Raindrop, a San Diego creative marketing agency, reports it produced a TV commercial that aired regionally during the recent Super Bowl LVII.
The 30-second ad for SelectBlinds, an online seller of window coverings, is a spoof of a blind dating show. Titled “Love is Blinds,” the ad features humorous innuendo while emphasizing SelectBlinds’ selection and ease of installation, said Raindrop. The closing tagline is “You’ll love us because we’re easy.”
“We really wanted to lighten the mood around how easy it is to work with SelectBlinds to make your dreams a reality,” Jacques Spitzer, founder and CEO of Raindrop, told Times of San Diego. “The campaign itself is fun to watch and you don’t even realize how much you’ve learned about the process.”
The TV spot will air during the Super Bowl, as well as the Phoenix Open golf tournament, in the Phoenix market. It’s the first time for a Super Bowl TV commercial for SelectBlinds, headquartered in Chandler, Ariz.
Raindrop said it began working with SelectBlinds in October 2022. “SelectBlinds came to us wanting something that would get people talking and laughing,” said Spitzer. “We had an incredible time leaning into the timeless desire to fall in love with your blinds. Not only is it hilarious, but it really does a great job emphasizing how fun and easy it is to select your blinds and hang them.”
Debuting on March 1 on YouTube will be a three-minute SelectBlinds commercial that will continue the blind date theme, the agency said.
TV Reporter’s Foundation Paying for Valentine Day’s Weddings
The Larry Himmel Neighborhood Foundation, named after the late San Diego TV personality and humorist Larry Himmel, has announced it will pay the $70 marriage license fee for at least 20 wedding ceremonies held Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, at the County Administration Center.
In addition to the license and fees, the Foundation also will provide roses and a special gift for military couples, said Miles Himmel, foundation founder and Larry’s son.
Himmel said his Foundation is partnering for the first time with San Diego County’s Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk, the county office that issues marriages, birth and death certificates. Jordan Marks, recently elected to a four-year term as assessor-record-clerk, said in a statement he will refer to the foundation couples who may need some extra love and assistance.
“This year I’m proud to be partnering with the Larry Himmel Neighborhood Foundation to continue Larry’s legacy of sharing love with free weddings for 20 couples to make their day more memorable,” said Marks. “San Diego legendary reporter Larry Himmel was famous for sharing love and laughter and nearly 20 years ago he actually married a San Diego couple at the county building on Valentine’s Day.”
“We know it is expensive living in San Diego, especially for newlyweds,” Miles Himmel told Times of San Diego. “We want to help share the love with the newlyweds starting out their marriage by providing some assistance, including covering the license fee, a photographer and flowers.”
The foundation is accepting donations to cover the Valentine’s Day weddings at larryhimmelfoundation.org. Himmel said the foundation may pay the marriage license fee for more than 20 couples depending on donation contributions.
Larry Himmel, a feature reporter for 35 years with KFMB-TV, passed away in November 2014 from pancreatic cancer. He was 68. He grew up in Chicago and earned a master’s degree in speech from Bradley University. After moving to San Diego in the 1970s, he bartended in Ocean Beach and did stand-up at the Comedy Store in La Jolla. In 1979, he was hired at KFMB-TV’s Channel 8 news to host “Larry Himmel At Large” commentaries.
In 1985, Himmel launched a sketch comedy and interview show called “San Diego at Large.” The sketch evolved into the adventures of “Biff and Skippy,” a clueless duo of awkward surf bums played by Himmel and comedian Rick Rockwell.
Himmel went on to become the station’s longest-serving human interest reporter. In one clip, he offered advice for high school students: “Just remember, parents don’t know everything,” and “If you set your goals low enough, you’ll always be able to achieve them. That’s important to remember.”
SD Direct Hosts `Authority Marketing’ with Henry DeVries
SD Direct, a San Diego educational and networking group for digital and direct marketing professionals, will host a luncheon program titled “Authority Marketing: The Magnificent 7 Ways to Market Like an Expert” from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 21, at the Better Business Bureau offices, 4747 Viewridge Avenue.
The speaker will be Henry DeVries, author of “Rainmaker Confidential” and CEO (chief encouragement officer) of Indie Books International. DeVries, who writes a weekly marketing column for Forbes.com, will address the problems of not enough qualified prospects in the pipeline, not enough right-fit clients and not enough time for business development.
He will share seven secrets for authority marketing, including: don’t podcast, start your own TV show; think small-scale Zoominars; get published, you can’t spell “authority” without the word “author;” LinkedIn, the world’s perfect prospect database that’s free; find your target-rich watering holes; volunteer to offer help, not hype; creating workshops with research, not rehash.
DeVries’ book company works with agency owners, business coaches and marketing consultants who want to attract more high-paying clients by marketing with a book and speeches. In the past 10 years, he has helped ghostwrite, edit and co-author more than 300 business books, including “How to Close a Deal Like Warren Buffet,” a McGraw-Hill bestseller.
He also trains business development teams and business leaders on how to sell more services by persuading with a story. He is a former president of a local advertising and PR agency and served as a marketing faculty member and assistant dean of continuing education at the University of California San Diego.
Attendees to the SD Direct program will receive a copy of “Rainmaker Confidential.” Cost to attend is $40 per person. For more information and to RSVP, visit sddirect.org.
Members of SD Direct, formerly called the San Diego Direct Marketing Association, include direct response marketers, small business owners and entrepreneurs.
IABC San Diego Offers Advice to Nonprofits
The International Association of Business Communicators San Diego chapter will host “Give the Gift of Communication,” a community, give-back event from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 16, at the United Way of San Diego County offices, 4699 Murphy Canyon Road.
IABC members and friends will offer advice and assessments to help six nonprofits solve their communications challenges. The nonprofits include Dreams for Change, Lupus Foundation, San Marcos Promise, HandsOn San Diego, San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum and Rancho Coastal Humane Society. IABC said additional nonprofits may participate.
Admission is free. For more information, visit sandiego.iabc.com.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.