Never Judge a Book

Nothing is as it seems. In advertising and beyond, fiction and nonfiction are merely two shades of gray, we could call them dawn and dawn’s light. Informational commercials are often times cut and pasted sound bites and a 15-second ad may have taken hundreds of hours and massive amounts of man-power to create. This week I learned that nothing is ever as simple, easy or straight forward as it appears. Specifically it seems that when it comes to a television advertisement there is more going on than a creative script that wrote itself complete with punch lines. Here are two of the variables which many of us take for granted when our beloved TV show goes to commercial and commerce begins.

Fiction: Most ads fall under this category. Fiction ads include everything from car commercials; you know the ones where an ominous voice details the newest vehicular miracle while images of the car flood the screen, to the notorious Mac versus PC commercial campaign. Fictional ads are generally thought to be entertaining and often funny. Humor is a good way to fill a 15 second chunk of air space while grabbing the audiences’ attention. But just because it is funny does not mean it is easy.

Nonfiction: Nonfiction ads often resemble or are inspired by documentary filmmaking or the standard interview. However, as a marketing tool the interview is cut and pasted to suit an editorial need. The lesson this week states, “The makers of the marketing communication may go a step farther. They may coach their interviewees, who know – and presumably agree – they’re there to say things that support the content point. They’re on the team. As happy customers or clients, supporters or employees of a company or organization, they’re presumed willing to say all things good about the brand.”

Both formats have their time and place. Fictional pieces can be used to get attention, separate a product or service from competitors or make a quick but lasting impression. However nonfiction is often used to redirect opinions, change an image or generally inform the public.

For the assignment this week I was asked to choose two commercials and create a screen play based on them … this basically means watching them over and over until I have the screen play that was used to create the commercial in the first place. Kinda like tasting the dish and then devising the recipe. I have selected a Geico commercial, one because it is hilarious and two because it is so contrary to the other, an Axe commercial. Both are obviously fictional commercials. One takes a very direct approach in which the point is outlined by a narrator or announcer and then illustrated. The other however uses little to no wordage … merely action, music and very tiny triangles positioned over the chests of hundreds of running women … in other words the rest is left up to the imagination.

 Geico: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F_G2zp-opg

Commercial One:Geico … Piggy	Video	Audio
1.	Man walks across the stage with a serious look on his face. The background is professional but nondescript. He is wearing a professional suit, hands in pocket as he walks across the stage and then back. Immediately begins talking.	In a serious and stern voice … “Could Geico really save you 10 percent or more on car insurance?”
2.	Man looks up at the screen with a knitted forehead and serious scowl. As he is speaking he raises his eyebrows to accentuate the question.	Firmly states … “Did the little piggy cry ‘wee wee wee’ all the way home.”
3.	Screen switches to the image of a pig leaning out of a suburban vehicle while holding two pinwheels. The scene is shot from the outside of the car.	Sound of pinwheels in the wind and the car moving as well as the little pig crying “Weee, We wee weeeeee”
4.	Image now shows the driver of the vehicle. A suburban mom. Who is looking obviously annoyed.	Continued sound of wind, pinwheels and “We, Wee, Weeeee.”
5.	Instantly shifts to the inside of the vehicle. We see the pig hanging outside of the vehicle again but this time from the driver’s side rear angle of the car.	Noise Continues
6.	In quick succession the screen shows another passenger, a young boy, who also looks annoyed. Then we see the vehicle from a cross street as it passes.	Noise Continues
7.	Again we see an up close shot of the pig. Happy faced pinwheels in hand.	Noise Continues
8.	Vehicle pulls up to a house. We see the house and then the woman driving the vehicle. As she speaks we see her turn her head toward the pig in the backseat.	Noise continues but woman adds “Max” … and then louder “Maxwell”
9.	The pig stops making noises and leans into the vehicle.	Pig says, “Yeah”
10.	The screen shows the woman from the outside of the vehicle looking in. She is clutching the steering wheel. The pig is in the back seat … passenger side. He is leaning forward to hear the woman.	“You are home.” the woman said.
11.	The screen now pans to the pig … who is still holding the pinwheels.	Pig says … “Oh, cool. Thanks Mrs. A” As he does this he gazes out the window and then turns toward the woman and raises a pinwheel at her.
12.	The screen shows the woman again as she waves him off looking tired and very annoyed. Geico and Geico.com shows up on the screen.	Voice over proclaims “Geico. 15 minutes could save you 15 percent or more.”

