Straight Outta Encino

I’m definitely NOT in Compton getting ready for the premiere of the N.W.A. bio pic Straight Outta Compton. (Although I did some of my early years living there with my dad in our Trek of Diversity that lasted until my mid-teens. But that is, of course, a story for another day.) I’m hoping to do another #TBT this coming week and catch the movie with my main bro Josh who has a strange fascination with the flick.

The dog days of summer marked the time where the ad world crawls to a much slower turtle pace. We cash in our favors using those promises of corporate timeshares and free airline miles to get our tourism on and plan the next campaign in some Croatian villa. spend It’s midsummer, when much of the media and marketing world slows way down. But, then something special happens every now and again.

Take the marketing machine that is Beats by Dre. I’ve worked for a headphone company who was deathy afraid of taking chances on marketing and advertising. The result? No net gain in the last five years worth of sales. This is a product far superior when compared to Beats. But a mediocre product hasn’t stopped Beats from dominating the market and making a billionaire out of Dr. Dre (he, being the co-founder Beats Electronics and a key member of N.W.A).

The company saw a rare opportunity with opening of Straight Outta Compton and created an incredible social buzz with the brilliant a meme generator that’s turned social media on its ear. The generator takes a picture you supply, turns it to black and white and lets you adorn it with huge copy across it: “Straight Outta [insert hometown].” Nearly 200,000 Instagram pictures—some sincere and many comedic—have been posted prior to the release the hashtag #straightoutta.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FUTURE EX-WIFE

Before I forget…happy birthday to the woman I have photographed on the red carpet countless times and jokingly (?) told the world will be my future ex-wife: Jennifer Lawrence.

Time Magazine summed up my faux obsession perfectly, “Oh, Jennifer Lawrence. You’re the girl we can all imagine being best friends with, and you also happen to be a wildly famous Oscar-winning actress.”

Read their take on The 25 Most Jennifer Lawrence Things Jennifer Lawrence Has Ever Done.

THREE STORIES NOT TO MISS

3. The Inside Story on Why Burger King Sells Red Burgers in Japan
What Better Way to Get Some Brand Attention on a Tight Budget?

2. CBS Is Commanding a Record $5 Million for 30-Second Super Bowl Ads Up 11% from last year’s game
The cost of advertising during the Super Bowl continues to rise, setting CBS up for a record haul for next February’s big game.

1. Get Ready for the Latest Craft Brew, and Your New Breakfast of Champions: Wheaties Beer
The Breakfast of Champions is getting its buzz on. Wheaties, usually known for its marketing around sports stars, has partnered with a craft brewer to sell a beer called HefeWheaties.

AD OF THE WEEK/MONTH/WHATEVER

ARE YOU RIDIN’ WITH BIDEN?

The presidential election doesn’t take place until late 2016, but things are already mighty strange. On sale at some of candidates’ campaign stores are red Trump party cups for sale, Grillary Clinton aprons and Rand Paul 3-foot birthday cards. My fundraising oddity can be found on the  Draft Biden 2016 website:

“Draft Biden 2016 excited to announce our new bumper stickers, designed by volunteer David Colman. These are 4″ by 6″ oval full color with an EZ peel back and are union printed. Show your support for the VP! $5.00”

The apocalypse is definitely upon us!