PORTLAND—Agencies with digital capabilities are a dime a dozen today. On the other hand, an agency with digital DNA that also creates compelling retail experiences, new products/companies and traditional advertising, is rare indeed. Ergo, I feel like I may be in the presence of an albino gorilla here at Struck’s Old Town offices. John Gross, [...]
SEATTLE—There are rubber chickens hanging in the agency’s storefront-like window facing 5th Avenue in downtown Seattle. There’s a giant statue of Merlin greeting you at the door. There’s a jar full of white powder marked “cocaine” in the bathroom. The CEO’s office is decorated like a butcher shop, and the CCO’s office resembles a set [...]
SEATTLE—There weren’t any Grumpy Cats like at SxSW or half-naked Argentine Creative Directors like at Cannes, but the MarketMix 2013 Conference sponsored by the Puget Sound American Marketing Association did prove worthwhile, at least from this copywriter’s perspective. The key to these types of conferences is to pick some sessions on topics you don’t know [...]
Inide agencies, especially indie agencies with a strong digital practice, are hot properties. Holding company execs circle, but the news here is that increasingly these holding companies are media companies. For instance, Hearst bought the digital marketing firm iCrossing for $325 million in 2010, while Meredith has acquired a series of agencies including O’Grady Meyers [...]
I’ll admit there are plenty of things I didn’t know. One of them is that Champagne only comes from the Champagne region of France. This was a source of confusion when my girlfriend sent me to buy some champagne for her office last month, and I didn’t realize that California doesn’t produce champagne, only “sparking [...]
Long distance racers like to load up on carbs before they run. Ergo, Brooks is feeding runners what they want and need–pasta. Wexley School for Girls with help from Alexander Exhibits constructed a giant 20’ x 30’ pasta bowl shaped expo booth complete with a 15’ fork suspended above the booth that says, “Carb Happy. [...]
Wexley School for Girls are the tricksters of modern day advertising. For one, their agency appears from the street to be a gallery of curios, or a museum for the eclectic. And the name itself is a clue to their ability (or is it a willingness?) to differentiate. Then there’s the work… I love how [...]
I’ve been curious to see how Apple’s iBooks Author program can weave editorial content and more interactive components. Here’s a great example: A new iBook, available for free, called Edwin The Super Duper Otter, created for the Seattle Aquarium.There’s also an interactive PDF download if you don’t have an iPad. The book combines a simple [...]
I’ve been to many ADDY shows in several different cities. And judged the shows in a few others. I think you can tell a lot about a city’s ad professionals by the way they run their ad clubs and ADDY show. Smaller cities tend to make it a bigger deal because it’s so community-focused and [...]
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