ESPN can't ignore the competition

Last Thursday, Disney CFO Jay Rasulo had this to say about the emerging competition ESPN faces from the new 24-hour sports networks from Fox, NBC, and CBS.

"People are going to spend a lot of money, they're going to step up to bid on a lot of rights, and they're going to wind up a distant No. 2. So I feel pretty confident about our hand there."

Great leaders don't dismiss their challengers, no matter how insignificant and undermanned they seem to be. American industry is littered with examples of shattered companies who took their competition too lightly. GM ignored Toyota. RCA was too busy diversifying to worry about Sony. And Blockbuster scoffed at Netflix.

Great leaders use any and all challengers as a excuse to examine every potential weakness and sharpen their competitive edge.

ESPN would be wise to do the same.

Great campaigns are about more than just ads

You've probably seen the Farmers Insurance ads on TV. It's one of the better campaigns in the category, combining a great brand mnemonic with relevant humor and what I call a "that guy" strategy – commercials featuring that guy you recognize, but couldn't recall his name if your life depended on it – to create a disruptive, memorable and effective presence amid the clutter that is television advertising.



What I love about the campaign, however, is not just how good the TV spots are, but how watchable the long form videos they've created are.

If you have two and a half minutes, watch this.



While most videos of this ilk are dry and technical, Farmers' agency has created an informational video that fits the style of the campaign without using professional on-camera talent. It almost makes me want to watch more of them.

A crowning achievement for an insurance informercial.

Kmart steps on the gas

In a previous post, I wondered if Kmart's successful "Ship My Pants" ad was a campaignable idea or just another marketing one-hit wonder.

Well, they're two for two, and I actually like this execution better than their first.



"Big gas savings" works better for me because the promotion is more relevant. Gas is something you buy almost every week so providing a discount on this is a lot more compelling than free shipping for items not available in store.

Now the only question becomes do they do a furniture spot featuring a large convertible couch with the phrase, "that sofa king's awesome."