In the seventies, the normal fare on my eight channels was reruns (it wasn’t called syndication yet)—Bewitched, I Love Lucy, The Original Mickey Mouse Club, I Dream of Jeannie, The Brady Bunch—and it got to the point where I knew the dialog from every show cold. But I didn’t watch to see what a moron Darrin Stephens or Major Nelson were or witness Lucille Ball’s physical comedy. I watched for the commercials.

I jumped at every opportunity to see more commercials, study the messaging, learn more about the lighting and camera angles. Little did anyone know that the television was more than a mindless brain drain, but rather a series of seminars I built for myself in that empty apartment that would be the backbone of my future career.

My self-educated study of advertising was better than anything I learned at UCLA or any subsequent continuing education classes I still take. When we would visit my uncle, who was in the ad game, I would smuggle extra copies of Advertising Age and (later) Adweek from his office so I could learn even more about the business and the creative process, always looking to get to the next level. I distinctively remember being captivated by Madge, the Palmolive manicurist, who had a gift of the gab and forced her clients to soak their hands in dishwashing liquid while doing their nails.

That advertising was effective and I begged my mom and dad in separate households to buy Palmolive instead of the other Brand X. I had to negotiate for it, even committing to do the dishes at age seven. Did them I did and yes my hands remained soft and I never had “dishpan hands.” And then, the commercial that stopped me in my tracks, aired one fateful afternoon.

It was a seminal moment for me. Maybe it was the perfect script or perhaps it was the freckle-faced kid with the same name as me. But whatever it was, I remember exact the time I watching this new spot in an awe-inspired trance in that Inglewood apartment. As an only child, I was captivated by the camaraderie at the breakfast table. As a kid of divorced parents, I was amazed there was time for breakfast debates, or that there was even a breakfast. I loved the announcer’s manipulative script and authoritative tone directing parents to manipulate their households that something good for you was actually delicious. I must have watched that commercial 20-30 times that weekend, taking in the nuances of the edit, studying every aspect of it including writing down every word in my black notebook with fresh college-rule paper.

Seeing this spot opened my eyes to the fact that you have to find that amazing idea and drive it with a powerful narrative for anything to truly become special. From a production perspective, I appreciated the meticulously detailed cut and as an ardent viewer, I was convinced that this was one seamless take that built all the way through the debate, the first taste of cereal and climaxing with the “He likes it! Hey Mikey!” What kept me coming back for more was that the momentum didn’t ease with the kids. The announcer played us all like puppets with his crafty delivery that drove you to the final framed shot of the cereal box. Brilliance in thirty seconds.

On Monday, I went to school and everyone ruined it. It seems my entire class had seen this commercial and convinced themselves I was the real Mikey. “He likes it! Hey Mikey!” echoed the hallways for a solid month. It was not was I was looking for in life at that time. I never did try Life Cereal but it was that experience that convinced me that it was me who had to craft the commercials. From the writing of the spot to the actual directing of them. It was a must and so I official began my journey.

As I aged and the innocence of the spot gave way to sexier ways to incite a surge of adrenaline that I could encapsulate into my own work became my calling card. Each spot I contrive takes a boutique agency approach working closely with clients to ensure I’m not just checking boxes and running through the motions, but crafting something that will catch the attention of today’s constantly changing audiences. Here’s the latest series of “Long Man” commercials produced for Sakeru Gummys in Japan…

Who knew that all of this could grow from cereal and dishwashing soap commercials?

The post The Inspiration of Mikey appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

Okay, so where am I?

I’m out on vacation from my 60 hour a week marketing gig working my other media job that I can only do when I’m on vacation. Good thing my 60 hour a week career has a liberal time-off policy akin to the countries of France and Brazil. Ah, the things I do to make commercials and extra scratch for the folks in Japan!

So, I’m at Atlanta and I made the mistake of letting my office handle the arrangements and I wound up in the bad part of Atlanta…called Atlanta. Take a look in the header of this blog and picture this friendly, All-American face wondering in Atlanta and gasp, “Ohhhhhhhhhhh Noooooooooooo!”

Not great, Bob!

I don’t know if you’ve ever been driving around a sketchy neighborhood and you do what I do and tell yourself, “It’s me.” Yep, it’s me judging the neighborhood inappropriately.

I do it a lot and I cannot lie.

My inner dialogue went something like this:

“Stop it…it’s fine…it’s different and I like it…thank you! What a vibrant community to let my rental Mercedes idle at these loooooooooooooooooong, long lights. Nope! No danger here….24 hour check cashing places? What a wonderful service. Yes, those should be on every corner!…Oh ‘Cash for Gold’ you say? Yes! Thank you very much, let me scribble a note down just in case.”

