According to recent articles, companies are enjoying great marketing success using characters combined with social media. Flo, The GEICO Gecko, and Mayhem are all examples. This could be just what the internet ordered for some companies and enterprises that have been in the news. Creating a fun character can have multiple benefits. Not only could it help to rehabilitate a tarnished corporate (or personal) image, but the licensing rights could be sold or given away in additional marketing campaigns. Definitely a potential win-win situation. Here are some examples:
Wall Street in general (Morgan Stanley, Goldman, etc): Bili - Bili is short for billionaire, which is what Bili is. He's a rotund animated character, who collects money from dollar farms to feed to his always hungry Tradersauras that threatens to swallow the world if he's not fed.
Bank of America: Bofa - He's a lovable robot with a face like an ATM, and two slot machine style "arms" with a vacuum on wheels for the lower portion. Bofa loves to suck up money in all forms, whether it's singles fed into his grinning 'mouth' below the monitor, or just sucking up entire banks with the heavy duty vacuum. In exchange for money, Bofa spits out points, which can't be used for anything but occasionally come with little gold stars.
Rush Limbaugh: Stogie - Rush Limbaugh's animated cigar, which is always clenched in his jaws. Stogie only knows hackneyed jokes, usually involving a big chested blonde, and fart noises, but that's really all his adoring fans really want anyway.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Cabbies Fear Finance District
In an effort to avoid future cab related mishaps with finance executives, some cabbies have been urged to avoid picking up anyone looking as though they work with, or frequent a financial institution. “It was suggested that if we see a pudgy balding white man, in a well fitting suit with a briefcase in his hand after dark, we should turn off our fare light and pass them by for our own safety,” said a cabbie who requested anonymity, due to fear of reprisals from angry executives.
It’s long been known that drivers will pick and choose who to pick up, particularly as darkness falls over the city, but this is the first time that middle aged white males have found themselves on the top of that list. “It gets really bad around the holidays, when they get so drunk that they forget which of their homes they want you to take them to,” said one veteran driver. “You can wind up in the Hamptons before they realize that they’re not staying there that weekend.”
Cab company owners vehemently deny any changes to their policies. “We are absolutely not telling our drivers to avoid the financial district, but we have always urged them to consider their own safety before picking up any fares, particularly in that area.”
Black car and limo drivers have little sympathy for their brethren cab drivers. “They always say that we have it good because our fares are executives, but they don’t realize how harrowing it can be. A lot of their homes have electronic gates and I'm always fearful that they'll close, trapping me in their circular driveways until the gardeners show up the next morning.”
Although there’s been no official word from the targeted institutions, rumors abound that they’ve taken steps to minimize the impact, going so far as to suggest that administrative assistants and newly hired interns act as escorts, walking the executives to nearby subway stations. “The challenge was getting them to understand that the trains won’t wait for them, but if we can get over that hump, I think there’s a chance that it may work,” said one young intern. Others are dubious that the idea of public transportation will have any impact. “Once they realize that there’s no first class on the A train, I just don’t see it happening,” said a long time executive admin. “Maybe they’d do it once, on a lark, but as a routine, I doubt it.”
It’s long been known that drivers will pick and choose who to pick up, particularly as darkness falls over the city, but this is the first time that middle aged white males have found themselves on the top of that list. “It gets really bad around the holidays, when they get so drunk that they forget which of their homes they want you to take them to,” said one veteran driver. “You can wind up in the Hamptons before they realize that they’re not staying there that weekend.”
Cab company owners vehemently deny any changes to their policies. “We are absolutely not telling our drivers to avoid the financial district, but we have always urged them to consider their own safety before picking up any fares, particularly in that area.”
Black car and limo drivers have little sympathy for their brethren cab drivers. “They always say that we have it good because our fares are executives, but they don’t realize how harrowing it can be. A lot of their homes have electronic gates and I'm always fearful that they'll close, trapping me in their circular driveways until the gardeners show up the next morning.”
Although there’s been no official word from the targeted institutions, rumors abound that they’ve taken steps to minimize the impact, going so far as to suggest that administrative assistants and newly hired interns act as escorts, walking the executives to nearby subway stations. “The challenge was getting them to understand that the trains won’t wait for them, but if we can get over that hump, I think there’s a chance that it may work,” said one young intern. Others are dubious that the idea of public transportation will have any impact. “Once they realize that there’s no first class on the A train, I just don’t see it happening,” said a long time executive admin. “Maybe they’d do it once, on a lark, but as a routine, I doubt it.”
