Rock 'n' roll angst or rock 'n' roll Angus?

So perhaps rock 'n' roll (at least the concept) really is dead. First there was U2's much discussed iPod ad, for which the Springsteen-described "wily Irish guys" took no money, but left many fans and critics a bit cold. Then Hootie—aka Darius Rucker—appears in a Burger King commercial.  (Though Hootie barely qualifies as "rock 'n' roll" but you get the point.) And then Collective Soul spends two days at Leo Burnett as the inaugural act in the agency's Musical Artist in Residence program, which promotes better collaboration between music performers, producers and songwriters looking for marketing opportunities. When did it become "cool" to collaborate with advertisers? There was a time, not too long ago, when rock 'n' roll meant anti-establishment haranguing, and you only sold out after your time had passed. (Yes, I'm showing my age.) Now, my first thought when the Hard Rock Café earlier this week announced it would award a free hamburger to anyone named "Angus" was that AC/DC's Angus Young had a pretty sweet opening for his own cross-promotion.

—Posted by Aaron Baar

Photo credit: Tackeff/Zuma/Newscom

Published on March 31, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (7)

Even Pat Sajak has a blog

We were reading yesterday in The New York Post that Pat Sajak has a blog—and surprisingly it’s not full of tips on how to win at Wheel of Fortune. No, it’s a forum for the game show host’s conservative political views under the link “Sajak says” at patsajak.com. Sounding an awful lot like he’s doing an Ann Coulter imitation, the lead item is titled, “Arguing with Liberals, and Why I’ve Stopped” and begins, “Every time I argue with a Liberal, I’m reminded of quarrels I used to have with my parents … ” There’s only one problem with calling this a blog (which, we wish to point out, is what the Post calls it, not how Sajak refers to it on his site)—there’s no way we could find for readers to comment. If you wish to steer clear of knowing too much about America’s favorite game show host’s political leanings, click on the link “BoJak Records,” which reveals his passion for Jude Johstone, a singer/songwriter who has written hits for Johnny Cash and Stevie Nicks, and who has a new release out on Sajak’s BoJak label.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on March 31, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Christian Science Monitor on the buzz over buzz

Given how fascinated the marketing world is with that ephemeral quality called buzz, it's interesting that some of the most extensive coverage of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association's inaugural conference came in the Christian Science Monitor. This story effectively outlines the contours of what's bound to be one of the industry's next big controversies: the use of word-of-mouth to move product among people old enough to buy a candy bar but not old enough to vote. WOMMA was to spend part of its two-day summit, which concluded yesterday, detailing its own ethics code—but critics, including the National Institute on Media and the Family, charge that marketers are simply out to turn kids into "junior ad people." (WOMMA notes the NIMF declined its invitation to help write the code of ethics or speak at the conference.) By the way, if anyone had asked us (OK, they didn't) which piece was more insightful about the state of marketing—the Monitor one or the tired rehashing by Ken Auletta in The New Yorker—we'd say this one. No contest.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on March 31, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wendy's chili: finger-splicin' good!

Check the Burger King—has he got all ten fingers? This Wendy’s chili incident in San Jose in which a woman found a severed fingertip in her food is a vile public relations nightmare. What's worse—it is still “unsolved,” and virtually an episode of Forensic Files just waiting to be produced, as evidenced by this USA Today story investigating the origin of the, uh, tip. Few real events ever have people wishing they were urban legends, but this one qualifies. If only it were as fake as the exploding Pop Rocks or the batter-fried rat detailed on www.snopes.com. Meanwhile, if you crave Wendy's chili but are afraid what it might contain, we'll point you to this recipe for Wendy's-style chili. At least if you make it yourself, assembling the ingredients is completely in your control.

—Posted by Celeste Ward

Published on March 31, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Wendy's

Diet Orange Crush: Microsoft's secret weapon?

Twice a year, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates retreats to a waterfront cottage in the Pacific Northwest to read dozens of papers from colleagues on the future of technology, according to a March 28 front-page story in The Wall Street Journal. (If you've got a sub to the WSJ Online, you can read it here; if not, you can read this synopsis from the New York Daily News, which the paper filed under "Daily Dirt & Gossip.") He spends a week looking for powerful business ideas, at times emailing their authors, thereby triggering excitement and further research. Some days he reads for up to 18 hours, at times skipping meals but not one of his favorite sodas: Diet Orange Crush. In fact, a few years ago he had a small refrigerator and bathroom installed in an upstairs study "so he could maximize his reading time by not having to go downstairs," the Journal reports. The fridge is stocked with Diet Orange Crush and Diet Coke. Orange Crush, a Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages brand that dates back to 1916, also appeared in the subhead to the 1,965-word peak inside Think Week ("Security and Mapping Ideas—Grilled Cheese, Orange Crush"). Clearly, with a single email Gates can chart Microsoft's priorities for years to come. AdFreak wonders, however, what his fetish for Crush can do for soda sales.

