Benedict Advertising - Business Building Solutions

by Donna Cooper

It goes with out saying—at least in my opinion—that the 80’s was the best decade for film. When we were on the brink of a technological revolution, originality and superb imagination flowed like water. Remakes of old films were few and far between and teen angst was a common theme thanks to directors like John Hughes, and Studios weren’t afraid to take risks in casting unknowns in their films.

The Eighties made actors like Michael J. Fox, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Dempsey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kevin Bacon and Kim Catrall household names. Movies like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), and National Lampoons Vacation (1983) became classics. So, with so many great films released through out the decade, how can one choose which year produced the best movies?

Well, we’ve narrowed it down to what we think are the best two years. However, unable to decide amongst ourselves here in the creative department, we’ve decided to open up the question to everyone. Help us decide. Which year do you think is better? Many more movies were released with in these two years that were just as fantastic, but for the sake of time we’ve whittled the list down to the top 10 best movies of that year (in no particular order) and listed some honorable mentions:

Click here to vote.

So, it’s almost official. After a 14-year absence, and on the cusp of the 20th anniversary of the release of their best selling album, they have come back from the dead…so to speak. The New Kids on the Block were the predecessor of the boy band era that produced the likes of the Backstreet Boys and ‘NSync and gave us the every popular Justin Timberlake.

Tomorrow morning they will be appearing on the Today Show, where we might learn their plans for a reunion tour and possibly the release of a new album. Now, most of you are probably rolling your eyes and groaning with disbelief and/or foreboding.  Twenty years after the height of their careers, is it possible for them to reach the same level of success they once had? Maybe not, but won’t it be fun?

The fact is, whatever their plan is, they’re probably only going to appeal to a small demographic of women who were between 8-13 years old in 1987. Of course, there are a few stragglers on each end of the spectrum, but you get the point. Unless they have some amazing material up their sleeves for this new album, people are only going to be interested in reliving a part of their youth.

It can only be assumed that the interest is there, otherwise they’d be taking a huge risk.  I know I’ll be the first in line to buy tickets!

It’s that time of year again. March Madness is over, and it’s down to the Final Four. For those of you out there who like to gamble, you’ve probably filled out a bracket, much like several employees around here—including myself.

Now, I’m not a basketball aficionado, so imagine my surprise when all four of my picks actually made it to the final round? I’d like to say that this was based on strategy, that there was some kind of formula involved. But, I’d be lying. It was pure luck.

All that’s left to complete this fluke is for UCLA to beat North Carolina. And while we’re at it, lets just say the total score is going to be 131.

We’ve all been there. You watch a commercial. It makes you laugh or really grabs your attention. Then, the next day, you try to tell your friends about it, but you just can’t remember who the commercial was for.

Well, that just defeats the purpose, doesn’t it? It is a great ad, but viewers can’t remember who it was for.  The point behind all advertising is to build brand recognition and increase sales. But, how can you grow your brand, much less expect people to buy your product, if they can’t remember who made that ad they liked so much?

One easy solution…Make the logo bigger! Or at least try and sneak in a mention of the company’s name a few times. As my creative director likes to say, if we can squeeze in at least three mentions into a 30 second spot, we’re golden.

To make your logo bigger visit www.makemylogobiggercream.com or just listen to this song for fun.

Beginning tomorrow, viewers will be able to watch TV shows any time, anywhere and best of all…FOR FREE! Hulu.com is the first 100% ad supported website where you can watch entire episodes and sometimes entire seasons of your favorite shows.

What am I most excited about watching? Buffy the Vampire Slayer! It was by far one of my favorite shows back in the day, though I wasn’t so interested when Buffy and Spike became an item. That was just weird.

The fact is, all you’ll have to do is sit through a few uninterruptible commercial breaks and you’ll be able to enjoy your favorite shows at your leisure.  The site becomes live tomorrow, March 12, 2008. Be sure to check it out at www.hulu.com.

Just out of curiosity…if you could watch any show, what would it be?

So, a show of hands: Who’s seen the new Dunkin’ Donut’s commercial?

I have to say, aside from a few of the Superbowl Ads this year, this is the first spot that has inspired a laugh-out-loud response. It was clear from the beginning that they were poking fun at Starbucks, but in a rather clever way.

I don’t know about you, but I thought it was pretty darn funny.

See for yourself, click here.

by Donna Cooper, Jr. Copywriter

The Writer’s Strike is over! Whooohoo! Now, on to more relevant topics.

I know it’s been a while since I posted something on the blog, but better later than never, right? Right. Well, things have been busy around here, as usual. But the first part of the year was something short of chaos as we finally got the ball rolling on a project we had been working on since the first part of LAST year.

We collaborated with both SUBWAY® restaurants and Tony Chachere’s, and many other talented people to produce TV and Radio spots that promote a staple item in the Louisiana market (Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning), in conjunction with the great taste of SUBWAY® sandwiches. There were a lot of different components that need to all come together, including flying Jared in to film at a local Daytona Beach SUBWAY® restaurant, in order for the project to come to life.