 

Axe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9tWZB7OUSU

Commercial Two:Axe … Women … Billions	Video	Audio
1.	Feet running along wooded path as screen pans up and we see a beautiful woman clad in a bikini. She is running and sniffing the air as if on the prowl.	Dramatic music
2.	Continues to run, jump over obstacles and forge through the woods. Looks like an animal,	Dramatic music continues to build in tension and tempo
3.	Other women, also clad in small red, green and earth toned bikinis, begin to emerge from the woods	Music continues to build
4.	Now we see hordes of women running over mountains and even swimming across the ocean	Music continues
5.	The women are now pushing each other out-of-the-way. They are trickling down over the mountains and swimming in hordes.	Music continues
6.	For the first time we see a young mans face. He is jovial and looking around himself in expectation.	Music Continues
7.	We see more and more women arriving on the beach where the man is	Music Continues
8.	Man is moving his arms behind his head in a primal movement.	Music continues to pound
9.	Women jumping over each other descend on the man.	Music Continues
10.	We see that the man is not doing a primal dance but spraying something all over his body.	Music Continues
11.	The first woman stares down the camera looking primitive and eager.	Music is about to climax
12.	The women all circle the man, who is looking ecstatic. And the words “Spray More … Get More … The Axe Effect” comes onto the screen	A female announcer says over the music “Spray More … Get More …”

From Eden to Edith’s

“I knuckle down with my demons and with my weaknesses.” – Carlos Santana

This week we learned about WEAKNESS. I understand weakness.

Weakness is inevitable … we all have it in some way-shape-or-form. We wrestle it … try to mask it … try to overcome and deny it. But like the cat … it comes back. Weakness is a hard thing to face because it means owning up to the fact that we are not perfect. But of late I have had a change of heart about weakness.

Weakness is an opportunity to show ourselves. It is a chance to get up and prove gumption. It is the test of our virtues and an outlet for growth.

Our lesson explains, “What you do with the negative—whether you fold, spindle or mutilate it—is up to you. That’s where your creativity comes into play.”

I actually think this is profound. What you do with the negative in your life, work or education is totally up to you. You may stifle it or you may mold it. You may smother it or you may soothe it. You may sweep it under the rug or cultivate it into a positive.

This week we have the rare opportunity to see weakness for what it truly is … a learning tool … an opportunity … and even to some degree strength. All good storytellers know that the villain is not just a villain … he is misunderstood … he is the tragic hero. When the storyteller has made the audience ache for the bad guy he or she has done a good job.

It is our individual weaknesses that make us human, give us personality and flavor and also make us identifiable to others. In the business world, personality, flavor, humanity and empathy are like black gold … they are the crème de la crème that make a company successful. These are the fine tuned ingredients that evolve into a loyal and die hard following.

As marketing agents … AKA sophisticated storytellers we must acknowledge the holes in our stories. We must acknowledge the weaknesses of our businesses and we must address that in which brings us down. It would be fatal to assume that the audience does not see the man behind the curtain. It would be a mistake to believe that the rest of the world does not see, probably better than you, your weaknesses. So utilize them instead. For this week I am going to look at two local businesses that have both strength and weakness. Throughout the remainder of this course I would like to work with both to help spin some gold.

Edith’s Health and Specialty Store …
Edith’s is a health food store which offers a full line of all alternative health related products, organic and specialty foods as well as body care items and all natural supplements. The store is located on Washington Street in the small town of Lewisburg, WV. The store-front is across the street from a popular coffee shop and within walking distance to a number of small boutique stores and lunch hot spots. The store, which features a lively interior complete with a large tree replica spanning both floors, has a regular clientele base as well as notoriety throughout the community. However, there is room for growth. Here are the three most notable:
• No updated or functional website

• Lack of comprehensive and accurate information … consumers not well versed in alternative health care may not have enough information or enough accurate information to utilize the facility.

• Big box retailers who often sell similar products.