—Posted by Andrew McMains

Published on March 31, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)

BK's whopper of an omelet

The fast food industry is buzzing about Burger King's new larger-than-life breakfast sandwich, the Enormous Omelet Sandwich. The gi-normous concoction has 730 calories and 47 grams of fat, more than the Whopper. The sandwich's contents—one sausage patty, two eggs, two American cheese slices and three strips of bacon (ew)—will make it difficult to stuff down while driving to work but probably will make a favorite hangover remedy for some. "The critics will still label it food porn," Sherri Daye Scott, editor at fast-food magazine QSR, told USA Today. "But the average male fast-food customer does not have a problem with this."

—Posted by Lisa van der Pool

Published on March 30, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Burger King

How to keep your iPod thug-proof

What’s wrong with this picture? Actually, nothing (if you forget the fact it’s a little dark). Though my iPod, as pictured here, is missing its iconic white earbuds and thus, some of its design panache, it’s got something much better: an anti-theft device consisting of an old, cheap pair of headphones from a Sony Walkman. I went rummaging through my box of old headphones last night after reading that iPods are behind a recent surge in crime on New York’s subways. (Well, the iPods aren’t actually engaging in a self-initiated crime wave, they are being stolen by teenagers who can, of course, tell an iPod owner from the far end of a subway car because of the earbuds.) Of course, the thought of switching to circa 1980s headphones creates a modern-day conundrum and I’m not quite sure I can go through with it; what’s more valuable, being seen as one of New York’s millions of neo-hipster Pod people, or my $350 music player and its weird collection of songs that only I could love?

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on March 30, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Big Mac, now in hip-hop flavor

News that McDonald’s will pay hip-hop artists $1-$5 every time a radio station plays a song of theirs that mentions a Big Mac is unusual only in that McDonald’s is owning up to it. Product placement has been a staple of hip-hop songs for years, from “Pass the Courvoisier” to Lexus, Timbaland, Cristal and a multitude of other names, and that’s not likely to change soon. And while McDonald’s may be inviting criticism from child obesity groups or begging for a replay of the ludicrous Ludacris vs. Bill O’Reilly feud, there doesn’t seem to be much of a downside otherwise. Outlets as varied as MTV.com and The Guardian are squawking about the move, so even if a single hip-hop artist doesn’t take the bait, it’s already garnered its fair share of press—way more than the silly Lincoln Fry, for instance. The next brand to try this probably won’t be so lucky.

—Posted by Mae Anderson

Credit: McDonald’s

Published on March 30, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (1)

DWI charge dooms car-insurance pitchman

Political correctness can jump the pond, it seems. From London comes word that British comedian Vic Reeves (shown here) got canned from his gig endorsing car insurance yesterday because he’s been charged with drunk driving. Churchill Insurance pulled “our one advert” with the not-so-funnyman so it can “review the situation,” according to a company statement. What’s to review? This demands a counterintuitive response. Put the guy back on the air, with a whole slew of spots talking about how he rose up and dried out with the help of his car insurance. If Lorraine Bracco can make coin from Pfizer by capitalizing on her depression, why should Vic’s commercial career hit the skids, so to speak, just because he rolled while reeling? By the way, Vic apparently failed to stop at the scene, but the bobbies caught him and booked him. Which means, of course, that now he can endorse bail bonds.

—Posted by Jack Feuer

Photo: Lawrence/eyevine/Zuma/Newscom

Published on March 30, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)

What to do with that tax refund?

One wonders why retailers haven’t campaigned to shift the tax-filing date so people get their refunds during Christmas-shopping season. Alternatively, one wonders why retailers haven’t campaigned to change the date of Christmas to achieve the same effect. In any case, a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation by BIGresearch finds 67 percent of consumers expect to receive a tax refund this year from the IRS. Of these lucky souls, 9 percent said they’ll devote at least part of the money to a “major purchase.” Thirteen percent said they’ll spend some of it on a vacation. Larger numbers claimed (plausibly or otherwise) that they’ll use refund money to pay down debt (50 percent) and/or to augment their savings (39 percent). Twenty-four percent said they’ll use at least some of it to cover “everyday expenses.” Men were more likely than women to say the refund will help fund a vacation (15 percent vs. 12 percent); women were more likely than men to say they’ll use some for a major purchase (11.5 percent vs. 6.5 percent). In a breakdown by age group, the 18-24-year-olds were the most likely to say they’ll use some of the refund on a vacation (18 percent). They were also the most likely to say they’ll use it to reduce debt (60 percent), boost their savings (50 percent) and defray everyday expenses (29 percent). Might these young adults have an inflated notion of just how far their tax refund will go?

—Posted by Mark Dolliver

Credit: Getty Images

Published on March 30, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)