December 1, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Resistance to advertising normally comes from the consuming public, but here we have a case of a giant corporation rejecting one of their best brand advocates.

from Los Angeles Times: Albert Okura, a businessman who owns and runs Juan Pollo, a chain of Mexican rotisserie chicken restaurants in Southern California operates a quirky museum in San Bernadino. Okura built the museum as a tribute to Ray Kroc, his longtime hero. Kroc opened the first McDonald's in Des Plaines, Ill. in 1955.

The museum pays tribute to the burger empire that gave the world the Big Mac, McNuggets and the Happy Meal. Inside, visitors can see — free of charge — more than 5,000 pieces of kitschy McDonald's memorabilia, including Happy Meal toys, commemorative plates, dolls and 1950s milkshake machines and fryers. The walls are adorned with handwritten letters from a few of the first fry cooks and car hop girls at McDonald's.

The corporate keepers had this to say: "The museum in San Bernardino, which displays McDonald's historic information and memorabilia, is not in any way affiliated with the McDonald's Corporation. McDonald's has the right, by law, to protect our trademark." McDonald's officials declined to comment further on the museum, except to say that anyone looking for historical information about the company should visit the McDonald's website.

December 1, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

from Business Week: With rare exceptions, the women of the Ladies Professional Golf Assn. are not the sort of half-dressed hotties who fill the pages of mens' magazines like FHM. Then there's Natalie Gulbis.

Gulbis' decision to pose for FHM wasn't one she came to alone, however. A PR firm, retained by the LPGA, aided in soliciting the shoot, as it did an offer for Gulbis to appear on Howard Stern's radio gabfest. (Gulbis turned that one down.) "As our players become recognizable celebrities, more unconventional media outlets are becoming interested. If Natalie is comfortable [posing in FHM], we're supportive of the decision" says Commissioner Ty Votaw, who has been urging players to leverage their looks and charm, as well as their swings.

Gulbis and her advisers, led by her dad, John, have turned her sex appeal into one of the more impressive marketing machines on the LPGA Tour. Her deals with TaylorMade, Adidas, Titleist, MET-Rx, GeniSoy, and EA Sports will generate more than a half-million dollars this year.

December 1, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Taking a page from Nick Denton's Gawker Media Empire playbook, Jake Dobkin, publisher of Gothamist has a nice little publishing business of his own. Actually, it's not so little. Gothamist receives 30,000 unique visitors a day. And the model has spread to Chicago, LA, San Francisco, DC, London and Toronto. More proof that people love tabloid-style reporting on blogs.

The technologist at rest.

Here's a recent writing sample from Chicagoist, that neatly turns a serious topic into Silly Putty:

"We don't buy any prescription drugs. We don't have health insurance. Those things are for sick people. So why do we continue to talk about prescription drug costs here on Chicagoist? Because we detest most rich people unless they give us money, provide us with entertainment or are smokin' hot. Drug companies are richies getting richer and they don't give us money. Plus, have you ever seen a sexy drug executive? No, you haven't." -Sam Bakken for Chicagoist

December 1, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from New York Daily News: "Universal Music Group and cable provider EchoStar are making music together. In a first for a major record label, Universal Music is in talks with the satellite giant to start a music channel, sources told the Daily News.

The yet unnamed MTV-challenger is set to launch early next year on EchoStar's Dish Network. It will feature artists from Universal's roster - including superstars U2, Eminem and Shania Twain.

The music giant currently has five of the top six CDs on the charts."

I like the idea, but here's a better one. Start an internet radio station. It'll save a boatload of coinage and everyone in the world with a high-speed internet connection can then "get down" to the Universal catalog.

For more on what a branded internet radio station can bring to progressive marketers, see my piece on Change This.

December 1, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Rebecca MacKinnon, a "recovering TV reporter-turned-blogger" is rightfully concerned about the fifth Iranian blogger to be arrested in the past two months. Honestly, I'm surprised the number is not higher. And what about China? How many emerging web voices are they prepared to extinguish?

Since this is not a political blog, I'll bring the conversation back to business. A number of bloggers, myself included, are prepared to help businesses understand blogs and readily adopt them for good purposes. My personal quest involves helping brands incorporate a blog, or other conversational media tools, into their marketing strategy. But I force myself to conduct a daily reality check and ask, "Are brands ready to let go of the message--the very message they've spent years, in some cases decades, and untold buckets of money shaping? The short answer is no, they are not ready.

The sad fact is corporate communications types and MBA-toting brand managers fear what they don't know. They are also concerned about protecting their place in this new structure (as our mainstream journalists). If brands truly do belong to the market, and not to the company in question, where does that leave professional brand caretakers? And what does it all mean?

I could pontificate for several more paragraphs, but it may be more instructive to look at a recent example from this very blog. I said last week that it was nonsense for Kobold watches, a luxury goods brand, to claim they are anti-establishment. Michael Kobold, the firm's founder and CEO didn't whine about it. He made a comment on this blog defending his position. It matters not if I agree with his retort. It matters that he's engaged in the conversation.

December 1, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 13 Comments

I have not read the book Lovemarks, which may be the reason I simply do not understand the frustration certain bloggers feel in regards to its message. Their main gripe seems to be that it's just more old-fashioned branding mumbo jumbo dressed up in a cute new outfit. Maybe it is. Until I read it, I can't say.

Here's what I can say. Kevin Roberts is no dummy. He's leads a worldwide organization of 7000 idea-generating people in 82 countries. Maybe that's not impressive enough for some contrary individuals concerned with their own lot in life. I don't mind saying I find it impressive. But let's examine some of Kevin's thinking up close, for a better read.

Kevin Roberts talking with Tom Peters: "Two-thirds of people over the age of 70 live alone; they're going to die alone. The average length of a marriage in the U.S. is seven years. One in two kids in urban America is born out of wedlock. You're seeing people not having kids.

So what are you seeing? You're seeing people hungry for relationships, hungry for intimacy. They've lost trust in all our institutions. Does anybody trust the Church anymore? You gotta be kidding me, right? Does anybody trust government? You sure as hell don't trust the company you work for, right? Because that's going to be Enron, or they're going to lay you off anyway next week and outsource you, etc., etc. So there's no trust. You can't trust the family unit because you probably haven't seen your father. People are looking for relationships, they're looking for intimacy, they're looking for bonding. They're not interested in transactions.

They're frightened shitless by the fact that we're at war, by terrorism and brutality, and who knows what's going to happen next. They are looking for a relationship, whether that's with an author, an idea, a brand, a product. If you don't give them that, you're certainly never going to be able to charge a premium. You've got to remember, brands are only invented to charge a premium. That was the purpose of a brand; it didn't have any other. 'Recognize me, desire me, have faith in me, trust me, pay more for me.'"

Like I said, this guy has chops. And if the above thinking is any indication of what's in his book, I look forward to a good read.

December 2, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Chicago Tribune: Unable to ride the growth in the popularity of artificial sweeteners, the Chicago-based distributor of Equal finds itself in a desperate fight to regain lost market share, resuscitate falling sales and come out strong against its competitors in new markets.

Last Friday, Merisant filed a lawsuit against Splenda-maker McNeil Nutritionals, a unit of Johnson & Johnson, alleging its rival's advertising is false in stating that it's "made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar." In its marketing campaigns, Splenda has focused its message and capitalized on the Atkins, South Beach and other low-carb diets.

"There is no sugar in Splenda and Splenda's taste does not come from sugar. Moreover, Splenda is not natural in any sense of the word," the company alleged in the lawsuit.

McNeil denied that it has misled consumers. "We have never claimed that it is natural, nor would we. It is a sugar substitute," said spokeswoman Monica Neufang.

In 2002, Splenda spent $20.3 million on advertising, more than triple the $6.6 million spent by Equal. In 2003, Splenda spent $21.8 million on ads, double the $11.5 million spent by Equal.

December 2, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Will someone please investigate this. I'm a bit groggy this morning after imbibing on some Glögg--a Swedish intoxicant--last night. Anyway, I think this is a real product, but I'm not convinced.

Here's some anti-corporate rhetoric from the product's web site that makes things even more confusing in this era of advertising hoaxes: "ShitBegone is a joke but it is also a metaphor. The joke and the metaphor are both about transparency. Most people use toilet paper to wipe up shit, but most companies do not sell toilet paper by talking about shit. They sell it with the opposite of shit— bullshit. Fluffy bunnies and so on.

ShitBegone is about selling a product based on reality, when the competition is selling based on a made up image. In the case of shit that might be funny, but in the end it's no joke. Brands obscure the reality behind nearly everything we buy. When you buy a brand, do you know what you're really buying? What it's made of, how it's put together, who makes it? Usually not— because traditional brands are all about hiding that reality."

December 2, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from The New York Times: The United Church of Christ, one of the nation's most liberal Christian denominations, accused CBS and NBC yesterday of rejecting a commercial it had produced about religious tolerance, which included an implication that other denominations did not welcome gays, because the networks feared hostile reactions from conservative political and religious groups.

The networks said they turned down the commercial for the same reason they had rejected numerous issue-oriented commercials in the past: they do not allow advocacy advertising.

In the commercial, two actors portray what looks like bouncers in front of a church. They admit only a few people, all white. They turn away a young black woman, a Hispanic-looking man and two men whom some may interpret as gay.

The commercial offers the message, "Jesus didn't turn away people and neither do we." It concludes with a panorama of people, including two young women, one of whom has her arm around the other. It never mentions the word "gay."

December 2, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Ron Askew, Chief Marketing Officer at Coors Brewing--the nation's third largest brewer--is stepping down.

Askew helped shift the brewery's advertising from quaint spots featuring Pete Coors "somewhere near Golden" to quick cut music video-style spots starring the Coors Light twins. According to USA TODAY, the concept got its start when Askew, asked roster shop, FCB to create an "anthem for what guys really like."

FCB responded by writing "love songs" for guys. As Chuck Rudnick, group creative director, says: "Nobody would argue men love women, so why not two of them? That's why twins rings so true."

The bimbettes never did appeal to me, but hey I'm not a frat boy, so it doesn't matter.

Where Askew clearly excelled is in the arena of tie-in partners, which should come as no surprise given his marketing services background--Askew founded and ran Coors' promo agency The Integer Group (where this writer once toiled), prior to jumping ship to the client-side. Most notably, under Askew's leadership Coors inked deals with the National Football League and Miramax.

December 2, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

I mentioned before that my friend Drew Davies, owner of Oxide Design in Omaha was a judge for CA's Design Annual this year and what a major distinction that is, especially for an Omahan. I then drew attention to a remark from Davies concerning spec work. Below please find his commentary on the issue, further refined for your reading pleasure.

Thank you, Mr. Burn for your supportive comments. I was very pleased that Patrick Coyne decided to use that thought I'd shared with Communication Arts for a pull-quote. It's something I believe in very strongly, and take very seriously. I suspect all markets are like ours here in Omaha: we compete not so much against other design firms, but against the perception that design is without value, and budgeting dollars for design is just below "pretty artwork for the corporate restrooms" on the list of priorities. I truly believe the solution is simple, if a bit optimistic: if all designers stopped engaging in spec work, the problem would be reduced to insignificance. What we do has huge value. It's time for us to start believing that, and making the companies of the world believe that.

And let me be clear that I am referring to spec work here, not pro bono or donated or bartered work. The practice I am talking about is, most specifically, producing work for a client who will then decide if it is "good enough" to pay you for it. Particularly despicable is when companies ask several firms all to submit creative, and then the company decides who "wins" and gets paid. You don't see any other professionals (e.g. lawyers, accountants, etc.) engaging in this kind of devaluing behavior.

As a side note, I should make a clarification to your post: the streamlined Iowa Hawkeye logo was designed by Bill Bollman, Bill Basler and myself. It is the product of a team collaboration, not one designer.

Drew Davies
Oxide Design

December 2, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

While we're on the topic of Nebraska, let's examine the strange truth about one of the agency world's legendary brands. Bozell + Jacobs was founded in Omaha, and exists there to this day. I know. Shocker of all shockers. Yet, it's true.

Two newspapermen, Leo Bozell and Morris Jacobs began their advertising firm in 1921 with what became a world-famous advertisement for the Boys Town orphanage in Omaha. "He ain't heavy, Father," the ad stated, "he's my brother." The orphanage went on to be the subject of an MGM motion picture.

Another major moment in this agency's history includes the creation of "The Wild Kingdom" for insurance client, Mutual of Omaha. This is also the shop responsible for "Pork�The Other White Meat," a campaign that worked wonders for the pork producers by repositioning the meat as a healthy alternative in consumer's minds.

On a sour note, the current intro on the agency web site is misleading and beside the point. It features stock photography shot in Montana or maybe Wyoming. To worsen matters, the copy reads, "The best ideas seem to come out of nowhere, which is exactly why we live here." Not exactly the most heartwarming message for the firm's local clients or prospects. Nebraska is not nowhere, it's merely off the radar of cultural elites.

December 3, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Lewis Lazare: Minnesota food processor, Hormel Foods (makers of SPAM) is heating up New York's Times Square with a giant three-sided billboard that seeks to position cooking as an artful form of expression not unlike high fashion.

