El Gaffney

Are Athletes Not Enough for Gatorade?

I’m honestly not trying to drink the Hate-orade (I know too easy), but I really don’t understand this move. Why would Gatorade do this campaign? What was its objective? To gain urban credibility? To launch a new bottle with the Big “G”? Why does Pepsi Company just seem to think think a refresh is in order across the board? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for experimentation on the design and advertising tip. But I just don’t see this one at all. And that’s even as a big fan of the JabbaWockeeZ (big enough at least not to have to look it up to spell it) and spoken word poetry (on Saturday nights past you couldn’t find me at the club, you could find me watching Def Poetry Jam on HBO on my couch…I wasn’t a grouch/ I was awaiting De La Hoya / Because even though I’m an Irish Jew I look Latino / Ja Rule baby!). I put it out to Twitter and got pretty much all negativos:

Here’s the pillar spot, which incorporates athletes at least (and comments are split 50/50)…

And three others.

Tags: Add new tag, brands, celebs, gatorade

SNL Digital Short…

Or quick. (You’ll get it when you watch the clip below. You may not find it funny. But you’ll get it.)

This video makes me want to start the Inbox of Immaturity back up again. Last night’s SNL was solid on the whole with John Malkovich as host. The Huffington Post has a handful of the best stuff, but this is the one that people will no doubt be looking for on a Lazy Sunday. (See what I did there.) It’s unfortunate that the title of this short is visible because part of its hilariousness is in the shock value. However, I won’t spoil any more surprises like cameos. Oh, just watch already:

Also, I know the sponsor of SNL’s videos change, but I have to mention when I grabbed this one’s embed code of this “Extra Fruit Sensations” gum. Amazing.

Tags: digital short, snl, viral

B-fore You Go to B-School, Consider This

Here’s an interesting idea that seemed worth a post rather than just a delicious bookmark. Seth Godin is offering an alternative to Business School – spend 6 months in his office. It’s an “apprenticeship/not-internship/graduate school/charm school track-changing opportunity.” Yes, apprenticeship slash grad school…and not the other way around. And yes, that Zoolander reference probably wouldn’t fly in an application to his program or any of the prestigious universities from which he may steal talent. More probable than getting the MBA-seeking to reconsider, he’s created something motivating for the entrepreneurial path-changer. The idea is great, the timing is even better, and the price is best—it’s free. If I hadn’t found something real and if I wasn’t so into keeping it real here at W+K NY, I’d definitely give it some serious consideration.

UPDATE: My buddy, who is likely headed to a top ranked business school next Fall, passed on this site to get prospective B-schoolers take on Other Seth’s offer. Also, note to planners, the Business Week Business School forums are usually filled with great opinions, emotion, and insight. Last note, my friend did not want a “shout-out” on the blog because he’s “trying to stay as much under the radar online as possible until this whole silly business school process is over…interviews and such.” Now there’s a new, FREE perspective for us bloggers.

Tags: ideas, mba, school, seth godin

The Fast and The Fleeting?

As Sean recently pointed out, I’ve been becoming more attracted to fast. Specifically, I’m interested in how people (and organizations made up of motivated and empowered people) are using speed to shape culture, build brands, and grow businesses. It started quite a while ago but thanks to a recent string of personal/professional experiences such as ESPN’s Olympics ad and Obama Baton, it’s right in the middle of my radar.

So you won’t be surprised that after last week’s historic election, I found two examples of crazy quick turnarounds particularly sweet.

First, after returning from hologram world (CNN’s set), will.i.am released this video the day after the election:

Second, the guys and gals over at South Park were completely topical with this episode, which aired less than a week after the election. From the article:

…their production team redefined the concept of timely scripted television entertainment. Talk about a turnaround! Even if Parker and Stone produced much of it in advance, the episode didn’t just acknowledge President-elect Barack Obama’s momentous win – it included specific references to Election Night, among them Obama’s destined to be historic acceptance speech.

Now the questions are around the effectiveness of producing and launching these fast-to-market (-media) content. For example, many are wondering: How fast will it be forgotten?

Tags: obama, southpark, will.i.am

Obama Baton Dot Com

Big news in the life of our idea: The Obama Baton site is live.

Clay + Kevin + the rest of the Hustlewood team have been working their butts off, Giorgio (can’t resist the Zoolander reference) and have managed to get a site up and running (can’t resist the pun) in less than ten days. We’re still revising it and will likely continue to do so over the next week (if not more) as we learn what’s working and discover opportunities to enhance the experience. What that means is making the idea and call to action more clear and compelling, the blog portion more interesting and useful, and the pieces (Twitter, Flickr, Facebook NYC & CHI, etc.) work more seamlessly and effectively together.

As I said in my last post, we’re trying to be as transparent and inclusive in building this idea (and we hope, movement) as possible. We’re using our blogs and now the blog on obamabaton.com to do so. (Please comment over there with any Obama Baton-specific thoughts you have.) And we’re learning quite a bit along the way. But we’ve still got a long way to go—a couple of marathons at least—before Barack wins on November 4th. So please visit the site, show your support, and Pass It On.

Tags: obama, obamabaton, running, web2.0