from Dirty French Novel: For the past few months, I've been writing catalog and newspaper ad copy for a local retailer. I noticed something odd the first week or so I was in ad strategy meetings: the big buzzword here is "story." What story are we trying to tell in this spread? What's the story in this ad? Except when they say "story," they don't mean story. There's no rising action-climax-denouement progression. I …
Who Is This Guy?
This man is... A) Wanted in three states B) About to score C) Paid to surf D) The new-and-improved Lee Clow E) All of the above …
Not A Jolly Good Sport
By MIKE SULLIVAN of The Sun: A MAN suspected of destroying a waxworks of Posh and Becks has been quizzed by cops. A 39-year-old lecturer was arrested at his Northampton home after the figures were beheaded at Madame Tussauds. Police believe the suspect is the same man who rang The Sun to claim responsibility for the December 12 attack on a nativity scene. …
Authentic Voices Discuss Authentic Voice
Hugh MacLeod asked recently, "Is it just me, or is the term 'Authentic Voice' starting to get annoying? It's already starting to sound like a buzzword... The word 'conversation' in a post-Cluetrain marketing context is also starting to get on my tits, even if I'm as guilty as anyone for using it." To which, one witty Canadian, Brian "BS" Moffatt, chimed in with: "We need to conduct a war on buzzwords and over used …
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Outstanding Mission Statements: Sixth In A Series
Designer, Bruce Mau, presents some deep thoughts in his Incomplete Manifesto. The last day of the year seems a good time to contemplate them. Here are some of my favorites: 1. Allow events to change you. You have to be willing to grow. Growth is different from something that happens to you. You produce it. You live it. The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed …
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Coffee Makes People Talk A Lot
from Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Starbucks will begin printing quotes from various contributors -- be they actors, economists, philosophers or kings -- on all of its coffee cups in North America, beginning early next year. The company said it hopes to generate discussions among its customers and baristas with the comment-bearing coffee cups. The mega-coffee retailer declined to specify the kinds of statements it …
Mehlman Puts Geopolitical “Red Vs. Blue State Thing” To Bed
"We did what Visa did," Ken Mehlman, Bush/Cheney's 2004 campaign manager said. "We acquired a lot of consumer data. What magazine do you subscribe to? Do you own a gun? How often do the folks go to church? Where do you send your kids to school? Are you married? Based on that, we were able to develop an exact kind of consumer model that corporate America does every day to predict how people vote - not based on where …
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Retail Cat Killers Take Teamwork Too Far
from Chicago Tribune: EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Two Wal-Mart employees who police say followed a manager's orders to shoot and kill a stray cat have been charged with federal animal cruelty. The men, both assistant managers at the Supercenter, were arrested and released after a court appearance Wednesday. Christopher Anderson, 29, and Jeffrey Hardin, 21, told police the store's manager ordered them to get rid of the animal …
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Mercury Rising On Strength Of Webisodes
from NY Times: If ads that chase consumers are achieving fewer results, the thinking goes, make the consumers come to the ads, particularly by infusing them with generous helpings of entertainment as would be found in television programs and movies or at concerts. In sponsoring "Meet the Lucky Ones," which unfolded over the course of five weekly episodes like a TV series, Mercury is following other marketers like …
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Promotional Game Offends Staten Islanders
from Chicago Tribune: Beverage-maker Snapple has apologized for a joke about Staten Island on its Web site, but the company's mea culpa didn't stop a lawmaker from the borough from holding his own miniature version of the Boston Tea Party on Wednesday. The tempest in an iced tea bottle was sparked by the Real Facts Game on the company's Web site, snapple.com, which asked: "What is the most recognized smell in the …
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