'Muppets' Are No Muppets
I take issue with the backlash against the alleged “Muppet” characterization by Goldman Managing Directors.
Clearly the individuals who are up in arms about this terminology have little to no knowledge of the Muppets and have completely misinterpreted the term.
The Muppets have a long history of sophisticated and suave business dealings, beginning from their early days back in the hood. When they started, they were little more than fancy sock puppets, babysitting toddlers so their mothers could pop prescription “happy pills” and feverishly houseclean. Utilizing the little known public broadcasting sector as their spring board, they managed to parlay their neighborhood day care to a billion dollar business, quickly surpassing their sweater loving neighbor, his ties to royalty notwithstanding. Today they lead an opulent, lavish lifestyle, while passing themselves off as average hand puppets of middle class means. Even individually, they have proven themselves capable of wily business moves.
Miss Piggy has managed to not only achieve ‘diva’ status, but was able to do so without succumbing to the Hollywood pressure to shed her excess weight.
Kermit has overcome prejudice against his color, in order to lead the group using an understated manner, although rumors abound regarding some of his heavy handed tactics and his roving eye. Much has been made of his supposed “kiss me and I’ll become a prince” line that he’s used on a number of starlets (with greater success than you would think).
Big Bird, once considered a bit of a ‘freak’ in society, hit it big with the infant to toddler set, garnering a dominating share of the infant toy, clothing and crib accessory markets. Rumors are that he would like to branch out into the post toddler market, taking on market leaders Dinosaurs and big trucks. Analysts are split as to whether he can pull it off.
Elmo, the newest prodigy of the group of entrepreneurs has proven to be a huge mover and shaker, gyrating his way into the toddler market that Big Bird enjoys, but expanding to a new group of single ladies, in what one insider described as “a pornographic pleasure trove of riches.” It’s whispered that many women who purchase the battery operated vibrating Elmo toy apparently are keeping it for their own private use.
Collectively they continue to produce blockbuster after blockbuster, wooing subsequent generations who become lifelong fans, eager to indoctrinate their own offspring.
Clearly the individuals who are up in arms about this terminology have little to no knowledge of the Muppets and have completely misinterpreted the term.
The Muppets have a long history of sophisticated and suave business dealings, beginning from their early days back in the hood. When they started, they were little more than fancy sock puppets, babysitting toddlers so their mothers could pop prescription “happy pills” and feverishly houseclean. Utilizing the little known public broadcasting sector as their spring board, they managed to parlay their neighborhood day care to a billion dollar business, quickly surpassing their sweater loving neighbor, his ties to royalty notwithstanding. Today they lead an opulent, lavish lifestyle, while passing themselves off as average hand puppets of middle class means. Even individually, they have proven themselves capable of wily business moves.
Miss Piggy has managed to not only achieve ‘diva’ status, but was able to do so without succumbing to the Hollywood pressure to shed her excess weight.
Kermit has overcome prejudice against his color, in order to lead the group using an understated manner, although rumors abound regarding some of his heavy handed tactics and his roving eye. Much has been made of his supposed “kiss me and I’ll become a prince” line that he’s used on a number of starlets (with greater success than you would think).
Big Bird, once considered a bit of a ‘freak’ in society, hit it big with the infant to toddler set, garnering a dominating share of the infant toy, clothing and crib accessory markets. Rumors are that he would like to branch out into the post toddler market, taking on market leaders Dinosaurs and big trucks. Analysts are split as to whether he can pull it off.
Elmo, the newest prodigy of the group of entrepreneurs has proven to be a huge mover and shaker, gyrating his way into the toddler market that Big Bird enjoys, but expanding to a new group of single ladies, in what one insider described as “a pornographic pleasure trove of riches.” It’s whispered that many women who purchase the battery operated vibrating Elmo toy apparently are keeping it for their own private use.
Collectively they continue to produce blockbuster after blockbuster, wooing subsequent generations who become lifelong fans, eager to indoctrinate their own offspring.
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