Well, it's not news to us, but it is in today's USA Today: Companies are under more pressure than ever to deliver rosy quarterly results, and top marketing executives have less time than ever to prove their mettle. The average tenure of a chief marketing officer at a major U.S. company has declined to 23.2 months, according to search firm Spencer Stuart. It's no wonder they'll sign off on increasingly bizarre …
Smells Like Egg Sandwich: Starbucks Stinks
French novelist Marcel Proust wrote a famous series of autobiographical novels called In Search of Lost Time (or Rememberance of Things Past) in which the sense of smell, among others, triggers vivid, emotional memories and unconscious associations. What Proust understood as a writer, Long Horn Steak House and bagel shops understand as marketers: aroma is primal advertising; it can evoke emotions--feelings of comfort …
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Old Folks and Chicks Dig Video Games
This latest comScore Media Metrix report on video game demographics (courtesy MediaPost) surprised me: On average, gamers are 41 years of age with an average annual income of $55,000. Further, females account for 52 percent of the gaming audience. The average gamer has been online for nine years and 84 percent have broadband access at home. …
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Former MySpace Users Get Real
There have been several stories of late about the majority of MySpace users being over the age of thirty--a fact that has driven away younger users en masse. Today, USA Today zooms in on another reason younger users are fleeing the so-called social networking site. Gabe Henderson is finding freedom in a recent decision: He canceled his MySpace account. No longer enthralled with the world of social networking, the …
Colorado’s Ad and PR Scene Gets A Blog
First, there was the Idaho Ad Agencies blog. Now, it's Colorado's turn, thanks to freelance writer Andy Bosselman. Blog AB promises "Advertising, design, and PR blogged from a Colorado perspective." I like how there are now locally focused ad blogs. It's interesting that the two we've seen are coming from the mountain states. C'mon, North Dakota. You're up next! …
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Chevy TV Spot Overreaches, But Interactive Looks Sharp
Slate doesn't like the new Chevy TV spot, and I tend to agree that it overreaches. Chevy's ad tries to draw a parallel between historic moments in American history, such as Vietnam and Katrina, and the Chevy Silverdao, "America's truck." Aside from a rather suspect concept and a lukewarm execution, the ad makes me wonder if the TV spot has so fundamentally changed that it simply can't deliver big, cultural …
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This Is Our Country
Seth Stevenson of Slate is pissed off about Chevy's use of sacred American images to sell their Silverado truck. This ad makes me very angry. It's not OK to use images of Rosa Parks, MLK, the Vietnam War, the Katrina disaster, and 9/11 to sell pickup trucks. It's wrong. These images demand a little reverence and quiet contemplation. They are not meant to be backed with a crappy music track and then mushed together in …
Lazare Comes On Strong For The Army
Maybe Lewis Lazare likes a man in uniform. He so rarely enjoys a commercial. Yet, new video Army footage from McCann Erickson/New York (that has yet to be edited into a 30-second spot) has the otherwise reticent and detached observer falling all over his keyboard. Let's not mince words: This piece of exquisitely edited video, which might ultimately be cut to create one or more TV spots, packs one hell of an emotional …
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