When I think of the Super Bowl, even though I'm a marketer, my mind drifts more to food, drink, fun with friends and ranking the commercials. I'm into the game if it's a grid iron battle - and would be a fanatic if my Dolphins were there, but sadly we haven't been to the show in sometime.

Regardless, what I don't think about is the Super Bowl's logo. Brands are likely one of the most argued over in terms of importance and impact on consumers. For example, my colleagues and I have been wondering why time honored brands like Pepsi and Gatorade have changed their brand marks to now look like a beachball and the single letter "G". I'm assuming some marketer convinced them it was time to 'modernize.' In truth, I am less motivated to buy Gatorade because now it seems trendy instead of effective.

But when I read the following from Reveries magazine's Cool News of the Day, it made me realize the logo for the Super Bowl just hasn't been that much to look at - and for a day that is one of the most watched events every year, it's kind of surprising.

From Reveries... "The 43 Super Bowl logos 'draw a line through the league's growth, the trends of graphic design, even the vagaries of one nation's popular culture,' reports John Branch in the New York Times (1/28/09). John observes: "Flourishes arrive in the disco era, leading to a decade-long phase of red-white and blue badges. They look more like corporate logos, tinged with cold-war-era patriotism ... As designers moved to computers, their logos became more complicated, their palettes more varied" (gallery). Design critic Stephen Heller has a more brutal assessment: "I'll go out on a limb and say that all the logos starting with XVII are based on beer labels." However, he thinks this year's logo (designed by Landor Associates) marks a departure, suggesting it "looks like the Bank of America logo." The current logo is also the first to use the color green, in a nod to "the surf and turf of Tampa," where the Big Game will be held on Sunday. That's part of the design spec, as each logo, in addition to including those Roman Numerals, is meant to convey something of its host city or stadium.That's a tradition that started with Super Bowl XXI, with a rose representing the Rose Bowl. Only once was the logo changed, and that was post 9/11, when it was switched from a "festive" New Orleans motif to a more "patriotic" theme (images). Among other uses, each logo "is reproduced on $100 million worth of licensed merchandise."

If however you'd like to see new options, or create one of your own, the New York Times is inviting its readers to submit their own designs via email (link) with the best ones published on its blog, The Fifth Down.

If the game turns out to be a blow out - maybe creating a new logo will make you feel better. If not, have another beer.

Catching a Bzz

c21 recently moderated an American Marketing Association panel focusing on viral marketing and social media. Experts from Bzz Agent, a word of mouth marketing company, Facebook and CNN’s interactive marketing division offered numerous takeaways for companies that are planning or executing a social media strategy. Download the tips and resources here.

What Crisis?

Between the misallocations of bailout money and the fleecing of investors, we’ve seen our share of crises in the news. As public relations practitioners, we know a crisis can arise at any time, and a well-laid plan inclusive of appropriate spokespersons, an escalation chart, messaging and media training best practices can be the difference between success and failure when it comes to the ever-critical (and rightly so) public eye. While your company may not be under the public microscope, you still have important audiences to consider if a crisis arises.

There are basic tenants of executing a good crisis communications strategy:
1) Take responsibility. Be accountable – immediately. Do not transfer blame. Highlight your company’s positive track record, which will help establish credibility in a time that it might be questioned.
2) Express empathy. Be genuine in demonstrating that you understand the frustration or loss that resulted from the crisis. This will help make you and the company human.
3) Offer a solution. It’s not enough to say “I’m sorry.” Be specific in steps your company will take to fix the situation and ensure it doesn’t occur again. This will help create or rebuild confidence.
4) Deliver. Follow through on your promises. Be prepared to illustrate your company’s progress to the media, key stakeholders and affected individuals. This will help rebuild trust.

Kudos to AirTran for prompt communication to the public after the airline removed Muslim passengers from flight 175 to Orlando, Fla. Which company deserves a slap on the wrist for its crisis handling? Post a comment and let us know your thoughts.

