Lately it seems like 3-D is everywhere. The box offices have capitalized on the craze with movies like Avatar, Alice in Wonderland and Iron Man and ESPN will be launching 3-D coverage of the World Cup. While the technology is making visuals more vivid and in-your-face, I can’t help but wonder how long it will be until brands catch up with the trend.

Now we aren’t talking the SoBe Super Bowl ad here, but rather getting the product up front and personal with a captive audience that is looking for the 3-D experience. The possibilities are endless, but here are two ways I can see brands entering our minds through some special glasses in the near future – on TV and the big screen.

The silver screen has been home to great product placements. From Pepsi and Coke to McDonalds and White Castle, brands are everywhere and their marketing teams know the benefit of the recognition when captive moviegoers are exposed to their brand for two-plus hours at a clip. Think about the potential placement for candy and soda companies when it comes to a 3-D show. You have the audience in a place where your products are sold and what better way to showcase and sell them. The customer can almost reach out and grab them.

Much like movies, the small screen has a lot of potential for 3-D ads. Instead of looking at the easy impulse buys, 3-D can be a huge win for automobile brands. Instead of traditional commercials that show the car driving, 3-D allows you to see from the driver’s view. So drivers can see what the view from a pricey sedan is or even how safe a Volvo is on impact. These views can also be powerful for the Ad Council showing the dangers of drinking and driving.

What do you think of 3-D is it another fad that won’t hit the mainstream or will it be another game changer?

Now when I saw this commercial yesterday online, it didn’t really come across as all that appealing. However when vegging out in front of the tube, I could see the real beauty behind the commercial.

Like most e-retailers 1-800 Contacts relies on the Web to sell their products.  There are many products that can get away with the lack of personality of the Internet. Buying glasses and contacts is a personal transaction. You need these things to see so there has to be a level of trust to make the transaction.

This over-dramatization of the guy being special, the commercial brings a personality to the brand. It says hey, we care about you and hey – you’re special. It’s so cheesy that you can’t help but feel warm and fuzzy.

For a brand this is a good connotation, because at the end of the day, the vendor is being trusted with your sight. I don’t wear contacts and don’t plan on wearing them, but my wife orders from them so I generally have a good opinion of the company.

While the commercial gives me that good feeling, I also wonder if it tries too hard. It kind of seems like they are trying too hard. Does this over-compensation for being special hide something about the online contact vendor? Or is it just my cynical nature kicking in?

Last night I was watching this video from Vayner Media front man Gary Vaynerchuck and it really hit home with me and seemed like a no brainer for brands to be looking to expand their reach.

The thought of adding a call to action after a commercial – to a micro-site, Facebook page, Twitter page, YouTube channel, etc. seems too easy. Sharing the commercials on video sharing sites would seem to make sense too, but oftentimes is not the case. Folks seem reluctant to change because they have a system that works.  For every auto company that is embracing this, there are two McDonalds or Stop & Shop’s that are ignoring the free call out. Chances are, unless you are on the Home Shopping Network or hawking a ShamWOW, your product isn’t being sold on the boob tube.

While Gary focuses on commercials in his videos, I would also suggest that companies are missing the boat with their offline and radio ads as well. Radio has the same limitations as TV in selling products, but you could gauge the reach on top of the metrics the stations offer by offering a specific Facebook page with a survey that asks where they heard the commercial along with some interesting content. You could also add the URL to magazine and other print ads because it puts something tangible and actionable on an ad that won’t immediately garner a sale on the john. By adding a link you could also get someone heading to the site if they happen to have a BlackBerry or iPhone handy in their *ahem* office. What could it hurt? A tiny URL or Facebook call out in the corner of the ad won’t hurt anyone, but will add some more bang to your buck and some additional metrics to track.

Before tossing this to ya’ll to see what you think about the proposition, I wanted to share an oddity that I got from a few of the folks I spoke with during the #soxup for the book release party of Steve Garfield’s Get Seen (my review). Now the event was about using video to get seen, so it took me by surprise talking to some folks only to find out that they were terrified of getting in front of the camera or opening their company up to user generated video. I wonder if that has anything to do with the hesitancy of adding new media to traditional media pieces. What do you think?

As today is officially the night before Christmas, I figured that instead of just sitting on my butt and watching TV waiting for my wife to get out of work I would do the next best thing – scouring YouTube for some of my favorite Christmas moments from the ghosts of Christmas past (in no particular order). The title may be a bit misleading, these are simply some of the better ones that I found while lounging around. Feel free to let me know if I missed any or linking back to some of your favorites.

10. Snoopy vs. the Red Baron

9. Punky Brewster Shoplifts at Christmas

8. Gumby – Scrooge Loose

7. Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special (Opening Montage)

6. Aqua Teen Hunger Force – Ghost of Christmas Past

5. The Simpsons Christmas Message

4. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

3. Pluto’s Christmas Tree

2. Smurfs Christmas Song

1. A Christmas Story

Since I won’t see most of you over the next two days, thanks for reading and have a great Christmas. Note: if you do not celebrate Christmas, happy holidays.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZGz1Ajg7QU]

Some things grow better with time, wine, cheese, scotch, etc. However many have complained that the Simpsons have been sliding down the slippery lame slope. After seeing the new opening, I am jacked to see what the season has to hold.

My favorite part was Barney under Willy’s leaf pile.

What’s yours?

Ahh finally back after having no home access to the computer due to a nasty little virus for a week. It was like the cat from that old schoolyard song…you know it came back the very next day.

Well what a week it’s been. I am sure by now everyone is done with their Super Bowl hangovers. Outside of Pittsburgh and Arizona, everyone tuned in for the commercials – and I’m sure some viewers in Arizona were wishing they saw the commercials.

It leads me to wonder who the big winner was. While Budweiser made a number of big splashes with their Clydesdales and humorous Bud Light spots, I would not categorize them as the winner.

I know you’re thinking the creepy eTrade baby may have been numero uno, but again wrong.

The 3-D dancing lizards with my man Ray Lewis? Maybe if Stop & Shop or Shaw’s had the glasses. Damn you “super stores.”

My favorite was perhaps the most realistic of all of the commercials from our friends at Bridgestone.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRofF_v6kk0]

Not only is the ad realistic comical, but it combines one of our favorite toys of yesteryear going through an experience that we all have, the nagging spouse. Now if only we could find a way to pop off her lips when we’re getting yelled at. I’ll take the eyes any day.

You can check out how Fox Sports ranked the ads, do you agree? Or do you have another one in mind?

Image courtesy of www.gocomics.com

I saw this cartoon earlier today on the homepage at GoComics and couldn’t help but see the sad reality that we now live in. I am not talking about the extinction of the rabbit ears, but rather the state of the youth in the country.

Instead of playing outside and building a relationship with good ole’ dad, the child would rather stick inside watching the Jonas Brothers, Cheetah Girls or American Idol. By blatantly marketing these shows as can’t miss broadcasting the Idol results on evening news, these shows become larger than what they really are ~ Entertainment.

With the media further glamorizing (and here) these pop stars and reality show contestants, it is no wonder that today’s youth shuns playing outside, joining Little League, or going for a hike as it’s simply easier and more profitable to strike it rich with some stupid human trick.

I thought I would never say it, but maybe we are better off without the constant drum of the TV.