The (Burger) King Conquers New Territory

What's the one thing I hope doesn't turn up underneath my Christmas tree or in my stocking this year (or any year for that matter)?

THIS!

Burger King is full of little viral marketing surprises these days. I mean, who wants to hang out with somebody who smells like they work the fryer at the local BK? Maybe it's just me and my delightfully meat-free lifestyle, but that sounds about as appealing as having my eyelids glued shut.

While searching around for more information on this glorious new scent certain to be tantalizing our nostrils through the holiday season, I came across another campaign by the King. It's a documentary by Stacey Perelta on folks that have never, ever, ever eaten a hamburger.

WTF?!?

As you can imagine, the travel expenses must have been astronomical for this taste test as finding an American who has never even heard of Burger King would be near impossible unless you raid the nursery at the local hospital (which would hardly be effective since I don't think cheeseburger is on the children's menu at that age), but the results are incredibly interesting to watch. Check it out here.

As Americans, we are so conditioned to seeing Burger King and McDonald's on every main street it's absolutely shocking to imagine a place in the world that has never seen a BK commercial!

Makes you wonder, how different would our choices be if we weren't constantly exposed to advertising?

-Lindsay, Campaign Manager
Lunch Today: Cheese Ravioli, granola bar(sorry, no BK for me)

Happy Holidays From Premise!

" We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill

Nobody says it better than old Winston, and what better way to celebrate the season than to give the gift of giving. Premise wants your help in deciding which cause will receive a $500 holiday donation (runner sup receive $100 each).

The mission of Elemental Awareness is to educate and inspire young people to develop self-esteem, social and environmental awareness and the tools to lead successful lives.





The Partnership for a Drug-Free America unites parents, renowned scientists and communications professionals to help families raise healthy children.




The Sajai Foundation is dedicated to combating childhood obesity by developing programs that inspire wise nutrition and activity choices in children 6 to 11.

Please click below to vote for one of our favorite causes and view the polling results.

VOTE HERE

Team Edward or Team Jacob?

Unless you haven't left your house in the last several months I'm certain you've heard of the phenomenon that is (cue suspenseful music)..."Twilight"!

The series of vampire fantasy novels have teen and young adult audiences buzzing. Although, the target demographic for the book was teenage girls, I've found many of my friends in their late 20's and early 30's to be equally as obsessed with the handsome vampire and his plain-jane lady love. I'm talking locked in their bedrooms, reading in the car, constant dinner conversation, 'I wish I could find a guy that is just like Edward,' nuts over this series.

I'm baffled that a book intended to entertain a 15 year old girl could hold the attention of somebody (presumably) more mature. Of course, my "adult" friends claim "Oh, it's just an easy read", but then they send mass emails to organize a viewing of the upcoming film version and have endless discussions about who is the better choice for the heroine - the line being clearly drawn between Team Edward and Team Jacob.

I'm impressed with the generational span this series has. I can't think of many products that appeal to both a teenager and a 30-something, except maybe a new car.

I personally have not read any of the books, but with each friend I lose to the Twilight addiction I become more and more curious at what exactly is so enticing about these stories.

Maybe I'll have to cave and just sink my teeth into them...(pun totally intended).

Lindsay, Campaign Manager
Lunch Today: Lean Cuisine, apple w/ peanut butter, and green tea

UPDATE: I bite into the first novel and now I should probably just bite my tongue...sigh...I'll be locked in my room catching up on the series if you need me.

CHOCOHOLIC!

Do you remember the last time you were craving chocolate?

Do you also remember what it felt like when you saw the small variety of good chocolate at the store?

And no, I am not talking about Hershey’s chocolate or all the other candy bars out there. I know some people really like Hershey’s & Co., but come on - face the real world - that stuff isn’t really that great.

If you ever get a chance to go overseas, check out the grocery stores with their AISLES of chocolate. Growing up in Europe and always being able to access the really good stuff, I was used to eating chocolate every day. I have to admit, I am a ‘CHOCOHOLIC’ and I cannot live without my chocolate for a single day.

So, when I came to the U.S., one of my first tasks was to find good chocolate. After weeks of eating some good and some bad chocolate, I ended up calling my mom and telling her to send me a package with my favorite chocolate. When that package finally arrived, I ripped it open and I ate two bars right away.


My favorite chocolates are Lindt’s Creation 70% (ALL of them) and MILKA caramel.



Especially around the holidays, they come up with all those new varieties and I am already waiting for my monthly package of chocolate from my mom….. and like every month, I will rip open that package and eat a bar of really good chocolate.

BON APPÉTIT & HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Doreen, Research Assistant
Lunch today – salad and a doughnut

When Value Meets Values

The Internet changed lots of things in lots of really neat ways.

Now that my overly-general attention-grabbing intro-sentence is out of the way, let’s get down to business, specifically, how the Internet has dramatically changed the way businesses start, operate, and fail.

