After seeing what has passed for advertising during the month of January, it's enough to make you want to get out of the business.  Granted, January is often an advertising wasteland.  It's filled with make-goods for ads that didn't run during the holiday season - the reward for buying cheap - something that Mintz & Hoke Media would never do! 

It's one big creative cesspool.  For those with any money left after the holidays, they can stock up on canned goods from various grocery stores if they're so inclined to go in one!  ShopRite started this madness 50 years ago with the "Can Can" sale.  Once that jingle is in your head, it's indelibly etched in your consciousness for life.  ShopRite is giving you an opportunity to super- impose you head on one of the can can dancers - social engagement in its finest form if you're looking to rip on a friend.

Losing weight and working out, standard New Year resolutions, bring their own form of creative malaise.  Weight Watchers is rolling out the affable Round Mound of Rebound, Charles Barkley, to appeal to the macho sports worshipping male demo; his female demographic companion being Jennifer Hudson.  It starts the "points" counting routine.  If you have to count, don't eat it.  Jenny Craig is all about "My Jenny" - as if Jenny has anything to do with it.  Making a personal connection to an impersonal brand is tough. It is all scripted and rehearsed.  None of the weight-loss category work is genuine, lacking The Biggest Loser sense of realness.

The gyms are in lock step with their weight-loss brand brethren.  It's all about price point advertising.  I miss the macho - lift things up and put them down - muscle head from Planet Fitness.  That campaign had real potential to extend the character!  It distinguished the brand in a meaningful way. 

Another yearly entrant is the tax brand.  H&R Block has trotted out the "Second Look" campaign.  Everyone wants a second chance and H&R Block is giving it to them through another look at past tax returns.  They found over $100,000 for residents in Detroit.  Given that city's economic malaise, it's a good thing. 

Publisher's Clearing House is another.  Enough said. 

PSA's seem to litter the unsold advertising inventory.  One that is especially bad is "Feed the Pig."  It's a great concept - helping people save more.  But it is flat out creepy.  Benjamin Bankes, the mascot who looks like he's ready to knock over a bank, makes me want to spend all of my money.  Mascots in commercials should follow the Disney mantra - be seen and not heard.

Let's hope the Super Bowl ads offer up inspiration and creative thinking that makes us proud to be in the business.  May there be ads that create conversation and become a part of our lexicon and culture.  Executions that have the ability to build brands and companies and the careers of creative people.  Hopefully, we'll hit our offices on the day after the Super Bowl and be proud of the work and the industry in which we work.  It hasn't been the case the last couple of years.  Safe, sophomoric and uninspiring creative were the norm rather than the exception.  One thing is for sure.  It has to be better than the January lot of commercials!  On Sunday, I'm rooting for the Giants and the advertising industry.  Don't let us down!

In their January issue, "Connecticut" magazine celebrates Connecticut Success Stories: Best Foot Forward.  A series of vignette articles acknowledge that plenty of great things are going on here in Connecticut, one of which is Hartford's Connecticut Forum.  Yes,

Hartford!  The Connecticut Forum, a gem right before our eyes that isn't fully appreciated for the impact that it makes on the psyche of our greater Hartford community. 

Started back in October of 1992, with the initial event - "The Changing Political Landscape" (if they only knew then), it would have been easy to succumb to the pessimist view that it will never work in Hartford.  Weren't we in the throes of economic despair?  Corporate giving was down.  Where will the community support come from?  These were very real and daunting questions.  Ironically, the same questions we face 20 years later.

At face value, who would have thought that a concept of forums that encourage the free and active exchange of ideas that build bridges among all people and organizations in the Hartford community could work?  It was equally ambitious to think about bringing 2,800 people downtown four times a year. Certainly not in Hartford!

Like any great brand, the Connecticut Forum was built one relationship at a time.  Meeting and exceeding expectations became commonplace with each subsequent forum.  Almost overnight, panelists the likes of Benazir Bhutto, Malcolm Gladwell, Kurt Vonnegut, Bill Moyers and the cast members of the Simpsons learned that there is more to Hartford than insurance companies.  No topic is off limits. You discover new points of view or validate those you hold close.  You come away informed and entertained!  The Forum puts the thought into the notion of "thought leadership."  Many preach it, they live it.