Each image on the billboard created by BBDO/Minneapolis presents fashion models in chic outfits, but each look has been accessorized with cooking paraphernalia. A checkered cook's apron, for instance, is dramatically paired with a fire engine red cocktail dress. Beneath that image is the copy line "heat things up." In another visual, a model's simple black dress is finished off with a silver belt from which hang various cooking utensils. The copy line for this get-up is "cooking is the new black."

"We wanted to liken the personal flair normally associated with fashion to cooking and the Hormel brand," said Denny Haley, president and chief creative officer at the agency.

My note: Hormel has a troupe of brand evangelists who make treks to the shrine, uh-hum SPAM Museum, in Austin, Minn. Which is cool. SPAM is classic Americana and for some, camp. Plus people everywhere eat it!

In this high-wired time of trouble for the actual word "SPAM," I see an opening for Hormel to "gain capital" by say things like "We're the Good SPAM."

December 3, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from Chicago Tribune: ATA Airlines has reached an agreement in principle to fly out of Gary/Chicago International Airport. Forced to cease operations out of Midway, the deal to take four flights a day in and out of Gary would give the financially strapped airline access to the Chicago area. All flights would go to Indianapolis, for connections to 11 destinations, ranging from New York to Florida to San Francisco. The airline plans to operate 34-seat Saab propeller aircraft from the Gary airport, said airport director Paul Karas. Final talks are pending and could be affected by ATA's ongoing bankruptcy proceedings. ATA filed for bankruptcy in October, saying that it was selling most of its Chicago operations to low-cost carrier AirTran Airways. As part of the $87.6 million deal, AirTran would assume ATA's 14 gates at Midway. In a recent filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Indianapolis, the City of Chicago said any deal that includes the gates rights needs the city's OK.

December 3, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

"It's never too late to go straight," said David Munns, vice chairman of the music giant EMI Group, about Shawn Fanning.

December 3, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

An estimated 10 percent to 30 percent of job applicants lie on their résumés, according to a study by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the outplacement consulting company. And those fudging aren't just young, inexperienced workers: Top-level executives are résumé fraudsters, too.

Yep. We better create a searchable database of which creatives actually won what award and when. Dates. We need dates.

December 3, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Rick Myers, President of Talent Zoo was kind enough to call earlier this week and ask, "How can we help you succeed?" More on that later.

Anyway, this doesn't happen everyday in the blogosphere, nor in life. So it's always a sweet moment to know there's someone out there and that they don't hate you.

Okay, it's later. We're going to start prominently featuring Talent Zoo ad banners on this site. And I'm preparing to write an article for Talent Zoo's "Career Center" section. It's going to be a continuation on Get Going In Advertising, a piece I wrote for Omaha ad industry event, "Meet The Pros," in 2002.

I'll be in good company on Talent Zoo, as the Atlanta recruiting firm already features one humorist in its pages. Clevelander, Danny G., has built a dedicated following with wry wit and fearless discharge of pro-reform diatribes.

December 3, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

BY THEODORE DECKER

Of The Patriot-News

Hot on the trail of kidnapped Krispy Kremes, Swatara Twp. police were in pursuit yesterday of a crook who -- very unwisely, some would say -- stole a doughnut delivery truck.

Police found the truck abandoned in downtown Harrisburg, but they hadn't tracked down the perp who pilfered the pastries.

"I was about to say it's a priority case, but I won't say that," Swatara Twp. Sgt. Robert Simmonds said.

It was 12:45 a.m. when Krispy Kreme deliveryman Tim Trostle stopped at the Turkey Hill Minit Market at 63rd and Derry streets.

He said he left the truck running during the delivery. In a flash, it was gone.

The back doors of the truck had been left open, and the direction of the thief's flight was no mystery. The doughnuts pointed the way.

"The report doesn't get into the head count of the doughnut population," Simmonds said. "You'd be safe to say there was a trail of doughnuts westbound on Derry Street."

The doughnut trail grew stale in Swatara Twp., but Susquehanna Twp. police found another doughnut cart on Walnut Street near the Harrisburg city line.

City police spotted the truck near a bar in the 200 block of North Street.

The thief didn't appear to have been interested in the cargo, so police suspect the motive for the theft was transportation, not appetite.

"It has a happy ending," Simmonds joked. "The evidence was brought back to the police station, and the cops are eating the doughnuts."

Acknowledging that he had indeed seen Krispy Kremes in a station conference room, Simmonds surmised, "I suspect that the manager from the Krispy Kreme might have given us a little thank you for our efforts."

THEODORE DECKER: 255-8112 or tdecker@patriot-news.com

December 3, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

John Moore at Brand Autopsy (not to be confused with Johnnie Moore) has started something by telling domain name registrar Go Daddy to stop trying to be Big Daddy. Moore wants the dot com to put their $2.4 mil. earmarked for a Super Bowl spot back into product development. I'd like to see user-centric design improvements, myself. Their site is not optimized for Apple's Safari internet browser. Tisk tisk.

Just as Michael Kobold of Kobold watches commented here recently when I said something only semi-flattering about his latest ad, Go Daddy's president also chimes in on the Brand Autopsy conversation. This is a positive trend. CEOs joining the discussion.

December 3, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 3 Comments

By Kathleen Sampey for Adweek

NEW YORK Donny Deutsch's CNBC show, The Big Idea, will replace McEnroe on the cable network early next year, a CNBC representative confirmed.

The cancelled McEnroe, a talk show hosted by tennis great John McEnroe, will run through the end of December, the rep said.

Deutsch, the CEO of Interpublic Group's Deutsch, hosts The Big Idea, which has been running at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays and repeated on Sundays at 9 p.m.

The show, on which Deutsch discusses pop-culture topics with celebrity guests, will now run in the 10 p.m. Monday through Friday slot previously occupied by McEnroe.

The ad agency's major clients include Mitsubishi, Coors Light, Novartis, Old Navy, Monster.com and Tylenol.

December 3, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from USA TODAY: "Shots foster a fraternity atmosphere. Wall Street loves them because they spice up the party, but it makes it seem like the company is encouraging people to get trashed," said Howard Givner, president of Manhattan event planner Paint the Town Red.

A survey done in 2003 of 1,500 employees by U.K. recruiter Office Angels showed that 68% of Britons dropped a conversational clunker at a holiday party.

Among the things staff remember saying to their colleagues: "I'm glad we chatted tonight because I didn't like you when I first met you" and "I've been stalking you like a lion stalks an antelope."

Bosses remember, too: 92% said they recalled their employees' remarks.

December 5, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 11 Comments

It's Sunday in Chicago. Good day for a sermon.

"The primary job of an advertiser is not to communicate benefit, but to communicate conviction. Benefit is secondary. Benefit is a product of conviction, not vice versa. Whatever you manufacture, somebody can make it better, faster and cheaper than you. You do not own the molecules. They are stardust. They belong to God. What you do own is your soul. Nobody can take that away from you. And it is your soul that informs the brand. It is your soul, and the purpose and beliefs that embodies, that people will buy into. Ergo, great branding is a spiritual exercise." -from Hugh MacLeod's Hughtrain Manifesto

Hugh is copywriter looking for work and meaning. I can identify with that. Where I begin to have trouble is with his double speak. Johnnie Moore, Tom Asaker and Hugh himself are crying out for authenticity in advertising. So what's this about the product benefit taking a back seat to conviction? Damn, that sounds a lot like Saatchi Kevin's Lovemarks to me.

For the record, I do not know Hugh, nor do I have anything against him. He's an outspoken defender of his position, like I am. That character trait gets people fired, fired up and in trouble. I can live with that and my bet is so can Hugh. So this dressing down is not meant to be personal. My interest is in the argument being conducted. Hugh detests branding and Lovemarks, but he builds brands for a living, including his own. Gaping Void, his blog, is a brand. His "Hughtrain Manifesto" is a brand. The guy's making his mark, or Godmark, as the case may be.

My message is simple. Keep it real. Lovemarks is one prominent ad guy's new buzzword about branding. Branding is not dead. Kevin Roberts knows it, and I dare say Hugh MacLeod knows it. Hugh has his own spin, as I have mine. In each case, we hope to improve the quality of the communications we make on behalf of paying clients. Call it what you will. But don't tell me it's the salvation of the ad industry. Tell me it's a step in the right direction, then, if you're so inclined, get back to work on the next step.

December 6, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 4 Comments

Thanks to TBWA Portugal for pointing us to this print ad for Bic's permanent marker, fashioned by TBWA Paris.

December 6, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 16 Comments

Adweek reports that Denver-based sandwich maker, Quiznos, is removing its account from The Martin Agency in Richmond, Virginia.

The account has not been placed into review yet, said Trey Hall, chief marketing officer for Quiznos. Discussions about future advertising failed to result in an agreement between the client and the agency, Hall said. "As we look into 2005, we weren't quite connecting."

Allow me to translate. Quiznos failed to see the wisdom in Martin's thinking. So now they're looking for someone willing to take direction. An agency like Martin, or Fallon, or Wieden can't take direction from a client if the direction is bad. Bad account direction leads to even worse work, and for an agency whose entire reputation is built on the work, it's far better to cut the wayward client loose than to do what they ask.

On another front, the Quiznos account reminds me how difficult it is for the Denver ad market to rise above total obscurity. Quiznos was once at Denver boutique, Morey Mahoney, but as the QSR grew so did their britches. For Denver to make a real name for itself in the ad market, the best shops--Morey, TDA, Karsh + Hagan and McClain Finlon--need to somehow keep these hot or "toasty" accounts at home.

December 6, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Chicago Tribune: China has banned a Nike television commercial showing U.S. basketball star LeBron James in a battle with an animated cartoon kung fu master, saying the ad insults Chinese national dignity.

The commercial, titled "Chamber of Fear," shows James in a video game-style setting defeating the kung fu master, two women in traditional Chinese attire and a pair of dragons, considered a sacred symbol in traditional Chinese culture.

The advertisement "violates regulations that mandate that all advertisements in China should uphold national dignity and interest and respect the motherland's culture," the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television said on a statement posted Monday on its Web site.

The Nike advertisement is part of fast-growing foreign efforts to cash in on the huge popularity of basketball in China and the celebrity of James and other (well-behaved) NBA players.

December 6, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from AdAge: I clambered into a suspension-less, musty old cab outside the train station in Harrisburg, Pa., more in hope than expectation. The chances of my driver -- a central-casting Boo Radley -- knowing the whereabouts of an outdoor-sports store that opened its doors for the first time that morning seemed slim at best.

But Boo -- real name, Gary "Frenchy" French -- was a true gent, several steps ahead of me. "Ah yes, Bass Pro. I was there last night. It's fantastic, it'll bring a lot of business to town."

AdAge executive editor, Jonah Bloom, traveled to central PA not for a new fly rod, but to learn more about this world of sportsmen and sportswomen who occupy fly-over country. Specifically, he wanted to see how Toyota is marketing its full size Tundra trucks to the sporty set. Last April, Toyota inked a deal with Bass Pro making the Tundra "the official truck of Bass Pro." Toyota's Steve Jett said, it makes sense "to fish where the fish are."

In related news, Sidney, NE-based outdoor giant, Cabela's, is planning to open it's first retail stores near urban centers. Stores are planned for Fort Worth, TX, East Rutherford, NJ, Hoffman Estates, IL and Wheat Ridge, CO.

December 6, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from The New York Times Orlando Pita, hairdresser to celebrities like Jennifer Connelly, Naomi Campbell and Kirsten Dunst, charges $800 for a haircut at his new salon, Orlo, on the third floor of a nondescript walkup on Gansevoort Street.

If that seems like an extraordinary sum to charge, consider that New York has always been the hub of the outrageously expensive coiffure. But what's different now is that there seems to be a race for the stratosphere, as if a haircut were the new It luxury item, as fetishized as a Kelly bag or a pair of Jimmy Choos.

According to a report by American Salon, the average women's haircut in the United States costs about $21 for a cut in a salon with fewer than 6 chairs, up to $44 for a salon with more than 13 chairs.

December 6, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

According to Chicagoist, Playboy Enterprises, Inc. will soon offer mobile phone users the ability to download adult-oriented content including Playboy-themed games, images, video clips, voice clips and ring tones.

Chicagoist wisely goes on to question the wisdom of making the famed Playboy lifestyle this public, "Do we want people to be living this lifestyle outside of their homes? For instance, living this lifestyle on the Red Line with their hands in their pants, two seats down from you?"

December 6, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Le Monde is welcoming bloggers to set up shop under their brand name. Smart move. I don't think there's much question that mainstream journalists around the globe are asking, "What the hell are we going to do about the rise of citizen journalism?" Some continue to ignore the new reality, despite dwindling audience share. That's to be expected. Others are getting their feet wet by putting reporters in a position to blog. Now, Le Monde is doing what all smart marketers do when challenged with a paradigm shift. They're embracing the challengers and making them their own.

I find this particularly interesting in light of the legal troubles Jason Kottke is facing with Sony. Kottke, one of the most popular bloggers in the world, posted information about Sony's "Jeopardy" game show that the owners didn't appreciate. The lawyers called and Kottke is now taking the understandable but disgruntling position of quieting his voice. In the face of untold legal bills, it's hard to fault him.