After months and months of careful planning, we were finally able to go into production, and we couldn’t be happier with the end-result. Take a peek at our TV spot and Radio spot by clicking here. Tell us what you think…and be sure to go to your local grocery store and pick up a can of Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. It makes great fajitas!

We are pleased to announce that the latest and greatest edition of the Benedict Newsletter is now out and about, probably already making its way into your mailbox. This issue contains all kinds of new stuff, including our new feature article highlighting a day in the life of one of our employees. This section will appear quarterly and will hopefully enlighten our readers as to what goes on inside of an advertising agency.

Other new items include our Best of the Best section chocked full of new stuff we’ve created for our clients, updated pictures from our Halloween contest, and a section devoted to the rare occasion when we go just a little too far with a project and it ends up in the deep end. Visit our Too Wild blog and tell us if you think the ads were too much.

If you haven’t received your newsletter or don’t want to wait for snail mail, click here to download it for your reading enjoyment.

by Donna Cooper, Jr. Copywriter

As the strike carries on into it’s 4th month, a new threat looms on the horizon. Advertisers and media buyers are looking for new ways to put their dollars to use. With the TV season looking like a sinking ship, move theaters all across America are in the sites of advertisers.

The once unspoiled domain that was the movies is the new target for developing advertising space. While it’s understandable that they don’t want their ad dollars to go to waste, it’s a touchy subject as to whether it’s a good idea to start advertising in movie theaters. The majority of moviegoers relish the fact that they can spend anywhere from 90 to 180+ minutes immersed in commercial free entertainment. Infringing upon that enjoyment with unwanted product advertisements that they try desperately to avoid using TiVo and DVR at home, will only succeed in annoying them further at the theater, what used to be a safe-haven from commercials.

Theaters in recent years, have been leaning toward using their giant screens for more than just local advertisements. Nowadays before the trailers start, you can see a wide variety of spots, but they typically have to do with the movie itself, the industry, or are sponsored by the products available in the theater lobby. But, if the strike continues and more and more buyers start looking for new ways to spend their money, we can expect to see Tide commercials at the beginning of Rocky XVII.

Even if the strike ends tomorrow, all might be lost for the untouched domain of movie theaters. Because of the prolonged state of the TV season, nobody is sure if TV is going to be a viable option for advertising anymore. With more and more people already gravitating to more interactive forms of entertainment (YouTube, MySpace, and Online TV shows)—the strike exacerbating the situation—it’s likely that people are going to turn their backs on TV.

Not only will it be likely that we will watch a series of commercial spots before the movie, but expect to see displays and interactive experiences in the theater lobby, as well.

If the strike goes on much longer, our movie going experience, as we know it might come to an end. In fact, it might already be too late.

by Donna Cooper, Jr. Copywriter

I’m not opposed to musicals. I just don’t make it a habit of watching them. It’s not at the top of my list of things to do, to say the least. I mean, I’ve seen a few musicals hear and there. Enjoyed them, even. To me, though, musicals seem to mostly be bubbly and have usually had some type of happy ending.

So, imagine my surprise when I went to the theater to see Johnny Depp singing his heart out as Sweeney Todd.

Now, my knowledge of the musical went so far as knowing he was a barber who killed people. I was surprised to learn, however, the story behind his killings and the overall darkness of the piece.

I expected there to be a comical aspect of it. Disappointed as I was, I enjoyed the unusual nature of this movie. With Tim Burton producing and directing his tag team of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, it was a great flick no matter what your thoughts were going in. Most people, I gather, were under the same veil of ignorance about the Broadway Musical and were surprised once the lights dimmed and the opening scene unfolded.

The film was dark, with beautifully designed scenes and outstanding camera work. After spending some time immersed in the scenery, the viewer is thrown into a surreal fantasy that it’s bright and colorful—which has the air of something more sinister behind it—and then thrown back into the dark reality of the movie.

One of the most compelling aspects of the film was—of course—Johnny Depp’s character, Sweeney Todd (aka Benjamin Barker). The man was wrongfully accused of a crime just so the Judge (played superbly by Alan Rickman) could steal his wife. When that didn’t work out, he took Benjamin Barker’s infant daughter instead and raised her as his ward until she was old enough to marry him.

Once Benjamin Barker was released 14 years later from his false imprisonment he returned to London as Sweeney Todd to seek out his long lost family. Only upon his return did he learn that his coveted wife was no more, and his daughter was raised by the man who ruined his life. Possessed by revenge, and encouraged by Mrs. Lovett (Bonham-Carter), Todd sets up shop and starts practicing for his intended target.

This macabre string of events turned into the ultimate tragedy when Todd realized that his all-consuming quest for revenge—and the realization that Mrs. Lovett had betrayed him—cost him everything he so desperately wanted.

With an impressive list of acting talent, this film delivered in performance and believability, to the point where you actually felt bad for all the characters—even the bad ones. Each one of us can all relate in some way to what motivated these characters—Love, Hate, Loneliness, Revenge, Envy.

Overall thoughts: Great movie, but a little hard to watch at times. Tim Burton didn’t spare us the graphic details of Sweeney Todd’s murderous rampage.