August 1, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

Ad Age, hoping for a New York Post-worthy story, but not getting it, addresses the sexual predator factor on MySpace again.

How many advertisers backed out of MySpace last week after it revealed it had deleted the profiles of 29,000 known sex offenders -- more than four times the number originally suspected -- from its site?

Not a single one.

Julie Henderson, senior VP-corporate communications at MySpace parent Fox Interactive Media, said a few concerned marketers called when the news came out but were placated when told MySpace had deleted those 29,000 profiles.

Ms. Henderson also pointed out that 29,000 out of 180 million registered users is one-thousandth of a percent. Of course, this number doesn't account for offenders savvy enough to register under a pseudonym.

August 1, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Guy Kawaskai is not the VC you want to ask for a million bucks to build your Web 2.0, User-Generated Content, Citizen Journalism, Long-Tail, Social Media Site...not when he built one for $12,107.09.

August 1, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

Spike Jones at Greenville, SC identity firm Brains of Fire has some choice words helpful criticism for GMC, in relation to the automaker's new website Let's Talk Trucks, an obvious nod to social media.

After rightly identifying the consumer testimonals as ads, Jones then hops aboard the Cluetrain:

The funny thing is, “Let’s Talk” is big and bold on every page. But this isn’t a conversation, it’s GMC talking and you listening. There’s no conversation. No give and take. No banter. And no place at all for GMC owners to connect with one another.

Seems to me that it’s all hat and no cattle. Nice try, boys.

All hat and no cattle. Now that's truck talk.

August 1, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 3 Comments

Rafat Ali at paidContent is reporting that Treehugger has been bought by a larger media company for $15 million.

The new site will become part of Discovery’s PlanetGreen network, which includes the eco-lifestyle TV network launching next year. Last year, Discovery-owned Animal Planet bought two online pet sites: Petfinder.com and PetsIncredible.

Treehugger, based in Brooklyn, NY, was formed in 2004, and offers a mix of text and video news, blogs and advice. The deal also include's Treehugger's user-generated site, Hugg.com. The company says it has about 1.4 million unique monthly visitors.

To summarize, a three year-old media brand (in a popular niche), built with simple tools and a savvy staff can make serious money in verry little time.

August 2, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

Mr. Lovemarks is going to show Fallon some love. Yes, Fallon, the creative rock of Minneapolis.

According to The Wall Street Journal (paid sub. req.), by giving Kevin Roberts, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, the additional responsibility of Fallon, Publicis hopes the Minneapolis shop can grow faster after several lackluster years.

Fallon has been stung by executive departures and a slew of account losses, including the exit of BMW, United Airlines and the bulk of the agency's Citibank business. In 2005, it closed its New York office. In the U.S., Fallon's creative department has been in flux since 2004, when David Lubars, the shop's former president and executive creative director of Fallon North America, defected to Omnicom Group's BBDO.

"We want Fallon to get back on top of the Crispins and the Wiedens," Mr. Roberts said.

Lest the Fallonites worry, it pays to note that Roberts is a very tuned in guy. He even believes in The Four Agreements.

August 2, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

According to the Los Angeles Times, Walt Disney Co. is buying the Club Penguin virtual community in a $350-million deal that could eventually be worth as much as $700 million.

Launched in October 2005, Club Penguin has more than 700,000 paid subscribers and 12 million registered users, most of them in the United States and Canada. Visitors can adopt, name, feed and clothe virtual penguins, and they can chat and play games with other users.

August 2, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

[via Fred Wilson]

August 2, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Behance looks at the reinvention of fashion eyewear line, Oliver Goldsmith, by Claire Goldsmith.

Here's one of the things she says, that I particularly like:

"One good piece of wisdom was 'while your competitors are copying you they will never be able to get ahead of you.' I liked that, as creators are always worrying about their designs being copied."

Note, there was an Irish writer by the name Oliver Goldsmith in the 18th century. I doubt many people had sunglasses back then.

August 2, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 3 Comments

Westin believes in "personal renewal via transformative experiences."

And there are few places more desperate for "personal renewal" than the lowly subway box car.

August 2, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

Not to be outdone, Holly Burns is also doing the Vimeo thing all of a sudden. Maybe typing is getting old.

August 2, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

[via Billboardom]

August 3, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

So rarely do we turn the cleverness on ourselves...

[Via Cherryflava]

August 3, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Click the image to see the commercial on Folgers.com.

August 3, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

I think a good deal about about the differences between journalism and advertising, and how in many cases the differences are fading away in this new age of content-driven media. Then along comes a story that reminds me just how large a gulph still exists between the two professions.

According to The New York Times, Editor of The Oakland Post, Chauncey Bailey, was shot multiple times at short range yesterday morning while walking in an open-air parking lot just three blocks from the Alameda County Courthouse and several city buildings.

Roland Holmgren, a spokesman for the Oakland Police Department, said they were looking into the possibility that the killing was related to Mr. Bailey’s work as a journalist, though no suspects have been named.

[UPDATE] Devaughndre Broussard, a 19-year-old handyman at a Black Muslim-owned bakery in Oakland confessed to the murder. The bakery, the police say, was the headquarters of a criminal gang that was involved in kidnapping, torture and three killings.

Officer Roland Holmgren, a police spokesman, said Mr. Broussard “referred to himself as a ‘soldier’ ” for the bakery’s leadership. “We don’t believe he acted alone,” Mr. Holmgren said. More charges are forthcoming in this case.

Source: TNYT

August 3, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 15 Comments

JWT/London for Smirnoff

Via Adscam, where a person called "Grumpy" left a wonderful comment about the spot.

You only get this kind of class work if you:

Have a client who deserves it

Don't believe the future is in user-generated shit and the blogowankosphere

Don't listen to the no-mate geeks peddling social networking and the like as the second coming of marketing

Don't live in SecondLife

Believe anyone who thinks planners are the new creatives should be shot in the neck

Passionately believe that nothing – NOTHING – can surpass the ability of film (however and wherever delivered) to capture people’s imaginations

Continue to believe that - despite the best efforts of advertising's self-appointed New Age gurus - advertising isn’t dead

Treasure and protect your craft skills

Are prepared to put your cock on the block

And still give a fuck

August 3, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 0 Comments

Seems that American brands have also invaded Iraq. From USA Today:

Many Iraqis are developing a taste for American-brand products, which were banned under Saddam Hussein and are becoming increasingly popular.

Rice, salt and canned goods are among the most popular American products at the Al-Ameer market, owner Mohammad Abbas said. "American items have a great reputation and quality," he said. "And people want them in our markets because they get bored of Syrian, Jordanian and Iranian items."

A couple neighborhoods away at the upscale Honey Market, shelves are stocked with Duracell batteries, Dove soap, Kellogg's Froot Loops cereal, and Kent and Marlboro cigarettes.

Gatorade is particularly popular when temperatures break 120 degrees in the summer, store manager Faris al-Jabir said, though American goods account for only 2% of sales.

Hmmm...we're having trouble selling them democracy, so maybe we can at least sell them some cigarettes. Maybe that's what freedom really is these days.

August 4, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Entertainment brands are on the forefront of seeing themselves as creators of content. For marketing pros in this sector, it's native territory. Mike Stevens, chief marketing officer for the New York Giants, is such a creature.

According to Ad Age, the New York Giants and Fox Television's two New York stations are forming a new content and distribution partnership.

The deal calls for the Giants' new entertainment division to air programs and news segments exclusively on Fox-owned stations, which already carry the rights to most of the team's regular season games.

The programming, created by the Giants, will be diverse, including the expected range of pre- and post-game shows, but also entertainment- and lifestyle-oriented fare to appeal to a demographic wider than its normal sports base.

Stevens said that because the team already controls its radio production and sales, the close partnership with Fox's stations makes it one of the most streamlined ad buys in all of sports.

"We want to almost be viewed as an agency," said Mr. Stevens.

August 4, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

The Washington Post took a look at this Wall Street Journal (paid sub. req.) piece on Google's move into cellular communications and decided to write its own article on the development.

Google has developed a prototype cell phone that could reach markets within a year, and plans to offer consumers free subscriptions by bundling advertisements with its search engine, e-mail and Web browser software applications.

The move would echo another recent product launched by a phone industry outsider, Apple Inc.'s iPhone. But Google's product would draw its revenue from a sharply different source, relying on commercial advertising dollars instead of the sticker price of at least $499 for an iPhone and $60 per month for the AT&T service plan.

The Post story goes on to speculate that this new gPhone is for people who can't afford a cell phone. I'm not so sure. It costs a lot of money to lug around a device that works so-so half the time. Make it free and that changes the game, not just the score.

August 4, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

The New York Times shares this "Ridiculously Thick Yogurt" ad from Fage, a Greek food company with U.S. distribution.