Kottke writes, "As an individual weblogger with relatively limited financial and legal resources, I worry about whether I can continue to post things (legal or not) that may upset large companies and result in lawsuits that they can afford and I cannot. The NY Times can risk upsetting large companies in the course of their journalistic duties because they are a large company themselves, they know their rights, and they have a dedicated legal team to deal with stuff like this."

I wonder if Le Monde is prepared to defend the non-staff bloggers under their umbrella?

December 6, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

Retire This Year! …and Still Make More Money Than Most Doctors

You Can Do It — Once You Know the Proven Secrets to Writing a Simple Letter Like This One. -American Writers & Artists Institute copywriting course "sell copy"

Bob Bly thinks I should stop wasting my time with "this branding bullshit" and take a direct mail copy course from the provider mentioned above (yes, he's on the organization's board). This, after commenting on his new blog about being an under-employed copywriter with plenty of time on my hands. Bly claims I will make two to four times the average general market copywriter, should I follow his sage advise.

He also wants me to read this week's Business Week article on marketers' obsession with ROI and how it spells the death of you guessed it, branding. I just did that. Hey, one out of two ain't bad.

The article mostly talks about new methods to measure TV advertising. Then it ends like this: "For all the effort to bring science to marketing, the art component will never go away. Figuring out how much of a product's appeal is due to marketing and how much stems from innovative features or quality is often hard to pin down, even for individual consumers. They don't know why they like it, they just do. That's the human factor -- and so far, no one has found a way to measure that."

Which brings us back to branding. For better or worse, I'm a brand advocate. I'm not going to start writing infomercials no matter how much money is in it. It's not me. For the ROI-obsessed, I say great, do it your way. I'll continue to do it the way Nike, Adidas, McDonald's, Burger King, Bud, Miller, Coke and Pepsi do it.

December 7, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Adweek reports The Martin Agency has taken a page from advertising history* by helping to develop a new cable television show for the Speed Channel.

The show, Nascar Nation, is scheduled to premiere in February on Speed Channel, a cable network dedicated to motor sports and automotive programming. The network bills the show as the most comprehensive Nascar program on television. It will air four times each week.

"This show has been designed by Nascar fans for Nascar fans," said Katherine Wintsch, senior strategic planner for the agency.

*Creating the content, not just the ads, was once a primary task for advertising agencies. Soap operas, for instance, were created to sell soap.

December 7, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from AdAge: The chief executive of WPP Group, Martin Sorrell, told the Credit Suisse Conference today that 2004 "was a relatively good year." Speaking in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel, Mr. Sorrell kicked off the "Media and Telcom Week" gathering with his 8 a.m. presentation.

He also predicted that the advertising industry's expansion will slow in 2005. Factors contributing to this, he said, include the U.S. fiscal deficit, a weak dollar and inflated prices for commodities. He also noted that retailers continue to use trade promotion to spur growth, a trend he characterized as troubling.

"The inexorable march of Wal-Mart, Tesco and Carrefour put pressure on manufacturers," he said. "We are concerned by the emphasis on trade promotion. That's a recipe for disaster in our view," because consumers become used to waiting for sales. The better approach to growth, he said, is to rely on innovation in product development and branding.

My note: Interestingly, WPP owns several of the premier marketing services shops in the industry, like Wunderman, VML and 141 Worldwide.

December 7, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 3 Comments

from Fast Company Now: Hyperion, a software company, announced this week that employees who purchase a Toyota or Honda hybrid (or any other vehicle that gets more than 45 miles per gallon) over a gas-guzzler will be reimbursed $5,000. Given that Hyperion aims to reimburse about 200 of their 2,500 employees each year, this adds up to a hearty $1 million per year to put the brakes on global warming and conserve natural resources.

from Hyperion's web site: On November 29, 2004, Hyperion launched Drive Clean to Drive Change, an initiative designed to empower our employees to take a personal step to improve the air by driving a car that goes further on a gallon of gas. Many of our employees are already interested in and already inclined to take this step. As a company, we are simply doing what we can to help. Hyperion also launched the Companies for Clean Air Consortium to help other companies create similar programs.

December 7, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from The New York Times: Steven Gilliatt, president of G2 Worldwide, a leading brand development and design consulting company in New York, recently had an up-close-and-personal demonstration of the increasing power of eye appeal in retailing.

"I was buying an iPod a couple weeks ago and there was a feeding frenzy at the store," Mr. Gilliatt said, referring to the Apple Store in SoHo, where customers jostled one another to buy the special edition iPod loaded with music by the rock group U2. "I was there as a civilian, but I'd been converted from consideration to purchase," he said, borrowing jargon from marketing mavens.

Mr. Gilliatt's response to the innovative design of the Apple Store — so cool it is now being described as a "singles mecca" in The New York Post — indicates the importance of intangible elements in selling goods ranging from apparel and personal-care products to entertainment merchandise and housewares. The product's design, the packaging and even the style of the store are now weapons in the marketing arsenal, as much as traditional tactics like television commercials and print advertisements.

The goal is to generate "an emotional moment between a consumer and a brand," Erik Ulfers, senior vice president for environmental design at Jack Morton Worldwide in New York, said, adding: "It sounds a little goofy, a little abstract, if you talk about it too much. The big challenge is to dimensionalize the aspects of a brand — what a brand is, who it wants to be — and use the visuals to support the story about that brand you want to tell."

"Retailers now are the choice editors, whereas in the past the manufacturers were," said Jim Lucas, director for planning and research at Draft in Chicago, a direct marketing agency, naming chains like H&M, Ikea and Pottery Barn. As a result, a store's environment is acquiring an importance once reserved for, say, the script of a commercial to be run during the Super Bowl. (editor's note: Oh my...a direct marketer is advocating for design. Maybe there's hope for direct, yet.)

"The outside is the new inside," said Peter Arnell, chairman and chief executive of the Arnell Group in New York, an advertising agency that has branched into design. "It's all about sensory experience. The retail theater closes the deal," said Mr. Arnell, who once studied architecture with Mr. Graves.

December 7, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from The Independent: Viewed from commercial America, British advertising looks like something bent out of shape by a culture so consumed with embarrassment it can't look a salesman in the eye when he's making a pitch, particularly if that pitch is laden shoulder high with emotion - love of country, family or God. From a mainstream US perspective our quirky elliptical leave-them-guessing advertising approach is kind of charming, but kind of unworkable too in America, with its fragmented audiences and ethnicities, its raging sensitivities and, above all, its huge risks. American advertising is risk averse because there's so much at stake with those huge clients and their mega-spends. It means everything is researched to death so all backs are covered.

In the US giant agencies things work differently. The client is God for a start. You work with him; you get to know his business and you give good meeting, meetings at which consensus is reached to an almost Japanese degree. It is very process driven. In Britain, everything, but everything is secondary to the creative work.

In America, advertising isn't that socially glamorous - they've got Hollywood after all - and its practitioners aren't so famous, but they make millions and it's an acceptable career choice for a decent MBA graduate who thinks creativity is something best left to window-dressers.

Thanks to PSFK for the pointer.

December 8, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from Lewis Lazare: Though the ad industry itself is in a bit of the doldrums here in Chicago, the business of advertising still packs a wallop in terms of its economic impact locally, according to a new study by Global Insight on behalf of the Advertising Coalition.

The coalition is made up of nine advertising trade organizations, included among them the American Advertising Federation and the American Association of Advertising Agencies.

According to the new study, the total revenue impact of advertising spending on the city in 2005 will reach $182 billion -- about 22.5 percent of the city's projected total $805 billion economic activity.

That ad spending figure includes $86 billion in direct impact on area sales, a $42 billion impact on supplier economic activity and another $53 billion in inter-industry spending.

The study also revealed that some 737,971 jobs are supported by advertising spending in the city.

December 8, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

The Poetry Center of Chicago and corporate sponsor Lightology are bringing poetry to the masses this holiday season, with an outdoor board located at the corner of Chicago and Wells.

Chicagoist reports that the poem, "Farewell," is by Chicago poet Li-Young Lee. He wrote it specifically for the occasion, "a non-commercial message Chicagoans could look forward to seeing throughout the holiday season." According to the organization's press release, "The Poetry Center and Lightology believe this to be a brilliant message during the holiday season and the darkest part of the year."

December 8, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Yet another new marketing term has entered the lexicon: Podcasting. I admit, I had no clue what it meant, at first. I also admit that I do not own an iPod--I know, bad form for an Apple evangelist. Now, Steve Rubel kindly makes things clear for those who want the scoop on this new audio-gathering activity.

In his article, "Pondering Podvertising Possibilities," Rubel says, "A podcast is a time-shifted audio program that can be created using a simple microphone-equipped PC. It is distributed to subscribers via RSS. Users who subscribe to a program’s feed receive new episodes on their Mac or PC as they are released. The audio file is then subsequently automatically synched to an iPod or equivalent MP3 digital music player, allowing the subscriber to listen to the time-shifted program at their convenience."

Here's the my translation: Podcasts are audio segments available for download (like MP3s) and synching with an iPod or other handheld player.

Rubel continues, "While many of the more popular programs -- such as the hilarious Dawn and Drew husband and wife show -- are homespun creations, the mainstream media is getting into the act as well. Seattle’s KOMO radio, the BBC Radio and Minnesota Public Radio have all started to make some of their programming available in podcast form."

December 8, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from New York Post: NBC hopes to turn "Must See TV" into "Must Buy TV." The Peacock Network says it will start offering products for purchase that are seen on some its top shows like "Will and Grace" and "Las Vegas."

Among the items may be the pink pajamas with turquoise polka dots worn by Debra Messing, who plays Grace, and the faded denim, five-pocket jeans worn by Eric McCormack, who portrays Will. Merchandise will be available online or via phone.

The shows participating in the offering are all owned by NBC Universal, and also include the daytime soap opera "Passions" and Bravo's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."

The deal is part of a partnership NBC has with Delivery Agent, a San Francisco company that operates "Just Seen On," which has already partnered with ABC to hawk promotional products tied to shows like "Alias," "Desperate Housewives," "Lost," "All My Children" and "The View."

"After consistently receiving viewer inquiries about products seen in our shows, we welcomed Delivery Agent's solution to connect viewers with products," Stephen Andrade, of NBC Interactive Development said.

December 8, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 3 Comments

Paul Woodhouse of The Tinbasher Blog has been called out by direct marketing mouthpiece Bob Bly. The two are set to meet in a "teleconference debate" over at Deb Weil’s place to argue the merits of business blogging.

Woodhouse, who actually operates a business blog claims, "I learnt quite a while ago how to totally befuddle an American. The key is to thicken the old Lancashire accent and watch the colour drain from their cheeks."

Get him Paul.

December 8, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from USA TODAY: From 1965 until 2002, Jimmy Dean was the president of his own sausage company. Having butchered his own meats growing up, Jimmy knew how to make sausage, from the piglet to the table. His company became so successful that Sara Lee Foods bought it and later forced him out. Dean laid out all the details in his new autobiography, Thirty Years of Sausage, Fifty Years of Ham: Jimmy Dean's Own Story.

"They talk about the age factor, saying I'm too old for the customer. A couple of really tactful executives from Sara Lee said to me, "You're not going to live forever, you know." They were preparing for me to die! Can you believe that?! I think Wilford Brimley does good work for what he does, though I don't know how they get him up on a horse. They're still using Colonel Sanders in ads and he's been dead for years." -Jimmy Dean

December 8, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

Broken Type has posted a wicked funny piece on word-of-mouth run amok, as a response to the recent NY Times article on Boston-based w-o-m advocate, Bzz Agent--an article that has several marketing bloggers buzzing.

Here's an excerpt from the Broken Type piece: "I showed up to the office Christmas party with a festive array of Al Fresco Chicken Sausages strung around my neck like a lei. I wrote an open-source manifesto about Al Fresco Chicken Sausage and distributed it under a creative commons license in PDF form. When telemarketers would call I’d say: 'Hey, can you hang on a second, I’m just cooking up some Al Fresco Chicken Sausages.' Then I’d make frying sounds and go 'mmmm.' I called this technique 'Swimming Up Stream' or 'Forcing the Ball Though the Bottom of the Hoop,' and it worked so well the president of the Hive sent a message to everyone telling them how great my idea was, and encouraging them to do the same."

I believe the main problem with paid word-of-mouth is that it looses all authenticity. Ad execs will tell you, "There's nothing like word-of-mouth." I say it frequently myself. But the reason we're enamored with this medium is precisely because we can't control it. It's beyond our sphere of influence. Sure, we can have an impact on a brand in such a way as to spur word-of-mouth, but that's something altogether different than paying "people on the street" to talk up a product or service.

December 8, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 5 Comments

Globe and Mail has a thoughtful piece on the emerging trend whereby bloggers are paid to pimp a product. To me this new activity is another form of paid word-of-mouth; therefore, it presents some issues worthy of further investigation and contemplation.

Vancouver, BC content management company, Marqui, is currently offering $800/month to a select group of bloggers who agree to mention Marqui on their media properties, or blogs. Marqui lists the bloggers on their site, so they're getting the transparency thing right.

Marqui's CEO, Stephen King knows it has to be fully transparent to be taken seriously. Marqui promises to pay even if bloggers say bad things about the company and its services. "I think this is extremely risky," Mr. King says. "In a traditional marketing sense, what you try to do is control your message. And what we're saying is that the world's changed and a company with integrity has to go out there and let the world discuss its products."

