There's a piece in today's MarketingDaily about JWT/Detroit doing Ford Flex launch parties for VIP's. According to Kristen Naimi, management supervisor of brand experience, (what the fuck is that?) they developed a five-city program that gave invited intelligentsia--from lifestyle media to radio deejays, architects, agency creative types, and musicians, ( these are not intelligentsia, these are douchenozzles) a tour of the vehicle, and then an urban tour in fleets of the vehicles to local galleries, restaurants and nightspots. The tour included artists painting on the cars roof! Then a restaurant serving Flex-inspired dishes, with the chef making rounds to explain how the dishes reflect the vehicle's zeitgeist. Oh, give me a fucking break... Zeitgeist... It's a fucking Ford, and if you buy one, don't cough up extra bucks for the extended warranty... This time next year there probably wont be anyone around to honor it... So, take your zeitgeist and shove it.
V.I.P my arse!!!
A year or two ago Toyota was dealing with a recall due to frame rot on some of their little pickup trucks. A friend of mine had a 7 or 8 year old one one with close to 100,000 miles on it. He hauled stone in it for his landscaping job and the bed was trashed. Toyota wrote him a check for over $9,000 to settle the recall. THAT is managing brand experience -- not paying douchenozzle chefs and artists to generate excitement about a product thats been in market for eight months already.
Posted by: Auntie Christ | November 12, 2008 at 08:07 AM
Hey Typepad -- wheres my fucking apostophes?
As an aside, I hear that American Express wants $3 billion in bailout dough from the Fed. The most expensive charge card on the planet for both vendor AND customer needs taxpayer money. Fuck you, Amex. Stop sending me gold embossed mail 3 times a week and you may stop some of the bleeding.
Posted by: Auntie Christ | November 12, 2008 at 08:13 AM
Sorry for the triple post, but I have some catching up to do. Heres another reason why automakers only fucked themselves.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/04/gm_viagra.html
Posted by: Auntie Christ | November 12, 2008 at 08:21 AM
talk about a tin freakin ear.
as youve seen all over TV, the Flex seats 7 people and gets 24 mpg
lets review, shall we...
big freakin cars are why detroit is dying...
24 mpg sucks given the consumer move for better mileage and environmental consciousness...
plus, to top it off, have you seen this ugly-ass thing on the road? it looks like a hearse outfitted with chrome panels that evoke a nasty modern rendition of the classic woody wagons
the CEO (Mullaly), CMO (Farley) and whoever else is responsible for putting so many freakin eggs in this basket should be taken out to lake michigan and drowned
Stupid does not begin to describe this
Posted by: adrefugee | November 12, 2008 at 09:24 AM
social butterfly buzz for the Flex = the orchestra on the deck of the Titanic tuning up
Posted by: the lower depths | November 12, 2008 at 09:52 AM
Too bad. I kinda like the Flex. If it got 30mpg combined and wasnt a Ford Id really really want one. But then I have a demonstrated weakness for a box on wheels (2006 Scion xB).
Posted by: pat smith | November 12, 2008 at 11:52 AM
pat smith...
Scion, when first introduced, was awesome and, ironically, the Ford CMO (Farley) made his rep launching Scion for Toyota
dont know what hes thinking
whats more, glad you got you Scion is 06...right now they have jacked up the price, redesigned it so it does not look as cool, and seem to have lost their way
Posted by: adrefugee | November 12, 2008 at 12:29 PM
adrefugee,
absolutely. The new xB is awful. It gained a foot in length and 600 pounds. it is disgusting.
Dont mind the looks so much, but adding 600 pounds to a 2500 pounds car is unforgivable.
Posted by: pat smith | November 12, 2008 at 05:03 PM
They never seem to learn that despite their grasping and transparently uncool efforts to sell cars to 25-year-old hipsters, 25-year-old hipsters DONT BUY NEW CARS.
Ever look at who is behind the wheel of the PT Cruiser?
This is what they are asking you, the taxpayer, to support with their bailout funds. Call your congressman!
Posted by: Der Senator | November 13, 2008 at 11:48 AM
Thats part of the new awards show criteria. Ads are no longer cool. What you have to do is put on an event/publicity stunt. Video tape the whole thing. And then make a video of it with a voice over about how they spent $15 and generated $15 million worth of publicity and 30 million website hits.
HBO Voyeur, Tate Museum music stunt, Amp superbowl stunt, etc.
For some reason, these stunts are whats hot on the awards circuit.
Posted by: Lion's Mane | November 13, 2008 at 01:16 PM
HBO Voyeur won mostly for the website...
Posted by: slowmo | November 14, 2008 at 04:42 AM
Der Senator,
I didnt follow your question about who is behind the wheel of a PT Cruiser.
I presume you mean someone old. Removed from the current zeitgeist.
Ein alte kocher?
Truth is I am looking to buy one, a convertible. I hadnt thought of who is driving them. Seems to be in the category of the inconspicuous consumption, but maybe I am wrong.
Posted by: TOM MESSNER | November 14, 2008 at 08:09 AM
they are the unofficial lesbian auto of choice up in provincetown... that should help the decision making process...
Posted by: the lower depths | November 14, 2008 at 01:37 PM