Drifter’s WV BBQ …
Drifter’s WV BBQ is a small BBQ vending business that specializes in slow cook and wood smoked meats that feature signature sauces. Drifter’s, which is currently in the first stages of operation, is expecting to travel throughout the state during the spring and summer months to vend at various community events. The business was built from the ground up using reclaimed and recycled items including an old school bus which has been renovated into a kitchen and smoker area to be used on site. Drifter’s offers two immediate challenges:
• The business does not have one “go-to” location

• The product is only being offered during the spring and summer months

Storytelling Songbirds and the Apple Revolution

When I first started this program I used to joke around that I was learning to “Sell my soul and beg for money professionally.” This was my way of acknowledging some of the aspects of marketing which do not jive with me … it was my way of not taking myself seriously and setting myself apart from my studies. I have struggled with this … wondering if indeed I had found the right field. I have always seen myself as a literary person, a story-teller or narrator. I never thought of myself as a salesman … in fact I failed miserably at a brief attempt to sell Mary Kay cosmetics. However, as I evolve I am beginning to see my role and my field in a whole new light. To be a marketer is not to be a salesman but to be a storyteller and observer … it means to be an anthropologist and psychologist too.
As a marketing agent it is so crucial to understand your target audience. This isn’t just a fact. This is the holy grail of survival. This is as natural as breathing. This is like the first rule of Fight Club. It is unspoken, understood and without exception.
However, we learned this week that it is actually deeper than that. As a marketer we are simultaneously telling a story and interpreting one as well. We are writing a story and reading at the same time. We are speaking and listening all at once. We are telling the stories of our products and services and yet listening for the songbird of our target audience … this week was all about the songbird.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Songbird as “a bird that utters a succession of musical tones.” However, in the wondrously wide world of marketing the songbird is much more. The songbird is that one thread by which the whole universe can be unraveled. The songbird is the essential oil of a character, the reduced stock that has been boiled down into an image, line or scene. It is the one piece of the puzzle which brings everything together. The last bing, bang, boom of the puzzle.
Keeping this in mind I am looking at Apple advertisements to find the songbird and identify the diverse target audiences which the company is catering to in each. Because as our lesson outlined … find the songbird … find the target.
Viruses: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdF5IsyOxU4
Ok let’s forget that this commercial is featuring Justin Long … which should make you want an Apple right off the bat. But the real story line is that Apple is young, attractive, smart and savvy while PC is old, stuff and well a bit sick. That is very obvious. However, the song bird here is the tissue … this one thing Apple can offer PC. Not only can Apple extend a tissue but Apple isn’t afraid to catch what PC has …
“Thank you but you had better stay back this one is a doosey,” PC said.
“That is ok I’ll be fine,” Apple said.
“No no do not be hero. Last year there was 14,000 known viruses for PCs,” PC said.
“For PCs, but not Macs … so” Apple said as he takes the used tissue and wipes PCs nose. This is very telling of the type of “hero” that Apple represents.
Work VS Home: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvkB8jyct0k
This advertisement and its songbird are slightly backward … instead of using a songbird to show the protagonist … being Apple … they are illustrating the antagonist, PC. In this ad the songbird is the laser pointer and pie chart that PC uses to illustrate their “hipness” … what I like best is the inappropriate or unnatural use of the slang “just kicking it” which really sets off the differences between PC and Apple.
“Say it would kinda be hard to capture a family vacation on a pie chart,” Apple explains.
“Not true,” PC says as he goes over to a pie chart with a laser pointer in hand and unveils the pie chart.
“This light gray area could represent hang out time,” PC says. “Whereas this dark gray area could represent ‘just kicking it.’”
Trust Apple:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThQlCRfWQ-c

Lastly we have another ad which uses the contrast between images as well as a spoof on PCs propensity toward viruses. In this ad PC is in disguise so to avoid spy ware. He even encourages Apple to don a pair of glasses … the glasses are the songbird. In refusing the glasses Apple reveals his character.
“In fact take these … they will keep you safe,” PS instructs.
“No no no PC really I don’t need ‘em. I am good,” Apple says as if he is refusing an h’orderves because he had a late lunch. “I run OS 10 so I don’t have to worry about spy ware and viruses. You take them.”
“Yeah, you are probably right. I should have a backup anyway,” PC said.

Electric Kool Aid Acid, Sacrifical Virgins and Living on the Edge

 This week I had the opportunity to re-learn about brands. I am not talking about Subaru, Dansko or Burt’s Bees. I am talking about superior safe vehicular handling, comfortable clogs and 99 percent all natural lip balm. I am talking about the idea that we buy into … or not … surrounding a product, service, political candidate or cause. I am talking about the aura around the things, concepts and experiences we bring into our lives.  To me a brand isn’t a logo, image or slogan its a back story.