As we head into 2012, there is a lot to be learned from the success of the Connecticut Forum - celebrating their 20^th anniversary.  They are a living testament to having a positive outlook and belief that anything is possible.  I'm sure in their wildest imaginations they wouldn't have believed that a U.S. President would appear at a Forum event.  That dream becomes a reality on March 16^th with the participation of President Bill Clinton.

For those who say it can't happen in Hartford, The Connecticut Forum is living proof that it can.  As brand stewards, the Sugarman's have done everything right - letting the brand evolve and grow while nurturing it along the way.  It is brand blueprint that others in Hartford would be well served to replicate. 

The lesson learned here is a simple one.  Be bold and have conviction in your concept and idea.  Put everything you've got against your passion and believe in yourself.  It worked for The Connecticut Forum, it can work for you.  Make 2012 a great year, no matter what view or passion you pursue.  Greatness is within your reach. 

Bowls are big business for brands and the local economies, with even larger sponsorship price tags attached to them.  Thirty-five bowls vying for brand dollars in a tight sponsorship market climate that only ole Ebenezer would appreciate.  Yet, the majority of the bowls have brands willing to attach their names, both known and obscure, lining up to achieve the Holy Grail of marketing - brand awareness. 

It's a virtual branding smorgasbord.  Some make perfect sense, others make you scratch your head and question why?  You could plan a week of eating out or ordering in based on a few select bowls - Little Caesar's Bowl, Outback Bowl,  Chick-fil-A Bowl,  and Beef 'O'Brady's Bowl - the ultimate in loser's bowl with the not to be missed Florida International and Marshall match-up!

Who doesn't need or want more sports gear?  There's always room for another jersey or tee shirt.  For many, it's all about the gear not the game. Look no further than the Champs Sports Bowl or the New Era Pinstripe Bowl featuring Big East weak sister Rutgers against Iowa State.  Merchandise from that epic struggle is sure to be a collector's item down the road!   Need tickets to any of the games?  Make sure to tune in to the TicketCity Bowl - vendor guys for tickets.  And if funds are low - the Capital One Bowl is for you!

There is a strange attraction among bowl sponsorships and automotive aftermarket brands - the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Meineke Car Care Bowl and Valero Alamo Bowl.  The majority of college football fans or gamblers tuning into these games don't strike me as the do-it-yourself audience that is the lifeblood that sustains these brands.  Don't forget the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl.  You can take your car to them after you've cracked it up after watching the endless amounts of bowl games with adult beverages in the above-mentioned dining establishments.

Defense brands have entered the fray with the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl featuring BYU against Tulsa, because neither Navy nor Army qualified, leaving Air Force to be the lone military academy participant in the Military Bowl presented by Northrup Grumman.  You have to question what it buys them.  I doubt many Beltway/Capitol Hill targets have designated these bowls as appointment TV.

There are always obscure brands trying to etch a position into the consciousness of the public through bowl sponsorship.  AdvoCare, another in a long line of MLM (multi-level marketing) entities seeking out "distributors," Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl  - with the claim of being America's best value in tax software and the intention of taking down TurboTax, and Gildan New Mexico Bowl - trying to create a reason to belong in the apparel business.  They've accomplished something.  I'm writing about them.

The key to sponsorship success is finding a property and staking your name to it.  That's what Tostitos has done with the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - it has stuck and it works.  What's better than that - munchies and a big game.  More often than not, the BCS National Championship Game.  The best sponsorships are built over years where the brand name becomes virtually synonymous with the event.  It is not an in and out game.  Attaching your brand to an event is enticing, especially if it has community ties as an integral element.  But it's not for the faint of heart.  Choose the property you're sponsoring carefully and stick with it.  That's the recipe for sponsorship success. 

Few distribution/retail channels rival the NYC Flower Market.  Located on the narrow and crowded West 28^th Street between 6^th and 7^th, the Flower Market offers an old fashioned, social way of purchasing fresh plant materials.   There is no better place to touch, smell and feel flowers. It offers an immersive experience that can't be replicated in any retail flower environment.

