Stanford Law professor and Creative Commons guru, Larry Lessig, has quite a following. Rightfully so. Borrowing from his thinking, a student group on campuses around the country is now advocating for an open source economy. "The mission of the Free Culture movement is to build a bottom-up, participatory structure to society and culture, rather than a top-down, closed, proprietary structure. We believe that culture is …
How Frank Can We Be?
One of the more fascinating aspects of Frontline's "The Persuaders," which aired last night on PBS was the close up look at Republican pollster, Frank Luntz. If you watch the news at all, you've seen this guy's spin, I mean work. Luntz advised his political cronies, I mean clients, to say "climate change" not "global warming" and "death tax" not "estate tax." He helped Newt define his "Contract With America" and …
Delivering On The Brand Promise
It appears that the outrageous sums required to attend Penn, Cornell, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Brown, Harvard and Dartmouth may actually be well worth the investment. from NY Times: Nestled between the articles in Harvard Magazine or Princeton Alumni Weekly are advertisements for $20,000 watches, $150,000 cars, investment advice and high-end retirement communities. As the magazine tells advertisers: "Want …
What Is This Spit?
from USA Today: A new strain of spam soon could have consumers spitting mad. "Spit" - spam over Internet telephony - is beginning to surface as more people make phone calls over the Internet instead of regular phone lines, security experts say. Marketers can program their computers to send 1,000 voice messages a minute over Internet-telephony technology, according to one recent test. Web-based phone systems ensnared …
Championship Rings Advertising’s New Bling Bling
Olson + Co, a Minneapolis agency with the Detroit Pistons on the client roster, has received four diamond encrusted NBA Champions rings, each worth $15,000. Speaking to Adweek's Tim Nunn, agency president John Olson joked, "They obviously lowered their standards as to who gets a ring." In the five years it has had the account, the agency has built attendance with a campaign touting the team's (and its fans') …
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Seriously Strong Mints To Fetch Some Serious Cash
According to Crain's Chicago Business, Kraft is rumored to be preparing sales of its Altoids and Life Savers candy brands, which could reap about $1 billion. The Northfield, IL-based food marketer is preparing to split from corporate parent Altria, and several lesser known brands are also slated to be sold off as part of the corporate restructuring. I wonder what the valuation for Altoids would be pre-Steffan …
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Tonight At Nine
from the PBS web site: FRONTLINE takes an in-depth look at the multibillion-dollar "persuasion industries" of advertising and public relations and how marketers have developed new ways of integrating their messages deeper into the fabric of our lives. Through sophisticated market research methods to better understand consumers and by turning to the little-understood techniques of public relations to make sure their …
“Third Screen” Enters The Lexicon
Just weeks after the term "Third Screen" entered the marketing lexicon, Motorola debuts a short film exhibit from renowned cinematographer, Edward Lachman of "The Virgin Suicides" and "Erin Brockovich" fame. All in effort to hype their new 710 camera phone. Research suggests that worldwide revenue from mobile information and entertainment is expected to grow to $39 billion by 2007. Lachman in Telluride, CO …