Several variations on how to achieve the end goal of any business (making stacks, piles, and swimming pools of money) have arisen in the recent times, all varying in their experimental nature. Chris Anderson coined the concept of “The Long Tail” in an article for Wired Magazine in 2004. He has gone on to write two books on the topic and endless blog posts. The name comes from a power law distribution curve which (think back to graphing in Algebra, it’s very close to the graph of an exponential function). Traditionally businesses focus on selling only the most popular products, especially when it comes to media like books or music. Businesses like Amazon and Netflix have shifted that norm by overcoming costs of stocking and distribution by leveraging the Internet to reach a huge audience and offer them an unimaginable array of options at a very low cost. Thus making more money off of the nearly infinite ‘tail’ of the graph rather than the ‘head’. Essentially selling more of less popular items than possible ever before.

Another strategy employed by many Web 2.0 companies has become known as Freemium. Again, companies like Flickr, Second Life and Rapidshare use the Internet to reach a very large number of people for almost no money and then proceed to give away their service but offer paid premium memberships with added features. This model works because of the scale, if only 1% of users pay $25 for a year of your service and you have 10 million users, well do the math. The percentage of paid customers varies greatly depending on the service. Club Penguin, for instance, has 25% of monthly unique visitors sign up to pay $5 a month, where as most shareware software programs often see less than .5% of users paying.

This brings us to the “pay as you wish” method, which allows the consumer to pay only as much as they see fit. Obviously very counterintuitive, this idea was employed by Radiohead, Saul Williams and many other artists as a new way to distribute their music. Certain others are refusing to take money for their work, San Diego singer-songwriter, Joel P. West, is offering his album only in exchange for a creative work (photo, poem, song, painting etc.) to be posted on the album’s blog.

With all these evolving business models, the value of a service or product really comes to the forefront especially when leaving the monetary payment for said object to be determined by its consumer. This is a truly fascinating concept, which would revolutionize commerce. As many social scientists theorize, our personal sets of values are determined mainly by the culture surrounding us in our pre-adult years and the order in which we prioritize these values shifts around through the course of our lives based on the scarcity or need for them. For example, during a drought, the need for clean drinking water comes to the forefront of many people’s minds. My question is this: what if everything we consumed was paid in accordance with the ordering of your values set at any given time?

JZ, Graphic Designer
Lunch: Supafood Smoothie and Everythang Bagel wif Hummus

Get By With a Little Help From Your Friends

The economic "slowdown" is having a negative impact on most people, especially college students (current and future) who rely on student loans to cover the immediate costs of education.

Lenders are raising interest rates on both private and federally guaranteed loans to offset the turmoil in the credit markets. I personally managed to get out of college without a single loan - except for the ones I issued to myself on my Credit Card to attend spring break festivities in Fort Lauderdale (yikes!). However, majority of my fellow students were looking at several thousand dollars of debt at graduation.

So, what can students do to finance their college experience in these tough times?

Well, not everyone has a rich Uncle to rely on, but GreenNote has a solution (www.greennote.com) that just might be crazy enough to work. They have created a website based on the idea of using your personal networks (friends, family, friends of family, community) to generate a student loan.


If you want it. Just ask for it. It's that simple.

GreenNote provides the platform for potential post-secondary students to ask their networks for the money they need to continue their education - and the tools for lenders to provide the funding at a low interest rate (6.8%) to the student in need.

What do the lenders get? A small return on their investment and the good-feeling knowing they helped a young mind achieve the foundation of their future; a solid education.

Lindsay, Campaign Manager
Lunch Today: Tuna and artichoke sandwich, potato salad and green tea

Gratification

I am not usually one to follow the crowd when it comes to material things, although in some cases it is necessary in order to keep up with our developing society. Helping to develop this society is one of the leading trend setters, Apple Inc.

I don’t understand the meaning behind gigahertz and rams and pixels and processors, but I am captivated by the sleek design of Apple’s products and I think we can all agree that when a new product of theirs is released, people go hog wild. My concern is with the shelf life of these trendy products. One year after the original iPhone arrived in stores, the next generation iPhone 3G was making its debut. My question is this: At what point do we have the best product?

We all seem to want the “best” or the “fastest” or sometimes even the most expensive products, but I have been finding it hard to reach this goal. About a year and a half ago, Apple released the new MacBook Pro with a new operating system, new screen, etcetera, etcetera. Well, recently they released the newest version of the MacBook and MacBook Pro. Therefore, I’m sorry to all of you who have recently purchased what would now be considered an outdated version.

Do we really need the thinnest computer or the sleekest phone? In other words, when do we decide if enough is enough? I have to admit that I’ll probably purchase one of these new computers at some point when my four year old Toshiba takes its last breath, but I’m not so sure that a four finger multi-touch buttonless glass keypad, will really make my life any easier.

Ashton, PR coordinator
Lunch: Two slices of pepperoni pizza bought with USD CampusCash

Halloween Costumes Gone Awry!

Remember the innocent days of Halloween costumes that were once cute, scary, or funny?

