The New York Times: You could argue that reading a newspaper online is much like reading one offline, but one thing is unmistakably missing from the Web: when you log on, an advertising circular does not fall into your lap. Until now, that is. Gannett, one of the nation's biggest newspaper publishers, said it would introduce a new service on its newspaper Web sites next month that displays banner ads that readers can …
Creative Can’t Compete With Google’s “Fortune Cookies”
The New York Times: Larry Page and Sergey Brin seem an unlikely pair to lead an advertising revolution. As Stanford graduate students sketching out the idea that became Google, the two software engineers sniffed in an academic paper that "advertising-funded search engines will inherently be biased toward the advertisers and away from the needs of consumers." They softened that line a bit by the time they got around …
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Typing Is Not Writing
Orange Yeti asks some tough, and oh so pertinent, questions. Why do clients love to pretend they can write? Time and time again we stress the importance of good copy. And almost always we get an, "I can handle that," or a "No problem!" There is a problem though. Most people have poor writing skills. Writing is hard. Communication is difficult. Why is it so often sloughed off as a trvial task that anyone can do …
Keep The Change!
B of A is running a truly unique (if not brilliant) promotion, which benefits customers as much as it will benefit the bank. Every time you buy something with a Bank of America Visa® debit card, we'll round up your purchase to the nearest dollar amount and transfer the difference from your checking to your savings account free of charge. Every bag of groceries, every coffee and every tank of gas adds up to more …
Caption It #10
Tempeh Burgers Up Next
Boston Globe: McDonald's is giving a jolt to the New England coffee market. Starting next week, the fast-food chain will replace its brew in all 600 New England stores with Newman's Own Organics Blend produced by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. in Waterbury, Vt. It's the only place in the country where McDonald's is making the switch, and the move, analysts say, will help the Golden Arches capture part of the …
Caption It #9
Agencies In Strange Places: Tenth In A Series
What are creative wunderkids, Gale Venosdel and Chris Rock, doing in Springfield, MO? Zagging, when others have zigged, that's what. Other entries in this series: Memphis, Greenville, Lincoln, Bozeman, Coeur d'Alene, Burlington, Omaha, Venice Beach and Bend. …
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Get Ready For Oz Fest
USA Today: The hottest potential endorser coming out of the 2005 World Series is not a pitcher, catcher or center fielder. It's manager Ozzie Guillen of the victorious Chicago White Sox. Managers and coaches almost never outshine players on Madison Avenue. But sports marketing executives are jumping on the bandwagon of Guillen, the rollicking, 41-year old "Wizard of Oz" who's threatened to retire after leading the …
Software Bullies Treading On Thin Ice Again
Pollstar: Fighting an addiction is tough, just ask Microsoft. Already under close scrutiny for its antitrust habit of pulverizing competing companies into so much dust and dirt, the software giant was recently admonished by a federal judge for distributing a proposal to potential clients outlining an exclusivity deal that would prevent competitors from entering the personal music player playground. In was described …
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