SBB to The Daily (Ad) Biz: "Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

Today's quote of the day comes from the blog The Daily (Ad) Biz, in a post about McDonald's leaping onto "the corporate social responsibility bandwagon":

Fonzie’s strapping on his skis as we speak.

The post referenced a McDonald's ad touting the company's fair hiring practices (click on the image below for a larger version). The Biz was critical of McDonald's chest-pounding (as was AdRants), calling it "tangental to the product offering" with "trite copy that is kinda familiar." As such, the McDonald's ad was further proof that the entire notion of corporate responsibility has "jumped the shark."

In this case, I think McDonald's is damned if it does, damned if it doesn't. Tell the world that you strive to employ a diverse workforce, and they criticize you for being self-congratulatory. Don't say anything, however, and they'll assume you're not socially conscious. At least by spending money on your message, you're showing the world that you think diversity matters. Is McDonald's doing it for selfish reasons? Maybe. But I'll take selfish aspirational ads over selfish misanthropic ads any day.

But back to that quote for a minute. Whether or not I completely agree with the sentiment of the post, "Fonzie’s strapping on his skis as we speak" is a fine turn of phrase. So, to you, The Biz, I say: "Ayyyyyyyyyyyy!" And if you know anything about The Fonz, you'll know that's high praise indeed.

If you're completely lost, here's some info on The Fonz and the origin of the phrase "jump the shark." BONUS COVERAGE: click here to learn whether your favorite TV show has jumped a shark of its own.

Take a bow, Matt Kelley

One Lucky Guitar's Matt Kelley put together another great show with Down the Line 2 last night at the Embassy. Just like last year, DTL was a great intersection of Fort Wayne music, history (as a celebration of the Embassy's 80th anniversary), and creativity, with several local marketing and design folks playing a big part in the show. I had to leave early since the kid was worn out after the B-Sharps, but I'm already looking forward to DTL3. Great job, Matt, and everybody else who made it happen!

P.S. Lou Cuccinelli of I, Wombat is an abso-freaking-lute Guitar Hero.

Congratulations, Jeff Krull

Congratulations to Allen County Public Library Director Jeff Krull upon being named the Journal Gazette's Citizen of the Year. Jeff has been instrumental in leading the ACPL to national prominence among library systems, and in making the ACPL one of the community's greatest resources for communicators of every kind.

If you don't visit one of the ACPL branches on a regular basis, you're missing out on one of the best things about living in Fort Wayne. And if you don't have a library card, click here to request one online.

Man behind Marty Panel ads dies

Yesterday's News-Sentinel reported on the death of Bill Bosworth Thomas, the founder of Panel Mart and the man behind a 20-year ad campaign featuring a puppet named Marty Panel. I never saw the ads, but his son makes him sound like a fun guy:

“When I was a teenager trying to impress girls, he'd always pop around the corner as Marty Panel saying, ‘Hey, what are you kids doing there,'” said Mike Thomas, who noted his father was making jokes and laughing with his family the afternoon before his death.

Obit and memorial service info here.