I knew it was a bad area because I saw a pimp strolling around. How do I know it was a pimp? Close your eyes and picture a pimp. Yep, that’s him. Do not, I repeat, do not alter your first draft of mental pimp in the least. A man in a Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat suit, a furry fedora, a glass cane, platform shoes, and a pinky ring.

Indeed, I saw a pimp.

Listen, I’m not babe in the woods but seeing a pimp outside of the movies (*) in 2018 where all such activities are reserved for the world wide web is a clear indicator that I was in the wrong part of town.

A mile away I arrived at my hotel and, I don’t know if you’re still playing the picture game, but it wasn’t looking like a Four Seasons. It was more like an abandoned building here someone spray painted the word “Hotel” on the side of it. So there I am checking in behind 20 inches of bulletproof Plexiglas and imagining what a delightful stay this is going to be while asking what the Wi-Fi password is but not being able to hear though the muffled sound of an apathetic front desk clerk.

It was then when it hit me. It doesn’t have anything to do with me or or my perception of the area. This is just a messed up area and I need to get the hell out of here. So there I am in the middle of the transaction, wallet in one hand, roller bag in the other, I was like: “Never mind all of this!” as I kept rolling back out hoping my Mercedes wasn’t on blocks at this point.

I roll out to the parking lot and this whole thing is playing out like a Jeff Foxworthy standup routine and jump into the my car with my bag on my lap pretending to be Snake Plissken,  but really more like George Costanza facing a fire.  All I knew is I need to get somewhere more bougie.

With my handle trembling towards my GPS system I proceeded to search for the most bougie place I could think of in Atlanta: Barnes and Noble. (**)

(**) I feel many of you reading this are wondering if you can laugh at this one, while others are you are quietly filing this away mentally to use at a later time when you find yourself in the wrong part of town. Other businesses that will work for this get out of sketchy scenario include: Panera and the Apple Store. 

Whatever you think of this strategy, just know that in 22 minutes I had a scone and an espresso while getting a foot massage at The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead. (***)

(***) – AD OF THE WEEK/MONTH/WHATEVER
Glico
Agency: Me, The Media Guy, Michael Lloyd

Here’s the work that came from the Atlanta meetings and that scone:

The post Pimping Out Atlanta appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

I’m at the beach pondering life. Some days call for what I call “Metaphorical Empty Chair Mondays.” These are deep days were I watch the sun rise or set above the California coast.

The sound of the sea lets me close my eyes and look for clarity. My soul evolves to feel the light rising. I set the chair out next to me to release the burdens that life injects into my inner core blocking the light of intelligence. My prayers are less spiritual, but more metaphorical. They act like white sage, first creating a fog and then burning away the negativity the blurs the vision. The empty chair creates the strength on the days I’m weak and broken. It’s a place in my head where my thoughts can move and find life. Imagination is restored and roams free in the din of dusk. The empty chair provides the inspiration that connects with the sound. The sounds of meditation – the filter which allows the greatness I expect and demand.

Yeah, yea, pretty new agey. But what do you expect from a Media Guy who was forced to memorize astrological signs and moon and sun relations instead of watching Charlie’s Angels in 1977? Honestly, meditation is a key factor from creative genius. Clear your mind of the B.S. and you can fill it with much better hubris; the kind that drives you to a higher place. That’s what I needed today.

So what got me here? I suppose it was this spot that I wrote back in my misogyny days where sexiness sold:

It took almost four years, but it made it to the airwaves and my long-awaited $1,000 royalty check was finally released. Hallelujah(!) and apologies that my past commercials keep creeping into play. These days, my campaigns are tame and kid-friendly. That being said, the spot has already gained fertile ground in the Land of the Rising Sun and there’s talk of a sequel. Jeez, what took them so long?!

But the euphoria of small-time cash didn’t last long as I fantasized about creating that perfect advertising character and campaign that would put me in the lore of legend. Setting the bar high is not a new thing. I mean, I’ve won Clio Awards, Emmy Awards, Telly Awards and the like, but what’s escaped me is that truly transcendent idea. My mind was clouded. I needed a refresh. That’s where the beach came in. What a revolution it turned out to be.

He is the life of parties that he has never attended…

All of this got me thinking about staying thirty in my career. Of course, if you you’re going to start thinking about staying thirsty my friends, you’re going start thinking about Dos Equis. And, if you’re going to think about Dos Equis, you’re definitely going to think The Most Interesting Man in the World, their iconic spokesperson.