Maybe it’s just because I was younger, but as a child I never remember seeing adults or teens dressed up in revealing costumes that now seem to line the walls of nearly every Halloween store around. Don’t get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with a sexy vampire or witch costume every now and again, but lately it seems like everything has gotten so sexed up that even Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz has been transformed into a harlot!

I think the worst part about the new fad of provocative costume designs is the fact that they are usually marketed to teens. Sure, there are still some modest costumes out there, but the trend seems to be pushing towards showing more skin. Even childish get-ups such as Rainbow Brite, Little Bo-Peep, and Little Red Riding Hood have been taken to extremely distasteful proportions.

By no means am I a prude and if you’re an adult then I say you can wear whatever you want, but I just think there is something morally corrupt in leading young teen girls into thinking that they have to buy sexy costumes to look cute. Maybe it’s just me, but I prefer original and creative costumes to any pre-packaged, overly-mature attire any day of the week!

Brittany Hook, Editor
Lunch: Home-made potato salad, a croissant, and strawberries.

After reading Brittany's blog post I saw a ton of news coverage on this exact topic. Including a story from my hometown of Minneapolis. The folks at the Today show did a good job of covering this rather concerning issue as well. Here's the video of the story.

This trend became quite evident to me during my college years when it seemed that Halloween became an excuse to go to the bars in your underwear, but now this trend has trickled down to the youngsters and parents are having to navigate their young children away from provactive and overtly sexual halloween costumes targeted directly at the youth market.

Oh, the horror!

Lindsay, Campaign Manger
Lunch: Coffee and a Luna bar

In-game advertising

It's nothing new.

But if it’s anything like Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign for the White House, he is all about change. In the video game world, it’s no different. Currently in ten swing states, spanning 19 video games for the Xbox 360, Obama is placing in-game advertisements for is campaign.
Obama’s push to gain more support from youth voters shows the degree at which the Obama campaign is willing to win the race.

Yearly entries into pop culture gaming like the Madden NFL franchise has been chocked full of product-placement and in-game advertising for years. Previously, products like Powerade, which are not time-sensitive, are statically placed inside the game. Generally, once a game is launched, the ads will never change.

Messages will have to be brief and to the point. Negative ads and long-winded statements will be impossible to see in games like Burnout, which include people racing at over 100 miles per hour. So, a quick message like “early voting has begun…Paid for by Obama for President” accompanied by a photo go right to the point.

Obama’s ads though are not static. Games that have been released as early as January now have billboards placed in various locations. When a user connects to Xbox Live to race a friend, or play some one-on-one basketball, the game’s software is updated. Part of the software updates includes advertising, and in this case, they are images super-imposed on certain parts of the games as advertisements.

Youth voters have always been a problem for candidates. History has shown they usually have better things to do on Election Day, like play video games. While Obama has previously derided video games, this ad campaign is probably the best way to attract the attention to youth.
TV advertisements, and Web ads have been littered all over the media spectrum for the last nine months, the switch to games is actually a bit of fresh air.

On top of that, the hardcore gamer demographic isn’t known for their intense reading or TV watching, so the Obama campaign has actually found the best way to move into a group of people that was otherwise hard to reach.

- John, editor
Lunch today: burrito

Cha-Cha

I was at a family BBQ last weekend, sitting in my usual spot at the kid’s table, when my 15-year-old cousin whipped out his cell phone and told me to ask him anything. He’s always been “the smart cousin,” and was my source for entertainment at the family functions, so I was more than happy to play along.

“Are June Bugs blind?” I asked.

He punched a bunch of buttons on his phone, got a text message, and reciprocated a lengthy response that summed up the answer “No.” Since I knew he wasn’t coming up with these scientific answers on his own, and was more than amused, I told my uncle to try one.

“What is the greatest noise in the world?” he asked.

Once again, my cousin hastily sent a text and minutes later we go a response saying “Music” with an explanation.

Enough. I needed to know what this thing was. My cousin was a little skeptical to reveal his source, but it turns out it’s a search engine called “Cha Cha.” You simply type “Cha Cha” (242242) as the recipient and ask it any question, from random facts to the temperature in far off countries. Apparently your response in received and generated by a real-life human!

The service is free for now and a pretty great way to kill time. Or talk to someone if you’re lonely. www.chacha.com

-Richelle, editor
Lunch today - every kind of vegetable

Under Construction

Please stay tuned as the Premise Blog is in transition to a new format. We will be back with more hot topics and our lunch menus shortly...

Orange: the color of decaffeinated coffee

"Is that decaf? "I attended a function at my son's school and as usual had to check out the desert table to see what all the great domestic parents had brought to share. I fill my plate with a few samples and find myself headed for the much needed coffee. When I approach there are 6-7 standard coffee carafes. I quickly scan them and instinctively reach over and between those marked with a small orange circle and pick up the solid black carafe. As I begin to pour, I hear someone say to the random group mixing coffees "is the orange decaf?" several responses come back, "ya, I think so" - "pretty sure" - "I hope so, that's what I wanted" moments later another person approaches asking the same question. I start thinking to myself, how is it that I, along with several others, have declared orange the official color of decaf? Why orange and why is it so deep in my brain that I didn't even think twice. I knew that by selecting the all black vs the all black with the small orange circle I was getting the dose of caffeine I needed. What if one day someone decided to reverse the brews? Decaf with no mark and regular with the orange mark. What would happen? Would everyone just assume the orange was decaf?

