- Posted 12/23/08 at 6:31 AM
- branding, entertainment
- Leave a Comment
Smoke and mirrors…
Or is it all branded entertainment?
Whatta finish to 2008! This month alone, we’ve seen:
- Barack Obama choose churchman Rick Warren to give the inauguration invocation, which promptly sent Barney Frank and other diehard supporters into heartbreak
- Bernard Madoff, prominent trader and ahem… traitor, get caught for allegedly masterminding a $50 billion Ponzi scheme among A-listers, which also appears to have further unhinged yet more shaky ground in New York City’s real estate and financial markets
- Our less-than-dutiful Congress skip out for the holidays without making a decision on the auto bailout, giving George Bush his last executive decision (or mistake?)
- The scoop on Bill Clinton’s charity accepting millions from foreign investors, which might cast clouds of caution as Hilary Clinton’s selection as potential Sec of state
Yep. It’s been one hell of a way to wrap up 2008. But know what I really want to know? On the Tonight Show with Jay Leno last Tuesday, was Jim Carrey nudged for his Cialis endorsement or not?
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BG just had to see Jay before he moves on to primetime, so she found herself at the taping of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and funny man Jim Carrey as guest. Talk about relentless and perfectly timed comedy — that Jim truly stole the show. And it’s hard to decipher what’s scripted and what’s not. For instance, when Carrey was plugging his film Yes Man, the monitor rose and Carrey says, “Ahhh. TV sponsored by Cialis… shot right up there.”
It was hysterical. Seemed so off the cuff. Yet I couldn’t help thinking, was it planted or not? John Melendez of Stuttering John fame, sitting right behind me, didn’t seem to think so… But I had to wonder: why didn’t he say Viagra? Is Cialis a sponsor of Yes Man? These are exactly the moments that make branded entertainment work—“Was he supposed to say that?” And these are the opps that brands and producers have to be on the lookout for… the moments that appear organic, and keep us all guessing.
And speaking of guessing – May all our flights be on time and if there’s a delay, may that be the extent of our problems in 2009! Safe travels, all. And if looking for holiday cheer, check out the show — Jim Carrey and his carolers are worth the view. Happy New Year!
I am 
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I totally agree. And nothing wrong about being patriotic.
Great insights…I don’t think the audience cares who wins the awards, they just want to see the “show” so they have something to talk about the next day…and BTW- the Chrysler commercial was my favorite! Anything that promotes America building something again is ok with me…I guess I’m just a sucker for patriotism…
Nice article! It makes a great deal of sense. These companies spend so much to attain new clients but rarely put forth the effort to keep their existing ones happy. Everything is an argument or an angle. I guess they think we will forget.
I ask this lovingly Steve: by any chance, are you wearing a tie and nursing a martini?
Looking at Obama’s overall rising star these past years (and especially thinking back to who even knew his name prior to 2004), he is a media genius indeed. Yet at the same time, just as he’s not a Muslim (although 24% of the public still thinks he is), he’s also not the political Messiah his campaign painted him to be. In offering an opinion about this widening disparity between the myth and the man, which any Brand Girl is entitled to do, I simply pointed out some of his media missteps since taking office. Speculating that Obama might be a one-term prez unless he gets his media act and his policy act together—and playing nice with one another—is no more a diss than thinking Derek Jeter was playing kinda dirty when he faked getting hit by a pitch to get on base. That’s not dissing, and it’s not even playing party politics. It’s just stating the obvious.
And ’cause I can’t resist: when out with a girl, especially a bipartisan one, allow her a chance to take a full swing when at bat in a pennant battle of the minds. I’ll bet the house that she’ll get beyond first. And she won’t have to fake a thing either.
Funny piece but a faulty premise.
Obama is still a media genius. He’s controlling the debate and has accomplished more in his first two years than any President since FDR. Sure his approval numbers are down but we are in a the middle of a severe recession. Regan’s numbers were similar in 1982.
He has tried to be bipartisan but what does he get for it? The GOP even filibustered small business tax cuts (until two GOP senators who are retiring broke off yesterday). The public knows this. While they are anti-incumbent, they trust the GOP less than the Dems. And despite the GOP’s concerted efforts to block efforts to stimulate the economy (so they can hope to pick up more seats), the economy will turn around and the the POTUS’s appoval ratings wil improve with the rise in GDP.
And when out with boys, especially thoughtful ones, it’s probably not a good idea to diss Obama; not if you want to get to first base.