After coming up with the idea to mix Fage's affordable luxury with the kind of non-affordable luxuries the word "luxury" was invented for, Fage's ad agency, Ogilvy New York, approached both Honora and Tourneau directly and worked with their in-house marketing departments on media placement and concept development.

Ralph Orssini, the president of Honora, acknowledged some initial concern about dunking his fine jewelry in yogurt for an ad. “At first I had to really be explained what the concept was,” he said, adding that he soon realized that the creative campaign could speak to a younger generation.

He also said that he saw similarities between the products: Honora pearls have the highest nacre content of pearls on the market, Mr. Orssini said, “so in essence, we sell ridiculously thick cultured pearls, and they sell ridiculously thick cultured yogurt.”

Fage has cultivated a devoted following in urban markets, where Total yogurt is sold in high-end grocery stores like Whole Foods, Wild Oats and Trader Joe’s.

August 4, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

According to CNN, citizens in Collinsville, IL have partnered with the H.J. Heinz Co. to fill an 8-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide plastic pouch with 1,500 pounds of the condiment for a school fundraiser.

"That's a lot of ketchup," said Tracey Parsons, a Heinz spokeswoman.

The company donated 4,000 glass bottles of the condiment for people to buy for $1 and pour into the packet. Proceeds will go to the Collinsville Christian Academy, which was damaged by a fire this week.

The feat is being submitted to Guinness World Records.

August 5, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

I didn't even need to open to the Business section of today's Sunday Times to find a disgusting article about wealth, status and the American dream. For today, the article is conveniently splashed across the front page.

Hal Steger, the gentle creature depicted above, is a marketing executive worth $3.5 million. The $1.3 million house he and his wife own on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean is paid off. Yet each day Mr. Steger continues to toil in what a colleague calls “the Silicon Valley salt mines,” working as a marketing executive for a technology start-up company, still striving for his big strike. Most mornings, he can be found at his desk by 7. He typically works 12 hours a day and logs an extra 10 hours over the weekend.

“I know people looking in from the outside will ask why someone like me keeps working so hard,” Mr. Steger says. “But a few million doesn’t go as far as it used to."

For several more examples of this mindset read the entire article. Then remind yourself to never, ever move to Silicon Valley.

August 5, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 6 Comments

Diane Pernet on HRN PRSTN

Heron Preston is a Junior Strategist at Naked Communications in NYC. He's also a man with a video cam and a YouTube page full of bare insights.

Preston offers video interviews with Piers Fawkes of PSFK, Daniel Cherry of Wieden/NYC and Harry Bernstein of Berlin Cameron United, to name a few. Please watch them all. Having just done so, I'm struck by how exposed Preston's subjects are. It's as if these are scripted vignettes by a protégé of Christopher Guest, not biographical sketches. Perhaps, they are. Stranger things have happened on the internets.

[via Agency Spy]

August 5, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

An article in today's "Sunday Styles" calls into question the validity of marriages performed by clergy with no sustained following. That is, the men and women who receive their credentials from The Universal Life Church in Modesto, California.

The organization ordains 10,000 people a month, twice as many as in 2000, according to Andre Hensley, the church’s president. Eighty percent join the fold solely to perform weddings, he said.

According to the report, four states with tight asses, fail to recognize marriages that were performed by mail order ministers. The states are CT, TN, AL and VA.

Even if you live in a state that does recognize such unions, the Gray Lady won't.

The New York Times has a policy of publishing articles only about weddings in which it can confirm that the officiant is legally empowered to perform the ceremony.

Another interesting fact from the article: 39 states, including Connecticut, do not recognize common-law marriage.

[ABOUT THE ARCANE HEADLINE] Jason Strider is a character in a novel who marries his friends from Cornell thanks to the power vested in him by the world wide web.

August 6, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

The New York Times is reporting on adveritsing's Brave New World--a place where French holding company, Publicis, intends to play a major role.

Their goal is to transform advertising from mass messages and 30-second commercials that people chat about around the water cooler into personalized messages for each potential customer.

In the United States, some companies are already running about 4,000 versions of an ad for a single brand, whereas 10 years ago they might have run three to five versions. The number of iterations will grow as technology improves.

David W. Kenny, the chairman and chief executive of Digitas, indicates greater production capacity is needed to fulfill this demand. Publicis executives see sources of low-cost labor from a Digitas subsidiary called Prodigious, a digital production unit that works with all agencies in the Publicis Groupe, as central to their plan. Prodigious already uses workers in Costa Rica and Ukraine to produce copious footage for companies like G.M.

Mark Beeching, executive vice president and worldwide chief creative officer of Digitas says, “The more you can standardize and automate in terms of making different versions, hallelujah. That money should be spent creating more content.”

August 6, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Fallon is under new leadership, but that doesn't mean famously combative, Pat Fallon, has to like it.

"This is certainly not how I would script it," 62-year-old Mr. Fallon said.

Referring to his agency's new boss, Fallon said, "Kevin has 'Lovemarked' his way into clients. We've been saying that we'd rather outsmart the competition than outspend them for 26 years, but we've never taken the time and energy to promote it the way Kevin has. He's turned it into a new-business machine, and you have to tip your hat to that."

Begrudging respect aside, Chuck Porter of Crispin Porter & Bogusky, a lifelong friend of Mr. Fallon, said, "I don't care what the organizational chart says, Pat doesn't report to anyone."

[via Ad Age]

August 6, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

USA Today is running a brief, but interesting piece on a move that lends Publix a special PR glow.

Seven popular antibiotics will be available free from Publix supermarkets for people with prescriptions, even if they have a health insurance provider that would pay for them.

Fourteen-day supplies of the seven drugs, among the most commonly prescribed, will be available at all 684 of the chain's pharmacies in five states. Publix said it is not limiting the number of prescriptions that customers may fill for free.

The prescription antibiotics available under the program include amoxicillin, cephalexin, penicillin VK and erythromycin.

"With health care and prescription costs on the rise, our free prescription drug program will reinforce our commitment to the total health and wellness of our customers and their families," said Publix spokesman Dwaine Stevens.

Publix has stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee.

August 6, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 7 Comments

See more McJobs advertising from TBWA/Paris.

August 6, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Serial entrepreneur, Mark Pincus--with Harvard MBA in hand--started Freeloader, Support.com and then Tribe.net.

Speaking to Howard Lindzon of Wallstrip about a future where there will only be two types of media, measured and non-measured, Pincus said, "Measured media, which is anything on the internet, measured media will just fundementally sell for a premium to non-measured."

August 6, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Josh Rubin's Cool Hunting found something cool (surprise, surprise) from an ad agency based in Amsterdam (more surprises!).

It appears that Kessels Kramer has a content division called Kessels Kramer Publishing. Their lastest offering is a book called one hundred things to do. One of their suggestions is to knit garments from plastic bags (see photo).

Kessels Kramer Publishing sees each new book as a surprise (surprise!) or new incarnation that always challenges and questions the reader as well as the publisher.

August 6, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 7 Comments

Being a copywriter, albeit a strategically-aware one, I'm a bit of a fish out of water here at the 4A's Account Planning Conference. So I won't analyze everything I've heard today, but I do have a few random observations I'd like to make:

If there's one theme I heard constantly today, it's that our industry, the media, and our world is in a permanent state of change now. Get used to it.

Apple and Starbucks are worshipped here. I've heard at least 3 separate presentations in which they've both been used as examples of great focused brands. Virgin and Target are highly thought of as well. I don't disagree, but is there just a little bit of preaching to the choir here? I mean, I'm in a roomful of Starbucks-drinking Mac users, for the most part. If this were a convention of insurance sales reps, Apple would be a non-entity for most of them.

Al Gore and "An Inconvenient Truth" have been referenced a few times as well as an example of passionate, world-changing ideas. No mention of our current president and his single-minded messianic desire to remake the Middle East.

Gareth Kay of Modernista! and Mark Lewis of DDB San Francisco gave a great presentation of the "Seven Deadly Sins," i.e., myths and misconceptions agencies and marketers have. But at one point, Gareth referenced Twitter and asked how many people in the room use it. Out of a room of 200 or so, maybe 3 or 4 raised their hands. No deep analysis of that, I just thought it was noteworthy.

More to come...

August 7, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

According to Associated Press, a loosely formed coalition of left-leaning bloggers are trying to band together to form a labor union they hope will help them receive health insurance, conduct collective bargaining or even set professional standards.

While bloggers work to organize their own labor movement, their growing numbers are already being courted by some unions.

"Bloggers are on our radar screen right now for approaching and recruiting into the union," said Gerry Colby, president of the National Writers Union, a local of the United Auto Workers. "We're trying to develop strategies to reach bloggers and encourage them to join."

Sitting at a panel titled "A Union for Bloggers: It's Time to Organize" at this week's YearlyKos Convention for bloggers in Chicago, Kirsten Burgard said she'd welcome a chance to join a unionized blogging community.

