HUMOR TAKES THE LEAD IN CORPORATE AMERICA

Humor - once the propriety of young people and comedienne’s - is going mainstream. It seems that marketers are trying to establish a mental hook-up with their customers and are using humor to cement the relationship.

Just this week Baskin-Robbins (the ice cream co.) announced an office-themed Internet game aimed at white-collar workers. The game spoofs the life of a beleaguered cubicle slave in the spirit of the 1999 indie hit “Office Space.” Players must get past pink-slip throwing characters who shout phrases like “Let’s form an ad-hoc subcommittee.” Frozen drinks have a starring role as players try to catch them to gain strength. If a player finishes the game they are offered a printable $1 coupon for a Cappuccino Blast drink.

The game launched this week at www.baskinrobbins.com/officeinvaders, and will be up until April 30th. The campaign will also feature PR as well as radio and online ads.

This approach must be working because Bennigan’s Grill & Tavern just announced a $10 million campaign designed to make the chain “hip, cool and clever.” The theme of the campaign is “We refuse to act our age.”

It seems that the powers that be at Bennigan’s want to distinguish themselves from the competition (in this marketplace) and are using irreverent sayings for potato skins such as, “We thought we'd get your attention by showing you some skin.”

Why am I telling you this? It’s to alert you to the fact that your consumer needs to have a mental hook-up with you - and your merchandise. Hats are in a pretty somber state, other than the fact that young people (and celebs) are wearing them to make their own fashion statement.

We have talked about creating an ad campaign for the Headwear industry that would wow the crowd and draw attention to wearing hats. Well, now is the time to do this. I just wrote an article about skin care and you would not believe the ungodly sums women are spending on cosmetics to keep them from aging. And the humorous thing about all this is that HEADWEAR is the BEST anti-aging cure on the market.

Dermatologists have all told me that women are not wearing sunscreen…and if they wore hats and/or sunscreen they wouldn’t need all the fancy laser treatments, botox and whatever. This is an ideal marketing concept for the Headwear Industry. Now is the time.

Boomers are looking for the fountain of Youth - and you are sitting on it!

Now is the time for some humorous and irreverent marketing!

How About an Ad Campaign that Goes Something Like This?

SPF: INFINITY	THE HAT: A PERFECT ANTI-AGING DEVICE

Well, it’s just a thought. Let’s hear your thoughts!