Open from around 4:00 a.m. until Noon, the NYC Flower Market caters to an eclectic mix of audiences.  You'll find discriminating florists and floral designers looking for knock-your-socks- off flowers.  Where we see flowers, they envision floral designs.  There is creative energy all around you.  You're also likely to shop side by side with brides discriminately selecting their flowers with wedding planners, garden clubbers searching out inspiration or consumers looking to enhance their living space with fresh-cut flowers.   NYC is all about aesthetics.  Anyone with a creative sense can easily envision the palette combination potential.  The vibrant colors cascading out of the shops are a sharp contrast to the grays and browns of the surrounding buildings that dwarf the establishments.  You feel alive, especially in the fall and winter seasons.

The vibe is electric - there are no visible prices. There's lots of bantering and back and forth - a veritable flower badda bing, badda bop.  It's not for the uninitiated.

The colorful proprietors that have survived - as the once multiblock flower district has dwindled from 50-plus establishments in 1990 to 20 plant and cut-flower wholesalers - are gruff, with little patience.  Getting up before the sun every day will do that to you.  It is part of the flower market charm - selling and buying the way it's been done for decades.

What is remarkable is how many distribution touches there are in the flower industry.  Everyone takes their "taste" along the way.  Local growers, local wholesalers and flower auctions all supply local florists.  The NYC Flower Market supplies many smaller wholesalers and florists throughout Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut and New York State.  The majority of the imported fresh flowers come into North America through Miami.

You'll get a lesson in world geography at the NYC Flower Market.  Columbia is the dominant supplier of U.S. cut flowers, with Ecuador a close second.  Together they account for roughly 90% of all roses, 98% of all carnations and 95% of all chrysanthemums sold in the States.  Holland, not surprising, provides 95% of all U.S. tulip imports.    Europe has long been a dominant supplier, with Israel, countries in the Orient and Africa starting to make penetration based upon having exceptional climates that are conducive for commercial growing.

Distribution is the driver that fuels the fresh flower category - one that features diverse and deep - one, two and three-step distribution levels.   Think about it the next time you pick up a bunch of flowers, send a bouquet to that special someone, or immerse yourself in great floral design.  How far those delicate and extremely fragile flowers have traveled, dry packed, in many cases half- way around the world.  Many steps of distribution have been intimately involved in the planting, growing, shipping, distributing, and delivering them to you.  They are the power beyond the flowers.

Last week, my wife and I spent the Thanksgiving holiday in NYC, enjoying theatre, the Thanksgiving Day parade, museums and a concert at the Beacon Theatre - featuring the breakout a capella group, Straight No Chaser.  You would think that a capella and breakout are an oxymoron.  They don't go together, but do they?  They opened my eyes on many levels - proving that to stay relevant in the communications game you have to remain curious.

What little I knew of Straight No Chaser came from hearing snippets of their concert on PBS - not exactly the center of the music universe.  What is interesting is the back story of how the Straight No Chaser group was built.  Hearing it started to get me intrigued.

SNC - an a cappella men's singing group that grew up out of Indiana University, found fame on YouTube when a 1998 video of their irreverent take on "The 12 Days of Christmas" - featuring "I Have a Little Dreidel" and Toto's "Africa" gained widespread popularity (to date, well in access of 13 million views) and subsequently led to a five-album record deal with Atlantic Records in 2008. http://bit.ly/ur0Im9   Without social media, these ten guys are working the daily grind instead of playing in front of thousands of fans that can't get enough of them.

From the moment I stepped into theatre, there was a vibe in the air.  The anticipation hung - connection and engagement that you could feel.  It's easy to see.  The group loves what they're doing as do their fans.  True to being a game changer, the rules of the music and entertainment industry are being changed by them.  The inclusion with fans is what works - social media fuels this passion.  It is today's roadie - fans want a piece of SNC. 

Cameras and videos are welcomed - you can shoot to your heart's content without being assaulted by monster bodyguards.  Pictures are taken of the crowd by SNC and posted on their Facebook page.  Imagine that concept - thanking fans.  Rather than saying they're "engaged" with fans - they live it.  All of the group's members came out and interacted with the fans following the concert - talking, posing for pictures and signing autographs.   Instead of viewing it as an intrusion, they embraced it as a way of giving back.  Merchandise was flying off the shelves.  Certainly this is no coincidence. 

