Skechers Airators Promotional Materials

In October, Nicktoons will air Zevo-3, an animated show based on characters including Kewl Breeze developed by Skechers to promote their Airators line of kids' shoes. Kewl Breeze is a superhero that uses his breathable Skechers shoes to defeat hot "Blacktop", his arch nemesis.

Why is this out of the ordinary?

This is an example of content originally developed for and used in the promotion of consumer products being broadcast by a network as entertainment. Shows are traditionally developed and broadcast as entertainment and then licensed by consumer product manufactures. Think "Dora, Dora, Dora the Explorer" as the catchy jingle goes. The animated series was developed and broadcast 24/7 and kids fell in love with Dora and Boots. This attracted consumer products manufacturers to license the property and sell everything from toys and DVDs to yogurt and fruit snacks fashioned to their likeness.

Where does the FCC & FTC stand on the adverting & entertainment overlap?

The Federal Communications Commission prohibits marketers from advertising during a show with advertising-derived characters. However, in the Skechers scenario above, they are well within the guidelines to publicize the new Zevo-3 show. Skechers with insert a "sizzle reel" DVD in 1 million shoe boxes as well as run ads before the series airs.

In 2008, the Federal Trade Commission conducted an examination of how companies advertise products to kids. The FTC gathered information from 44 top marketers including PepsiCo and Coca-Cola for the report. They ruled in favor of industry self-regulation based on the findings, essentially limiting involvement.

Will it work?

Advertising content transformed into entertainment has traditionally not been successful. Most recently, ABC developed the prime-time show Cavemen, based on the Geico ads from The Martin Agency. The show was canceled after about a month. The California Raisins developed for promotional purposes by the California Raisin Advisory Board, starred in a 1989 CBS Saturday morning cartoon series that was canceled after one season. In the late 80's, Domino's Pizza unsuccessfully pitched a show based on the Noid character featured in their advertising.

Will kids find Kewl Breeze and his quest against hot "Blacktop" compelling over time? We'll find out starting in October.

For more information, read the following BRANDWEEK article where much of the information above was gathered: http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/promotion-incentive/e3i3e9fe8a77ad6bd903028e0547bcfda9a?pn=1

Yep, Shrek Forever After (that's number 4 if you're counting) will hit the big screen on May 21^st. But don't worry, if you need your Shrek fix now take a look at what we've been working on - Shrek Twinkies, CupCakes & 100 Calorie Packs. We think Donkey would be proud.

Shrek Packaging Execution

What's the most important aspect of the project? Well, there's several. Timing is obviously very important and maintaining the production schedule ensures on-time deliveries. However, creating the production art is critical and will make or break the schedule. Producing accurate color is paramount and is both the responsibility of the production artist and the printer. Great communication and experience keep the process moving, often avoiding time-consuming and costly roadblocks that can jeopardize in-store delivery dates.

Here’s an image of the Hostess Shrek CupCakes packaging press proofs with the style guide sitting on top. It takes a sharp and experienced eye to proof, evaluate and provide printer direction to make any necessary adjustments before the final packaging goes into production. The final product, Shrek in the perfect shade of Ogre green (delivered on-time and on-budget).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd1pgHh_dkk

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl5gBJGnaXs

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The project has not gone without controversy or incident. However, from a purely visual perspective, which is greatly intensified the backdrop, it's hard to argue that it’s not an absolutely amazing feat of engineering and design.

Building blocks over the Hoover Dam

For example, if you witnessed Shannon Bahrke win a bronze metal in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics last week you could easily see where we found our inspiration when developing her logo. After watching Shannon's signature back flip on her highlight real several times you can say we were inspired.

Congratulations Shannon!! We, along with the entire nation are so very proud of you. It was an honor to have had the opportunity to work with you and we wish you all the best on and off the mountain.