"I sure would like to have that union bug on my Web site," said Burgard, a blogger who uses the moniker Bendy Girl.

August 7, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 2 Comments

BusinessWeek had the effrontery to run yet another Facebook story (YAFS) with the sorry headline, "Fogeys Flock to Facebook." I may be over 40, but damn, I am in no way prepared to handle the unbearable weight of that description.

So screw BusinessWeek. I could point out, as the article does, how Facebook signs up 150,000 new users a day or how the 35-and-up crowd now accounts for more than 41% of all Facebook visitors, but instead I'll turn to a more telling comment on the story made by David Mullings, a 26-year-old entrepreneur.

I run my own company and use LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace - but each of them serve a slightly different purpose. If I had to choose one though, it would be Facebook. Where else can I have Guy Kawasaki, author of "The Art of the Start" as a friend and actually get a reply from him? So far Facebook has succeeded for me where LinkedIn has failed - connecting me with VCs and Angel Investors. On top of that, Facebook has allowed me to connect with interesting individuals from all over the World because of the groups - especially the Web 2.0 group. All these sites are tools and how you use a tool is less important than what the tool can do in the first place. LinkedIn is limited for what I want to do. Within 1 week of joining Facebook, I secured an invitation to Boston College to present at their Entrepreneurship Club in September - top that LinkedIn or MySpace.

August 7, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

According to The New York Post, New York Times executives - including publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. - made the decision to end the paper's subscription-only TimesSelect service.

While other online publications were abandoning subscriptions, the Times took the opposite approach in 2005 and began charging for access to well-known writers, including Maureen Dowd, Frank Rich and Thomas L. Friedman.

The decision, which also walled off access to archives and other content, was controversial almost from the start, with some of the paper's own columnists complaining that it limited their Web readership.

The number of Web-only subscribers who pay $7.95 a month or $49.95 a year fell to just over 221,000 in June, down from more than 224,000 in April.

Scott Karp of Publishing 2.0 weighs in on the development:

The new economics of media make charging for content nearly impossible because there is always someone else producing similar content for free — even if the free content isn’t “as good as” the paid content by some meaningful metric, it doesn’t matter because there’s so much content of at least proximate quality that the paid content provider has virtually no pricing power. As smart, talented, and insightful as the New York Times columnists behind the paid wall are, the are too many other smart, talented, insightful commentators publishing their thoughts on the web for free.

August 7, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

[via Valleywag]

August 7, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Disruptive upstarts in the online media sphere have Time Warner-types on the run.

The New York Post has more:

Analysts and ad execs say established Internet sites - namely, the big portals and large content providers - are starting to feel the pinch after years of charging top dollar for space on their sites.

The pricing pressure is apparent in AOL's most recent results, in which ad growth slowed to 16 percent from nearly 40 percent over the past few quarters.

Online ad growth at the Washington Post fell to 11 percent in the second quarter, compared with 36 percent a year earlier.

"People are still buying display ads, but they are buying them elsewhere and for less than if they bought them from AOL or Yahoo!," said Jupiter Research analyst David Card.

This shift is benefiting newcomers - such as social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and YouTube - at the expense of more established rivals that were once considered "must buys."

As for AdPulp, you might say we're wishing upon a star for those much ballyhooed windfalls from that longtail thing.

August 7, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

The American Society for Magazine Editors is whacked.

According to Folio, the trade association is bent out of shape because XXL editor-in-chief Elliott Wilson appears in a Roccawear ad on his magazine's back cover.

“No person on an editorial staff should ever be involved in producing or participating in advertising,” says ASME executive director Marlene Kahan. “[The XXL ad] appears to be a violation of ASME guidelines.”

The ad in question is one in Rocawear’s new multimedia ad campaign called “I Will Not Lose”, which was inspired by company co-founder and CEO, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. It features recording artists like Ciara and Three 6 Mafia, as well as individuals who have overcome adversity in their lives.

For more on this topic, see Pro Hip Hop.

August 7, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 7 Comments

August 7, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 3 Comments

Today at the Account Planning Conference, Aki Spicer from the Fallon Planning Blog and Ed Cotton from Butler Shine & Stern's Influx Insights led an interesting discussion entitled "Blogging the Agency," encouraging Account Planners to start blogs, use the blogosphere to find unique voices and encourage clients to take advantage of blogs and social networks.

But the most interesting thing I thought was meshly.com, a site developed by Fallon to track trends in the blogosphere and connect people. It's a Twitter-meets-Digg type of method of posting your favorite links and articles via IM. So beyond just scouring the web for insights, Fallon is actually developing its own web tools to measure trends.

In true Account Planner fashion, Ed and Aki sent out questionnaires to the planning community to get their opinion on blogs in preparation for the discussion. I think they sent it out to hundreds of people. They got 38 responses, so maybe there's not a mass trend towards account planners using blogs. And they did reveal that legendary planner Jon Steel hates blogs.

UPDATE (8/8) - The entire presentation is now available at the Fallon Planning Blog .

August 7, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 0 Comments

There are only two types of Account Planners in America: Forty-something Brits and Twenty-something Americans. That's it. I'm not sure if that bodes well for the future of Account Planning, because those British accents can really give any presentation an aura of legitimacy.

This whole conference is awash in...greenwashing. From carbon-neutral ad agency networks and Gore worshipping to a presentation by the Method company of cleaning products (which was founded by an ex-agency account planner), you'd think the entire world has the environment top of mind and is actively seeking something to do about it. Of course, here at the Account Planning conference, brands are the answer to the earth's fragile state. I hope they're recycling the thousands of bottled water containers people are using around here.

Prior to a session featuring Kevin Wall, the coordinator of Live Earth, there were two things placed on every seat: A sheet describing "Tips on how to lead a more carbon neutral lifestyle," and a brochure, enclosed in a clear plastic sleeve, from a company promoting "freehand advertising," a media vehicle in which "our agents distribute free packets of paper to students campus-wide with your ad at the top of every page." I simply can't get my mind around that paradox.

Google is a sponsor here, and has about 13 people attending the conference. Same for Yahoo. No one from Crispin is on the attendee list, and I think there's only one or two Goodby people here. That says quite a bit about the shift taking place in the ad industry.

I think it's a rule here that if you give a speech or lead a session, you need to do a PowerPoint presentation interspersed with videos plucked from YouTube. And don't forget a clever commercial or two to prove the point. Although I have to say, the presentations here need a little better art direction. Believe me, advertising people aren't immune to making bad PowerPoints.

There was an odd presentation by Greg MacGillivray, who's made a number of IMAX films. While he was talking about his Everest film, my agency planner turned to me and asked, "What's the relevance of this?" I didn't know. Sure enough, 10 minutes later, MacGillivray's presentation morphed into a sales pitch for corporate sponsorship of IMAX films. So if your brand could benefit from sponsoring an IMAX film, well, you should get in on it.

We've heard a number of good case studies as part of the Jay Chiat Planning Awards, but special congrats to Cramer-Krasselt, which is in the running for the Planning Grand Prix for its Rozerem work featuring Abe Lincoln and the Beaver:

It's one of the more intriguing case studies that's been presented here, tapping into the emotional power (and random nature) of dreams to connect with consumers. No matter what you think of pharmaceutical advertising in general, I definitely appreciate the approach they took to injecting new thinking into selling something as dull as sleep aids.

By the way, San Diego is frickin' gorgeous. And did you know it has a Little Italy neighborhood? It's sweet.

August 8, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

via Flickr member, aapglobal

August 8, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Mobile Mammoth points to an interesting new mobile media play that can help drivers in densely packed American cities find a place to park.

The service is called Best Parking and it currently features a database of parking garages (and prices) in NYC, Boston and Philly.

See the company's slimmed down mobile site here.

August 8, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

So, I'm reading this article on Entrepreur about The Catalyst Code: The Strategies Behind the World's Most Dynamic Companies, a new book by Richard Schmalensee and David S. Evans, when I notice these green dotted text links...

Curious, I click, only to find an advertising popup care of optSpots, not a deeper exploration of the topic like I've been trained to expect. Not good.

August 8, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Groundhog Crossing—a feature film written, directed and produced by Philadelphia-based advertising agency Red Tettemer on behalf of the Pennsylvania Tourism Office—is making the rounds at independent film festivals across the country, all in the name of driving state tourism.

“We figured we’d never outperform that Chocolate Rain guy on YouTube, so we decided to forgo the typical ‘viral video’ and create a full length feature film for our client,” said Steve Red, president and chief creative officer of Red Tettemer.

“The PA Tourism Office continually inspires us to challenge conventional thinking,” said Red. “Why stop at another series of webisodes—why not produce an indie film as a marketing vehicle? Why not have it star two guys in furry costumes? Why not rent an RV and send three agency folks on a cross country road trip?”

