Tired of unauthorized marketers calling the Super Bowl “the big game”? So, it seems, is Samsung. In a preview to an ad scheduled to appear during the football game to be played Sunday between the NFC and AFC champions, Samsung Mobile has released an online preview video in which Hollywood A-list stars Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd work to create an ad for “the big game.” In the video, Rogen and Rudd sit at a conference table and are cautioned by a third party (played by Bob Odenkirk, best known as shifty lawyer Saul on “Breaking Bad”), who shuts them down every time the two stars try to utter the words “Super Bowl” or any other trademarked term. (“We might get sued [by] everyone. No one. Who knows?” he says.) They are allowed to say “Super,” but not “Bowl” in close proximity to each other. (At one point, Odenkirk encourages them to call the event “El Plato Supreme,” prompting the duo to incredulously wonder, “The Big Plate?”) Rudd and Rogen are also not allowed to identify the two teams playing for the championship, instead settling on the “San Francisco 50 minus Ones” and the “Baltimore black birds.” The video has been released to Samsung’s social communities as a preview for the brand’s two-minute ad airing during the Super Bowl. After the game, the brand will release more footage and an extended version of the spot, as well as a Twitter contest for fans to win prizes by using the hashtag #TheNextBigThing. Samsung made its first appearance on the Super Bowl last year, with an ad that parodied Apple acolytes waiting in line for a phone that paled in comparison to Samsung’s Galaxy series phones. That ad won the Twitter Ad Scrimmage last year, a contest among 30 brands and 42 commercials, and helped Samsung Mobile’s perception as a technology leader and challenger to Apple in the smartphone and tablet categories. "The anticipation of Super Bowl ads creates a unique consumer experience,” said Todd Pendleton, chief marketing officer of Samsung Mobile, in a release. "'The Next Big Thing' campaign has allowed us the flexibility to tap into significant cultural moments and relevant conversations while showcasing our innovation." Representatives from Samsung Mobile and its agency, 72andSunny, were unavailable to comment.
Lincoln Motor Co., which pulled up stakes and moved away -- both physically and symbolically -- from sibling Ford brand, has staked out a position in the Super Bowl. The program includes an ad created from Tweets, plus a separate ad for the new MKZ sedan. And there's a spokesperson relationship with three-time Super Bowl champion Emmitt Smith. Smith, with an assist from hip-hop superstar Rev Run, and actor Wil Wheaton, appears in a long-form version of the Tweet-driven ad at www.SteertheScript.com. Jimmy Fallon also played a role when, in December, he hosted the initial pitch for tweets, asking his social-media fan base to write (in 140 characters) whacked-out road trip stories. The best of the contributions were chosen to make up the 30-second spot that runs in the third quarter. There's also a long-form, 90-second version on SteertheScript.com. The winning tweets making up the ad creative include, "We drove passed an alpaca farm, a few of them were meandering on the highway and my sister screamed, 'It's the Alpacalypse!'"; and "Thousands of turtles crossing the road in FL. Dad stops, so did a huge scary Harley gang! Us and the gang played checkers!" Tom Kowaleski, Lincoln communications chief, tells Marketing Daily that during the initial three-day “steering the script” social push, Lincoln got over 6,000 tweets. "However, in the month of December we garnered over 100 million media impressions from conversations in internet communities, passing along tweets and facts via Facebook and Twitter and other information channels," he says. "Therefore, the conversation grew as intended throughout the month. Now, in January, the conversation continued aided by some good strategically developed traditional media coverage." He says by this week Lincoln reached over 318 million impressions. Kowaleski says it wasn't an easy decision for Lincoln to play in the big game. "What led the decision to do so and commit not inconsiderable resources was the opportunity to use the before-during-and after game period to create and develop a conversation about the new Lincoln." The automaker announced the campaign as a part of an all-points bulletin about the brand's reinvention as Lincoln Motor, its new New York-based agency HudsonRouge, and new ad platform. "It was also the day the conversation started because Jimmy Fallon announced his participation that day to his massive social media audience and thus the conversation about Lincoln was off and running," he says. In New Orleans, Thursday and Friday, Smith will do two days interviews with national and international media. "This is all important in this period of getting word out about the new brand because in such a transformation process it’s important to create a much larger conversation about the brand than just those that are your target customers," says Kowaleski. "Conversations move opinion and opinion shifts perceptions and beliefs and that’s exactly what we need to do with Lincoln. We’ve been fortunate that the Super Bowl window was right in the launch window."
