It does a good job of marketing the historical moment Johnson is chasing as he tries to break Anderson Silva’s record, while also giving a background introduction to Borg for the fans who may not know him as much.
Borg is a huge underdog to the current top pound-for-pound fighter, and is standing at +867 by the oddsmakers. They try to hype up Borg’s chances by saying he’s under the top strategists at JacksonWink. While it is indeed one of the best camps in the world, it wouldn’t be really be a new thing as Johnson has already won twice against that team in the past.
The BMW E30 3 Series might not need commercials today as everyone knows everything about the iconic model but that wasn’t always the case. Back in the 1980s when it initially came out, the new Bimmer needed a proper marketing campaign to make it visible for potential customers. Since these are the 80s we’re talking about, the commercials that were brought to life and aired on TV definitely seem to have been put together by the same team that shot Miami Vice.
All the action footage, the music in the background and the fashion shown in the 6-minute video posted below definitely gave us an 80s feeling, the only thing missing being a neon-lid sign and maybe some footage from inside a club, to check out those crazy dance moves everyone seemed to do. Apparently, the footage you’re about to watch was aired throughout 1986 and it includes all types of BMW E30 3 Series models, from sedans to convertibles and even the legendary BMW E30 M3.
Furthermore, we also get to watch one of the first all-wheel drive cars BMW ever made in action on some snowy mountain slopes, the BMW E30 325iX. It used a Viscous coupling in the center and rear differentials. The transfer case had a 37:63 (front-back) torque split due to the planetary gear. When one axle spins quicker than the other, the shear force of the silicone fluid increases as the VC slips. This would instantly transfer up to 80% of the available torque to the gripping axle, meaning you could get out of some rather tricky situations without any electronic nannies.
In the end though, not every single shot in this video was done to showcase a feature of the car and some were just done to present the beautiful design the Bimmer had in the first place. In doing so, we’re all reminded of what passed as beautiful back in the 80s and some of us might just get a terrible case of nostalgia. You have been warned!
Games publisher Square Enix is rolling out an ad campaign promoting the latest game in its critically-acclaimed Life is Strange series – and it is hoping to make viewers cry.
The three-minute trailer called ‘An Open Letter’ was created to elicit an emotional response in viewers around the concept of friendship, seeing members of the public discuss candidly what is so special about those closest to them.
Discussing the evocative campaign, Jon Brooke, vice president for brand marketing at Square Enix, said: « I wanted to capture the emotion and spirit of Life is Strange in a way that you don’t usually see in video game advertising. As a game, it braves to be different, harnessing emotions rarely seen in video games and I wanted the advertising to match this.
“I am really pleased with how it turned out. It’s designed to remind us that life is all about our relationships and a strong friendship can change everything. I hope everyone can relate to that.”
The campaign was developed by creative agency, Ralph, which sourced best friends and dug out their most compelling stories.
Ralph’s creative director Gregor Stevenson, added: “We took a risk with this strategy and we wouldn’t have achieved the emotion within the video had we not chosen some extraordinary people willing to open their hearts on camera.
“The raw intensity of their reactions as they read their best friends’ innermost thoughts is what we wanted to capture from the start. And that’s what we got. Our goal was to portray each friendship in an engaging and empathetic way, whilst reflecting the authenticity and uniqueness of the characters in the game.”
Marketing and Media Relations, Low Pressure Studio and Freelance Videographer
It seems ‘industry veteran’ is the defacto term used to reference the subject of any press release regarding a Boardworld shake-up or hire. Ryan Scardigli might be the only person under the age of 30 that is, perhaps, worthy of this cliché descriptor. Diggles, as he’s more often referred to, grew up in Tahoe before it dried up for a bit. Pointing his camera at the region’s up-and-comers during that period parlayed into a marketing role with Bataleon. Now residing in Amsterdam, where Bataleon, Switchback, and Lobster are headquartered, Diggles has had his hand in more projects than many ‘vets’ ten years his senior, from his day-to-day with the aforementioned brands to his behind-the-scenes roles with just about every Helgasons-affiliated project. The man is an international move and shaker.
