January 1, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Shoewawa:

Fancy a Bloody Mary?

Sometimes we have to show you a shoe simply because it has a great name. That’s the case with this, the ‘Bloody Mary’ from Russell & Bromley. It’s perhaps not worth the £145 price tag when you can get similar styles for much cheaper (check out the January sales), but it does have a certain 1930s charm about it. And come on! It’s called ‘Bloody Mary’, and everyone could do with one of those this time of year! It comes in two other colour schemes too, we're fancying the black and silver.

January 1, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Think Secret: With iPod-savvy Windows users clearly in its sights, Apple is expected to announce a bare bones, G4-based iMac without a display at Macworld Expo on January 11 that will retail for $499, highly reliable sources have confirmed to Think Secret.

The new Mac, code-named Q88, will be part of the iMac family and is expected to sport a PowerPC G4 processor at a speed around 1.25GHz. The new Mac is said to be incredibly small and will be housed in a flat enclosure with a height similar to the 1.73 inches of Apple's Xserve. Its size benefits will include the ability to stand the Mac on its side or put it below a display or monitor.

Along with lowering costs by forgoing a display (Apple's entry-level eMac sells for $799 with a built-in 17-inch CRT display), the so-called "headless" iMac will allow Apple's target audience -- Windows users looking for a cheap, second PC -- to keep their current peripherals or decide on their own what to pair with the system, be it a high-priced LCD display or an inexpensive display.

January 3, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from Chicago Tribune: Illinois and Wisconsin residents with valid driver's licenses who take delivery of a new 2004 or 2005 VW Golf, Beetle or Beetle convertible through March 31 will get a free "In the Car" insurance policy that's good for one year. The policies exceed the minimum requirements in both states.

The policy is underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.

VW attempted other novel promotions last year, such as offering Golf buyers a free iPod and Jetta buyers a free mountain bike. But neither generated much interest, as both had soft sales last year.

Golf sales were down 45 percent in November and more than 18 percent for the year, and Beetle sales were down 60.7 percent and 27.6 percent respectively. VW also announced production cuts on Golf in Germany because worldwide demand is soft.

January 3, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

By Casey Ross of Boston Herald: Starbucks Coffee is not only popping up on every street corner, it's springing from the roofs of Boston's taxicabs as well.

A holiday advertising gimmick placed atop cabs in recent weeks has been fooling Hub motorists who continually mistake the ad for a Starbucks cup left on the roof.

The coffee ad, a creation of Clear Channel Taxi Media, is a "venti''-sized Starbucks cup magnetically connected to the roofs of about 100 cabs citywide. It is the first advertisement of its kind in the nation.

While the rooftop ad has received significant praise, some drivers say it is so effective it actually creates a maddening distraction from people who point, beep and yell when they see it.

It's a real pain for the driver,'' Meister said. People will stand in traffic and yell, "Hey, you left your coffee cup on the roof!"

January 3, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

image care of The Sand Trap

January 3, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

PC Magazine has named blogrepreneurs, Evan Williams, Meg Hourihan and Paul Bausch of Blogger, along with Ben and Mena Trott of Six Apart, as 2004 people of the year.

Blogger and Six Apart—each boast more than 1 million registered users. Blogger was created in August of 1999 by Evan Williams, Meg Hourihan, and Paul Bausch, who all then worked at Pyra Labs in San Francisco. After surviving the Internet bust, Blogger was purchased by Google in 2003 and continues to flourish today.

Husband and wife Ben and Mena G. Trott founded Six Apart Ltd. in 2002. Based in San Mateo, California, Six Apart makes Movable Type, a weblog publishing application that installs on your Web server, and TypePad, a hosted weblogging service.

January 4, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from USA TODAY: Vonage, the No. 1 Internet phone company, will unveil plans Tuesday to offer subscribers a wireless Wi-Fi phone that can make calls over the Internet at homes or at public Wi-Fi hot spots. For Vonage subscribers, the phone could amount to a kind of limited-use cell phone that would cost nothing extra.

Vonage will offer the phones to its 400,000 subscribers, who typically pay $24.99 a month for unlimited local and long-distance calls. Those customers plug a regular phone into an adapter linked to a broadband Internet line. Vonage turns the calls into data that zip across the Internet before being converted back to voice at the other end.

Now, Vonage wants to take the service a step further with Wi-Fi networks that let people surf the Internet wirelessly. With a Wi-Fi phone, they could make Internet calls from home without the need to run wires to the broadband line. Customers could use the phone number of their existing Vonage service or a new one for no extra fee.

Subscribers also could use the phones at public Wi-Fi hot spots that offer wireless Web access. Fee-based hot spots are sprouting in coffee shops, hotels and airports. Huge swaths of some cities, and entire college campuses, are becoming free hot spots.

January 4, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Cuervo and Ginger is a joint marketing effort from Schweppes and Cuervo.

The fashionable t-shirt above is available for free when you register. A good idea for the college student who hates doing laundry. But I believe the brands offer something more valuable here. The real offer is a memorable idea--one that can be easily repeated when faced with the daunting task of ordering for four at a crowded bar.

Thanks to for Preshrunk for the pointer.

January 4, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

from CNN/Money: McDonald's, the world's number one fast-food restaurant and second-largest buyer of chicken, is studying whether to switch its chicken suppliers over to the least-cruel slaughter method, the animal rights group PETA said Tuesday.

Controlled-atmosphere killing, or CAK, is a USDA-approved method of slaughter that is described by animal welfare experts as "the most stress-free, humane method of killing poultry ever developed." The CAK method puts the birds to sleep quickly and painlessly.

According to the animal-rights group, McDonald's (Research) said some of its EU suppliers are already using CAK technology and a feasibility study for the U.S. will be ready this summer. A PETA spokesperson said McDonald's is the first corporation to seriously consider CAK technology and they are hopeful that McDonald's will spur an industry-wide shift.

McDonald's is "committed to animal welfare leadership and to working with our suppliers and recognized experts on animal welfare issues" Anna Rozenich, a spokeswoman for the fast-food restaurateur said.

January 4, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Promo Magazine: Last year Kraft signed a marketing alliance with South Beach Diet creator Dr. Arthur Agatston and in October began putting "South Beach Diet Recommended" tags on several products, including Boca Burgers, Kraft Fat Free Singles cheese slices, some Oscar Mayer deli meats, Planters assorted nuts, and Light N' Lively cottage cheese.

Now, with the help of 141 Worldwide in Chicago, Kraft is saying "Life Is Better On The Beach" in a new promotion backed by a sweeps and 14-page, coupon-laden booklet with qualifying purchase.

January 4, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

CLEVELAND (AP) -- The maker of the Dirt Devil is recalling about 20,000 Sweeper Vac battery-powered upright vacuums because they can overheat and start a fire.

No injuries have been reported, Royal Appliance Mfg. Co. said Tuesday.

The recalled vacuums were made in China and have "Dirt Devil" and "Sweeper Vac" printed on the front and model number M083000 and plant Code J printed on a silver plate on the back. They were sold from November 2003 through November 2004 for $30 to $40.

Royal Appliance, based in Glenwillow, said customers should stop using the product and contact Dirt Devil for a free replacement.

The Dirt Devil recall hot line is 800-805-9536.

January 4, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

from LA Times: Minnesota Atty. Gen. Mike Hatch sued Capital One Financial Corp.'s bank unit Thursday over the ads for its "No Hassle" credit card, which promote a supposedly fixed annual interest rate of 4.99%.

Customers who miss a payment deadline or exceed their credit limit can end up with annual interest rates of as much as 27%, Hatch said at a news conference. About 40% of the card's users will be paying higher rates within two years, he said.

One "No Hassle" television ad features barbarian marauders catapulting a man for using a rival credit card — illustrating that interest rates for other banks' credit cards will change arbitrarily, while Capital One's rates won't. Fine print saying "Subject to change without notice" flashes on the screen briefly.

January 5, 2005 by Shawn Hartley | Permalink | 8 Comments

Time for a little "audience participation" segment while David is on the road (and perhaps to silence the naysayers who wonder what I actually do as 'Publisher' - see, I'm doin' somethin').

Anyway, it seems the majority of our audience is involved in the ad industry in some aspect. The question to you; What do you see shaping up in the ad/marketing industry over the coming year? We are looking for all things related to our industry whether it be interactive, traditional print, self promotion or even changes to other industries which may effect what you do.

Drop your viewpoints in the Comments and frame it with general respect to your position if you desire (agency-creative, agency-account management, client-side, etc).

If you want to moderately protect your privacy, drop your comments directly to me via email (shartley -at- gmail -dot- com) and I'll periodically add your anonymized comments to the conversation.

Fire away.

January 5, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from Lewis Lazare: We don't know why, but 52 years ago someone apparently thought it necessary to prove that glamorous actress Marilyn Monroe would still look fab even if she were dressed only in something as homely as a potato sack.

Now the Idaho Potato Commission is hoping to piggyback off that memorable pic with a new image of its current spokeswoman and fitness icon Denise Austin. Life-sized blow-ups of the Austin photo will soon be posted in supermarket produce aisles.

January 6, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from The Boston Globe: Beginning Monday, office-supply superstore Staples Inc. will not be running ads on Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.'s ''The Point," a nightly news commentary spot that has been criticized by left-leaning advocacy groups as conservative propaganda.

Framingham-based Staples declined to pinpoint a particular reason for pulling its ads from the show, other than to say it routinely considers factors such as ratings, demographics, customer concerns, and marketing strategy in deciding whether to continue to advertise on a television program.

frame from a current Staples TV spot

Company spokesman Paul Capelli denied that the move was politically motivated.

''We're an apolitical company," Capelli said. ''Our decision was misrepresented as being politically motivated. We advertise with a variety of media outlets, and we don't necessarily share the same views."

January 7, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from USA TODAY: The maker of Samuel Adams beer is planning a $7 million expansion of its Cincinnati brewery.

Boston Brewing Co. said Thursday that the project will be completed by September and will allow the company to brew about two-thirds of its Samuel Adams beer in Cincinnati — about 800,000 barrels a year, up from 600,000 now. The company has another brewery in Boston.

Jim Koch, founder of the Boston Brewing, said the purchase of the former Hudepohl-Schoenling brewery seven years ago and the newly announced expansion were especially meaningful to him because his father once served as an apprentice brewmaster there. It is the last remaining brewery in Cincinnati, which once was home to dozens of beer-makers.

