Kevin Rothermel

No Spoilers.

Brand Strategist
Professor, VCU Brandcenter

No Spoilers.

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Archives for January 2018

When Legal Departments Build Brands

Panera is calling for a federal crackdown on the eggs in its competitors’ breakfast sandwiches – The Washington Post:

…if bakery chain Panera gets its way, restaurants won’t be able to call those yellow patties “eggs” in the future. Last week, the company petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to update its 40-year-old definition of the word to exclude most of the processed egg products that have become popular with fast-food chains and food-service.

Great example of brand being bigger than marketing. Unless of course the marketing department came up with this idea. Or even their agency. But lets just file this under “good ideas can come from anywhere, even Panera’s legal department.”

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Classified Moto RESTRICTED S1E2 “Call Me Frank”

John Ryland left the Martin Agency soon after I started. I didn’t really know him, but I remember the buzz around the agency about the custom motorcycle company he was starting: Classified Moto.

You’ve probably seen his work before:

Daryl Dixon's Moto

They make a lot of cool bikes. And the videos they make about them aren’t half bad either…

Classified Moto RESTRICTED S1E2 “Call Me Frank” – YouTube:

Poor Frank just wants everyone to get along, but it’s not that easy. Come on inside and get to know the controversial Speed Triple we built for Rebel Yell Bourbon.

(You can find out more about the Walking Dead bike here)

Netflix Marketing “Actually Works.”

And now, the latest installment of one of my favorite tropes: Tech Company Discovers Marketing…

Netflix bets $2bn on marketing, tests prove it actually works:

The content giant, which grew streaming revenue 36% to over US$11 billion, added 24 million new memberships and achieved a full-year positive international contribution profit for the first time, and more than doubled global operating income, has admitted that its marketing plan has really paid off.

Yes, this reads like the Onion. No, it is not from the Onion.

Yes, they’ve found that advertising “actually works.”

And, yes, they’ve “admitted” it.

You’ve been tagged in an event: Destroying the Fabric of Society for Profit

In what seems like a whole new genre of journalism, the Guardian [ran a piece]((https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/23/never-get-high-on-your-own-supply-why-social-media-bosses-dont-use-social-media) about how executives of these services don’t really use them, don’t let their kids use them, and in some cases, leave the industry out of disgust.

Former vice-president for user growth at Facebook, Chamath Palihapitiya:

The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works. No civil discourse, no cooperation; misinformation, mistruth…

This is not about Russian ads. This is a global problem. It is eroding the core foundations of how people behave by and between each other. I can control my decision, which is that I don’t use that shit. I can control my kids’ decisions, which is that they’re not allowed to use that shit.

“Now watch this drive.”

Most people will read that and feel a sense of horror, hopelessness, and maybe start to rethink their use of social media.

But I have to think there people running holding companies that would kill to be that relevant to to the end of civilization.

An Ugly Job for an Ugly Bird

Crowbars: Vending Machines Reward Crows for Cleaning Up Cigarette Butts

Crows are adept learners, able to use tools and think outside the box. Notably, they have already been trained to use specialized ‘vending machines’ in which they receive food for depositing a coin. By extension, butts could be the new coin of the urban crow realm.

Maybe smokers would be more likely to quit if lighting up carried the risk of being assaulted by flocks of crazed, nicotine addicted crows in desperate need of their next food pellet.

(HT David Vogeleer)