I agree with King's sentiments whole-heartedly. It's the execution that concerns me. A better executional idea might be to let these bloggers contribute to Marqui's blog.

December 8, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

Thanks to Greedy Girl for pointing to Dove's new Campaign For Real Beauty.

Greedy Girl says, "I’m quite horrified by this 'celebrate reality not ideals' meme that floats around some circles. Effective advertising is about making people envision a positive future for themselves, not about making them look in a mirror under fluorescent lights."

Of course, advertising (effective and not) has been about projecting false realities for as long as anyone can recall. All the more reason to salute Dove for taking this path less traveled. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and advertising's collective eye observes but one body type--the waif. As more and more people demand authenticity in all its forms, it's good to know at least one marketer is prepared to provide it.

December 9, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 4 Comments

from Ad Age: Once again, ad agency executives can be thankful for car dealers. According to a new national poll, the image of advertising professionals has deteriorated in the last year when it comes to honesty and ethical standards.

Only 10% of those polled by the Gallup Organization rated ad people's ethics as "very high" or "high," just ahead of car salesmen, the perennial last-place finishers, who scored 9%. Ad professionals were slightly behind lawyers, at 18%.

Nurses topped the poll again, with 79% of the vote, followed by grade-school teachers (73%), and pharmacists and military officers (72% each).

Given that I'm off to a slow start this morning do to a wave of comment spam (on Burnin' All Illusions), I wonder where spammers rank. I'm not in the mood for a rant, but blogware providers need to intervene on our behalf. I use Apple's Mail program and it catches 95% of all unwanted solicitations. Why can't pMachine, Moveable Type and Word Press provide the same levels of filtration? And what about domain name registrars and hosting providers? Do they not have a responsibility to intervene? According to BetterWhoIs, this "Texas Holdem" perp manages his domains at GoDaddy.

December 9, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 4 Comments

Adweek reports Minneapolis-based Buffalo Wild Wings is flying south to West Wayne with their $2 million account. West Wayne has offices in Tampa and Atlanta.

West Wayne is also the agency famed Minneapolis copywriter, Luke Sullivan, fled to a few years ago. I'm not exactly sure where Mr. Sullivan, author of Hey Whipple Squeeze This, is today. I want to say GSD+M in Austin. Maybe a reader can verify that for us. Whatever the case, here's a sample of West Wayne's current print work for Museum of Science and Industry.

December 9, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Steve Rubel points to an interesting spec spot for Apple's iPod Mini. The spot was created by George Masters in order to pimp his considerable motion graphics skills. Nice work, George.

December 9, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from Indianapolis Star: A food fight broke out at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, with justices considering whether the government can force ranchers and farmers to pay for ad campaigns with catchy phrases like Beef: It's what's for dinner" and billboards featuring milk mustaches on celebrities.

Farmers are challenging the multimillion-dollar beef promotion program, saying they shouldn't have to pay for ads they disagree with. The eventual ruling could jeopardize more than 100 federal and state campaigns for other products.

Beef producers are required to pay a $1-per-head fee on cattle sold in the United States, which generates more than $80 million a year for ads, research and educational programs. Federal officials oversee how the money is spent.

Producers get back $5.67 for every dollar they contribute in increased prices because of the program, supporters contend.

December 9, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 15 Comments

Is it any wonder the CA Advertising Annual arrives during the holiday season? Mine arrived today via the postal service. Same cast of characters as always. You don't even need to study it. Put the $24 (newstand price) towards some whiskey, is my advise. Or beer, if you favor malt beverages.

Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Fallon, TBWA Chiat/Day, Arnold, Carmichael Lynch, DeVito Verdi and Wieden + Kennedy are the big winners (with more than five citations). Volkswagon, Porche, Harley-Davidson, BMW, Mini, Apple, Nike, Citibank, Molson, Miller Brewing, Mt. Sinai Medical Center and Time are the some of the clients said agencies did award-winning work for.

Lately, I've noted what an echo chamber the blogosphere can be. The same is true of advertising. When a judge sees an ad for Volkswagon he or she knows it's great, just like they know it's from Arnold. To not vote for it would be blashphemy. Plus, the judge has friends at Arnold. It's awfully nice to reward one's friends.

In all seriousness, I do like one of the Volkswagon ads immensely. The visual is a pile of ticket stubs for Widespread Panic concerts. The "Drivers Wanted" tag is almost lost in the layout, which is intentional, of course. "MAKE THE LOGO SMALLER," I can almost hear Ron Lawner saying. Anyway, this ad reminds me of the VW bus crying a tear for Jerry Garcia ad, which ran in 1995 when he passed.

December 9, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 3 Comments

Thanks to Fallon's New York office, one p.c. term for the holidaze has been replaced by another much longer and more difficult to say p.c. term.

To support Virgin Mobile, Fallon whipped up the "Chrismahanukwanzakah" moniker, appealing to all religious sects in one multiple syllable word.

The seasonal campaign features greeting cards, designed by British illustrator Fiona Hewitt. The cards depict a reindeer with a menorah for antlers, an African angel holding a dreidel, and a Hindu Santa Claus.

This week, Virgin Mobile, with U.S. headquarters in Warren, N.J., had costumed roller skaters hand out the greeting cards and chocolate coins to pedestrains in New York City.

The campaign was pure Virgin, Wayne Best, ACD at the agency, said. "They tackle tricky issues with a sledgehammer."

December 10, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Team value in millions

1. L.A. Lakers $510
2. New York Knicks $494
3. Dallas Mavericks $374
4. Houston Rockets $369
5. Chicago Bulls $368
6. Detroit Pistons $363
7. Phoenix Suns $356
8. Philadelphia 76ers $342
9. Boston Celtics $334
10. Sacramento Kings $330

Apparently, owning the real estate you play in and playing in a big market builds market valuation. According to the Forbes report, three of the most valuable teams--No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers, No. 2 New York Knicks and the Bulls--have ownership interests in their buildings. The bottom three teams--the No. 27 Orlando Magic, No. 28 Seattle SuperSonics and No. 29 Milwaukee Bucks--play in smaller markets and also lease their buildings.

source: Chicago Tribune

December 10, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from The New York Times: Rap star Jay-Z has agreed to become the president of Universal Music Group's Def Jam Recordings label.

The appointment puts the hip-hop label in the hands of one of rap's biggest-selling artists. Universal, part of Vivendi Universal, will give Jay-Z, who has little corporate experience, the vacant top job at one of its biggest divisions, granting him authority over everything from album production to marketing strategies, and an artist roster that includes stars like LL Cool J and Ludacris.

"I think it sends a great message out to artists," said Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter. "If you put enough work in and pay attention, maybe one day you can run a company."

"That I'm the president of the company may take some getting used to for some artists," Mr. Carter said. "But I don't want to say I'm their boss. I'd rather say I'm their consigliere."

December 10, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Warning: what you are about to read is seriously messed up and may cause undue agitation. Forbes is conducting a contest whereby they get free work from the ad community.

We invite you and your agency to participate in a contest to create the online ads for this promotion…and win great prizes!

The "great prizes" the publisher speaks of include:

One Grand Prize: Winner(s) will receive a holiday party for their company or agency (up to 50 people), a $500 American Express gift card for each creator, and dinner for six at the famous Forbes Townhouse. The winning ad design will run on Forbes.com and AdAge.com.

Thanks to Adfreak for the pointer.

December 10, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

When an ad campaign becomes part of popular culture, you know it's big. Much bigger than any industry award will ever reveal. In case there was any doubt about TBWA Chiat/Day accomplishing this with their visually arresting work for Apple's iPod, we now have proof of the campaign's deep impact.

"Transform your photos into colorful and exciting iPod ads. iPod My Photo will customize any photo (.JPG and less than 1 MB in size) and once you've seen the amazing results, you can print your own unique iPodified photo on t-shirts, greeting cards and much more. Get iPodified today - only $19.95 for your own professionally-made custom digital photo."

December 10, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

Christopher Carfi has this to say about Real Networks: "How does a company that brutalizes customers, ruins desktops, forces actions, and bombards users with phony upgrade messages stay around?

I personally have given up, written off, and completely exorcised Real from my online existence. The only time within recent memory that I've interacted with them in any fashion was during the 2004 debates, where I signed up for the two week trial of their service in order to get full streaming video of the coverage. I too despise them for having intrusive, overweight, and altogether clumsy products and services. (Full disclosure: I watched the debate and then cancelled that same night.)"

Couldn't have said it better myself. Way to throw down the gauntlet Mr. Carfi.

December 10, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Coudal Partners is a Chicago design firm with a fantastic blog. Now, they're using said blog to provide an essential public service by launching the totally viral SHHH campaign. SHHH stands for Society for Handheld Hushing.

For your own stash of "Shut the ____ Up" cards, go directly to Coudal dot com and download their PDF. Then get to work passing out the citations on the train, in restaurants, movie theatres or any other public venue where private conversations have no place.

December 13, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

The Women's Presidents' Organization and Fast Company magazine are creating an award competition for female entrepreneurs.

Finalists will be chosen through an open application process by the Fast Company staff, and a panel of judges will select 25 winners. The winners will be honored at a conference in April and featured in the magazine's May issue.

"These awards seek to identify and celebrate women business owners who are innovating new business models and leading the organizations that are redefining the way we all live and work," according to a news release about the awards.

Visit Fast Company to apply for the award. Applications are due by Jan. 15.

December 13, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Bobby Cox began his restaurant career in 1961 by owning and operating a small snack bar in Odessa, Texas. Cox has built many successful businesses including Taco Villa, Rosa's Café & Tortilla Factory, and Texas Burger. He also has been a franchisee of Dairy Queen and Peter Piper Pizza, and currently is a franchisee of Dippin' Dots. He also operates 36 franchised Blockbuster Video stores in 14 markets throughout the Southwest in addition to his restaurant holdings. He can now add Schlotzsky's to his list. Cox bought the Austin QSR out of bankruptcy at auction for $28.5 million.

Schlotzsky's Inc., founded in Austin, Texas, in 1971, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a franchisor and operator of restaurants in the fast casual sector. As of August 3, 2004, there were 511 Schlotzsky's® restaurants open and operating in 36 states, the District of Columbia and six foreign countries. Visit www.schlotzskys.com for more information.

According to the firm's p.r. writer the Bobby Cox Companies, Inc., "is a dynamic family of service businesses dedicated to meeting the needs of today's consumers. From entertainment, restaurants, and telecommunications to oil and gas production, custom food manufacturing, ranching and real estate development, the Bobby Cox Companies is the embodiment of the entrepreneurial spirit of free enterprise. The company is headquartered in the International Plaza Building in Ft. Worth, Texas, and employs over 2,200 people throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and New Mexico."

December 13, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Here's yet another splendid example of the power of brand advertising. The executive branch of U.S. government is "borrowing" liberally from Master Card's language to help sell their big January soiree.

Hey, there are no new ideas.

In a direct mail appeal to large donors, the President's innuagural committee shaped it thusly: "Tickets to all official inaugural events, including an "elegant" candlelight dinner with a special appearance by President Bush: $100,000. Tickets to all official inaugural events, two additional tickets to an "exclusive" lunch with Mr. Bush and Vice President Cheney, plus an all-access pass to any inaugural ball: $250,000. Telling your friends, "As I explained to the president just the other day... .": priceless."

According to The New York Times there are no set limits on what an individual or corporation can contribute to the celebration, but the innaugural committee has set a self-imposed $250,000 limit on contributions, so as not to appear too greedy.

December 13, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Normally, we like to concern ourselves with high-minded issues in communications. Therefore, I hesitate to bring you the following product detail. Yet, I'm impressed by the quality of this catalog copy, so I will.

from Tar-Jay's web site: They call them "chastity underwear" at Blue Q, but we question whether these hot little low-rise hipster briefs would do much good in terms of guarding. In fact, we might go so far as to recommend NOT wearing them if you're expecting to ward off any impure thoughts. They're gilded panties, for the love of Saint Agnes. Elaborately ornamented, with a golden lock at the front and center, they are designed to "keep the royal treasures under lock and key" and even have the words "safe & secure" scrolled on the lock. Quite sexy. Wear them at your own risk. High quality, 95% cotton/5% spandex stretch fabric with gold lace trim. Available in black or cream. Machine wash. Imported.

Hats off to Consumer Whore for the find.

December 13, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Blog Herald reports that Doc Searls is not in it for the money. To Doc, one's blog is but one's back porch. He also thinks the back porch is a bad place for a business plan.

I think he's wrong. And right. One's media property, or blog, may well be one's back porch or guest room, but what's wrong with doing business in these quarters? It's a lot more human than some offices I've conducted business in.

[UPDATE from Doc's blog]: "Here I am, being niched as The Guy Who Says Blogs Are Not For Making Money.

However, I didn't say that.

Fact is, I have nothing against making money with blogs. What I tried to do at Bloggercon III, and in my conversation with Steven, was enlarge the conversation beyond making money with blogs, into making money because of blogs. I said that in my write-up for the session. I tried to say that in my series of questions for the session. As I've said often, and about many subjects, the logic is AND, not OR."

December 13, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from Promo Magazine: Pepsi PepsiCo, Inc. and Discovery Communications have joined in a $10 million marketing campaign to promote the soft drink maker's new program designed to help consumers make healthy choices.