—Taylor Boyd
Capturing the action. PHOTO: Cyril Muller
What does your current position in the snowboarding industry entail? Describe a typical day on the job.
I handle marketing and media relations at Low Pressure Studio, which is the parent company behind Bataleon, Lobster and Switchback, but I also freelance as a videographer and get the opportunity to shoot on different projects each season. It’s a great balance and keeps me in the snow most of the year which is awesome. When I’m in the office I work on marketing campaigns, produce content, schedule social media and maintain our relationships with all the snowboard media. I have to keep up on those tasks in season as well, but I do it mostly from the road. I’m really thankful that LPS gives me that freedom to travel and shoot.
Where are you from and where do you currently call home?
I grew up in Tahoe City, California and currently live in Amsterdam. I was offered a video position at Method Mag in Barcelona back in 2011 and haven’t looked back. Living in Europe has been amazing and I can’t picture what my life would be like if I hadn’t taken that opportunity.
How did you start snowboarding?
I was lucky enough to grow up in Tahoe surrounded by mountains. I was around 10 the first time I went snowboarding, but I actually grew up ski racing at Squaw Valley and didn’t fully switch to snowboarding until the end of high school. I had already begun filming with some of my sponsored snowboard buddies and realized how much cooler snowboarding was and made the switch.
Diggles can bust a move. PHOTO: Sani Alibabic
At what point did you realize that you wanted to work in the snowboard industry?
Growing up, all I ever asked my parents for Christmas was snowboard and ski videos. I can remember getting TB6 Carpe Diem when I was 9 and watching it over and over. In high school I would enter these little film festivals and loved photography class. There’s so much history in Tahoe with Fall Line Films, Standard Films and countless pros coming from there so it always seemed within reach.
And how did you make that happen?
After high school I moved to Salt Lake City to attend the University of Utah but didn’t even finish the first semester. I wound up back in Tahoe working at a shop tuning skis and snowboards and felt pretty defeated. I worked at different shops and for my friend Chapin’s event company as a karaoke and wedding DJ, haha. Eric Messier and I got a place together in 2008 and I started filming with him and making little edits. I was able to contribute a lot of his footage to the first Videograss movie, which was rad. Eric introduced me to Corey Smith and I had the opportunity to work on three projects with COMUNE, including the first ‘Spring Break’ video that Kevin Castanheira directed. I was introduced to Thomaz Autran Garcia (TAG) at Method Mag after that and moved to Barcelona in the fall of 2011. It was an amazing time in my life and I met a lot of the people I work with now during that season. The next season I moved to Munich, Germany and began working freelance. I had met Kevin Backstrom and Tor Lundstrom the previous year and we wanted to work together. We came up with BYNDxMDLS together, which I produced with them for three years. I did my first job for Bataleon in 2012, shooting with their team at Superpark 16. A few years later they were looking for someone to take over their social media who was also a content producer. I did BYNDxMDLS and LPS social for a season and then transitioned into a more regular role with LPS and Bataleon. Looking back on it, there were a lot of steps involved, but everything happened very naturally and I’m stoked on the team and LPS and I love working with them.
Who did you look up to in the industry for inspiration?
I always looked up to the content producers and riders who I thought had their own style. Guys like Jake Price, Joe Carlino, Olav Stubberud, Cyril Müller, Eric Messier, Halldór Helgason. There are so many people who inspired me, but that’s how the industry is. It’s full of creative people out there doing what they love.
Squad deep! PHOTO: Viktor Hjartarson
What do you feel has been your biggest impact in your line of work?
Making this list, hahahaha. I’m really proud of what we did with BYNDxMDLS and where Kevin and Tor have taken it since, and I was so happy to get back out with them again this past season shooting for the upcoming TransWorld movie Arcadia. No matter where I end up, I will always think back on BYNDxMDLS and everything I learned from it. A lot goes into producing and I think we created something special.
