Dr. Pepper has just launched a new flavor Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper. The video that they are using to promote this new flavor is a satire of the wildly popular internet meme ‘Chocolate Rain’. Dr. Pepper just uploaded the video on YouTube featuring Chocolate Rain singer Tay Zonday. Since the video was uploaded yesterday, it has received over 310,000 views.
If this parody campaign takes off the way it’s poised to, this will be just the first in a series of ad campaigns featuring popular internet memes. The day of the computer geek has arrived.
Update: This video doesn’t seem to want to embed properly, if the video isn’t playing for you, view the video on YouTube here
With the end of the year fast approaching, I thought that I’d put a list of some of my favorite meme’s of 2007. Vote for your favorite meme in the poll on the left and see how your choice rates amongst our readers. If I’ve missed your favorite meme of 2007, let me know in the comments. Below are the videos or links to each to refresh your memory in case you missed any of them. Enjoy:)
Before I get to decking halls and praising trees, I find reflecting on favorite Christmas commercials of yore is a wonderful way to jump start the magic and embrace the ads which have become synonymous to the season. This is a completely unscientifically generated list of what I classify as the best Christmas commercials based on personal humour, recall of childhood memories and an upbringing that brands me the iconic Christmas mush. Its the Scarlet letter that I bear…one which is decorated with candy canes and small, shiny lights.
Update: I couldn’t let Nadia get away with posting this without me putting my two cents in, so I did. I am bringing a well balanced non-gushy slightly cynical viewpoint to the table. Now you can enjoy:)
5. Hershey Kiss
Nadia:
This is a little one to start us off slowly in what I would call a Christmas safe bet. It really exemplifies what the Hershey Kiss brand really is- non offensive, and vaguely memorable. For me, its Christmas clockwork simply based on the release of their commercials which gently nudge me mail cards and bake something. The commercial is released just in time to be wedged between the delightful and disgusting festive mess of advertising that many of you cynics deplore.
Jenn:
I’m not too sure how this made it on our best list. It’s cute sure, it’s in the spirit in the holidays, and it doesn’t make me want to run from the room screaming and waiting in anticipation for the New Year to hit so that I don’t have to watch yet another horrifying example of Christmas advertising, but the best…meh.
4.Coke Polar Bears
Nadia:
Alright Coke. You win. As much as people love the high fructose cornsyrup train rolling into town for Christmas with Type II diabetes, I’ve got to say our pals up North- before they became known as the face of global warming and “HappyFeet”- show us how to bring in the season. Jenn:
OMG, I love this series of commercials. If this were my list, it would be a strong #2. What’s not to love: cute baby polar bear – check, cute baby penguin – check, cute baby penguin shares with cute baby polar bear – check. Now that I feel all warm and fuzzy inside, I’m going to go and watch this one again while drinking a nice cold glass of Coke.
3. Peter comes home for Christmas (Folgers)
Nadia:
Number one for Christmas sucks like myself. Are you kidding me with this? If the sister had a lisp, or maybe Tiny Tim’s crutch, it would be like taking the Christmas season, wrapping it in a manger, and dipping it in elf dust. This ad has all of the makings of a Christmas miniseries starring Jimmy Stewart. Peter comes home from, college?, early Christmas morning with an armful of gifts for the family. His darling sister wakes up and they make coffee together to rise the family for what I can only imagine to be the most magical Norman Rockwell Christmas morning in history. It has managed to completely embrace and exploit all of the Christmas emotions born in Bethlehem and middle America. I love it. Jenn:
Are you kidding me with this one Nadia? I don’t even know where to start with this one. Beyond it making saccharine seem bitter, the cheese factor in this commercial is off the charts and not in a good cheesetastic kinda way like our #1 entry. This commercial maybe OK if it was only played once on Christmas day, but this commercial and others like it inundate our TV’s as soon as American Thanksgiving ends – let’s all be thankful this Christmas season for streaming commercial free TV on the Internet. Also, adding to my disdain for this commercial is that it has spawned a decade of commercials from Folgers along the same vein – no one should do something this horrible to something as good as coffee, mmm coffee.