The program centers on PepsiCo's new "Smart Spot" program, a green symbol on packaging designed to help shoppers identify more than 100 food and beverage products from PepsiCo that will contribute to healthier lifestyles. The products include brands like Quaker, Aquafina, Baked! Lays, Gatorade, Tropicana and Dole. Also included are the company's diet carbonated beverages, Lipton teas and some Frappuccino coffee beverages.

The yearlong partnership features six of Discovery's U.S. networks, exposure on Discovery.com and the largest advertising commitment to date for FitTV. Promotions will also appear at retail in some Discovery stores.

Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery Health Channel, Travel Channel as well as FitTV, will feature a variety of on-air ads with plenty of healthy breakfast reminders.

December 13, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from USA TODAY: Carl's Jr., the fast-food chain that loves to thumb its nose at political correctness, this week will unveil a breakfast burger with egg. The new burger has 830 calories, 275 milligrams of cholesterol and 46 grams of fat.

The national trend toward lunch at breakfast is clear. About 12.5% of fast-food diners ordered burgers for breakfast in 2004, compared with 7.5% in 2003, reports Sandelman & Associates, a restaurant consulting firm.

It's not just burgers. Chick-fil-A soon will roll out tiny chicken breakfast sandwich packs. Sonic Drive-In serves its full menu all day — even selling Extra-Long Cheese Coneys at breakfast. Coca-Cola makes a killing as a breakfast drink.

The lure of lunch items at breakfast is being driven, in part, by a 24/7 workforce that wants to begin or end the workday — even at 6 a.m. — with a real meal. "Some people don't want eggs, pancakes and French toast for breakfast," consultant Bob Sandelman says.

"If you're overweight or have health issues, this probably isn't the breakfast for you," says Andy Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, whose Hardee's chain is taking heat for its 1,420-calorie Monster Burger.

December 13, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

Brand Autopsy offers this outdoor board from Austin's Community Clinical.

Maybe a giant sound chip attached to this board would better serve the clinic's efforts. It could ask, "Are you hearing voices?" Okay, that's not nice.

December 14, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

The Chicago Tribune on Monday launched a new advertising campaign as part of a wider marketing plan that the company says seeks to demonstrate how someone's day was made better by interaction with the newspaper.

The new campaign, which features animation from illustrator J.J. Sedelmaier, introduces a new tagline: "What's in it for you?"

It's the first campaign for the paper from its new agency, DDB Chicago, which was hired in May to overhaul the newspaper's advertising image.

The new campaign will run on TV during late news and local prime time. There will also be print, outdoor and digital components to the campaign.

December 14, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from Pete Blackshaw's predictions for '05: Blogs absorb flak, yet stay on track. Expect 2005 to open with a predictable slew of fashionably righteous articles de-hyping and pooh-poohing all things blog related, some even by bloggers themselves. Many will lament advertisers co-opting the medium, as well as the influx of clumsy, less savvy newbies in the blogosphere. Even so, the blog format will endure and grow, quickly advancing to a powerful rich-media context, punctuated by surprising new capabilities, such as podcasting.

Publishers, site managers, and even message board managers will embrace (or in some cases, begrudgingly capitulate to) RSS. Big brands and their sites will find the "add water and stir" nature of blog publishing tools irresistible. That will humble overpriced agencies that view platforms such as TypePad and Movable Type as more evil than outsourcing.

Oh, and did I mention that ubiquitous PR-industry blogger Steve Rubel will almost certainly leave his current PR firm to start a new communications agency entitled Macro Persuasion?

Blackshaw

Editor's note: Rubel refutes the above conjecture at his blog.

Michael Gartenberg, analyst for Jupiter Reseacch, also has some predictions (it's that time of year).

3. More people will lose their jobs over their weblogs. It's happened already, and it will happen again. If you're posting about your job or employer without consent, you're taking a lot of risk with your future.

4. But more corporations will create official blogs. Corporations have seen the weblog light, and blogs will become common for business use. Unfortunately, far too many of these efforts will just be marketing fluff disguised as weblogs.

December 14, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Adweek: Miller Brewing this week will hear presentations from five shops competing to handle promotions for its Miller Genuine Draft and Miller Lite brands, sources said.

The two incumbents, Interpublic Group's Zipatoni in St. Louis and Omnicom Group's Promotion Network in Dallas, are competing against WPP Group's Wunderman, Publicis Groupe's Frankel and independent Upshot, sources said. The nonroster shops are all in Chicago.

Agency officials declined comment or referred calls to the client. A Miller representative said only that a decision is expected in January. The rep would not confirm the list of contenders.

Miller spent about $200 million advertising the two brands in 2003, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. Promotional spending could not be determined.

The agency is also reviewing its events marketing chores, now handled by Omnicom's GMR Marketing in Milwaukee.

December 14, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

Steve Yastrow writing on TomPeters dot com: "Marketers have always looked at integrated marketing as something they do. Start with a foundation of advertising, then add a pinch of PR, a dash of direct marketing and a spoonful of sales promotion and voila!, you've got effective marketing.

I think that's backwards. Marketers don't do integrated marketing, customers do. Customer integrate all experiences with a company into a composite impression. If a customer decides that listening to music on hold for 15 minutes while waiting for help tells her more about that company than their radio commercials, that's her privilege. If another customer decides to focus more on how an invoice reads than how the brochure or print ad read, he can."

December 14, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

Evelyn Rodriguez writes about writing in her latest blog entry. She quotes Dan Pink, author of Free Agent Nation, as saying "The MFA is the new MBA." I find this particularly interesting in light of the new home page copy I recently developed for DavidBurn dot com.

Storytellers needed.

Every product or service has a story to tell. How well that story is created and then recreated in each new marketing campaign has much to do with the long-term success of the product or service.

Branded stories are told in every medium imaginable today, from TV advertising to bathroom advertising to product placement. With the rise of the internet and the consequent rise of web logs, the storyteller's stage is set like never before. Now branded communications can truly reach people where they live. Sure, people have lived in front of their TV sets for five decades, but they're existence there has been passive. In front of computer screens, people are living engaged, thoughtful and interconnected lives.

Ad agencies and the client companies that hire them, in my opinion, need to hire storytellers capable of weaving a narrative thread on a daily basis. Some of these storytellers will emerge happier from their copywriting perch inside agencies. Others will come from the blogosphere. Still others might be cherry-picked from the best writing programs like Iowa Writer's Workshop. Wherever they come from, they're sorely needed. Corporate America is just starting to wake up to this reality. In five years time, I predict having a resident storyteller on board the corporate ship will be a given.

December 14, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

Avid AdPulp user, Clyde Hogg, points us to a piece on the state of the newspaper business from Fred On Everything. Here are some excerpts:

"The greatest weakness of the American press is moral. Our media are relentlessly, grindingly, hermetically controlled or, as we say, politically correct. Everyone with the brains of an aspirin tablet is aware of it. Newspaper do not so much report the news as avoid it. The taboos are endless and rigid. What reporters know, they do not write; what they write, they do not believe. We all understand exactly what the media can say, can’t say, and will say. Sheer dishonesty rubs shoulders with poor content. For example, the coverage of the war in Iraq amounts to crafted acquiescence in lying. Why bother?

The media can’t change. They are too close to being part of the government they purport to cover, too steeped in the artificial egalitarianism of the newsroom, too afraid of each other, of advertisers, of being racist or sexist, too big and smug and ossified. They cannot report anything that might disturb blacks, women, homosexuals, Jews, Latinos, or mental defectives. Although the rosy-fingered dawn may now be penetrating the hitherto intractable darkness, too many journalists live in the past. Like IBM when it thought that the personal computer was a funny little typewriter, they stare into the tiger’s maw and think that it’s a closet."

December 14, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 3 Comments

from MSNBC: Niebaum-Coppola Winery, owned by film director Francis Ford Coppola, is selling its Sofia blanc de blancs sparkling wine -- named for daughter and fellow director Sofia -- in a 187 ml serving, just big enough for one drinker's thirst and a neat way to enjoy sparkling wine without opening a full-size bottle. 

Like many wineries, Niebaum-Coppola has been looking for ways to attract younger drinkers who may still have a beer-and-shots preference left over from their college days, or those who have gravitated to punchy drinks like vodka with Red Bull. Initial marketing was word-of-mouth, but the national release will include print ads in buzz-generating magazines like Paper and Surface.

Coppola's wine is blended from the drier pinot blanc and sauvignon blanc grapes as well as 8 percent muscat, which gives it subtle, sweet overtones that may sit more comfortably on the palates of its target audience.

Cans will retail at $20 for a four-pack. Clubgoers can expect to pay $6 to $10 a pop. Matching straw included.

Thanks to Hidden Persuader for the pointer.

December 15, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 5 Comments

Two out-of-work advertising creatives--an art director and a copywriter--have teamed to create an excellent web site, complete with public service announcement declaring, "They can't do anything else." In the spot, Tom Millar and Marc Guttesman are shown trying on other jobs for size. Jobs where their true talents shine, but to no good affect. For instance, Tom, ever the art director, attempts to teach pre-school, but ends up chiding a young girl for the rainbow she drew, calling it "confusing."

This is good stuff.

December 15, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from Lewis Lazare: After spending what some sources said was upwards of a whopping $700,000 on an elaborate pitch, Cramer-Krasselt/Chicago has failed to land the whopper piece of new business. On Tuesday the agency was notified it had lost out in its bid for the $240 million Kia Motors America account. C-K was one of four finalists for the business after Kia executives earlier this year launched an agency review because they reportedly wanted to see what else was out there, an impetus that, on its surface, was disturbingly wishy-washy.

In the end, the carmaker opted to stay with its incumbent ad agency, David & Goliath/Los Angeles, a decision that had to make the C-K loss that much more difficult to accept. C-K President Peter Krivkovich and executive creative director Marshall Ross were both unavailable for comment.

By all accounts, C-K went all out to win the business. "It was a very intense effort for us," said a C-K spokeswoman. Sources said the agency brought in large numbers of free-lance creative talent to help prep for the pitch.

December 15, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Adweek: C.J. Fraleigh is leaving General Motors, effective immediately, to become svp of sales and marketing at Sara Lee.

Fraleigh, 40, GM's former executive director of advertising and corporate marketing in February was shifted to the post of general manager of GM's Buick and Pontiac-GMC division. Fraleigh made his mark with Cadillac's "Break Through" campaign.

Sara Lee spends approximately $220 million annually on ads. Its creative agencies include Omnicom Group shops TBWA\Chiat\Day in Playa del Rey, Calif., and BBDO and Element 79, both in Chicago, as well as Interpublic Group's The Martin Agency in Richmond, Va., and Grey Global Group's Grey in New York. Publicis Groupe's MediaVest in Chicago handles media chores across all client brands.

December 15, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 5 Comments

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. confirmed Wednesday that it fired several executives but would not detail the reason.

"Three company officers were terminated for failing to follow internal company rules," spokeswoman Mona Williams said. Four other workers who were not at the executive level were also terminated for failing to follow Wal-Mart rules, she said.

The terminations occurred over the past several days, Williams said.

The Benton County Daily Record newspaper reported in Wednesday's edition that among those let go was Jim Haworth, executive vice president of operations for the Wal-Mart division.

December 15, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from NT Times: Kiwi, a line of shoe care products that dates to 1906, is sold in almost 180 countries by the Sara Lee Corporation, the packaged-goods giant that also markets brands like Ball Park, Champion, Jimmy Dean and Hanes.

After several years of little or no marketing support for Kiwi, Sara Lee is running print advertisements in a variety of national magazines. The ads, created by the Richards Group in Dallas, use sassy humor to try to stimulate demand for the brand. With the Kiwi campaign, which carries the theme "Look Sharp," Sara Lee joins a growing list of companies - among them Brown-Forman, Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, PepsiCo and Unilever - that are increasing marketing budgets for aging or neglected brands.

Editor's note: Interesting...maybe aging or neglected ad folk can find work helping consumer brands with a like fate.

December 15, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Scott Donaton, Editor of AdAge, says, "I am a realistic and close observer of the advertising business, and understand the pressures marketers and media sellers face in their bid to attract and retain consumers' attention. But I'm also a content creator whose primary role is to protect my brand's most important asset: its relationship with readers. Smart editors get this. Their defense of editorial integrity isn't some knee-jerk reaction against advertising. It's good business.

I earn my pay at a company that values editorial ethics above all else. But for many others in consumer and business media, pressure to shape content to suit advertisers' needs is a day-to-day dilemma."

Donaton speaks of the pressure felt by some editor's to accept "product placement" in the sacrosanct editorial pages of the reputable magazine or newspaper they work for.

Which leads me here. A.J. Liebling said, "Fortune swims, not with the mainstream of letters, but in the shallows, where the suckers moon."

I'm comfortable blurring all such editorial lines in this space. I don't see product placement as slumming (not that slumming's all bad...see Liebling's thinking above), in quite the way Donaton does. I see it as a more natural bond, like commerce and art, content and selling can, and do, go hand-in-hand. Fighting it seems to me, more tilting at windmills, much in the manner of Hollywood's response to peer-to-peer networks.