Koch is from Cincinnati and is a sixth-generation brewmaster who founded Boston Brewing in 1984 in his kitchen after earning degrees at Harvard University.

January 7, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from Washington Post: A Washington consumer group held a press conference yesterday urging food marketers to voluntarily quit promoting junk food to children. Center for Science in the Public Interest, which regularly weighs in on nutrition issues, outlined voluntary guidelines calling for a complete halt to promoting soda, caffeinated drinks and sugary drinks; foods largely devoid of nutrients, fruits, vegetable and whole grains; foods high in fats, added sugars or salt; and large-portion products.

The advocacy group also asked food companies and television stations to stop advertising junk food on shows with more than a quarter of the audience under age 18 and to halt the use of toys, games, contests or other incentives to promote nutritionally poor foods. That would mean no more toys in kids' meals at fast-food restaurants unless the meals were more healthful, the group said. It also urged food companies to limit cross-promotions with movies or television shows and to completely stop marketing unhealthful food in schools.

"Clearly, parents bear the primary responsibility for feeding their children a healthy diet," said Margo G. Wootan, the group's nutrition policy director. But, she said, "parents are fighting a losing battle against food marketers," which have more than doubled their marketing spending in the past 10 years to $15 billion. Every day, children see about 58 commercial messages from television alone, and about half of those are for food products, the group said.

"By narrowly focusing on advertising and marketing, CSPI misses the point," the Grocery Manufacturers of America said in a statement. "Effective solutions must incorporate sound nutrition, increased physical activity, consumer and parent education and community support."

January 7, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 5 Comments

When I'm not making blog entries here, I'm at work promoting blogs and other conversational media tools to ad agencies and marketers. I've suggested more than once that conversational media represents a new source of revenue for marketing services firms. Now, that "theory" can be put to rest.

MWW Group, the nation's 11th largest public relations firm, announced the formation of Blog 360, a new specialty practice with focused expertise in blog marketing.

Blog 360 will work with clients to develop proprietary blogging strategies, from creation and marketing to sponsorships and advertising, geared to increasing relevance among target audiences.

According to their press release, blogging provides a unique and highly effective platform to connect with key constituents and audiences who are more difficult to reach via traditional marketing and public relations.

Thanks to Adfreak for the pointer.

January 7, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from NY Times Magazine: In Elizabethan England, there were sumptuary laws to prevent members of the rabble from dressing above their station. This was never really effective, but to understand how truly futile it is these days for the upper classes to try keeping the masses in their sartorial place, you need to know what a chav is. ''Chav'' -- the champion buzzword of 2004 in Britain, according to one language maven there -- refers to something between a subculture and a social class. Experts disagree about the slang term's origins, but the unofficial definition sounds rather condescending or even cruel: a clueless suburbanite with appalling taste and a tendency toward track suits and loud jewelry.

In any case, there's one aspect of chavness that almost every description mentions right away: Chavs love Burberry. The most popular element of the chav uniform is the Burberry plaid cap.

Of course, when a huge and decidedly not upper-crust class embraces such a signifier, its meaning is completely altered. Sounding thoroughly unamused, Stacey Cartwright, a Burberry executive, argues that this chav business is just a trivial tabloid story. Besides, she continues, ''the caps that the so-called chavs wear are actually counterfeit products; they're not our products.''

Thanks to CMO Magazine for the pointer.

January 7, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

America (The Book), the satire by Jon Stewart and the staff of The Daily Show, was the hottest book in the four weeks before Christmas, according to sales data collected for USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books. In the five weeks after Thanksgiving, Stewart's parody of a textbook outsold Bill Clinton's memoir, My Life, 7 to 1.

For further evidence of the power of fake news, USA TODAY reports that Jonathan Klein, who was appointed in late November as chief executive of CNN's U.S. network has decided to can Crossfire and its bow-tie wearing conservative pundit, Tucker Carlson. Carlson got into an on-air tussle last fall with comic Jon Stewart, who has been critical of cable political programs that devolve into shoutfests.

"I guess I come down more firmly in the Jon Stewart camp," Klein told The Associated Press. Klein said he wants more substantive programming that is still compelling. "I doubt that when the president sits down with his advisers they scream at him to bring him up to date on all of the issues," he said. "I don't know why we don't treat the audience with the same respect."

January 8, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Neville Hobson, a Brit living in Amsterdam, points to GM's new FastLane blog.

Hobson writes, "This is the first 'mainstream' Fortune 100 company (as opposed to technology-related) to venture into the blogosphere with an executive leadership blog. A tremendous step.

All the elements you'd expect to see in a blog are present - comments, trackbacks and RSS feed.

Welcome, GM!"

According to GM, "The FastLane blog is where you can come to read the latest, greatest musings of GM leaders on topics relevant to the company, the industry and the global economy, and -- most of all -- to our customers and other car enthusiasts. We look forward to an open exchange of viewpoints and welcome your ideas and feedback throughout 2005."

GM has also adapted Charlene Li's blogger code of ethics.

1) We will tell the truth. We will acknowledge and correct any mistakes promptly.

2) We will not delete comments unless they are spam, off-topic, or defamatory.

3) We will reply to comments when appropriate as promptly as possible.

4) We will link to online references and original source materials directly

5) We will disagree with other opinions respectfully.

As I mentioned in this space yesterday, "The game is on."

January 10, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Dear Brandweek,

Your article, "Kellogg Wakes Up Eggo with New SKUs, Design," (Brandweek, Dec. 13), contains a factual mischaracterization of Pillsbury Waffle Sticks with Dippin' Cups.

Pillsbury Dunkables Waffle Sticks with Syrup Cups, as our product is now called, do not contain 30% more fat than Eggo Original French Toaster Sticks. Eggo Original French Toaster Sticks have six grams of fat per 90-gram serving. Pillsbury Dunkables Waffle Sticks with Syrup Cups have six grams of fat per 122-gram serving. Accounting for our larger serving size, we actually have 30% less fat per gram than the Eggo product.

John Luedke
counsel, General Mills
Minneapolis

January 10, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Across the country each week, more than 1.6 million people who are not on newspaper subscriber rolls are being delivered copies that did not cost them a cent - but they are still being classified as paying customers, an analysis by The New York Times has found. The papers, which are typically paid for by advertisers, are delivered by small and large dailies across the country, including The Miami Herald, The Wall Street Journal, The San Jose Mercury News and The Boston Globe.

The unsolicited deliveries were made possible by rule changes the newspaper industry approved three years ago. The new rules allowed so-called third-party sales - which the industry once shunned - to be counted as part of a newspaper's total circulation. Without them, many newspapers would be losing circulation at a far higher rate. In the industry as a whole, circulation has been falling for a decade or more.

January 10, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Martin Cortez points to this outdoor board placed by Champaign, IL-based hip hop label, Up A Notch Records in the name of a fictional parents organization, Coalition of Responsible and Attentive Parents (C.R.A.P).

The label then encouraged a student group, Urbana Champaign Hip Hop Congress to deface their media placements, which was quickly done. Whether members of the student group feel like pawns, easliy manipulated by the savvy guerilla marketers at the record label, is not know at this time.

January 10, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Hot chocolate lovers can stop in to their local Starbucks this Thursday from 4:00 to 5:00 pm for a free sample of Chantico drinking chocolate, the beverage chain's latest creation.

According to Starbucks, the name “Chantico” comes from the Aztec goddess of hearth and fire. Chantico was said to provide homes with warm comfort and heat for cooking.

For the Aztec culture (circa 1200-1521 A.D.), chocolate was a luxury item and often used as currency.

January 10, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

According to Promo Magazine, Amstel Light, the largest selling imported light beer in the US, has signed once again to sponsor the U.S. Freeskiing Tour. This is the third time Amstel Light has sponsored the tour.

The brand will also sponsor the Amstel Light Free Skiing Sweepstakes, each week for 13 weeks ending March 18. Two grand-prize winners will get two universal adult ski passes for one of any 200 participating U.S. mountains. Entrants can play at Amstellight.com.

Tour events will air on NBC, Fox Sports, OLN, HDTV and in syndication.

January 11, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

According to Brandweek, New York-Swiss luxury watch brand TAG Heuer has named Uma Thurman, tennis champ Maria Sharapova and Nascar star Jeff Gordon "brand ambassadors" in the next evolution of the "What are you made of?" campaign.

The three join Tiger Woods in representing the brand. In addition to being featured in print and outdoor ads, the ambassadors will participate in new product development and public relations.

Holistic Communications, Marin, Switzerland, handled the campaign, which also includes direct mail and the Internet. Fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier lensed the images. The budget was not disclosed but represents a double-digit increase over last year's spend, said TAG Heuer NA president/ CEO Daniel Lalonde. According to Lalonde, the company grew by more than 30% last year.

The campaign, which will break in March issues of fashion and lifestyle magazines, represents a broadening of the TAG Heuer brand position from sports inspired to sports, fashion and glamour. Ads will run in Elle, Esquire, GQ, Vogue, W, Details, Tennis, Golf Digest and Travel & Leisure Golf.

January 11, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from The New York Times: Against the backdrop of the Macworld Exposition in San Francisco this week, a series of legal actions filed by Apple Computer over the last month highlights the difficulties of defining who is a journalist in the age of the Web log.

As part of a lawsuit filed by Apple in Santa Clara County Superior Court on Dec. 13, the company obtained a court order allowing it to issue subpoenas to AppleInsider.com, PowerPage.org and Thinksecret.com. The three Web sites published or linked to information on what they said was a future Apple audio device that was code-named "Asteroid." The subpoenas are aimed at getting the operators of those sites to disclose the sources of the information that was reportedly leaked.

An attorney representing AppleInsider and PowerPage asserted that bloggers ought to be extended the same protections as mainstream journalists, who have traditionally been given some latitude by the courts in protecting the identities of confidential sources.

"Apple does not seek to discourage communication protected by the free-speech guarantees of the United States and California Constitutions," Apple said in the suit. "These constitutionally protected freedoms, however, do not extend to defendants' unlawful practice of misappropriating and disseminating trade secrets acquired through the deliberate violation of known duties of confidentiality."

January 11, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from Houston Chronicle: Ken Lay is a 21st century defendant, and he's willing to pay up to 12 cents every time somebody figures that out.

