Scott Sanfilippo » Advertising

“Join the TiVo-lution.” Or, “TiVo Premier, This Ain’t Your Father’s DVR.”

Scott Sanfilippo — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 19:20:53 +0000

As a kid growing up in the 80′s, I remember one of the era’s most popular inventions, the VHS recorder.
Those big, bulky devices that you would hook up to your television and record shows on tape. Like the machines themselves, video stores sprung up like dandelions in a yard of weeds, selling “memberships” that allowed you to rent movies to take home and watch. The quality wasn’t spectacular, the tapes only held about 4 to 6 hours of shows, but this was the hot item at the time, right alongside the Sony Walkman.

It wasn’t until a small, unknown company came along that would change the way we record shows forever – TiVo.. I remember hearing about their black box that you would hook up to your television, be able to record shows without the use of tape, pause and rewind live tv and view an on-screen television guide. TiVo gave birth to the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) and remains the leader in the world of DVR’s. While cable and satellite operators came out with their own version of the DVR, none could compare to the features, ease of use and following that TiVo had.

I was one of the original subscribers, ordering my TiVo box online and patiently waiting for it to arrive. When it finally did, I was instantly in love and rushed back online to order one for every TV in the house. A few years after the original TiVo was released, a new version came out with upgrades including more recording space and a model for the then-emerging high definition market. Called the “Series-3,” these are currently the boxes that power my television viewing.

Life with TiVo is interesting. I don’t usually watch “live” TV but spend time going through the hundreds of shows that are stored on the various DVRs throughout my house. Being able to network the TiVo boxes together allows one to watch a show in the bedroom that was recorded on the box in the family room. I spend time “thumbs upp-ing” and “thumbs-downing” shows I don’t like, watching YouTube videos on the TV through the TiVo and renting movies via Netflix and watching them through the box as well. I’ve developed one side effect of TiVo viewing and it’s something I wish we could do in real life. Rewind. Often I find myself listening to someone talk or listen to something on the radio and I find myself looking for the remote to go back a few seconds to hear it over again. Silly, but true.

A few weeks ago, I got an email from my friends at TiVo touting the release of their latest box which is guaranteed to revolutionize the way we watch television. Again. TiVo Premier is now available as the next-generation DVR that’s billed as a cable box, movie box, web box and music box all rolled into one. With a brand new HD interface, the new TiVo Premier still gives you all the features TiVo users have come to know and love but adds more movies on demand, enhanced search capabilities, full 1080p support, and for those of us wanting to save the environment, it’s now ENERGY STAR compliant.

Whether you have an older TiVo you want to upgrade or you’re looking to embark on this wonderful journey, the new TiVo Premier is now available and you’re going to want to get one. Trust me!

“The Trouble With Signs.” Or, “Why Proofreading Matters.”

Scott Sanfilippo — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:48:54 +0000

As I was driving on Interstate 81 North in Pittston, PA today, I noticed a billboard for a now defunct restaurant suddenly made a return appearance. Not quite sure why the sign was resurrected, but after seeing it, something looked a little odd.

I pulled off the Interstate and made my way back to find the sign in order to get a better look. What I saw up close and personal was indeed what I saw in the distance. I stopped for a moment, and said to myself, “well, that couldn’t have been good for business!”

Whoever designed the billboard, never proofread the sign before it went up, and the billboard was displaying an incorrect exit number. There is no exit 570 off Interstate 81 or any other roads nearby for that matter. 570 happens to be the telephone area code for this part of northeastern Pennsylvania. The exit you would need to take to get to this former eatery would have been 175.

Now the home of Tony Stella’s Goodfellos, 1901 Highway 315, Pittston used to be the Mayfair Supper Club and reincarnated into a few nightspots including Bella Vino and most recently Stultz’s “All-U-Can-Eat” which had a lifespan close to that of a fruit fly (which happens to be 30 days).