This idea of back story is very near and dear to my heart at the moment. It is with me always … this who are you … why are you here … where have you been. It frames the way I see everything. And in that way back story … its importance … its relevancy is becoming a part of my story.  And I believe that is it. It is why we buy into whatever product, idea, cause or crusade that tickles our fancy. Back story, who, what, when, where and why.

So what does all of this mean? It means that a brand is something that is a part of each of us … it is a concept that we seek … we seek it in our products but we seek it in our interactions, connections and personal what-have-yous … a brand … our brand … your brand is your back story. And just like last weeks post there is order to the chaos.  I will try to identify the brand in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, American Beauty and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid … this is my attempt to capture in not so many words the concept, the overall ideal … the essential oil of these movies while incorporating this overall definition of a brand.

1. A brand is not a not a name, a font, a picture, a logo or a music lick in an ad campaign. It’s a cluster of ideas which—if the brand is successful—is evoked by any or all of the above.
2. A brand is not a product, service, political candidate or a cause. It’s the mental packaging.
3. Brands can—but don’t have to—have creation myths attached to them.
4. Brands undergo transformation, just as characters do.

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest: A rebel with a cause …

The brand or flavor of this movie is rebellious, revolutionary, questioning of ideas and authority. Jack Nicholson is James Dean but with a better smirk and a penchant towards the bourgeois. The brand matures throughout the movie … beginning with a childlike mischievousness and evolving into the bone chilling reality of what happens when we stand up against authority or battle uphill. It is the class clown who almost loses his spirit; it is the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test without hallucinogenic drugs and a fancy day-glo bus. It is a loss of innocence.

American Beauty: Pave paradise and put up a parking lot …

This movie truly epitomizes the quest for happiness and the realization that we never know what we have until it is gone. This movie is the martyr brand … the wasted land, sacrificed virgins and the last rose petal. The brand transforms from the quest for happiness to the knowledge that happiness was there all along … the search for youth that ends in old age, the search for life that can only be realized on death’s door. It is an awakening, an over ripening of sorts. This movie is the quest for happiness and what happens after the party is over.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: If you can’t be good … be good at it …

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid offer us the essence of the American Dream, living the good life and living life to its fullest … living by our wits and bootstraps if you will. Butch and the Kid are the ultimate bad boys … with heart. You want to love them, you want them to get away but it doesn’t work that way. This brand starts out showing us the jovial side of living on the edge but by the end of the movie we know there are consequences, we know that there are prices to be paid. This movie is about seizing the moment without regard for the final outcome. Living for the here and now and taking risks despite the consequences.

The Epic Journey in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest … American Beauty and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Hi world. Today is all about the epic journey. I am on one. You are too. Each and every one of us is somewhere in the midst of our own path. It is the stuff that makes the big screen, it is the stuff found in the little things. The epic journey is the transformation that happens with growth. It is the story of life. Hero meets challenge, hero wrestles and even fails, hero begins to catch on, hero embraces change, hero is transformed. It is not quite so simple as all that but you get the jist.

This week in class I learned to look at the Epic Journey or Creation Myth a little differently. This week I began to dissect words like Plot and Story. I rearranged these concepts in my mind and came out on the other side. A story is not a plot … the sequence of events within the story are not the story. The events are just that plot, action … happenings. The story is the essence, the overall flavor, the brand of tale to be told. Within the guidelines of story and plot, within the boundaries of creation myths and epic journeys a pattern of storytelling evolves. There is rhyme and reason …

1. In every story, something is at stake. Something important is either won or lost. 
2. Every story follows a central character on a personal journey from Point A to Point B.
3. By the end of the story, the character is transformed.
4. Something complex and dynamic about the character transfers its energy to the story. 
5. The character always has a good reason not to act, but acts anyway.

 

With this in mind … here is a synopsis of three classic flicks. These three films represent the Epic Journey in some form.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest:

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a 1975 hit based on a novel by Ken Kesey and directed by Milos Forman. The movie details Randall McMurphy, a man with several assault convictions, goes to jail. Instead of spending his time in prison he fakes a mental illness and gets transferred to a mental institute.

What is at stake? McMurphy’s criminal sentence, which he believes will be more comfortable if carried out in a mental institute as opposed to a prison. However, as the story advances it is McMurphy’s sanity that becomes at stake as well.

Who is the central character? Why? Describe this character’s personal journey. Randall Patrick McMurphy is the novels central character. The story revolves around him and his plight to stand up against the criminal justice system, Nurse Ratched and manipulative authority figures. He arrives at the mental institute both intelligent and self-assured. However, as he watches Nurse Ratched belittle and wear down fellow patients McMurphy begins to go through a transformation in which he wants to take on Ratched and her dominating ways.