Interactive Marketing When You Don’t Know Your Twitter from Your Ning

As communications professionals, every member of the c21 team understands the power of the Internet – as both a sales and a communication channel. Some of us might even be considered cyber geeks (but I won’t name any names). Like many integrated marketing professionals, we’re comfortable tweeting away on Twitter, friending on Facebook, using LinkedIn to build our personal and professional networks and debating the merits of iGoogle vs. Netvibes. But we also realize that our clients may not have the same level of expertise in interactive marketing that we have. And frankly, we know how annoying it is to feel like the subject-matter expert you’ve hired to help you is speaking a completely foreign language.

That’s why we take a very measured approach to developing interactive strategies with our clients – starting with getting an understanding of each client’s level of readiness and capacity for the work. Recently, our team led a Social Media 101 webinar for non-profit professionals, in which we explained pros and cons of various applications, showed examples of best practices in their industry and gave participants an opportunity to ask questions they otherwise may never have gotten answered. Sure, we love “exotic” projects like building social media promotions and creative pay-per-click campaigns, but we’re just as amped to help a client monitor their online reputation or to analyze and improve the effectiveness of their existing Web site and search results.

It’s easy to get excited by the bells and whistles associated with Internet marketing, but in the end it’s all about finding the tools that generate results.

What's your opinion?

These days anyone can publish an op-ed piece ... by simply posting an opinion story on his or her own blog. However, if your blog has yet to reach a readership of hundreds of thousands you may want consider a more traditional method to reach target audiences - drafting an opinion piece with the intent of getting it published in a printed newspaper or magazine.


Recently at a media panel hosted by c21, Ken Foskett, editor of the opinion pages for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, shared what he looks for when considering which op-ed submissions make it to print. The submission must be well-written, take a strong stand on one side of an issue or topic, and connect with timely news.


Coincidentally, at about the same time, two of our non-profit clients asked us for suggestions or "best practices" for writing and placing op-ed articles. While compiling these best practices and guidelines, we came across a useful article and "checklist" for writing op-ed pieces from former journalist John McLain. Below are 10 items from his checklist:

• Focus tightly on one issue or idea – in your first paragraph


• Express your opinion then base it on factual, researched or first-hand information


• Be timely, controversial but not outrageous


• Be personal and conversational


• Have a clear editorial viewpoint – come down hard on one side of the issue


• Educate your reader without being preachy


• Issue a call to action


• Use clear, powerful, direct language


• Avoid clichés and jargon


• Appeal to the average reader

You know what they say about opinions ... yep, everyone has one. And, if you articulate your organization's opinion or position well, it might actually be heard.

Branding and Positioning = Blogging

A study called "Harnessing the Power of Blogs," sponsored research by BuzzLogic and conducted by JupiterResearch, a Forrester Research company, recently was released.

The coverage about the study, posted on ClickZ, claims blogs influence buying/purchasing more than social sites. But, after careful review, I believe the correct statement should be advertisements on blogs influence buying/purchasing more than advertisements on social sites. Regardless, there are some great stats on blog use and response to advertisements on blogs.

And, according to the story, a blog "plays a greater role than social networks, likely because bloggers establish themselves as an authority on a topic, particularly in niche areas, and create a relationship with the consumer."

The point? Blogging is quickly becoming the new "executive positioning" and "thought leadership" tactic. Many clients want to be viewed as leaders in their respective industries or have their executives positioned as thought leaders, but shy away from blogs potentially due to the interactive or two-way feedback mechanism, but is that really so scary? Really ... what's your reason NOT to blog?

Social Media Mistakes Hall of Fame

If you're new to the world of social media marketing, you may be concerned about making missteps and faux-pas on the Web. Don't let those fears stop you! Blogger and tech journalist David Spark recently penned a great piece about some of the bigger mistakes social media gurus have admitted to making. So if you're just jumping into this brave new world - take a look, take a deep breath and go forth! And if you're an old pro at social media, let us know what mistakes you've made and what you learned in the process.