It makes me wonder how things like this get bought and paid for despite being inaccurate. Did the owner not review the mock-up for the billboard before it was printed and installed? Did customers or employees not notice its error and bring it to someone’s attention? Did the billboard company think something was off when they put the sign up knowing there was no exit 570? The company, Besko Media, has an office locally so they can’t plead ignorant.

Whether you’re designing a billboard that will be seen by 60,000 people a day, or designing a cover for a menu that will be seen by 50 people a day, take the time to review it once, twice, even three times. Then have others do the same. Chance are you’re going to find something that’s incorrect or could have been done better.

In the mean time, if you’re looking for a place to eat, go ahead and try Tony Stella’s Goodfello’s. They’re located underneath the ugly yellow and black billboard advertising a tacky “All-U-Can-Eat” joint off the Interstate. Just don’t take exit 570. God only knows where you’ll end up.

“Identity Crisis.” Or, “I’ll Have a Large with Extra Cheese and Lamb.”

Scott Sanfilippo — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 03:16:11 +0000

If you’re hungry for a pizza, you call a pizza shop.

Want some Chinese take away? Call the local Chinese restaurant.

Looking to get your car cleaned? Then go to the car wash.

You don’t need to put together a flow chart to in order to determine the outcome of the above examples. Common sense pretty much prevails.

On my way to dinner at Vino Dolce in Hanover Townsip, PA this evening, I passed a sign outside a business with a bit of an identity crisis. It’s a rather new establishment with an interesting way of marketing themselves. Billed as the “House of Pizza,” you would think that this is the place to grab one of the best pizzas in town, right?

Not really.

The “House of Pizza,” according to their own advertising, doesn’t specialize in the Italian delight that’s a favorite to millions! Instead, the speciality of the house is none other than the Greek inspired sandwich made of compressed lamb meat carved off a stick – the Gyro.

So what do people go to the “House of Pizza” for? A slice of New York or a bite of Athens? I’m not quite sure.

I’m just happy my dentist doesn’t have an identity crisis like this place does. I wouldn’t want to see a sign in front of his office saying, “John Smith, DDS – Specializing in Prostate Exams.” That would just be baaaaaaaaaaad.

Visit Vino Dolce Online - http://www.vino-dolce.com

P.S. If you are looking for a pizza, Vino Dolce now offers some of the best Old Forge pizza this side of Main Street. Besides their regular menu of homemade Italian goodness, pizza is now available every night. Check out their website at http://www.vino-dolce.com for their menu and take a moment to sign up for their email list. Then when you stop in for a bite to eat, tell Dale & Renee I sent ya!

“Polkas, Bartels and Some Dusty LPs.” Or, “Remembering WARD-AM.”

Scott Sanfilippo — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:53:18 +0000

Sometimes the craziest things spark a memory.

Whether it be the smell of burning leaves that reminds you of fall and spirals you into seasonal depression or the obscured back road in the middle of nowhere that reminds you of the first time you tried out back-seat yoga in your old Chevelle.

Today, I had to go and do a walk-thru of a rental property I own, as the renter is moving out. I lived in this house about 6 years ago and thought I got all my stuff out of it back then, but came upon an interesting stash up in the attic.

In 1987 I got my first job in radio working for Jim & Dorothy Ward at WARD-AM in Pittston, PA. It was a 10,000 watt day timer and one of the few remaining independently owned, yet stand-alone, AM radio stations in northeast Pennsylvania. After Jim’s death in 1994, the place went down the toilet and I moved on in 1997 right before it was sold.

WARD was unique to say the very least. Some day I’ll talk more about my time there and the craziness that went on inside a building that had house trailers attached to it, shag carpeting on the walls, flakeboard for paneling and an oil burner that always ran out of oil during my shift. WARD was the very first station in the market to embrace an all talk format and introduced Rush Limbaugh to northeast PA. High school sports was a big part of the station’s programming (and a big help for cash flow) as was Polka Weekend.

Yes, Polka Weekend.

