The Wall Street Journal wisely turned to Terry Teachout, its drama critic, for an important lesson in media history. Americans of all ages embraced TV unhesitatingly. They felt no loyalty to network radio, the medium that had entertained and informed them for a quarter-century. When something came along that they deemed superior, they switched off their radios without a second thought. That's the biggest lesson …
The World According To Twitter: Twisdom of Crowds
I imagine that somewhere, in some library or most likely in some pop culture junkie's basement, lies a stack of books that were very 'of the moment': Such tomes as The Official Preppy Handbook, Life's Lessons From Melrose Place, The Rules, and Joe The Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream. Now, add to that David Pogue's The World According To Twitter. The book's premise is very simple: Pogue throws question after …
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Coming To The Big Screen This Fall
On the 40th anniversary of the Internet, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC tells the story of the effect it is having on our society as seen through the eyes of the greatest Internet pioneer youve never heard of, visionary Josh Harris. Award-winning director, Ondi Timoner (DIG!), documented his tumultuous life for more than a decade, to create a riveting, cautionary tale of what to expect as the virtual world inevitably takes …
Yet Another Facebook (and MySpace) Story: Sorry Substitutes
Newsweek is reporting that one in four Americans feels lonely. Sad as that is, widespread use of smart phones and MyFaceSpace aren't helping matters much. Social-networking sites like Facebook and MySpace may provide people with a false sense of connection that ultimately increases loneliness in people who feel alone. These sites should serve as a supplement, but not replacement for, face-to-face interaction. For …
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Reawakening The Pirates
You rarely hear publicly from people who've recently left high-profile ad gigs. At least, they don't talk about their most recent position or agency. But Al Kelly, who recently left TBWA\Chiat\Day, wrote about the agency's famous "pirate" spirit, using an old "we lost a pitch" ad the agency ran in the 70's. The place is legendary for good reason: the visionary leadership of a single unflinching, uncompromising …
Evasive Moves Are Part of the Job
M&C Saatchi's new spot for ANZ makes its singular point well understood--typical bankers are hard to pin down. Of course, this spot also resonates in that duplicitous bankers need to be chased through the streets today. …
Fiji’s Politically Charged Waters
Anna Lenzer, on assignment in Fiji for Mother Jones was detained by police, threatened with imprisonment and repeatedly asked to verify her identity despite having a mound of evidence on hand that clearly showed she's an investigative journalist (are they that rare today, as to be totally unrecognizable?). Her piece for the magazine on Fiji and Fiji Water, in particular, is not flattering. For example: Nowhere in …
Banking On The Shitstem To Take Care of Business Is A Bad Idea
The banking industry is making your job and mine much harder to do. In order to move product and services (our job), people need money and/or access to money. Sadly, millions of Americans who once had access to money no longer do. According to Los Angeles Times, credit card companies slashed limits for an estimated 58 million card holders in the 12 months ended in April, even though a high percentage had good credit …
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