Richard Branson certainly doesn't need more publicity or admiration, but when I read this Q&A article in Time Magazine, one of his answers caught my eye: Has your dyslexia hindered you in the business world? —Skye O'Brien, Dartmouth, Mass. Strangely, I think my dyslexia has helped. When I launch a new company, I need to understand the advertising. If I can understand it, then I believe anybody can. Virgin speaks in …
Hanging A Shingle Is Risky Business
Sally Hogshead shares a story about founding Robaire & Hogshead in 1998 that's instructive for others considering an entrepreneurial venture. My heart ka-boomed in my chest as we stood outside the building, preparing to sign the lease. I turned to my business partner, took a breath, and nervously said I couldn’t go through with it. Not because the building’s recent remodel from a mechanic’s garage left much to be …
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Good Things Happen When You Get Retail Right
There's an interesting personal story embedded inside this New York Times article on Apple's mastery of the retail space. Two years ago, Isobella Jade was down on her luck, living on a friend’s couch and struggling to make it as a fashion model when she had the idea of writing a book about her experience as a short woman trying to break into the modeling business. Unable to afford a computer, Ms. Jade, 25, began …
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Spread Real Wings If You Want To Fly
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Garden & Gun's new editor, Sid Evans, in The New York Times this morning. Here's the heart of the piece: “There’s a kind of arrogance here that anybody who’s not in New York isn’t here for a reason,” Mr. Evans said last week over elk chops and bourbon at Henry’s End, a restaurant in Brooklyn Heights near his apartment. “You really do begin to believe it, that the only smart people …
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When Consumers Are At The Controls
TV is a totally passive medium. The interwebs is the polar opposite. So, it's no surprise to learn that Internet video watchers are 47 percent more engaged by the advertising they encounter than traditional TV viewers. The same study found that viewers were 25 percent more engaged in the content on the shows, as well. [via ars technica] …
The Art of News
This installation is clearly art with a capital A, but it' also a splendid "ad" for its makers, Movable Type. [via Influx Insights] …
Where the Heart Is Comes To Life
According to WSBTV, some people can't get enough of Wal-Mart's retail experience. At the 24-hour Wal-Mart in Lilburn, GA police said a 70-year-old woman spent three days inside the store sleeping, shopping and eating at the on-site Blimpie. The woman was able to blend in with the carts, crowds and chaos and go unnoticed for 72 hours a week before Christmas. When asked by Wal-Mart employees why she was there for so …
Left Brain, Meet Right Brain
Maurice Lévy gets more press than any ad man on the planet. And it's mostly favorable. Fast Company's Linda Tischler did manage to offer this criticism: Maurice Lévy confesses over cappuccino at a New York hotel, the only reason he got into the ad business was to chase skirt. Although, in his native France, that insight into the man's character would hardly pass as criticism. Thankfully, Tischler dug for more …
The 30-Second Spot Is Alive, Well, And Expensive
You'd think that smaller TV audiences would lead to falling ad prices, right? Not so, according to this story in the New York Post: Although it seems counterintuitive, it's the law of supply and demand. As the TV audience shrinks, advertisers have to buy more ads to reach their target number of viewers. But that increased demand for ad slots creates scarcity, which in turn leads to rate hikes. In the fourth quarter, …
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It’s A Crazy Christmas
This brings back memories of WOR, which was on my Atlanta cable system in the 80's. …