Monday, January 23, 2012

Charlotte Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Meeting

Julio Colmenares will be attending the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Meeting today at 3:45 at the CPCC Central Campus. He will be a part of a panel discussing business in these tough economic times. We are proud of the role we play with the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and with the Community Building Initiative. With the strength we give to these organizations, we help to improve the quality of life in Charlotte and the surrounding area. 


By Embra King

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Quit While You're Ahead

By: Embra King
                                      

Do you know of the Geico Gecko? Of course you do they have been beating that company mascot to death ever since his introduction in 1999. He has even had a couple accent changes since his debut. I know you know the Geico Cavemen pitch that has been on since 2005. You know--the one that is so bad now that you almost feel embarrassed for them. Now I am all for fun creative advertising, but these things should have expiration dates, and for Geico’s two longest running adds, I think it is time to let them rest. It is a good thing when a company knows when enough is enough, to bow out while the going is good. At once I thought that Geico’s gecko and caveman pitches where playful and fun; now I cringe every time I see one of their ads. It is like someone who was fun to hangout with for short periods of time, when all of a sudden they started showing up to parties uninvited and sat in the corner not talking to anyone, periodically shouting nonsense to remind everyone that he is still in the room. 

But now for my point. This past week Target unexpectedly announced it was parting ways with advertising firm Wieden + Kennedy. For several years now the firm had been creating fun, 15-second commercials that depict little life moments, highlighting a single product at the end. The ability to deliver 150 compact, playful, and sometimes downright hilarious commercials in only about a year and a half is impressive, but what is more impressive is that each is very well done, with none that really stand out as being bad.  When Target’s VP was asked why they split with W+K he had this to say, “Leave really good work before it’s time to leave”.  I think Gieco needs to take a page from the Target playbook and retire the gecko and caveman before someone thinks that a TV show based on their commercials is a good idea…