MarketingInsideOut.com

This from Ad Age

Outgoing 4A’s Chairman Ron Berger jump-started the annual gathering of ad agency managers with a wide-ranging broadside that slapped down prominent industry figures like Martin Sorrell, Bob Liodice and Jack Klues.

What’s sure to be known as Mr. Berger’s “I think our business could be better if…” speech offered an unusually rousing start for a conference that typically has all of the contentiousness of a Scotch following a round of golf. The address comes as Madison Avenue has been taking hits in recent years from the press as well as from marketers and other agencies.

Too bad people only really say what they think on their way out…

People have been personalizing stamps, credit cards, and gift cards online for some time, so why not design-it-yourself (DIY) commercials?  Whether the viral marketing phenomenon becomes a pandemic is debatable, although you can argue that some of these homemade commercials are infectious in the way they’re attracting attention – both intended and unintended.  Consider the recent online contest for the Chevy Tahoe which generated a reported 2.4 million page views on http://www.chevyapprentice.com/ and led to more than 21,000 submissions, including thousands of faux ads by critics of the SUV. 

While GM screened the ads for offensive content like last year’s tasteless suicide bomber spot that plagued Volkswagon, the company did not play censor, which was well advised from a PR perspective.  Imagine the outbreak of public opinion had the company stonewalled its critics.

Meanwhile, the viral marketing bandwagon continues to roll along as popular brands like AllStar Converse, Microsoft, Toyota, L’oreal Paris and Sony jump on board.  Mastercard offers a Web site where people can create their own versions of the “Priceless” ad campaign.  Mutations of viral marketing are also appearing like the “Subservient Chicken”  who closely resembles Bozell’s former agency mascot “Flippy” (laid to rest after falling victim to bird flu). 

As a participant sport, viral marketing represents a pick up game that’s fun to play without risking the “agony of defeat” experienced by major league teams.  And the buzz created for the brands involved is not something to sneeze at, even though it may cause advertisers an occasional headache.