Benedict Advertising - Business Building Solutions

By Donna Cooper, Jr. Copywriter

Finally! A “Third” film that actually lives up to the hype! Unlike Spiderman 3, and Shrek the Third, At World’s End does it’s job!

Despite the abundance of negative reviews that have earned it a rotten tomato status, I feel Walt Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End was, so far, one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. (I’m still holding out hope for the fifth installment of Harry Potter.)

Of course, if you’re not looking at it from an Oscar Contenders standpoint (which, by the way, it has been nominated in the past), and you look at it for pure entertainment value, then you won’t be disappointed.

No, it isn’t a hard-hitting drama that draws you into the characters deepest darkest moments. And no, it isn’t some cinematic feat that people will be cooing about come awards season (well, it might). It is, however, an epic action-adventure flick that will keep you entertained from beginning to end.

I will agree with the critics on one thing, and one thing only. The story was a might hard to follow with all the piratease and Tia Dalma (the creepy voodoo woman), who is often incoherent. But, if you concentrate on the movie you’ll get it. Plus, it’s worth watching just for Captain Jack and the amazing cinematography. Not once through out the movie did it look fake or hokey.

Stone crabs. That’s all I’ll say about that.

Will Turner’s story becomes tangled and complex with leftovers from the second film that come to the surface and battle it out in grand pirate fashion, while Elizabeth Swann tries to find her place in the predominately male pirate world.

Through out the movie we learn about the tug-of-war that is pirate loyalty and just plain pirates being pirates. They often go back and forth on their word and it’s hard to tell if they are double-crossing their pirate partners or if they are double-double-crossing the evil Lord Cutler Beckett. It’s hard to keep track because everyone is making deals behind each other’s backs, for their own benefit…or are they?

We learn more of why Davy Jones became squidman and who Tia Dalma really is. Viewers are also treated to many more sides of Captain Jack Sparrow. As soon as you think you know where his loyalties lie, he reminds you that he’s a pirate. The love hate relationship between Jack and Will seems to reach an sour note this time around, but it’s not at all what it appears. Keith Richards made a delightful appearance as Captain Teague, a frightening old pirate who bears an uncanny resemblance to Jack. Could this be Captain Jack’s pap?

All in all, it was a jolly good time! Viewers weren’t left hanging this time around as everything was neatly wrapped up by the end of the movie. Although, they did leave room for the possibility of another film, undoubtedly involving the Pirates continuing search for immortality.

There are many things to love about this movie, and only a few that could take a swim with the fishes. It was certainly worth the $10 bucks I spent on the ticket and a large diet coke (I don’t know how I managed that). In fact, I’m tempted to pay the theater another visit for more Pirates!

Pirates of the Caribbean clocked in at 2 hours and 45 minutes and was worth every second. I give this movie 4.5 golden pens out of 5.

PS~Make sure you stay through the credits as there are more bonus clips! I missed them, so now I must see it again to catch what I missed.

What does it say of the state of TV land when execs are harvesting ideas from popular commercials? Creative drought or ingenious marketing tactic?

As the major networks spent the past week revealing their line-ups for next Fall, a buzz began over ABC’s decision to green light the creation of a 30-minute sitcom starring the now famous characters from the GEICO commercials. The three cavemen, originally played by John Lehr, Ben Webber, and Jeff Daniel Phillips in the commercials are set to be played by a new cast of Bill English, Dash Mihok, and Nick Kroll.

No word on why the original cavemen won’t be filling the roles.

While this seems like an original concept, making a series out of a popular commercial character, it isn’t the first time it’s been done. However, you’re not likely to remember the first attempt. Remember the old Quizno’s commercials with the annoying talking baby? Yeah, that was the first attempt. Lame, right? Well, in 2002 CBS decided to give it a shot. The show centered on a couple, played by Joely Fisher and Alan Arkin, whose infant son could (you guessed it) talk.

Amazingly enough, “Baby Bob” managed to last two seasons before getting the ax, so you could consider it somewhat successful. Given the passage of time, the show has passed from viewers’ consciousness (you can’t even find a clip on youtube). There is hardly more than a trace of it on the Internet with the exception of an entry on the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB) and a few mentions in the news recently thanks to ABC taking a crack at the commercial-turned-sitcom genre.

From an advertising perspective, this is the epitome of branding success. What company wouldn’t want one of their brands to become so recognized and popular that it gets its own television show? GEICO is at the top of the advertising world at the moment, after churning out such entertaining and successful ads like, “Tiny House”, the GEICO Gecko, and the “Cavemen”. And, who can forget the commercials that made you think it was one commercial (where you’d either get really excited about the “make-believe” product or annoyed at the “infomercial”) only to realize that it is a GEICO ad when it says “I’ve got great news, I just saved a bunch of money on insurance by switching to GEICO”. Since 1998, GEICO has seen their business rise from a $2.8 billion to an $11 billion dollar industry.

The question isn’t really WHY ABC has decided to do this, but HOW has it gotten to this point? Even though it’s not a popular trend (yet), if “Cavemen” ends up being a success you can probably expect to see this commercial-inspired type of television more frequently. What does that mean for the advertising industry? Nothing. It won’t change the way the ads are created or the purpose and intention of the ads. It will simply draw more attention to the creative power of the industry.