When I returned home I started doing some research. I discovered that the color orange and decaf go all the way back to 1923 when Sanka (derived from the French words words sans caféine "without caffeine")one of the earliest decaffeinated coffees was launched. The Sanka label was a distinct orange and the company gave away orange handles to attach to coffee pots so servers could identify the decaf from the regular. Pretty brilliant don't you think. Over 80's years later orange is still a staple identifier for decaf coffee. Alas, orange was tied to decaf long before I had my first sip! But who still drinks Sanka anyway?


Kristine
Lunch today: 2 side salads from Organic To Go and Honey Dijon chips.

To go guerrilla, or not to go guerrilla? That is the question.

John, one of our in-house media editors and Premise Observers, sent me a link to this video the other day and it got me thinking about just how risky guerrilla marketing campaigns can really be.




Although that video is quite far-fetched, it doesn't seem totally unthinkable considering some of the guerrilla marketing stunts that have hit our headlines over the last few years. Marketers and the brands they represent are getting more outrageous and unconventional with every campaign.


Golden Palace (www.goldenpalace.com), perhaps one of the 'greats' (I use that term loosely, as I personally feel some of their campaigns to be a bit over the top), has used a slew of tactics to push their brand into the spotlight and in the meantime generated some heavy blogging buzz around them. They've done it all, from streaking stunts to tattooing, to cow-painting (maybe it's the PETA member in me, but this just doesn't sit well. And, yes, I do realize that they had PETA's blessing on this one...something I still don't understand). You may even remember the name Golden Palace as the lucky bidder who took home the Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese from ebay (for a price tag of $28K). I'm still left thinking, "What does an online casino want with an old grilled cheese sandwich?" Publicity, that's what they want and that's exactly what they got.

How about Taco Bell constructing a 40ft by 40ft floating raft in the South Pacific and offering free tacos if any piece of the Mir spacecraft should happen to land on it. Sounds crazy right? Taco Bell's website nearly crashed as millions flocked to find out more information and they received international press coverage. End cost to Taco Bell = one raft.


Probably the most notable guerrilla campaign was the promotion of Aqua Teen Hunger Force causing a massive bomb scare in Boston in 2007. Light-bright style devices were attached to random city structures intending to provoke curiosity among the city-dwellers. Instead, these lights were mistaken for bombs and in the end Turner Broadcasting paid for the mishap. On the other hand, this promotion got national news coverage and Aqua Teen Hunger Force saw weeks of free publicity.

So, I ask myself, "Is it true what they say, is there really 'no such thing as bad publicity?'"

-Lindsay, Campaign Manager
Lunch today: pasta, salad and yummy bread (compliments of Pasta Bravo)

Kiehl's and Hollywood Join Forces For A Good Cause

The world is FULL of companies attempting to increase sales by promising a large donation to worthy causes. I’m pretty skeptical sometimes, but this one actually sounds legitimate!

Kiehl’s and Brad Pitt are partnering to create “JPF Eco Systems”, which attempts to help “save the environment” or at least prolong the adverse affects that are inevitable.

Their first product is Kiehl’s “Aloe Vera” Biodegradable Liquid Body Cleanser. Following Brad and Angelina’s philanthropic efforts after the Hurricane Katrina disaster, the sales will go to the “Make It Right” fund, which is dedicated to the construction of environmentally sustainable, affordable housing for those affected in New Orleans following the devastation.

For more info, check out www.makeitrightnola.org

-Richelle (PB and J Sandwich and a BANANA!!)

 

The Times, They are a Changin'!

Right when I think I have the latest in technology, Apple goes out and shakes things up. I just recently bought an iPod nano along with my MacBook Pro. I was feeling pretty high tech until I realized that the new nano was just launched yesterday and features a much slimmer, sleeker design as well as a bunch of other cool new features.

The new nano comes in a multitude of catchy colors and even includes a “Genius” feature, which means that your iPod can create new playlists based on artists you like. It’s like having your own personal DJ! Pretty smart, eh? If you’re getting bored with your playlists, simply shake your lil’ nano to your heart’s content and wa la!! A whole new shuffle! When the screen is turned sideways, you can view the Cover Flow, watch videos, look at photos, etc. Basically, the new nano is awesome and I’m a little bit jealous.

Apple also just unveiled the new iPod classic, which can hold up to 120 GB. I thought my old classic was pretty awesome, and that only holds 30 GB! Looks like the times are a changin’!

I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before my new MacBook Pro will be an ancient dinosaur in comparison to whatever those slick Apple designers are creating as we speak. Boo hoo.

