MAM
We Are American, No Sex Please
Now the newly acclaimed morality standard of America must fully realign itself with the messages and their deliveries to the right mindsets, while clearly explaining the limits and the level of tolerance, otherwise a lot of advertising and branding messages will have to be completely scrapped.
The global population is divided into two major groups: open minds in closed societies and closed minds in open societies. Therefore, the marketing and naming of products must address the issues of sexual connotation with extraordinary depth, care and caution.
Suddenly, French Connection of UK went soft and packed up their most cherished and notorious brand — FCUK — and folded the campaign. Mothers all over the world are happy as they seriously objected to the brand and particularly FCUK’s “Him” and “Her” colognes and perfumes.
Just about every country had its share of some controversy on this strange, kinky brand name. French Connection thought this name made them the most recognizable brand in the world. They were jumping for joy as some studies showed the recognition equal to other multibillion dollar value monikers.
In reality, the issues of popularity were blurred with notoriety. Silly, profane and dumb names based on sexual connotations die out when the media stops the coverage after a quick shock wave.
In England and the EU, sex and the naked body both offer a far more desired component in advertising than the products themselves and what they have to offer. “It’s better than sex,” a line used by Jaguar and by hundreds of others. Non-sensual, crude and raw nudity, like a curse of the old Victorian era, continuously haunts the young creative minds in the UK and the EU.
American Sensitivity
The sheer pressure of this issue might be the reason that forces some to throw away the storyboards and run naked in public events. Streaking is perhaps like the Archimedean euphoria of the “Eureka” moment. England is still the most creative and most powerful when it comes to advertising ideas, and all along it has led the way. Along with the best and well-dressed TV episodes, they have also dabbled with “The Naked News,” “The Naked Cooking Show,” the half naked this or the full naked that. Just keep it up.
On this side of Marlboro land, Americans are just coy about nudity. A naked body is nothing to make a fuss over. No serious American company would dream of showing a half naked person, even jokingly, or use it in any way in their corporate commercial or plug a strong sexual innuendo.
It has nothing to do with sexual appetites, rather, it’s a cultural issue.
For example, for my writings, by now my hand would have been chopped off if I were to venture this debate in any of the Middle Eastern dictatorships. However, sex is always extremely cultural, from free and open blessing to chastity and burkhas. Depending on your upbringing, and where you stand, it can be a total cultural shock and, at times, a ticking bomb ready to turn into public riots. Don’t even try.
Branding and sex do not mix on the global marketing scene. Sir Richard Branson and his extraordinary life tied to the single shock value word, “Virgin,” is an unusual story. However, in England, it’s cute to say “Would you fancy a Virgin,” while in USA, Virgin cola just didn’t make it, and folded after a big fanfare.
However, here in the USA the same open society went berserk on a typical Sunday afternoon when, just for a few seconds, the swift hand of Justin Timberlake addressed the armor, and Janet Jackson was strategically exposed, bringing the morality squads into action.
New Era
There was a tremble on the Richter scale of morality. Fines were in in the millions. Delay buttons were everywhere, maybe in every public phone booth.
Howard Stern, the radio talk show host, refused the objections by the regulators and decided to go to satellite, subscription based radio, so he could be candid — just enough to open his mouth more freely. NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr., after using the F-word at a race victory speech, was almost stripped of his title.
It seems we have now entered a new era. Yes, we are American, no sex here, please. Seriously, these are little accidents and not a revolution as there are far too many brilliant ideas to get quick attention, and all it requires is the right expertise.
Global marketing and global branding teaches us two simple things. One is that corporate image and name identities are developed for a very complex world. The other is that the global population is divided into two major groups: open minds in closed societies and closed minds in open societies.
Therefore the marketing and naming of products must address these issues of sexual connotation with extraordinary depth, care and caution.
New Standard
Today we might take the open links of the Internet as a symbol of freedom, yet the rest of the globe hates the contents, withdraws and shuts out all new ideas.
