The song used for the advertisement was also written by Deschanel and can be downloaded via Cotton’s website.

Infinite Oz by Philip Straub

I’m such a sucker for nostalgic things.

Over the past few days I’ve noticed a few Wizard of Oz-related things catching my attention. And since the movie is in my “Top 5 Favorite Movies” list I thought I’d share these odds and ends of Oz-likeness.

I was already aware of the GE Scarecrow Superbowl Commercial featuring the “If I only Had a Brain” tune, but I recently noticed Chips Ahoy also has a commercial inspired by the film. Though Sci-Fi’s Infinite Oz flash animation takes the cake for being a great collaboration between artists to make an incredible Oz-like experience.

Sure it’s from late 2007 when Sci-Fi ran their Tin Man mini-series, but that still doesn’t disregard the brilliance of this animation. It features the work of artists Philip Straub, Greg Petchvosky, Martin Lisec, Andreas Rocha, Gerardo De Gerard, Geoffrey White, Raphael Lacoste, Phil MacDarby, and Rudolf Herczog.

Any site that lets me feel like I’m inside a tornado is A-Okay by me. I just think I may have misplaced my ruby slippers during the ride.

My current favorites are those from Ikea:

In a somewhat related topic, eMarketer released an article discussing EA and Hasbro’s partnership and how the companies are marketing video game demos of Hasbro classics (such as Yahztee, Monopoly, and Scrabble) to kids (6-8 range) via aggregator sites and online platforms including Disney’s Club Penguin.

According to AdAge, A&G Research sought the opinions of 476 adults in 10 different cities for the Dunkin Donuts vs. Starbucks study. The results revealed 54% adults chose Dunkin Donuts while 39% preferred Starbucks, leaving 6% with no opinion.

Regardless of taste, it’s no surprise that some of the key reasons why consumers choose Starbucks over Dunkin Donuts may include: prestige, choices, and convenience. Although I definitely prefer the taste of Dunkin Donuts, convenience was the main reason I switched over from Dunkin to Starbucks. Why travel 7 miles to Dunkin Donuts when in the same mile radius I could choose from 2-3 Starbucks locations?

Being that I’m an iced coffee enthusiast, a few weeks ago I chose to try out the process of making cold brew iced coffee at home instead. In my eyes, it’s cheaper in both time and money but also much more convenient than either of the two coffee shops.

]]> http://www.elusiveness.net/2008/10/dunkin-donuts-starbucks-taste-test/feed/ 0 http://www.elusiveness.net/2008/10/costco-offers-up-smart-for-lifes-cookie-products/ http://www.elusiveness.net/2008/10/costco-offers-up-smart-for-lifes-cookie-products/#comments Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:16:09 +0000 Vanessa http://www.elusiveness.net/?p=51 Of all the fly by night diet products that have come and gone, Smart for Life’s cookie products don’t seem to be budging, with the exception of branching out into Costco’s website.

If you’re unfamiliar with the cookie diet, it works similarly to countless other meal replacement diets in which breakfast, lunch and snacks are replaced with the Smart for Life cookie product.

According to an article posted by AdAge, Smart for Life’s founder Dr. Sasson Moulavi is letting Costco take rein of the product’s promotions on the retailer’s website. Meanwhile, the company has decided to switch its marketing messaging from boastful weight loss stories to one that promotes the value of Smart for Life’s diet products with food savings averaging $7-$8 a day.

Being that my significant other is a complete cookie fiend who can effortlessly eat an entire box of Chips Ahoy in one sitting, I mentioned this new product to him and did a little bit of amateur R&D. His initial reaction included the following statements:

“Why am I not on this diet?” Followed by the comment, “Finally a company realizes the best way for a cookie-crazed man to lose weight!” When he inquired about flavor combinations, he sighed a bit of relief, “As long as they have Chocolate Chip flavor, I’m on board!”

Which leads to the most important question of all, are the Smart for Life cookies comparable to a box of Chips Ahoy? Not hardly. Moulavi best describes his cookies as an “acquired taste” which are less sweet than the average consumer cookie brand. Hmm…since when did cookies that aren’t sweet ever turn out to be a good thing?

Granted, society is still searching for that one miracle product that can instantly help them lose weight while still indulging in all of their guilty pleasures. But whatever happened to the tried and true method of losing weight? Eating less and exercising more is always more economic than forking out the dough for overpriced diet products.