What do you want to accomplish that you haven’t yet?
I’m pretty happy with where I am in the industry. I just want to continue growing and creating more unique content and working with people I enjoy spending time with. This is a unique community we are part of I think it’s important to make the most of it while we can.
Anyone you’d like to thank?
First and foremost, I’d like to thank my parents for supporting me and allowing me to follow my dreams. They always had my back and it paid off. I want to thank Eric Messier for helping me get my start and Corey Smith for giving me an opportunity when I hadn’t done much to prove myself. All the guys at Method Mag: TAG, Chriso, and Alexis for helping me get established in Europe. Everyone at LPS: L’Arrogs, Danny, Dennis, Rubby, Ronald, Mel, Britt, Tine, Bernie, and Khadija for being great colleagues and pushing me to do better work. Kevin and Tor for everything, Halldór and Eiki for being badasses, Adam Dayson for all his guidance, Johannes Brenning, Cyril Muller, the Lobster Six Pack, the Bataleon team, Stan, Gray, Fletch, Sani, Weaver, Henry, Goodwin, any riders I’ve ever shot with and so many others I can’t think of right now. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.
But with streaming on the rise, sales of CDs and downloads — the most lucrative formats — are plunging fast. So far in 2017, the market for single-track downloads is down almost half of what it was three years ago. The question lingering over the industry is whether Ms. Swift can match her last sales number, and how.
“For the right artist, there is gigantic demand out there,” said David Bakula, a senior analyst at Nielsen. “But in order to reach that same level of success, there are different levers today to push and pull than there were the last time.”
For Ms. Swift, those levers this time around will include partnerships with UPS, whose trucks will be decorated with her face, and Target, which will carry special editions of the album featuring print magazines containing, among other things, Ms. Swift’s poetry and artwork. (Target was also a major outlet for “1989” and Adele’s “25.”)
On Sunday, Ms. Swift released another new song, “… Ready for It?,” after first offering a preview during ESPN’s broadcast of the Alabama-Florida State college football game on Saturday night.
What has gotten the most attention, positive and negative, is Ms. Swift’s use of Verified Fan, a Ticketmaster system intended to identify dedicated fans and weed out bots and scalpers from high-demand ticket offerings.
Last week, Bruce Springsteen used it on the first day of sales for his Broadway run, and even with plenty of frustrated tweets from unlucky fans, the results suggested a far less chaotic process than what has become the norm in a market plagued by online interference.
Photo
Her new album, “Reputation,’’ is due Nov. 10. Credit
Big Machine, via Associated Press
Ms. Swift is using Verified Fan for a new tour, but Ticketmaster also customized the system for her, tying music and merchandise sales to ticket access. The more goods fans purchase — and the more free “boost activities” they engage in, like watching videos and posting messages online — the further those fans will advance in a digital line for tickets.
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Some commentators accused Ms. Swift of exploiting her fans’ loyalty to sell more goods, prompting her organization to defend the program as one that defeats scalpers by recognizing “things her fans are already doing.”
“If these same tickets were offered on the open market, scalpers would snatch them up and fans would be paying thousands of dollars for them,” a representative for Ms. Swift said in a statement. “This is a program that rewards fans for being fans and makes sure they get great tickets at face value.”
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Whether other artists can learn anything from this, however, is another question. The pop world is split between superstars who write their own rules — like Ms. Swift, Beyoncé and Drake — and everybody else. The comparison extends to their fans: Only a handful of stars can command the kind of loyalty that makes their fans go to such lengths, said George Howard, an associate professor of music business and management at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
“Other artists will assume that they will be able to adapt or clone this approach to similar effect,” Professor Howard said. “It won’t happen. A large part of what Taylor Swift is able to do relies on her being Taylor Swift — she can do what others cannot.”
