Adam Nagourney, national political correspondent for The New York Times profiles Republican Party Chairman, Ken Mehlman, in today's Magazine section. It's a flattering portrayal of a compassionate and intelligent young man. The article makes Mehlman look quite a bit more liberal than many mainstream members of his party. He actively courts African-American and Hispanic voters for one, something he claims the …
Buy A New Eclipse Or The Terrorists Win
You can't accuse car dealers, or their advertising, of being subtle. From The Columbus Dispatch: Some Columbus radio stations have rejected as insensitive an advertisement for a car dealership that invokes Islamic references. In the spot, Keith Dennis of Dennis Mitsubishi talks about "launching a jihad on the automotive market." Sales representatives "will be wearing burqas all weekend long," the ad says. One of the …
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Indie Not Just Another Market Segment
CNN is running a special section on indie culture. Ryan Schreiber, the editor and founder of Pitchfork Media, a popular online magazine that chronicles the indie music scene, said the indie spirit has been commodified and re-envisioned as a marketable lifestyle just like punk, alternative and grunge before it. "But those are all permutations of the same very resilient subculture," he said. "If the last 30 years are …
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Making Sense Of Edward Jones
I enjoy the Edward Jones "Making Sense of Investing" camapign. It's memorable, sensible and delivers a distinct service benefit. The spot above also benefits from sharp writing and great casting. …
Indie Site Seeks Suit (Provided That It’s Vintage Thrift Store)
If you want to feed the indie masses visions of amateur porn care of American Apparel, Pitchfork has a job for you. Pitchfork Media's Chicago headquarters is looking out for a Senior Account Manager to generate advertising and develop new business. The position is full-time and requires 2-4 years of sales experience (online preferred). Since the work environment is decidedly non-corporate (like, we listen to music …
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Another Journalist And His Trusty Stereotypes
Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post examines the changes to our industry over the past twenty years. Gone are the days when gray-suited admen would commute to Grand Central Terminal from the Connecticut suburbs, walk the few blocks to Madison Avenue, spend the day concocting clever, feel-good ads, collect 15 percent commissions for placing them with the three TV networks and glossy magazines, and schmooze …
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General Interest Mags Don’t Sell Cars
Newspaper and magazine ad buys by auto companies are down 24% this year through July, from $1.8 billion to $1.4 billion at magazines, and from $1.1 billion to $754 million at newspapers. Conversely, total auto spend for online ads is up 51.6%, from $110 million to $159 million. According to Brandweek, Steve Parr, president of Primedia's enthusiast media division, which publishes Automobile and Motor Trend, said the …
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VCU Guerrilla Assignment Lands Student In the Doghouse
Boy, is this a weird story. From USA Today: A university student appears to be responsible for an advertising class assignment that went awry when the teacher's pug was threatened to be killed online, the school said. Mike Lear, an adjunct professor at VCU's Adcenter, last week gave his class an assignment to make his 6-year-old pug famous. While most students posted fliers around campus with the pooch's picture on …
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