Not only is he telling his side of things on his own Web site, but he's paying to make sure major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and AOL list his site first when you search for his name, Enron and related terms.

The former chairman's computer-literate litigation team is making use of "sponsored links," which appear prominently in searches for a word or name in an Internet search engine. It's one of the ways the search engines make money and one of the ways Web sites can be sure they'll be noticed.

The cost for Lay and others depends on two things: how many people actually look at his Web site and how many other sites want to be seen in connection with the same keywords.

Put the search words "Enron scandal" or "Ken Lay," or even this Enron reporter's name, "Mary Flood," into any of the above search engines and one of the first things you will see is www.kenlayinfo.com. If you hit on Lay's Web site from there, then Lay pays between roughly 5 cents and 12 cents.

"I want people to understand Ken Lay's position. I said that if we were going to do a Web site at all, do it so people can find it," said Lay's Houston lawyer Mike Ramsey.

Marketing experts say it's a smart move.

January 11, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

By Bryn Mickle and Kim Crawford of Flint Journal:

FLINT - Tony J. Young wasn't about to lose his car again.

His 2003 Ford Mustang Coupe had been stolen before, so when it happened again Thursday morning, Young grabbed the rear spoiler and held on as the thief hit the gas.

Clutching the back of his dark gray Mustang, Young managed to call 911 on his cellphone as the car raced down snowy Flint streets.

"I wasn't letting it go again," said Young, 35, of Swartz Creek. "That car's my pride and joy."

Mustang love, however, nearly got Young killed.

His mother, Diane Gilmore of Swartz Creek, said she thinks Young would be better off with a different car.

"He's got to get rid of that sports car. Everybody wants it," she said.

January 11, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Marketing guru, prolific author and blogger, Seth Godin, says, "If I were the CMO of Verizon, I'd fix the call centers. I'd fire people with a lousy attitude who aren't afraid to share it with a customer. I'd reward the great ones (like the installer who came to my new office last week) and figure out how to get every one of their thousands of people to understand that THEY are the marketing department. And I'd shut down the outbound phone spam center immediately.

Until that happens, the CEO is the CMO, no matter what the title says."

Which reminds me how important it is to do work for companies that make products or offer services you actually believe in and use.

January 12, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Just days after the Center for Science in the Public Interest called for a voluntary ban on non-nourishing food advertising, Kraft Foods has announced its readiness to comply.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the nation's biggest food manufacturer, said it plans to curb its advertising of Oreo cookies, regular Kool-Aid and other popular snack foods to children under 12 as part of an effort to encourage better eating habits.

"We're working on ways to encourage both adults and children to eat wisely by selecting more nutritionally balanced diets," Kraft senior vice president Lance Friedmann said in a written statement.

Kraft said it will replace the advertisements with those featuring healthier foods for children.

January 12, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

USA TODAY reports that beer, the most popular alcoholic beverage in the United States, has an image crisis. While it is still the nation's favorite alcoholic beverage, it continues to lose ground to wine and spirits.

Beer Marketer's Insights, a trade publication, estimates beer accounted for 59.5% of the alcohol market in its peak year, 1995. That had fallen to 56.7% in 2003.

"We believe there is an overall image crisis with beer," says Smith Barney Citicorp analyst Bonnie Herzog.

As baby boomers age, they are more willing to buy wine and spirits. And wine and spirit companies are successfully targeting younger drinkers with advertising and promotions.

"Our wholesaler contacts have told us through a survey we conducted recently that beer has lost its 'sexiness' and 'appeal to young consumers,'" Herzog says. "We continue to believe the road ahead is a long one for the beer industry."

January 12, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Six Apart, the company that makes Moveable Type, has been making news of late. They purchased Live Journal for an undisclosed sum. Then I noticed Rick Bruner's pointer to this valuable treatise, available from Six Apart.

Six Apart Guide to Comment Spam

This document describes how malicious or unwanted comments ('comment spam') affect weblogs, the techniques spammers use to abuse weblogs, and the tactics that can be used to prevent and defend against these attacks. Also included is a review of the strengths and weaknesses of each tactic, instructions for implementing them on your weblog and ones which we recommend for the best protection.

January 12, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from The Telegraph: Enter Karl McKeever, one of Britain's leading visual merchandising consultants. His job is to advise stores on how they can maximise sales by fiddling with the shelves, tweaking the lights and chucking out the clutter. Over the past decade, he has worked with Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's and dozens of other big names on the high street – and now he has agreed to act as my guide around the sales.

"Triangular balance is used everywhere and it's very effective. It works on the idea that your eye will always go to the centre of a picture," says Karl. "Here, they put the biggest, tallest products with the highest profit margin in the centre of each shelf and arrange the other sizes around them to make it look attractive. When you look at the triangle on the shelf, your eye goes straight to the middle and the most expensive box." Once you've seen the most expensive (and, usually, best value for money) box, it's harder to plump for the cheaper bottle.

Nice angle

Shelf psychology is crucial to customer manipulation, says Karl, and it's in evidence again over the road at Boots. Here, the layout is more like an old-fashioned high-street supermarket, where impulse buys are the weapon of choice. Karl gestures towards the umbrellas placed right by the door, the sweets by the till.

You may think that you are immune to impulse buys but in the rarefied and artificial environment of the store – with its straight lines, its bright lights, its bewildering bustle and its heady smells – our brains are surprisingly susceptible. The most profitable impulse buys and special offers are placed on aisle ends – and shops are designed to ensure you pass as many ends as possible.

"The aisle ends are the monthly engines of the business and the promotional calendar is driven by their performance," says Karl.

Thanks to Greedy Girl for the pointer.

January 12, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Richard at Soft Skull Press is sending me a copy of Look Slimmer Instantly!, a book of poems by Jerome Sala, a former copywriter/creative director. Here's an advance peek...

Variations On A Theme By Charles Barkeley
by Jerome Sala

A poet is not a role model.
So this poem won’t
make you rich like me.
It won’t make you
rebound like me.
It definitely won’t make
you handsome like me.
It will only let you read
a poem the people at Nike
would have written for me
if I were a poet.
I’m not a poet. Period.
Now that’s all
they wanted me to say.

January 12, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Engadget points to this hack, whereby one's iPod can be made to record high quality audio--something Apple does not want you to do.

The hacker says, "I suspect the next version of the iPod won’t allow booting in to Linux and/or this type of recording. Enjoy it while you can.

With all the podcasting people out there Apple should consider not crippling our iPods so we can all use iPods to record, Apple could do this now with a simple software update…or I guess I can keep booting in to Linux and never update this iPod or just buy a cheap recorder, bah."

January 12, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

Danny G., a copywriter called "insightful and irreverent" by Forbes Magazine, came to Chicago yesterday for an interview. He later treated this copywriter to a dinner at The Flying Chicken on N. Lincoln Avenue in Lakeview.

Danny G. has gained some notoriety recently for editorials he publishes on Talent Zoo, the Atlanta-based headhunting and media firm. I can assure you, he's more reticent in person than in print.

This morning I checked out his online portfolio, and I particularly like his "Yodeling Catfish" radio spot for Furr's Family Dining.

Someone should hire this kid.

January 12, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 5 Comments

Hugh MacLeod, the writer-guy who draws (sometimes raunchy) comics on the back of business cards, says brands are a place. "A place where something happens when somebody (not necessarily the customer) interacts with it:

-By interacting with Gerber, she becomes a better-informed mom.

-By interacting with The Wall Street Journal, she becomes more tuned into the world of capitalism.

-By interacting with Apple, she brings her entrepreneurial dreams closer to reality.

-By interacting with McDonald's, her busy schedule is made slightly easier by avoiding a lot of fuss over lunch.

-By interacting with Ralston Purina, she becomes more attached to her canine friend.

-By interacting with your brand, she becomes...?

And so forth.

Hence why I prefer to use the term 'Brand Geography', as opposed to 'Brand Architecture'.

You go somewhere, something happens, and then you leave. Hopefully something positive happens. The more glaringly obvious the transformation, the better."

January 12, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 4 Comments

I learned today that Court Crandall, one of the founders and principals of Los Angeles agency, Ground Zero, wrote the wildly popular farce on film, Old School. Mr. Crandall also has a children's book coming out care of Random House. And he runs one of the more creative places in the business on a day-to-day basis.

I bet he doesn't nap much.

January 13, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Wal-Mart is many things to many people. For many, Wal-Mart is simply an affordable place to shop. And what could be wrong with that? For others, Wal-Mart represents all that is wrong with our out-sourced economy. Still others argue that Wal-Mart deteriorates the very infrastructure of a town center, and they vigorously fight the mega-retailer on land-use, zoning and economic fronts.

USA TODAY says: The world's biggest retailer's image has been battered in recent years by critics of its labor practices, its effect on competitors, its imported goods and more. Among the results have been lawsuits and resistance in some cities to Wal-Mart expansion.

Scott says the purpose of the public effort is to inform: "As long as what we're communicating is factual, there's no downside. If we put this out and people disagree with it or they want to discuss it, if what they're discussing are the facts, then we come out just fine."

Of course, if Wal-Mart truly wanted to encourage honest conversations, they would have built a blog (that allows comments) into their shiny new P.R. site. And what a hornets nest that would be.

I understand that to merely acknowledge criticism is a big-step for a cultish enterprise like Wal-Mart. But acknowledgement is not enough. This P.R. campaign smacks of corporate righteousness. Wal-Mart, by being on the side of the facts, is saying in explicit terms that its detractors are not.

January 13, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Brandweek -- In a no-brainer of a tie-in, supermarket chain Winn-Dixie is linking to Fox's upcoming film, Because of Winn-Dixie, with a new effort designed to reward those who fill shopping baskets ever higher.

This week, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based chain began offering free tickets to the movie for every purchase over $200. Those who tally up more than $250 also get a copy of the book of the same name. For $300, consumers get tickets, the book and a plush toy version of the dog in the movie, which is named Winn-Dixie.

The promotion runs through Jan. 30 and is supported with TV and radio ads. Fox's movie, starring Jeff Daniels and singer Dave Matthews, is set to open on Feb. 18.

The film is based on the book by Kate DiCamillo.