It may take years for the music market to evolve to the point where novel techniques like Ms. Swift’s use of Verified Fan could be used by non-superstar artists, said Professor Howard, who pointed to Radiohead’s pay-what-you-wish experiment for its 2007 album “In Rainbows.” That plan was debated for years but is now common on indie-music sites like Bandcamp.
Photo
Adele accepting a Grammy award with Greg Kurstin in February. Along with Ms. Swift, her albums become pop culture phenomenons. Credit
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Naras
Another question is whether Ms. Swift’s new album will be available on Spotify. Three years ago, she publicly feuded with the company, apparently over its policy of making all music available even to nonpaying users; she pulled music from the platform and did not reinstate it until June.
She has given no indications of her plans for “Reputation.” But Universal Music, the company that distributes the music on her label, Big Machine, renegotiated its licensing deal with Spotify this year; the arrangement gives Universal the right to restrict new music to Spotify’s paid tier for two weeks, a plan that might well appeal to Ms. Swift.
Adele withheld “25” from streaming services for seven months, and in its first week it sold 3.38 million copies in the United States, the largest opening for any album since Nielsen began tracking sales information in 1991.
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“Look What You Made Me Do,” which has a darker sound and approach — and makes surprising and perhaps puzzling use of Right Said Fred’s 1991 novelty hit “I’m Too Sexy” — has received a mixed response from critics. But within 24 hours, it had 10.1 million streams around the world on Spotify, a record, and it was immediately put into heavy rotation on pop radio.
This early in the campaign, most music analysts were loath to make sales predictions for “Reputation,” and it is not expected to match the staggering sales numbers for “25.” But several said they did not doubt her ability to match the opening-week sales of “1989.”
It remains to be seen whether the marketing rollout for “Reputation” can create a frenzy of demand that maximizes album sales amid the larger tilt toward streaming. But in her ability to simply seize the attention of the culture, and of the industry at large, Ms. Swift has already succeeded.
“Whether you like the song or not,” said Lenny Beer, the editor of Hits, an industry news and gossip publication, “you know the song is there. Everybody is talking about her.”
Video marketing is no longer an option. It’s a necessity. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
When I wrote about the value of using video in marketing back in 2015, little did I know I’d look back on that post as the seeds of something that’s snowballed into something much bigger.
At the time, I referenced stats that led me to pose a simple question: Why wouldn’t a company dive into the video marketing world? When nearly 90% of website visitors will hang out longer on sites with video than on those without, it was a prescient inquiry.
Fast-forward to mid-2017, and I’ve realized the question isn’t “Why wouldn’t you? »; it’s “Why aren’t you?”
I can hear the knee-jerk replies: « Video is too complicated. » « It’s out of our budget. » « It’s not relevant to our market. »
With all due respect, such objections couldn’t be further from the truth, especially when you consider innovative new options for video ad production and strategizing.
Videos Are No Longer Optional
Did you know the teenager next door probably has a better handle on how to expertly utilize video than you do? She has a YouTube following. She’s an influencer among her peers. Clinks? Comments? She’s getting them like crazy.
With five one-minute films about Zadar featuring culture, gastronomy and adventure tourism, showing all its landmarks along with the famous Greeting to the Sun and promoting Maraschino as an authentic Zadar product, the Zadar Tourist Board embarked on a marketing video campaign « Feel Zadar », which aims to present a unique tourist offer of Zadar and extend the tourist season by the end of October, reports Tourist Board Zadar.
The use of film media is not a novelty in marketing campaigns, but what makes the Zadar videos special and particularly impressive is the atmospheric and poetical nature of the work which was done by director Andrea Buč and her amazing team. The videos were shot by Milan Latković and Duje Kundić, edited by Koraljka Maričić and produced by Mirta Mirt. Each of the short videos highlights the mood, sensation, ambience and the unique experience of Zadar, which is something quite different from the usual tourist promo videos.That’s why « Feel Zadar » was the right choice for the campaign title.
