For 32 years, until Julie Roehm walked in the door, Kansas City's Bernstein-Rein took the lead on the Wal-Mart ad account. This fascinating article in The Pitch (a local KC publication) traces the history of the account: Walton had chosen Bernstein-Rein for one reason: a simple ad he'd seen for the now-defunct Milgram Food Stores. It featured "Janie from Milgram's," who did nothing more in the commercial than list …
Ad Age Stories Focus On Wally World
As if you needed any more proof that Wal-Mart and its travails reverberate throughout the ad world, this week's Ad Age has 5 stories related to recent events: In Bentonville, Buyers Abide by Stringent Code Draft Dealt Staggering Blow After Strutting Like A Champ Sam's Successors Share Blame For Wal-Mart Shame As Wal-Mart Reopens Review, Windy City Ad Community Lets Out A Groan Pushing Envelope Julie's MO--Not …
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If You Were Howard Draft, What Would You Do Today?
The Chicago Tribune, which I think rarely publishes interesting stories about the ad world compared to the Sun-Times' inimitable Lewis Lazare, ponders the immediate future of DraftFCB: DraftFCB needs to act quickly to restore its reputation, say public relations experts who specialize in crisis communications. If Draft and his team determine the agency did nothing wrong, they should write a strongly worded letter to …
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Montgomery Ward Is Back. Or Is It?
Here's an issue that branding gurus don't address all that often: Brand names, ones with long histories, that simply get bought or licensed and used by unrelated companies. The AP reports on a new iteration of the Montgomery Ward brand: Five years after Montgomery Ward went out of business, its brand name has been revived on the Internet and there's even a 21st-century version of the Wards holiday catalog that was …
If You Want More On Roehm And Wal-Mart
Each article takes its own tack on the news: Ad Age: "Unruly Julie and the Scandal That Rocked the Ad World" The New York Times: "Rocky Return to the Roots at Wal-Mart" The New York Post: "Draft Exec Out in Cold After Wal-Mart Move" (the new biz head of DraftFCB is leaving for Digitas) …
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The Wal-Mart Story Continues…
You know, I simply cannot comprehend shit like this-- This must-read article in Friday's New York Times says quite a bit about Julie Roehm and her conduct: While some of the details are in dispute, several people briefed on the matter said that Wal-Mart dismissed Ms. Roehm and a lower-ranking marketing colleague, Sean Womack, after deciding that the pair had a personal relationship that violated the company’s strict …
Easy Come, Easy Go: Wal-Mart Drops DraftFCB
You read that right. Adweek is reporting as of 5:30 Thursday night: Just weeks after hiring DraftFCB in one of the year's most closely watched reviews, Wal-Mart is splitting with the Interpublic Group agency and plans to put its $570 million ad account back in play "based on new information that has come to light in the past two week," said client representative Mona Williams. Wal-Mart has not decided if the new …
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Apparently, Proofreaders May Be Banned Next
Well, on the very same day I post about bad writing (see "Righting The Writing" below) along comes this ad from the "Center For Consumer Freedom" (read: a lobbying group for major food and tobacco manufacturers) which is reacting to New York City's recent vote to ban trans-fats. The ad states that trans-fat, apparently, is the same substance as "margerine." Did they mean margarine? As for the relative merits of an ad …
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