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Paul Steven Stone’s Greatest Hits, #9 in a series

W.B. Mason Rides The Airwaves Once Again!

In December 1996, the W.B. Mason company assembled all of its trucks and most of its employees— plus its hopes and vision for the future—on the campus of Stonehill College in Easton, MA. We were there with a film crew to take my branding effort for W.B. Mason to its next logical phase—the airing of television commercials! This was a milestone I had long envisioned but, more to the point, had long and deeply feared.  For how was I to take a brand I had fashioned for letterhead, trucks, newspapers and magazines and convey that same sense of circus-like fun and entertainment in a 30 second TV commercial? The most obvious answer when looking at the colorful illustrations we had used in our advertising was to create animated TV commercials. But the cost of animation immediately ruled out that solution. So what could we do…?

#1: “The Boston Invasion” (where it all began)

The background on this, our first real TV commercial, is quite interesting; it shows how one’s journey is never as straight as it appears in hindsight. I had previously created a low-cost cable TV spot for W.B. Mason in which we advertised the opening of our Hyannis furniture showroom. When initially discussing the cost of creating the Hyannis commercial I had promised my client we would amortize its cost by re-using it when we were ready to promote our showroom opening in Boston.  So, when Boston was about to open, I met with the Mason partners, intent on keeping my promise, and found, to my surprise they were not as agreeable to my ideas as they usually were. Clearly, the four partners had little love for the TV spot we ran on the Cape, or for the idea of reusing it in Boston. One of the partners argued with my music choice while another criticized my script. Up until that meeting, my clients had never questioned my lead on anything.

Back then, of course, I held such power with the Mason partners that I eventually got them to agree to most of what I had planned. But that night I awoke at 3 AM with the startling realization that I was wrong and my clients were right. Being honest with myself, I had to admit our TV commercial was bland, nothing that complemented or added to our already successful brand identity. As I later told the partners, this was the first time they had taken the lead, instead of me, in building and protecting their brand. Once I came to that realization, I began to envision the exact kind of TV concept I knew would serve as a companion and enhancement to the Mason’s brand. It was titled  “The Boston Invasion” and its driving spirit was equal parts, parody, farce and comic earnestness. Going forward I would use this blend of broad, almost cornball humor to present the Mason brand on TV. For our first outing, we parodied a major military operation, something akin to “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo,” only instead of B-52’s on a mission to bomb Tokyo, we would send our trucks in convoy to rescue Boston. With tongue firmly in cheek, that was the beginning of a series of black and white TV commercials, some with W.B. Mason and some without, that established our brand presence across TV market after TV market.

It’s interesting to note the Mason partners liked the Boston Invasion so much we ended up introducing it on the Super Bowl that year.

Mason was always one to back up its passions with money.

Here are five other TV spots that followed and built upon the resolute archness voiced by our Cronkite-like announcer and displayed by our heroes. In those ads featuring W.B. Mason, Adam Twiss played the role of W.B. to perfection; his archness and melodramatic urgency giving W.B. a depth and vibrancy I could never have imagined when writing the scripts. It’s only fair to mention, all of my W.B. Mason TV commercials were written by me and directed by Bob Noll of Boston Productions, now BPI.

#2:” The Amazing Delivery” (Highlighting our amazing commitment to service)

#3: “LPAD Cold Call” (From The Files of W.B. Mason’s Low Price Assurance Detectives)

The LPAD concept came about after Leo Meehan, CEO and President of Mason, called me on his way back from a New York City business trip where he accompanied Mason sales people on cold calls. “Something very interesting happens each time people in New York see two people enter an office wearing dark business suits,” he told me over the phone. “There’s a moment when they’re trying to figure out whether we’re from the FBI or the Immigration Service; and in that moment we have their undivided attention. I don’t know what you can do with that, but there must be something.” Out of that phone call came the Low Price Assurance Detectives who archly enter an office and declare “We’re here to save you money!” In case you’re curious, I’m proud to say I still have my LPAD badge!

#4: “A Farewell To Arms” (Helping to Introduce Same-Day Delivery Service)

#5: “The Couch Detective” (Thereby proving my crying need for therapy)

#6: “The Lineup”

One of a series of “BuyRight” themed TV Commercials focused on W.B. Mason’s BuyRight program, which features the quality name brands our customers prefer rather than the proprietary (and inferior) branded products often sold by our competitors.

I recently revisited these and others of my early W.B. Mason TV commercials. To date, I’ve created between 80 and 90 spots for Mason, not all of them parodies or black and white. But all, I believe, with a distinct sense of my comic spirit which deftly permeates not only the commercials, but the entire “Who But!” brand I first crafted back in 1986.

#7: Oh, what the hell, here’s one more, just for laughs!

These commercials were always meant for people like you to enjoy. So, please, make me happy, go ahead and enjoy!

To view my #1 Greatest Hits advertisement, click here. To view #2 in the series, click here. To view #3 (which required reposting, for some strange reason),click here. To view #4, click here. To view #5, click here.To view #6, featuring my favorite billboards, click here. To view #7, click here.  To read my essay about creating the “Who But W.B. Mason!,” brand click here.  Or, if you’re interested in seeing other examples of my mind at work, visit my web site. To speak with me about building or creating your company’s brand, contact me at 857-389-2158 or at PaulStevenStone@gmail.com.