« The creative sensibility of director Andrea Buč perfectly matches the message and the ‘feel’ of Zadar we wanted to share with the audience. We did not want to make another ‘trendy’ tourist movie, but to create a recognizable and unique video which will reflect the exceptional potential of Zadar as a desirable year-round tourist destination. We wanted people to get the ‘feel’ of the city, » says director of Zadar Tourist Board Ante Rados about the project, which has been launched on Tuesday to win over Croatian, and afterwards European and world tourism market.
« The short films celebrate the impeccably clean sea (even by the city centre), rich cultural heritage, ecclesiastical tradition and history, museum spaces, sports facilities and natural beauties surrounding the city – and they are meant for everyone, especially for people who always want and search for more”, adds Rados.
Along with the film crew, the whole team of the Tourist Board Zadar worked on the « Feel Zadar » promotional campaign and videos. “If this sort of tourist promotion proves successful, we might continue to make another five to ten new promo videos. Very soon. Unlike some other types of promotions, it is easy to track and measure the performance and success of the campaign. If the campaign turns out to be a success, we plan to make more movies later in the fall.These videos featuring Zadar during autumn and spring time would make broader and more extensive promotions in the external markets at the beginning of next year, with the aim of extending the main tourist season, » says the PR of the Zadar Tourist Board, Ante Galić, adding that they are also preparing promotions of « Advent in Zadar » and « Tuna, Sushi Wine Festival 2018 », which will be held in February (2-11) next year.
First in Croatia, then in the UK, Germany and France
The first part of the campaign, the main goal of which is to present the city of Zadar in all its beauty and extend the main tourist season until late October, that is to further develop the potential of Zadar as the year-round destination, is based on the little known fact that local tourists make up 11 percent of overnight stays in Zadar. Therefore, in the initial three-week period, this campaign will be primarily be focused and intended for Croatians, with all the elements of the campaign: films, visuals, PR articles and a special website. » After analyzing the campaign, we will then turn to three key foreign markets where many of our low-cost flights come from, namely the UK, Germany and France, » says Director Rados.
Five movies – five messages
Each of the five films carry a different mood and present a different city experience, so there are different slogans that appear at the end of each one-minute video: “Once you taste it, you’ll love it », « The home of world’s best sunset », “Flaming Sunset:The experience you will never regret », « Takes your fun seriously » and « Go where the winners go ».
The “Will Grace” revival is due in less than a month, but are we ever going to see some new footage? A couple of fresh jokes, maybe, to get their former audience excited? Actually, yes.
NBC released a first look at the classic sitcom’s new season this week, and while it’s mostly some of the same marketing material we’ve been seeing since the four got together for a post-Trump short, we do get a few new one-liners.
In one, Grace (Debra Messing) and Karen (Megan Mullally) are riding the train when Grace gets disturbed by the amount of jamming Karen seems to be doing on her headphones. When she asks what she’s listening to, Karen says wryly, “Fox News.”
In another, Grace and Will (Eric McCormack) are playing Heads Up! when Will tosses her the clue, “He’s a man who aged into a lesbian.” Grace shoots rapid-fired answers back at him until she finally nails it, saying, “Newt Gingrich.”
There’s still not a ton here, but what it does show is that “Will Grace” will be the same as it was when the show went off the air in 2006. No, seriously. The same. Literally.
“Will and Grace are living together, Jack’s across the hall, Karen’s still rich. We just get back to business,” McCormack says in a soundbite.
Will Grace returns Sept. 28 at 9 p.m. on NBC. Watch the sneak peek above.
‘Will Grace’ Revival to Actor Mixup: 7 Things We Learned at TCA and 7 Unsolved Mysteries (Photos)
We learned a lot over the last two-plus weeks at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour — but TheWrap is still left with a few unanswered questions. Here’s a sampling of the information that was revealed, along with some things we’re still trying to figure out.
Learned: « Will Grace » Is Here to Stay!… Though the Finale Never Happened NBC has already renewed its revived « Will Grace » for a second season, executives announced at TCA. They also ordered four extra episodes for this fall, and assured us that original ending doesn’t count anymore.
