That was not nearly as bad as when Major League Baseball almost allowed Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios to brand bases and on-deck circles with a Spider-Man II webbed-logo during a stretch of inter league play back in 2004. For more, read “The tangled web of sports and advertising.”

Editor’s note: This article was sent to me by my mom. I couldn’t be happier that she is so spot-on with my interests!

I first came across this story in the “Odds & Ends” section article on Boston.com: New Zealand airline issues nude safety video. Basically, Air New Zealand created a “Bare essentials of safety” video that features: “body painted Air NZ staff star in our new Bare Essentials of Safety video, created for our Domestic 737 services.”

Talk about international brand exposure! (no pun intended…ok, maybe a little)

Not only has this brand strategy helped get passengers to pay attention to the in-flight safety video, but it has given Air New Zealand some serious brand recognition.

microsite screenshot - click to enlarge

Overall, the theme of “Nothing to Hide” is very well executed and has generated some serious buzz for Air New Zealand. It is clear that the communications team at Air New Zealand has a true grasp on the impact social media can have on the brand. I am pretty sure the video above could be considered “viral” with more than 1.8 million views. Also, the company has created:

• a YouTube channel: AirNZnothing2hide
• a microsite: http://www.nothingtohide.co.nz/
• and a twitter page:  http://twitter.com/flyairnz

Here is the TV commercial:

Editor’s note: While this is clearly a play on sex appeal in advertising, the ads are created in a very tasteful and family friendly manner. Those Kiwis are crazy. Kudos!

UPDATE: The “Bare Essentials of Safety” video has nearly 3 million views as of July 5th. The advertisement has more than 2.5 million views. That is some serious brand exposure.