Dotbizblog: Should Companies Spend Money to Show Small Children Emulating the Bad Behavior of Adults? really?

Okay, I no longer have small children, but I couldn't help but note one evening this week that two back to back TV commercials showed small tots setting very bad behavior examples. One showed a toddler repeatedly flushing a toilet including craming a stuffed toy into it. Another, I believe a Nationwide Insurance commercial, showed children acting in adult roles of impatience and rage. Really? isn't it bad enough that children often have to see their own parents acting out without having television reinforce this type of behavior?

Dot Biz Blog: Fifty Shades of Grey, Fan Fiction and Blogging

Who knew? I'll admit to not having read the book or seen the movie, but I have read reviews of both in my local newspaper as well as interviews with the author. I was aware that the author E. L. James was a fan fiction author and that the book was originally available as an e-book and as a POD title.

I was unaware until reading PRNewswire and the Fort Worth Star Telegram that this runaway bestseller had any local ties. As it turns out Fifty Shades of Grey was originally made available by a blog called The Writer's Coffee Shop. Today's news indicated that an Arlington,TX resident who was a partner in the blog could possibly be cashing in on the success of Fifty Shades of Grey to the tune of seven figures after suing the blog's Australian partner. Seems as though the Texas resident only received a one-time $100,000 payment after the Random House deal was originally put together by the blog's Australian partner and James.

First take away? Fan fiction, especially if it becomes as successful as Fifty Shades of Grey, can lead to considerable profits for authors, and can also put some coin in the pockets of bloggers, especially those who are also involved in publishing. Second take away? As bloggers, know your business partners and have a firm contract in place. Just as good fences make good neighbors, good contracts make good partnerships.

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Dotbizblog: Just Saying...

Overall the quality of this year's Super Bowl commercials were, in my opinion, better.
Most seemed to do a better job of connecting emotionally with audiences, not just by
being attention getting but rather by delivering messages that mattered.

Mercedes Benz Less Doors Commercial

Again, maybe my ears are just tuning into these things lately,
but a recent Mercedes commercial confuses the proper use of
the words less and fewer.

The commercial shows a chained car so powerful that the doors
are being pulled off. It is a dramatic commercial, but it ends
with a phrase that includes the words "less doors".

Grammatically, the script should have read fewer doors. Anything
that can be counted should use the word "fewer" when referring to
quantity, whether the use is with the word more or not.

Just saying...seems a little off for a luxury brand to do this on purpose.

Bugged by the Lack of Good Grammar in Ads

I know,casual conversation trumped correct grammar long
before now in commercials. [Winston tastes good like a
cigarette should is a classic example.] I can even
rationalize that the writer or client really wanted to
link the word like to the brand.

A case in point now is Ford's use of further instead of
farther. I can appreciate the play on words and the
corporate side message that Ford goes further or the
extra mile in quality, advancements and engineering.
However, when attached to a brand message directing
the consumer to go further,to me it looses something.

As a consumer, I do not want Ford to take me further,
I want them to take me farther, which I consider to be
the bigger benefit.

Commercials Airing During the Olympic Games

Watching any big event on television such as the Super Bowl or the Olympic Games always draws my attention to the commercials. I've been in advertising too long not to notice the good and the bad. A couple of BMW spots caught my attention. I think the first one I saw was the one that drove home the slogan: We only make one thing the ultimate driving machine. Good commercial, fast paced. Loved the woman's pearls blowing out the window. My question is why run the other commercial with the dog that jumps out of the SUV window after hearing the word neutered. It is funny, which may be reason enough. However, the only thing that went fast in this commercial was the dog jumping out of the SUV window. I don't even remember the car moving an inch so how is this reinforcing or even giving a nod to their slogan? Granted the parent driving the BMW SUV is probably not taking many joy rides, but the commercial could have implied that at least the dog was taking a joy ride with its head out the window. Maybe they were just trying to appeal to two very different markets in the same timeframe and hoping that the message in one of the spots would by association influence the other.