Dan's post today on Jeff Goodby's PR efforts on behalf of Chevy led me to look a little closer at the work his agency is producing for the car company. Pretty pictures and Hal Riney-like voice over make for good commericals. But what about this promise to care for the environment? Isn't that off brand? Of course it is, but Goodby has set out to reinvent this iconic American brand at a time when it desperately …
Jeff Goodby Goes On A PR Offensive For His Client
If you're a regular reader of The Huffington Post, as I am, then you've noticed that it's become a favorite destination of advertising and PR execs to promote...well, whatever they want to promote, usually their industry or themselves. Jeff Goodby takes a slightly different tack, in a post called, "Wish Us Luck: We Are Chevy's Advertising Agency" In the week before our first work was released, the Detroit Free Press …
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The Martin Agency Ramps Up Its Content Offering
I don't typically follow agency personnel moves, but this one caught my eye because it highlights the growing importance of content as a marketing service. The Martin Agency has hired Neil Patel to serve as its SVP/Director of Content Strategy & Development, a new position for the agency. Patel developed early brand integrations on cable, managed the launch of an eight figure branded entertainment attraction for …
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How Can You Be The Only One To Do What You Do When There Are Thousands Of People Who Do What You Do?
Be Different Or Be Dead by Roy Osing explores "The Only Statement" among other topics meant to encourage business leaders today. Rick Spence, writing in Financial Post, likes Osing's clarity and sense of purpose. I've heard lots of prescription for writing elevator pitches and mission statements, but Osing's formula strikes me as one of the best. Instead of talking about low prices, great selection and friendly …
Tell Proust Your Story For Posterity
Named for Marcel Proust and his famous questionnaire, Proust.com is a new online site that allows family and friends to capture life stories, thoughts and aspirations with compelling and engaging questions. The company cast a wide net for its launch execution, meeting with ad agencies and other companies to find the right match, among them director Diane Paragas of Civilian Studios. Fortuitously, Diane Paragas had …
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For The Digitally Self-Absorbed
Augie Ray, a senior analyst at Forrester has identified eight things he's "sick of" in social media. One of the eight--Narcissism--grabbed my attention. There are many different kinds of narcissists in social media: There are Snow White Narcissists who every day sing about the greatness of their lives, the brightness of their futures and their thankfulness for every sunrise, budding flower and drop of rain. There are …
For Google, Small Agencies Are The Right Agencies
You don't need to work for a large or well known agency to produce marketing communications for Google. According to Ad Age, Johannes Leonardo and Big Spaceship out of New York and Cutwater, Goodness Mfg. and Muhtayzik/Hoffer on the West Coast have all recently completed projects for the search giant. The last, a San Francisco-based shop with just 20 staffers that represents one of the newest additions to Google's …
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Is The Craft Of Copywriting Irrelevant To Social Media Marketing?
Oreo's Facebook page is insanely popular. According to Ad Age, one of the reasons for the Kraft brand's success on Facebook has to do with the conversational nature of the Wall posts. As it turns out, many people in social networks don't want to talk about your product, they just want to talk. There's increasing evidence that the most-effective kinds of marketing communications on these websites are simple, random, …
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Direct Response Stimulates Trojan Sales
Who says the classic TV commercial is dead? Go ahead, try to avoid this trainwreck. …
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How Holding Companies Are Holding Their Own
Ad agency holding companies -- Publicis, WPP, Omnicom and IPG -- are always being criticized and ridiculed for being outdated in the new world of advertising. BusinessWeek takes an in-depth look at how they're doing. All of the big agencies are working on multiple fronts to integrate their technology teams more deeply into every aspect of the creative process. The days of digital silos inside agencies are long gone. …
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