It’s been over a decade since we first heard, “I don’t always drink beer, but when I do I prefer Does Equis.” It was at the beginning of the quirky ad campaign era, leading with an arrogant and unorthodox endorsement of the beer with pedestrian US sales. Unflinching, the phrase was delivered by the Most Interesting Man in the World, a Hemingway-esque bearded man who chronicled his unique adventures in globetrotting.

The campaign led the way to replace young and anonymous characters with a completely approach. Hemingway doppelgänger Jonathan Goldsmith embraced the role, confidently laughing his way through a canon of pithy short spots incredibly written and told through the prism of antiqued video footage. It was met with raised eyebrows and critic bashing. The campaign continued, found a following and the now Heineken-owned brand’s sales rocketed up shot up 22%.

Now, in true Lord of the Flies form, Dos Equis has become the exact thing it didn’t want when it started the campaign. Goldsmith has been replaced by (you guessed it) a younger, millennial-friendly 41-year-old Frenchman, Augustin Legrand. Goldsmith made his final appearance in a commercial that sent his character on a one-way mission to Mars and just as quickly, Legrand took up the campaign’s banner.

Andrew Katz, Dos Equis VP of Marketing explained, “The meaning of ‘interesting’ has evolved over the past decade, and this campaign features a new character and look and feel that opens the door to a world of interesting possibilities for today’s Dos Equis drinker.”

The news release explained it another way, stating it was “reinvigorating and modernizing ‘The Most Interesting Man in the World’ with a fresh face to showcase a character who reflects what is interesting to today’s Dos Equis drinker and to millennial beer drinkers 21 years and older.”

It remains to be seen how the next iteration of this character plays, out but the geniuses from the worldwide marketing firm Euro RSCG have their iconic character that I’ve dreamed of having on my resume. I can only guess that came from many mornings at the beach.

CLAIMS TO FAME


Here’s some of my favorite claims to fame from “The Most Interesting Man in the World,” a decade long compilation of Dos Equis ads:

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BACK STORY

In 2009, I was on a press trip to the lovely St. Regis Punta Mita in Mexico and met a dynamic bolt of lightning known only to me (and only me) as Lola. That’s what she told me to call her while we awaited the hotel limousine to shuttle us to the hotel with eight other people we didn’t know. She let me know at that moment that I would be “Jeffy” for as long we would know each other.

After series of group tequila tastings, champagne sabering rituals, and tours around the property, Lola revealed her true identity: Loni Albert, associate beauty editor at Cosmo magazine. Since then, our friendship has spawned two great columns with over 140,000 reads here on The Media Guy Struggles:

2013: The Continuing Adventures of Lola and Jeffy
81,000 page views

2011: Los Angeles vs. New York with Cosmo’s Associate Beauty Editor
64,000 page views

A lot has changed in the last four years. Let’s dive in…

MEDIA GUY: When you were at Cosmo and OK Magazine and the like you were the “Coffee-drinking, lipstick-wearing, punk-rockin’, retro-obsessed, Marilyn-loving, NYC girl.” Now you are a San Francisco girl and a BK Babe. First…what’s a BK Babe and how is the adjustment to the Left Coast?

LONI VENTI: Ha! IG bios are really embarrassing, no? A BK babe is a Brooklyn girl–duh, Jeffy. The Left Coast is beautiful. Sunny, gorgeous scenery, and lots to explore. But it’s a huge adjustment as a born and raised New Yorker.

MG: How do you expect me to know what a BK babe is? I only spent three years in New York and if you remember, last time I didn’t even know who Karlie Kloss was! What’s the biggest difference between New York and San Francisco and what does a BK babe do in SF to make a living?

LV: You totally pucked up in New York, Jeffy [winks]. New York has a ton more energy, realness, stuff to do, late night fun and food options, people dress better, and it’s where I lived for over 30 years–so I’ll always be biased.

San Francisco is a breathtaking place. It’s surrounded by mountains, the fog (named Carl btw) is the coolest and creepiest thing ever, and the weather is pretty much perfect. But it’s not New York. And it takes like 10+ minutes to get a coffee. I spend a lot of time in LA, too, which definitely doesn’t suck.

MG: New York was a grind. I mean literally. I worked in the days of drinking lunches and no Starbucks. Corporate housing was sweet, but that’s another story. However, I think my move back to Los Angeles was validated when the Kings beat the Rangers for the Stanley Cup and I haven’t needed a scarf since then. Yet, I digress… So, what does a BK Babe do in SF to make a living?

