Advertising & Marketing

In this space we have occasionally noted how major corporations are incorporating what sucks into their marketing campaigns. Spurred, no doubt, by the edgy attitude of their advertising agencies, but clearly comfortable using such an attention-getting device. Recently, two new campaigns of that sort hit the mass and social media. The first is for Gett, a cab-hailing mobile app in competition with upstart start-ups Uber and Lyft. The campaign, “Surge Sucks,” taps into rider discontent with those competitors’ practice of hiking prices at a time of greater demand; http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/gett-launches-surge-sucks-campaign-reimburse-riders-article-1.2430389. Likely driven by how hard it is to get a word in edgewise with Uber and Lyft dominating the media, Gett took a direct approach. Think of it in the same vein as the ’70s-era Pepsi Challenge that helped the soft drink make inroads into Coke’s market share. The second is for Jolly Rancher, the candy that can annoyingly be heard being unwrapped in theaters from Broadway to LA. Taking advantage of the football season and the plight of its rookies, Jolly Rancher took off with “Being a Rookie Sucks” featuring St. Louis Rams’ first year running back, Todd Gurley; http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/11/rams-rookie-todd-gurley-sings-and-wears-a-tutu-in-hilarious-new-commercial. Yes, Dyson may suck and Hoover, too, all by themselves, but with candy it takes two to tango, or in this case pas de deux. These ads are all part of a pretty healthy tradition. In this space we’ve talked about Taco Bell’s “Sharing Sucks” campaign and UK mobile network Three’s hashtag, “WhenStuffSucks,MakeItRight” But one of my favorite is historical in ad years. Nearly seven years ago, Nicorette, the don’t-smoke-chew-gum company, introduced us to the Suckometer; http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/nicorettes-suckometer-ads-still-do-not-suck-13061. It was a classic look, a bit like the head of Robby the Robot from the ’50s scifi movie, Forbidden Planet; http://www.hammacher.com/publish/10921.asp I guess if they bring it back today, it will have a Star Wars tie-in and look like R2D2.

In some small measure, Vox Populi Registry, or as we have begun to call ourselves, VPR, drew moral support from Facebook for our application to bring dotSucks names to the Internet. The innovative social media platform has long promoted its “Like” button, both within its four walls and anywhere on the ‘Net. The ubiquitous button gave people a chance to be heard. Likes have become a digital currency all their own. Of course, it wasn’t the whole story. So it was not surprising when the company also considered adding a “Dislike” button. It makes sense as Like/Dislike are two sides of the same coin, to continue the money metaphor. The plan was set aside when Facebook decided it didn’t want to risk upsetting either its members or its advertisers. There’s that money metaphor again. Until now. As CBS reports, “…in recent years Zuckerberg softened his stance, responding to popular demand from Facebook users who say ‘like’ does not fit certain status updates and situations, say a death in the family or a crisis.” Zuckerberg said the new feature is coming soon, but suggested it might first take shape as a “sympathize” button. Anyway you cut it, people do want the opportunity to comment and there is value in what is said — whether it is a kiss or a slap upside the head. That has been a driving force for us at VPR. There is value in the criticism. Giving people the opportunity to be heard leads to an honest assessment of products, services and corporate behavior. In that honesty, companies can find a roadmap to more of the market. We look forward to a dislike button. Afterall, Zuckerberg is halfway there. Facebook has already registered zuckerberg.sucks

A recent call from a reporter reminded me of the strong currents Vox Populi Registry must navigate. Our desire not to traffic in the number of .sucks domain names that have been registered swims counter to the wave of metrics that have come to define the success (or less so) of the new gTLDs. Rather than promoting how many, how much or how quickly, we are far more interested in innovation and what is emerging on the platform we have created. It was our hope to give companies a chance to curate and gain insight from criticism, to give consumers a chance to be more quickly and clearly heard and for advocates to more easily rally others to their causes. Even though it has been less than two months since .sucks names became generally available, we always saw these names less as an address (even if a quirky one!) and more a potential platform for building communities and taking action. This measure of success will take a bit longer to reveal itself but the early results are good. I am particularly fond of the emerging community at www.aircanada.sucks. The linking of its Twitter feed and invitation to share stories has given the site a dynamic profile. The energy behind the initiative comes from the registrant’s own and these shared personal experiences that the moderator hopes will add up to seeing real change at the airline. Less company-specific criticism that may be more meaningful to more people also has found a home here. One in particular has resonance in the current political season: www.corruptgovernment.sucks. Yes, indeed, it does. Company and public behavior are not the only early subjects – health matters, too. For example, www.heartattack.sucks is being used as a new primary location for practitioners focused on cardiovascular intervention. There is even a band’s fan site organizing at www.kmfdm.sucks. It looks like “cheeky” fits its profile. It is likely that the good work of each new site will stimulate the imagination of others. We’d be good with that. Thanks for the encouragement.