The Oscar Race

The little idea of an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was born in January 1927, over dinner, at MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer’s Santa Monica beach house.  The Oscar statuette is now probably the most recognized trophy in the world.  The name Oscar is derived from the original Academy librarian who, upon seeing the trophy for the first time, remarked that it looked like her lovable uncle Oscar.  The name took root and became official in 1939.  And who doesn’t love Oscar?  Actually, a lot of people do not love Oscar.  Just ask the parade of nominees through the years who have received multiple nominations and no Oscar win. Read more →

“If you’ve got a passion for fashion…”

Does anyone know where you can find the TV spot for Ideal?”

I found the audio track on for Ideal on YouTube.

Remember the New Jersey retailer that dominated the local air waves with this awesome jingle?  Let me know where I can find this spot.

And, of course, let me know what you think of this awesome ditty!

2012 Oscar Contest

Its that time of the year again, the 84th Annual Academy Awards are just around the corner and that can only mean one thing.  The 2012 Gillespie Group Oscar Contest is here! Read more →

Eyes On Impressions

Last year we wrote a little about the new Out of Home measuring system called Eyes On. Back then it was still a theory and a nice look into the future. As it happens, the future is now and Eyes On is the currency for the Out of Home (OOH) media measurement.  Eyes On is a better way and it’s now real.

Over the past few decades OOH industry and media planners have used Daily Effective Circulation (DEC) as the primary measurement, which has been based off of traffic counts surrounding specific outdoor boards.  OOH was used as a broad reach vehicle.  Given the DEC measurement, it was almost impossible to demographically target a specific audience.  OOH was purchased via “showings”, typically a #100, #75, #50 and #25.  The showing number represented a percentage reach of the market population.  The number of units/panels required to achieve a specific showing varied by market.  As a way to standardize OOH delivery, The Traffic Audit Bureau for Media Measurement (TAB), developed the Eyes On concept as an alternative to the DEC.

TAB developed what they call the four building blocks of Eyes On – Circulation (more accurate traffic counts); Visibility Research (travel simulation eye tracking data that actually converts the number of people passing a display to the audience that actually sees the advertisement); Demographics (Census and trip survey data is used to identify the demographic composition of people passing each display); Reach and Frequency (trip origins and destination information).  The research program was designed to determine the portion of the population who pass an OOH advertisement and actually see it.  It also takes into account how a unit’s format, size, road type/speed, road side, angle to the road and distance to the road effect the likelihood that the advertising will be noticed.

The transition from DEC and showings will take some time to completely comprehend the new metric with many new terms:  CSBA’s, EOI’s, VAI’s, PRS, MAP and many more.   With Eyes On measurement, buying OOH will be more sophisticated, accurate and more in-line with numbers and terms media planners/buyers are more familiar with.

As of January 1, 2012 Eyes On is the currency for the OOH industry and data is now available for the Philadelphia market.  If you would like to hear more about the new metric please feel free to contact your friendly media managers – Debbie, Alena or Holly.

Pre-gaming for the Big Game.

As we prepare for the big game this weekend, those of us in advertising will inherently look forward to viewing the newest and most creative spots to come out of the big (and sometimes small) agencies.  With recent advertising prices peaking at 3.1M for a thirty second spot, it is no surprise that agencies will pull out all of the stops in an effort to capture the attention of the viewers and wow them into ongoing discussion of just how great Brand X‘s commercial was.  In the past, these commercials were a tight lipped secret until their time slot on the big night. So why is it, in the past two years, advertisers have not only released their commercials early via social media outlets, but have gone above and beyond to promote their new spots? Read more →

Hollywood’s Obsession With Movies Based On Other Movies

Four years ago, movie industry reporters and insiders proclaimed that after a year of movie sequels, the future film slates from the major studios would be sequel-light.  If the intervening years were intended as a unique opportunity to showcase new ideas and the ingenuity of the creative energy at the studios, then Hollywood is in trouble.

Read more →

What was Tab thinking?

Remember Tab?

I’m not a big soda drinker.  But I can remember my folks consuming this product by the gallon.  It was the early 1970s.  I remember asking my mom, “Do you like Tab?”  She said, bluntly, “No. It’s pretty bad.”

Years later, I saw it in the grocery store and bought it for a party I was having. I thought it would be funny.  Kind of a novelty.

Suffice to say, I ended up throwing away the six packs after the party. Apparently everyone else thought it was pretty bad.

A few years ago, I stumbled across this ad for Tab. I think it came out in 1972.  It’s a classic.  I can’t believe that it aired.  Or at least, I can’t believe that network executives didn’t get an earful from the women’s lib movement.

Check it out.

Let me know what you think.

We love this ad.

You should check out this ad. (DeBeers Dandelion)

It’s for De Beers. To my knowledge it never ran.  At least I don’t recall seeing it in this market.  I came across the ad when doing research for a pitch.

I’m not sure what the definition of  “great creative” is.  But for me this comes close.  It’s beautifully shot.  It tells a story, visually. Dusty Springfield’s rendition of “What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life” is spot-on.  The commercial is simple yet powerful.

Let me know what you think about this spot.

St. John’s Hospice

In the fall, Gillespie Group staff volunteered at St. John’s Hospice.  Each day at St. John’s about 500 homeless men find a hot meal.  Many are able to shower, change their clothing. St. John’s offers hope and compassion for these men.  And many find their way off the streets and are able to live healthy, addiction-free lives through the work of St. John’s Hospice.

Gillespie Group staff, including Mike Gillespie, Sr., Gregg Smith, Debbie Field, Alena Minarovicova and Mike Gillespie, Jr. volunteered by serving lunch.  With a limited budget, St. John’s relies on an army of volunteers and supporters which allows the organization to continue feeding homeless men.

In addition to volunteering to serve meals, people provide clothing and deliver prepared casseroles which are the main meals served to the men.

Learn more about St. John’s by visiting www.stjohnshospice.org.

Google +1 Button

Google’s +1 button was introduced in March of 2011 and many people had doubts about the new social venture of the search giant. But Google had no other choice but to get on the social bandwagon, and brought social and search together into a social search. Read more →