Media coverage leading up to the Super Bowl is mostly focused on national ads – the big, Fortune 500 fish that have millions of dollars to drop on spots touting $50,000 cars and cheap bags of artery-clogging snacks (that are delicious, by the way). But what about the smaller guys buying up local markets? Local buys aren’t just for the used car lot down the street. Nowadays, viewers can expect local ads to bring in sophistication, as well as big brands that are on the cusp of really making it. Take camera company GoPro, for instance. It say it’s the number one-selling camera company in the world. But even so, it still doesn’t have the cash flow to make national Super Bowl buys. “We are still a lot smaller than some of the other Super Bowl advertisers,” says Kash Shaikh, GoPro’s senior director of global communications and social marketing. So, since it still deserves its slice of the Super Bowl pie, it has settled on nine local markets to air its ads during the game. Viewers in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Ore., Seattle, San Diego, Salt Lake City and Denver will see GoPro’s Super Bowl effort sometime during the game. GoPro isn’t just betting on the marketing efforts of the spot: “We are also using our social media channels to unveil the full ad when the commercial launches during the pre-game in New York, Los Angeles and Sacramento to leverage our 10 million-plus networks and drive more engagement,” says Shaikh. He explains, “Our media buy is designed to be as efficient as possible while giving GoPro the most exposure in the markets where our consumers live.” The spot itself was shot by a GoPro user and is perfectly in-line with the company’s social feel. Like other Super Bowl spots, it will serve as a catalyst to ignite social media conversations – “at our heart we’re a social media and events marketing oriented company. That is why we are being as efficient as possible with our buy and using our social networks to get the conversation going,” says Shaikh. Though the ad isn’t airing nationally, he assures that the same care and effort was put into it: “The quality of our Super Bowl ad does not differ from our previous national spots. It’s the first time we’ve exclusively used user generated content to create an ad.”
Ever since Jeff Rosenblum, a co-founder of Questus, started showing marketers “The Naked Brand,” a documentary about advertising he made with Sherng-Lee Huang, he’s become accustomed to fielding questions about what is and isn’t breakthrough. Marketing Daily caught up with him before the Big Game, to ask whether he expects any advertising renegades to show up on Super Bowl Sunday. Q: First, why did you decide to make a documentary about marketing?A: We really didn’t set out to. The idea was that we’d make this kind of clinical video to show clients, to illustrate how thoroughly the world of advertising has been disrupted. Everyone in the world understands that, except for the people who work in advertising. It’s an industry ready for a revolution. And as we started filming, more and more people wanted to be a part of it. Q: Do you have a favorite moment in the film? A: Yes. It’s when B. Bonin Bough, who worked on the Pepsi Refresh Project, says: “We had this new medium that could change the world. And then we created … display advertising.” Q: So the film’s premise is that marketers are increasingly recognizing that they have to think bigger, more openly, more honestly. Yet the film covers a pretty predictable set of brands: Zappos, Patagonia, Unilever. Why aren’t there more?A: True. I think we are at a tipping point. I believe we will see more and more brands come over to this new way of thinking. Q: Couldn’t one argue that brands are actually stepping backward, not moving forward? Take Pepsi, which at one point ditched the Super Bowl and its predictable formula of using pop stars to sell soda, and created Pepsi Refresh. This year? It’s all about Beyoncé and the Super Bowl. Is that a backlash?A: I don’t think so. No campaign lasts forever. And I think Pepsi Refresh was successful -- more people voted in it than for Barack Obama. That changed the way I saw the brand, as a consumer. And I have to believe it changed the way many people saw the brand. So it was a massive success, but that doesn’t preclude them from coming back to the Super Bowl. Q: Some of the people in your film talk about using their brands to change the world out of altruism, a premise that today’s cynical consumers clearly think is baloney. Why position it that way?A: I think consumers expect transparency. And if you want to be a world-class brand today, you’ve got to focus on your behavior. That doesn’t necessarily mean a green message -- we include Virgin Atlantic in the film, for example, which is more about the commitment to please customers. But here’s what we know, based on examples like Nike and Apple: If you have something bad in your behavior today, you will be outed. There is nothing you can do with marketing to protect you from that. So it is important to talk about what you’re trying to do better. I think Patagonia is an amazing example of that level of honesty. Q: Alex Bogusky plays a big role in your film, talking