You may want to think twice before launching your own design shop, blogvertising agency or brand consultancy. According to Inc. the majority of small-business owners work at least 50 hours per week, according to a recent poll -- far more than the national average of 33.8 hours per week reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Thirty-three percent of small-business owners reported working more than 50 hours per …
Pink Packets Make Some See Red
USA TODAY offers a review of Sweet and Low by Rich Cohen, a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. There is something satisfying about a voyeuristic romp with someone else's dysfunctional family — particularly when they are rich. It's even better when the story is told by a disinherited grandson with a grudge, as is Rich Cohen, author of Sweet and Low. The story of the family behind the little pink Sweet 'N Low …
Ads On The Front Page. Outrageous!
According to the New York Times and the Poynter Institute, The Daily News is violating hallowed ground by running ads on their front page, a place typically reserved for editorial. Newspapers have long sold their back pages to advertisers. But the front page, a paper's most valuable real estate, generally has been considered sacred. Last week, The Daily News in New York ran full-page ads in some copies that were, in …
Smirnoff Tries To Become Hip By Teaching Stuff
I kinda like this idea. The Smirnoff Studio is presenting free classes in music, art and dance at the Paul Robeson Theater in Brooklyn. You can learn hip-hop dancing or graffiti art or how to make music videos or things like that. I wish they'd take this idea on the road instead of confining it to New York City, which really doesn't need more cultural venues. And hey, after a few vodkas, I like to get my groove on, …
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Valleywag Dishes Silicon Gossip
With Nick Denton's backing, 22-year-old Nick Douglas chronicles the not necessarily glamorous lives of Silicon Valley's prometheans in his Valleywag blog. The LA Times reports (requires registration): Some techsters hope the site will undercut the image of Silicon Valley as a place filled with pocket protectors and taped-up eyeglasses, where it's all work and no play for the people creating the next generation of …
Your Moment Of Zen
OMG!!! Franz Ferdinand! OMG!!
The latest MySpace "secret show" features Franz Ferdinand playing the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City today. To get tickets, MySpace users--okay, me--have to make the profile "SecretShow" one of our coveted "top 8" friends. Secret shows began in January and have included performers such as NOFX and the Watson Twins. Publicity for the concerts is generated solely by word-of-mouth, an example of which comes to us …
I’ll Be Home By 11! Gosh!
Sprint will sell phones that can rat out your kids' whereabouts. It's the first service of its kind in the US. CNNMoney reports: The service lets parents look at maps on their cellphones or computers to locate their children who also carry mobile phones. Parents can also program the service to automatically send them text messages at specific times each day to confirm that their children have arrived at home or in …
The Sweet Side Of File Sharing
File sharing is not a crime. Now we have proof. Promo reports on moves being made by Coca-Cola to become more relevant to the youth market. Coca-Cola North America has launched a music program that is available to download for free to file sharers. The program, called Stageside, is showcasing Island Def Jam R&B star Ne-Yo as its first musician. Each episode will feature interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and …
Delta Flies To SS+K
Congrats to the awesome Noelle Weaver and the rest of the folks at Shepardson Stern + Kaminsky for landing a big fish, as Adweek reports, SS+K has taken the Delta airlines account. Delta, though, is facing bankruptcy and a possible strike, so things won't be easy. Not to mention a marketing brain drain that has left the advertising in tatters: BBDO in Atlanta had the Delta account for about 50 years until 1997 or …