August 9, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

The Red Cross found itself in the middle of a branding tussle inside a Manhattan courtroom yesterday.

According to The New York Times, Johnson & Johnson and the American Red Cross have shared the red cross symbol amicably for more than 100 years — Johnson & Johnson on its commercial products and the American Red Cross as a symbol of its relief efforts on foreign battlefields and in disasters like floods and tornadoes.

But in 2004, the American Red Cross began licensing the symbol to commercial partners selling products at retail establishments. According to the lawsuit, those products include humidifiers, medical examination gloves, nail clippers, combs and toothbrushes.

“What we’re talking about here is their deviation from a longstanding partnership and collaboration around the use of this trademark and their push to commercialize this trademark in the for-profit arena,” Jeffrey J. Leebaw, a spokesman for Johnson & Johnson said. “We deeply regret that it has become necessary to file this complaint. The company has the highest regard for the American Red Cross and its mission.”

The president of the American Red Cross, Mark W. Everson, said the legal actions against his organization were “obscene” and “simply so that J.& J. can make more money.”

August 9, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 5 Comments

"If Web 2.0 is like golf, then a blog is a nine iron, while a micro-blog is a putter. It's all still golf, but bloggers are starting to mix it up, and the course is changing." -Steve Rubel in Ad Age

August 9, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Looking for a client who understands the social media sphere of influence?

Universal Studios has (at least) one such creature.

photo courtesy of Flickr user, FPRA

Cynthia Gordon, VP of Corporate Communications and TV Program Development at Universal Studios, speaking at the Florida Public Relations Association annual conference, described how Universal tapped bloggers, appropriate web sites and YouTube to market their brand and events, such as the popular Halloween Horror Nights.

Universal is also introducing a new Harry Potter theme park, authenticated by J.K. Rowling herself. Gordon said webcasters and fans of the adventure stories were allowed to get a sneak peak at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure, which helped drive word-of-mouth.

[via Valerie Norman at the FPRA Blog]

August 9, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

image courtesy of Flickr member, Laughing Squid

According to Scott Beale, San Francisco artist "Chicken John" Rinaldi, wants to run for mayor, but needs to raise $5000 by 5pm this Friday, August 10th in order to be on the ballot.

To meet this monetary demand from the city, Chicken scraped together enough money to run the ad above on page 19 of the August 8th edition of the San Francisco Bay Guardian.

In the ad, Chicken asks the current mayor, Gavin Newsom, to pop for his fee, given that the mayor has already raised $1.6 million to run for an uncontested seat.

I hope Newsom and/or the people of San Francisco provide the money.

August 9, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

From the Netherlands comes "the ultimate, nonintrusive, cutting-edge, most incredible advertising method available" on the internets today...

That's right, Peel Away Ads can be yours for the amazing low price of $37. Why wait until the price goes up to $97, or even $197? Do it NOW for just pennies on the dollar...

[via Truemors]

August 9, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

"The realization that shopping was getting cast in a specific—yet broader—cultural context made me curious about the role of shopping in modern American life." -Meg Kinney

Meg Kinney, Executive VP of Strategic Planning at The Integer Group, is a former colleague of mine. Her investigation of shopper culture is now available as a PDF from Hub Magazine, a Reveries.com publication. A Flash version with embedded video is also available on Integer's website.

A couple of things that jumped out at me from the PDF:

1) "In America, consumerism is culture."

2) "As retail environments become media channels, it is imperative that there be thought leadership for creative experimentation with messaging."

Meg, if you're reading this, I might suggest SlideShare as another important venue for your work.

August 10, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Much is made of contextual advertising and the various incongruities it creates. Well, here we have a rough juxtaposition in print. Liberal activist Susan Sarandon and The Wall Street Journal. I'd argue the fit was poor prior to Rupe's $5 billion takeover of Dow Jones, but now the match is farcical.

August 10, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Pearl Jam, a band famous for taking stands, is taking another.

During last Sunday's headlining performance at Lollapalooza in Chiacgo, censors at AT&T's Blueroom deleted two lines from the live (but time delayed) webcast that were critical of President Bush.

During the performance of "Daughter" the following lyrics were sung to the tune of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" but were cut from the webcast:

- "George Bush, leave this world alone." (the second time it was sung); and

- "George Bush find yourself another home."

This, of course, troubles us as artists but also as citizens concerned with the issue of censorship and the increasingly consolidated control of the media.

AT&T's actions strike at the heart of the public's concerns over the power that corporations have when it comes to determining what the public sees and hears through communications media.

Aspects of censorship, consolidation, and preferential treatment of the internet are now being debated under the umbrella of "NetNeutrality." Check out The Future of Music or Save the Internet for more information on this issue.

August 10, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

The Wall Street Journal (paid sub. req.) is running a fascinating look at modern retail in India and the man who figured out how to make it work.

Kishore Biyani, 45, owns Pantaloon Retail Ltd., India's largest retailer. Food Bazaar, Mr. Biyani's Western-style supermarket which makes up more than 60% of the annual sales of Pantaloon, now has 93 outlets in the country. Big Bazaar, which sells household goods and clothes and frequently is housed under the same roof as Food Bazaar, has 65 outlets. Mr. Biyani also has expanded into other businesses, including restaurants, bars, property, mall management, media, a private-equity fund and a bowling alley.

What's interesting here is the fact that sterile wide-aisled markets did not work in India. When Mr. Biyani tried that approach in his supermarkets, too many customers walked down the wide aisles, past neatly stocked shelves and out the door without buying. Shopping in such a sterile environment didn't appeal to the lower middle-class shoppers he was targeting. They were more comfortable in the tiny, cramped stores -- often filled with haggling customers -- that typify Indian shopping.

So Mr. Biyani redesigned his stores to make them messier, noisier and more cramped. "The shouting, the untidiness, the chaos is part of the design," he says, as he surveys his Mumbai store where he just spent around $50,000 to replace long, wide aisles with narrow, crooked ones: "Making it chaotic is not easy."

August 10, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

August 11, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

An ansible is a hypothetical machine, capable of superluminal communication, and used as a plot device in science fiction literature. It's also the name of a new mobile marketing firm owned by Interpublic Group of Cos.

According to Ad Age, Ansible is a joint venture with Velti, a mobile-technology company. Larry Harris, formerly exec VP-director of integrated marketing, DraftFCB, will lead the New York-based company.

Ad Age asked Mr. Harris how he would advise a marketer looking for mobile opportunities?

Start with the objectives. Know your audience. Understand their behavior with regard to how they use the mobile phone, how they can relate to your product. Think very hard contextually. In Europe, a lot of package-goods marketers use on-pack promotions which are working very well. You need to know your customers as to how they use wireless. You need to know how you can capitalize on their behavior. What's the right content and how to shape it. It's test and learn.

August 11, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

image courtesy of Flckr member, Johnny Vulcan

Anomaly is proving to be one of the more interesting new agencies to emerge in years. They're game changers. So it's not surprising, although it is, to learn about the launch of Another Anomaly, a stand-alone business from Anomaly legally, financially and physically.

"This philosophy to our growth confronts the reality that in most of the communications industry, scale and quality are opposing forces," said Anomaly partner Carl Johnson. "This approach allows us to bring in more and more senior people to get involved with both clients and the stream of entrepreneurial business ventures in front of us."

Another Anomaly has offices located in Soho and currently has 10 full time staff covering a diverse skill set including brand strategy, new product development, design, content, entertainment, digital and advertising. The shop (or "pod" as the case may be) is currently working on assignments from The Coca-Cola Company, The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and is engaged in entrepreneurial business ventures in the beauty and entertainment industries.

August 11, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 1 Comments

I admit I enjoyed the 4A's Account Planning Conference. Of course, not being a planner and having never attended an advertising-type conference, I have no frame of reference. Plus I flew on a frequent flyer ticket and went to Monterey afterward on vacation, so perhaps I was in the right frame of mind.

Piers Fawkes, however, wasn't so kind:

‘Scuse the French, but the whole show was effing appalling. How shall we start?

PAYOLA - Some readers may know our view about the pay-to-speak scam at conferences. The AAAA APC was full of it: thinly disguised paid-for sales pitches by sponsors like Google, Time Warner, Yahoo! sponsors. The AAAA forced 800 of us to listen to information media planners would have been bored sick about. The AAAA stole our time and charged us for it. Shameful behavior - especially when there’s such a call for transparency in the industry.

Piers goes on to pick apart other things at the conference, including the location and the cost. (And the lack of wi-fi in the conference area, which I admit I was pissed about, too.) He's got some very good criticisms.

He'll have a chance to put his money where his mouth is at the PSFK Conference Los Angeles, coming up in September.

August 12, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Joshua Yaffa, writing for the NYT Magazine, examines the ongoing transition from Highway Gothic to Clearview on the nation's highway signs.

