Kenny Powers & K-Swiss Tubes a Bizarre Match

You have to hand it to the marketing guys at K Swiss for pulling off the move of the summer. They had a new sports shoe to sell, not a fashion accessory, but an actual shoe built for to maximise athletic performance and endurance and who do they get to endorse it? Kenny Powers of course!

For those of you unaware Kenny Powers is the fictional star of the HBO series Eastbound and Down. One of the funniest shows ever made. He is a deluded fading baseball star who also has a penchant for steroids, cocaine, beer and hookers. Not exactly your average sports endorsement so. For those of you unfamiliar with Mr Powers, heres one of the best clips of series 1

Youtube the Real Facebook Killer?

I had a post ready to drop next week and then I read this post ‘Youtube Challenges Facebook’. I’ve thought for some time that Youtube is the jewel in Googles crown, in social network terms. I even said those exact words before (just under the Youtube Turns 5 video). But for fear of thunder being stolen, I’m going to do something I never do, and do it for the second time today – post on a Friday.

The original post that was fermenting in the lower reaches of my brain for the last few weeks began with Google Buzz and what a huge mistake that was, or a planned huge mistake.

My Most Hated TV Ad’s of Right Now

Its only four ad’s but these really really exemplify what happens when brands run out of ideas. Creativity has been replaced with poorly executed ideas. The four ads are for Volvic, Magnum, Citroen and WeBuyAnyCar.com. Feel free to add your own suggestions at the end.

The Marketing of Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad is a TV show about a high school teacher who turns to a life of drug manufacturing and dealing to supplement his income after hearing he has terminal cancer. It stars Bryan Cranston as the teacher in question, who will be familiar to most as the father in Malcom in The Middle. To turn the screw on Cranston’s character, Walter White, his brother in law is a DEA agent. It also stars the excellent Bob Odenkirk, who just doesn’t make enough TV shows, as their slimeball lawyer Saul. Cranston’s role has won him the 2008 & 2009 Emmy’s for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama for a performance that is simply superb. This post looks at the marketing of this highly unconventional TV show

The Great Muppet Social Caper

The past week has seen Sesame Street celebrate its 40th year on air. However one of the Muppets most iconic characters will actually celebrate the 55th anniversary of his small screen debut. In 1955 a 19 year old Jim Henson was asked to produce a five minute show for a Washington TV station. The show was called ‘Sam and Friends’ and featured puppets in the distinctive ‘muppet’ style and a lizard like character called Kermit. The show ran for six successful years, ending eight years before Sesame Street arrived on the TV. In 1975 sketches, featuring would be Muppets, appeared on the first series of the American show Saturday Night Live. However all three major US networks (CBS, ABC and NBC) turned down the opportunity to produce a full Muppet Show series, so ITV’s Lew Grade produced the show in the UK and syndicated it world wide.

TV’s Dexter: 8 Great Marketing Moments

The Showtime series Dexter has stood out amongst its police procedural contemporaries for a variety for reasons. Not only is Dexter helping to investigate violent crimes where his work as a blood splatter analyst can identify exactly how a victim was bludgeoned brutally to death, but, in his spare time he also likes to be judge, jury and executioner for those who have escaped justice. The series is unusual, odd, strange and certainly memorable. Dealing with the macabre has provided much food for through for for the show’s marketer’s to take advantage and they have duly seized the opportunities. It’s hard to deny that the marketing of Dexter has been anything but unusual, odd, strange and memorable. Below are eight of the best moments from the first four series of Dexter.

Jon Snow on Social Media [video]

Channel 4 news anchor Jon Snow discussing the implications of digital media and communications on the consumption and production of news. The interview covers blogging and Twitter as well as how journalists use social media to source news.

Making the AIB Surfer Ad [video]

This is one of my favourite adverts on TV at the moment. Its the AIB ad featuring one of their customers, John McCarthy, who set up a surf school and was filmed in Lahinch and Doolin in Ireland, in September 2008. The making of features interviews and the final version.

The End Of TV News?

I often let blog posts incubate while I try to expand on their initial premise. Sometimes an idea or thought becomes more grounded in fact as time passes, such as some notes I wrote down last month that queried the future of TV news. The query stemmed from the realisation that I watch little TV news anymore and was expanded upon by the articles listed at the end of this post.

Look at the competition out there for TV news. Firstly it lacks the depth and breadth of subjects that can be achieved in print and even on radio. Online there’s a barrage of options for the individual to decide what news affects them most and how they wish to receive this information.

Advertising Roundup

Aero Feel The Bubbles: Good advert for the chocolate bar. 50,000 balloons set loose in a skate park. I was going to ask if anybody noticed how creative ad’s for chocolate were getting of late, but then I saw this, it seem’s Aero’s effort is a ‘homage’ (Is that the polite way of saying rip [...]