What I viewed was Straight No Chaser being true to their brand.  Unlike so many performers, they get it.  Without fans, they're just another bunch of guys singing a capella at a reunion at their school.  Marketers are continually reminded to nurture their brand.  Although Straight No Chaser is relatively new from a brand/product life cycle, they've got it down by playing it straight up!

I recently spent a weekend in Chatham, Massachusetts, a beautiful seaside town on Cape Cod - a town that continues to retain its unique charm.  No visit to Chatham is complete without a stop at the venerable Chatham Squire restaurant.  What was once a watering hole I often frequented during the summers of my college years, it has lost its rough and tumble feel of the 70's.  Call it a tavern, joint, gin mill or happening place - there is unmistakable electricity to the Chatham Squire that is evident the moment you step inside.

Brand managers often search for ways to create a brand personality of being "open and approachable."  At the Squire, this just happens.  People from all walks of life mingle easily - from fishermen to stockbrokers.  Families eat alongside college kids tossing back beer after beer.  There is no 1%; everyone is treated the same.  At the Chatham Squire, everyone gets along.  It pays off the "Where Friends Get Together" in a real and genuine way.

It's tough to nail down what makes the Chatham Squire brand work - the good food, the unique décor including the bar that is adorned with unique license plates from throughout New England and the world or the patrons' vacation mantra.  Having the same owners since opening in the 60's ensures the consistency that is paramount in maintaining a brand over time.  The staff, 140 deep during the summer season, delivers a dining and drinking experience that is consistent, whether it is your first visit or you're 20th.  For me, it's the memory of great times spent with best friends well into the early morning hours!  You can't replicate that brand experience. 

In a world where restaurants come and go chasing the next new foodie concept, trying to "manufacture" a vibe, it is heartening to see a restaurant that endures over time by being true to who it is.  There is no phoniness about the Chatham Squire - it's 100% authentic.  How many brands can make that claim and pay it off? 

I'm sure that the owners of the Chatham Squire didn't start out back in the 60's to be "brand stewards."  Their main concern was staying in business and finding the next party.  The branding halo for the Chatham Squire happened by executing against a set of principles over time.  There is a lesson to be learned here - be true to your brand.  Treat it right and don't overextend it.  The Chatham Squire gets branding right!

Bad Spokesperson

Jeffrey Butler, the CL&P President and Chief Operating Officer, who by all accounts is a no-nonsense engineer, is just plain awful in front of the press corps who are having him for breakfast, lunch and dinner at daily briefings.  He's ill equipped to make any connection - either emotionally or rationally.  The skewering is relentless as he learns the business of PR the hard way - on the fly.  You wonder if he's ever gone through any form of media training.  He's an engineer, not a spokesperson.  The personality is all wrong.

Passing the Buck Mentality

Before things started to really slide from bad to a worse state in the first couple of days after the storm, blame was placed on not knowing the anticipated severity of the storm - the old Mother Nature/Storm of the Century did this to us.  Passing the buck rarely, if ever, is an effective form of response.  It's as feeble an excuse as 'the dog ate my homework.'  Failure to accept the reality that they underestimated the storm set back any chance of gaining public trust. 

Skeletons in the Closet

Any good crisis communications programs insist that the number one criteria is to come completely clean as the press is continually trying to ferret out information as they circle the issue like piranhas.  Not paying contractors and utilities that were instrumental in getting power restored after Irene proved to be a tipping point.  Any public trust that CL&P had left was destroyed.  No wonder CL&P couldn't get crews here quicker.  People usually don't respond well after waiting for their money. 

Setting Unreasonable Expectations - Overpromise & Underdelivery

Anyone with a pair of eyes who resides in the Farmington Valley knew that a promise of 99% restoration by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 6, was doomed to fail.  Telling people what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear is fraught with downside public relations risk - as Butler and his crew now  know all too well.  It's a setup for failure and only exacerbates the issue and prolongs the negative story for weeks.  CL&P consumers have lost complete faith in anything the utility says or does - not just today but for long into the foreseeable future as well.

Lack of Any Mea Culpa

Asked if he wanted to apologize earlier last week, Butler sidestepped the question with a two- step dance.  It wasn't CL&P's problem - it was the severity of the storm, the press or the handcuffs of reduced staff.  It was all about protecting shareholders and profits.  CL&P never has to face business adversity - rate increases are rubber stamped by the DPUC.  Only after failing the 99% restoration promise did an apology get uttered by Butler. 