I have to admit that I have yet to see the latest ad from Crispin Porter and Bogusky for Microsoft featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates. Although, I’ve read my fair share of blog posts to know what it’s all about, or should I say, what it’s not about since there doesn’t seem to be much of a point to it. So, while CP+B continues to receive criticism for their efforts against Mac’s ads, I have to give them a thumbs up on their latest Burger King radio spot. For those who may be unfamiliar with the spot, it’s a zany ad about the man’s “time of the month.” As someone who is convinced that men do in fact have their own time of the month, I found this commercial extremely amusing.

In summary: What is the root of the man’s crankiness during this time? It’s the 10 day period before one is scheduled to get paid, thus leaving him with little cash to feed himself. The commercial goes on to describe two instances in which a man snapped at both his girlfriend and boss during his time of the month, thus leaving him alone and fired from his job.

Insert Burger King’s value menu to the rescue as a way to thwart off the mood swings and irritability.

My favorite lines from the ad (not verbatim):

Guy: I once had my time of the month at the same time as 3 of my roommates.

Friend: Wow you guys must’ve been on the same pay cycle!

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to locate the audio clip of the commercial, but as soon as I do, I’ll post it as I do feel it’s worthy of a listen.

Another ad I’ve enjoyed recently is Wendy’s Meatatarian commercial.

Summary: The commercial starts off with a couple dining inside Wendy’s. The girlfriend asks her boyfriend if he wants part of her salad, only to have him declare he is a Meatatarian. The girlfriend seems quite perplexed, with her boyfriend responding (with an all too common answer usually heard by vegetarians/vegans) that it’s a personal choice/way of life.

I admit that I’d prefer these types of commercials from Wendy’s any day, opposed to their “It’s waaaaaay better than fast food…” commercials featuring the animated Wendy character. It does in fact bother me just a bit to know a creative team actually thought that campaign was worth putting out while squashing the Wendy’s pig-tail wig guy. But then, what do I know?

Pollo Tropical is a staple to many South Floridians, especially for a gal like me who equates soul food to a heaping plate of chicken, maduros (sweet plantains), rice and black beans. It’s probably the one meal I could easily live off of for the rest of my life if need be. Plus at a price of $4 and change it’s a great alternative to the burger-in-a-box combo.

A few months ago while I was making my weekly run to Pollo Tropical, the drive-thru employee told me about a coupon printed on the back of the receipt and informed me that if I choose to fill out a survey I’d receive a free ¼ chicken meal in return. I’m definitely not new to those “Fill out our survey and you’ll get a chance at a $1,000,” deals; but considering how often I go to Pollo I figured it was worth looking into.

It was surprisingly simple; Complete a survey about your food and experience you’ll be given a code to write down on the receipt. Present the coupon and code during your next visit and you get a free ¼ chicken meal with an order of equal or lesser value. Considering how frequently I purchase food from Pollo Tropical for me and my boyfriend, it seemed well worth the 1-2 minute time to complete the survey.

What I found interesting was how out of the 15+ times I’ve visited various Pollo Tropical restaurant locations since then, only one employee told me about the special offer. It made me wonder why none of the other franchises ever mentioned the offer considering they all gave me the same receipts with the coupons printed on the back. Maybe I’m wrong here, but it seems quite useless if a company is going to pay for market research only to let it go to waste when its employees fail to notify the consumer about their research; but most importantly about an offer that can save the consumer money.

Although it appears their survey is now over (sadly, I didn’t receive a coupon tonight when I made a PT run – the first time in months) I give kudos to the one drive-thru employee at the Northlake Pollo Tropical location who kept me coming back to the franchise and probably helped me save about $50. Win-win.

Currently AMC has been quite busy gearing up for the July 27^th season premiere. Recent happening’s surrounding the show includes Zippo-shaped DVD cases, a Manhattan Bloomingdales’s storefront display in the windows facing Third Avenue (running until June 30th), accepting a Peabody Award, being featured in both the New York Times and Entertainment Weekly, and most recently a faux ad section inside the June 23rd issue of Advertising Age.

Old school advertising not your niche? Then maybe TNT’s Truth in Advertising will float your boat. The show features Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh working at -you guessed it- an ad agency, only set in present time Chicago. Head on over to New York Magazine for their take on the show’s pilot.

As for me, I think I’ll just leave the designing to the pros and do my lomographer duty and take my LC-A out for some shots this weekend.