Allen is one of a small handful of folks to have influenced high-tech marketing of the last quarter of the 20th century the most.
Allen is the creator of “If you see something say something” which has saved countless lives according to the FBI, appeared in over 3.5B google results and has been licensed to many organizations in many countries. The Department of Homeland Security made Sept 25th each year National If you see Something Say Something Awareness Day.
He ushered in the age of Super Bowl commercials when he created the famous XEROX MONK and XEROX FOOTBALL commercials (1976/77 Super Bowls), won 28 Clio Awards(then he stopped counting), is in 2 Advertising Halls of Fame, put Steve Wynn on his roof and helped his poster child Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic get on the map and all over it. He shares with Formidable Men his recent venture, Northern Pacific Airways with the slogan, “Higher Standards. Lower Fares™”.
When did you realize that your creative thinking would “Outsmart not Outspend?”
I grew up in New York City. My whole family, aunts, uncles and cousins lived in the same building on the same floor. The other kids were older than me and were the stars of the show. “That’s not fair,” I thought. To get attention, I decided to do something none of them could ever do. Drew Mickey Mouse in ketchup on the living room wall. It was a pretty good idea because instead of the adults doting on my cousins they started to talk about me.
I had my principal of advertising. Unexpected ideas just replaced Mickey and Heinz.
What is your motivational force?
Pride, actually. FMM: Tell us about your recent campaigns, The National PullUp Challenge and the International NOpioids Foundation.
Several years ago, I saw a news story about a bright teenager that died from an opioid overdose. Having created many anti-drug commercials, I looked into it. I didn’t realize that opioid overdose among the young had grown to epidemic proportion. I created what I thought was a very powerful campaign picturing young people who were “Dead at 16.” “Dead at 19.” Dead at 24.”…The idea was for those faces to consistently be in the face of youngsters just like them. The message: “They didn’t want to die, just to get high.” My business partner, Rich Lofgren, had a hate on for opioids, too. An avid exerciser, Rich came up with “The National Pullup Challenge” to raise money to decrease the amount of opioid deaths. I felt the movement need to be branded. I gave it the name and a logo: NOpioids.
What is your proudest moment of your career?
Even though I’ve had famous commercials on the Super Bowl, it may sound strange, but I got chills seeing airplanes over Central Park skywriting, “Wait for an English Virgin.” FMM: Tell us about your recent venture, Northern Pacific Airways with your slogan, “Higher Standards. Lower Fares™”.
Rich, read a feature story about them. He felt it was the kind of company we could put on the map. Introducing and having the Virgin Atlantic account for 11 years we knew lot about how to make a new international airline take off and and continue to grow far and wide. Rich set up a Zoom call with North Pacific’s founder & CEO, Rob McKinney. I said things to Rob that would scare many clients away. He kept saying, “Great. Great. Great.” He hired us on the call and we : say, “Great!”
The slogan: we felt the Northern Pacific should not live on low price alone. That it should be coupled with high-quality. What good is a cheap flight, if it isn’t a good flight? “Higher standards. Lower Fares.” became our positioning. That grew into “North of unique. South of price.” Makes you stop and think bit. When it comes to advertising, -stopping is good. Then thinking even better.
Share the significance of the transformational block chain-based loyalty program called, FlyCoin.
First of all, it’s a first.
Northern Pacific’s visionary founder and CEO, Rob McKinney, is the one to tell you about it. He flies on the front line.
“We believe that FlyCoin will be both disruptive and transformative in the loyalty/rewards space. As Web 3 charges our way full steam ahead, it is only natural that loyalty programs keep pace and not stay mired in the 1970’s. Consumers expect that everything improves, and crypto as a reward is that next evolutionary step.
“Crypto represents real value, that does ‘t expire It has an absolute floor for price but no upper limit. Crypto can be held, traded, or used for any good or service not just future airline travel.”
From a broader perspective` the technology will make its way into every industry in ways as yet unthunk. (Thank you Dr. Seuss.) It’s off to a good start. Every prospect that has contacted us in the last month has some kind of crypto spin. NFT’s are nipping at it’s heels.
I crypto as the 21st century’s version of bartering beads. Only these beads you can’t, feel, touch nor make a necklace out of. Will crypto come to be the sole digital currency forever? Well, beads were around for six centuries so crypto has a fighting chance…but then again, there are NFT’s.
If you were to create a slogan about your life, what would it be?
Good one! “You are the only you, you have.”
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