Am I willing to label it "Advertising" or in some way make it obvious that I'm pimping a product or a service? I guess so, if it matters to you. What matters to me is making it good. Making it work.

December 15, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Evelyn Rodriguez eloquently explains the three voices available to modern day marketers:

1) Professional/corporate voice has been so overdone it just rings hollow and distant; there's nothing to separate you out from competitors as the droning blends altogether. Not very distinctive and creates barriers in communication.

2) Credible voice is where most corporate blogs should aim for. This is the voice that most salesmen aim for; they are building rapport and being a live person to another live person. It's the European and Asian tradition of getting to know who they're going to do business with first before signing the deal. It's also about stories. This is rarely seen in most marketing material today.

3) Intimate voice is a bit more literary perhaps, but I think some smaller boutique firms might experiment here. It's more raw, real, and emotionally honest and the least amount of walls between you and the reader. It seems to resonate more with the universal human condition while paradoxically being distinctive, unique and personal.

December 15, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from Forbes: The next big thing, according to Web junkies, is the "wiki." What are wikis? They are Web sites that are open for editing by anyone with a browser, without any fancy applications or programming skills necessary. Think a reference Web site on the history of Vietnam is biased? Scrub it clean. Think a documented procedure on your company's Web site is out of date and needlessly inefficient? Rewrite it.

Think of it as an evolution. In the early days of the Web, there were bulletin boards like Usenet. Then, during the boom, Web sites like Geocities (now owned by Yahoo), gave people the ability to create communities of templated personal Web pages. Post-Internet bubble, Web logs offered "bloggers" more customizable personal Web journals and the ability to invite controlled collaboration. Wikis are the next generation: Web spaces that are totally collaborative.

Wikis are being brought to you by the same type of programmers who created Linux, the open-source operating system now competing in the corporate server market with Microsoft's Windows Server and Sun's Solaris. Wikis' idealistic developers believe that these "open to all" Web sites could eventually be a solution to much of what ails the Internet—the spam, the promotions disguised as content, and an ever-present problem with anything published in cyberspace, credibility. It is essentially the belief that might will make things right on the Web. By allowing anyone to change a Web-published document, the thinking goes, those documents then have to withstand the scrutiny of the red-pen-holding masses.

Thanks to Steve Rubel for the pointer.

I actually have some experience bringing Wiki to the corporate world. I helped launch an internal Wiki for a 50+ person agency team working on a large brewery's account. In the process, I came to undertand not everyone is ready for decentralized or grassroots content, no matter how beneficial it might be to the larger organization.

People have corner offices to protect is the short version. And Wiki leaves a trail. So, if the best ideas are coming from the mailroom or the reception desk, everyone knows it. A company has to have a stomach for that sort of thing, if social software is to work its magic.

December 16, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from The NY Observer: On a recent Friday in J.W.T.’s airy offices, decorated with promotions for Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese, sausages made out of papier-mâché and a Christmas tree decorated with Triscuits, Ty Montague--the man charged with reinventing one of the ad industry's most venerable brands--eased back in an angular black leather chair. He was dressed in trim gray monochrome, a few stray wisps of gray in his brown goatee. He spoke with the careful inflections of a reformed Deadhead, not a hard-charging ad executive.

“I think anybody who says the 30-second spot is dead is overstating the case,” he said. “I don’t believe the 30-second spot is dead. But I do think the 30-second spot is going to become increasingly less important, and increasingly less effective, unless it is treated as but one piece of a much larger story that is told across a number of mediums.

His parents were academics back when he grew up in Albuquerque, but Mr. Montague didn’t take to school. After his first year studying biology at the University of New Mexico, he got “bored and sidetracked” and dropped out. He took jobs leading tourists out on river-rafting trips on the Rio Grande, and worked at a garage fixing Italian sports cars. At 20, he decided to go to New York.

“I decided [fixing cars] was a dead end, and I was just going to waste away in Albuquerque. I thought, ‘Well, time to go to New York and see what I can see,’” he said.

Mr. Montague moved to New York and got a job waiting tables at the Olive Tree Café and tending bar at the Comedy Cellar on Macdougal Street. One night, a friend at the bar suggested he give advertising a try, and he soon scored an interview at McCann Erickson.

“When I showed up, the interviewer asked me, ‘Do you even have a résumé?’ And I said, ‘Uh, no.’ And the person interviewing me said, ‘Well, let’s make you one.’ On a legal pad, they tore out a page and wrote out my résumé, and sent me down the hall to meet the head of personnel,” Mr. Montague said. He landed the job and spent a year stuffing mailers in McCann’s mailroom.

December 16, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 3 Comments

from the company's web site: "Cereality® is more than a place to get cereal. It's a new way of thinking about cereal. A new choice in fast food. And an idea whose time has come. In fact Cereality is so unique, we have a patent pending.

At Cereality, customers choose from their favorite brands and toppings. Pajama-clad Cereologists™ fill the orders. And customers choose and add their own milk, just the way they like it."

Cereality founder, David Roth

Chicagoist reports that the Boulder-based breakfast QSR plans to move its headquarters to Chicago early in 2005. "For Cereality to achieve the aggressive growth we believe we can achieve, we needed to move the company to a larger city, with more access to talent and overall resources," said CEO, David Roth.

AdPulp wonders if Roth's Boulder crew may have the munchies 24/7, a cultural issue that could well be eating in to the company's profits.

Whatever the case may be, not everyone is jumping for joy at the news of Cereality's progress. A wise guy with a blog, Pat, has this to say: "Recently, Pat: The Magazine for Guys was not cordially invited to the grand opening of "Cereality", a new restaurant probably run by hippies, certainly by strokewads, specializing in cold breakfast cereals served in Chinese take-out containers. To add insult to douchery, the employees wear matching pajamas, or should I say, fucking pajamas. Is the concept so ironic and fatally Gen-X that hipsters will reject it unless Cereality obtains a liquor license and replace the milk with beer, a-la Revenge of the Nerds? Or will business boom for 6 months until yuppies tire of the novelty of driving somewhere so their kids can eat two cups of Captain Crunch for the price of an entire box?"

December 16, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

To advance the cause of their favorite web browser, Firefox brand evangelists have taken the proverbial bull/fox by the horns/ears, and placed a two-page ad in today's New York Times. I like the spirit exhibited by this consumer movement. Too bad the creative isn't more inspiring.

December 16, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 6 Comments

proposed Salt Lake City flag by Steve Jerman

My friend Steve Jerman, a graphic designer in Salt Lake City, offers his hometown, "This clean, modern, simple design to reflect a city of similar values. The design is meant to convey the positive and progressive spirit of all the city's current residents—not solely its pioneer heritage."

December 16, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 4 Comments

Buzz Sponge points to Russia's Kalashnikov Vodka and the use of sexy Nikita Girls to help sell it in London's trendiest night clubs.

But that's not the interesting part. This is: According to the brand's web site, Mikhail Timoveeich Kalashnikov was born on November 10th, 1919, to a large peasant family in the village of Kurya, high in the Altai Territory of Siberia. In 1938 M T. Kalashnikov was called up for Red Army, where he finished training as an engineer in the tank mechanical school and where he started designing by creating a revolution counter to register the number of shots from a tank gun, made a special appliance for the "TT" pistol to enhance its effectiveness through tank turret slits and designed a tank running meter.

By 1944 Kalashnikov developed an experimental model of the self-loading carbine; it became the base for a creation of a new gun. In 1947 the automatic device, known as the AK47, was adopted by the Soviet Army.

To this day, armed revolutionaries the world over will drink to that.

December 17, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 5 Comments

December 17, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Adweek: CBS has agreed to stop airing three Miller Brewing TV spots following a protest from Anheuser-Busch that the work is based on improperly conducted taste tests, officials said.

A-B in November filed a protest with the four major TV networks over 11 Miller commercials. A-B argued that Miller's taste test was improperly conducted in part because people were asked which beer had "more flavor" or "more taste" rather than simply which beer's taste they preferred.

CBS agreed to pull three spots after concluding that they were "unduly disparaging of Budweiser and Bud Light," and that two of the spots "convey an unsubstantiated preference claim.

"We will compete with anybody in this industry if they compete truthfully," said Michael Owens, A-B's vp of sales and marketing. "This isn't a matter of hurting sales or not hurting our sales, it's just not right."

Editor's note: Owens is correct about one thing. This is not right. One of the first lessons you learn in Marketing 101 is never, ever acknowledge a challenger brand.

A-B may not like the Miller attack ads, but they would be wise to ignore them. Of course, it's much too late for that. They're too busy making their own ads that attempt to undo Miller's claims. And now they're lobbying the networks. What's next? Oprah?

December 17, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

According to Accenture, a leading business guru must be highly visible on the internet (as measured by hits on the Google search engine), publish work that is widely known in the academic world (citations in the ISI Social Sciences Citations Index), and be frequently mentioned in the media (mentions in LexisNexis).

Of the top 50 business gurus ranked by Accenture, I've heard of roughly 20 percent of them. Kevin Kelly and Tom Peters are the only ones with blogs, that I'm aware of. Please report in, if you know otherwise.

Thanks to Brand Autopsy for the pointer.

December 20, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Ad Age: Weight loss company Jenny Craig will feature new Fat Actress sitcom star Kirstie Alley as its celebrity client in TV ads beginning Jan. 10, according to the company.

The ads, from J. Walter Thompson, New York, will track Ms. Alley's intended loss of more than 50 pounds following Jenny Craig's new YourStyle personalized weight loss plan.

Despite the fact that her substantial weight gain landed her a starring role in Showtime's Fat Actress, a sitcom depicting the difficulties of an overweight woman in the entertainment industry that begins airing in March, Ms. Alley has publicly talked about wanting to lose that weight. Like her show, the ads starring Ms. Alley will display her humorous way of "coming to grips with the fact that I'm certifiably fat," she said.

In addition to the TV ads, Ms. Alley will post her weight loss progress in weekly blog entries on jennycraig dot com.

December 20, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from NY Times: Soft-drink makers are racing to replace or play down the word "diet" in brand names in favor of alternative terms they hope will help fatten sales.

The Coca-Cola Company kicked off the trend in September by renaming the diet version of its Sprite lemon-lime soda Diet Sprite Zero. That name will probably be changed before long to Sprite Zero, as the soda is called in more than 20 markets overseas.

The Pepsi-Cola Company division of PepsiCo last month changed the name of the diet version of its lemon-lime soda, Sierra Mist, to Sierra Mist Free. Both Sierra Mist Free and Diet Sprite Zero are being promoted in multimillion-dollar campaigns on television, in print, on posters and in stores.

The rebrandings come as marketers are struggling to inject some effervescence into sales of carbonated soft drinks, which have been losing luster - particularly among younger consumers - to products like water, tea and energy beverages. About the only sodas gaining sales are those without sugar, so the renamings seek to capitalize on that momentum.

Rony Zibara, executive creative director for North America at FutureBrand in New York, said "No one wants to be seen walking down the street with a diet beverage in hand."

Dan Dillon, vice president for marketing in the diet unit of Coca-Cola North America, said, "Zero is a much better, more accurate description of the product, because it extends beyond zero calories, zero carbs, zero sugar to encompass zero color and zero caffeine."

December 20, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Mr. Little's web site: Tony Little has taken casual footwear to the next level with new Cheeks™ Exercise Sandals! Fun and functional! Now you can get a work out while you walk! Our new Cheeks™ Exercise Sandals have a unique design that simulates the act of up-hill walking; promoting muscular strengthening of the feet, legs, back and abs.

They are made with an original Birkenstock™ foot bed that is impact absorbent and helps to maintain your natural foot position. Cheeks™ are flexible and supportive, relieving pressure on the heel bone while reinforcing the natural arch of the foot. Wearing Cheeks™ can help to ease back pain, foot pain and Achilles tendon pain while helping to decrease the onset of varicose veins by increasing blood circulation. Stronger, leaner, healthier legs are just steps away! Cheeks™ are available in 4 different colors and a variety of sizes. Bring your legs to their peaks…with Cheeks™!!

December 20, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

"The best corporate bloggers are probably going to be grown organically from inside of the organization and are going to need little to no need for outside help because they'll come to it the way we have all come to it: they read blogs, they get curious, a friend shows them the basics or they just figure it out, they fall in love with it and they're off and running. The whole point of blogging is it's dead easy.

On the other hand, there will be outsourced bloggers -- actually hiring someone else to maintain your blog. That will be something of a business for some people, but unless those people get hired (like the woman writing for Stonyfield Farm, who was hired explicitly for that purpose) it will probably ring a bit hollow or forced to have someone outside of your organization blogging on your behalf. Much better that the organization organically internalizes it." -Rick Bruner commenting on the need for business blog consultants

Rick is a smart guy and way ahead of the curve when it comes to business blogs. Yet, I beg to differ with a couple of the points he makes above. The mechanics of blogging are indeed easy, but blogging for corporate purposes is not. In fact, I'd say this gray area is quite daunting to most corporations.

A business that wants to blog needs to have a clear direction and purpose before setting out in these sometimes turbulent waters. Will the blog be part of the larger marketing strategy, and if so, how? Will the company allow comments, and if so, will they allow negative comments? Will firms enlist help from their ad agencies to develop and maintain their blogs? These questions represent the tip of the iceberg. There are many more questions that need to be asked, and answered, if businesses are to adopt blogging as a daily practice.

