The negative news about newspapers is deafening. The Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, San Jose Mercury News, and now the San Francisco Chronicle are all battling for their very existence. Some might make it, others might not. Everyday this drama plays out, side by side with the dramas in our financial markets, in Detroit and on Main Streets throughout the …
Girls School? Maybe. Reform School? Definitely.
Ad agency digs have long been creative, but creative within certain well heeled parameters. Lots of modern lines and Eames inspired furnishings. It's a refined creativity, not circus creativity. But there's an agency in Seattle that refuses to play by those rules, or any rules regarding the business and matters of taste. Wexley School for Girls announces it presence in a dramatic way. Creative spaces in advertising …
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Whole Lotta Moanin’ Goin’ On
I learned many moons ago not to build your brand on word play, because that's what the brand becomes known for--the word play, not the service or product offering at hand. FindYourGSpots.com clearly hasn't heard this line of thinking, or the decision makers at the company don't buy it for they're coming to market with a social application named for a female erogenous zone. Sexy, huh? …
Dark Times for Bright Characters
"Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen should be proud, there's finally a writer to carry on their tradition." - James Frey Michael Craven, an ACD at Crispin working on the Microsoft account has a new book out. It's called Body Copy, cleverly enough. According to Adweek, the novel tells the tale of a former pro surfer turned private investigator who investigates the murder of the famous creative director at Gale/Parker, a …
Digital Elites To Descend On Cinci
According to Ad Age, the digertati are slated to be in Cincinnati on March 9th for "Digital Hack Night" at P&G headquarters. Some of the biggest names in digital and social media -- including top executives from Google, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter -- are expected to attend. "It is about learning and engagement, and we're inviting in a broad range of digital people," a P&G spokeswoman said, including agencies and …
Spotlight On NW Creative: I2PA
Rogue Ale's Imperial India Pale Ale (I2PA) has received 25 awards for what's inside the bottle. Now, they've received an award for the bottle. Rogue's 750ml black ceramic Imperial bottle was one of the two packages to win a Gold Medal at BEVERAGE WORLD'S 12th Annual Best in Beverage Packaging contest. The Other Gold Medalist was Pepsi Raw. Celebrating its second century, Rogue Ales is an Artisan Varietal Brewery …
ROI: Advertising’s Dirty Four-Letter Word
If you work in an ad agency today, you're pressed by clients demanding accountability. But just because someone's got numbers, does that mean they rule the roost? We have access to more data, more statistics, more slicing and dicing of numbers and tactics than ever. And has advertising gotten any better through the years? Hardly. Has the creative work improved? Nope. Less wasteful? Occasionally. Is it still mostly …
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Where the Money Is: Real Products And Services
Daniel Lyons, a.k.a. the blogger formerly knows as Fake Steve Jobs, writes in Newsweek that it's hard to make money from blogging. He calls it a "high-tech fairy tale" and reports that he only earned $1,039.81 the month when his identity was revealed by The New York Times and his site was visited by 1.5 million people. Lyons also points out that Technorati estimates that bloggers who run ads earn an average of $5,060 …
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Return of the Hitchhiker III
Bartle Bogle Hegarty for Johnnie Walker: An ad for a Belgian charity: Be careful out there. Hitchhiking can be a rough sport. …
Hunt Adkins Sings Bard’s Song
Hunt Adkins recently launched work for their client Bard's Beer. The only gluten-free beer that uses malted sorghum, Bard's Beer was originally created for people who are gluten-intolerant or who prefer a gluten-free diet. As the agency of record for Bard's, Hunt Adkins was tasked with creating a new identity system, packaging, in-store signage, print advertising and a fully redesigned website. Here's a look at some …