Our first photo contest — themed around Color and Light — has come to a close and we’ve got five finalists. We’ll announce the results next week! This week’s conversations explored brand wars, powerhouse actresses Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates who are stretching creatively in multiple directions, Netflix’s vision for the future of entertainment, and when Pinterest is better as inspirational than instructional.
Heinz is the the biggest ketchup brand in America, but has fallen victim to the Burger Wars. Is it just ketchup or something more?
Definitely something more — a deep brand rivalry, to be exact. In a statement, McDonald’s said it was dropping Heinz because of management changes. The change in question? Heinz is now run by Bernardo Hees, rival Burger King’s vice chairman (and former CEO).
We’re loving Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates in American Horror Story: Coven. Who is your favorite film star now on television?
There’s been quite a bit of TV-film crossover in recent years. Two current favorites are actresses Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates. Lange has been wowing us for three seasons now with her range in American Horror Story (each season is a different story in a different world with a different theme and characters). And now Bates has joined the cast as Madame LaLaurie — she said she was hooked when Ryan Murphy told her the story. Bates loves working and it doesn’t matter if it is TV or movies. We were fascinated and horrified by the story of the real-life Marie Delphine LaLaurie — but be warned that there are some graphic descriptions in the article — and how it will figure in to the story. And, we’re fascinated by Lange’s statement that Murphy is never NOT receptive to an idea.
Netflix has gone from brand breakdown to brand recovery. What do you think they’re doing right?
Netflix has had a rocky road to transforming their brand. The current vision is to go from a streaming service to a web-based television network. We’re simply sitting back and watching with quite a bit of interest as they add original programming and offer a selection of TV shows and movies. The result is growth growth growth, and what may be a new vision for television and entertainment in the future.
Did you take any ideas from Pinterest and make them reality for Halloween?
There’s a moment to DIY and a moment to take that inspiration and run to the nearest professional. Clearly, some people don’t know that moment — and sometimes half the fun is the attempt — either way, we get to laugh with them. We are creative professionals in the business of helping our clients create wonderful realities from their inspiration — and NOT in a Cake Wrecks sort of way.
An invitation: You can let us know your viewpoint — here, on Facebook, or on Twitter — Monday through Thursday, we pose questions ranging from lighter fare to industry-focused topics. Every Friday we look back at the week. If you are on Twitter, we are @ProLitho — please follow us, and join the discussion about this week’s #4Qs. We’d also love to have you check us out at Facebook and LinkedIn.