I've concepted and delivered consumer promotions for a number of years now. There are many different types of promotions to develop, not just sweepstakes. In fact, sweeps are the last refuge of a desperate creative team. Naturally, Starbucks knows this. Which is why the coffee giant's current in-store promotion simply gives customers a prize. Everyone loves to get something of value for free, and Starbucks is saying …
Andre The Giant Has A Posse
For more on Shepard Fairey see Obey Giant, but don't bite his style for your next ad campaign. It's already been done. …
Poor Memory? Buy An iPhone
Sprint Speeds Towards Its Own Demise
I know the good ad men and ad women of California Street like to invite immense challenges. It's a way to stay fresh and test one's mettle. The Sprint account presents such a challenge. According to Ad Age, Sprint Nextel continued to bleed customers (340,000) in the most recent quarter, leading to the resignation today of Gary Forsee as chairman and president-CEO. After winning the $1.2 billion account earlier this …
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Brand Reputation And The Unfiltered Word
Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards has a blog on NBA.com. According to the Wall Street Journal (paid sub. req.) every 10 days or so the outspoken baller calls his entries in to a National Basketball Association staffer who faithfully transcribes his thoughts. But some of his commentary has been tough for his corporate overlords to stomach. Like the time he said "I'm sitting there looking at the shoe like I …
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Go Bears!
UC Berkeley is making entire course lectures and special events available, free of charge, on YouTube. This move strikes me as an interesting way to get the Berkeley brand out there. I'm not sure who watches these vids, but I would think they're useful to prospective students. Even for the non-prospect, these free offerings still build the Berekely brand, reaffirming that Berekeley is a vibrant place where knowledge …
Motorola Shelves A Spot, Sort Of
Adweek takes a look at the agency/client tensions involved with bringing to life this Motorola spot, directed by French filmaker Michel Gondry. It was during editing that the creative differences became evident. While the agency wanted to keep Gondry's vision intact, the client wanted to streamline it and take out some of the more fanciful elements. After production had been completed in June, an agency meeting with …
“Mad Men” Drink But Not To Get Drunk
According to Ad Age, DirectTV will be the sole sponsor of the season's final episode of Mad Men. The article explores the sponsorship model, while also touching on product placement in the show. With its unflinching look beneath the veneer of 1960s politesse, it's easy to see why brands such as Jack Daniels' parent Brown-Forman, which inked a product-placement deal with "Mad Men," were cautious. "They have this whole …
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