Dunno: How « Bachelor in Paradise » Will Address Sex Scandal The « Bachelor in Paradise » season that almost didn’t happen debuts in less than a week, though ABC execs have remained mum on what actually happened on set, as well as how the show will tackle the subject.
Learned: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Malcolm-Jamal Warner Are Different People Yes, they’re both black men. They’re both on ABC’s « Ten Days in the Valley. » No, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is not Malcolm-Jamal Warner, lady. See what we mean here.
Dunno: When the Hell is « Rent » Due? Fox announced plans in May to adapt « Rent » for its next live TV musical, but that thing sounds like it’s now pushing up against 2019. As of Tuesday, the event is still without a director or cast, network co-chief Dana Walden told reporters.
Learned: Why « Star Trek: Discovery » Lead Has a Male Name Bryan Fuller has himself a bit of a calling card: female leads with male names. Though Fuller has exited the CBS All Access flagship show, his tradition lives on.
Dunno: How Much IMAX Tickets for « Inhumans » Will Cost « Inhumans » will premiere Sept. 1 in IMAX theaters, though Marvel couldn’t tell us how much tickets will cost. An IMAX spokesperson pointed us to exhibitors, who actually set the prices. Either way, a longer version of the same two episodes premieres Sept. 29 on ABC, and that’s free for anyone with an antenna. You figure it out.
Learned: « Inhumans » Is Not Ready for Primetime The « Inhumans » trailer got more guffaws than cheers when it debuted at Comic-Con, which can mostly be attributed to Medusa’s terrible CGI wig. ABC and Marvel both say effects aren’t finished yet, but we’ll see about that.
Dunno: If Johnny Galecki Will Return for « Roseanne » Pretty much the entire original cast of « Roseanne » is coming back for the continuation. The lone holdout is Johnny Galecki, who must be looking for that « Big Bang Theory » money. And ABC is looking for those ratings, John.
Learned: CBS Still CBS-ing CBS’ fall linear lineup contains no new female-led series, which by now feels like an annual criticism of America’s Most-Watched Network. Plus, « Kevin Can Wait » is pretty much turning into « The King of Queens » by killing off Kevin James’ current TV wife in favor of the old one, Leah Remini. The more things change…
Dunno: If the « Downton Abbey » Movie Will Ever Happen During a panel for Sundance Channel’s « Liar, » « Downton Abbey » alum Joanne Froggatt was asked for an update on the Masterpiece series’ planned film sequel. She had no clue as to what’s going on, and so now neither do we.
Learned: « Most White People Are Related » Turns out Bernie Sanders and Larry David ARE actually related — who knew? Well, maybe « SNL. » Even weirder, married couple Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon recently found out they’re cousins. Let’s stop looking into family trees immediately.
Dunno: How Many People Think YouTube Red Is a Porn Site YouPorn is a popular adult video hub website. So is RedTube. YouTube Red is not a pornography video channel, it’s YouTube’s ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) offering. That can get confusing, though to what extent, Susanne Daniels does not know.
Learned: Sterling K. Brown Can Sing! On Saturday, TCA Awards host Kristin Chenoweth called on audience member and nominee Sterling K. Brown to join her on stage for a « Wicked » duet. Wicked, it was — the « This Is Us » star can blow, and it blew the crowd away.
Dunno: Netflix TV Ratings Netflix bailed on this past Winter TCA, it hid from the Summer TCA. And we still don’t know how many viewers are watching their programming, though actual participant Nielsen teased that all this caginess may soon change.
The fall TV season technically starts on Sept. 25 — by then, hopefully we’ll have even more answers before your favorite show returns (and the new ones trying to replace it debut).
Get TheWrap’s Fall TV download and probe into unanswered questions
We learned a lot over the last two-plus weeks at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour — but TheWrap is still left with a few unanswered questions. Here’s a sampling of the information that was revealed, along with some things we’re still trying to figure out.