Sam Liguori, Dale Michaels (aka Rusty Fender / Shadoe Steele), Rob Neyhard, Brunon Kryger and myself, along with rotating part-timers, overtook the radios in every nursing home, bingo hall, VFW, corner bar and Polish household in NEPA beginning at 6am Saturday morning and not giving up until the bars ran out of Bartels late Sunday night.

We did air shifts ranging from 4 to 6 hours, did live on-air requests and dedications without a delay, queued up records, and did more remotes from church bazars and fire company picnics than I care to count, yet remember. There were no computers loaded with MP3 files – we had boxes of records, yes records, that we flipped through and queued up on turntables. Commercials and bumpers were recorded on “carts” – audio cartridges similar to an 8-track tape. There were no CD players and the Sunday early morning religious programs came in the mail on 7-inch reel-to-reel tape. When we had to voice commercials, we had to splice tape with real razor blades, not a Mac running Adobe Audition.

Today, I stumbled upon 2 boxes of those records we used to spin on Polka Weekend hiding in the attic. Notes are taped to some of them which say things like, “Don’t play cut 3 it skips” or “Do not remove from studio” – glad I paid attention to that one. They all look like they’re in good condition and aren’t warped, but I don’t have a turntable to verify.

After finding this cache, I started thinking about the time I spent at WARD and looked for some photos that I had of the old place. Low and behold, I even found some of them, with a very young and thinner looking me.

Some memories you want to forget, some you want to remember. Memories of WARD I’ll always cherish as it was a special, one-of-a-kind place even if the place at 83 Foote Avenue in Duryea is now a junk yard.

Here I am chatting on the phone in the main studio. The Lazy Susan cart rack is in the back holding all the commercials. The black and white TV up in the corner was the only entertainment we had, and also served as the audio source for when we broadcast WNEP-TV news at 6pm and 11pm during the week. The red EBS binder contained the envelope with the secret code and instructions on what to do “in the event of a real emergency!” That strange contraption to the left with the circle of orange felt is a turn table – something that doesn’t exist in radio stations today!

Here I am donning a set of Radio Shack head phones, wearing an Izod shirt and some stone washed denim – sure signs of the 80′s. The Electro Voice RE20 mic in the on-air studio was a big investment at the time.

If you look closely there is a block of wood that we used to prop up the telos telephone interface so we can see it at a better angle. The walls in the studio were wrapped in lovely shag carpeting and the jock sitting at the board faced a clock on the other side of the wall and a big hole in the roof that leaked when it rained, but it was the only way the cables from the satellite dishes in the back got into the building.

“How A Pie Can Spark Romance.” Or, “Not Now I Have A Headache.”

Scott Sanfilippo — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:17:11 +0000

I’m not a huge fan of McDonald’s. I’m more of a Wendy’s guy. The little red head with the freckles has better chicken sandwiches and she makes one hell of a chili. But there is one thing on the menu at the golden arches that I love besides the fries, and it’s their pies.

Whether it be a hot apple pie or one of the hard to find cherry, I rank them up there with the TastyKake ones for a quick, on-the-go snack. Craving a dose of cholesterol, I stopped at my local Mickey D’s for a bit of lunch and grabbed a pie for dessert.

I became curious with the packaging that surrounded the pastry that I love. On the box was a warning that, “I’m Hot” and a picture of a man who resembles Barack Obama clutching a woman with a bad hair-do who appears to be sucking on his cheek. Next to this couple is the fast food giant’s slogan, “…I’m lovin’ it.”

Have I been missing out on the aphrodisiac quality of the humble apple pie, or is it “new and improved” with the addition of spanish fly? The young man in the illustration seems to be “lovin’ it” by the look on his face and while we can see both of his hands wrapped around this young lady, I have to question where her right hand is. The particular location of her appendage may account for the gentleman’s strange facial expression.

I have yet to figure out what the design on the package has to do with its contents, but who am I to question it? I’m sure there’s been research done showing that suggestive packaging on pie boxes results in higher sales. In fact, I remember when the movie American Pie came out, my local bake shop had a hard time keeping up with the demand for this delectable desert.