On the bright side, at least I can still hear the music held in these crafty little devices, and that’s the most important part, right?

-Brittany Hook, Senior Editor

Lunch today: Homemade sandwich, an apple, and fruit snacks. (Hey, I'm on a budget!)

The End of the Energy Empire? The ban is coming...

I've recently been seeing a lot of coverage around MillerCoors being sued by The Center For Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) over their alcoholic energy beverage, Sparks. Citing the health concerns and that the combination of alcohol and caffeine is dangerous and drinkers of these beverages are more likey to drink excessively, drive under the influence or be involved in sexual assaults.
True or not, I think we all know deep-down that mixing caffeine (a stimulant) and alcohol (a depressant) is probably not the healthiest or safest choice. Not sure about you, but I can get on board with this movement (maybe because I've never been big on the insane amounts of sugar in these beverages). Even Anheuser-Busch has agreed to remove the caffeine and additives from their version of energy-infused alcohol (Bud Extra and Tilt) when notified of the same legal suit that MillerCoors is now battling.

In a more drastic approach across the pond, countries have even begun to ban energy drinks alone. Redbull is banned in France, Denmark and Norway (among others). Can you even imagine the uprising if Redbull was taken from the hundreds of thousands of American teens and young adults that thrive on it?

And, how long is it going to take for somebody to go after the businesses (bars & restaurants) that serve the "Oh-so-popular" Vodka Redbull? It is exactly what CSPI is suing MillerCoors for, it just doesn't come in one neat, tidy little package.

As a former bartender and general "nightlife professional", I can say with great confidence that Vodka Redbull is the most popular mixed drink out there. I have friends in my immediate social circle that would be devastated if they were no longer allowed to order their favorite "stay-up all night" cocktail. I'm sure they aren't the only 21-34 year olds that would be upset about a ban on Vodka Redbulls.

Not to mention, the drastic loss of sales if Redbull is no longer allowed to be sold in combination with alcohol!

-Lindsay, Campaign Manager
Lunch today: too much Pizza hut

Six Flags Ride The Mountain Wraps Up Another Successful Season!

For the second year, Premise teamed up with Six Flags Magic Mountain Theme Park in Valencia, CA to provide action sports shows on a skatepark demo course inside the park all summer long. The Ride The Mountain team consists of a hand selected group of Southern California's finest amateur skateboarders, BMX riders and inline skaters including Doug Des Autels (team captain and local technical skating wizard), Chris Mendes (one of California's top ranked amateur skateboarders and 2008 AST Dew Tour finalist) and even professional skateboarder Chad Knight made a few appearances.

I had the pleasure of attending the shows during the final weekend (Labor Day) and I even donned a Team Six Flags shirt and skateboarded with the team. Despite the heat the team put on some memorable performances and drew large crowds of park goers. We even had local photographer Rob Norland on hand to document the shows with an array of photographs and video footage. The final weekend went out with a bang and everyone is looking forward to next season.




For more information about the Ride The Mountain team, visit www.myspace.com/ridethemountain

Here is a link to a slide show of photos that Rob Norland took during the final weekend of shows:

http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e296/thenorlander/6flags/?albumview=slideshow

Also check out this teaser video clip of Doug Des Autels pulling off one of his signature technical tricks on the skatepark rail:




-Chris Patnaude, Account Coordinator

Lunch today: McDonalds Filet o Fish meal (real healthy huh?)

Commercializing Childhood

An interesting article providing perspectives on marketing to youth recently posted on towardfreedom.com with Susan Linn forwarded to me by Premise friend Aaron Smith. Agree with alot of what she has to say, LOVE her statement that refers to marketing of yesteryear like a BB gun and today's marketing like a smart bomb!

Gregg - Partner

Lunch? Two cans of Verve ...

The 11th Comandment - Thou shall Facebook

I had to do a double take when this image caught my eye on Ideate
The Bible is God's Facebook! Well holy cow, I didn't know he needed friends.

This got me thinking about religion and social media. Can you really find God online? Do more young people find a connection to religion online than in church? I have to ask myself, is social media the new bingo??
So, I started to do some searching. I guess I've been living under a rock (or maybe just not paying attention). I found xianz, mychurch and holypal (chuckle chuckle- that just makes me giggle when I read it for some reason). There is obviously a large religious youth demographic out there. So what better way to reach, reel in and develop life long followers. Put up a billboard that reminds them of Facebook?

I searched on Facebook for the Christian Lifestyle Camps Bay Group and found they had 102 members. I wonder if the billboard was a success for them?


Kristine
Lunch today - a slice of mushroom and pineapple pizza from Luigi's -

Feet on the Street

As "they say", you can learn a lot about youth by the shoes on their feet. Without meaning to be hyper judgmental (confession, I am a sneaker freaker), the footwear a person identifies with even more so than other fashion, typically is a direct reflection of their personality, the subcultures they belong too and manytimes a window into their level of influence among peers. When developing influencer marketing programs or research projects I can't help but scope out what young people choose to grip the ground and I believe if you know what your looking for it can help anyone better know their target audience.

