Too little too late?

There's something to be said about the timeliness of an ad campaign. In this month's Maxim Magazine, I noticed this ad for the "New Schick Hydro 3", which promises to be "a better shave than the Mach 3".

This makes me wonder...

- Why would Schick introduce a new 3-blade razor when the competition has been pushing their 5-blade Fusion series for well over a year?

- Why would they compare it to a competitive product that has more or less become obsolete?

I have to admit, I still shave with a Mach 3 blade. It meets my needs and I have never felt the urge to upgrade to a Fusion series.

That said, I really can't see why I would make a 'lateral' shift from a Mach 3 to a Hydro 3 when the next logical purchase would be the more advanced 5-blade razor.

Sooner or later, both Schick and Gillette will stop offering replacement blades in an effort to upgrade those of us stubborn 3-bladers. It is beyond me why Schick would invest into a market that is beyond mature.

I would love to see some market-share numbers on this category or get some insight from anyone who has some industry knowledge.

Still, I believe this product and campaign are too little too late...

Mr. Sub fires agency over "gay" ad.

Mr. Sub has fired it's ad agency BOS after receiving complaints about a TV ad that "promoted homophobia".

The ad begins with a rather large family sitting around the dinner table. The father then "comes out" to his wife and excessive number of children by claiming to be "super, super gay".

The comlpaint was officially filed by Shannon Devine, a communication director for the CAW, which represents a significant gay, bi, lesbian and transgendered community.

While I have to admit, I'm not normally a big fan of the CAW, I have to agree with them on this one. There's a fine line between funny and offensive and Mr. Sub really crossed the line with this ad.

Their message is: "not everyone likes surprises" with the intent of showing that you always know what to expect at Mr. Sub. The complain from the CAW claims that the ad belittles the incredibly difficult process of "coming out".

Frankly, it is completely beyond me how this is supposed to sell a sandwich. As long as I can remember, Mr. Sub has always attempted a little bit of humour in their advertising. This time it went too far.

I'm all for building an edgy ad - even one with a hint of controversy to stir up some conversation - but there are certain topics you just don't mess with.



Does this ad offend you?

Coors Light "Colder Than" Billboard Gets Cool Reception

Yesterday, the Toronto Star ran an article about a Coors Light billboard campaign in BC that played on the friendly battle between Torontonians and West Coasters. Following the "Colder Than" slogans, the billboard featured a frosty can of Coors Light and read:

"Colder than most people from Toronto"

These slogans aren't new and are usually pretty clever. There is also a social campaign where consumers can create their own Coors Light "colder than" slogan for a chance to win prizes.

The catch phrase was meant to be humorous and poke fun at Toronto, which is often labeled the most hated city throughout the rest of Canada. The resentment between the East and the West isn't new and is generally harmless. In fact, it's no different than the age old Canadian tradition of poking fun at our American neighbours (or Aussies vs. Kiwis. Or the Irish vs. the English... you catch my drift).

Yet for some odd reason, this ad generated such an outrage by the sensitive people of Hogtown that Coors decided to pull the billboards and replace them with more generic "Colder Than" slogans.

When it comes to advertising you can play it safe and put out another boring ad that might engage the audience, or you can take a chance and try to be a little edgy. The further off-centre you go, the more people will react to (and remember) your ad. Sure, there's a line that shouldn't be crossed, but in today's supposedly politically correct world, that line seems to be getting shorter.


This ad, which I thought was absolutely brilliant was designed in Toronto by Coors Light's agency DraftFCB. That's right - it was a group of Torontonians who thought up this slogan. While the campaign was only run in BC, it managed to not only get all kinds of press nation-wide, but it also generated 32 PAGES of comments from Toronto Star readers across the country.

Was it edgy? Yes.
Did it capture people's attention? Yes.
Did it cross the line and come across as blatantly offensive? I really don't think so.

I'll leave you with a couple of thoughts:

1) A localized billboard campaign got people are talking about the ad and the brand (good or bad) and scored national coverage.

2) If you were offended by this ad, you really need to lighten up. Honestly... are you REALLY that upset? I suspect that if an ad was run in Toronto poking fun at BC Hippies or Newfies, we'd get a chuckle out of it at their expense.

3) I'm willing to bet that Coors Light sales will jump - not suffer as a result of this ad. Mainly because the people crying bloody murder don't fit into their target demographic anyway.

4) If you haven't already, PLEASE watch the brilliant documentary: Let's All Hate Toronto!

Kudos to DraftFCB for a fun and engaging ad campaign. I'll raise a Cold Certified silver bullet to your team.

I hope to see a billboard over the DVP that reads:

Coors Light: Colder than a Torontonian offended by a billboard about Torontonians

Coleman's Spin on Social Networking

If you've ever gone camping, chances are you own or have used a piece of Coleman's camping gear. Well the folks at Coleman's are putting their own spin on social networking by trying to get people offline!

They've come up with a brilliant ad campaign claiming that they're the 'original social networking site' by making reference to camp sites surrounded by friends having a good time.

Kudos to whoever developed this concept for them - it captured my attention from the get go and made a fantastic point. As much as social networking is here to stay, we should also remember to cherish the time spent with friends and family and hanging around the camp site is a perfect way to reconnect.

You can view their website by CLICKING HERE.

What do you think?