What CL&P delivered is the definitive playbook on how to completely butcher a crisis PR opportunity.  The brand is sullied for years to come.  The shame of this is the residual negative halo that affects many fine employees - from lineman to customer service influences who incur the angry wrath of consumers.  Many of them neighbors or friends who have been working tirelessly to get power restored to those in the dark.  The brands inside PR implications are particularly damaging, manifesting in the future through a demoralized employee populace. 

Crisis public relations is no time for the amateur hour, often times leading to disaster.  Just like Exxon with the Valdez crisis, they'll be living it for years.  It's a legacy that won't go away.  PR is best left to the professionals.

The main driver behind the pop-up trend is retail vacancy rates that remain in double digits in many downtown and mall shopping locations, with a rebound predicted to be slower than office and industrial markets.  Currently, retail vacancies are at 13% with retail rents expected to decline another 0.9% in 2011 as supplied by the National Association of Realtors.

The closing of Borders combined with the demise of Blockbuster, following on the heels of Circuit City and Linens 'n Things, makes them ripe for the picking of the pop-up business model.  Toys "R" Us opened 400 pop-up stores in the fourth quarter of 2010 for the Christmas season.  Even the venerable toy store icon, FAO Schwartz, stuck their toes into the pop-up retail waters.  A sure signal that the pop-up is mainstream retail is the advent of a dedicated web site - www.popupinsider.com - that promotes the concept and matches landlords with retailers. 

Further fueling the growth is mainstream brands using the pop-up model to accelerate brand awareness and sales velocity - mini-stores during the day and event venues by night.  Everything is tightly focused around a theme, a particular line or designer.  It is the ultimate brand engagement in a special environment with a built-in feeling of relevance and exchange.  What makes them work is the local feeling that is intimate, with a cool factor brand halo that's tough to replicate in traditional static retail environments.  The here today/gone tomorrow aura exudes a sense of intrigue and can't miss it urgency, especially for new product introductions.   It's no surprise that brands like Gap, Levi's, Nike, Target and others are deeply immersed in the pop-up craze.  Part interactive billboard - like the Renault pop-up showroom - pop-ups are seen as brand building and revenue generators. 

Born out of desperation on the part of both retailers and property owners, the pop-up concept is now firmly entrenched in the retail landscape with the ability to withstand changes in the economy or fluctuations to the rates of commercial/retail properties.  The consumers' increasing zeal for instant gratification is at the heart of the success.  Give it to me fast and quick.  Everyone is mobile.  Why shouldn't retail be the same?  Think of it as the new brick and mortar of retail revenge - built and dismantled faster than consumers grow tired of the concept.  Call it evergreen retailing!  Pop-up retailing and branding is no longer a trend.  It's here to stay!

Recently, my son and I experienced the ultimate father and son weekend in Ann Arbor, Michigan visiting one of college sports meccas - the Big House - home of the University of Michigan Wolverines.  Everywhere you looked you saw maize and blue-clad fans.  Being declared a "maize-out weekend" (pretext to sell out maize colored merchandise), we trekked to one of the myriad of M Den stores to stock up on Michigan gear for the game.  There was absolutely no trace of an economic downturn apparent that cool afternoon, as anything with a Michigan logo was flying off the shelves - ten different check-out registers were humming!  It's brand allegiance in finest form - in transactional manifestation. 

Licensed sports merchandise is big business and shows no signs of abating.  Estimates list the size of the market at just a shade below $12 billion - a lot of tee shirts and hats!  Who doesn't have multiple team hats and shirts tucked away in drawers and closets anxiously awaiting game day?  How teams and manufacturers continue to milk this golden goose is fascinating.  There's nothing that they can't slap a team logo on and sell - from toasters to toppings for pizzas!

Not too long ago, teams had home and away jerseys.  Your jersey wardrobe needed only to go two deep.  Today you have the dizzying choice of replica, throwback, custom, game model, Cooperstown, home and away and batting practice jerseys for baseball teams.   

