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Arby’s Filmed a Brisket Cooking for 13 Hours and Now Wants You to Watch It

The fast-food chain will broadcast a record-breaking commercial to Duluth, Minnesota residents over the holiday weekend.

I’m thinking Arby’s… is really going for it.

The fast food chain known for its roast beef sandwiches and curly fries has decided to air a new commercial to promote its Smokehouse Brisket Sandwich. Not a noteworthy or surprising advertising move–except that the commercial is 13 hours long.

Yes, you read that right. Beginning at 1 p.m. Central Time on Saturday, Arby’s will show a commercial on the local My9 television station in Duluth, Minnesota that is roughly 1,560 times as long as a typical 30-second commercial spot. The ad will be 13 hours of dialogue-free footage of a cut of brisket being smoked at a Texas smokehouse.

The move is another example of a brand trying to separate itself from its competitors. While the concept is creative–at least more so than McDonald’s new, creepy mascot or Burger King’s updated slogan-the fast-food chain’s choice of Duluth to air the brisket footage is a somewhat curious one.

“I think it is kind of a silly market to do something for 13 hours because there aren’t very many Arby’s up here to begin with and Duluth has a lot of local, unique restaurants that people go to a lot more often than fast-food chains,” says Duluth resident Peter Steltz. “I can only think of two Arby’s in Duluth off the top of my head.”

Steltz added that students at the University of Minnesota-Duluth will probably be the most likely demographic to tune into the brisket smoking over the weekend.

“My first reaction is that it just seems excessive,” says Maggie Paulson, another Duluth resident. “People may watch the first few minutes but then go smoke meat of their own.”

For those avid Arby’s fans who do not live in Duluth, have no fear: You will be able to watch all the brisket magic for yourself online from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday at www.13hourbrisket.com. Viewers of the online stream can even win prizes for watching–including 13 cash prizes of $ 1,300 (get it? 13 is a theme here, folks). According to The New York Times, the 13-hour brisket initiative will cost Arby’s an estimated $ 250,000.

The big price tag begs the question of whether the commercial is worthwhile for Arby’s. Still, the ad is a bit reminiscent of the “Yule Log” television broadcast that dates back to the 1960s–as well as Netflix’s humorous revival of the tradition with its streaming Yule Log channel–and people watch that year after year.





Inc.com

CES 2014: 5 Innovations to Watch

The annual gadget fest known as the International Consumer Electronics Show is just around the corner. Here’s a look at what to expect.

In case you have not marked your calendar yet, the annual gadget bonanza known as the Consumer Electronics Show is just around the corner (it opens on Jan. 7). Held each year in Las Vegas, the massive convention is where I’ll be for seven days after recovering from the holidays.

So what can you expect from the show? Plenty. I’m meeting with dozens of company reps to find out about new tech, but I’m mostly looking forward to these innovations.

1. 5G Wireless

I’m excited to see what Broadcom comes up with for 5G technology, the next evolution beyond the 4G mobile Internet service we have now. In theory, 5G would run at over 1Gbps which is fast enough to change how we do business–it means cloud back-ups would take seconds, sending a video presentation to a colleague overseas could be almost instantaneous, and HD video collaboration would become commonplace between businesses.

2. Firefox OS

I remember seeing a Firefox OS phone at CES last January made by a company called ZTE, and I’m hoping more companies pick up the charge. The Firefox OS uses HTML applets and could offer some flexibility and speed benefits, although it is too early to know for sure. Mainly, it would be good for another competitor to take on Android and iOS because it doesn’t seem like Microsoft (with the Windows phone) or BlackBerry will win that fight.

3. Gesture Interfaces

I named the Leap Motion controller as one of my top gear-of-the-year picks for 2013, so gesture interfaces are already available on the market. You can use your hands to page through a sales demo or even design a part for a new product and visualize the results. I’m expecting more companies like Thalmic Labs to offer improved gesture interfaces for business purposes.

4. 4K Projectors for the Office

This past year, Seiki and TCL released 4K televisions and several companies, like Dell and Samsung, offered 4K monitors for your computer. But I have yet to see a reasonably priced 4K projector for an office setting. 4K runs at an incredibly high resolution so slides, video demos, and photos would look much better in presentations.

5. Connected Cars

Audi will be showing off a new A3 sedan that offers a built-in 4G connection for the passengers (and the driver if the car is stopped). That’s a first for any automaker, and it means faster access to email, Web apps, and collaboration. I’m hoping someone finally figures out how to do a 4G video chat service from within the car.


    




Inc.com

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