So if you’re feeling a bit randy on this New Year’s Eve and want to ring in the new year with a bang, head on down to McDonald’s, grab a sack of pies, hand one to your significant other, say, “I’m Hot” and after a while the two of you will be “lovin’ it.”

“Large, X-Large, Jumbo, Titanic.” Or, “Yes Helen, Size Matters.”

Scott Sanfilippo — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:58:58 +0000

The most famous ocean liner in the world, Titanic, now has a shrimp named after her.

In marketing we love to use descriptors that make us feel good, such as “world’s greatest” or “America’s favorite.” But we all know it’s just one big pile of pig slop. Just look in your own neighborhood and count the number of sub shops that claim to have the “World’s Greatest Cheesesteak.”

We buy into the spin every day whether it’s when we’re looking for a new vacuum cleaner such as the Oreck Halo that claims to kill viruses or a new Hyundai that claims to be the car with “America’s Best Warranty.” Nobody really challenges claims like these, nor has anyone ever sued Mary’s Sub Shop for having the worst cheesesteak despite her “world’s greatest” claim.

Superlatives are all around us and these words and phrases play a major role in our purchasing decisions, which is why they are used constantly. Whether the purveyor of the goods can actually back up these descriptors is another story. Some succeed, most fail.

I use the humble shrimp as an example.

The ocean’s favorite bottom feeder has a marketing life of its own in every restaurant in every corner of the world. Shrimp farmers raise various size shrimp from the tiny, tiny salad shrimp to the larger variety that make up a delicious shrimp cocktail. The fish industry assigned codes for the various size of shrimp based on the number that make up a pound. For example, the U-10 size shrimp mean you get 10 shrimp in a pound, whereas the U-15 comes 15 shrimp to a pound. Restaurants don’t normally tell you what U size the shrimp you are ordering will be, instead they use superlatives to speak about these diminutive crusteations.

“X-Large Peel & Eat”

“Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail”

Many times when the creature arrives next to a side of lemon and a dabble of cocktail sauce, we’re disappointed. X-Large and Jumbo aren’t quantifiable and one restauranteur’s vision of Jumbo may be a U-15 while another may be a U-6.

One of my favorite steakhouses is Old Homestead. With locations in the Meatpacking District in New York City, the Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City and at the Boca Raton Resort & Club in Florida, the Old Homestead has a unique take on the shrimp. They tossed aside the trite descriptors found on way too many menus and simply call their shrimp “Titanic” and it’s for good reason. These babys are U-4′s (4 to a pound) and at $9 a piece, they’re worth it.

I was in the mood for a good steak last night so down to the Club I went for dinner at Old Homestead. Now before you start adding this to your to-do list, the Boca Raton location is only open to hotel guests and Club members. Having dined here many times before, I knew just want I wanted and I wasn’t disappointed.

4 Titanic Shrimp from Old Homestead = 1 pound.	To put some perspective on the size. That's my thumb next to one of the Titanic Shrimp.
Here's how it stacks up to a 12oz Filet Mignon.	That's one Titanic Shrimp!
That's not a lobster, that's a shrimp.	And when it was all over, this is what was left.

While using the word “Titanic” to describe a shrimp may be a stretch of the imagination, compared to other descriptions of this classic appetizer, Old Homestead delivers upon the diner’s expectations.

Now if it were only that easy for cheesesteaks.

“Regular, Plus & Premium.” Or, “Regular, Plus & Super.”

Scott Sanfilippo — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:11:29 +0000

I stopped by the local Sunoco station to fill ‘er up yesterday and was greeted with signs promoting Sunoco gift cards for the holiday. With a clever take on the different grades of gasoline, the signs touted that the gift cards are available in “Regular, Plus & Premium.”

However, the pump was labeled as “Regular, Plus & Super.”

Being the curious devil that I am, I wanted to see if this was a marketing blunder or mislabeling at the pump. I found that Sunoco has four different grades of gasoline, Regular, Plus, Premium and Ultra 93. Super is nowhere to be found in that lineup.