Shannon Bahrke Logo Inspiration

2009

Full disclosure, yes, this post is a shameless self-promotion where we practically break an arm to pat ourselves on the back. Well kind of. It's also about what we collectively think the real meaning of a design award is.

Traditionally, Lundmark Advertising + Design has not participated in design contest based on the school of thought that our clients and their consumers were the only "judges" that really mattered. In part this is true, however, in part is it not also false? Does the phrase, "you don't know what you don't know" apply here? Could we learn more, become better by sharing our work with a larger group of "judges"?

As a member of the marketing, advertising and design community we have come to the conclusion that we owe it to our clients and ourselves to compare and contrast our work to others. Collectively, we can advance our craft through thoughtful collaboration.

Therefore, for the first time in a long time we gathered a few examples of our work, completed lengthily entry forms and wrote a check to collaborate with our peers. And, we are humbled and excited to report three American Graphic Design Awards from Graphic Design USA. Thanks! As long as we keep winning, we'll keep submitting entries (joking).

Here are a few interesting facts sited in the book, SOCIALNOMICS THE BOOK, by author Erik Qualman along with a cool YouTube promotional video.

• Gen Y & Z think e-mail is passe; in 2009 Boston College stopped issuing freshmen university e-mail addresses
• Gen Y will out outnumber Baby Boomers by 2010
• 96% of Gen Y have joined a social network
• 18% of traditional TV ads generate a positive ROI; 90% of consumers who can TiVo ads do
• 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations; 14% trust advertisements
• 80% of companies use LinkeIn as their primary tool to find employees
• If Facebook were a country it would be the 4^th largest in the world
• It took TV 13 years to reach 50 million users, the Internet 4 years; Facebook registered 100 million users in 9 months.

Change is the only constant. Happy social networking.

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Ad Age recently published an article on the upside of the business. The product concept is not new, but the marketing strategy is. In the 90's, Seinfeld produced an episode titled "The Jimmy" about performance enhancing basketball shoes and a wacky character that used them to improve his game.

So what's different? Everything, the target, the motivation and the product. Sketchers is targeting multitasking women who don't make it to the gym, but want to feel like they are "exercising" while they do everything from commuting to shopping with friends. Sketchers and Reebok have introduced products that are noticeably different up close, but look like everyday casual and athletic shoes from a distance (much different Jimmy's jump high b-ball trainers above).

Does the concept have merit? In the new economy this category looks attractive. It's like buying a pair of walking shoes that come with the implied benefits of a gym without the cost or time involved. Win/Win; a marketers dream.

How do you think the ladies version of "The Jimmy" will do in the market place?

This is not a hard concept to grasp or principle to follow. Is it?

Well, here's another example of a company that strategically profited from a misleading claim. Sigg, makers of the Swiss designed and eco-friendly reusable water bottle, promoted their product as being 100% BPA free to meet consumer demand, however, some products made before August 2008 have now been found to contain BPA plastics (http://adage.com/article?article_id=138712). The company now claims that although the products did contain BPAs, they leach 0% of the harmful plastic. Making the situation even worse, they're defending their claim positioning the facts to be in an acceptable gray area.

The line here is black & white, there's no gray area to hide in. The facts indicate that Sigg mislead consumers to make a profit.

The worst part? It’s another example that fuels consumer skepticism.

Sigg "I AM NOT PLASTIC"

However, the more I read, the more I engaged, the more clear it became. The pieces started working together. This is big and what makes it work for me is that it's organic and it's real. The stories and photos are from people just like me who know someone affected by cancer - moms, dads, brothers, sisters, friends, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors and this list could go on and on.

It didn't take long for me to register, although reluctant to create another user i.d. and password. Then I typed the name of a friend into the form for the chalkbot to post on a mountain road in France. I was engaged and participating in less than 15 minutes.

IMHO, this is an example of a cause marketing program with the potential to generate deep emotional ties from mass audiences and influence how we as a community think about an issue and how we as consumers think about a brand.