about his projects. Care to comment on some of the heat he’s drawn?A: Well, he’s sufficiently successful to become a target. He’s got this hippie DNA and wants to save the environment, and also has this ability to grow brands. I’ll be emailing him, and he’ll go dark, and I’ll find out he’s been out on a pontoon boat in the Arctic or something. Is he perfect? No. You could say the Soda Stream thing is still promoting soda, which leads to obesity. So he has flaws. But I admire him, and the way he lives his life. Q: If so many marketers are on the cusp of understanding this new way to connect with consumers, will we see any of it on the Super Bowl?A: No -- I don't expect any breakthroughs, in the realm of brands entering into transparency. But I’m a huge sports fan, and it’s also fascinating to me to watch people watch the game. They get drunk. They get distracted. They say they are watching the ads, but often can’t hear them over the background noise. I also think it’s incredible that the buzz around the advertising creates these enormous bumps in awareness building up to Sunday, and then by Monday or Tuesday -- boom. It’s all gone. Is it worth it? It just seems like a crazy concept to invest so much in these ads. Yes, you get a profound impact. But it lasts such a short time.
Brands with positive scores across multiple social media dimensions have the greatest potential for market leadership and influence over customer experiences, according to Blueocean Market Intelligence. The research and analytics company’s “Social Media Effectiveness Index” measures business impact and identifies top performers. The global study assesses the social media effectiveness of Fortune 100 companies. Companies in the top ten are: Honeywell International, American International Group, Metlife, Aetna, Chevron, Express Scripts Holding, Ingram Micro, General Electric, Oracle and Nationwide. The study measured social media effectiveness by tracking each brand’s share of voice, customer engagement rate, customer touch rate, number of brand influencers and advocates, and net sentiment. It captured conversations on social networks and online communities worldwide, and demonstrated how companies can provide a higher level of customer engagement on digital channels by focusing on metrics that typically have the greatest business impact, such as revenue and brand value. In addition, it measured the interactions between businesses and customers in social media, including how Facebook and Twitter drive customer engagement and purchase behavior. “The top performers have higher scores across a combination of relevant social media attributes and are best positioned to gain and retain customers and brand advocates in the social universe,” said Blueocean Senior Vice President Prashant Parida. “Businesses of all sizes can benefit from their experience and learn how to better harness social media technologies.” To download the full report, including a detailed explanation of the ranking methodology, the complete SEI 100 and a compilation of top social media performers by industry, visit www.blueoceansei100.com.
Counting on a brand resurrection with the new 10 platform, BlackBerry has renewed its sponsorship of National Hockey League media, including NHL Network and NHL.com as well as League broadcast partners. The company, formerly known as RIM, will put most of its media support against the NHL Trade Deadline Day on April 3. The deal makes BlackBerry presenting sponsor of the Trade Deadline show airing on NHL Network U.S. No surprise here: the big feature will be new handsets, which will be integrated into the broadcast. BlackBerry also will sponsor the editorial content for the Trade Deadline on NHL.com. Keith Wachtel, SVP of integrated sales and marketing at the NHL, tells Marketing Daily that the deal will give BlackBerry advertising rights on game broadcasts, and big boards in game venues via the NHL's North American broadcast partners, though "players will not be involved in this specific campaign." Wachtel says BlackBerry won't actually have products at games, but the user experience will be showcased during broadcasts, online and through a NHL GameCenter app for the BlackBerry 10. The latter offers live scores and stats, live-game simulation, post-game video highlights and other free features. Users of the NHL GameCenter app can also upgrade to paid premium subscriptions for additional content. The app also allows access to live out-of-market NHL games, in-game highlights and streaming live-game audio. Aligning with BlackBerry's user interface, the NHL GameCenter has a “peek” capability that lets the user swipe one screen over to reveal additional content underneath and iconography at the bottom of the screen with quick links to additional content. "We continue to develop new platforms for BlackBerry to take advantage of,” says Wachtel. “Last year was League events as well as the EA Cover Vote." He adds that while BlackBerry is the preferred hardware partner for the NHL, "Given the importance of the category to both Verizon and Bell, our wireless partners have the ability to tie in multiple handsets understanding our preference during this promotion is BlackBerry."