As the stewards of the Sunoco “brand,” the oil giant should care enough to force stations to comply with proper labeling and brand identification – especially with the much marketed ULTRA 93 product. By not doing that, it only creates confusion.

But it’s only gasoline, Scott!

A good friend of mine, Catherine Shafer from CDS Creative put on a presentation during Solid Cactus Boot Camp called, “Your Brand is an Asset.” During the 90-minute session, she discussed the importance of protecting your brand and making sure it’s used properly. We all work hard building our brand and to see it used inappropriately is not good for business, which is why we should invest time in protecting it.

This example serves as a simple lesson in consistency and why enforcement of proper brand usage is important. A Big Mac is a Big Mac in every McDonalds. It’s not a Big Burger, a Big McD, or The Mac. It’s a Big Mac and that’s their brand and it’s what people order that sandwich by.

Super! Or is it….. nevermind.

P.S.: According to Sunoco, gas stations are not obligated to carry all four gasoline grades at their pumps which explains the absence of the fourth at this particular station. It’s doesn’t excuse the mislabeling, tho.

UPDATE: “Trying to Squeeze 50 Pounds of $%!* in a 5lb Bag.” Or, “Why WNEP2 Will Never Work.”

Scott Sanfilippo — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:04:34 +0000

A very excited John Dawe got me on Yahoo! Instant Messenger tonight and said I must do a follow-up to my rant about WNEP2. If you remember, my original post focused on the fact that WNEP-TV switched their WNEP2 channel to carry programming from the Retro Television Network. However, that programming was squeezed into a postage stamp size spot on the screen dominated by a weather map and pubic service announcements.

Apparently I wasn’t the only person to question the rationale behind such a crazy decision. But then again, the people in charge at WNEP are paid to make these executive-type decisions, so who am I to question them. But someone listened and now Jack Webb, Alfred Hitchcock and the Incredible Hulk now can be watched in the screen mode in which they were originally intended.

Thanks WNEP and thanks John Dawe for sending over the picture. I’ll be in town tomorrow to setup the TiVo to record some of my favorite classic shows now that they’re watchable.

WNEP2 Before.... (Photo courtesy of John Dawe)

...WNEP2 Now. (Photo courtesy of John Dawe)

“When Brands Collide.” Or, “Louie, Louie by The Kingsmen.”

Scott Sanfilippo — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:04:51 +0000

On a plane two weeks ago, the gentlemen in 1C struck up a conversation with me. Seems he takes the Allentown, PA to Fort Lauderdale, FL route almost a frequently as I do and he wanted to introduce himself. After the obligatory “where do you live” dialogue, his interest was piqued when I said “Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.”

Louie's? Portofino? McDonalds?

It turns out his friend from Allentown just opened a second restaurant in Wilkes-Barre and not knowing exactly where it was he was asking if I knew about it. Well, after some guessing, it came to pass that he opened Louie’s in the ill-fated location that formerly hosted Boston’s and Portofino. He told me how great the food is at Louie’s in Allentown and that I just had to go and try it.

So Sunday night I did.

The first thing that hit me over the head like a big bag of “Duh!” was the menu, wine list, martini list presentation. I received a Louie’s menu, but the wine and martini lists were encased with reused folders bearing the Portofino name. Those familiar with Portofino will know that the first thing anyone would want to do is distance themselves from a restaurant known for poor service, even poorer reviews and bad food. Hence the reason it didn’t last long.

I called the server over and asked her if I was eating at Louie’s or Portofino. With a puzzled look, she asked why? I showed her the folders with the Portofino name on them and she said, “that’s the first time I noticed that.” She went on to explain that when the restaurant first opened, in order to get customers to know where the place was at, they were calling it Louie’s at Portofino, but now it’s just Louie’s.

The restaurant definitely has an identity problem, or they’re too cheap to order new menu covers. This is branding at its worst. A quick Google search for “Portofino, Wilkes-Barre, PA” will bring up plenty of sites offering less than satisfactory reviews of the former eatery. I know that if I were moving into that building, I would not even want to stock the same toilet paper Portofino had, yet alone reuse their menu covers.

