Tiger Blood & Rush Limbaugh

I don't really know how to start this post.  Since I am a marketing geek, I watch my fair share of commercials, both on television and on YouTube.  Whenever I watch a commercial I deconstruct it from the top down.  My favorite thing to think about, especially when seeing a particularly bad commercial, is the group of people that approved the spot.  For every bad commercial, there are multiple groups that should ultimately take responsibility.  From creative agencies and production companies, to the Directors of Marketing in the company advertising the product/service, these groups give their approval and are proud to run with it.  The problem with bad commercials is that they either fail to emotionally connect with their targeted customer group or fall flat on their face when trying for humor.  I know that there are tons of other reasons commercials fail, but those are the two I'm focusing on.  Which brings me back to the beginning - I don't really know how to start this post.

I don't know how to begin because I am confused.  Fundamentally, I believe that any individual (or company) should be able to express themselves freely, even if it offends others.  My school of thought is that if you see something on television or hear something on the radio that offends you then turn the channel/station.  You are not forced to watch or listen.  In the past 10 years, special interest groups have  gained too much influence over companies and wield their power whenever their feelings get hurt.  Obviously, groups like GLAAD serve a great purpose, but when they demand apologies from Adam Carolla after making a joke about transgendered people on a comedy-based podcast then there is a real problem.  It is comedy after all - the best part about comedy is that no one individual or group can tell others what is funny.  And transgendered people are funny looking.  With all of this being said - I don't agree with Fiat's latest commercial featuring Charlie Sheen - and that is what confuses me.  If you haven't seen the commercial - please watch below:

No thats not Billy Joel off-roading again. That is admitted drug user and porn-star lover Charlie Sheen driving a glorified Mini Cooper through his house wearing an ankle bracelet while on house arrest.  What a bad boy, right?  Yeeeeee-uck. Where is the outcry from special interest groups?  There are enough of them out there that surely one would protest this campaign and publicly demand an apology.  How about women's rights groups for Fiat insinuating that Sheen will be sleeping with the model at the end of the commercial? Or for turning a blind eye to the porn connection?  How about drug and alcohol groups for not taking cocaine and drug abuse seriously and showing a known drug user driving out of control?

For the record, I don't think that these groups should be demanding apologies.  The spot isn't the smartest to put out there, but it draws on word of mouth, so I can live with it.  More on this later.  Where I have an issue with this is the flip side of advertising.  Rush Limbaugh calls a Georgetown University law student a slut and the majority of advertisers pull their ads due to thousands of angry customers asking them to do so.  Charlie Sheen does blow off a porn star's inner thigh and is featured in an ad 10 months later with nary the controversy.  This is purely speculation, but I'm guessing Chrysler (Fiat's parent company), would of pulled out of the Limbaugh program due to the same fake rage as all of the other companies.  For as much as I love advertisers, they are such hypocrites when it comes to sticking with programming that makes an unpopular stance such as Limbaugh's rant.  For the record, I do not support Rush Limbaugh.  I probably lean more his way than the other politically, but I would rather be forced to sit through a Broadway translation of the latest Justin Bieber album than listen to his show.

In the end, Fiat should be able to feature whoever they want in their ads.  The company is spending the money, trying to create a buzz.  Using a controversial star is a risky move for a company that isn't a household name in the United States.  Then again, so is featuring Jennifer Lopez dancing on top of cars.  I'm pretty sure Jenny from the Block doesn't drive a Fiat through the Bronx.  Now Charlie Sheen driving a Fiat over J Lo's huge ass like he is climbing Mt. Everest?  This I can tolerate.  I just don't want to hear it on the flip side when advertisers start pulling dollars from other programs when somebody's feelings get hurt.  Some people were livid over Rush's comments, while others are offended by this commercial.  Everybody has the right to offended.

Marketing At Sea

A few weeks ago I was driving through a heavily populated retail area in Fairlawn when I saw Him.  Eileen and I were leaving Target after an exhausting one-hour stay, in which we only went in to return a pair of headphones.  That is normal for one of our trips to Target.  Go in for one thing, stay an hour, leave $85 later.  Target is the king of in-store experience with the right mix of visual merchandising and in-store marketing that keep customers lingering and engaged and spending more money than they ever planned.  The in-store experience is a big differentiator between Target and Wal-Mart.   However, this post is not about about companies that "get it" like Target.  This post is about Him, and other marketing campaigns like Him.

As we were pulling out of Target's parking lot, I nearly ran my vehicle off the road in disbelief when I saw Him.  Standing there on the sidewalk in front of the shopping center stood a real pirate.  Concerned for the safety of everybody in the shopping center - I went to grab my phone to dial in Seal Team 6 to take him out.  After all, Fairlawn doesn't need any more thieves standing in front of shopping centers - it already has fake homeless people with cardboard signs begging for money at every turn.  To my relief, as I was reaching for my phone, I noticed the pirate had a stuffed parrot on his shoulder and was holding a sign that read, "Great Clips Adult Haircuts - $6".  My first and only thought was, "What an asshole".

Now, as a marketing guy, this bothered me on many levels.  First of all, I couldn't help but think of the discussion in the marketing department at the Great Clips corporate office.  At what point do you just say, "Eff it Frank, we're gonna dress them up as pirates"?  After muddling through all of the options, this was the best the Great Clips marketing department could think of?  Instead of finding ways to differentiate their business from their competitors, they decided on a high-school dropout in a $9.99 costume.

Second, and most importantly - who the hell is inspired by a pirate to pull into a shopping center for an adult haircut?  I can almost understand the thought process if Great Clips was advertising children's haircuts.  In fact, it would be kind of cool if the person cutting a child's hair was dressed as a pirate - the kid would love it.  But what normal adult is making that emotional connection?  "Sharon, I know that we need to get to Applebee's for our 10-year anniversary dinner, but shit.....that pirate over there is offering $6 adult hair cuts.  That 2 for $20 deal is going to have to wait".  This is a classic case of not knowing your customer.  Who knows though, perhaps I'm wrong.  Maybe Great Clips cornered the market years ago on the Pirate demographic - after all, as marketers we continue to push for deeper market segmentation in order to specialize messages.

The most logical reason for the pirate is that this is a marketing event held by the local Great Clips owner and not sanctioned by the corporate marketing department.  I would like to think that no corporation could be this dumb, but we see it all the time.  From inflatable pink gorillas on top of car dealerships to anything that Value City Furniture does, businesses continue to focus on the wrong tactics to lure in customers.  Marketing really isn't that difficult.  The key is creating authentic and engaging customer relationships.  Don't shout offers at customers, because nobody cares.  Not only does your product suck, you do too.  Stand out. Be different. Do the unexpected - offer authentic and genuine customer service.  These are really simple ways to humanize your business or your brand and stand out among the competition.  Hell, all you have to do is beat a pirate? - Rufio, Rufio, Rufioooooo.