Dove tries to clean up with anti-scum approach
— -- "Soap scum" is more often discussed in ads for bathroom cleaners — not body cleaners. Print, online and TV ads for Dove's "beauty bar" aim to make folks feel uneasy about supposed residue some soaps leave on the body.
In one commercial, two women lather up and rinse. A special light then reveals that the Dove user rinsed clean, while the other soap left "scum" all over its user. Dove acknowledges it took liberties with the image, adding the disclaimer "artistic dramatization."
Dove also paid for a recent skit on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Band member LaBamba appears in a towel with a gross white film all over his body.
Stomach distress
Folks in the restaurant industry had better tighten their belts: Four of 10 consumers are eating out less often than they did six months ago, according to a study by consultancy Booz & Co. Nearly as many say they're opting for cheaper eateries when they do dine out.
On top of those troubles: A majority say they'll cut out-of-home dining back more if the economy continues to tank.
There was one morsel of hope for restaurateurs in the survey of nearly 1,000 adults: A majority say eating out would be the first area in which they'd increase discretionary spending when the economy turns up.
Stock market bubbles
Sure, the restaurant industry results look as bleak as the Ad Team's 401(k), but Chicago eatery Pops for Champagne is keeping optimism alive with its latest promotion. Every weekday through the end of the year, it will knock a penny off every patron's check for every point that the Dow Jones industrial average rises that day. It's another reason to cheer if the Dow goes up 100 points: a buck off the check.
The folks at Pops were kind enough to send us this toast: "Here's to Champagne, the drink divine, that makes us forget all our troubles. It's made of a dollar's worth of wine, and three dollars worth of bubbles."
Head-on coffee clash
It brings to mind the old Pepsi challenge: Dunkin' Donuts takes on coffee king Starbucks in a head-to-head blind taste test (476 adults drinking each brand's house blend black). The Dunkin' brew was preferred by 54.2% vs. 39.3% for Starbucks; 6% didn't care. Dunkin is crowing in TV and print ads and at DunkinBeatStarbucks.com, where users can send e-cards with sayings such as "Friends don't let Friends drink Starbucks."
Color it cheap
Crayola is highlighting its image this holiday with a double-edged marketing theme: nostalgia-on-the-cheap. With the consumer world focused on value, Crayola will remind folks that its famous Crayola 64 Box is turning 50 this year — and also costs about $5.99 or less. Some other vital facts about the 64 Box:
•It made its debut in 1958 on the Captain Kangaroo Show.
•The original box of 64 crayons sold for $1.
•More than 200 million 64 Boxes have sold in its half-century.
•The most popular hue, according to Crayola's color "census," is plain "blue."
•Has there been a preschooler on the planet who hasn't stuck a pinkie into the "free" built-in sharpener?
Pepped up for 'Chinese Democracy'
In March, Dr Pepper made a promise many thought they'd never have to make good on: a free can of soft drink to every American if Guns N' Roses released its long-awaited Chinese Democracy album in 2008.
Looks like they'll have to pony up the goods: The album, nearly two decades in the making, is due to go on sale (exclusively at Best Buy) on Nov. 23.
Dr Pepper spokesman Greg Artkop insists there was no formal co-promotion — that Dr Pepper made its pledge independently and without prior knowledge. He calls the numerology of the "23 flavors of Dr Pepper" and the Nov. 23 release date "pure coincidence."
Pepper fans have 24 hours beginning at 12:01 a.m. ET on Nov. 23 to sign up at DrPepper.com for a coupon, which was upgraded to a free 20-ounce bottle.
Sports heroes, rock wannabes
Activision brought in a quirky quartet of sports heroes to promote Sunday's release of Guitar Hero World Tour, a new version of the video game hit. A TV ad shows NBA star Kobe Bryant, skateboarder Tony Hawk, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and slugger Alex Rodriguez dancing to Old Time Rock and Roll in a living room, Risky Business-style (yes, in button-down shirts, underpants and white socks, à la Tom Cruise).
The ad, directed by filmmaker Brett Ratner, shows the athletes fantasy rocking with Guitar Hero's microphone, guitar and drum game controllers.
Ratner says the ad shows how the game brings people together. "This is a situation where you'd never (normally) see these four guys in a room together," says Ratner, who also directed an earlier Risky Business-themed Guitar Hero TV commercial, as well more famous fare, such as X Men: The Last Stand and TV's Prison Break. "Once you get a guitar and your favorite song on that game, it breaks down all barriers."
His on-set direction to each athlete: "Rock out."