Looking at a sign in Clearview after reading one in Highway Gothic is like putting on a new pair of reading glasses: there’s a sudden lightness, a noticeable crispness to the letters," he writes. Then he provides some background on why fonts matter as much as they do:

Less than a generation ago, fonts were for the specialist, an esoteric pursuit, what Stanley Morison, the English typographer who helped create Times New Roman in the 1930s, called “a minor technicality of civilized life.” Now, as the idea of branding has claimed a central role in American life, so, too, has the importance and understanding of type. Fonts are image, and image is modern America.

To provide a corporate context for Clearview's popularity, AT&T had been using Gill Sans, a leaden, staid typeface from the 1920s, but research showed that consumers identified AT&T with attributes like “monolithic” and “bureaucratic” — an image problem it hoped to fix, in part, with a new typeface. A year after AT&T began using Clearview for all its advertising and corporate communications, Interbrand conducted a follow-up survey, asking consumers, “Do you consider AT&T to be a technologically savvy brand?” Positive responses had doubled.

August 12, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

Adweek senior writer Joan Voight spoke with Tom Bedecarré, CEO of AKQA in San Francisco.

Mostly the interview is about advertising in China, but here's some of what Bedecarré, 51, says about the need for a digital champion on the client side who can marshall the funds needed to run a vigorous interactive program:

If you are a consumer product company and your digital budget is less than 15 percent of the total marketing budget, you are missing the boat. Compare your spending with how much time your customers are spending online via PCs, interactive kiosks, mobile phones and other devices. Smart marketers such as Nike decide from the top that digital is going to receive significant funding and tell their marketing managers to work out the spending allocations. On average, companies are spending half of what they should be spending. At smart marketers I find that there is a catalyst or evangelist with a digital point of view that keeps them ahead of the curve. For example, Unilever and Diageo bring digital best practices to all their marketing groups.

August 12, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

See more from "Inside Sturgis".

August 13, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

The Wall Street Journal looks at Columbus, Ohio's favorite lingerie maker. Sharen Jester Turney, president and chief executive of the chain, told the paper that new yoga pants, sports bras and other athletic clothes could soon become a major portion of the retailer's business.

August 13, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

Matthew Creamer of Ad Age spent some time on Facebook for this latest entry into the YAFS* log.

Want to send Julie Roehm a virtual beer or lychee martini? Need to connect with Tom Ajello, star of the ill-fated Subway viral-video pitch and famous fist-bumper? Or give Stuart Elliott a "poke"?

Then it's time to join the ad hordes who have been crowding Facebook this summer, helping to spike the average age and income level of the social network once limited to college kids.

*Yet Another Facebook Story

August 13, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Chris Anderson of Wired says, "The question I get most often is how I can work for a blockbuster company, Conde Nast, by day and celebrate the decline of the blockbuster by night. My physics-geek answer: it isn't hypocrisy, it's wave-particle duality!"

He goes on to explain how he uses his Long Tail strategy to run Wired.

August 13, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 3 Comments

According to Adweek's exploration of Naked's explosive U.S. growth, the ascendency of communications planning in this nation is now underway.

Naked is eyeing a major U.S. expansion for 2008. It intends to open offices in Los Angeles and Chicago to complement its New York outpost, another sign that communications planning is gaining favor here after catching on in Europe a decade ago.

Since opening its doors 20 months ago, the New York shop has grown from its three founders— M.T. Carney, Paul Woolmington and Neal Davies—to 40 employees. More than a dozen are now dedicated to the Johnson & Johnson communications planning assignment that the shop was awarded last month.

Carney said her team challenges conventional notions about why and how customers use products, and that it's critical for clients to have up-to-the-minute insights about a brand's core target—such as how they think about themselves, interact with peers and use media. In today's world, insights become outdated quickly, she said.

In addition to J&J, Naked clients include Coke, Nike, American Express, Coty and Lugz.

August 13, 2007 by Shawn Hartley | Permalink | 0 Comments

[via ODG Kyle Webster]

August 13, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Nokia, the world's largest mobile-phone marketer, awarded its global network account to JWT last week. JWT will support local efforts in more than 80 markets worldwide. One market that desperately needs support is the U.S., where Nokia lags behind the competition.

According to Business 2.0, Nokia may not be a minority player for much longer. Stymied by U.S. wireless carriers, Nokia has begun selling "unlocked" phones, which are devices that can work on any wireless network, directly to consumers. All users need to do is remove the SIM card from their old phone, insert it into a new one, and -- voila -- start dialing.

But American consumers aren't used to buying their phones this way and Nokia hasn't yet been able to get the message across that they can.

"In Europe, people are used to it," says Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director at Jupiter Research in New York. "But consumers here are not accustomed to purchasing unlocked, unsubsidized phones -- many don't even know they can transfer their SIM cards."

That could soon change. The Federal Communications Commission has just cleared the way for consumers to buy any cell phone they want and then pick a wireless provider.

One phone that might make a splash in America is Nokia's N95 (pictured above). At $795, its prepared to give the iPhone a run for hottest gadget of the moment status.

August 13, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

According to Media Post, only one third of nearly 1,000 consumers Nielsen interviewed recently could recall any TV commercials they had seen. There are a million places to go with this kind of data. I might say people can't remember their own phone numbers either. In fact, 21% of the people polled in this survey could not recall any TV programs they'd watched.

Scott Karp of Publishing 2.0 considered the same data but took another angle. He says:

This is not the least bit surprising because traditional TV advertising creates NO value for consumers in the moment — or very little.

Contrast your average interruptive TV ad with the other end of the advertising value spectrum, which is currently occupied by search advertising. Search advertising brings you relevant information about a company’s products or services, in the moment when you’re thinking about it, and typically takes you directly to the company’s website where you can actively “engage” (depending on the quality of the site).

Since TV is not yet an interactive medium, search isn't a present option. So, how to create this "value" that Karp is calling for? No one really knows. Yet a bunch of smart people show up at their offices everyday to work through this very problem.

Okay, some things we do know. We know TV is still important but no longer the centerpiece from which all other ideas spring. Two, great products and services draw a crowd. Three, the internet has made companies, and the people in them, more transparent; thus we're operating in a more honest environment.

All of which leads me to conclude that there's an enormous opportunity to inform and entertain fans of great brands in media venues other than TV.

August 13, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 11 Comments

Danah Boyd, Noah Brier and Rob Walker are questioning Facebook's role in their lives. They're not alone. Just two weeks ago Om Malik, Scoble and Calacanis conducted a distancing ceremony.

Danah explains:

I lost control over my Facebook tonight. Or rather, the context got destroyed. For months, I've been ignoring most friend requests. Tonight, I gave up and accepted most of them. I have been facing the precise dilemma that I write about in my articles: what constitutes a "friend"? Where's the line? For Facebook, I had been only accepting friend requests from people that I went to school with and folks who have socialized at my house. But what about people that I enjoy talking with at conferences? What about people who so kindly read and comment on this blog? What about people I respect? What about people who appreciate my research but whom I have not yet met?

I can totally appreciate what Danah's saying about context. At the same time, I think there is a foundational context to some of these social networks. On MySpace, bands provide that context, or glue. For me at least, MySpace is a place, perhaps the place, to interact directly with bands. I realize other realities play themselves out on MySpace, but I went there for that and I receive that.

Facebook's glue that binds is "friends from school." Like fans of bands, friends from school are real relationships with an online dimension. Therein lies the soc net magic. Soc nets work best when they magnify and facilitate real life friendships.

Then there's the possibility of making new friends. In Danah's case she's overwhelmed by the mass of requests. I'm sure alot of bands on MySpace are likewise overwhelmed. But "fans" and "customers" are practically synonymous, so a certain type of "friendship" does often form. And when you look at all the possibilities for forming new fan-to-fan friendships, a rich milieu it does seem. For instance, if you like Kings of Leon, you may also like other fans of the band that you "meet" online.

What's happening to the digerati is they're becoming globes that others orbit around. Dahah Boyd as indie band, or private university. That could make anyone uncomfortable. Yet the gravity of a star is natural law and what brings people to the party.

August 14, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 4 Comments

I can't recall ever seeing a book that specifically outlines the history of the advertising industry. But now we may have one: Ad Land: A Global History of Advertising by Mark Tungate.

Mark Tungate is a British journalist based in Paris, and his book looks to be a great read. From the origins in the 19th century, through the rise of Madison Avenue, the Creative Revolution, Chicago packaged goods, consolidation, agencies in Britain, France, Japan, and everything that's going on today, Tungate appears to cover it all. It's not a textbook or a memoir, so this may be a unique book.

