instantgirl

OK, this has got to be the best press release EVER about a company changing its logo. Basically, the SciFi channel folks admit that they can’t trademark their name so they decided to change it to something that is phonetically identical. OK, that makes sense as a business strategy but don’t give me the gory details in the press release. The press release says “Syfy — unlike the generic entertainment category “sci-fi” – firmly establishes a uniquely ownable trademark that is portable across all non-linear digital platforms and beyond…” Um, “ownable” isn’t a word. The press release makes the company sound like it’s run by a bunch of boneheads because the network has been around since 1992 and they just realized NOW that the name can’t be trademarked???

Oh, and then they introduced a new tagline which is “Imagine Greater.” Please, people of the branding world, stop creating taglines that sound dumb. We can thank TBWA/Chiat Day for starting this trend with their “Think Different” tagline for Apple. At the time it was introduced, there was a big hue and cry about how the tagline should have been “Think Differently” but now it’s just accepted to use bad grammar in ad copy. My agency does it all the time so I can’t be too judgmental about that point. However, the tagline is just plain bad. What does “Imagine Greater” conjure up in my mind? A big, fat zero. Nothing. Nada. I can’t wait to see what these folks do when the big switch happens on July 7. Stay tuned.

OK, kudos to Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam for convincing the local Nike folks to use another tagline besides “Just Do It.”  However, to combine “Just Do It” with “Here I Am” in an ad targeting women seems, well, gross.  As both Gawker and Adrants have both pointed out it makes women sound like they’re just gonna lie down and take it.  I hope this isn’t another case of the 25 year old male art director trying to write for women or, worse still, the 40-something male CD changing the 25 year old female copywriter’s copy to sound “better.”

What’s good about this campaign is the use of animation, which was done to make the athletes more relevant to the audience, and the use of athletes who are not household names (excepting Maria Sharapova). The ads will run on the web only and there will print and, I’m assuming, outdoor as well.  No word on whether this campaign will come to the U.S.  Doubtful as Nike doesn’t put any money towards Nike Women on our shores.  See all of the ads here.

This is brilliant. Coca-Cola Britain has struck a deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment for the release of the new Bond film “Quantum of Solace” (in theaters Oct. 31st in the U.K. and Nov. 14th here). Coke is temporarily changing the name of its Coke Zero product to Coke Zero Zero Seven. They are encouraging people to find info about the product by typing in special codes, found in Coke packaging, to a special website. Coke has also redesigned the contour bottle to include the new logo, a picture of Daniel Craig and familiar graphics from the Bond films. Don’t know if they will do it here but it’s a great idea.

If you have never seen Signé Chanel, you must, must, must. It is a behind-the-scenes documentary of the House of Chanel. The episode where they interview the old French woman who makes the braid on the jackets by hand is amazing. M. Karl is so impressive. Each piece of clothing is made completely by hand. I don’t know why but I never realized that not a single machine is used on the haute couture garments.

Anyway, just saw this on PerezHilton.com about famed German stuffed animal maker Steiff making a limited-edition Karl Lagerfeld bear. Don’t know if I have the stomach to drop $1,500 on one but it looks just like him, doesn’t it?

Um, did you see the bike helmets at the closing ceremony of the Olympics last night? Admittedly, the bikes those guys were riding were super cool, but why were all of the drummers wearing gold painted bike helmets? I kept waiting for the context but it never came. Perhaps another subtle integration of a sponsor brand???

So I know the Chinese lied about the adorable little girl in the opening ceremony of the Olympics who, it turns out, was lip-syncing, but they are super smart. Check out this post about how the sponsor brands were covertly inserted into the opening ceremony. It’s a little creepy but super smart. If you go back to the original Chinese post here, you will see that some of the comparisons are kinda silly but I think most of them were planned.