January 13, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

While we took Bill Gates for a Journey fan, it appears he may have more updated tastes in rock music. In a recent appearance with Trey Anastasio from Phish, the legendary but now defunct Vermont-based jamband, Gates said he had attended several Phish concerts in the mid-1990s dressed in wigs and sunglasses, in order to better blend in.

Click here for the real story.

Gates credits the band with his move from CEO to Chief Technology Officer. "Music teaches humility," said Gates, reaching for guru status.

Note: Because some days we just want to be The Onion

January 13, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from NY Times: In the haphazard world of instant messaging and dashed-off e-mail messages, where "kk" isn't a typographical mistake but just the latest bit of Internet slang (it stands for kays, or O.K.), does anyone really care about style and grammar anymore?

Google does. Taking the stance that unorthodox usage and punctuation and slang create a less straightforward searching experience, Google's AdWords division, which is responsible for the contextual ads that appear alongside search results, insists on standard English and punctilious punctuation. Cater to teenagers hooked on text messaging? This is a world with no "dealz 4 u." To those who say, "Grammar schmammar, this is advertising, after all," Google might suggest: "Schmammar is not a word. Try 'Forget about grammar' instead."

David Fischer, director for AdWords, said: "We really focus on creating ads that at the most basic level have proper spelling and grammar so that they're clear to users. We really encourage clear, effective, to-the-point communication to searchers.

Google maintains an in-house style guide, which it says is a living document, expanding over time to include neologisms and pop culture references.

January 13, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Promo Magazine: The "Let Them Eat Cake" sweepstakes, which supports the recent launch of Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake treats and the upcoming world premiere of The History Channel's The French Revolution, puts a new twist on Marie Antoinette's infamous statement, "Let them eat cake."

Marie Antoinette, Queen of France

Consumers can log onto History.com/frenchrevolution to enter the sweeps. The grand-prize winner will receive a trip for two to Paris, including a one-day revolutionary art excursion to Versailles or a trip for two to London to see Les Misérables on stage and private instruction for 45 private lessons on Berlitz French and educational materials.

Five first-prize winners will receive the Berlitz basic French self-study programs and a three-day, two-night trip for two to the French Quarters in New Orleans, LA. Second-prize winners will receive The History Channel's French Revolution on DVD.

As part of the promotion, consumers can request a "verbal coupon" by visiting participating Baskin-Robbins stores and saying, "Let them eat cake" to a Baskin-Robbins crew member to receive a $2 coupon off a future cake purchase.

January 14, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from USA TODAY: Smart, the Mercedes-Benz mini-car brand that evolved from a 1993 joint venture with watchmaker Swatch, definitely will launch a small four-seater in the USA in September 2006, but it might decide to sell one of its toy-like two-seaters here even before that, according to Smart CEO Ulrich Walker.

The U.S.-bound Formore isn't displayed at the Detroit auto show, however, because Walker says it doesn't make sense to show a car so far in advance of launch.

Walker says reaction from showgoers to the two-seaters on display here will help Smart, unprofitable despite selling 153,000 cars in 36 countries last year, decide what to charge for the Formore and what other model might be popular in America.

Typical price for a two-seater in other markets is about $14,000, Smart says.

Despite American aversion to small cars, Walker says, Smart should appeal because of distinctive looks and the 50- to 60-miles-per-gallon fuel economy of its small-displacement gas and diesel engines. Smart cars would be sold at Mercedes-Benz dealerships.

January 14, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Forbes: Yesterday Adolph Coors said it would offer an additional $1.81 per share, or 6%, to Molson shareholders in order to head off growing resistance and a rival offer from SABMiller. Though the Molson shareholder is now getting a better than "equal" deal, no one seems to be toasting their good fortune.

Though Coors sells a lot more beer than Molson, Molson has traditionally been more profitable, and it is the Molson partisan who has expressed dissatisfaction with the alleged equality with Coors. Pressure on the dealmakers mounted, and London-based brewer SABMiller has swooped in with its own proposal.

Shareholders of both companies are scheduled to vote on the transaction Jan. 28. If it goes through, the combined Coors-Molson brewery would have sales of more than $6 billion per year. Colorado-based Coors is currently the world's 8th-largest brewer, and Molson is ranked No. 15.

SABMiller executives reportedly still think they can secure a deal with Molson. It has ample financing if the Coors merger falters.

January 14, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 3 Comments

from Scotsman.com: A war of words has broken out between Jamie Oliver and the makers of Heinz baked beans.

The celebrity chef caused a stir when he charged £7 for beans on toast at his restaurant Fifteen.

But the 29-year-old has now turned his back on the tinned pulses, saying they have no place in “a restaurant with integrity”.

Oliver blamed Heinz for what he confessed was a “publicity stunt”, and hinted that he was stupid to fall for it.

But Heinz hit back, saying it was not their decision to charge £7 for the snack, which was served up last autumn with olive oil, cherry tomatoes, red chillies, parmesan and ciabatta.

Thanks to Agenda Inc. for the pointer.

January 14, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

from USA Today: The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, which stars Bill Murray as a dissolute deep-sea explorer searching for a jaguar shark, may be slowly sinking on the box-office charts.

But an avid coterie of filmgoers are on a quest for the footwear equivalent of Zissou's elusive prey: the nifty Adidas-brand blue-and-aqua-striped training shoes sported by the oceanographer's team.

Shortly after the movie opened last month, bloggers began extolling the style virtues of the modified version of the retro Rom design, with fat canary-hued shoelaces and "Zissou" printed on the side.

Josh Rubin, 30, a New York-based software designer who blogs about eye-catching products on his site Cool Hunting (joshrubin.com), was quite taken with the unique sneak. "I liked the color combination — or 'colorway,' as it is called in sneaker design," he says. Rubin's site points to a petition signed by some 600 Zissou evangelists.

The film's director, Wes Anderson, has made an Adidas fashion statement before. In 2001, The Royal Tenenbaums caused a run on the red track suit donned by Ben Stiller.

"Wes Anderson likes our products, and we are fans of his films," Adidas spokesman Matt Martel says. No money is exchanged for such exposure, though the company gets to approve of any customizing.

January 17, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

A 2006 Cadillac DTS will be sworn into service this week to chauffeur President Bush in his second inaugural parade. The '06 DTS replaces a 2001 Cadillac DeVille President Bush had been using.

While boasting that the front end of the presidential limo gives the public its first look at the design adopted for the consumer version of the new DTS sedan that comes out this fall, Cadillac offered few other specifics.

The regular '06 DTS, which succeeds the DeVille in the Cadillac lineup, will be introduced at the Chicago Auto Show next month in McCormick Place.

Cadillac has provided a variety of cars adapted for presidential limo service since 1918, when Woodrow Wilson was driven in a Cadillac Town Car.

Source: Chicago Tribune

January 17, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

Sideways, the new film from Alexander Payne, won several Golden Globes last night. I'll leave the artistic judgments to more qualified voices, but allow me to point out how well this film markets wine, and specifically Santa Barbara County wineries like Firestone, Foxen, Fess Parker and Kalyra.

Actually, the lead character Miles, an ornery oenophile, disdains Fess Parker, but he adores the others.

Fox Searchlight does a seamless job of integrated marketing, making a map to all the locations in the film available for download from the studio's site.

For me, it calls to mind Jay McInerney's 1980s novel, Bright Lights Big City, and how fans of the book would frequent the bars of lower Manhattan looking to live the written experience for themselves. Of course, McInerney's publisher did not provide a map, but that was then. If the book was coming out today, they well might.

January 17, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Last night on Food Network's "Iron Chef" Chicago's Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill & Topolobampo, went down hard to Bobby Flay of New Yawk in what many consider to be questionable judging. The secret ingedient for this episode was buffalo, and everyone knows Bayless can cook him some buffalo.

Chicagoist for one, was hoping to "see Bayless wipe the floor with Flay's pompous ass."

Sadly, it didn't happen that way.

January 18, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from NY Times: Looking for new ways to expand their businesses, makers of the two top diaper brands, Huggies and Pampers, are both introducing lines of toiletries for babies and small children.

Pampers, made by Procter & Gamble, the No. 2 diaper brand in the United States with 30.5 percent of the market, is now rolling out a new line of Kandoo products, including flushable wipes and foaming hand soap, both intended to teach children aged 3 to 7 proper bathroom hygiene.

Both Kandoo products have ergonomically designed packaging with graphics that show children how to use them, and a frog cartoon character, which also appears in a new advertising campaign.

The ads are meant to convert bathroom hygiene "into something genuinely fun and empowering for children," said Merrie Harris, an executive vice president of Saatchi & Saatchi, the agency that created the campaign.

January 18, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Silicon Beat: Now that the use of RSS aggregators is really starting to take off, people are peering into the question of market share. Which aggregator is the favorite among users — and thus best positioned to generate a viable revenue stream? Some data is starting to emerge, though a lot of it is seriously back-of-the-envelope kind of stuff.

A couple of weeks ago, the Pew Internet & American Life Project released a report estimating that "5 percent of internet users say they use RSS aggregators or XML readers.'' That's about six million Internet users, and the number is probably higher because Pew only surveyed adults.

Bloglines, the most popular aggregator today, has an estimated 2 million users. That would seem to put CEO Mark Fletcher in a pretty enviable position once he finally starts "integrating highly targeted contextual advertising" into the service later this year.

Why is Bloglines so popular? Aside from being reliable and easy-to-use, our guess is that it has something to do with what Paul Graham said about Web-based applications in his recent book, Hackers and Painters. "The idea of 'your computer' is going away and being replaced by 'your data.' You should be able to get at your data from any computer. Or rather any client, and a client doesn't have to be your computer.'' As a Web-based application, Bloglines offers that convenience.

January 18, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Writing in the current issue of Communication Arts, Sam McMillan looks at today’s ubiquitous Weblog. His oddly named feature, "The Blog that Ate the Internet" explores the blog spaces designers inhabit, and suggests several sites to visit in the process.

For those about to blog, Eris Free provides an incredible free resource. Click on the "linkware" menu item and you'll be directed to a screen full of templates Eris has created that can be deployed for your very own blog. A few button clicks is all it takes to select a template, customize it and get it up and running. Apparently over 6,500 bloggers have downloaded these templates and are now, thanks to Erin, sharing their thoughts with the world using one of her elegantly-crafted, functional templates.

