Perhaps London won the 2012 Olympics bid by showing the International Olympic Committee its top secret plans for the new mascots -- mascots guaranteed to outshine all other city's mascots when it comes to downright, abstract stupid things that can't be described in words by anyone in any language. Not without making some obscene joke. These snazzy digital-looking images don't quite do them justice. For the full effect, check out the photo of the live versions over at the Telegraph. (And scroll down to the comments for some of those obscene jokes). Weird as Wenlock and Mandeville may be, the Telegraph assures readers that the names have rich historical meaning associated with the Olympics. Stoke Mandeville's spinal-injuries unit was where the Paralympic movement began, and Much Wenlock "is considered by many the birthplace of the modern Olympics." Advertising Age - Blog Posts
Looking at how design can make a real, lasting difference in people's lives, Emily Pilloton of Project H Design and Lynn Grillo of Adobe Systems will be speaking at Design Can Change the World, a special event sponsored by the Art Directors Club in New York on May 11.
Pilloton, founder and executive director of San Rafael, Calif.-based nonprofit Project H, recently traveled across the U.S. with Project H's Design Revolution Road Show, which featured 40 products designed to change the world. Project H is a team of designers, architects and builders committed to working with social service organizations, communities and schools to improve the quality of life for people who need it most. Pilloton will discuss the project's findings, initiatives and how creatives can join the Project H revolution.
Grillo, manager, creative products, at Adobe, will talk about how the right tools can help designers reach more people more effectively and in more places.
The event will start with drinks and hors d'oeuvres at 6:30 p.m., followed by the speakers at 7 p.m., and will be held at the ADC Gallery, 106 W. 29th St., New York. Admission is free for ADC members, $15 for nonmembers and $5 for students. All admission fees will go to the ADC scholarship fund. Tickets are available online. Advertising Age - Blog Posts
Today marks a quarter century of one of marketing's biggest blunders -- and the sixth biggest moment in 75 years of advertising, according to Ad Age: New Coke.
A brief history, from Ad Age, 10 years after the aborted launch: Advertising Age, July 15, 1985 Enlarge Advertising Age's coverage of New Coke from July 15, 1985.
Still smarting from the 1975 "Pepsi Challenge" taste-test battle, Coca-Cola Co. launches "Project Kansas," a top-secret mission to reformulate Coke. President-Chief Operating Officer Robert Goizueta appoints Coca-Cola USA head Brian Dyson, who taps marketing chief Sergio Zyman to head the endeavor. Mr. Zyman and company test a new, sweeter version of the flagship cola with 190,000 nationwide taste tests at a cost of $4 million.
At a bottlers' meeting in Atlanta back on April 22, 1985, Mr. Zyman announced from the stage that Coke was changing its taste. The next day Coca-Cola revealed the new, sweeter taste to financial analysts and the media. But word of the new product finally leaks out and Pepsi dispatches its own press assault on the same day claiming victory. "The other guy blinked," Pepsi says in ads saying Coke reformulated its brand to taste "more like" Pepsi.
The press hammers at Mr. Goizueta, now chairman-CEO, to explain the difference and what will happen to the old Coke, which 39% of consumers still favor. When Mr. Goizueta admits it will do away with the old formula, consumers revolt. Dazed by the backlash, management on July 11, 1985, just 79 days later, agrees to bring back the original formula, renaming it Coca-Cola Classic.
Some in the industry counterintuitively suggested the blunder was actually good for the beverage giant -- that its fans' reactions to the idea of their beloved Coke going away, along with the reintroduction of the cola as Coca-Cola Classic, have created a fantastic new marketing strategy. But we think the lesson is pretty clear: Don't tinker with success. Or at least think very, very carefully before you do.
Here, in memory of the short-lived New Coke, are the Bill Cosby spots introducing the product -- and one of Pepsi's cheeky reactions to it. In the words of one of Coke's many taglines (this one circa 2000): Enjoy!
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