Fly the friendly skies.
We try harder.
That was easy.
Built Ford tough.
These are tag lies. United skies aren't friendly. Avis doesn't try. Nothing is easy at Staples. And Fords are rattle-traps. This is not an indictment of inflated taglines. It is an indictment of the "push a message at the consumer" advertising methodology. A soviet-style marketing schema where a message repeated repeated and repeated becomes believed.
Today I went to a "Times Talk." A moderated panel discussion sponsored by The New York Times that seeks to involve its customers in the Times brand. In other words, don't just tell me "These times demand The Times," involve me in it--give me a New York Times experience. I realize only an esoteric few avail themselves of the Times talks--perhaps not many people find Feist or Josh Brolin, of Sidney Lumet or Mel Brooks or Edward Albee or any number of brilliant speakers compelling enough. But the 400 seat auditorium I sat in this afternoon was 95% full and the line going in to the following event was positively Disney-esque. I am an inveterate Times reader, I love the brand; I advocate for it. I feel even deeper affinity for it after this afternoon's event. Now, what the Times needs to do is figure out a way to extend the influence and tactile-ness of a live brand experience and scale it.
More on this will follow. The future belongs to those brands that make you feel.