McMillan also points to Speak Up and Design Observer, two sites featuring a community of designers who like to write. He also points to one of my favorite design sites, What Do I Know, by Atlanta designer Todd Dominey.

January 18, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

According to USA Today, The nation's largest Bible publisher, seeking to reach "spiritually intrigued 18- to 34-year-olds," has stumbled over an unexpected rock: Rolling Stone.

The magazine rejected Zondervan's Bible ad just weeks before its scheduled run date, citing an unwritten policy against accepting ads containing religious messages.

The ad carries the slogan: "Timeless truth. Today's language." And that assertion of "truth" evidently triggered the rebuff from Rolling Stone.

"The copy is a little more than an ad for the Bible. It's a religious message that I personally don't disagree with," said Kent Brownridge, general manager of Wenner Media, parent company of Rolling Stone. He added, "We are not in the business of publishing advertising for religious messages."

January 18, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from LA Times: Midwest Airlines is focusing on four-footed customers in hopes of wooing more of the two-footed kind.

The Midwest Air Group Inc. unit announced a program Monday that gives pets a free round-trip ticket for every three domestic round-trip flights they take with their owners.

By contrast, Midwest's human passengers get free round trips at 25,000 miles — a mileage requirement that frequently necessitates more than three domestic round trips.

"While in the past their owners have been racking up miles on free trips, all the pets have been getting is a pat on the head," Midwest Chief Executive Tim Hoeksema said Monday.

The promotion follows a similar one announced last week by United Airlines, which is offering pet owners 1,200 bonus miles on up to two round-trip tickets when they fly with their pets before May 27.

January 18, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Thinking of going out for a few drinks in New York City tonight?

"For the average person, gaining entry to a Manhattan night club can be an exquisite form of cruelty. There's the velvet rope that separates the hip from the hoi polloi. There's the seething crowd waving worthless invitations and begging for admittance. There's the snooty doorman looking for flaws in your appearance. Once through the front door, there are often more barriers to navigate: the V.I.P. room and the V.V.I.P. rooms, all designed to underscore the customer's place on the social totem pole." -NY Times

Maybe Party Buddys can help.

January 18, 2005 by Shawn Hartley | Permalink | 0 Comments

It appears Apple and Pepsi are teaming up once again for a free music promotion.

Last year's promotion was fraught with bottle distribution problems and resulted in only 5 million of the 100 million tunes being redeemed. The new promotion doubles the tunes to 200 million and will be featured on bottles of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Wild Cherry, Mountain Dew, Diet Mountain Dew, Mountain Dew Code Red and Sierra Mist. In addition, participating locations will provide game pieces on specialty marked fountain drinks.

The promotion runs from January 31st through April 30th and odds of winning are 1 in 3. During the promotion period, each redeemed code will also be eligible for an iPod-an-hour give-a-way for Pepsi branded silver iPod mini.

In other news, the newly released iPod Shuffle are now facing up to a 4-week backorder. Demand has been so strong, auctions on eBay are seeing the iPod Shuffle go for upwards of a 30% premium.

January 19, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from NY Times: There are, it seems, subscribers who dislike Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue.

They do not want to see it and they certainly do not want it sent to them. They view the sensuous lounging of supermodels in expensive bikinis as alien to the mission of a weekly sports magazine.

The anti-swimsuit-issue backlash never developed into a mass movement of anti-bikinists burning the special winter edition in protest. But there have been letters, more in the past than now, saying that the pictorials objectify women.

Subscribers can now dial a phone number (1-866-228-1175) to request that the issue not be mailed to them. Those who make the request will have their subscriptions extended by one issue.

So far, 25,829 paid subscribers, out of Sports Illustrated's total of 3.2 million, or 0.8 percent, have asked not to receive the swimsuit issue. Last year, when the policy was not spelled out on the magazine's letters page, 21,065 subscribers chose not to receive the special edition, which sold 1.56 million issues on newsstands.

January 19, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

B2DAY reports that JetBlue, which pioneered seat-back TV screens for all its passengers, is now offering more than just cable. "JetBlue Airways launches the colorcalm channel to encourage people to use their flight time to reflect on their life on the ground."

Colorcalm provides continuous, soothing, multi-colored skies spanning a full spectrum of 36 PANTONE shades set to classical music. The company says a number of trendy retailers sell the New Age DVDs and the Setai hotel in Miami uses it in all its suites.

Now, all JetBlue needs is aromatherapy coming through the air vents.

January 19, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Catharine P. Taylor of Adweek writes, "Maybe AdFreak doesn't get out as much as it should—this blogging thing, we've discovered, means that some days our closest personal relationship is with our PC—but we got on an America West flight bound for Phoenix the other day and had our first sighting ever of advertising on the fold-up seat tray. The advertiser, in this case, was the Travel Channel (photo documentation at right)."

Taylor sees the logical extension of this unexpected media placement moving to other areas of the plane. Samsonite ads in the overhead bins, for instance. She also brings up the question of captivity, and whether the same ad in your face for four plus hours (New York to Phoenix) is a good idea.

January 19, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

McDonald's Corp. said Tuesday that sales at U.S. restaurants open at least 13 months, or same-store sales, rose 6.9 percent in December and 9.6 percent for all of 2004, its best annual performance in 30 years. Same-store sales are considered the best indicator of a retailer's health. The December figure marked the 21st straight monthly increase.

Worldwide sales rose 4.9 percent in December--their 20th straight increase--and 6.9 percent for the year. Chief Executive James Skinner said it was the first time since 1987 that the Oak Brook-based company had posted positive global same-store sales in every month.

U.S. sales "were the driver," said Janna Sampson, a money manager at Oakbrook Investments LLC in Lisle.

Source: Chicago Tribune

January 19, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

China's relentless appetite for the colonel's chicken has KFC on a building boom in the world's most populous country, with 1,200 locations, soaring profits and a menu that mixes in bamboo shoots and lotus roots.

At a time when its sales in the United States are struggling, KFC is dominating even rival McDonald's in China and turning the goateed visage of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland Sanders into a ubiquitous symbol of America.

"We are really positioned as a part of the fabric of life in China," said David Novak, chairman and chief executive of Louisville-based Yum Brands Inc., parent company of KFC.

Sam Su, president of Yum's China division, called China "the ultimate marketplace." He predicted that as the Chinese economy grows, it will someday surpass the number of KFC restaurants in the United States, where there are 5,453 stand-alone locations and 1,277 multibrand outlets featuring other Yum brands.

"In many parts of China, the local municipal governments actually view the arrival of a KFC as a sign of the city coming of age," Su said in a phone interview from China.

Source: Newsday

January 19, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Crain's Chicago Business: The Second City is hitting the open water. The Chicago improv troupe best known for launching the careers of stars, such as Bill Murray, Chris Farley and Tina Fey, has entered a partnership with Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Lines.

The arrangement calls for six Second City comedians to both teach and perform on the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship, which sails from New York to the Caribbean. The comics will perform two full revues on each sailing, and they’ll also offer workshops on the art and philosophy of improvisation geared to both adult and child passengers. The shows and workshops are free of charge to passengers.

Second City Producer Kelly Leonard said the cruiseline roles would go to Second City veterans, and maybe even some alumni, in four-month rotations.
"Look, it was one degree here and we were in the hot tub, drinking red stripe," he says. "It's a great gig."

To make room on the ship for the Second City, Norwegian Cruise Lines bumped “Music of the Night,” a tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicals.

The cruise deal marks the latest expansion for the Chicago comedy powerhouse, which now also has theaters in Toronto, Detroit, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

January 19, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Fortune: Steve Hayden, vice chairman of New York-based Ogilvy & Mather said, “If you fudge or lie on a blog, you are biting the karmic weenie. The negative reaction will be so great that, whatever your intention was, it will be overwhelmed and crushed like a bug.”

Hayden's quote touched upon an underlying and not well-understood beauty of blogs: That their communal nature pushes them toward total honesty.

Hayden, the legendary advertising figure behind Apple's famous “1984” ad, introducing the Macintosh, has a lot more to say on the subject of blogs and truth in advertising. For instance, a growing number of consumers, even Hayden himself, turn to blogs to get the unvarnished scoop on products.

Marketers can use blogs to their advantage, Hayden says, but he stresses that they have to cautiously tread into this new medium.

Hayden, who oversees IBM's ad account at Ogilvy & Mather, says that the tech giant monitors blogs to find out what open-source software programmers think about the Linux operating system, which IBM supports.

January 20, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Associated Press: Microsoft Corp. will begin selling its Outlook e-mail program as a subscription to Hotmail customers, in a bid to persuade people to pay for add-on services and better compete with rivals such as Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc.

The new service, which costs $59.95 per year, will let people organize e-mail, contact lists and calendars in their online Hotmail accounts using the Microsoft Outlook program most often found on businesses' desktop computers.

Ted Schadler, principal analyst with Forrester Research, said Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft is smart to take advantage of a popular core product--Outlook--to help make Hotmail more attractive to sophisticated users. But he noted that there are many free programs that do similar things, and questioned whether the price will be too high to garner much interest.

"That feels pretty steep to me," he said.

Microsoft's Web site sells Outlook as a standalone product for $109. This is the first time Microsoft has offered any of its Office products on a subscription basis.

January 20, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from USA Today: Motorcycle sales last year jumped to their highest level since 1979, the Motorcycle Industy Council says.

Pushed by an increase in female riders and the broadening appeal of motor scooters and other small, less-expensive two-wheelers, sales rose 4.7% to top 1 million for the second-consecutive year, according to MIC.

The average age of motorcyclists rose to 41 in 2003, the latest available data, from 32 in 1990. Most were married. A third were college graduates, nearly double the 1990 number. Baby boomers "drive the market," says Larry Little, publisher of Cycle World magazine.

Top brands in 2003, the latest available market-share data, according to the MIC: Honda, with 27.4% of sales; Harley-Davidson, 23.7%; Yamaha, 17.4%; Suzuki, 10.8%; and Kawasaki, 8.7%.

Scooters such as Vespa and Aprilia, popular on campuses and in some urban areas, accounted for 5% of motorcycle sales last year.

January 20, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Thanks to Preshrunk for the pointer.

January 20, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from AdAge: In a what has become a quadrennial custom, a newly elected president of the U.S. will be inaugurated today amid celebrations largely funded by marketers, media companies and other corporations that routinely lobby in high government offices.