Television and Advertising industries are evolving, and rightly so. With the onslaught of DVR’s and the consumer’s ability to avoid commercials they don’t want to see, advertisers have had to come up with a new way to get their products seen. That comes in the form of product placement with in the show.

Now, does that mean that the “Cavemen” show is just going to be a half hour of shameless self-promotion by GEICO? Not exactly. While Joe Lawson, The Martin Agency copywriter who created the ads, will be writing for the show, GEICO will have no creative control and will only receive royalties for the use of the characters.

What it does mean, however, is that the Advertising Industry’s power is having a greater effect on consumers than just getting them to buy the brand. By using Integrated Marketing Campaigns the way the Martin Agency has, agencies are capable of reaching a wider audience that can, in turn, translate to bigger bucks. With nearly 2 million views on YouTube, the “Cavemen” commercials are clearly capable of selling more than just car insurance. Time will tell if these characters, themselves, have true staying power. As for advertising, Integrated Marketing is the future.

At Benedict Advertising, Integrated Marketing is the fabric of our company. We recognize that the face of advertising is changing and that to keep up we need to bring our message to multiple media outlets in order to grow business. What it all boils down to is that in order to keep up you have to be a progressive agency willing to take chances.

And, yes, like the “Cavemen” Ads, a few ads here and there, may have what it takes to be turned into TV shows. But, wait! Imagine the ad that goes on to inspires a movie! Who wouldn’t want to be working at that Agency?

As the tides ripe and roar in Daytona Beach, a coworker and I have the fortunate opportunity to attend the HOW conference in Atlanta, Georgia on June 10th.  Also known as Hotlanta, the city provides a unique atmosphere for restaurants, bars and clubs. (Just the perks, I’m really there for business and education)

This opportunity will teach me new design techniques along with a wide variety of network building and communication skills.  With people coming from all over the world to attend this conference I am truly excited about the new experiences I will make.

Erik Peterson, Graphic Artist

In order to participate in the 1st annual Taco Eating Contest, hopefuls were required to don a handle bar mustache and a sombrero.  Check out our contest page to vote for your favorite (and most authentic) contestant!

 http://www.benedictadvertising.com/home/contests.html

The video from our Taco Eating Contest is now up and running on our contest page or view it on YouTube. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXvgQLy29EM 

Historically, sequels have proven to be a disappointment to moviegoers, but there have been a few that have managed to outdo the original. However, in the case of trilogies, which are becoming increasingly popular, the 3rd installment has some tough shoes to fill, especially when the second movie managed to outdo the first in the series.

While it’s all debatable, most people would agree that most recently Spiderman 2 was better than the original, but the 3rd installment left us all a little dissatisfied. (For a review on this film, please see my earlier posts.) The characters in Spiderman 3, though the same as the first two films, had no depth this time around. Maybe it is because there wasn’t much of a story for them to get into.

The first chapter of Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, seemed impossible to surpass, but the second installment (The Two Towers) managed to blow it out of the water. Though, personally, the first one is still my favorite, the final chapter (Return of the King) uncharacteristically managed to stand its ground compared to the two earlier chapters. It’s hard to determine which film was the best, considering each one dealt with increasingly difficult struggles and challenges until it all climaxed into and ending that relieved us all.

There are many movie franchises out there that have been blessed with a successful second film, and sometimes a surprisingly successful third film, for example, Toy Story 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Indian Jones and the Last Crusade, but more often than not the middle film is the one that stands out.

[SPOILER ALERT-Do not read if you haven’t seen the movie and don’t want it ruined]

So, this weekend I went to see the third in the Shrek franchise. Now, mind you having attended the Rum Festival earlier in the evening I was very relaxed after a bucket of voodoo juice. Going into this film, knowing that I enjoyed the second Shrek more than the first, but having really enjoyed the first Shrek, I was optimistic for the third.

The scene opened up with Shrek and Fiona keeping an eye on things in Far Far Away because the king was on his deathbed. After the king croaked, no pun intended (okay, well maybe it was intended), Shrek set out to find Arthur, the only other heir to the throne besides Shrek, whom the king named his successor before he died.

Meanwhile, Prince Charming was plotting to capture the kingdom and enlisted the services of all the villains from fairy tale land to help him take (what he thought was) his rightful place as King.

Back in Far Far Away, Shrek learned that Fiona was pregnant as he was setting sail. Now more than ever wanted to find Arthur to relieve him of his responsibility. He wanted nothing more than to be in his swamp with Fiona and no one else. Naturally worried about becoming a father he had a very amusing “nightmare” where his swamp was overrun with little ogre babies wreaking havoc on Shrek’s nerves. When he wakes up they’ve arrived at the local high school where Arthur Pendragon is an awkward misfit who is disliked by even the medieval geeks.