Also, now the newly acclaimed morality standard of America must fully realign itself with the messages and their deliveries to the right mindsets, while clearly explaining the limits and the level of tolerance, otherwise a lot of advertising and branding messages will all have to be completely scrapped.
So audit and evaluate the overall naming structures and marketing messages for your local and global name identities. Make sure your branding messages are projecting open mindedness.
MAM
Microdrama Specialist COL Group International Builds Out With Narativ, Rock Networks & BlingWood Deals
MUMBAI: Microdrama powerhouse COL Group International is building out its distribution network, with its CEO saying vertical video is about to enter its “next competitive chapter.”
The microdrama arm of publicly-listed Chinese company COL Group appointed Narativ Media as its official distributor in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and CIS regions and Africa, and a struck new content deal with a new Dubai-based microdrama platform.
The deals were unveiled this morning at MIP London, and also included Rock Networks as its exclusive Southeast Asia telco distribution partner for its app, FlareFlow. MIP London is now into its second day at the Savoy Hotel and adjoining IET London complex.
The deals come soon after COL appointed Harbour Rights to represent its titles in Europe and Latin America, as we reported yesterday in our extended feature on microdrama distribution.
COL’s Singapore-based microdrama unit says its “coordinated global distribution architecture and significantly expanded international content slate” would help to scale its catalogue to more than 1,700 microdrama titles worldwide. These hail from South Korea, Japan, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the UK and roll out across Sereal+, FlareFlow and 17K.
A deal with Dubai-based BlingWood, which recently launched as an OTT platform, will expand COL’s access to Middle Eastern and Indian microdramas, and includes a broader pipeline of Indian series from storytelling platform Pratilipi, Korean titles from BeLive Studios and British reality-led formats from Tattle TV — the UK’s first dedicated microdrama app, including titles such as Dog Dates.
“Microdrama is entering its next competitive chapter, where quality, retention and monetization standards are increasingly shaped by data and operational discipline,” said Timothy Oh, General Manager of COL Group International.
“As pioneers in both China and the U.S., scaling some of the world’s leading platforms in this space, we understand what it truly takes to win sustainably. Our role is not simply to offer catalogue volume, but to help partners select, position and scale the right content for their platform and audience. By bringing together a broad, constantly refreshed slate from across regions, we enable smarter curation, clearer differentiation and long-term growth for serious industry players.”
Narativ deal
COL and UAE-based Narativ described their deal as a “strategic expansion of premium vertical content distribution across high-growth emerging markets,” and comes as the microdrama continues to boom financially. The growth of the medium will be among the key topics of conversation today at MIP London, where COL chief Oh will be speaking.
The pact extends beyond content representation and is being billed as part of a more “structured micro-drama distribution infrastructure.”
Narativ will spearhead market development, platform alliances, broadcaster relationships and digital monetization frameworks across the MENA and CIS regions and Africa, where they have identified “rapid mobile-first consumption growth and strong demand for short-form, high-engagement storytelling formats.”
“Micro-dramas are reshaping global viewing habits, particularly across mobile-first markets like MENA, Africa and CIS,” said Manjyot Sandhu, CEO and co-founder of Narativ. “Our appointment as official distributor for COL Group in these territories reflects Narativ’s strategy to build sustainable distribution architecture.
“A key pillar of the collaboration includes integration with FlareFlow, enabling strategic telco partnerships, bundled carrier offerings, and alternative monetization pathways designed to accelerate scale across mobile ecosystems and OTT platforms.”
Oh added: “We are building more than a content slate – we are building the global infrastructure for microdrama. With hundreds of new titles launching every quarter, scale and regional strength are critical. Narativ with its deep foothold in MENA, Africa CIS and other key markets makes them a natural strategic partner as we expand FlareFlow and bring microdrama to new platforms, telcos and audiences.
Narativ, which is joint venture Sandhu operates with Copyright Capital, manages around 7,000 hours of content and has a digital network spanning 150 million subscribers across 21 language.
COL Group has emerged as one of the biggest microdrama platforms, running platforms such as FlareFow. It is also a part-owner of ReelShort.