2. RubberBand Man Santa’s Helper (Office Max)
Nadia:
Not to be confused with the lyrical stylings of T.I., rap GENIUS, the Rubberband man is a track that I would absolutely download and slowjam to, even after the snow has melted. This video features a beloved Christmas Blaxpotation-esque do-gooder delivering solutions to all of your holidays problems: a step stool, so a shorter man can get a kiss under the mistletoe; a paper cutter for the holiday ham; a power strip for the outdoor lights; and a glue stick to keep Santa’s beard in place. It’s hard not to love the stop-motion animation, directed by Chel White of Bent Image Lab in the style of the 1960s Rankin-Bass specials like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. You can also check out the “making of” video here. Jenn:
Again, I’m not really with you on this one Nadia. The commercial does evoke a certain nostalgic Christmas feeling in the pit of my stomach (and not in the good kinda way) from my childhood via the classic Rudolf the Rednose Reindeer movie, but beyond this, the commercial does nothing for me. If this were on TV, I’d have changed the channel about 5 seconds into the commercial and not have known that the drivel I was watching was a commercial for OfficeMax – which in the overall picture would probably help me not have a small hate on for OfficeMax.
1. Chrismahanukwanzakah (Virgin Mobile)
Nadia:
This is by far my favorite, and you can bet your pretty Christmas bells that I’ll be celebrating on December 13th. The commercial and the holiday itself is somewhat of a satirization of the effect of political correctness on the holiday season, which often is now seen as a secular series of celebrations rather than the formerly overt religious connotations of Christmas; as the song in the ad proclaims, “what matters most is camera phones for $20 less.”
If you are in the market for a new religion to call home, Virgin Mobile has continued its trend of inventing cultural memes in the marketing campaigns with an entire religion called “Paygoism“, which only has one tenet: restrictive cell phone contracts are a sin. This is a faith that I’d proselytize with pride.
Jenn:
I agree with Nadia on this one, what’s not to love about a commercial that throws all of the political correctness that has inundated our lives out the window all for a good laugh. And they actually made the caveman funny unlike the Geiko commercials that make me cringe every time I see them (by the way, who thought that it would be a good idea to make the caveman commercial into a TV series – really that person should now be in a unemployment line somewhere). I am now making Chrismahanukwanzakah my new favorite holiday - sorry FSM Holiday but you’ve been replaced, it was good while it lasted though.
Well, just before the clock struck midnight this morning (11:59PM PST on Monday eve, to be exact), the doors for music video submissions shut tight.  Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to get their creative visions down and shared their videos for all to see – we’re psyched all of you participated!
But even though we’re not accepting any more entries, your job is not done – not even close.  Your mission now is to watch all of the posted videos and VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE (or favorites, as the case may be)!
That’s right!  YOU, the discerning public, will determine the winners of our Viewers’ Choice awards.  YOU will choose which of our lucky contestants will win one of the two sweet 8GB Apple iPhones™.  YOU will select the ten runners-up who’ll receive a 1GB Flip Video™ Ultra Camcorder.
So tune in and cast your ballots!  And leave no chads hanging – the voting period ends December 22nd!
Grocery stores always act as a seasonal alarm clock luring us to summertime rooftop patios, and winter hibernation indulgences. My most adored time of year is when the eggnog hits the shelves, reminding us that the season of attempting to make parkas look cute even though it’s physically impossible when you are 5’1 is upon us.
There are consequences to all options that come with the holiday season. For instance- don’t wear a parka if you are under 5’6 and want to be taken seriously. If you miss the next Christmas family function you may be written out of a will and loose out on a mint ‘57 Chevy. And lastly, failing to include online marketing in your next campaign in the upcoming Q1 will leave you behind the pack. Well, help is on the way. Says Leigh Householder of Advergirl, here is the one piece of advice every client needs to hear in 2008:
If you don’t back up every broadcast and print campaign with a personal, relevant online experience, you’re wasting your money. If you haven’t already, its time to apply some social media, viral trends, and new applications to your campaign.
Here’s why: Consumer shopping behavior has fundamentally shifted. Trial no longer starts in-store. It has moved online.That makes the barrier at once lower and longer. Here’s how it works:
While most consumers don’t choose to buy online, the vast majority go online to ‘pre-shop’ for products and information. Before we undertake any in-person shopping, we want to “try on†brands online to see if they fit with our complex choice models of price, perception, and utility. That means pre-shopping product catalogs, readings reviews, comparing prices, etc. From there, we head into stores with a more educated perspective and spend more than our offline-only counterparts. This relationship is can also be quantified with some recent numbers:
89 percent of consumers shop for information about products online
Less than 7 percent of retail sales actually take place online
Online pre-shoppers spend an average of 41 percent more in-store compared with consumers not exposed to online advertising (BIG research, Comscore)
Integral to this online presence is the company you keep. You are wanting to be a brand that they want to spend time with- so finding a way to talk with your consumers is essential. Keeping that conversation going is an investment that will sustain your presence, increase your reach, and the depth of the relationship.
So while you are cozying up this season with your fondue and ice wine, trying to plan your next move for 2008, don’t forget about the basics in relationships. Listen- provide- and keep them coming back. Throw in an online platform for a video contest and I predict a great year ahead.
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