Looks like Cupid is keeping a closer eye on currency this year, with the National Retail Federation reporting that on average, people will spend about $81 on their spouses and sweeties this year, down from $82.90 last year. (As is generally true, men expect to spend much more, at $107.73, compared with the $53.34 women expect to spend on their main squeeze.) But overall, spending on the Valentine’s Day holiday is expected to rise a bit to $18.6 billion, with those who celebrate (about 60% of U.S. adults) forking over a total of $130.97 on candy, cards, and gifts, compared with $126.03 last year. For many marketers, the holiday is a major event. Chocolatier Lindt & Sprungli, for example, is using the occasion to launch new products, including an Excellence Wasabi and Excellence Strawberry bar. Even everyday brands are getting in the act. Krispy Kreme is selling heart-shaped donuts: Buy a dozen, and get 12 Valentine’s Day cards, each redeemable for a free donut. Zpizza is making heart-shaped pies. The NRF survey finds that 51% of those celebrating will give someone candy, spending about $1.6 billion. And 36.6% intend to give flowers, shelling out an estimated $1.9 billion. Jewlery is always big -- and this year, it will account for about 20% of gifts, costing $4.4 billion. And 15.6% say they plan to buy others clothes, while 15% will fall back on the always-reliable gift card option. Increasingly, consumers are finding these gifts on the Internet, with 26.3% of the survey of 5,800 adults saying they will shop online, a big jump from 19.3% last year. In addition to their love interests, 61% of those who are celebrating say they also intend to give gifts or cards to other members of the family, and will spend an average of $26.46 to do so. One-quarter also plan to buy gifts for friends, spending an average of $8.49, and 13.2% intend to buy something for co-workers, with an average price tag of $5.12. And 20% will buy something for a pet, spending a total of $815 million.
The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) is launching a multi-year, multi-platform campaign to increase usage of canned foods. Dubbed “Cans Get You Cooking,” the campaign kicks off Feb. 1, to coincide with National Canned Food Month. CMI is the trade association of the metal and composite can manufacturing industry and its suppliers in the U.S. Investment in the campaign, which is funded by member companies Ball Corp., Crown Holdings, Inc. and Silgan Containers, will exceed $5 million in its first year, CMI VP of marketing and communications Sherrie Rosenblatt tells Marketing Daily. The campaign is based on extensive research that confirmed strong, positive perceptions among existing canned food consumers, including confidence in these foods’ freshness and nutrients, according to Rosenblatt. It aims to increase these consumers’ usage over time – not just get cans into the pantry, but out of the pantry and onto the table – by reinforcing the benefits of canned foods (including how the canning process seals in nutrition, freshness and taste) and encouraging and helping consumers to use them in creative, easy-to-prepare recipes and meals. The campaign’s kickoff includes a partnership with “The Chew,” ABC’s daytime food talk show. During February, the show will feature weekly segments in which chefs “engage and educate” consumers about using canned foods in making recipes, according to Rosenblatt. The effort will also have online, digital and social media presence through ABC’s media assets during February – plus a co-branded contest in which consumers who share their favorite canned food recipes can earn chances to attend a taping of “The Chew” in New York City. In a recently launched campaign Facebook page (which already has about 5,300 “likes”), CMI and consumers are sharing recipes and tips and facts about canned food, cans and the canning process. The page will also cross-promote retailer-specific offerings and specific canned-food brands. (For instance, an image of Progresso artichoke hearts was used to prompt community members to discuss recipes or ways that they use the product.) The campaign also has a new Pinterest presence, and plans to hold a Twitter party, offer videos on YouTube, and do outreach to influential mommy/food bloggers and dietitians, with focus on national and local canned-food promotions. Other components include national and regional media materials, and a satellite media tour to support local retailer promotions. Retailers will be supplied with customizable “Cans Get You Cooking” content, programming, and a toolkit for supermarket registered dietitians. They also have various options for tying into “The Chew” promotional partnership. Packaged foods overall, including canned foods, began experiencing volume declines a decade ago, while fresh food volumes (e.g., raw fruits, raw vegetables, grains) have seen steady growth, according to The Hartman Group. In July 2012, Nielsen reported that, between late September 2011 and mid-April 2012, 50 of 64 major food and non-alcoholic