December 20, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from Scobelizer, Microsoft's Geek Blogger: "Hi Bill. I've been thinking about how to make Windows Media cool. You know, cooler than wearing white headphone cords.

Open source the product development.

Start a weblog. NOW. Get the person who runs the team to start a blog. NOW. Or fire him/her. I'm serious. Make it as cool as the King Kong blog. Put EVERYTHING up on that blog. Videotape every meeting. Every design session. Write something every day."

December 20, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 7 Comments

Rubin Postaer + Associates' Chicago office is merging with Euro RSCG Chicago.

The Santa Monica-based agency will keep a field office in the Chicago market in order to help service its Honda and Acura business. The remainder of accounts, and staff, are headed to Euro RSCG in a move that seems likely to benefit all parties.

Larry Postaer and Gerry Rubin are the founders and principals of RPA. Steffan Postaer, president and chief creative officer of Euro RSCG Chicago is Larry Postaer's son.

I can almost hear Lewis Lazare of the Sun Times now. "Nepotism reigns supreme in back room deal" he might care to say. My reaction is less politically charged. Not only is this type of deal an example of how things work in the real world, Larry Postaer can sleep well at night, knowing his son is hard at work taking care of his former associates and clients.

December 21, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 3 Comments

from Chicago Tribune: Kraft Foods has agreed to purchase two corporate jets from its parent, Altria Group Inc., for more than $47 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Donna Sitkiewicz, a spokeswoman for Kraft, said the planes are not new acquisitions and have previously been used by Kraft.

Kraft is purchasing a 3-year-old Gulfstream IV-SP for $27 million and a 1-year-old Gulfstream 300 for $20.1 million. The two planes will remain at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y.

"We are a global company and there are times where our executives are required to travel," said Sitkiewicz, noting executives use both commercial flights and corporate jets to handle their needs.

Both planes can seat eight passengers and provide non-stop transportation to Europe at speeds and altitudes higher than those available on a commercial jet.

However, Sitkiewicz said the jets principally will be used to shuttle executives between Kraft's Northfield headquarters and East Hanover, N.J., where three of Kraft's divisions are located.

Roger Deromedi, Kraft's chief executive, would have been a regular passenger aboard the planes had he continued to live in Connecticut.

Deromedi, who was named CEO in December 2003, had been living in Connecticut and commuting weekly to Kraft's Northfield headquarters until he and his wife purchased a home in Lake Forest in September for $8.3 million.

December 21, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 3 Comments

American Apparel is a vertically integrated manufacturer, distributor and retailer of T-shirts and related products. All of our garments are cut and sewn at our 800,000-square-foot facility in downtown Los Angeles.

We are trying to rediscover the essence of classic products like the basic T-shirt, once an icon of Western culture and freedom. Our goal is to make garments that people love to wear without having to rely on cheap labor.

Every aspect of the production of our garments, from the knitting of the fabric to the photography of the product, is done in-house. By consolidating this entire process, we are able to pursue efficiencies that other companies cannot because of their over-reliance on outsourcing.

Our downtown Los Angeles factory, now considered the largest sewn-products facility in the United States, is a design lab where creative ideas, efficient manufacturing techniques, and concepts for designing and selling T-shirts are developed and put to the test. The challenge for companies like American Apparel is to establish new ways of doing business that are efficient and profitable without exploiting workers.

While apparel is a universal necessity that transcends almost all cultural and socioeconomic boundaries, most garments are made in exploitative settings. We hope to break this paradigm.

December 21, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 7 Comments

Copy for the ad above: Christina, former American Apparel retail employee. Recently quit. Still loves the company.

American Apparel—Made in Downtown LA
Sweatshop free—brand-free clothes

December 21, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Forward Markets: I have been following various ongoing blogosphere conversations (mainly at gapingvoid, adpulp, johnnie moore and random others) about how markets, marketing and advertising are changing with the times. My current thought is this:

Traditional marketing is about persuasion.

The new marketing is about truth.

December 21, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

Hugh MacLeod recently wrote: Besides comment spam, the biggest irritation of having a relatively large blog is what I call “The Happy Troll”.

Anybody else have problems with Happy Trolls?

I have yet to ban anyone's IP here, but I'm considering it.

One of the great things about blogs is they're open to the public, via comments. This is also one of the drawbacks, and frankly, one of the major hurdles any corporate blog will face.

This blog is like my living room or conference room. And I can assure you, if a visitor to my living room or conference room were to provide a steady stream of questionable remarks, he or she would be shown the door. And they might get a boot in the ass on the way out, depending on how offensive they've chosen to be.

December 21, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from NY Times: The Washington Post Company announced today that it is purchasing Slate, an online newsmagazine owned by Microsoft. The financial terms of the sale were not announced. Microsoft said in July that it was considering the sale of the pioneering media outlet, in part because the company believed that a Web magazine of cultural criticism and political analysis had little business salience in an age dominated by search applications and that the site's small size limited its ability to contribute meaningfully to Microsoft's revenues.

December 22, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

A dressed up press release from Lewis Lazare:

Are you ready for Ronald McDonald super athlete? You'd better be, because McDonald's chief happiness officer is about to take on a new look in a bright red-and-yellow active outfit. And why not? As the iconic symbol of the global fast food giant, who better than Ronald McDonald to actively promote the new image of McDonald's as a place where people can get healthier food if they aren't in the mood for Big Macs and fries? Ronald McDonald will debut his new sporty look at the Mayor's Holiday Sports Festival, Monday through Wednesday at McCormick Place. Don't be surprised if Ronald shows up at future triathlons, runs, walks and biking events in his less buffoonish, more jock-like garb whenever McDonald's is a major sponsor.

December 22, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

Reworked from the Chicago Tribune:

J.K. Rowling is more than a writer. She's the creator of a mega brand. Whether or not that was her intention, it remains to be seen.

On the announcement of the forthcoming release of the sixth book in the Harry Potter series, retailers are speculating that the book could sell upwards of 11.6 million copies nationally.

"Sales from the last Harry Potter book grossed as much as a major Hollywood movie in its first week of release," Steve Riggio, chief executive officer of Barnes & Noble, said Tuesday.

"We expect this next book in the series to make publishing history once again. We've already collected 500,000 e-mail requests from our customers waiting to be notified of the date of the next book. so this announcement is very welcome news for readers everywhere."

About 260 million copies of the fantasy series, which debuted in 1997, have sold worldwide.

December 22, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Marketing services agencies are feeling no woes.

In the following Brand Autopsy piece, the thing that jumps out is not the decline of brands gibberish, but the fact that marketers spend 2/3 of their budgets on promotions.

In a recent Brandweek editorial column, Jack Gordon, CEO of AcuPOLL Research, made some astute points in the 'the decline of brands' debate. The most poignant being …

What we might be seeing, in fact, is the decline of branding, not brands. The proliferation of line extensions, and the resulting effect of 'line-advertising;' the fact that over two-thirds of many brand budgets are now spent on consumer and trade promotions; and, reliance of many brands of 15-second ads has led to the creation of labels, not brands. [SOURCE: Brandweek | "Is it the Decline of Brands or the Decline of Branding?" | Dec. 6, 2004]

December 23, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Chicago Tribune: Holiday cookies that may contain pieces of glass have been recalled by Archway Cookies.

The company said in a statement that it was voluntarily recalling a limited quantity of its 10-ounce Archway Holiday Cashew Nougat Cookies sold nationwide.

The company is investigating how the glass got in the cookies, which are made in Ashland and at another plant in Indiana.

The same Cashew Nougat cookies were recalled by Archway in 1998 for the same reason, according to a November 1998 FDA report.

December 23, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 6 Comments

from NY Times: Not long after the chief executive at Coca-Cola, E. Neville Isdell, began saying that the company needed to improve its marketing, a group of experienced hands in the ad industry decided they might be able to help.

Soon a collective of creative types from many industries delivered their response, including a new campaign, brand promise and commercial for Coca-Cola using the theme, "A Cool American."

Another lame spec ad makes the news.

The group that sent Coca-Cola its unsolicited campaign has kept at it, posting suggestions for companies including Mitsubishi Motors North American and Alltel on MadisonAveNew.com, a Web site operated by Harry Webber, the founder of Smart Communications in Los Angeles.

"If Madison Avenue is no longer the evangelist for creative thinking in America, then somebody has to take up that cause," Mr. Webber said. "That is the calling of all creative people, not just people who work for ad agencies." Mr. Webber has another motive for wanting to see Coke sales rise: he owns stock in the company.

James B. Twitchell, professor of English and advertising at the University of Florida in Gainesville, agreed that the cultural power of advertising made it hard for creative people to ignore. "If I want to be creative, that's the place I'm going to go," he said. "It's not so much that I want to sell the product, or even care about the product, but it's where our shared storehouse of stories is."

December 23, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

This post is brought to you courtesy of Hilton Garden Inn.

Allow me to explain. We checked in to Marriott's Fairfield Inn in Lancaster, PA last night, mainly so I could rack up more Marriott Rewards points. But also, because I knew they offered complimentary wireless internet--a blogger's must have.

This morning as I powered up my trusty clamshell iBook--hey, I'm old school--imagine my surprise (and delight) at instantly seeing a WiFi signal, but not from our host as expected, but from the competitor directly across the street.

Whatever works.

December 24, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from The NY Times: The International Bible Society paid to insert a copy of the New Testament in last Sunday's issue of The Colorado Springs Gazette.

The volume went into the same pocket of the newspaper's plastic pouch where items like CD's from America Online or soap samples often go. The Bible group paid the standard advertising rate, and its spokeswoman, Judy Billings, said it considered the 91,000 copies of the New Testament a Christmas gift to the people of Colorado Springs.

Bob Burdick, publisher of The Gazette, said that the paper regularly took advertising from religious and political groups, and that most readers understood that such advertisements did not amount to an endorsement of their ideas.

"We're not in the business of stifling ideas," Mr. Burdick said. "I don't think papers have to back away from ideas because they're religious ideas, just as they shouldn't back away from ideas because they're political ideas."

The society inserted the Gospel of Luke into editions of The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss., on Palm Sunday and sent more than 420,000 copies with The Houston Chronicle on Aug. 29. That distribution was meant to coincide with the release on DVD of the Mel Gibson movie "The Passion of the Christ," which was inspired by the Gospel of Luke.

December 24, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from USA TODAY: The Center for Science in the Public Interest has a problem with Budweiser's anti-Miller advertising. The ads in question feature beer-stealing football referees who lie to and run from police.

"One can't help wonder whether the ads also have some other message in mind, namely, that breaking the law and bamboozling law enforcement efforts is a fine way to get a Bud Light," wrote CSPI's George Hacker, chief of the center's Alcohol Policies Project. "Is that a message that Anheuser-Busch wants to send our millions of underage persons and adults...?"

Hacker echoed his objections Monday in writing to the Federal Trade Commission, asking that agency to help force the beer industry to strengthen self-regulation he said generally "has a history of vague standards, shoddy enforcement and no penalties for noncompliance."

December 24, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Mich News: In recent years the words “Merry Christmas” have been removed from Federated's advertising, decorations and promotional materials. According to Federated, “phrases like ‘Season’s Greetings’ and ‘Happy Holidays’ embrace all religious and ethnic celebrations that take place in November and December and are more appropriate for the many diverse cultures in America today.”

Yet, not everyone can appreciate political correctness. Manuel Zamarrano formed the Committee to Save Merry Christmas to protest what he calls a “covert and deceptive war” led mostly by large retailers.

The Committee’s stated goal is “to preserve the culture and tradition of the vast majority of Americans that celebrate and honor Christmas…. a nationally declared federal holiday that has been observed from the inception of our nation.” 

The Committee deems the “intentional and deliberate exclusion of ‘Merry Christmas’ in the Federated Department Stores advertising and decorations… extremely offensive to the culture and tradition of Americans who honor and celebrate Christmas.” They are asking people with the same sentiments to boycott all Federated stores, which include Bloomingdale's and Macy's.

December 26, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Bloomberg: In what may be another sign of consumer fatigue with political correctness, sales of furs--which plunged by a third in the 10 years ending in 1995 amid animal-rights protests--will climb about 15 percent to a record $2.1 billion this year, according to Fernandina Beach, Florida-based research firm Southwick Associates.

"If you are fashion aware, you'd like to have an item with some fur on it this season," said Lori Wachs, who helps manage about $110 billion at Delaware Investments in Philadelphia, including Federated Department Stores shares.

Neiman Marcus, which caters to people with average annual incomes of about $190,000, posted a 8.4 percent comparable sales gain in November, helped by rising fur sales including $50,000 sable ponchos.

Bloomingdale's, owned by Federated, is selling $2,000 beaver jackets with fox-fur collars and $500 Andrew Marc down jackets with fur collars.

Less-pricey chains such as Sears are promoting furs and faux furs to last-minute holiday shoppers. Sears said cardigans with fur collars are selling well and J.C. Penney expanded its fur selection to include a $70 rabbit fur poncho.

Thanks to PSFK for the pointer.

December 27, 2004 by Shawn Hartley | Permalink | 1 Comments

Note to Readers:

We plan to publish on a flexible schedule over this week.

Thanks for all your support these past three months, with all our best wishes for a safe and happy holiday.

