Stuart Elliott reports that TV execs are exploring changes in the way they deliver commercials in attempt to better hold viewers' attention throughout the program. At a meeting scheduled for today in Burbank, Calif., ABC, part of the Walt Disney Company, will show several ideas to executives from media agencies gathered for the network’s annual spring development meeting. The meeting offers ABC a chance to share …
Sex Sells Science
Adrants reports that Amanda Congdon is shilling for DuPont. On her blog, Amanda says, "I see nothing wrong with doing commercials." She apparently felt the need to defend herself, after Huffington Post wrote this headline about her: ABC Videocaster Congdon Caught Working For DuPont On The Side. …
The Face-to-Face Effect
Kathy Sierra has been attending conferences for 20 years, but speaking at them only for the past few. In the following passage from her blog, she describes why so many of us climb aboard cramped airplanes for hours on end to gather in a central real-life place. The most underrated benefit of the face-to-face effect of conferences is INSPIRATION. For me, the single biggest reason to attend an event like SXSW is the …
Gimmicks Don’t Sell Beer
Stuart Elliott lets us in on a new interactive campaign meant to sell "the world's most refreshing beer." Coors Light is planning an interactive initiative, scheduled to start in mid-April, that promotes 4:53 p.m. as the new 5 o’clock. At 4:53 p.m. local time on weekdays, the Coors Light brand symbol, an old-fashioned train called the Silver Bullet, will race across entertainment, news and sports Web sites that are …
P&G Is Not Affiliated With Satan
Anyone who owns P&G stock knows that the company would never split profits with anyone, least of all Satan. But for those who still entertain doubts, be advised: P&G just won $19.25 million in a decade-long civil suit against four former Amway distributors accused of spreading rumors that the company was affiliated with the Church of Satan. The rumor was basically this: P&G's CEO "came out of the closet" on the Phil …
Wal-Mart Responds To Roehm In A Big Way
Man, this is really airing dirty laundry in public. From today's New York Times:: Wal-Mart asserted yesterday in a court filing that two of its former top marketing officials had engaged in a sexual relationship during the process of selecting new advertising agencies and had sought jobs with one of the agencies they ultimately recommended. Wal-Mart backed up its assertions with what it said were e-mail messages sent …
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Where Creative Comes From
The official SXSW site is offering several podcasts from the Interactive Conference last week. One I feel good about recommending here is Rob Weychert and Jason Santa Maria's talk on "Design Inspiration." Sketch of the panel by Varick Rosete Jason is Creative Director at Happy Cog Studios in Philadelphia. Rob is an Art Director there. …
No Keys? No Worries.
Nissan wants African-American consumers, ages 28 to 38, who live in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Washington to drive its new Altima. So they hired True, an agency that specializes in attracting the attention of that audience. According to The New York Times, True's campaign to promote a push-button ignition system on the 2007 Nissan Altima sedan begins this week and continues through …
The Value of Tolerance
In February, John Amaechi spoke about his homosexuality on ESPN's Outside the Lines program. He also released a book, Man in the Middle, published by ESPN Books, which discusses his career and life as a closeted professional athlete. Amaechi is the first NBA player to speak publicly about being gay. Now, according to The New York Times, he has an endorsement deal as a result. The journeyman center for such teams as …
So Just Exactly Who Is Sir Martin Sorrell?
I know our friend George Parker has an opinion or two about the CEO of WPP, but how did Sorrell get to be one of the most powerful people in the advertising industry? Here's a good overview of Sorrell's background, which is in the news again as he's currently involved in a pretty nasty lawsuit with some ex-employees: Borrowing a million pounds, like you do, he set up a business from a one-room rental in London and …
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