I know we're looking at a bunch of political ads today, so I'll keep this brief. The New York Times calls the ad above "among the most pointed attacks to be put out by Mr. Obama." Huh? I thought Obama was a boxer. …
A Killer Ad. Literally.
It's getting nasty out there. Back in 2004, I was living in Ohio--the tightest of all the states, Presidentially speaking. So there was an absolute barrage on all sides to get votes. It was non-stop. The Electoral College map hasn't changed much. So now, this ad is apparently going up in Ohio: You can find out more about the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund here. You can also find out about Alaska's Wolf Control …
Before You Can Sell, You First Must Understand and Empathize
One of the things marketers must do is understand their audience, and if they want to increase market share, they must also understand the audience who isn't yet sold on their product or service. I'm intrigued by the idea that Democrats understand their base--which is really a coalition of disparate interests--but that they fail miserably when it comes to understanding the people who consistently vote against them. …
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Toilet Paper Advertising Is More Honest Than Political Advertising
Writing on The Huffington Post, Sarah O'Leary makes the case that political advertising should be fact-checked: Political advertising is the most important and persuasive weapon in a presidential campaign's arsenal. Candidates, national committees and a variety of groups spend the vast majority of their war chest wealth, hundreds of millions of dollars, on TV, radio, Internet and print advertising. Allowing political …
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Today in Twitterverse: Motivating Transactional Behavior
Amazon MP3 is paying attention to one of the basic facts of life—people love a deal. And they are using Twitter to convey their deals. I, for one, am in. Not only did I just pick up Death Cab's record, I also scored Mofro's new title track from their fourth album, "Orange Blossom," for free. Bezos needn't worry, I'll be back for more. …
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PETA, You’re Being Mocked
[via The Denver Egotist] …
Seize The Day
Noam Wasserman of Harvard Business School looks at some of the fundamental realities of owning your own shop. Are you one of the many executives who'd love to leave the corporate battleship to skipper a speedy, nimble start-up? And are you using a variety of rationales for why it's not yet time to go? Reasons such as: I need to work on my résumé, acquire more credibility, learn to manage better, figure out how …
Yet Another Facebook Story: Kvetching About The New Design
I guess I picked a good time to reactivate my Facebook account, as I prefer the new design. Leveraging the social graph though, that's above my pay grade (to speak in the lipstick-enhanced political parlance of the day). [via Valleywag] …
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As Much As I Adore The Genius In “Just Do It,” It’s A Tagline. Taglines Help People Recall The Brand Promise.
There's something absurd about this headline and subhead. Of course, there's nothing wrong with absurdist headlines, I'm a big fan of such things. [via The Wall Street Journal] …
9 Things Mark Twain Taught Me About Advertising
Great post over at AdLand today, submitted by someone named TopMadMan. Here's a sample: "Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising." Advertising is life made to look larger than life, through images and words that promise a wish fulfilled, a dream come true, a problem solved. Even Viagra follows Mark Twain's keen observation about advertising. The worst kind of advertising exaggerates to …
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