A Million Hits? New PEER 1 Branding Campaign

Today, my marketing team officially unveils PEER 1’s new branding campaign where we ask the question, “Is your business ready for a million hits?” and introduce PEER 1’s new tagline “Fully scalable hosting solutions” that will appear below the PEER 1 logo. The tagline speaks to PEER 1’s position in the marketplace as a full solution IT hosting provider offering businesses the choice or combination of Managed Hosting, Dedicated Hosting (through our ServerBeach division), Co-location services, and in the near future, Cloud Computing. It also captures my company’s core value proposition of delivering “scalability”, or our ability to grow with our customer’s online hosting demands; conversely, our ability to scale down when less hosting horsepower is required.

The campaign also speaks to PEER 1’s extensive geographical footprint – 15 data centers and 21 network PoPs across North America and Europe – and our reputable high performance SuperNetwork™. At PEER 1, we’re confident that we deliver the most scalable IT hosting environment for startups and SMBs ready to explode online, as well as enterprises looking to scale their current needs. Clients like Club Penguin, YouTube, and PlentyofFish all began as relative unknowns that quickly turned into mega Internet sensations with PEER 1 and ServerBeach there all the way. Through this campaign, we want to let every IT professional and business operator know that we can do the same for them.

The campaign is largely comprised of online banner advertisements and three 30-second commercials shown above that take a cheeky approach towards individuals who experience a sudden increase in online traffic or “hits”. Let me know what you think. If you like them, please help me spread the message – link, embed, tweet, blog, and share anywhere and everywhere on the net. Cheers!

Obama on Track to Rebrand America

US President Elect Obama on the Cover of Time Magazine.

As written by Kristi Keck of CNN, US President Elect Barack Obama has the ability to rebrand America internationally, and restore its image as one of hope and prosperity for everyone:

President-elect Barack Obama is poised to restore the United States’ image in the international community, but experts say the president-elect must show the world that his actions will live up to his rhetoric.

Receiving a warm welcome is not the same as maintaining one, and Obama has a lot of work to do to improve the U.S. brand.

America’s image has declined in nearly every region of the world in recent years, but Obama’s victory “enables the United States to start again with a clean slate,” according to John Quelch, the senior associate dean at Harvard Business School.

“Americans can actually go to dinner parties and cocktail receptions around the world today and not have to apologize for the United States the way they have had to do the last several years,” he said. “The election has made life a little bit easier for Americans living and traveling abroad to hold their head up high again.”

The United States’ tarnished reputation has been fueled by a combination of factors, including opposition to U.S. policies like the war Iraq and alleged torture and abuse of prisoners, the perception of hypocrisy, unilateralism, and the perceived war on Islam, according to a congressional report released in June.

Obama represents a “clean break” from the past, and his election is the first big step toward change, said Dick Martin, author of “Rebuilding Brand America.”

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Off Topic: Opening the TSX Quite a Thrill

My colleagues and I opening the TSX on September 30th, 2008.

Yesterday, at 9:30am EST, my PEER 1 colleagues and I were given the opportunity to open the market for the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) (on which we are listed under the symbol PIX). What a cool experience and one that I won’t soon forget. I remember back in university taking a course on corporate valuation taught by a former Wall Street insider. I found it fascinating and have been following the markets ever since. I’ve also seen many companies on television opening the market by ringing the bell, or in our case, pushing a touch screen button on a plasma (ah, technology). I can’t say I ever thought I would get the chance, but I’m very glad I did. The opening marks a significant milestone in PEER 1’s nine year history and I feel very fortunate to have been a part of it, and to have shared the experience with a tremendous group of people.

I’m a PC, The REAL Microsoft Ad Campaign Begins

Now it’s all beginning to make sense. The Gates Seinfeld ads were just a teaser to get people buzzing with its quirky humor and purposeful lack of Microsoft-related content. Negative or positive, it did. Create an environment of high awareness for the brand, then launch the real campaign as people are curious and thirsty to find out what’s next. Well, what’s next is “I’m a PC” ad campaign that embraces Apple’s negative reference to Microsoft in its campaign, and turns it around to show that PC users aren’t the sterotype depicted in the Apple campaign. Instead, they are people of all walks of life, from teachers to architects, artists to programmers, celebrities to ultimate fighters. I’m impressed. From this first set of commercials, I think the ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky is on to something. Regular PC users can also go to the Microsoft website and upload a video or picture of themselves, which will be profiled on the site, can be shared with others, and could be featured in future Microsoft ads as well as appear on the big screen in New York’s Time Square. It’s an audacious campaign and one that will be very hard to ignore.Check out the article in the New York Times that details the Microsoft campaign.