I haven't read Ad Land yet, but I'll post a review in the next week or two. (Special thanks to Jeffery Anderson at FSB Associates who sent a me a copy for review)

August 14, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Her lines: “You know, if you’re a family that is struggling, and you don’t have health care, well you are invisible to this president. If you’re a single mom trying to find affordable child care so you can go to work, well, you’re invisible too. And I never thought I would see that our soldiers who serve in Iraq and Afghanistan would be treated as though they were invisible as well. Americans from all walks of life across our country may be invisible to this president, but they’re not invisible to me, and they won’t be invisible to the next president of the United States. I’m Hillary Clinton, and I approve this message.”

August 14, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

According to Los Angeles Times, Yahoo edged out rival Google in a University of Michigan customer satisfaction survey released today.

Yahoo's ascent reflects consumers' impression, whether deserved or not, that Yahoo has done a better job of innovating to keep up with the times, said Larry Freed, president of ForeSee Results, which wrote an analysis of the data as a sponsor of the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index.

Because Google's core search page has retained roughly the same simple, streamlined appearance it has had for years, consumers don't notice the Mountain View, Calif., company's new features, Freed said.

"Google has developed many services over the years, from calendar to maps, but consumers don't really know about them," Freed said. "Google needs to do a better job of telling people about its services."

When it comes to webmail it appears Freed may be right, as Yahoo's 36% market share dwarfs Google's 3% share.

August 14, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 1 Comments

For more info on this Greenpeace campaign, see MusicWood.org.

August 14, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly by David Meerman Scott is presently sitting atop Amazon's PR books list.

Web Ink Now is the author's blog.

[Marketing Voices program via Marketing Profs Daily Fix]

August 15, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 4 Comments

Following the lead of Idaho and some other locales, there's now NE Creative, a blog about advertising in Nebraska.

Don't make any, uh, corn-y heartland-insulting jokes here. 2 of our 4 AdPulpers, Mr. Shawn and Mr. David, are proud Cornhusker dudes.

August 15, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 5 Comments

Over at The Huffington Post, Ashley Duque Kienze, a former bulimic, takes issue with the headline shown here:

With the help of my family, my faith and my friends, I gave up the unhealthy behaviors of my eating disorder three years ago. Today, I write a blog about eating disorders and other issues related to women to help others through their struggle with societal images of beauty. I don't want other women or girls to hate their bodies. I want the media and our society to affirm all expressions of beauty, not just those that are "thin."

Despite my progress, I'm still healing. At our support group meeting earlier this week, we had talked about the marketing messages so many of us see and hear, telling us that thin is beautiful. Toward the end of the discussion, a friend had turned to me and asked, "Have you seen the new Apple ad? It's horrible."

When I saw the ad later that night, I was shocked. While still a young professional in the world of public relations and marketing, I couldn't believe the insensitivity with which Apple put out this ad campaign. Ads like Apple's hit a nerve for all of us who struggle with thoughts that we're not skinny enough.

Well, as some of the comments elude to, there's a difference between the danger of too-thin bodies and the benefits of thin technology. But the ad is clearly painful for Ashley to see, and as it probably is for other folks recovering from eating disorders. It goes to show you, there's no universal agreement on what should be off-limits in advertising.

August 15, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 0 Comments

...the freedom to make ads like this...

...without fear of being rounded up by the government for horrendous, horrendous taste.

(Thanks to The Consumerist)

August 16, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Financial services company, TIAA-CREF, is playing up its status as a nonprofit organization with a new ad campaign from Modernista which includes a new web site, powerof.org.

Gareth Kay, who leads the planning department at Modernista said, “We talked to a bunch of participants and a bunch of prospects in focus groups,” and the emphasis on TIAA-CREF’s nonprofit status “felt like an interesting place for the brand to stand.”

The dot-org focus led the focus group members to perceive TIAA-CREF as “more focused around their needs,” he added, and “unique versus the competition.”

[via TNYT]

August 16, 2007 by Shawn Hartley | Permalink | 6 Comments

Manhattan Mini Storage is used to walking a fine line with controversy, but have their new ads in and around New York City crossed that line?

(image source: WCBSTV.com)

August 16, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

David Rosen has been a busy man of late. On August 7th, the former Group CD at Deutsch had his first novel, I Just Want My Pants Back, published. He's been giving readings in Manhattan and promoting his work on these very internets. In the middle of this swirl, Rosen took a moment to entertain some questions, formed after reading the advance copy he was kind enough to send my way.

Q. Did you see the article in the Times about Universal Life ministers getting no respect from the state of Connecticut, among others?

A. I did, it basically said that couples married by them may not actually be legally man and wife. My first thought was to picture some scuzzy guy, who was about to ask for a divorce, seeing if he could get out of alimony based on this loophole. Luckily, the marriage in my book takes place in New York where the laws are more lax: I don't have to worry about doing any rewrites for the second edition.

Q. Sounds like there is some good pot to be had in Lower Manhattan...

A. I can not confirm or deny that.

Q. How do you feel about comparisons to Bright Lights, Big City?

A. Flattered, humbled and hopeful I won't disappoint anyone who reads my book based on that comparison; Bright Lights is said to define a generation. I'm happy if people think I successfully define one man, the narrator of I Just Want My Pants Back, Jason Strider.

August 17, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Click image to see segment

In a sign that agencies are getting more deeply involved in content creation (not advertising), mono—an advertising agency within the MDC Partners network—was called on to create 26 original segements to open each episode of Sesame Street’s 38th season.

Each episode begins with an interview with people and animals of all ages who introduce and define the day's "Word on the Street." To help reinforce language development, these 26 new words, such as "tricycle," "predicament" and "squid," are repeated later in the show as part of the "street" story and in a series of hilarious celebrity segments in which stars such as Jon Stewart and Ellen DeGeneres explain the meaning of the day's word.

“We were thrilled about the opportunity to take a larger brand role beyond traditional advertising,” said Chris Lange, creative director, mono.

August 17, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments

Tangerine Toad created a poll on PollDaddy that he's running on his site and hoping to see on other ad blogs, in effort to expand the data pool and get a better read on the question at hand—whether or not the industry is ready to wean itself from the award show tit.

August 17, 2007 by david burn | Permalink | 3 Comments

According to The Wall Street Journal (paid sub. req.), Ethos JWT, a cause-related marketing shop is one of the fastest growing units inside JWT.

Corporate-responsibility campaigns, once a backwater in the ad business, have taken off in recent years. Recognizing the rising fervor around environmental and social issues such as education, hunger and poverty, companies are devising ad campaigns to remind consumers of whatever do-good efforts they have made.

"Our clients want to raise their social profile, but they want to do it in a better way," says Ethos Vice President Pamela Divinsky, who notes that social responsibility is a way for a company to differentiate itself from its competition. "Ultimately, they do business with us because they believe it will affect their bottom line."

Sounding a note of caution is J. Walker Smith, president of Chapel Hill, N.C., research consultancy Yankelovich. He says, "Consumer trust in big business is about as low as it has ever been. There is a huge risk of backlash if people think that you're not being sincere or authentic in the initiatives that you're taking in the marketplace."

August 19, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 2 Comments

In an Ad Age editorial, Rance Crain suggests it's time for marketers to educate consumers about the real consequences of financial matters:

The sad truth is that many financial marketers don't want prospective home buyers and mortgage holders to understand the downsides of their transactions -- that interest rates can go up without notice, that buyers are taking on too much debt, that housing values don't always go up.

Ditech's latest campaign, "People are smart," is meant to assuage the financial community as much as consumers. Ditech knows full well that people aren't smart when it comes to financial matters, but the slogan makes everyone involved feel better.

It's not that people are smart, or stupid. It's that every client I've ever had in the Financial, Insurance, or Real Estate (the "FIRE" categories) business intentionally makes their marketing initiatives confusing, in order to maximize their profits. Burying the details in a series of asterisks and fine print.

And I've never once heard of an ad agency say to a client, "You know, that's really not the most ethical way to get the message across. We really shouldn't be confusing consumers like that." No, ad agencies need those clients because FIRE industry clients spend lots of money on advertising--and lobbying Congress to protect their duplicity.

August 20, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 0 Comments

I remember the glory days of the mid 90's, when America Online was my on-ramp to the information superhighway. I paid them every month, lots of people did. Floppy disks and dial-up modems were everywhere.

I tell ya, I don't even think about AOL anymore. This CNET news article suggests that AOL is having trouble staying ad-supported.

Just over a year ago, AOL unveiled a radical plan to remake itself into a business built on advertising from one driven by Internet access subscriptions.

The new plan certainly seemed to make sense. With the advertising business growing rapidly across the Web, AOL appeared to be in an ideal place to capitalize on that trend. It remains, after all, one of the most popular online destinations, with more than 90 million people visiting its sites in a month.

But a precipitous slowdown in advertising growth has raised new questions about AOL's transformation plans. AOL executives say the slowdown is probably temporary, but Richard D. Parsons, chief executive of Time Warner, which owns 95 percent of AOL, said this month that he no longer expected AOL's ad growth to match or exceed the overall growth rate of online advertising. The company's challenges highlight one of the quirks of today's Internet market. As advertising is moving from offline media to the Internet at a rapid clip, portals, which command some of the biggest audiences online, should be among the top beneficiaries. Instead, the travails of the mass market portals like AOL, as well as Yahoo and Microsoft, indicate a decline in power.