Emboldened by the news that he is to be king of Far Far Away, he tells off his fellow classmates and walks out with a slightly larger ego than before. On the journey back to Far Far Away, Arthur’s confidence disappears when Donkey and Puss talk ever so casually about the responsibilities of a king. Thoroughly convinced that he has just gotten in over his head, he tries to turn the ship around and ends up crashing it in to a rocky shoal, with the assistance of Shrek.

Once on land, Shrek and the defiant Arthur, with a bedraggled Puss and donkey in tow, try to see eye to eye. Shrek awkwardly tries to relate to young Arty by using modern teenage vernacular. Running away from Shrek, Arty runs into his old high school magic teacher, Merlin, who has been living as a hermit. After a self-evaluating therapy session from Merlin, Captain Hook and some other fairytale villains attack Shrek and the gang and it is revealed that Prince Charming has taken over Far Far Away.

Now, more determined than ever to get home Shrek quickly sends the villains heading for the hills. Arty convinces a reluctant Merlin to use some magic to send them back to Far Far Away, and in a flash the gang arrives in the forest just outside of the Castle. Only, Donkey and Puss have switched bodies, which Merlin warned there could be some side effects given that he hasn’t preformed this sort of magic in a while.

Fiona, who was in the middle of her baby shower, with Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and a duplicitous Rapunzel, try to avoid being captured by Prince Charming but end up in prison thanks to Rapunzel leading them straight to the Prince. The damsels in distress finally realize that they can’t always wait for their Knight to rescue them, take it upon themselves to break out and take back the Castle.

All the good guys converge on Far Far Away just in time to save the day, with a heartfelt speech from the to-be-king, Arty, that leads the bad guys to throw down their weapons and turn over a new leaf.

While “Shrek the Third” had it’s classic Shrek moments, this film was by far the least favorite of the bunch. Shrek’s grumpiness is starting to get old, and Arty just wasn’t that likeable of a character. However, the laughs were good ones. It’s definitely worth seeing at least once.

I give this movie 3 golden pens out of five.

I can only hope that the upcoming “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (check back next week for that review) and “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” can break the curse and at least live up to their predecessors.

Friday afternoon the staff of Benedict Advertising was witness to two of America’s favorite pastimes. Eating and Contests. And, what better way to enjoy each of them, than to combine them? Thus was born Benedict Advertising’s 1st Annual Taco Eating Contest.

Who could resist, right? Well for four individuals the lure was too much.

As each contestant mentally prepared for this mastication match-up, supporters surrounded the contestants, cheering them on. The brave soles that tempted fate were Drew Gillis, Robert Galerno, Erik Peterson, and our only female contestant, Amie Dreibelbis.

The contestants had 12 minutes to eat as many tacos as they could. Twelve minutes seemed like an eternity once they started, with the leader, Drew having downed 5 by the three-minute mark. Eventually, they ran out of tacos, underestimating just how much these people could put away

The winner of this year’s Taco Eating Contest, who is no stranger to eating contests, is none other than our reigning Chili Cook-off Champion, Drew Gillis with 14 tacos. Second runner up was Robert Galerno with 11 tacos.

Third Place - Erik Peterson - 9 tacos

Fourth Place - Amie Dreibelbis - 4 tacos (GO AMIE!)

Paris “The Heiress” Hilton has just lucked out and gotten her jail sentence reduced by half, given time off for good behavior. Now, I’m not an expert on the criminal justice system, but since when do inmates get time off before they even serve time? Anyway, that’s not the point I’m trying to make.

A lot of people are voicing their opinions about whether Ms. Hilton’s sentence is justified, or whether she has been made “an example of” to prove that nobody, not even Paris Hilton, is above the law. Now, I’ve never been a fan of the celebutante because I think she’s a horrible role model (and what is she famous for, anyway?), but that’s beside the point.

Personally, I’m glad she’s going to spend some time in the pokey. Not because I can’t stand her (well, maybe a little), but mostly because she deserves it. She broke the law. Just because she is a so-called “celebrity” doesn’t mean she can get away with it. To many times celebrities have gotten off to easy because of their status. They feel entitled to special treatment because they are who they are. Drinking and driving is an incredibly irresponsible thing to do, and she put lives in danger. Nobody should expect to be let off the hook that easily.

What makes matters worse is that she obviously thought that it was no big deal and she showed a total disregard for the law and set another poor example for the few people who actually admire her, by violating the terms of her probation, not once, but twice! The nerve! Then, she has the audacity to claim that she didn’t know her license was suspended. I’m sorry, but unless you have the intellectual capacity of a flea, you would know that your license had been suspended. Well, I guess that explains it then.
My only hope, and I’m sure I’m being insanely optimistic, is that Paris will use this experience and learn from it. She has dropped her appeal, and appears to be ready to face the consequences of her actions, so that is a step in the right direction. The world can only hope that Paris will come out a new woman. What a powerful role model she could be if she would just use that power for good, instead of evil…

What do you think? Do you think Paris Hilton Deserves to go to jail?

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Doing our part as good citizens, we recently finished a video for United Cerebral Palsy/WORC for their annual meeting. We really enjoyed being able to provide this service to an organization that dedicates itself to providing guidance and tools for a better life to people who otherwise would be overlooked. Please check out the video on our website. Maybe you would like to help?