Second Microsoft Ad With Gates and Seinfeld

Here is the follow up ad (long version) to the first Gates Seinfeld Microsoft ad. Techcrunch isn’t impressed, and based on the comments I’ve received regarding the first ad, not many of you will be either. I found this one very much like a Seinfeld episode, so I enjoy the humor, but I do have to say that it isn’t getting to the point fast enough. This holds true with the shorter tv ad versions that I’ve seen.

New Microsoft Ad Campaign with Gates and Seinfeld Launched

New Microsoft ad campaign featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld.

The much anticipated Micrsoft ad campaign (watch here) put together by hot ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky in response to the devestating Mac vs. PC campaign made its debut during the Giants-Redskins NFL game as reported by Techcrunch (and a nod to Tony for sending it my way). The campaign features founder Bill Gates and comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who was reportedly paid $10 million to be involved, in what looks like will be a series of ads that will run as a chronological short story. The debut has very little meat around Micrsoft Vista, which will likely perturb many in the tech community. Instead, it sets up a tone and conversation that hopes to have us all view Microsoft and its Vista product much differently.

Personally, I think this is a smart move. Vista has been plagued with negative press and reviews, from its massive delay in release to its lackluster debut, PC users have not taken to Vista the way Microsoft had hoped. Not even close. Having a debut ad that is “hard hitting” and dives straight into the features and benefits of Vista or slams MAC would come across as a “me-too” campaign, and would likely not overcome the stigma and feelings towards the product.

Setting a new tone, creating a new conversation, and using a completely different way of looking at it could help change the emotional barriers that consumers seem to have for the product. What do I think of the first ad? It made me chuckle and I’m very curious to see the follow up ad. So far… I like. What do you think?

Has Starbucks Lost its Cool?

Starbucks discontinued breakfast sandwich.

I went in today and noticed Starbucks has introduced new breakfast items like hot oatmeal and whole wheat buns. A few days ago, I was at another Starbucks that was still serving those breakfast sandwiches that make the store smell like a cheap diner rather than a joint for premium coffee. Something isn’t quite right at the house of mermaid. Too much expansion. Venturing away from their core product. Every place looking way too much like the other, which normally shouldn’t be a bad thing when trying to maintain brand consistency. Whatever it is, what used to work for me no longer does.

Maybe it’s because in Vancouver, we have an abundant choice of excellent coffee shops with loads of individuality and charm… something that appears to be missing at Starbucks. The once symbol for cool coffee and a great place to meet, is beginning to feel like a bad corporate hangover with a self-indulgent CEO at the helm who has lost his grip on the experience and setting. Or it may just be me. But, I find myself increasingly drawn to every coffee shop OTHER than Starbucks to grab a cup of joe or meet for business or catch up with a friend. Sure, when I’m travelling, I tend to look for a Starbucks because I know what to expect because I don’t know the local coffee scene and don’t have time to explore. And I’m fully aware that delivering that consistent product and experience is key to that statement, and what we all like to preach about when running a successful business. But, there is a fine line between consistency and cookie-cutter. I think the mermaid may have crossed over.

PEER 1 ‘Growing Pains’ Episode 3 Released

The third installment of PEER 1’s Growing Pains called ‘100% Downtime’, finds Janet at Todd’s bedside in the hospital while he lies in a coma. She speaks to him and he appears to be responding, until things get unplugged. Click here to see all three episodes.

Full Colour Intel Ad Looks Awful in Black and White

Intel ad creative that wasn’t quite thought out completely. Yet another example that a big ad budget can buy you lots of ad space, but not a collective brain. Here is an excerpt from the the original post in Fortune:

To promote the speed of its Core 2 Duo Processor, Intel releases a print ad featuring six bare-shouldered black sprinters crouched in their starting positions beneath a white guy dressed for the office. “We made a bad mistake,” says Don MacDonald, the company’s director of global marketing. “I know why and how, but that doesn’t make it better.”

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