College teams are jumping on the gear bandwagon.  Phil Knight, the mercurial leader of Nike, uses his beloved alma mater, the Oregon Ducks, as a petri dish for uniforms.  A new look for each game.  It works.  The brand buzz builds each week in anticipation of the next "jersey unveiling" which is closely followed by runaway sales.  It's helped the Oregon Ducks vault up the ranking of college football jersey sales.  Think of it as a runway show on the football field.

Under Armour, under the leadership of former University of Maryland graduate and football player Kevin Plank, has jumped into the fray as well by employing a uniform look that is indescribable!  Call it fashion forward or garishly awful.  It's so ugly it's good.  What happened to paying homage to the old school colors?  The $17.5 million dollars over five years that Under Armor pays the University of Maryland for the right to supply uniforms for all their athletic teams yields a lot of power.  It also gets the attention of recruits and students willing to fork over their credit cards.

Fashion is increasingly the tipping point in licensed sports team apparel sales.  The fastest growing segment in the category is sales to women.  Having grown 12-fold since 2001, and doubled since 2004, close to 15% of all NFL licensed apparel sales are to women.  Gone are the days of women settling for hoodies and sweatshirts and suffering with huge logos.  Everything now is fashion centric and on trend - the right color, style and feel.  

Choice is what drives and rules team licensed team sports merchandise today.  A deeper engagement is measured by the amount of gear being sold.  More is better - hats, jerseys and tee shirts for every day of the week.  It is a fascinating look at how smart brand extensions across new or underserved audiences that build on a solid platform still work.  We are all fans of teams for life and team gear gives us a chance to wear our allegiances proudly and be "part" of the team - a relationship that endures, win or lose.  It's game on!

It's not necessarily a bad thing.  This new technology world is bringing consumers closer to brands in a good brand way.  Communities are born every day with trust and commitment being forged in social circles.  There is a feeling that there is control - a voice with the brands that people hold dear.

That's why it's so fascinating to watch the actions of Facebook and Netflix fly in the face of this new marketing/communications convention where the consumer dictates direction.  Both brands committed what might be construed as brand suicide over the past two weeks. 

Netflix, facing a drop in stock value of two-thirds, announced the separation of their DVD and streaming offerings.  At the same time, they introduced a new business entity, Qwikster, for the DVD side of the house.  Qwikster was chosen because it refers to quick service. Netflix customers revolted - faced with the hassle of needing two accounts now for what was once bundled was a major detractor from a relationship standpoint, along with inevitable price increases.   The move makes Netflix far less convenient and competitive.  It is all about business and Netflix feels that streaming is the way to ensure future viability.  They have the prerogative to raise prices - that's a given.  What doesn't fly is the arrogance - exuding the feeling of "we know better."  Somewhere the ghost of Blockbuster is snickering at Netflix facing the same market issues that sunk them.  Can Netflix be the best at DVD by mail, which they've dominated to date, and with streaming as well?  Time will tell. What is telling is that consumers are voicing their opinions by dropping the service. 

Facebook users were even more vociferous in their complaints last week about the new format for their beloved profile pages.  You can imagine the upset when you have 800 million users, the majority of which are active.  Recently, the social network saw a new record for the most visitors in one day - a jaw dropping 500 million.  Did all the social media noise about the changes make a difference?  Not a chance.  It's only the beginning.  Mark Zuckerberg's keynote at the f8 conference in San Francisco promised some of the most profound changes seen on Facebook since its inception.  Buck up Facebook users, change is inevitable and there's nothing you can do about it. 

Social media has been a game changer for the way brands connect and engage.  Consumer generated content is a dynamic that is dealt with constantly.  Consumers have been so empowered they feel like they own their brand relationships.  They were responsible for overturning a new Gap identity in mere days, not the three to four months it took to slay New Coke back in the 80's.  In the cases of Netflix and Facebook, consumers didn't yield the necessary clout to make them change course or retreat.  It was categorized by both as the "taken under advisement" heading.  Consumer feedback only goes so far.  These brands face directional business decisions that dictate the ultimate future success and failure of their enterprises.  Consumer input is one variable, but only one of many that are factored in.  It has a place, but in the end the influences that nurture, glorify, motivate and defend brands feel like they know better, especially in the case of Facebook where it's "free."