Steve Rubel points to two brand-supported content aggregators that I was not previously aware of—Sony's Stories We Digg and JC Penney's Fall Shopping Guide. Here's Sony's description of their service: This site, which is powered by the Digg open API, is built to serve as a filter for the Digg community, and beyond. We’re hand selecting the very best and most relevant Digg stories we think HD lovers will find …
Help On The Way
The best agencies are staffed by people with big ideas. Sadly, most of these ideas are wasted on ads for clueless clients. But, when it can help it, Taxi doesn't play that game. To commemorate the shop's 15th year in the culture-shaping business, they sought a truly big idea, one that would give back to the community. The brief was sent out, and executive creative director, Steve Mykolyn, came back with The 15 …
Nightlife Navigator
BuzzD is a new local-search/networking service from mobile pioneer Nihal Mehta. BuzzD has established partnerships with content providers, Flavorpill and TimeOut, which gives users the lowdown on social venues in real time from their peers. Helio is expected to be the first carrier to offer BuzzD, but Mr. Mehta said he plans to make it available on all the nation's major carriers. Nokia's Nseries is sponsoring the …
Crantastic Recall
Barkley's Sonic Drive-In TV spot for cranberry iced tea was one of the most highly recalled restaurant commercials of the year, according to an IAG Research report. The No. 1 most-recalled spot according to the report was a Subway spot featuring Jared and Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard, while the Sonic spot tied for second with another Subway spot, one featuring Jared and New Orleans running back Reggie …
Omnicom Struggling To Diversify
“Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark.” -Nat King Cole in 1954 According to Crain's New York Business, Omnicom will spend $1.25 million over five years to fund a group of diversity experts. The mission of the Omnicom Diversity Development Advisory Committee is to identify and attract minority talent to its agencies, develop outreach programs to elevate the profile of the ad industry within the minority community, and …
A Safer Corn For Popping
According to Media Post's Marketing Daily, ConAgra—the nation's largest popcorn maker—will use an integrated campaign to tout the fact that its reformulated Orville Redenbacher and ACT II microwave brands no longer contain added diacetyl, a creamy, buttery flavoring. Other popcorn makers have already made similar moves, following the discovery in 2002 that diacetyl was making popcorn factory workers ill. ConAgra says …
Don’t Try This At Home
USA Today knows how to write a lead. There's a new twist on consumer-generated marketing: Ellen DeGeneres-generated marketing. Chris Bryant, 23, now starring in his own Nike ad, got the gig thanks to the funny woman's interest in his unusual abilities. With Bryant appearing as a guest on her show, she rang Nike CEO Mark Parker during the broadcast and pushed the company to make an ad. The rest, as they say, is …
Zip Zap
Sell to a holding company and your agency brand will forever be in danger. According to Ad Age, Zipatoni, a prominent marketing services agency, is no more. The 22-year-old St. Louis shop -- best known for zany promotions and retail work -- is being folded into Interpublic Group of Cos.' sibling Rivet, the shops announced today. Toronto-based FCB Direct is also folding into Rivet. The new Rivet, based in Chicago, …