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New reader Randi emailed Gothamist with this link to perhaps the best use of demonstration of wackiness at City Hall that does not involve the City Council, the Mayor, and some spinning: The Wise Owl, a Crash Test Dummy, Mr. Clean, and Tony the Tiger re-enacting Abbey Road (on what looks like Broadway) to kick off Advertising Week in NYC - which doesn't happen for another month. This other photograph shows Mayor Koch and other brand icons like the Michelin Man, Charlie Tuna, and the Chiquita Banana lady - and it looks like Kool-Aid is on the left.
AdAge was at the event and reported (registration required, but it's free):
Many icons were no-shows, including Ronald McDonald and the Jolly Green Giant. A rumor quickly circulated that the Energizer Bunny did not make an appearance because the marketer felt that it would be "off-message" for the drum-thumping rabbit to be seen in public being "wanded" at City Hall's security checkpoint.Still, it's like a Madison Avenue acid trip!
Advertising Week in NYC begins on September 20 and there will be exhibits at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central (including one about "I Love NY"). You can also vote for your favorite advertising icon. It's a diverse group: animals (McGruff), foreigners (Juan Valdez), dough (Pillsbury Doughboy), appendages (Arm & Hammer).
A great book about advertising is Luke Sullivan's Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This. And two great sites are Ad Rants and ad land ad rag. And if you're really tired of commercialsl, there's TiVo.
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The second photo with Mayor Koch kills me - he's so crazy, I love it! Whether it's posing with Tony the Tiger or GOP elephants, he's having a good time.
i used to love koch – he was the greatest mayor of my generation and really epitomized the ny of the day. the thought, however, that this once proud village democrat is now shilling for the gop makes me ill.
"hey kool aid!!" "oh yeah!"
Hey, is that Michael Chiklis as Mr. Clean? You'd think The Commish wouldn't have to do these gigs anymore after winning the Emmy...
Those pictures are the epitome of why I frequent Gothamist.com. Terror alerts, GOP convention security, whatever. Tony the Tiger, the Michelin Man et al. strutting in front of City Hall makes me feel like all is right with the world. Municipally-endorsed frivolity is somehow very comforting. This is officially the moment when ad icons overtook dashboard saints.
On a different note, Koch may have been a very personable Mayor, but I remember NYC as being literally a much scarier place during his tenure. And he's not shilling for the GOP, he's shilling for NYC as an open, inclusive, and tolerant city that is not overly disrespectful of its guests, which it is, or I hope it will be.
I agree that a little municipal frivolity is a good thing, but there's an unpleasant aspect of product placement in these highly staged events. The McEnroe-ization of Mayor Koch is also funny to watch. He's gone from being a sullen, self-centered bully to a lovably irascible symbol of the city.
Actually, in addition to his convention PR work, Koch said he would vote for Bush. Does an endorsement qualify as "shilling"?
"And if you're really tired of commercialsl [sic], there's TiVo."
Hmm, how about this instead:
"And if you're really tired of commercials, turn off your TV and unplug your internet connection. Ride your bike, read a book, talk to your neighbor, be part of your community."
In other news...
http://www.local6.com/news/3616080/detail.html
The Michelin Man has a name and it is Bibendom!
Thanks for those pix. So fantastic!
-Tony
Doesn't Ed Kock look like one of the old guys in the balcony seats on The Muppet Show?
awesome photos. i wish i was there.
Bibendom? Who would know that? That's such an arcane piece of trivia - and I love it!
In a part life, I worked on the Exxon account. There were rumors of litigation from Kellogg's because Exxon was using their a cartoon version of their tiger ("Put a tiger in your tank!") to promote their convenience stores (this site is in German but there's a picture of the cartoon tiger). Whenever we'd do anything marketing related involving the Exxon tiger, I'd have to count the number of whiskers, blah blah and make sure it looked like the Exxon tiger, versus Tony. Ah, brand management!
The Michelin Man? Oh shit. ::runs to bathroom::
Bibendum is a big part of the plot line in William Gibson's new book, Pattern Recognition. The main character, a cool hunter, is allergic to certain logos and symbols, Bibendum chief among them.
(Explanation of the "Cayce Pollard" post--her name--above)
I read and loved Pattern Recognition, but Bibendom did not stick in my mind. Thanks for the explanations.
My icon is Paris Hilton. How about someone strutting around dressed in a costume of a naked Paris Hilton?
dude, who the hell is wise owl?
i see woodsy owl in the Koch photo, but i've never heard of a wise owl. what is it?
strange sighting. does this mean that the apocalypse is coming?
The Wise Owl is the mascot for Wise snack foods. They make popcorn, chips, and other things like that: http://www.taquitos.net/snacks.php?snack_code=1637
Ha ha Confusion! The old guys in the box from The Muppet show are Statler & Waldorf! This is my nickname for 2 of my cantankerous friends! Ed Koch def. looks like one of them.
Ha ha Confusion! The old guys in the box from The Muppet show are Statler & Waldorf! This is my nickname for 2 of my cantankerous friends! Ed Koch def. looks like one of them.
But do you know what Statler & Waldorf are named for? 50 points, if you do!
Statler & Waldorf: named after hotels?
There is also a swanky restaurant in London named Bibendum, housed in a former Michelin tire factory.