beverage categories had declining retail unit sales. Categories “bearing the brunt” of this trend included canned vegetables (units down 213 million), soup (units down 125 million) and frozen prepared foods (units down 86 million). Conversely, produce was among the 14 edible categories that saw unit gains. Nielsen noted that higher prices, less promotional support and high temperatures (which affected cold-weather categories such as soup) contributed to the packaged-goods volume declines during the period. According to a report on the U.S. canned/preserved food packaging market published in July 2012 by CompaniesandMarkets.com, unit sales in this market declined slightly in 2011, to 15.8 billion units. Metal packaging’s share of total canned/preserved good packaging declined to 73%, in part reflecting product manufacturers’ expansion to other formats (unit sales of rigid plastic packaging increased by 3% in 2011). The report notes that unit volume sales of U.S. canned/preserved food packaging are “likely” to continue to decline “as consumers turn to products perceived as fresher and healthier.” Research from Key Note released in 2011 documented similar trends in canned food packaging in the U.K.
Barbara Lippert owes an apology to every single non-black Jamaican for implying that they do not exist! She has her head so far up her own... She isn't even educated enough to know that Jamaica is a country of many colors: people from Africa, India, European decent all claim Jamaica as their home and ALL speak in the same manner. This commercial is as racist as the outback commercials... Both impersonate (rather poorly) a different country's dialect. I don't find the add very funny nor creative... But it has nothing racist about it! The above is a snippet of one of the more polite notes of the hundreds I’ve received since Monday morning, when I appeared on the “Today Show” to discuss the early release of VW’s “Get Happy” Super Bowl commercial. The spot, a cross between “Cool Runnings” and “Office Space,” shows unhappy white dudes (and for some reason, one Asian guy) in short-sleeved white shirts and ties, glumly hanging around their soulless workplace, all with a case of the Mondays. “You know what dis room needs? A smile,” Dave from the Gopher State tells his colleagues, lit-up and gesturing during a downer of a meeting. “Who wanna come wit I?” That sounds funny, granted. But I said I didn’t like the way “black people” were used to infuse happiness into uber-white people. That’s what brought on the letters, mostly from Jamaicans or friends of Jamaicans or people who like to vacation in Jamaica. And unlike the letter writer above, they mostly found the spot funny. The “Today Show” subsequently put up a poll on its Web site to determine whether viewers found the spot offensive. About 93% of the voters did not. I was told I was uptight, a dumbass, and too P.C, among other things. That’s what makes a ball game. Still, I’d like to apologize for the gross imprecision with which I spoke. I should have made a distinction between Jamaican and “black.” Jamaica is an island with a beautiful mosaic of residents of every stripe and background. The Jamaican patois and culture is associated with fun and friendliness and "irie" (no worries,) not color. I’m sorry for my mistake. Secondly, I realize that a word like “racist” is way too important and inflammatory a term to throw around when discussing a Super Bowl commercial featuring a positive Jamaican vibe, even if it’s a stereotype. More precisely, I should have said that I found the device of using the Jamaican voices coming out of Minnesotans too contrived, and racially insensitive. I also found it weird that not one African-American was included in the office. Why? And while obviously surprising and memorable, the voice thing put me in mind of the whole Jar Jar Binks controversy from “Episode I: Phantom Menace.” Another character with a Caribbean accent, Binks was a clumsy, loud, comic foil. It also reminded me of the time (granted, long ago) in advertising when typically, big, older black women were the only ones who were allowed to express emotion. There was an AT&T commercial in the 1970s featuring just such a woman, crying, because her son called to say he loved her. Look, I’m know I’m just a white lady from New York. And parts of the commercial were funny. I loved when the guy said he came from “De lahnd of ten tousand lakes.” There’s a wonderful moment when the guys are in the Beetle, the Jimmy Cliff cover of the Partridge Family song, “Get Happy” is playing, and the spot begins to make sense, because the Beetle is a happy car. The teaser, with Jimmy Cliff, was terrific. But then the whole awkward division between uptight white guys and Jamaica comes back when they pull into a spot and another white bureaucrat says “You’re late!” It’s too bad the whole commercial wasn’t shot with everyone singing inside the car -- it would be so much less jarring. It’s certainly not going to be the worst commercial at the Super Bowl (if it runs.) Not even in the bottom 20. But it’s certainly not up to VW’s past standards, like “The Force.” But really, any car can advertise that it makes you happy. And I found it bizarre that there is zero link, and even a vigorous disconnect, to a German car company, still touting German engineering. That’s about as far as you can get from “irie.” Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Will mom ruin this wedding? Find out in today's Super Bowl edition of Out to Launch.
