We launched a new campaign last week for The Omni Clubs, a series of health clubs in Georgia and Florida.  The site we launched is www.theomnidifference.com.  The Omni Difference campaign focuses on the difference that the Personal Trainers at The Omni Club make in ensuring you meet your fitness goals.  These personal trainers and the difference they make are the focal point of the campaign.

We feature two personal trainers from Fort Myers Florida and two personal trainers from Athens Georgia  and this campaign features direct mail, the microsite, banner ads and a few guerrilla tactics. 

If you are looking for a personal trainer in Fort Myers Florida or a personal trainer in Athens Georgia, check out the success coaches at The Omni Club and experience The Omni Difference.

This commercial about sums up my previous post about why I switched to a mac.  My less than a year old HP laptop sits gathering dust, while I type this on my MacBook Pro (now with 4 Gb of RAM!!!)

To keep up with my posting here I've decided to do occasional musings posts that will cover a coupon topics at a time, this is the first, enjoy!

Local News Sweeps Scare Tactics

In case you were unaware, we are in the May sweeps time that help determine local TV ad rates.  If you hadn't noticed, you may have noticed the scare tactics that some news stations have been pulling.  For example, tonight on KMOV-TV St. Louis (local CBS Affiliate – Channel 4), they are running an investigation on how dangerous the ice is at local restaurants.  They had hidden footage of the fast food joints and lab reports and everything.  Mind you I haven't seen this report, but I've seen a thousand commercials for it and heard ads on the radio.  So, this is apparently big news which will likely kill me.  Funny how I haven't heard anything about it before now. 

The other one that was teased was how someone can hack my cell phone and track every text message, email and conversation I have on my cell.  Nice. 

Thanks local TV for trying to scare me into watching your news program.  I'll pass.

SNL + NBC Character Involvement = Boring Skits

Here's the other trend I've noticed lately.  My wife and I DVR Saturday Night Live.  I usually skip through most of it on Sunday after church, but I've noticed that every episode has a skit or two featuring a personality from one of their other stations (CNBC, Bravo, etc.).  Most of them are people I know nothing about:

• Suze Orman
• Jim The Shouting Stock Guy
• Some dude from Top Model
• Brian Williams and MSNBC

As a result of knowing nothing about them the skit is pointless to me.  Why does this matter?  Because it seems like this is trend is being forced upon SNL writers from the higher ups.  I doubt that they would just always choose NBC property cast members over other funny trends (like American Idol or any other reality show nightmare).   Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like cross-promotion is winning out over entertainment that may be funnier.

I admit it.  I watch American Idol.  I haven't really gotten into it in years past, but this year I've been watching it every week.  It's interesting, sometimes in a train wreck kind of way, but interesting nonetheless. 

One thing I consistently comment on to my wife as we watch is how in almost every show it gets closer and closer to one big infomercial for apple, coca cola and at&t or the artist who helps that week (who usually conveniently has an album coming out around their appearance, surprising, no. not really). 

So I've read and heard reports (AdAge maybe?) about how networks love reality shows because they are more likely to be watched in real time, as opposed to being DVR'd and watched while skipping commercials.  We still skip at home, but sometimes we catch the commercials, and I've now seen the WORST COMMERCIAL EVER (let's just call it meatloafed for short) several times, most notably on American Idol.  If you aren't familiar with this monstrosity, it is a commercial for AT&T go phone with Meatloaf, his son (?) and Tiffany singing a new version of Paradise by the Dashboard Light. 

Two things about being meatloafed that drive me bonkers. 

One – Why does Meatloaf's son shake his head like he is all excited about this phone while they are singing?  It really creeps me out. 

Two – What does Tiffany have to do with Meatloaf and his son?  Why is she carrying meat?  Is this a subtle joke about Meatloaf?  Is this what meatloaf looks like before its cooked?  I thought it was ground beef? 

In closing, American Idol is good, even as it drifts closer and closer to being one big infomercial, however Meatloafed is the WORST COMMERCIAL EVER.

Cheers,

Brian Schwartz