Bristol-Myers Squibb, ChevronTexaco, Exxon Mobil, FedEx, Pfizer, Aflac, Home Depot, Bank of America, Time Warner, Altria, Ford Motor Co. and AT&T are among the companies that gave $250,000 to the inaugural fund.

The contribution doesn't buy signage, although the companies get listed on the inaugural program. It does get some tickets to inauguration-related events. Some of the companies said they combine those tickets with their own events to woo both lawmakers and their own clients or advertisers.

January 21, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Ny Times: Talk about fast food. The sandwich developed for Burger King by the winning team on the episode of "The Apprentice" that ran last night on NBC will go on sale today at 7,800 restaurants around the county.

The sandwich, a variation on the Angus Steak Burger introduced by Burger King last year, will be sold for two weeks (or while supplies last) for a suggested price of $3.49 each.

The Western Angus Steak Burger, created by the "street smarts" team, includes ingredients like barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese and onion rings.

The sandwich proposed by the losing "book smarts" team added three cheeses to the Angus Steak Burger.

The winning sandwich was selected because it outsold its rival when the two teams squared off at a pair of Burger King restaurants on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.

The episode was taped in mid-October; since then, Burger King has been preparing to add the Western sandwich to its menu.

The final touches - including ingredients, instructions and materials with "The Apprentice" themes - are scheduled to be delivered to restaurants this morning.

January 21, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Rising human population pressure is a leading cause of biodiversity loss around the world. But untangling the complex web of social, cultural and economic factors that contribute to this pressure is no easy task for conservationists.

For Rare and their partners, taking to the radio waves with an innovative entertainment-education program has been an important step.

Since 1996, Rare has been developing and broadcasting successful radio serial dramas, more commonly known as "soap operas." These programs rely on compelling characters and dramatic storylines (rather than a dry traditional curriculum) to engage listeners and positively influence attitudes and behavior.

Developed through rigorous research and message development, the serial dramas delve into controversial issues ranging from family planning and teenage pregnancy to AIDS and spousal abuse to deforestation and land tenure-the same issues that, if left unaddressed, will lead to the degradation of both the environment and quality of life.

The program began in the Eastern Caribbean nation of St. Lucia with the wildly popular Apwe Plezi radio show (so named for the Creole proverb "After the pleasure comes the pain"). Rare went on to develop a pilot program for a regional serial drama, titled Coconut Bay, for four neighboring islands-Antigua, St. Vincent, Dominica, and Grenada.

The newest drama, Changing Tides, is now playing throughout Micronesia, where in some countries the population is doubling every 20 years. Developed in partnership with the Berkel Belau Theater Company of Palau and an active coalition of public health and environment officials, the program is targeting an audience of more than 200,000 young adults from Palau to Saipan.

January 21, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 6 Comments

from Chicago Tribune: J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. on Thursday filed a disclosure statement with the City of Chicago acknowledging that two of its predecessor banks had received thousands of slaves as collateral before the Civil War.

The New York-based bank apologized for contributing to "a brutal and unjust institution" and said it was setting up a special scholarship fund to try to make amends.

J.P. Morgan officials said the bank undertook the research after Chicago passed an ordinance in 2003 requiring companies that do business with the city to research their history to determine any links to slavery.

William Daley, brother of Mayor Richard Daley and Midwest chairman of J.P. Morgan, said the bank launched a thorough investigation that involved a dozen researchers. The team expended 3,500 man-hours and visited 100 locations during the past seven months.

Ald. Dorothy Tillman (3rd), who has been one of the bank's most vocal critics, said: "This is a complete vindication of our original position. Through our determined efforts, we have been able to force a major national financial institution to research their history and records and to admit, once and for all, that there is conclusive proof of their involvement in slavery."

The Alderwoman

The bank said researchers had found that two now-defunct predecessor banks--Citizens Bank and Canal Bank, both based in Louisiana--served as banks to plantations from the 1830s until the Civil War.

"Collateral" for mortgages and other loans "included land, equipment and/or enslaved individuals," the statement said.

The bank estimated that the two banks "accepted approximately 13,000 enslaved individuals as collateral and that the banks came to own approximately 1,250 enslaved individuals as a result" of defaults.

J.P. Morgan said it was setting up a program called Smart Start Louisiana. It will provide $5 million over five years for full-tuition undergraduate scholarships for African-American students from Louisiana to attend college in their home state.

January 21, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 3 Comments

Steve Hall of Adrants feels bad for Danny Kaster, and by extension all of us ad schmucks. He writes:

"While it's known the producers of The Apprentice get sadistic pleasure out of editing contestants into idiots, it was still embarrassing to see a fellow industry professional get chopped up and fed to the nation as another twisted, reality show moron. In last night's season premier, Boston-based POPstick Chairman and CEO Danny Kaster was the buffoon of the episode, painted into a caricature not unlike a circus clown. Of course Kaster didn't help matters by dressing in distracting, oh-so-cool ad-wear, leading his team in a feel-good kumbaya campfire-like moral building exercise and, worse, failing miserably at his assigned task."

As an interesting footnote to this, both Hugh MacLeod of Gaping Void fame and decorated adguy, Ernie Schenck, in unrelated but recently made posts lament the levels to which we ad folk willingly stoop.

January 23, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Yesterday, I attended Blog Walk 6.0, a conference of sorts, where sixteen bloggers from across the U.S. and Europe arranged themselves in small open space groupings to discuss a wide variety of topics. How to make money from blogging was one hot topic we explored. The dawn of corporate blogs was another. Naturally, the purists in the room found that particular topic somewhat distasteful.

Today, I found the same topic circulating in the blogosphere itself.

Notably, Hugh MacLeod made an entry on his blog that spawned some contentious commentary: "So the blogosphere waits for the corporate-mainstream "Tipping Point" to arrive, the point where blogging stops being the supposed realm of freaks, weirdos, unemployed marketing consultants, unpublished novelists, political junkies and underworked cube dwellers, and starts being HUGE! An essential pillar of any corporate strategy and execution etc etc."

John Moore of Brand Autopsy responded: "My fear is that blogs will bludgeoned by marketers who want to control the conversation and find ways to make money off of it. We’ve seen this happen countless times before…"

I responded: "If blogs help companies become more authentic, or more honest, then the inevitable move to corporate blogs can only be seen as a terrific development."

Hugh responded: "Blogs are no more immune from human folly than anything else."

Nathan Dornbrook responded: "The history of Radio, TV, and the Web is similar to this.

Guglielmo Marconi digs up the vacuum tube, creates wireless telegraphy, and clever hobbyists see the potential and a massively creative boom follows, only to watch as "their" medium is co-opted by big money and subverted to sell stuff.

The same happens when Philo Farnsworth starts transmitting pictures, and again when AOLosers are suddenly let loose on the Internet in 1991.

The same thing will happen, is happening, to blogs."

January 23, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

The Sunday newspaper insert, Parade, asked Norman Mailer, "If you could do one thing to change America for the better, what would it be?"

Mailer said, "If the desire to read diminishes, so does one's ability to read. The search for a culprit does not have to go far.

The constant interruption of concentration on TV advertising not only dominates much of our lives, but over the long run is bound to bleed into our prosperity.

If we want to have the best of all possible worlds, we had better realize that we cannot have all the worlds.  I believe that television commercials have got to go."

January 24, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Salt Lake Tribune: Famed fashion photographer and filmmaker David LaChapelle was arrested outside a club in Park City early Saturday morning after a confrontation with police.

Star Magazine says Nikki and Paris Hilton were seen outside the Marquee trying to defend LaChapelle from the officers.
   
"He's with us, he's with us," said Paris Hilton, according to The Star.

Thanks to my buddy, Steve Jerman, for the pointer

January 24, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Miller Brewing with the help of Y+R Chicago has launched what may be the best ad campaign currently on air. Even Lewis Lazare likes it.

Taking a page from the pharmaceutical advertising handbook--which consistently spawns some of the worst advertising on TV--Y+R makes fun of both Bud and Viagra-style ads all at the same time. And they do it while providing a clear and memorable product benefit for Miller.

January 24, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

from Middle East Online: British Muslim activists have stepped up a campaign to deface or rip down advertising billboards featuring scantily-clad women in communities with large numbers of Muslims.

Ads for perfume, hair dye, bras and television programs are among those that have been attacked. Photographs of semi-dressed women are the most frequently targeted, with the offending body parts painted over or ripped off.

Muslims Against Advertising (MAAD), based in Birmingham, says on its website that it believes in "direct action" and "has paint and isn’t afraid to use it...There is no longer any need to cringe as you walk past a sleazy poster, well improve it."

Thanks to Adrants for the pointer.

January 25, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

"This is the last time you will ever have to feel alone on our nation's roadways."

GM's Find The Message consumer promotion is in the news because a hacker broke the Wheel of Fortune-like code, spoiling the game for the rest of us.

Big whoop.

The "period" in Times Square

I like this promotion. It's a teaser campaign where one word (or punctuation) is revealed on outdoor boards in cities across the US. The web address is also given, and once there, you can make one click to a message board where people work together to solve the puzzle. This is what the web is all about, from a marketing standpoint--creating communities of interest and encouraging collaboration.

January 25, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

by San Grewal and Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star: It's not enough for a company to just sell you a product any more. The goal is for you to live the lifestyle any given product is supposed to represent — and for that company to create and cater to that lifestyle.

It's a major shift from designing advertising campaigns and expecting consumers to adapt their own interests and lifestyles to fit a product or brand. That condescending approach is no longer how marketing is done.

This marketing evolution has been coming for a while. "That age group (people in their 20s and younger) have really been marketed to since they were born," says Lucian James, president of Agenda Inc, an Atlanta-based pop-culture brand strategy agency.

"So, as a result, they are incredibly marketing savvy. They don't believe brands that tell them that this product is going to change their life in some way, or make you amazing, or make you a better person.

"Those kinds of messages used to work in advertising. It's more effective to create an experience, so at least you've had fun, been involved, but the brand hasn't been shoved down your throat."

Diageo, which owns Guinness, has embraced the concept in a big way. The company also has similar efforts for other brands such as Smirnoff, with sites like http://www.mysmirnoff.ca, which asks you if you "want to join the party" and promises you that "your Smirnoff experience begins here." There's even the "Smirnoff Radio Experience" for you to listen to. Basically, if you think of any aspect of a party — dancing, music, alcohol, clubs — Smirnoff tries to provide it.

