Uh oh Jonas Brothers!

This is possibly my favorite Ad Age article ever. Whoever did the sourcing, congratulations.

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Report: Disney Mulls Layoff of 'Least Cute' of Jonas Brothers

Has It Come to This? Cost-Conscious Media Giant Might Need to 'Right-Size' Pop Singing Sensation

by Simon Dumenco

Published: February 02, 2009

After months of painful bottom-up cuts -- layoffs of thousands of rank-and-file workers media-industrywide -- a new, dramatic staff reduction may finally be coming from the very top of at least one media-entertainment conglomerate.

Chart attack: In this economy, is three a crowd, budgetarily speaking?

Photo Credit: Carrie Devorah

Sources* close to Disney say the company, which recently offered buyouts to 600 executives at its U.S. theme-park division, has seriously considered targeting the heretofore immune "talent." Specifically, says one such source, the company has been "taking a hard look at 'right-sizing' the Jonas Brothers" -- three real-life brothers from New Jersey whose Disney Channel appearances and "Camp Rock" movie helped propel their albums and singles up the Billboard charts.

"If you've ever heard these guys live," says the executive, who declined to go on the record because he's not authorized to speak to the press**, "it's pretty clear singing isn't necessarily their strong suit." Their vocals, he points out, are electronically "enhanced" in the studio, "and it'd be just as easy to make two brothers sound as good -- or as bad -- as the three brothers sound now. It's just a matter of twiddling some dials." The real brand strength of the Jonas Brothers, notes the source, "is their cuteness -- but, let's face it, they're not all equally cute." As for their concert tours, "It's all a blur anyway -- it's mostly about the light show -- and the remaining two brothers probably can just jump around the stage more to compensate."

Though he declined to discuss which Jonas might be at risk, a recent reader poll at teenmag.com suggests that Nick may have the least to worry about; he scored 49% in a recent "Jonesin' for this Jonas" survey, while Joe pulled 40% and Kevin just 11%.*** Similarly, WikiAnswers.com offers this definitive response*** to the question, Which Jonas Brother is the cutest?: "Nick!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well of course it's nick b/c he has SUCH CUTE curly hair!!!! ohhhhhh soooooo cute!!!!!xD :D!!!!!!!!!"

"Disney has always been a cute-driven company, and this is just about serving the consumer's need for 'cute' more efficiently in a totally fugly economic climate," says one executive**** at a not-nearly-as-cute competing entertainment conglomerate. "And I guess they could argue that in weeding out the least-cute Jonas brother, well, sure they'll save a ton of money, but just as significantly, the remaining two Jonas brothers, with their higher level of cuteness, will now be in a band that is, on average, significantly cuter. So the consumer gets 'super-served' with cuteness."

The potential staff reduction may seem harsh, but it's not without precedent. Before Disney Channel ended the three-year run of its hit series "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" last fall, it reportedly considered laying off either Dylan or Cole Sprouse, the real-life twins who portrayed mischievous brothers living at the fictional Tipton Hotel. "They're both identically cute, so Disney was going to flip a coin," says a source***** familiar with the deliberations. "And then they were going to make it a solo show, like how Fox News changed 'Hannity & Colmes' to just 'Hannity.'"

Cutting high-price talent has become a necessity given that Disney's recent thinning of even its well-compensated managerial ranks "only goes so far toward improving the bottom line," says the executive at the competing entertainment conglomerate. "Besides," he added, "I know a bunch of Disney's theme-park executives, the ones getting downsized, and none of them is cute, really. Well, maybe after a few drinks, but with our recent expense-account cutbacks, these days you mostly have to look at those folks totally sober."

* "sources" in the supermarket-tabloid sense of the word
** and because he does not exist
*** seriously
**** who moonlights as a unicorn
***** my imaginary friend

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=134215

Namelessly Famous

I (sort of) made Ad Age! More accurately, my jam did. Yes, the jam with the accordian fold brochure I mentioned a few entries ago.

Students for Hire

My Recruiting Journey to VCU Brandcenter

Posted by Mat Zucker on 05.29.08 @ 05:38 PM

Mat Zucker

Perhaps it was the small white mound, clearly meant to look like cocaine, sitting next to the art director's portfolio with a straw: "Welcome recruiters!"

Or the tempting stack of cherry jam jars inviting us to take one in exchange for looking at the planner's portfolio.

Or the stylish purple rubber wristbands with the copywriter's portfolio URL.

No matter how the students at VCU Brandcenter dressed their tables to draw attention to their two years of work, you could feel the passion before you even met them. These were professionally trained ad grads with a clear CTA: I'm great. Hire me.

This was my first time at VCU Brandcenter's agency recruitment days. Nanette, our agency recruiter, and I flew down to join dozens of other agencies to meet over two days some of the brightest copywriters, art directors, planners and brand managers entering the business.

This program knows what it's doing and makes it easy in this market to connect with talent. The first half of day one we could browse their portfolios without the students present. That afternoon and the following day the grads were there with their work and we could speak to whomever we wanted -- about them, about their work, about us.

The students had finished their term days earlier and had been up into the wee hours preparing for all of us. Elaborate materials. Impeccable portfolios (online and physical). Clever giveaways (e.g. little white packets of powder).

Nanette and I were delighted to find strong copywriting, gorgeous art direction, sophisticated insights and artful communication strategies. More important, to our delight, we saw ideas and how they connected among the planners and creatives.

On the short flight back to New York, I suffered from two conflicting emotions:

First, I was optimistic about the industry's future. The caliber was top-notch and the work would intimidate and motivate my own staff. These grads were all about ideas, their work rooted in insights. The work was across channels and in many of the portfolios you could see solid digital expression of ideas. The collaboration model among the brand manager, planner and creatives really showed as you went from portfolio to portfolio and could see the strategy for, say, a Boy Scouts campaign expressed in work that resulted in every discipline. Most would say they're media neutral; they really just want to do great work, however that ends up being best expressed.

At the same time, I couldn't shake some disappointment. In a generation that I thought included digital natives, the work wasn't. There were decent digital ideas, sure, but not bold ones. The uses of technology for the idea would be fine if I saw it in my generation's books, but I was secretly hoping for more from them. I mean, I have to be patient at work and with partner agencies, but can't I hope for more in those who will take my job soon enough? And while my staff would be impressed by some of the conceptual ideas, they would shrug off a lot of what they saw in digital as a bit old school.

My advice to present and future grads is to keep the idea central, but beef up your use of digital. Not in quantity, but in adventurousness and in role. In some cases, such as a campaign for the Boy Scouts of America, you might find your target is to be found first online and your campaign should center on engagement there.

In the end, I wish I had purchased some extra one-way plane tickets to take a few grads back with me to New York. These folks are good. They are smart. They are highly creative and passionate. They know ideas and they know what they want. So my advice to agencies is:

Next year, not only attend but get involved in some of these top school programs and perhaps we can help influence the use of digital in the work.

In the mean time, there's this year: If you see a VCU portfolio, be sure to give it a good look. They're going to get great jobs -- I hope a few from me.

http://adage.com/digitalnext/article?article_id=127407