Yep it's certainly a subjective way of seeing the youth demo, but ya gotta admit it's insightful and kinda fun!

So lets break down a few brands. I wear therefore I am...

TOM's Shoes - "I'm down with helping cloth the kids, artistic, fashion forward and probably not in dire need of arch support" If I am looking to connect with the socially conscious kid I've found em.

VAN's Half Cab - "I'm down with old school skate culture or relate to it cuz of my family or older friends, punk and rock music scenes are me, and I prefer a sturdy shoe for some reason or another" If I am looking to connect with the tougher, more hardcore male youth I've found em.

Nike Dunks - "I'm original just like everyone else :), depending on the series am a collector, appreciate high quality and comfort" If I am looking to connect with the style conscious mainstream here ya have it. Of course here you also need to know what's up since many of the sought after vintage and limited edition models are owned by the most influential people out there.

Sketchers - "I'm just flowing with the mainstream river, into quality and an affordable price, not overly fashion conscious" If I am looking to connect with broad mainstream youth, slightly more conservative types who want to fit in, I've spotted em dead on.




And by the way if you never thought (or wished) boat shoes would be adopted by youth-culture influentials, check out the new brand radiifootwear debuting at MAGIC . I personally think some of their cleaner looking models are pretty tight, but after 6th grade vowed to never wear a boat shoe again :)

Gregg - Partner
Lunch today: Fred's, quesadilla jam packed with rice and shrimp, mmmmmm

Mad For Mad Men

A couple of weeks ago, and in record time, my husband and I plowed through an entire season of another TV series. Mad Men.

Based in the fabulous era of the 60s, AMC brings us the story of Don Draper, Art Director of an ad agency on Madison Avenue (hence the term "Mad" Men), his associates and their family lives. For anyone that has ever worked in marketing, and in particular, at one of the large agencies, you'll find this show almost eerily spot on, and exactly how one would imagine during this time in American history.

The writing is brilliant and the often intense dialogue between characters will have you hooked after the first episode.

Another reason to tune in, the design aesthetics of the 1960s are wonderful. Pure mid-century modern, simple and elegant. I have my eye on a few ceramic lamps and would take nearly any of the furniture.

One thing I find quite interesting is that the characters are pretty much smoking the entire time. It's amazing to realize just how much people probably smoked then, how much it was a part of every day life, and how acceptable it once was. In the office, in bed, while pregnant, everywhere and at anytime. The way women and minorities were treated, no seat belts in cars, and children mixing drinks for their parents, are just some of the many other social differences to note.

Season Two of Mad Men recently started on AMC. It's not too late to find season one, all the way through last week's episodes On Demand. I highly recommend you catch up, and watch this Sunday at 10 PM PST!



- Trish, Account Executive
Lunch today: Pokez Tofu Nachos and a Diet Coke

"The Hills" are alive (with marketing opportunities)!

The popularity of reality television with the youth demographic is no secret. With hits like The Hills, The Real World, Rob & Big, Making the Band, and Run's House MTV has created a world of marketing opportunities for brands looking to catch the ever-wandering eye of tweens and teens.

For instance, the recently aired 4th season premiere of The Hills boasted a viewership of over 3.5 million, most of those eyes belonging to viewers between 12 and 34 years of age. With statistics like these, a marketer can't help but wonder how to leverage these reality tv giants for the benefit of the products and services we represent. (MTV reality programming holds 5 of the top 10 programs for product placement occurrences in the first quarter of 2008.)


The Hills has rocketed many brands into the spotlight over the last 3 seasons and is sure to only continue to do so on the fourth (and final?) installment. LA clubs Hyde and Foxtail, fixtures in the nightlife of the cast, have become must-see tourist spots for traveling 20-somethings.

The brilliant people at Mystic Tan took the opportunity to feature their tanning salons on The Real World: Key West. The cast members were required to learn exactly what it takes to open and manage their own Mystic Tan salon. As a result of this very rare (and enormous) product placement, Mystic Tan saw a 75% jump in their website hits during the airing of the episodes.


But, success with product placement in reality tv doesn't apply only to the hospitality and tourism industry as you may suspect.

Jeep converted one of their signature Wranglers into a bar for the Denver season of The Real World. This unique house feature was prominent in nearly every episode. Jeep also ran a contest for viewers to win their very own Jeep Wrangler as a supporting promotion.

And, Teen Vogue, where two cast members of The Hills work, has seen a 4.6% increase in circulation since becoming a part of the show.

So, while youth are conditioned to seeing brands in their tv programs, one has to wonder if "real" people using brands is more impactful to them?

-Lindsay, Campaign Manager
Lunch today: grilled cheese, jalapeno macaroni, sweet potato fries (yeah, I'm stuffed)

Effective Use of Music in Advertisements

Is it just me, or have TV advertisers been using some really good music these days?