Same goes for Guinness. "The first part was to establish the party, get a leader and increase membership," Diageo Canada's vice-president of corporate relations, Mark Harding, says of http://www.guinnessparty.ca. "There is a sort of Guinness lifestyle."

The approach is a lot more authentic, in many ways, than aimlessly pitching products at market-wary consumers.

January 25, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Bensimon-Byrne, a Toronto agency working on Molson, Scotia Bank and Ottawa Renegades, among other accounts, have hired Brendan Watson and Jana Ranjitkumar as a creative team.

After meeting with David Rosenberg, creative director at Bensimon-Byrne, Brendan and Jana followed up by baking and delivering a cookie in the shape of the "flying-H" Hyundai logo, an account the shop was in the process of pitching.

The creative team camping outside Taxi

Brendan says, "Getting a job in advertising is the combination of hard work, thick skin, persistence, timing and being a generally good person with a great book. Doing things like 'personalized follow-ups and stunts' will help your passion and enthusiasm get noticed, but will not replace any of the requirements listed above. David sure did enjoy the cookie (I think he ate the entire thing that morning), but we must remain conscious of the fact that if our book wasn't where it needed to be, Jana and I would not be sitting where we are today."

Get the whole story here.

January 25, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Yesterday, I wrote this comment on Tom Asacker's blog. "There's so much evangelizing of blogs (by bloggers) right now, it makes me wonder if it's authentic exuberance or defensive posturing."

Tom replied to me via e-mail. "I think it is authentic, perhaps just as Heaven's Gate members were being authentic."

I too have been thinking about the cultish nature of bloggers. Over at Johnnie Moore's place I recently commented, "What is a blog? To me a blog is a frequently updated web site. Nothing more. Yet, I sense there is a much deeper meaning to many bloggers. I also sense that bloggers are protective of the blogosphere at large, much in the way fans of a new, hot, but still underground band are. In other words, bloggers can be quite clubby. And who might want entry to this club is a matter of grave concern. Given that I left high school twenty plus years ago, such concerns seem to me childish at best."

In this paradoxical new media world, we have bloggers on one foot concerned with how corporate applications of blogging could change their precious blogosphere for the worse. On the other foot, we have bloggers singing praises about blogs' revolutionary and healing powers to the high heavens, encouraging anyone and everyone to board the ship, or risk being left behind.

January 26, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

from Adweek: Anheuser-Busch considered running a spot during this year's upcoming Super Bowl that parodies Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction" that took place during the halftime show of last year's game, but decided against it after consultation with Fox and NFL officials.

"We basically came to the conclusion at the same time" that the commercial, created by Omnicom Group's DDB in New York, resurrected too many bad memories and therefore shouldn't air during the Super Bowl telecast, said Bob Lachky, vp of brand management and director of global brand creative for A-B.

The spot shows a stagehand behind the scenes at Super Bowl 2004. He grabs a bottle of Bud Light and uses a bustier that's hanging up to twist open the top. Doing so tears the bustier's right breast. Panicked, he thinks he's covered his tracks by repairing the bustier with some tape, only to learn otherwise while watching the game and hearing the announcer say "Whoa, that's something you don't see every day."

A-B initially considered using the spot for one of its 10 Super Bowl units. However, "we had enough common sense to say, 'Let's talk to our partners,'" Fox and the NFL, to see if they would approve, Lachky said. A mutual decision was reached not to air the ad, he said.

The spot is available at www.budweiser.com.

January 26, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

from NY Times: Sun Microsystems said Tuesday that its Solaris 10 operating system would soon be available on an open-source basis, a move the company hopes will help counter the perception that its technology is too proprietary and pricier than the competition.

The decision means the software will be free and that programmers outside Sun will be able to customize and improve it.

The company, based in Santa Clara, Calif., has lost considerable business in the market for computer servers to companies like Dell Computer and Hewlett-Packard, whose low-cost systems run Linux, a free open-source operating system.

January 26, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

Business 2.0 named Toyota the Smartest Company of Year. With good reason: the Prius, the Scion and its marketing campaign, even something that other car companies take for granted--a minivan.

But, I can't read all about it without a paid subscription. $6.99 for the year. $4.99 for six issues. Which leads me to ask, "Why is a magazine with a bleeding edge name like "Business 2.0" holding back the free flow of information on the web?"

Last weekend at Blog Walk 6.0, Tom Sherman said he'd never pay for content online. I pretty much agree with his sentiment. There's so much reliable information available for free, I feel like I can make do just fine without needing to pay the select few stuck on this dead-tree business model.

January 26, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 4 Comments

In certain quarters, there's a lot of talk about the death of advertising. Frankly, I find it hard to take seriously. I'm willing to grant that the industry has a head cold. And I'm willing to grant that blogs and other new media delivery systems can make it better, when properly administered. As far as death goes, I think not.

Here's my pitch to students and others interested in a career in advertising:

To really make it in advertising you will need to turn advertising on its head. It becomes an all-consuming way of life. You will no longer passively receive ads. You may very well begin to talk back to billboards and radio spots and TV spots. You may even burst out with, “Who are the idiots behind that piece of crap?” Good. Do it. Break it all down. Understand how it works, and how you might begin to make it better. If you don’t want to make it better, why go through this brutal screening process (which is only the beginning)? Drop it now, and find something else to do.

Ambition is deeply woven into the DNA of the ad business. Not ego, ambition. There is a difference. Grow confident that you have something of value to add to the mosaic and learn to present your ideas persuasively (by letting the ideas speak for themselves, in the best of cases). Think of it like working for Diego Rivera on a public works mural. “Here comrade, take this brush and help us do the client’s bidding.” You needn’t believe like a Communist, nor a Capitalist. You can believe in the people you’re paid to reach. You can work hard to give them something of value, sponsored by a brand.

January 26, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Danny G., like me, finds little of interest in the recent VW viral ad brouhaha. In his latest piece for Talent Zoo, he writes:

"So when Mother Nature is the one that’s pushing the envelope, and real world events are happening outside the box, what the hell is so edgy about advertising?

Our industry is facing a time where commanding an audience’s attention will require more than simply making ads that are shocking or outrageous. No, I’m not suggesting a move towards dull or milquetoast work. But we might need to redefine what constitutes cutting-edge work. Maybe writing ads with intelligence can be considered pushing the envelope. Or maybe telling the truth will now be viewed as edgy."

January 27, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

MIAMI, Jan. 26 /CNW/ -- Bob Jeffrey, Worldwide CEO of JWT, the largest advertising agency in the U.S. and the fourth largest in the world, today introduced a new agency point of view that recognizes that time is at a premium, and advertising needs to focus on buying people's time.

"Time is the new currency," said Jeffrey. "Our job is to ensure that more people spend more time with our clients' brands. We need to create ideas that people want to spend more time with. The better the idea the more time people will spend with it."

Jeffrey unveiled the concept, along with a plan for applying it around the world. The plan includes new Creative Standards and a quantitative-and-qualitative evaluation tool that, for the first time, will move the agency beyond using financials as the sole performance measure.

"The ultimate goal of these efforts is to transform JWT from a service-driven organization that is ruled by the rational to a creative organism that is inspired by the visceral," said Jeffrey.

Rosemarie Ryan, president of JWT New York, who also presented at the meeting, underscored the need to abandon an outdated, imposition-based model in today's consumer-controlled, attention-deficit world.

"This thinking represents a shift from quantity time to quality time," said Ryan, a key thought leader in developing the agency's new POV. "As we create participatory advertising that engages consumers rather than interrupts them, the result will be consumers who spend more time with our clients' brands and our ideas.

January 27, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

Like the VW suicide bomber spot I've tried to avoid, I also intentionally passed on the "Andrew Fischer's head as clever media buy" story. So, why cover either story now? Because it's believed both are hoaxes.

According to comments made on Adrants, the wining eBay bidder for ad space on the Omaha man's head, Melody de Rivel, is the daughter of Snore Stop's CEO. de Rivel's winning bid totaled $37,375.

Now rumor has it that the two pranksters went to college together and that this whole thing is a publicity stunt. Rumors are also circulating that someone at VW greenlighted the recent suicide bomber spot, which has spread over the net like cancer.

January 27, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY

For some workers, the desktop telephone is joining the adding machine and typewriter on the list of obsolete office equipment.

In a move that other companies might soon follow, Sprint announced Monday that about 8,000 employees at Ford Motor will jettison their desktop phones and use cell phones exclusively.

Ford joins a few mostly small or midsize businesses around the nation that have gone wireless. More could be coming.

"I wouldn't say it's a widespread trend, but clearly we're moving in the direction where wireless is invading the fixed space," says Eugene Signorini, who follows wireless trends for the Yankee Group, a technology consulting firm. Ford plans to start removing desktop phones by the end of March for the first wave of the 8,000 engineers who received their new cell phones, says Jackie Shuk, Ford's manager of product operations.

"This is a bit of a culture shock, giving up that land line," she says.

But most of the engineers in the product development group are eager to make the shift, she says. The conversion is expected to be finished this year.

The group, based in Dearborn, Mich., was chosen because employees are often away from their desks and "require a lot of collaboration and a lot of instant communication," says Ford telecommunications manager Jeff Lemmer.

Thanks to PSFK for the pointer.

January 27, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

MicroPersuasion is running a piece on podcasting pioneer Adam Curry. Curry recently spoke to Fortune about the podcasting network he's launching.

Just as blogs have challenged mainstream media, Curry predicts that podcasts will take on radio and satellite. "With podcasting, people can tune out the world and listen to whatever they choose," says Curry. "In a way we're really looking at the dismantling of the monoculture," he says. Guess it's a good thing he's not at MTV anymore.

I'm still getting up to speed as to why podcasting, and not internet radio, is the disruptive technology of the audio moment. So, I asked someone to explain and someone did.

A gentleman named Jay, writing in Steve Rubel's comments said: "I think that if someone can better explain to podcasting newbies and those just entering the 'sphere that podcasting is like TiVo-ing your favorite sites, you'll have more lightbulb (read: a-ha!) moments. Of course if i'm at my computer and can listen to a cast for 10 minutes I will - but knowing that my little iPod is picking up the other casts that I want to hear but can't right now, and will store them for me to listen to in the car, in line at the bank, running, etc is liberating, and makes the 'casts seem more built for my life."