Super Bowl Sunday isn’t only about football. Quite simply, it’s a defining cultural moment where the worlds of sports, music and pop culture coalesce in ways that captivate millions of consumers around the world. For businesses like ours, this makes the Super Bowl much more than a one-day event. At PepsiCo, it marks the pinnacle of our year-long focus on leveraging our relationship with the NFL to build our brands and drive sales. That’s why our people have been hard at work placing hundreds of thousands of PepsiCo Super Bowl product displays in retail stores across the country in the weeks leading up to the game. While the teams battle on the field, we’re fiercely competing in the grocery aisle. That said, come Sunday, the commercials will be as anticipated as the game itself. In fact, about 50 percent of Americans say they watch the Super Bowl just for the commercials. And as with the game, the ads have winners and losers, with the highly coveted USA Today ad meter possibly the best example of the scoreboard approach to Super Bowl spots. In today’s world of multiple screen viewing, instant sharing, posting and commenting, everyone gets to be judge and jury. With hundreds of millions of eyeballs at stake, the decision of whether to preview Super Bowl commercials before they air live during the game presents a real dilemma for all marketers. Super Bowl ads have traditionally been sacred -- saved for the big reveal in front of mass audiences in order to have the greatest impact. Marketers were reluctant to spoil the surprise and dilute the power of that special moment when new creative was seen for the first time. But now the water cooler moment can be instantaneous with the prevalence of social media. The wow factor of an impactful commercial can be discussed not only with friends gathered in living rooms for Super Bowl parties, but across Facebook and Twitter in well, about 30 seconds. Some marketers still hold to the traditional approach. Marc Seguin, vice president for marketing for Paramount Farms, told the LA Times: “From a marketing standpoint we feel we can have a lot more talk value and punch by holding back. What’s a better ‘big reveal’ than unveiling your commercial before 100 million people who are viewing it all at once?” But many marketers no longer stick to that tried-and-true playbook. PepsiCo was among the leaders in breaking away from tradition. The company was one of the first to offer media an advance look at its Super Bowl commercials in the quest to build excitement. In recent years, a growing number of advertisers have taken that concept further, looking to capitalize on social media by offering sneak peeks and even releasing entire commercials on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook or through other channels to generate viral buzz that extends the shelf life. Fans of the spots then serve as ambassadors spreading the word for companies on their personal social embassies. For these companies, lengthening the window is an effective and efficient way to get the most value from the investment. Steve Cannon, president and chief executive at Mercedes-Benz USA, believes in this approach, telling the NY Times: “For me, it’s all about maximizing exposure. Even if millions of people watch the commercial online before the game, it’s still going to be brand-new for 98 percent of the population, and such previews help defray the ‘big expense’ of buying time in the game. “ Where does PepsiCo stand? When it comes to advertising in the game, we have long believed in the power of the Super Bowl and in its ability to deliver massive consumer engagement. This year, three of our brands will have spots during the Super Bowl. Pepsi Next will make its Super Bowl debut with a 30-second spot that will be previewed online before the game. Doritos is allowing fans to decide, for the seventh consecutive year, which ad will air in the Super Bowl from among the best fan-submitted commercials. (PepsiCo was the pioneer in soliciting consumer-generated spots.) And Pepsi will utilize crowdsourced images as part of a unique, on-air video introduction welcoming Beyonce to the stage for the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show. So what is the answer? Ask 100 marketers and you’ll likely hear 100 different answers. But we believe it’s all about engagement. The Super Bowl is the largest stage for marketers, and a well-crafted, creative idea -- no matter if it’s previewed ahead of time or held back for the game -- will always resonate with the consumers and stand out among the competition.
