from Lewis Lazare: Though the ad industry itself is in a bit of the doldrums here in Chicago, the business of advertising still packs a wallop in terms of its economic impact locally, according to a new study by Global Insight on behalf of the Advertising Coalition. The coalition is made up of nine advertising trade organizations, included among them the American Advertising Federation and the American Association of …
Suspicions Confirmed: We’re A Bunch Of Stiffs
from The Independent: Viewed from commercial America, British advertising looks like something bent out of shape by a culture so consumed with embarrassment it can't look a salesman in the eye when he's making a pitch, particularly if that pitch is laden shoulder high with emotion - love of country, family or God. From a mainstream US perspective our quirky elliptical leave-them-guessing advertising approach is kind …
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Point-Of-Sale Gains Sex Appeal
from The New York Times: Steven Gilliatt, president of G2 Worldwide, a leading brand development and design consulting company in New York, recently had an up-close-and-personal demonstration of the increasing power of eye appeal in retailing. "I was buying an iPod a couple weeks ago and there was a feeding frenzy at the store," Mr. Gilliatt said, referring to the Apple Store in SoHo, where customers jostled one …
Redefining “The Company Car”
from Fast Company Now: Hyperion, a software company, announced this week that employees who purchase a Toyota or Honda hybrid (or any other vehicle that gets more than 45 miles per gallon) over a gas-guzzler will be reimbursed $5,000. Given that Hyperion aims to reimburse about 200 of their 2,500 employees each year, this adds up to a hearty $1 million per year to put the brakes on global warming and conserve natural …
Yo, Chill With All The Sales Promotions
from AdAge: The chief executive of WPP Group, Martin Sorrell, told the Credit Suisse Conference today that 2004 "was a relatively good year." Speaking in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel, Mr. Sorrell kicked off the "Media and Telcom Week" gathering with his 8 a.m. presentation. He also predicted that the advertising industry's expansion will slow in 2005. Factors contributing to this, he said, include the U.S. …
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Martin Gets With The Program
Adweek reports The Martin Agency has taken a page from advertising history* by helping to develop a new cable television show for the Speed Channel. The show, Nascar Nation, is scheduled to premiere in February on Speed Channel, a cable network dedicated to motor sports and automotive programming. The network bills the show as the most comprehensive Nascar program on television. It will air four times each …
The Direct Route To Creative Hell
Retire This Year! …
Bloggers Are Swallowed Whole
Le Monde is welcoming bloggers to set up shop under their brand name. Smart move. I don't think there's much question that mainstream journalists around the globe are asking, "What the hell are we going to do about the rise of citizen journalism?" Some continue to ignore the new reality, despite dwindling audience share. That's to be expected. Others are getting their feet wet by putting reporters in a position to …
Certain Cell Users To Become Even More Annoying
According to Chicagoist, Playboy Enterprises, Inc. will soon offer mobile phone users the ability to download adult-oriented content including Playboy-themed games, images, video clips, voice clips and ring tones. Chicagoist wisely goes on to question the wisdom of making the famed Playboy lifestyle this public, "Do we want people to be living this lifestyle outside of their homes? For instance, living this lifestyle …
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New York Fashionistas Make My Freelance Rate Seem Silly
from The New York Times Orlando Pita, hairdresser to celebrities like Jennifer Connelly, Naomi Campbell and Kirsten Dunst, charges $800 for a haircut at his new salon, Orlo, on the third floor of a nondescript walkup on Gansevoort Street. If that seems like an extraordinary sum to charge, consider that New York has always been the hub of the outrageously expensive coiffure. But what's different now is that there …
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