White Castle & Undercover Boss, Olympics & The Marriage Ref

White Castle
I don't see much advertising or marketing by White Castle, even though we have a few locations around Minneapolis. Therefore, they are not typically top of mind. However, social media has allowed me to stay in touch with them and find out what is happening. It's a beautiful thing.

I was checking out my feeds on Facebook this morning and White Castle was promoting Undercover Boss. The company and CEO are featured in the upcoming episode. I have seen TV spots or promos (yes, TV still works) for Undercover Boss, but have not watched it yet. I think I'll try to catch the next episdoe. Here the combination of TV and social media has increased my interest in the program.

White Castle is a brand with passionate consumers. It is interesting to view the comments that their fans are making on Facebook. Most of them are asking White Castle to open up a location in their city. Check out how many posts they get from fans: http://bit.ly/avfWDD

The Marriage Ref
If you have been watching the Olympics and have not heard about The Marriage Ref, have you really been paying attention? Did you know that Canada and the U.S. hockey teams are playing for the gold on Sunday?

I like Jerry Seinfeld (big fan of the old Seinfeld show), but for some reason I am not that interested in this new one. I think the reason is that the TV spot does not really tell me what the show is about. Maybe I am not paying attention.

I might try to catch the first episode, but it is not a priority. Word-of-mouth from my friends could be the way that I get more engaged with the show. I'll let you know.

http://www.nbc.com/the-marriage-ref/video/clips/jerry-sets-up-the-show/1199290/

Are you a wacko for White Castle? What Olympic event has engaged you the most? Are you going to watch The Marriage Ref? Let me know.

NBC Olympics App & V-Day on Facebook

NBC's Olympics iPhone App

I was searching iTunes for the "Top Free" iPhone apps and saw NBC's Olympics application. I downloaded it knowing that I would not be able to catch much of the Olympics over this next week, due to family activities (travel basketball and a vacation).

This app will make it easy for me to keep up-to-date on the Olympics. It is a great idea by NBC and has a number of different features including Top Stories, medals counts, videos/photos, social networking by Team US athletes. These features are available for the Olympics in general and for each sport individually.

Today I was able to watch footage of Hannah Kearney winning a gold medal and keep current with Men's Moguls Freestyle Skiing. By the way, this event is in progress and Bryon Wilson of USA is currently in third.

Within the app I noticed some mobile banner ads for Coke, Toyota and Visa. I clicked on the Visa ad because it was a sweepstakes entry to win a trip to the Olympic Winter Games - for life. It linked to Visa's own iPhone app which provides content on the Olympic athletes that they sponsor (Team Visa). I spent a little time here, but not sure why I would go back to get updates on "their" athletes when I have access to the full Olympics through NBC.

Facebook and Valentine's Day.

I am wondering why so many brands simply provide a Happy Valentine's Day post on Facebook. That is all it says. I guess it is easy, but it doesn't do much in terms of making a deeper connection with me. I saw this for brands like KISS (the rock group), Nokia, Doritos, and SeaWorld.

At least Six Flags Great Adventure included a little more that I could engage with. They tied into the fact that Valentine's Day and the Chinese New Year (Year of the Tiger) both fall on February 14, so they had a link to content that showed the affectionate bond that exists between tigers and their trainers. http://bit.ly/cmsMbZ

And Verizon was celebrating Valentine's Day by asking consumers to "follow @vcastmusic on Twitter today and let them know what's your favorite love song. One lucky follower will receive a Valentine's Day phone call from J-Records/Sony artist Mario! Follow them now http://www.twitter.com/vcastmusic" Nice. Keep the "value" coming.

Google's Impact on Our Lives

Okay...I'll add to the blogosphere discussion regarding the Super Bowl ads last night.

I have to say the ad that had the greatest impact on me was the Google spot, even though it probably had the lowest production budget of all the Super Bowl ads. http://bit.ly/8ZcfRj

It was very simple, but very smart.

Google's spot made me think of them differently. Even though I know that Google is a part of my life. I use it almost every day and it helps me answer this question or helps me get that piece of information. I was not viewing Google from a higher level, which is what the spot made me do.

On a day-to-day basis you don't realize that the many individual "searches" you perform end up affecting the decisions you make in life. The spot put them all together in a "life story."

I now realize that Google has a much bigger influence on my life. In some instances you can say that it has more influence that your family and friends. What other type of media company has that type of influence? TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, outdoor, online display ads, mobile marketing. I would say there is nothing else that compares even remotely.

On a side note, I think the ad stands out because you do not see TV spots for Google often. It was something new. The same old advertisers and creative executions that are extensions from year-to-year start blending into the background for me. I do not remember them.

Thanks Google for reminding me that you have any even deeper impact on my life.

Let me know if Google has a similar impact on your life? Also, let me know if you think that is a good thing or bad thing . I am not sure.

Nissan vs Toyota and Lifetime Movies vs Megadeth Songs

I heard a radio spot earlier this week on the local sports station (KFAN) where Nissan was touting the fact that 8 of their models were rated for high safety, while Toyota has recalled 8 of their models. I am not sure if that was the specfic radio copy, but that is how I remember it. In fact, the ad made enough of a connection that I have told family and friends about it. Even though the ad was a "mild attack" on Toyota, it left a positive impression on me. In the past I have never really considered a Nissan, let's see if that changes next time we need to buy a vehicle.


I was scrolling through my Facebook updates from friends and brands and engaged with one brand in particular. It was GQ's Timewaster of the Day (this was done at home, not at work). The quiz was Lifetime Movie or a Megadeth Song. While the average score was 58%, I answered every one correctly (100%). Am I more of a fan of Megadeth than Lifetime Movies?


Check it out and let me know your score:
http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-q/2010/02/time-waster-of-the-day-lifetime-movie-or-megadeth-song.html