Who still visits aol.com on a regular basis? Is it mostly light users of the web?

August 20, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 2 Comments

Adweek magazine has launched At The Roundtable, a new social network for media professionals.

Connect At The Roundtable, and quickly communicate with media, marketing and advertising experts and enthusiasts like you. Start now and exchange expertise, develop partnerships, and share ideas.

This online community is a private web site where you can meet, build relationships, share ideas, contribute content, and learn from one another. Join us today At The Roundtable and explore dynamic and vibrant ways to collaborate.

So how many social networks can a person join before it's all too much?

August 21, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 23 Comments

Over at Talent Zoo, Whitney Friedrich, a young AE at DraftFCB, stirred things up by suggesting that new talent in the business, many times, lacks dedication:

Wear your passion on your sleeve because it’s one of the only things that differentiates you. It’s not expected that you will have all the answers—or even that you’ll know what questions to ask. It is, however, expected that you will be so grateful for the opportunity that you are first to arrive in the morning and last to leave at night. In a former agency, we had two interns who were so excited to be there that most nights they slept on a couch in our agency common area so as not to miss a moment of the internship experience. Needless to say, they were both offered jobs at the end of the summer.

Which prompted this comment:

I have a major issue with this article. Ms. Friedrich is acting as if the idea of a "work/life balance" is totally outlandish. I am in the advertising industry and have been for probably longer than Ms. Friedrich. As a manager, I do not expect my ACs, AAEs and AEs to run themselves into the ground. Come on! Yes, I expect stellar work out of them, but they're only human. Overachievement is frankly slightly annoying sometimes. I don't need anyone banging down my door to bring me my morning coffee. When their work is done at 5:00, I EXPECT them to leave at 5:00 and not mill around doing needless work just so they can appear dedicated.

It's an interesting debate. While the work habits of Generation X and Y are under scrutiny, advertising is still a fast-paced business that demands dedication. Are we seeing a shift in the ad business to a more 9-to-5 office life? Will today's 20-somethings put in the hours that traditionally were expected of ad pros? Does working 18 hour days and weekends make the work any better?

August 22, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 1 Comments

Google didn't pay $1.6 billion for nothing. From USA Today:

Here's how it works: Sponsors and video publishers apply to participate at youtube.com/advertiser. Ad sponsors design a campaign that will appear on certain YouTube clips. The ads appear not as traditional 30-second "pre-rolls" but as "overlays" — which look a lot like the little messages that run at the bottom of TV screens.

Fifteen seconds into a video, viewers are invited to click on the ad. If they choose to do so, the clip is paused and the ad is shown in the video window.

Giving viewers a choice about viewing an ad appealed to automaker BMW. "This is much less disruptive," says Rinku Mahbubani, interactive media supervisor for ad agency GSD&M, which handles advertising for BMW.

Google is being selective about homegrown videos it lets into the program. "We're not going to put ads on every user-generated clip," says Eileen Naughton, Google's director of media platforms. To participate, users must "have a following" on YouTube.

Your average YouTube clip, shown at their designated size, is pretty small. Will the "overlays" look tiny? Will people click off the site altogether after 15 seconds? It'll be interesting to see how this works out. But still, $1.6 billion--and somebody's gotta pay for it.

August 22, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 2 Comments

Today's news that Monster.com is in review reminds me that this remains one of my all-time favorite television commericals:

And don't forget the ad industry-specific parody. Or was it a parody???

August 23, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 0 Comments

Good lord...it's become a daily occurance, the recalling of something made in China.

Now, it's SpongeBob SquarePants address books that are being recalled:

An Ohio importer recalled nearly 250,000 SpongeBob Square-Pants address books and journals made in China because the bindings might contain hazardous levels of lead paint, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday.

Martin Designs Inc. notified the agency that tests of the metal spiral bindings turned up lead content above the level considered safe for children, the CPSC said. Under regulations, children's products found to have more than .06 percent lead accessible to users are subject to a recall.

In a couple of months, we'll be back in the biggest shopping season of the year--for toys especially. Is the Chinese poison train going to wreak havoc with certain brands or retail stores?

Meanwhile, some folks in China are taking responsibility--sort of. By killing themselves.

August 23, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 2 Comments

From Wired, although I'm sure you'll hear it all over the place today:

Facebook plans to unveil a new advertising scheme later this fall. According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, Facebook is planning a system that will target ads based on the wealth of information people have placed in their Facebook profiles.

The WSJ says that Facebook plans to target ads somewhat like Google’s AdSense tool, but take advantage of user profile data such as “favorite activities and preferred music.” Facebook tells the WSJ that its ad technology will “point the ads to the selected groups of people without exposing their personal information to the advertisers.”

The ads will apparently be inserted into the user’s “news feed,” and will run in addition to the various banners that surround the page.

But here’s where it gets really creepy, the WSJ’s source says that Facebook’s ad system will be able to “predict what products and services users might be interested in even before they have specifically mentioned an area.”

I knew there was a reason that Facebook's Director of Media Sales spoke at the AAAA Account Planning conference a couple of weeks ago. It doesn't matter how cool Web 2.0 apps or widgets or whatever are: Somebody's gotta pay for it.

August 23, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 1 Comments

Well, it's nothing a playoff run couldn't fix, but Atlanta Falcons fans who buy tickets just to see Michael Vick play are unloading their seats, big time:

Since Vick’s tenure with the team unofficially ended with news of a plea agreement, fans have flooded eBay, Craigslist and StubHub with their season tickets. The Web suddenly looks like a surf shop in Des Moines.

“Dude, there are people selling season tickets on the lower level, 50-yard line for below face value,” said Daniels, who had been on a waiting list for tickets for three years. “That’s unheard of in any market.”

Now, I’m sure there are worse jobs today than trying to market the Falcons. But I can’t imagine too many exist outside of Washington or Baghdad. No Vick. An aging running back (Warrick Dunn) coming off back surgery. Little in the way of star quality. Or playoff hopes.

For the past 6 years or so, the Falcons' brand and Michael Vick were one and the same. The team needs to rebuild on the field--and off the field, in order to keep its brand. Of course, with only one Super Bowl appearance in 40 years, maybe mediocrity is what the Falcons' brand stands for.

August 24, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 9 Comments

In today's Chicago Sun-Times, Lewis Lazare takes a look at what's going on at DDB Chicago:

Dick Rogers finally lost his confidence in Dana Anderson.

After watching three years of tumult severely weaken DDB/Chicago, once a commanding creative force within the Chicago ad industry and far beyond, Rogers, the president of DDB North America, said Thursday that Anderson had resigned as DDB/Chicago president and CEO, effectively immediately.

In the end, the major account losses, coupled with the managerial turmoil, might have been the decisive blows that felled Anderson at DDB. Despite Anderson's downfall, fans who know her well still insisted Thursday that she possesses strong leadership abilities and presentation skills.

DDB/Chicago had long been the major cash cow within the global DDB network. The ugly and unfortunate series of setbacks during Anderson's reign, however, had put the shop in a much more precarious state. On Thursday, Rogers, DDB's North American leader, at last moved to try to rectify that.

I've always thought that DDB in Chicago had a reputation for doing fairly good work for a shop of its size and nature. So how does a shop move from that to "tumult" and "turmoil"? I saw the same type of story published 2 weeks ago in Ad Age and Adweek about Fallon, which has long been above reproach.

So what causes agencies to go through these upcycles and downcycles? Is it people? Account losses? Turnover? Bad management? Bad hiring practices? It's the subject of my new column on Talent Zoo.

I’ve always believed the best advertising people have an element of hunger and discontent in their personalities. It’s rooted in a simple desire to improve upon what’s been done before. Which is not the same as being disagreeable or arrogant, although those qualities are easily confused. Most people enter the ad biz hungry. But at a certain point, after initial success, contentedness take over: an impossibly cushy gig, a desire for more family life or merely the belief that one’s shit doesn’t stink. And in the course of an advertising career, that contentedness coincides with promotions to managerial positions. Many great Copywriters, Art Directors or Account Executives have no business managing other people as Creative Directors or Supervisors.

Look, it happens in many fields—take music. Bands start off young, pissed, inspired and raw. They make great music, sell CDs and get rich. Then they’re not so pissed and inspired anymore. So their subsequent albums aren’t all that good. But they still have their fans, and there are plenty of state fairs for those bands to play at for the rest of their careers.

Hey, I never said I had all the answers. But I like to make educated guesses. What do you think? Is it just a nature of all ad agencies to go through ups and downs?