LV: I wish we lived in New York at the same time!!! I was actually just in New York City. So tough to be back here–makes me miss it so! I came out here to be the Editorial Director of ipsy, a beauty startup. It’s a crazy, exciting, challenging experience and everyday is an adventure.

MG: ipsy is pretty baller, right?!

LV: Dude, ipsy is baller as f**k. And by baller I mean it’s slaying the competition. We’re growing like crazy and are at three million subscribers with a wait list so long that we’ve been brainstorming how to get more people that Glam Bag faster. It’s only five years old and it stepped into beauty right when a lot of change was happening.

MG: I just read something about the Battle of The Beauty Bags: PLAY! By Sephora vs. Ipsy Glam Bag. Which bag is better, PLAY! or ipsy Glam? If you were to create your own bag with your favorite products what would it contain?

LV: My personal Glam Bag would have CoverGirl lipstick in Hot, DHC’s liquid eyeliner, a travel sized Dolce fragrance, a square of chocolate that makes you never get wrinkles and also gives you the power to make everyone around you happy, and a lifetime pass to borrow anything I want to wear from Barney’s. (What? You didn’t say it had to be realistic.)

MG: Are there Barney’s in San Francisco? Personally, I just want every pair of Louis Vuitton shoes in my baller ipsy bag. Is that offered?

LV: I think there’s Barney’s in San Francisco, but Google can confirm.

MG: Tell me, what would be in Marilyn Monroe’s bag?

LV: Marilyn’s fave products were: Vaseline for moitsturizer, like 30 shades of lipstick that she used to get the perfect red, Erno Laszlo skincare (she was friends with Dr. Laszlo and he created products just for her), and Piper Heidseick champagne–which she drank morning, noon, and night.

MG: Would Marilyn subscribe? How do you get so many people to subscribe?

LV: Two things that make ipsy magical: 1) we work with influencers instead of advertising, so that’s how people learn about it and try it. 2) we have an amazing algorithm that customized the products you get. Every time you get a bag, you review how well it matched your  preferences, and the algorithm gets stronger. What’re you doing these days?!

MG: What am I doing? The normal – creating ads, winning awards, wearing fancy shoes at red carpet events like the Oscars and Golden Globes, and of course my lifelong quasi pursuit of Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Lawrence.

LV: I would LOVE to wear fancy shoes to the Oscars! How does one become an Oscar invitee?! Sounds like a dream life.

The Media Guy with the other crocs in the photographers pit.

MG: Oscars? I am so lucking to be on the red carpet (I even found a picture…). I was grandfathered in so to say from my work with Fox and ALO. I keep getting an invitation to shoot the the stars, but I don’t get to rub elbows with Jennifer, or George, or Penelope just yet. I did sneak across this year and take a selfie in front of the step and repeat. I hear you are running marathons…is that the key to good living? Can you run in winter in New York City?

LV: So yes, ipsy is built on the influencer movement. Our influencers share ipsy-related content to their highly engaged audiences and it spreads the word super fast. Influencers usually get paid for their work plus free stuff.

MG: What would you recommend for my daughter’s ipsy bag? She’s 20.

LV: I can’t believe your daughter is 20! She grew up so fast!! I don’t know what would go in her bag–she’d have to take our personalization quiz!

MG: How do you get one of those fancy blue checkmarks on your social media channels?

LV: I have no idea how to get the blue checks. I had a radio show years ago [for Cosmo] and I think the peeps at Cosmo set it up for me, because we had callers chat with through Twittter a lot. But I don’t have them anywhere else! I’d like to get one on Insta[gram] because they shut me down a lot saying that I’m a fake account and I think a check would help a sister out.

MG: You’re married recently. I see Artie and you happy and hanging out coast to coast. What his advice to the men out there with a kick-ass independent woman to keep her moving in the right direction?

LV: He usually says something like, “I guess try to be supportive and encouraging. Stay out of her way and make sure she stays out of her own way.”

MG: Tell me one thing about ipsy that maybe no one else knows.

LV: One thing about ipsy that maybe no one knows: our main office in San Mateo has something called “Lunch Roulette” where random staffers from diff teams are randomly selected to have lunch together at restaurants in town. Random but cool.

MG: Can you explain the Marilyn Monroe thing?

LV: What do you MEAN the thing with Marilyn?! She’s timeless! Iconic! I think what I love most about her is how flawed she was. And her story is kind of a Cinderella story with a tragic ending. She might be one of the most recognized images ever.

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