Why Bridgstone ads suck... maybe not.

Here is a terrific example of how poor management of your brand can result in very different messages.

What's the difference between a great Bridgestone commercial and a horrible Bridgestone commercial?

I've been waiting a long time for a good reason to complain about the Bridgestone campaign which is running right now. It uses an audio track with variations on the song "The Wheel." The songs repeats "And the wheel goes round and round. The wheel goes round and round. And the wheel... goes round."

Are you fucking with me? The wheel goes round? Talk about choosing a point of communication that is absolutely the same for everyone of your competitors. Plus, the song is just really annoying.

Apparently these spots were shot by some big shot music video director and the dancers were all painstakingly auditioned. Yet, I have never seen more awkward looking dancing in my life. And what does all these over dressed dancers have to do with tires? Apparently "A Passion for Excellence", but I am not buying that it has anything to do with tires.

The spots are so bad that I was only able to find one on the web, and it was an ice skating version at that. If anyone knows where I can link to the other dancing in the rain or dancing in the dark spots, please let me know.

The other Bridgestone commercial that I just saw on the web is in such stark contrast to "The Wheel" campaign that I can't believe that they are from the same company.

The spot communicates a real emotional reason to buy the tires, tells a great story, and is tremendously different than any other spot by other tire companies.

Sure, the dog is "cute." But it's well directed and edited. I'm sure the doggy sex makes it hard for the spot to run in the US. If you search YouTube, Google video or any other video engine, you'll find that the dog spot is the one that is all over. That should be reason enough for Bridgestone to realize that it is the better direction for the brand.

It's really frustrating working in the business of advertising and seeing the spots that I see with dancers and rain and spinning wheels and bad wheel music, because you know that the whole thing could be meaningful if taken in another direction. Then you see a spot like the one with the dog and you wonder if the agency just fell down on the creative end or if there are new people on the client's side, or someone is out to prove something to someone and the ads got sacrificed along the way. No matter what happened there is clearly a better ad out there-if someone is willing to make it.

What it takes to become famous

I submitted this to a new favorite blog, This Is Broken. Is it just me or doesn't the words "New" and "Famous" seem contradicting? Doesn't it take time to become famous? You can't just be born into fame? Unless your Paris Hilton or something... right?

F*ck Geno's, Go to Pat's!

I had just finished telling someone that I agreed with the sentiment that all PR is good PR, then Geno's Steaks in Philly has to go and ruin the whole theory.

As reported, Geno's has decided to put up a sign that says they want you to speak English. And they have an adjacent sign reading "the management reserves the right to refuse service to anyone." Basically... if you don't speak English, you're not welcome to eat at Geno's.

Can anyone tell me when it is a good business practice to turn away customers? It's not like Geno's is an affluent brokerage, choosing their clientele. They serve cheesesteaks. Cheesesteaks! I may not hold a business degree, but a customer with U.S. currency is a customer you want.

An ironic part of all of this, is that Geno's founder, Joey Vento, is Italian. I don't know if he was born in America, but he certainly has Italian heritage, and I guarantee that whoever came to America in his lineage did not know English when they got here.

Another irony is that the United States has no official language. English is the most common, but if you think about it, there's nothing American about it. It's origins are in England. So, who are we to suggest that English is our own language?

This whole thing doesn't surprise me. It's a tacky move by a tacky place. Take a look at Geno's web site and you'll see what I mean.

If you want a real cheese steak in Philly, you should go to Pat's. I'll take the cheesesteak place with the uglier web site any day. Why? Because they're worried about making great cheesesteaks, not about pimping themselves on the web or generating stupid press stories based on false patriotic pretense.

If you're in Philly, do yourself a favor and eat at Pat's, where everyone is welcome to screw up their order, but still get a cheesesteak in the end.