American Airlines jettisoned its old "AA" tail wing signature logo and unveiled its new logo last week -- its first new logo in 40 years. It's an updated eagle inside a blue and red stripe. It's nice enough, and apparently it comes surrounded by a lot of rational explanations. American -- just emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection -- had ordered some 500+ new planes, so they decided to reassess their look. Fair enough. But then they took more than two years with IPG's FutureBrand to end up with their new logo, which might seem a long time for a nearly-bankrupt airline to spend (not to mention the money) on a logo -- and according to reports, it all started with a question. If your first thought was that the question was “how can we improve the overall flying experience on American?” wow, would you have been wrong! No, it was “what are the things that are relevant from all over the world about America?” That was the question. The answer -- "Technology. Entertainment. Progress," according to FutureBrand's chief creative officer, who said: "We didn't make this up. It's from people all over the world." We assure you, you really can’t make this stuff up! So they ended up with an eagle in a blue and white stripe. Get it? Technology, entertainment, and progress. Well, maybe there'll be a pamphlet in the seat pocket explaining it all. They have a new commercial too. After all, what’s the use of having a new logo if you don't have a new commercial to show it off? McCann Worldgroup (part of IPG) did the advertising that broke this week. It's a 60-second commercial voice-overed by Jon Hamm, with people doing stuff and then stopping to look skyward as a new American plane flies over with its brand new logo. The global chief strategy officer at McCann was quoted as noting: “The idea of it was to bring back the wonder of travel. We're so oblivious to the fact that we can get on a plane and go anywhere in the world anytime we want. We wanted to bring that amazement -- that wow factor.” Well, we're wowed! Get on a plane and go anywhere!? What will they think of next? And a commercial pointing it out to all of you who were oblivious to the fact. See, they're right. You can't make this stuff up. Nearly-bankrupt companies rely on ad agencies and design shops for that. There was also a lot of nattering about how the old logo was slanted toward a more powerful "ugly American" image -- referring to the flying eagle with talons drawn in warlike readiness -- so now it's a bird and a wing, which is supposed to shift your perceptions away from a bird of prey to, one can only suppose, a bird at play, as you avail yourself of the fact that "you can get on a plane and go anywhere in the world anytime" you want. (Sorry to repeat that quote, but it's so dense light actually bends around it!) But in fairness that reasoning is really more from a highly paid designer's perspective, not a passenger. Be honest. There are lots of AA flyers out there, most of you hoping they wouldn't go bankrupt before you cashed in your gazillion air miles. Did you ever, ever think the original eagle was a sign of a war-mongering America. Or did you look out at the plane from the terminal and think, “yeech, another crappy American flight! We're guessing the latter. Actually, not so much, guessing as looking at our most recent ranking of consumer loyalty and engagement: 1) American is rated last in the Airline Category, and 2) an airline’s logo counts for 0.001 percent-contribution to passenger engagement, or about 5,000 times less than a bag of free peanuts! A spokesperson for American said: “The new look, including our new fleet, is a strategic investment that is needed to improve our customers' overall experience. . .” because a new paint job and a snappy logo is the always the highest-contributing aspect of a passenger’s experience. Fasten your seatbelts -- it's going to be a bumpy ride for the AA brand!