I mean, the other night I was about to fall asleep when I heard a catchy song coming through the television.  I opened my eyes and actually watched the commercial, all the while humming along to the tune.  I took note of who the advertisement was for (Acura, btw).

Harnessing the inner-nerd in me, I actually did a search for the commercial the next morning just to find out what the song was ("Let the Drummer Kick" by Citizen Cope).  This has started a recurring problem for me. I am constantly finding myself hearing a song on an advertisement and running to my laptop to Google it (yeah, so maybe I don't have anything better to do).

While this may not be the exact reaction that Acura was hoping for when creating their spot, I have to admit in a random way I am thinking about their cars when I hear that song now.  And it certainly can't hurt that I actually searched and viewed their commercial spot online.  

I have never been somebody to pay close attention to commercials, especially since I discovered the DVR.  The sheer fact that I can hear an unknown song and immediately associate a brand with it amazes me.

Here are some of the ads featuring music that have caught my attention in the last few weeks.

Dell 

Song - "Colors" by Kira Willey

Macbook Air

Song - "New Soul" by Yael Naim

And Lastly, the one that started it all for me...

Acura

Song - "Let the Drummer Kick" by Citizen Cope

Is this happening to anyone else?

-Lindsay, Campaign Manager

Lunch today: cheese ravioli and a nectarine

Operation Purple Summer Camp Programs are a Success!

Premise teamed up with the National Military and Family Association to provide no-cost, high-energy youth summer camps at isolated military locations, from Guantanamo Bay to Japan.

The experience allowed children of service members to participate in inspiring instructional skateboard camps focusing on skills, style, and discipline, which help create a positive attitude in and out of the skatepark environment. Premise sent professional skateboarders (and good friends) Chad Knight, Falco Baltys, Kenny Anderson, and Steve Nesser to lead the camps.

The project has come to an end and the outcome was impactful and memorable for both campers and instructors.

Check out this awesome video one of the campers made at the Yokosuka camp!



If you'd like to hear more about this amazing project, please feel free to contact us or leave a comment.

- Lindsay, Campaign Manager

Comic-Con Craziness

So this weekend, Nate, a fellow Premise Observer, and myself had a chance to attend the 2008 Comic-Con International, the biggest, craziest pop culture event of the year.

According to some sales figures, I was amongst 125,000+ die hard fans of video games, TV shows, movies and comic-books from around the world who attended. People of all walks of life appeared dressed as their favorite characters, from Star Wars Stormtroopers to a parallel-universe version of a Soviet-raised Superman.

Even if you weren't there for the celebrity-filled panels about upcoming seasons of TV shows, or sneak peaks of yet-to-be-released movies and comic-books, there was always the exhibition floor. The main floor was a veritable marketing blitz on the senses. If you left Comic-Con without at least two posters, a t-shirt or at the very least some free pens, you might have been comatose during the event.

Studios knew people were there to get free stuff, so they were happy to oblige with means of carrying it all. Studios gave out extra-large canvas-like bags to all of the purchases and giveaways at the event. They were emblazoned with the logo for the upcoming film The Watchmen. Fox knew that big bags weren't enough to hold the posters people carried, so they offered free poster tubes, covered in new information and advertisements of their fall line-up.

One notable marketing campaign was the booth for the DVD release of Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. Perched above the the booth was actor Neil Patrick Harris, who played an outlandish version of himself in the movie. Fans had an opportunity to take a picture with "NPH," only if they wore an orange jumpsuit like those worn by the actors in the film. Except on the back of the jumpsuit there was a large advertisement for the the DVD release of the film. Throughout the day, it wasn't hard to see people -who otherwise wouldn't dress up- as walking advertisements for a movie.

Other ways studios, game companies, and comic-book publishers ingeniously got fans to go to their booths was to create value for their swag. Booths would scan tickets and tell fans to come back later to see if their name was drawn from the list. If a name was drawn then the winner was treated to more swag than they could imagine. It's interesting to see how the companies were able to commodify their marketing. They are able to create a huge fan base just around their giveaways.

Lastly, Comic-Con could not be without its viral marketing as well. Signs around the convention center for a viral micro site which I recently discovered is for a movie produced by Peter Jackson. Near bathrooms signs said bathrooms were for "humans only, non-humans banned!" A graphic showed an alien with a "x" through its body on the sign. Fake ministry logos and an ad for a website, www.d-9.com, were found on the bottom of each sign. They could also be seen in entryways into certain areas of the center. At one point during the weekend, a group of "protesters" were seen with signs walking around that said "D-9 equality" and "F U MNU."

After some digging online, I discovered D-9.com is one of four micro sites for a film coming out next year called District 9, based on a short film I actually saw a few years ago called Alive in Joburg. The short was about the socio-political strife of extraterrestrial refugees not unlike 1988's Alien Nation, but set in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The MNU, which stands for Multi National United, which has a micro site here , appears to be a fake corporation tied with an apartheid-like hold over the alien people. But there is also MNU Spreads Lies, a fake blog for a "group" that protests the MNU and Maths From Outer Space, which appears to be for a fake tutoring service that ceased in 1994. A counter on the MNU site has already begun, waiting for August 14, 2009 to roll around. The end-time on the counter will start "a new turning point in the progression of the human race." It also happens to be the release date of the film.

