Cockeyed.com is showcasing an innovative (and very serious) use for Silly String. American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are using the cans of amusement to detect trip wires. The brightly-colored string gets draped over even the finest tripwire, making it easy to spot. First introduced in 1969 by Julius Samann, Silly String is non-toxic, non-flammable, and free of CFCs. Ergo, this low tech safety device is also …
Vanilla And Coke To Separate
USA Today: Coca-Cola said Friday it would phase out its Vanilla Coke, Vanilla Diet Coke and Diet Coke With Lemon beverages in the United States by end of this year. The announcement came a day after the world's largest soft drink maker said it would phase out Vanilla Coke and Vanilla Diet Coke in the United Kingdom early next year. The company said sales have declined. Coca-Cola added that it plans to introduce Diet …
Crispin Gets Big–Big Enough For A NYT Story
Jay Chiat used to ask "How big can we get before we get bad?" Today, The New York Times asks that question about CB&P. Some skeptics see Crispin and like-minded agencies as a temporary blip. "The big agencies are saying that being big doesn't mean you can't be creative, and they're going to prove it," said Leslie Winthrop, chief executive at AAR Partners in New York. So how nervous are Madison Avenue agencies about …
Continue Reading about Crispin Gets Big–Big Enough For A NYT Story →
It’s Weird How Weird Makes Money
John Warner, a.k.a. The Swamp Fox, is a Greenville, SC-based venture capitalist. On his blog, he writes about the Greenville Chamber's recent visit to Austin, TX--a city that has emerged as an entrepreneurial haven with the third-most venture capital investment in the country. In other words, the money is flowing in Austin. Warner asks why and considers what his own vibrant upstate community can do to share in some …
Amazon To Sell Chapters Like iTunes Sells Songs
Through a service called Amazon Pages, Amazon will allow people to "inexpensively" buy chapters from a book and read them online. Customers will get complete online access to the book through another service called Amazon Upgrade. Both services are an extension of Amazon's existing search within a book program. "Amazon Pages and Amazon Upgrade leverage Amazon's existing Search Inside the Book technology to give …
Continue Reading about Amazon To Sell Chapters Like iTunes Sells Songs →
Casting For Dollars
Fruitcast is a new service with the aim of commercializing podcasts. Their logo is also strangely reminiscent, but that's another story. We make it ridiculously easy to put ads on your podcast. All you have to do is sign up for an account, and post the new feed URL we create for you on your website (or redirect it through another service, such as the excellent FeedBurner). Each time a listener downloads an episode …
If We Don’t Measure Their Impact Maybe They’ll Go Away
Ad Age: Terrestrial broadcasters insist they’re not nervous about satellite radio’s 7 million subscribers, but they’ve successfully stalled Arbitron’s plan to add satellite and online radio listening to its diary measurement system. Arbitron was originally scheduled to instruct its diary keepers to record their satellite and online radio listening in the fall 2005 book. Instead, Arbitron now plans a 25-market test of …
Continue Reading about If We Don’t Measure Their Impact Maybe They’ll Go Away →
Lamar Builds Better Boards
nola.com: Lamar Advertising Co. sustained $14 million in hurricane damage to its billboards in Louisiana and Mississippi, according to the company. But the company's chief financial officer said new designs will cut future storm repair costs. CFO Keith Istre said the storms would allow the company "to replace existing inventory with wind-resistant structures that are much more durable and have a much higher …