Stuart Elliott ponders, "Why is Ray-Ban saying, 'Don’t shade your peepers'? The idea is to find a playful way to encourage younger consumers, particularly those ages 18 to 25, to assert their individuality by revealing their sense of personal style." Naturally, Ray-Ban's new campaign from TBWA/Chiat/Day San Francisco needs a consumer generated media component. It has one. You can upload a picture of yourslf wearing …
Desperately Seeking Risk Tolerance, Rigor and Speed
Advertising Age's Emily Tan asked some of digital's top movers to identify the biggest trends and challenges that lie ahead for brands and those who would serve them. Shane Steele, director-emerging media and online advertising at Coca-Cola Co. offers a client's perspective: "The ideal is to identify and test new platforms that offer a first-mover advantage, that are measurable and that can be scaled effectively to …
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Text Buzz: Wireless To Wired
According to Seattle Times, Starbucks fields thousands of calls each year from customers phoning from the road to find the nearest Starbucks store. Customers with cellphones and mobile devices can now save themselves the call. Mobile users can send a text message with the area's zip code to MYSBUX (697289), and a list of nearby Starbucks stores will pop back. I just tested it and it works. Now, if someone comes up …
Ad Age Seeing Red
Ad Age explores reactions to the much ballyhooed Red campaign designed to benefit the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The campaign's inherent appeal to conspicuous consumption has spurred a parody by a group of San Francisco designers and artists, who take issue with Bono's rallying cry. "Shopping is not a solution. Buy less. Give more," is the message at buylesscrap.org, which encourages people …
Wal-Mart Stocks New Receivers
According to USA Today, Wal-Mart is giving High-Def Radio a fighting chance. The world's largest retailer will carry a high-definition car radio from JVC in 1,989 of its stores in 85 markets, priced at about $190. Being on the shelf at Wal-Mart "underscores that HD Radio is ready for prime time, it's ready for the masses," says Peter Ferrara, CEO of the HD Digital Radio Alliance, a consortium that includes radio …
Rosemary Goes to the Mall Dot Com
Rob Walker has a good gig. He writes about consumer culture for TNYT Magazine. This week's installment looks at Rosemary Williams, an artist and an assistant professor of new media at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Williams finds shopping anxiety-laden, which makes her choice to pursue "The Wall of the Mall" an act of bravery as well as an act of art, for she had to make recurrent trips to the Mall of …
From 30 Seconds To 30 Minutes
The line between advertising and content becomes thinner by the day. Here's today's example from Variety. Winner for most unusual piece of development this pilot season goes to ABC, which has turned a series of quirky Geico commercials into an actual half-hour comedy project. "Cavemen" will revolve around three pre-historic men who must battle prejudice as they attempt to live as normal thirtysomethings in modern …
Absolut Liquidation
According to this this news story from A.P., Absolut is for sale. The vodka distilled in the southern Swedish town of Ahus is the world's No. 3 premium spirit and one of the country's most recognizable brands. It's owned by the Swedish government, who will likely make billions on the transaction (while gratifying those Swedes who contend their government needn't be in the spirits business). …