Already, a viral marketing campaign for a movie not coming out for another year has grabbed my attention, much like Cloverfield's Slusho and The Dark Knight's "Why So Serious?" micro sites. It will be interesting to see how it develops.

In the end, Comic-Con is the pinnacle of popular culture that is full of celebrities, media and feverish fans. Should be exciting next year too...

-John, Editor, Premise Observer

The Mom and The Marketer

It's a fine line to walk: being a mom and being a marketer. I have to balance my instinctive nature to protect my own children from the thousands of impressions that bombard them daily while working on campaigns to engage youth in our client’s product or services that basically are intended to do the same thing. I find myself in a bit of a conundrum at times.
I’ve been asked by other moms how I feel about marketing to the influential youth population. Do I feel I'm contributing to the negative implications affecting today’s youth as a result of video games and the Internet? Today's youth seems to be less active alongside a higher rate of childhood obesity but what am I doing to change that?

I think about this often and have agonized over it at times, but at the end of the day I remind myself that our lifestyles have evolved greatly from when I was a teen. I think of how I asked my dad everyday for my own phone line, while here I am watching my 2-year-old master the functionality of my iPhone and he can hardly speak!

That tells me something as a parent.

I would sit patiently dialing each number on my rotary phone and because I was in such a hurry to tell my best friend something I would dial a wrong digit and have to start all over again. I can now type as little as 10 characters on my phone and have a night out with the girls planned in seconds flat!

So, my point is that today’s youth move at a fast pace even if they are sitting still. Their minds are going and their fingers are typing and that’s not going to change. What has to change is how parents interact with, motivate and guide their kids. When a new potential client comes knocking, as the CEO I ask myself: will this help our business grow? If the answer is yes, as a mom I ask myself: can I get behind this and feel comfortable without compromising my values as a parent?

It's tricky when you own a company whose focus is youth marketing. Not only do we have to be on the cutting edge at all times, but we also have to bear the responsibility for the campaigns we launch and how they will inevitably affect those that are engaged by them. We "target from the inside out" to engage the audience in ways they understand and genuinely find ways for them to subscribe to a product, service or lifestyle they genuinely enjoy. I can feel good about that!

So, I'm left in the same place I started: balancing what I want for my children as a parent and striving to reach the influential youth market and "children" of other parents. In the end, I am able to do this by believing in the clients we represent and partnering with clients that hold the same values I hold.

- Kristine, CEO

The Mashup Round-up

The Premise team attended the National YPulse Mashup last week in San Francisco. As usual, we gained some useful insight about youth-culture and managed to have a little fun at the same time.

We ate fancy dinners (they had cloth napkins!) and put on our boogie shoes for the local youth DJ, but only after observing the presentations and networking with other youth-focused professionals.

Here is a slideshow of all the fun times we had at the conference.

But, we couldn't just take in all the information without sharing some thoughts of our own! Premise's creative director (and all around great guy), Gregg Witt, delivered his thoughts on effective viral marketing in a "catchy" presentation (Yeah, I went for the play on words. Sue me!). Everyone knows that two heads are better than one and that's why Gregg brought in entrepreneur Andrew Chen, who shares his perspectives on viral marketing over at Futuristic Play.


Together, this dynamic duo shared thoughts on highly successful viral campaigns from Facebook applications to a Six Flags Theme Park summer sports program. They only had 20 minutes and they pushed the time limits to the max with an abundance of information, not allowing much room for Q & A.

If you have any questions or comments for these two, please leave a comment and we'll make sure one of them gets back to you!

- Lindsay, Campaign Manager

A Virus We Hope You Catch!

Check out this cool video one of our Premise Observers created for us!



Viral Marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach the youth demographic. How do we know this? Because we talk to them ALL THE TIME! Just a few weeks ago we talked to approximately 300 teens and young adults (ages 15-24). Here are some graphical representations of what they told us about viral marketing: (click on images for larger view)

What type of viral marketing campaigns have you participated in?










What do you want to get out of a viral marketing campaign?











Do viral marketing campaigns effect your purchase decisions?











Share your thoughts on viral marketing in the comments section!

- Lindsay, Campaign Manager

The Jack Factor!

Premise Immersive Marketing would like to welcome Jack to the team! Jack joins Premise as Managing Director. It only took him two days to get comfortable and start wearing his jeans and standard-issue San Diego flip-flops to work.

We'll start worrying when he shows up in his robe...


***It has become apparent that Jack does not eat, but works during his lunch hour (making the rest of us look like slackers)

-Lindsay, Campaign Manager

Our Boss Is An Alien

But, we love him anyway...

- Lindsay, Campaign Manager