So, it the mobile aspect. That's my a-ha! moment, provided by Jay.

Okay, why don't Apple and company make it so we can pick up internet radio stations via our mobile listening devices? Or is this "next step" already in the pipes?

January 27, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

The anti-Lovemarks argument just found its voice (or at least one I can readily comprehend), thanks to Rob at Bad Marketing.

He writes: "Lovemarks isn't complete bunk. The vitriolic response comes because this ad agency has created and hyped the idea, and pretends they can recreate, even manufacture it. Most of us probably have some brand that we have an irrational attachment to, and see the same behavior in people we know. The thing is, these brand relationships weren't developed overnight, they weren't manufactured by an ad agency, and it's insulting to the brands we do love and respect to suggest that some 'creative team' can cook up a Lovemark in a matter of weeks and months."

In other words, Lovemarks exist, but can only be respected when created via non-manipulative means. I'm cool with that.

January 27, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 6 Comments

One of the blogerati's heavyweights weighed in today on how amazing the Cluetrain Manifesto is, and how clueless VW is for not understanding its inner most workings.

"If I were you, VW, I would hold a contest to get people to create the best damned VW commercial anywhere and promise to spend big bucks to air it on, say, the Oscars. You don't have to pick the terrorist commercial. You'll be making clear that the thing was not made by you. At the same time, you will learn a lot about new messages that truly resonate and reverberate from your customers -- because your customers are creating them. How's that for market research?

This is the Cluetrain economy, guys: Markets are conversations. Join in the conversation, don't try to muzzle it." -Jeff Jarvis

Again, I'm baffled. I find myself--a Cluetrain fan--being turned off by such Jarvis-like jargon. VW does not need its customers to make its advertising. Arnold Worldwide is doing quite well on that front, having delivered some of the most memorable ad campaigns for the German car maker for several years running.

Should we involve the customers in the making of the marketing? Sure.

Should we accept whatever crap comes along and say it's great because we didn't make it? Please! This is lunacy, and now I'm ranting.

January 28, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Chicago Sun Times advertising columnist, Lewis Lazare, got a little hot under the collar this week when Anheuser-Busch used Stuart Elliot of the New York Times to screen, approve and promote their upcoming Super Bowl ads.

"Upending what had long been a strict rule of not allowing anyone in the media to see complete versions of its Super Bowl ads before they air, A-B chief marketing pooh-bah Bob Lachky presented more than 20 commercials under consideration for the 2005 Super Bowl of Advertising to Times marketing writer Stuart Elliott and asked him to rule on whether Anheuser-Busch had cleaned up its act this time around.

A nervous marketing department at A-B clearly was desperate to hear a high-profile media outlet tell it what it may not have gotten a clear reading on from the reams of obviously pointless research the brewery does each year on every commercial considered for the Super Bowl."

I wonder what Lewis would have done had A-B called on him to do its bidding, instead of his rival in Manhattan.

January 28, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 6 Comments

I've been giving the Cluetrain crew a hard time of late, so I'll flip the script this time and give them a shout out. One of the Cluetrain's guiding principals (no. 14 to be exact) says, "Corporations do not speak in the same voice as these new networked conversations. To their intended online audiences, companies sound hollow, flat, literally inhuman."

Here's a splendid example. Castrol has signed Funkmaster Flex to an endorsement deal--a hook up that calls for some corks to be poppin'. But no, they opted for the tired press release instead.

"Funkmaster Flex is committed to spreading enthusiasm and passion for automotive power, performance and style by introducing aspects of car culture to new audiences of young people across the country," said Mike DeBiasi, Castrol SYNTEC brand manager, in a press release about the deal. "Flex's automotive expertise, passion, and excitement for finely tuned and customized vehicles is inspiring and we're thrilled to forge this partnership with him, putting our premium, highest performing motor oil brand—Castrol SYNTEC—alongside his highly acclaimed show, events and fans."

Thanks to Adfreak for the pointer.

January 28, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Keds make it to the red carpet.

ET reports that Mischa Barton, teen star of "The O.C." is the new spokesmodel for classic Keds Champion sneakers and Keds' upcoming spring 2005 collection.

"I met with them and they had such cool ideas and their sneakers are going in so many new directions, I thought they could be brought back and be cool again," Mischa tells ET about her decision to sign on the dotted line for the footwear company.

Mischa tells ET she loves doing Keds. "I have only done the first campaign, but I am happy with the way it has turned out. I wear Keds all the time in real life. I have the polka dot ones and I like that they are timeless. I look at all the old pictures of women who wore Keds and they are my favorite women. It is just so much fun."

Besides posing for ads, Mischa reveals how else she's taking part in the fun campaign. "I get to design some of them," she says. "That's really fun for me because it's a different thing for me to do."

Thanks to Golden Fiddle for the pointer.

January 28, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

New York based advertising agency Cossette Post will be issuing faux passports beginning next week. Unlike official passports, these passports will be purposefully left in cabs, bars, libraries, malls and other popular locations as well as key retail outlets. 

The faux passports, created on behalf of Carlsberg Brewing, will look and feel like the real thing on the outside, but inside there will be 12-pages of company facts and information, including information on how to toast in 34 different languages and how to ask “May I please have a Carlsberg beer” in everything from French to Romanian.

According to Adweek, the passports are part of a 10-year plan to build distribution and marketing while raising the U.S. profile of Carlsberg, a Danish import that is popular in Europe and sold in 150 countries around the world.

“I skip past print ads every day, but I don’t think even the most jaded among us would ignore a found passport in the back of a cab,” said Robert Reiser, Chief Creative at Cossette Post. 

January 28, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 6 Comments

In the comments area on Gaping Void, Dwight Little recently had this to say, "Advertising as we know it is ineffective. Advertising as we know it is obsolete. Advertising as we know it is extinct.

I'm not trying to be snarky or insincere. I am genuinely curious. I keep hearing people on this site gas on about advertising's ills - and there is much truth to what you say. But I don't hear too many concrete alternatives."

Good work, Mr. Little.

Keith responded by saying, "What is going to replace conventional marketing/advertising? Producing the best products and services. Look, for the last 50 years, the bulk of what the consumer was offered has been shit. The role of advertising/marketing has been trying to convince the consumer that this chicken shit is chicken salad."

Keith goes on to wax poetic about California's In-N-Out Burgers, concluding that McDonald's, despite all their ad dollars spent, can't compete with In-N-Out in a corner-to-corner competition. In other words, quality with word-of-mouth behind it trumps junk with money behind it any day.

That part, I'm happy to buy. But, it remains to be seen if consumers will link together and demand better products and better service (to say nothing of better marketing) from firms that casually flaunt their flimsy offerings in our faces. At this point, I don't see too many companies lining up to voluntarily dismantle marketing in favor of product development. So, it will take active, persistent and widespread consumer participation to drive this ship forward. And it's not about the end of anything, certainly not the end of advertising. It's about better communications creating more trust and tighter relationships.

January 28, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Chicagoist is running a highly favorable piece on Costello's, which just so happens to be my local sub shop of choice.

One commentator, Kris, asked, "Is this a blog entry or an advertisement? What gives?"

Kris must not realize that everyone's a creative director today. That customers often know how to make better ads than the client, or god forbid, the client's ad agency of record.

Pardon me, I'll work on the sarcasm.

In the meantime, distinctions between citizens media and mainstream media are blurring, along with distinctions between blogs and p.r., content and advertising, advertising and entertainment, etc.

January 31, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Thanks to Catharine P. Taylor at Adfreak for pointing us to these telling facts and figures.

According to a new study by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA), a division of the National Retail Federation, many consumers rank the commercials as the most important part of the Super Bowl. The survey also found that the 145 million consumers who plan to watch the game will spend an average of $49.27, bringing total spending to $5.6 billion. 

Jeff Thomason

Though many consumers said they find the game to be the most important part of the Super Bowl (32.5%), 34.5 million consumers find the commercials to be the most important element (15.7%). Others watch the Super Bowl primarily to socialize with friends (13.0%) and watch the half-time show (4.9%).

Among young adults, commercials are king, with one in four (24.5%) 18-24 year-olds listing advertisements as the most important aspect of the Super Bowl. In fact, young adults are the least likely of any age group to watch the Super Bowl for the game itself (19.6%). Consumers over 65 are the most likely of any age group to list the game as the most important part of the Super Bowl (41.3%).

January 31, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 4 Comments

"By proclaiming that 'markets are conversations,' and that talking with customers is the ultimate marketing methodology, Cluetrain ignores this important truism from Rene Descartes:

'To know what people really think, pay regard to what they do, rather than what they say.'

That’s where we direct marketers have it all over the Cluetrain crowd." -Bob Bly

So much of this argument gets hung up in semantics. For instance, Bly's problem is not really with the Cluetrain, but with the very idea of branding itself. At any rate, it was a pleasure to find the following response to Bly's assertion in his comments.

“'Direct Marketing' should really be called 'Direct Selling'. Marketing is the process of determining what a person needs and then developing an offering to meet that need. Sales is the process of convincing that person to buy your offering. As such, 'Direct Marketing' is a misleading phrase. -Diego Rodriguez

January 31, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

Stuart Elliot writing in NY Times: Madison Avenue is responding to the planned acquisition of Gillette by Procter & Gamble with a mix of anxiety and eagerness.

There is anxiety because the deal will turn Procter, the world's largest advertiser, into the biggest marketer of consumer products, with total sales at $60 billion a year, overtaking its longtime rival, Unilever. Procter's growing clout is being regarded warily because the company has long been known as a tough customer that demands the best - and more - from its many advertising, media and promotional agencies.

"Procter wants to win in every category it's in," a senior executive at an agency said Friday, speaking on the condition of anonymity because Procter dislikes outsiders talking about its business to reporters. "It never enters a category just to compete."

January 31, 2005 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

HGTV knows how to execute a winning promotion. Their annual Dream Home giveaway is a true classic. Of course, so is McDonald's annual Monopoly game. What sets this promo apart is the aspirational nature of the prize--a million dollar home, not free fries.

I also like how Lending Tree is coming in with $250,000 in cash. Otherwise, the taxes alone on a prize like this could make living in the home a real obstacle.