August 26, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 0 Comments

According to Ad Age, GSD&M is yet another once-vaunted agency struggling to cope with the times:

When GSD&M staffers arrive at work today they'll be surprised with a visit from one client, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem. They'll also be treated to video well wishes from bold-name friends Bill Clinton and author Jim Collins. It's all in celebration of changes in its day-to-day management and the hanging of a new shingle. As of today, the company known for 36 years as GSD&M becomes GSD&M's Idea City.

A once-great agency is adrift. Recently defected or shrinking accounts such Wal-Mart and AT&T haven't been replaced. And GSD&M's time without a big new-business win or truly breakthrough creative work can be measured not in months but in years, eons in an agency business where momentum is everything.

It's not the Alamo yet, but Idea City is already under siege.

In recent months, Chairman-CEO Roy Spence has been under intense pressure from the leadership of parent Omnicom Group, a sure sign of trouble given holding company CEO John Wren's typical hands-off attitude toward his agency brands. The main concern, insiders said, has been the ebb of key clients such as Wal-Mart, Brinker International and AT&T, which most recently shifted lead account duties to Omnicom sibling BBDO. Since that shift, these people said, there has been talk of the much larger agency network absorbing the struggling GSD&M. An Omnicom spokesman couldn't be reached for comment.

We'll see what happens. Another group of shade lovers, perhaps?

August 27, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 2 Comments

Today's New York Times reports that NBC's "To Catch A Predator" is successful--but it's freaking out potential advertisers:

Some media buyers were hesitant about buying ads on the series even before the recent spate of bad press reports. Andy Donchin, director for national broadcast for the advertising agency Carat USA, said advertisers could be wary of the show’s unsavory theme. “We’re all concerned with what content we’re associating ourselves with,” he said.

The most recent “Predator” episode, on July 25, included six national spot ads, significantly fewer than at other hours during NBC’s prime-time periods.

“NBC’s probably thinking about what their return on investment is, and might be thinking it’s better to move on,” said Brad Adgate, senior vice president for research at the ad-buying agency Horizon Media.

Maybe we just need some more creative media buys: eHarmony, Durex, lawyers...there's all sorts of good advertisers for that show.

August 27, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 6 Comments

We've all seen bad trade pub ads, but I think I've found the worst one ever. This one, for Matthews Cremation, which ran in the July issue of American Funeral Director magazine. (Yes, we had a copy in the agency today.) Click on the ad to see a larger version:

But it's not enough to say "this ad sucks." I'd like to point out all the egregious aspects of this ad that I can spot, and I'll just start at the top and work my way down:

1) The Headline That Has The First Letter Of Each Word In All Caps. Yes, we do it on AdPulp for header consistency, but in print advertising it's a completely revolting idea. Actually, I think it was very popular 25 years ago but today it looks like a hack technique. Plus, the headline's in Times New Roman or Palatino or some other font that came with Microsoft Word.

2) The headline has a cliche ("leaps and bounds"). And it's a bad play on words. With a see-and-say effect. It tells us to "picture revenue growing by leaps and bounds," then it does exactly that in the visual.

3) The main visual is a bar graph. Of dogs. Leaping. Why????

4) Actually, it's not a visual of a bunch of dogs. It's just one dog, in two different leaping poses, which are then inverted. But that's not the worst part. The dog is badly photographed and there's some medium-resolution full-crotch action that's gratuitous.

5) The chart references "pet owner spending," which really doesn't have anything to do with pet cremation. Or does it? Certainly, spending on everything pet-related in this country is in the billions, so I assume the numbers refer to spending on pet death expenses. But again, the numbers don't specify if that's total pet owner spending on funeral expenses, or just the dollar amounts by which spending on those expenses has increased. There's no reference for where they got the information. The only conclusion i can draw is that "pet owner spending" is now about $40 million a year. Where and for what, I have no idea. On top of everything else, it's ambiguous. Which means it fails to make its selling point.

6) The First Letter Of Each Subhead Word Is In All Caps Again.

7) Two inset photos, one heartstring-tugging pic of a chick and her cat, delicately balanced out by our "look at our equipment" B-to-B photo.

8) The body copy changes tenses. In the first paragraph it's "We are witnessing..." first-person plural. Then it becomes "...through their Faithful Forever..." third-person plural in the next paragraph. Who's doing the talking?

9) 5 logos (6 if you count the 2 treatments of the "Faithful Forever" logo)

10) 2 taglines: "Discover the real difference...discover Matthews" and "EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITY"

11) The last line in the body copy (or is it a tagline?) is in italics, as if the thought carries more power that way. Then, the call-to-action is in bold.

Perhaps you can spot some other dubious ideas. Or maybe some redeeming qualities to the ad. Feel free to add to the list.

Look, I'm not picking on these guys because they're pushing pet cremation services. I'm sure there's way to sell it smartly and tastefully. But this isn't it. The only thing missing here is a mention of bulk rates. You know, for Michael Vick and his friends.

August 28, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 1 Comments

Nothin' like your own reality-TV show to fix your life. From CNN:

Scott Baio will be back on VH1 with another season of "Scott Baio Is 45 ... and Single" and a new set of issues -- this time, over impending fatherhood.

The first season of the reality show found the former "Charles in Charge" and "Happy Days" star struggling with commitment issues.

The finale, which aired at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, showed Baio wrapping his two-month boot camp with his life coach, Doc Ali. At his "graduation party," Baio committed to his relationship with girlfriend Renee by asking her to get married. Renee, in turn, surprised Scott by revealing that she's pregnant.

Well, we have a lot of secret Baio fans on this site, so this is good news. Look for "Scott Baio is 46...and Changes Diapers" coming to VH1 soon.

August 28, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 1 Comments

Today's news that Earthlink is laying off 900 people, or half its staff, is kind of shocking, but I suppose I really shouldn't be surprised.

I signed up for Mindspring dial-up service in January 1995. I was living in Atlanta and they were based here. They had a set of "core values" that impressed me--and they lived up to them. When I signed up for service, they overnighted me the startup kit and free book. But they sent me the PC version instead of the Mac. When I called to tell them, they then promptly overnighted the Mac version. Mindspring was known in the late 90's for outstanding customer service and an admirable corporate culture.

Then Earthlink bought out Mindspring. But I stuck with them. Through 7 cities, mailing addresses, and phone numbers, I've kept the same email address for almost 13 years. Reading through the comments in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution story, I discovered I'm not the only one who still has an old-school mindspring.com email address.

Now, even though I live 10 minutes from Earthlink's headquarters, every time it thunders or rains around here my DSL connection gets dropped. Their customer service was outsourced to India long ago, and trying to get them to investigate my plight is always a lost cause. They'll send me a $5 Starbucks gift certificate every now and then to keep me happy, which is nice. However, every week I get some junk mail or spam trying to get me to buy a Helio or add their VoIP service, but I wouldn't dare get any more service than I have from them since the DSL line is so unreliable.

It's sad. I've been a loyal customer, and I'm watching this company sink. I may finally try, over the next several months, to wean myself off the email address I've had for 12 years.

Any marketers at a struggling brand, or the agency people working on a struggling brand, should read the AJC story and the nearly unanimous comments that follow--comments from once-loyal hometown brand advocates. Earthlink is a great case study. Their corporate culture isn't what it used to be. Their service isn't what it used to be. Their brand isn't what it used to be. Marketing and advertising can't fix the problems Earthlink has right now.

August 30, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 0 Comments

From Forbes:

U.S. Internet advertising spending is poised to overtake radio advertising for the first time, providing a reminder that broadcasters need to be more aggressive in their embrace of online opportunities.

U.S. radio ad spending is expected to inch up 1.5% in 2007, to $20.4 billion, short of online ad expenditures of $21.7 billion, which will be up 22% from last year, eMarketer senior analyst Ben Macklin said in a report.

Over the next several years, radio station Web sites and online audio advertising "will be the principal drivers for radio advertising growth,'' Macklin said.

The radio industry did it to themselves. iPods and XM and all that only helped a little. Between consolidation, mediocre programming, and a general tolerance of horrible radio commercials, stations are reaping what they've sown. People are tuning out of terrestrial radio in droves.

August 30, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 2 Comments

A blast from the past, courtesy of the International Ladies Garment Workers' Union:

Though outside of American Apparel, clothing made in the U.S.A, or by anyone paid over a dollar an hour, ain't all that easy to find these days...

August 30, 2007 by danny g | Permalink | 2 Comments

Special thanks to the folks at Agency Spy, a blog started by Mediabistro.com, for linking my newest Talent Zoo column.

Agency Spy isn't shy about calling it like they see it, since they have a series of posts entitled Why Fallon Is In The Shitter. I wasn't quite that blatant in my TZ column.

But like a good group of snoops, Agency Spy is always on the hunt for tips, rumors, and well-founded insider info. If you've got some, contact them at agencyspy@mediabistro.com or AIM user name, agencyspy.