WHY I REJECT THE UNITY SLATE (A LOVE SONG)

(Sung to the Tune “Give Peace A Chance)

The Unity Slate, which has banded together to put a headlock on the makeup of the Cambridge city council.

The Unity Slate, which has banded together to put a headlock on the makeup of the Cambridge city council

(F-BOMB ALERT: The following satirical lyrics contain a thinly-disguised F-Bomb. Read at your own discretion!)

Ev’rybody’s talkin’ ’bout

F.A.R.’S, lots of cars, noisy bars, packed subway cars

Me-ism, my-ism,

finger-in-your-eye-ism

All we are saying—give Cambridge a chance!

All we are saying—give Cambridge a chance!

 

Ev’rybody’s talkin’ ’bout

City towers, commutes for hours, fewer flowers,

Millionaires…

All our worst fears

All we are saying—give Cambridge a chance!

All we are saying—give Cambridge a chance!

 

Ev’rybody’s talkin’ ’bout

Greedy petitions, gentrified visions,

Politicians…

Selling their convictions

All we are saying—give Cambridge a chance!

All we are saying—give Cambridge a chance!

 

Ev’rybody’s talkin’ ’bout

Zoning giveaways, gridlocked roadways

Poor folks…

Being chased away!

All we are saying—give Cambridge a chance!

All we are saying—give Cambridge a chance!

 

Ev’rybody’s talkin’ ’bout

Maher and Toomey looking gloomy,

Nobody wants

Their f*@kin’ tsunami

All we are saying—give Cambridge a chance!

All we are saying—give Cambridge a chance!

 

Ev’rybody’s talkin’ ’bout

UNITY SLATES, Developer Breaks,

Gentrification,

Middle class decimation

All we are saying—give Cambridge a chance!

All we are saying—give Cambridge a chance!

 

CResA 5 cancidates(To be read during our CLEAN SWEEP OVERTURE…) VOTE THE FAB FIVE, endorsed by the Cambridge Residents Alliance, all of whom have agreed to reject donations from major developers and to create more affordable housing without destroying the character and diversity of our city: (listed alphabetically – vote your order of preference) DENNIS CARLONE, MIKE CONNOLLY, JAN DEVEREUX, NADEEM MAZEN and ROMAINE WAITE.

Ev’rybody’s votin’ for

The Fabulous Five,

No more shucking, no more jive

Honest planning’s still alive!

All we are saying—give new blood a chance!

All we are saying—give new blood a chance!

 

(Keep singing until the old guard leaves the chamber)

All we are saying—give Cambridge a chance!

All we are saying—give Cambridge a chance!

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To read my call for the resignations of six of the seven Unity Slate candidates, click here.

A CALL FOR RESIGNATION

The Unity Slate, six members of which are being asked to resign.

WHEREAS there has been undue financial influence brought to bear on the City Council’s deliberations concerning Mass & Main, a  residential development proposed by Normandy/Twining, hereafter called The Developer, and

WHEREAS said financial influence, amounting to $12,000 prior to the council’s vote, and an additional $8,950 paid out by The Developer in the months after the vote, was directed at the political campaigns of six of the seven city councilors who voted to approve Mass & Main, and

WHEREAS none of the six councilors—Councilors Benzan, Cheung, Simmons, Toomey, McGovern or Maher—had the integrity to acknowledge their obvious conflict of interest and thus recuse themselves from voting on zoning changes requested by The Developer, and

WHEREAS said councilors were aware of concerns raised within the Cambridge community about the impacts of Mass & Main as a driver of gentrification, and appeared to seek no review or guidance about those potential impacts before voting on the project, thus possibly endangering the wellbeing of the very constituents they have sworn to protect and serve, and

WHEREAS the six councilors continue to deny even the appearance of wrongdoing, and in so doing continue to bring shame and discredit to the city council and the high office they have sworn to serve, and

WHEREAS a review of campaign finance records shows a concerted effort on the part of The Developer, through his Attorney, to subvert the transparency of the petition process and to circumvent the spirit, if not the letter, of Massachusetts campaign finance laws…

IT IS PROPOSED that all six councilors tender their letters of resignations immediately, and

IT IS PROPOSED that The City of Cambridge renounce zoning changes made and approved in the course of the city council’s deliberations of The Developer’s petition, and

IT IS PROPOSED that The Developer be asked to resubmit their petition if they wish to proceed with their development, and

IT IS PROPOSED that an impartial third party be brought in to investigate the entire Normandy/Twining petition process with an eye towards the pursuit of any lawbreakers.

As a voice for the city and its residents, I affix my signature

Paul Steven Stone

Paul Steven Stone’s Greatest Hits, #8 in a series

The campaign that never was…

For any of you who read my article on the creation of the W.B. Mason brand, “Who But: The Birth of an Iconic New England Brand,” you’re already familiar with the dysfunctional and creatively stifling attitude that prevailed at Arnold Advertising back in the mid-80’s.