If the former restaurant was successful, had a strong following of regulars and was well known in the community, I would say play off the former name as much as possible. In this instance, whoever suggested that the owner use the Portofino name failed miserably. The server indicated the use of the name was to let people know where the restaurant was. Well, it happens to sit next to a Bob Evans in a plaza occupied by other tenants which include FedEx Office, Verizon Wireless, Wendy’s and a credit union. Instead of saying, “Come to Louie’s in the former Portofino,” why not “Come to Louie’s on Highland Park Blvd. between Bob Evans and the credit union.”

With the restaurant now called just plain Louie’s, I think someone may have gotten the hint.

Now get rid of the menu covers.

“Full Disclosure.” Or, “For $200 Bucks A Head, Try the Mussels ala Centini.”

Scott Sanfilippo — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:17:53 +0000

Me, behind the controls of a Boeing 737-900. Because I couldn't find the photo of me at the airport party that I was looking for.

The first thing I do every morning is go online and read the newspapers from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA and Palm Beach County, FL. This morning after reading the Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice, I got dressed, hopped in my car and went to my office. I grabbed boxes and boxes of newspaper clippings from years ago and started going through them one-by-one looking for articles from May 19-21, 2006.

That is when the new terminal opened at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport and on Friday, May 19, 2006, I along with 899 others were invited to a gala evening of food, drink, music, a light-show and mingling with the area’s politically connected. That party, according to the Citizens Voice, is now being looked at by the FBI.

So in the interest of full-disclosure, I was there.

My picture was also taken with a group of people and made it into the newspaper, hence my quest to find it. Which I never did.

Anyone who knows me knows I despise politicians. In fact, last evening I went to dinner with by brother at Bistro on the Ave in Kingston. When we were walking in, a group of people were walking out and being the gentleman I am, I held the door open for them. One gentleman exiting happened to be political hack and former state representative Kevin Blaum. He never said “thank you” so I turned around and called him a schmuck then said to my brother and the hostess, “That was Kevin Blaum, I should have slammed the door instead of holding it open.”

I find politicians, no matter who they are, to be slimy. After being in close proximity to them I feel the need to take a shower. To me they’re nothing more than a glorified used-car salesman pushing an agenda instead of a Pinto. But that night there were plenty of them there. Commissioners from both counties, row officers, representatives from the Governor’s office, congressman, senators, even congressman Joe “I wasn’t masturbating in public, it’s my Parkinson’s” McDade who the new terminal is named after was there. The list was long, the photo opps were plenty and the booze was flowing along with the food.

I happened to be invited, not because I’m politically connected – heaven help us all, but because at that time I still owned Solid Cactus, and I offered to give the airport a new website because their old one was, well, old. So, we donated the design, programming and hosting of the site as a sign of good-will and as a means to help promote the area and the airport and to show off the new terminal online. So as someone who has worked with the airport, I received an invitation to the event and was excited to go and see what the new place looked like.

It wasn’t until today I realized the party cost $176,000.00. To quote Lackawanna County Commissioner A J Munchak, “Holy Shit!”

If knew that, I would have ate more, drank more and stayed a bit longer.

The feds are looking into the party as part of the ongoing corruption probe in Luzerne County. According to the article, the party was paid for mostly by the various contractors who worked on the new terminal and the airport picked up $23,000.00. What will come of the investigation is yet unknown, but the investigators have taken documents relating to the construction of the terminal and are reviewing them.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with asking the people you just paid nearly $50 million to, to write a check to throw a party in order to show off the work they did and to showcase the new facility to people who an encourage others to use it. It’s called marketing. If I open a new supermarket and I want to have a grand opening, you bet I’m going to put the squeeze on every “brand” that’s in my store to give me deals, some co-op money, etc to offset the cost of the party. It’s done every day and it’s commonplace. But in the airport’s instance, it was public money, and the spotlight is on them.