How is the character transformed? He begins to care for the other patients and even makes strides to protect them and take on their cause against Ratched.

What complex and dynamic aspect of the character transfers its energy to the story? McMurphy offers an extremely clever and rebellious energy to the story. In addition to his spirit his cause is to stand up against Rached, the authority figure, and his presence in the mental institute itself is a rebellion against the criminal justice system.

What good reason does the character have not to act? McMurphy could choose not to act because by getting involved he becomes emotionally invested and Nurse Ratched holds the keys to his freedom. By taking her on he risks getting out after his sentence is over. He also risks the lives and sanity of his new-found friends as Ratched uses them to punish him for his outbursts.

American Beauty:

 

American Beauty is a 1999 box office hit directed by Sam Mendes. The movie details the journey of a middle age suburban father who throws caution to the wind as he seeks relief from his midlife doldrums. 

What is at stake? Lester Burnham’s marriage, relationship with his daughter, his career and his life are all stake as Burnham struggles with a mid-life crisis.

Who is the central character? Why? Describe this character’s personal journey. Lester Burnham is the central character of this movie. He is a 40-something married man who in addition to being the main character is the narrator of the film. Burnham suffers from a midlife crisis in which he seeks to find something important in life. He begins fantasizing about a young friend of his daughter, starts smoking pot, quits his job and begins blackmailing his boss.

How is the character transformed? In addition to losing his life, witnessing the destruction of his marriage and becoming estranged from his daughter Burnham finds the truth he was seeking in the closing dialog.

“I guess I could be really pissed off about what happened to me…but it’s hard to stay mad, when there’s so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I’m seeing it all at once, and it’s too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that’s about to burst…and then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain. And I can’t feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life. You have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m sure. But don’t worry… you will someday.”

He was transformed from a bitter middle age man into a content and happy person … even if only seconds before he died.

What complex and dynamic aspect of the character transfers its energy to the story? Burnham lends a sense of enlightenment to the film. His character is seeking truth and fulfillment. He is on the pursuit of happiness and one can’t help but rejoice at his small but significant successes.

What good reason does the character have not to act? Considering that Burnham’s actions inadvertently lead to his death he could choose not to act as a safety precaution. However, he would have never come to the final conclusions of the movie without the choices he made.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 Western film directed by George Roy Hill. The movie details the journey of bank and train robbers Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as they lead The Hole in The Wall Gang and eventually make a run for their lives.

What is at stake? The life and freedom of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are at stake as well as a lot of money.

Who is the central character? Why? Describe this character’s personal journey. There are two central characters in this movie, Butch and Sundance. They are a dynamic duo that uses their partnership to rob trains, lead a gang and eventually run from the law.

How is the character transformed? At the beginning of the movie both Sundance and Butch are happy-go-lucky. However, they eventually realize that their life of crime will not last. As they push their schemes to the limits and refuse to quit they also create their own death sentence.

What complex and dynamic aspect of the character transfers its energy to the story? Both Butch and Sundance offer the spirit of gaiety and perseverance. They refuse to give up. For example there is a scene in which the duo is being pursued and they have nowhere to run. After a few moments of reflection and consideration they decide to jump from a large steep cliff into a raging river. It is this form of perseverance that embodies the spirit of both Butch and Sundance.

What good reason does the character have not to act? Both Butch and Sundance have no choice but to keep going or face going to jail and most probably hanging.

Hello World

Howdy All,

I am Leah Deitz, a freelance writer and public relations consultant. I am currently working on a Master’s degree in Marketing and Mass Communications through West Virginia University. This blog … serves as a platform for much of my homework as well as a place for me to rant and ramble. So here it goes … a few things about me …

I am a mother, friend, sister and worker.

I have a dog named Sane … who keeps me from going crazy.

I enjoy music and have been hooked on Lissie, Nuetral Milk Hotel, Lucinda Williams and Deer Tick lately.

I really like deep fried pickles. Like really really like them.

I can get very carried away.

I love whispers.

I do not like ketchup. It is disgusting and the smell makes me gag.

My favorite color is blue and my daughter’s middle name is also Blue.

My dad rides a Harley and reads Mark Twain.

My mom smokes skinny cigarettes.

I love life. Even when things suck.