This would have been the campaign's introductory ad, I would guess, because of its simplicity and boldness. It was pretty easy to identify the star of the show, preparing you for the others in the series.

This would have been the campaign’s introductory ad. It was pretty easy to identify the star of the show, preparing you for the other ads in the series.

If you recall, the sudden loss of two of its largest accounts, Fayva Shoes and John Hancock Insurance, had tossed Arnold into grave soul-searching and second-guessing of its creative capabilities, so much so that two creative professionals (a copywriter and an art director) were brought in to improve the creative level of the agency’s output.

And so it was that these two creative supervisors would hijack almost all creative presentations before they left the agency; the idea being they could almost always improve the creative product, usually by redoing it entirely. Which eventually resulted in giant bottlenecks in the agency’s creative workflow.

Legal's 5The campaign layouts on this page were part of a new business campaign crafted by myself and art director Rich Kerstein, my Arnold creative partner, to help reel in Legal’s Seafoods (pun definitely intended).  I will not describe the campaign’s rationale or strategic positioning. Suffice it to say I wouldn’t present these layouts if they couldn’t speak for themselves. But be sure to take note of the brand’s elitist attitude.

You’ll notice, once the introductory ad (“Sea Boston”) established the “game”, it was then merely a question of following up with ads whose headlines gracefully and humorously entered into a dance with Legal’s famous heavy-lips logo.

Legal's 3Like all other creative presentations, this one was hijacked and held up inside the agency by our creative supervisors, and held up for months.

This is one of my most favorite headlines EVER. There's a logic loop that never gets completed and leaves one wondering if the headline makes any sense whatsoever. Confidentially, it doesn't.

This is one of my most favorite headlines EVER. There’s a logic loop that never gets completed and leaves one wondering if the headline makes any sense whatsoever. Confidentially, it doesn’t.

Ultimately, in one of his last major executive actions before retiring, agency C.E.O., Arnold Rosoff—a man dearly beloved by all who knew him—ordered the campaign released from its purgatory and presented to Legal Seafoods, which signed up for the campaign and a new agency relationship almost immediately upon viewing the campaign. It was a relationship fated to last a mere few months.

That's supposed to be a Legal's Seafood matchbook.

That’s supposed to be a Legal’s Seafood matchbook at the bottom of the ad. There’s a dotted line around the matchbook, indicating you can cut it out and paste it onto any regular matchbook cover to impress your friends.

It should be noted Legal’s was a notoriously difficult client. One that never truly felt they needed advertising to grow their business. I knew this from having worked on their advertising at another Boston ad agency. Their success grew out of a highly popular, and slightly idiosyncratic, business model whereby meals were served to parties one-at-a-time, food being delivered to the table as soon as it was fully prepared and before it had time to cool down. That piecemeal presentation of individual orders coupled with Legal’s total emphasis on serving only the freshest seafood, made for a unique and unforgettable dining experience.

Legal's 7I had already left Arnold by the time the agency had captured and lost the Legal’s account, so I’m not privy to why the account quickly parted ways with the agency.

As a backdrop to some of the layouts presented here, you need to understand that, back in the 1980’s, Legal’s had not yet grown beyond its Boston footprint, so some of the ad headlines shown  on this page made more sense back then than they would today.

In any case,  peppered throughout this blog entry you’ll find a partial look at the campaign that won the Legal Seafoods business back in 1988, but never made it to the newspapers and billboards for which it was intended.

Legal's 6And now, after all these years, it’s here for you to enjoy!

No thanks necessary.

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On a different matter, if you haven’t received notice of #7 of My Greatest Hits, my HAZMAT ad for the Conservation Law Foundation, click here to see what you missed.

To view my #1 Greatest Hits advertisement, click here. To

Remember, this was a layout done before art director's had access to, and unfettered use of, the internet and online stock photo imagery. That Rolls Royce logo would have looked a lot better in a layout done today, I can assure you.

Remember, this was a layout done before art directors had access to, and unfettered use of, the internet and online stock photos. That Rolls Royce logo would have looked a lot better in a layout done today, I can assure you.

view #2, click here. To view #3, click here. To view #4, click here. To view #5, click here.

To view #6, featuring my favorite billboards, click here. To read my essay about creating the “Who But W.B. Mason!,” brand click here.  Or, if you’re interested in seeing other examples of my mind at work, visit my web site.. To speak with me about building or creating your company’s brand, contact me at 857-389-2158 or at PaulStevenStone@gmail.com.

 

Paul Steven Stone’s Greatest Hits, #7 in a series

Creature From The Black Lagoon, sort of

lake_ad_1_r1_c1

What would a greatest hits list be without my HAZMAT Ad for the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF)? My relationship with CLF, one of the region’s leading environmental advocacy groups, was an adman/environmentalist’s dream, developing ads and campaigns to combat coal-burning plants, environmentally-destructive shopping malls and, as shown above, run-off pollution in once-beautiful and clean Lake Champlain. The campaign was meant to embarrass then-governor Howard Dean into taking action to clean up the lake. Ultimately, the state of Vermont responded to public pressure and appointed a Lakekeeper to monitor the state of the lake.