Ant Hill Marketing

Granted, this is a little tongue-in-cheek, but I thought I’d get GM off on the right foot with this whole “restructuring” thing.

How can GM show US taxpayers they are a changed company? Well, designing smart, compelling automobiles is a place to start. But, the most obvious way is to update that tired, old logo. Knowing they are a bit short of cash at the moment, I put together a few concepts for them – for free. (Attention GM: if you like what you see, we should talk.)

And what is a new logo without some meaning behind it? Seeing as how the US government now owns 60% of the auto manufacturer, the mark should reflect the same.

New GM Logo: Concept 1

Seeing as how General Motors is now technically a stimulus project, Concept 1 gives a nod to the Recovery.gov logo. The 40/60 split creates a nice forward arrow motif, showing GM is headed in the right direction.

New GM Logo : Concept 2

The second concept uses the familiar “GM Box” as the blue field on the American flag. Giving the entire mark a forward looking perspective should align the company’s perceived new mission with the new mark.

I really do hope GM can get back on track. They are synonomous with America, baseball, and apple pie – all things I’m a fan of – and things I don’t want to go away anytime soon. That and they owe us about $50 billion smackers.

So, which one works the best? I look forward to the debate.

I hate to admit it, but one of my favorite reality shows on TV is TLC’s Jon & Kate plus 8 (mostly because the kids are so dang cute). I have watched this show since it aired a few years back and it has evolved and changed as it has gained popularity. Recently, I have noticed more and more brands are latching on to the show’s success and strategically (and sometimes not so strategically) using product placements in the  show to boost their own brand recognition. Sometimes the placements are seamless and go unnoticed (at least by the average audience member)…and sometimes it stands out like a sore thumb. Many people have blogged about their frustration lately.
In a recent episode, Jon and Kate got new washers for their new home. One of their conversations went something like this:

Kate: “I just love our new washer and dryer from Whirlpool! They look so beautiful sitting side-by-side in the laundry room.”
Jon: “Yeah…aren’t those the Duets?”
Kate: “They sure are, Jon! We had some in our old house and after that amazing experience, I knew the Whirlpool Duets were the ONLY washer and dryer I’d put in the new house!”

You can’t really blame Jon & Kate for accepting these offers—but it does seem to tarnish the authenticity of the show and even the “Jon & Kate” brand. I have to wonder, when it is so obvious that a brand has paid/donated to be participating on a show, if it actually detracts from the brand image rather than help it. And Whirlpool isn’t the only brand that’s fumbled when it comes to product placements. Allstate and Play-doh also made awkward appearances on the show.

Speaking of tarnishing the Jon & Kate brand, in the past few weeks there has been a lot of press around suspicions that Jon has been having an affair (superficial posted confirmation on their blog of the alleged affair). This leaves me wondering…what will these brands do that have so closely tied themselves with the Jon & Kate brand?

Now I’m not saying that product placements aren’t a smart idea. I just think they have to be done extremely well in order to pull them off. The success of brands in the future really lie in their ability to be authentic. People are able to see through the marketing crap and want to see real people interacting with the brand. But I think people can also see through a bad product placement.
There are good product placements out there. However they are usually hard to spot. When a product placement is done well, it shouldn’t be obvious. It should feel just normal. Brand Channel has a list of 2008 brand cameo product placement awards.

I will leave you with one last horrible product placement to ponder. This one was on the VH1 Best Week Ever blog.

It definitely made me laugh.

That oh so memorable soundtrack at 10:00 p.m. tells you to hold on and get ready for the one hour adrenaline rush through the eyes of our favorite Chicago emergency room. Who knew that this one hour slot of time was to turn into a TV and cultural phenomenon? In fact, several networks passed up on the ER pilot believing its mastermind, the late (and great) Michael Crichton, to be out of his Jurassic Park. Why would anyone want to watch an hour of drama focused on what goes on in an ER? The previously successful hospital primetime program was St. Elsewhere but that was more of a sitcom mix. This was something entirely different and the networks didn’t really know (or understand) what to do with ER. In the end, NBC bit (but not at first blush) hoping for another L.A. Law or Hill Street Blues.  What they got was much more.

Fast forward 15 years, 122 Emmy nominations, 22 Emmy awards, and we’re at the end of a very long (and profitable) series. ER’s developers, producers, actors, directors – the entire program team redefined the TV drama. One of the best program brands today. They didn’t take a cookie-cutter approach and try to pigeon-hole their script into an existing program format. They took risks. Were consistent. Had passion. Were courageous.  And built community.

Businesses might learn from ER’s success. Think about it. Do you have a distinction in your market? Are you unique? And do you have a community that supports you both internally and externally? In today’s extremely difficult marketplace, businesses must be true to their brand. While the business and CEO mantra today is retrench, it should be step up. Now is the time to take stock in your brand, readdress it and see if it is truly the valuable asset it should be.

So CEOs, business owners and marketers alike, when you sit down tonight to watch the final episode of this 15-year run, before you flatline, ask yourself, “Is my brand dying?” And, more importantly, “What am I going to do about it.”