Taylor Swift poses in the press room at the The 58th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 15, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. AFP PHOTO/MARK RALSTON / AFP / MARK RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
Taylor Swift recently described her new ticketing plan, dubbed “Taylor Swift Tix,” as a means of getting tickets into the hands of fans rather than “scalpers and bots.” And quite swiftly (and predictably) the entertainer was hit with a wall of outrage from fans to entertainers such as British rocker Rou Reynolds, who called the plan « profit over people, commerce over connection, accumulation over art. » But Swift in many ways is following in the footsteps of plenty of others in the media and entertainment world, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more, not less, of what might be called “Concierge Entertainment.”
For those who may not follow Swift quite so closely, she announced last week the launch of a partnership with Ticketmaster’s “Verified Fan” ticket program, which requires registration and identification verification before you are permitted to purchase tickets. The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen (pause for reverent sigh), has just deployed this for his upcoming limited Broadway run. What distinguishes Swift’s approach, however, is that registrants can enhance their place in line for the precious tickets by engaging in “boost activities,” which are not specified in the original announcement. According to reports, these boosting “activities” include watching Swift’s video up to five times a day, posting about Swift on social media accounts and buying her new Reputation album up to 13 times. This is not simply a new tactic to keep out scalpers and bots – it’s a variation of the old « do re mi. »
I understand the frustration with a system that sounds so nakedly capitalistic (“exploitation under the veneer of morality” according to Reynolds). But I also see it as following a long (if not always proud) tradition of providing scarce benefits for those will to pay for them. Beginning in the 1980s, American Express thrived off the marketing adage “Membership has its privileges.” The words may change, but the construct is well-entrenched.
In our more populist-sensitive time, the word privilege is rarely uttered, but membership, “loyalty” and fan devotion are well established routes to consumer comfort and convenience. There are plenty of examples of shopper loyalty programs. The more money you spend at CVS, the more of a discount you get on your future purchases. For how long have airlines provided benefits for spending more money, whether as a first-class ticket holder, or frequent flyer? The federal government will ensure you get you through the security lines faster if you pay up for TSA Pre. And the medical profession, governed by the Hippocratic Oath, has created “Concierge Medicine,” which guarantees access to what Massachusetts General Hospital calls “an exceptionally high level of service” (isn’t that what we’re all supposed to get?).
The media and entertainment field is increasingly inundated with new and novel ways of incentivizing consumers to spend more and get rarified access or goodies. In sports, National Football League teams such as the New England Patriots and New York Jets have long required those who seek to purchase season tickets to first buy a “seat license” – a lifetime pass which may be transferred but is only conferred upon a set number of license holders. Those who become sports season ticket holders always get access to special privileges from running the bases to having your picture taken with the team stars.
In the world of ticketing, the benefits of “membership” are only proliferating. Movie theater chains all have their own “clubs” that confer everything from bottomless sugary drinks to discounted tickets to movie premier invitations. Citibank or American Express credit card holders regularly get “preferred” status for concert or theater ticket purchases. In some respects, all of this has been derived from the Las Vegas casino business, which learned long ago that throwing free drinks and hotel rooms at your best gambling customers was a winning strategy.
Even the venerable Gray Lady herself, The New York Times, has recognized the value of bestowing a level of rarified access upon its most loyal paying customers. The Times not long ago hired its first director of “customer experience” and I see it today as a home print subscriber with access to certain “Times Insider” benefits such as evenings with Times columnists and editors.
The tounge-in-cheek lifestyle brand Fresbo thinks Fresno mayor Lee Brand is cool.
They also think he could be cooler and have some suggestions on how to make that happen, which they put into this 30-second video, posted on its Facebook page today.
Hint: It’s his hair.
If there’s a purpose for the video other than marketing Fresbro’s bro-ness, it isn’t exactly clear. It does beg the question: Does everything look better with Lil Yatchy braids.
