Court Crandall has creativity oozing from his pores. He runs one of the best agencies on the left coast, writes (and sells) popular screenplays and now he's got a new children's book to his credit. According to the book's publisher, "Hugville is a town full of unusual hugs. If you come to visit, learn how to squeeze a friend with the Octopus Hug, twist him with the Tornado Hug, and tickle him with the Monkey Hug! …
Baking Up Some Mighty Fine Market Disruption
Hugh MacLeod on his South African wine client, and how blogging helped move the needle: Blogging doubled Stormhoek sales in less than twelve months. I have been saying this for years, and still not everybody believes me: "Blogs are a good way of making things happen indirectly." No, bloggers and their friends didn't start suddenly descending on supermarkets, buying the wine in large numbers. That's not how it …
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Can You Say Sweatshop?
Pete Barrett's cover for the December issue of Creativity. From the mouth of Mr. Bogusky: We work like fucking lunatics. This one is legendary. Too much so, in terms of how people imagine it. And we really do work but we get to have so much fun--I think work is just a lousy word to describe what it is but it's the only one we have. …
Go Daddy’s Papa Pontificates
Bob Parsons, CEO of domain name registrar, Go Daddy, chimes in on the "art" of TV advertising. In my opinion, in order for a television commercial to be effective, it has to be polarizing. This week, "USA Today" published its annual list of top television advertisements for 2005. "USA Today" showed Go Daddy’s Super Bowl ad to be both the 4th most liked — and the 4th most disliked — ad. That’s about as polarizing as …
AT&T Promises To Deliver
NYT: AT&T became the country's largest phone company in November when SBC Communications, one of the original seven Baby Bells, bought AT&T, the old Ma Bell. Having absorbed its former parent and taken its name, executives at SBC are introducing a sweeping campaign to highlight the company's new aspirations. The challenge is to refresh the venerable AT&T name, which in recent years has been better known for corporate …
Wunderman Buys Bridge To P&G
Adweek: WPP Group relationship marketing shop Wunderman said it has acquired Bridge Worldwide, an interactive agency in Cincinnati. Bridge, which employs 120 people, will operate as an independent unit of Wunderman. Bridge is best known for online efforts for packaged-goods giant Procter & Gamble, which also works with WPP through its Grey and Landor Associates units. "Bridge Worldwide's depth of online and …
What The Sheeps Haters Got For Christmas
John January is stoked. He now owns the ultimate gadget and he has a full stomach. So everyone at SHS got video iPods as part of our holiday time revelry.Yup. The whole damn agency. We also got hams. Spiral cut, mind you. As thrilled as I was with the iconic gizmo, I must tell you that I was incredibly thankful for that ham when I got home last night after a particularly festive party with particularly free …
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Pharmie Pharce
Brandweek: Eli Lilly and Co. agreed to plead guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge that it illegally promoted its Evista osteoporosis medication for the treatment of breast cancer and cardiovascular risk reduction. The company also agreed to a $36 million fine to settle the charge. The investigation into the effort began in July 2002. The government alleged that in 1998, certain Lilly employees promoted Evista for …