Shawn Hartley and David Burn

December 28, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

"It wasn't a wonderful year for Chicago's advertising industry. In fact, it was a pretty lousy 12 months, marked mostly by advertising accounts leaving town, ad agencies shrinking their staffs (yet again), and an overall feeling of lethargy that didn't keep Chicago on the radar screen when many would-be clients went searching for new agencies.

It's hard, admittedly, to bring in exciting new clients -- to say nothing of great creative talent -- when you've got a reputation as an ad community that only knows how to do packaged goods advertising. And let's be honest. That is the rap Chicago's ad industry has struggled with for years, with little success at shaking it off." -Lewis Lazare

Happy New Year from Lewis the above piece might better end.

I've not been in this city long--not as long as Lazare, by a long shot--but that doesn't diminish my rebuttal. Because my response is not about Chicago, it's about the notion that category experience is so vital. The question is not, "Can Chicago break out of the packaged goods mode?" The questions is, "How well can Chicago do packaged goods?"

Dance with them that brung ya.

If packaged goods is what Chicago has, and it does, care of Kraft and many others, then the task is not to shake off the packaged goods label, but to remake it. Taking packaged goods advertising to the next level is the task.

December 28, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Noted Bay Area blogger, Evelyn Rodriguez, is in Thailand for the holidays, where she survived the massive tidal wave. Here are some of here first-hand reports (all of which lend perspective to our normal concerns of the day):

"We were on a boat tour when the captain dramatically veered off course (we were headed to remote Bamboo Island) and was frantically talking on his cell phone. Their English was very poor so it was not clear what was going on. Long story short, we got on the beach but were too low when the tidal wave struck. It created a flash flood effect and I was in the middle of rapids containing debris, wood and all matter of building material.

Currently nearly penniless, passport-less, travel insurance-less etc. at the moment. But at the hospital everything is free including email access. Unfortunately, the US embassy has not been very helpful in contrast to other embassies and we don't know much logistically in terms of loans, passports, retreiving our stuff, etc. The ambassador to Sweden personally visited all the Swedes (several were on our boat trip)."

And then again on 12/27, she writes:

"I'm at the providencial hall (city hall) in Phuket, Thailand now and got my paperwork to fly to Bangkok, although I'm not sure I can fly yet as my leg so swollen I can't bend it and I can only walk with crutches.

Things are absolute madhouse here. Looks like a marketplace with tents and booths - but nothing is being sold just given away. Thousands of people here sorting through embassy stuff here. The government of Thailand and the people here have been absolutely wonderful providing free clothing, water, toiletries, food, accomodations, flights back to Bangkok and on and on."

December 29, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Growing up in the 1970s, I was a big fan of Topps' Wacky Packages. At the time, the term "culture jamming" had yet to be uttered, and I never thought of my collection as political in any way. I just thought it was funny and cool.

In a Chicago Reader article from June, one of the underground comic strip creators behind the series, Jay Lynch, refutes my innocent kid's worldview.

"They change the DNA. They teach kids not to put their total trust in corporate culture," Lynch said. "They bring the fantasy of advertising down to reality. They teach kids to think for themselves, and that what's good for GM and Coca-Cola isn't necessarily good for them."
 
Lynch, who now lives in upstate New York, is waiting along with Topps to see how the new Wacky Packages do with today's more consumer-savvy kids. Meanwhile, the adult fan base that grew up with Wacky Packs is driving another market: the paintings for the original Wacky Packs series fetch between $3,000 and $5,000 each on eBay.

December 29, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Nat Ives of The NY Times describes "determined detractors" as persistent critics of a company or product that mount their own public relations offensive, often online. They have roiled corporate plans at least since Ralph Nader famously attacked the Chevrolet Corvair and other cars in his 1965 book, Unsafe at Any Speed, which prompted General Motors to hire a private detective to investigate him.

Determined Detractor #1, Morgan Spurlock, sacrificing his body for the cause.

But worrieth not corporate America. BuzzMetrics, a New York-based specialist in word-of-mouth marketing, has developed proprietary software to scoop up information on trendsetters and potential influencers as they travel the internet, posting messages on bulletin board sites, updating personal Web pages and sharing information through e-mail mailing lists.

"For brand managers, the big challenge is to predict trouble on the horizon," said Jonathan Carson, head of BuzzMetrics. "When they see a detractor they have to figure out whether it's a single disgruntled customer or an actual smoldering crisis that could explode."

December 29, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Cleveland copywriter, Danny G., is at it again in his latest piece for Talent Zoo. He offers the industry new terms for 2005, once more providing valuable direction served with scathing satire. My favorite two follow.

Creative Diaper—This applies to any creative brief that has way too much shit in it. Like 7 or 8 primary objectives. Or a “single sentence” that feels like 3 sentences. Creative Diapers should be thrown away immediately in favor of a fresh, uncluttered one, but like all diapers, no one wants to touch it.

Pity Patter—The awkward small talk you have to make with the people in your office you don’t know well—and don’t really care about. Like the nerdy IT guy or the accounting person who sits at the other end of the hall. Pity Patter takes place largely in the office kitchen or during holiday parties. It tends to involve forced, inane discussions simply because awkward silences are even worse.

December 29, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

from Fortune: Blogs are challenging the media and changing how people in advertising, marketing, and public relations do their jobs. A few companies like Microsoft are finding ways to work with the blogging world—even as they're getting hammered by it. So far, most others are simply ignoring it.

That will get harder: According to blog search-engine and measurement firm Technorati, 23,000 new weblogs are created every day—or about one every three seconds. Each blog adds to an inescapable trend fueled by the Internet: the democratization of power and opinion. Blogs are just the latest tool that makes it harder for corporations and other institutions to control and dictate their message. An amateur media is springing up, and the smart are adapting. Says Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman Public Relations: "Now you've got to pitch the bloggers too. You can't just pitch to conventional media."

Unlike earlier promises of self-publishing revolutions, the blog movement seems to be the real thing. A big reason for that is a tiny innovation called the permalink*: a unique web address for each posting on every blog. Instead of linking to web pages, which can change, bloggers link to one another's posts, which typically remain accessible indefinitely. This style of linking also gives blogs a viral quality, so a pertinent post can gain broad attention amazingly fast—and reputations can get taken down just as quickly.

*For the permalink to this entry or any entry on a Moveable Type blog, simply click the time stamp below.

December 30, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Adweek: Groupe Bollore, the principal company of corporate raider Vincent Bollore, said it has used about 55 million Havas shares to borrow more than $270 million from an unnamed French financial firm, fueling speculation that Bollore will raise his 22 percent stake in the holding company.

Paris-based Havas is the parent of the Arnold, Euro RSCG and Media Planning Group agency networks. Two key Havas assignments (Volkswagen's $500 million North American media account and Intel's $400 million global media and creative business) are currently in review, with incumbent Havas agencies defending.

December 30, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Chicago Tribune: Beverage-maker Snapple has apologized for a joke about Staten Island on its Web site, but the company's mea culpa didn't stop a lawmaker from the borough from holding his own miniature version of the Boston Tea Party on Wednesday.

The tempest in an iced tea bottle was sparked by the Real Facts Game on the company's Web site, snapple.com, which asked: "What is the most recognized smell in the world?"

The answer: "No, it's not Staten Island. It's coffee."

City Councilman James Oddo said Wednesday that people who don't live on Staten Island "continue to define us by the Fresh Kills landfill despite the fact that Rudy Giuliani closed it and we've moved on past that."

The landfill, which closed in 2001, is like "a monster that we can't kill," Oddo said by telephone.

December 30, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from NY Times: If ads that chase consumers are achieving fewer results, the thinking goes, make the consumers come to the ads, particularly by infusing them with generous helpings of entertainment as would be found in television programs and movies or at concerts.

In sponsoring "Meet the Lucky Ones," which unfolded over the course of five weekly episodes like a TV series, Mercury is following other marketers like Amazon.com, American Express, BMW, Dr. Martens footwear and a Ford Motor sibling, Jaguar. The so-called Webisodes are delivering branded content, advertainment - call it what you will - to hundreds of thousands of computer users, those involved in the initiative say, many of them in the target audience for the Mariner.

December 30, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Chicago Tribune: EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Two Wal-Mart employees who police say followed a manager's orders to shoot and kill a stray cat have been charged with federal animal cruelty.

The men, both assistant managers at the Supercenter, were arrested and released after a court appearance Wednesday. Christopher Anderson, 29, and Jeffrey Hardin, 21, told police the store's manager ordered them to get rid of the animal that was living in a storage trailer behind their store.

All managers potentially involved in the incident have been suspended without pay pending an internal investigation and could be fired, said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sharon Weber.

"We were outraged when we learned of this incident. This kind of action is completely inconsistent with the way we do business," she said.

December 30, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

"We did what Visa did," Ken Mehlman, Bush/Cheney's 2004 campaign manager said. "We acquired a lot of consumer data. What magazine do you subscribe to? Do you own a gun? How often do the folks go to church? Where do you send your kids to school? Are you married?

Based on that, we were able to develop an exact kind of consumer model that corporate America does every day to predict how people vote - not based on where they live but how they live," he said. "That was critically important to our success."

If you drive a Volvo and you do yoga, you are pretty much a Democrat. If you drive a Lincoln or a BMW and you own a gun, you're voting for George Bush."

Thanks to Jeff Jarvis for the pointer.

December 30, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

from Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Starbucks will begin printing quotes from various contributors -- be they actors, economists, philosophers or kings -- on all of its coffee cups in North America, beginning early next year.

The company said it hopes to generate discussions among its customers and baristas with the comment-bearing coffee cups.

The mega-coffee retailer declined to specify the kinds of statements it will run, or give examples, except to say that they will be on "life topics" that are "non-controversial" and will "delight and inspire" its customers.

Thanks to Brand Autopsy for the pointer.

December 31, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

Designer, Bruce Mau, presents some deep thoughts in his Incomplete Manifesto. The last day of the year seems a good time to contemplate them. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Allow events to change you. You have to be willing to grow. Growth is different from something that happens to you. You produce it. You live it. The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them.

2. Forget about good. Good is a known quantity. Good is what we all agree on. Growth is not necessarily good. Growth is an exploration of unlit recesses that may or may not yield to our research. As long as you stick to good you’ll never have real growth.

8. Drift. Allow yourself to wander aimlessly. Explore adjacencies. Lack judgment. Postpone criticism.

14. Don’t be cool. Cool is conservative fear dressed in black. Free yourself from limits of this sort.

18. Stay up late. Strange things happen when you’ve gone too far, been up too long, worked too hard, and you’re separated from the rest of the world.

19. Work the metaphor. Every object has the capacity to stand for something other than what is apparent. Work on what it stands for.

26. Don’t enter awards competitions. Just don’t. It’s not good for you.

27. Read only left-hand pages. Marshall McLuhan did this. By decreasing the amount of information, we leave room for what he called our “noodle.”

29. Think with your mind. Forget technology. Creativity is not device-dependent.

Thanks to Brand Autopsy for the pointer.

December 31, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Hugh MacLeod asked recently, "Is it just me, or is the term 'Authentic Voice' starting to get annoying?

It's already starting to sound like a buzzword...

The word 'conversation' in a post-Cluetrain marketing context is also starting to get on my tits, even if I'm as guilty as anyone for using it."

To which, one witty Canadian, Brian "BS" Moffatt, chimed in with:

"We need to conduct a war on buzzwords and over used catchphrases.

Let's begin with the phrase 'on my tits'. I've read that phrase so many times today, I'm bag deep and crazier than a bag of hammers.

A war on the use of the word conversation would be good.

Followed by a war on 'the war on ______' Authentic Voice=Genuine Naugehyde.

Markets are chats. Hire a Trunk Monkey for yours."

Moffatt also sent these zingers into the blogosphere:

"But if the Internet proves anything at all, the target, like God, is dead."

"Marketers have become engineers of human soulessness."

December 31, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

By MIKE SULLIVAN of The Sun:

A MAN suspected of destroying a waxworks of Posh and Becks has been quizzed by cops.

A 39-year-old lecturer was arrested at his Northampton home after the figures were beheaded at Madame Tussauds.

Police believe the suspect is the same man who rang The Sun to claim responsibility for the December 12 attack on a nativity scene.

December 31, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 3 Comments

This man is...

A) Wanted in three states

B) About to score

C) Paid to surf

D) The new-and-improved Lee Clow

E) All of the above

December 31, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

from Dirty French Novel: For the past few months, I've been writing catalog and newspaper ad copy for a local retailer. I noticed something odd the first week or so I was in ad strategy meetings: the big buzzword here is "story." What story are we trying to tell in this spread? What's the story in this ad?

Except when they say "story," they don't mean story. There's no rising action-climax-denouement progression.

I don't consider it a story unless something happens. (Or it's by Raymond Carver.)

My theory is this: once upon a time, someone at an executive level was told that advertising is more effective if it tells a story. "Great," the unknown executive said, "we'll tell a story on every spread!" So there were meetings, and strategic initiatives, and discussions of best practices, and at the end of the day it was decided that from this day forward, every spread would tell a story.

And the next day, nothing changed but the words they used to describe what they wanted. Instead of talking about an ad's message or takeaway point, people talked about the story, and by story, they meant message.