I finally joined purveyor of daily deals, Groupon, tonight and I was amazed to find how well it's working for some local Portland restaurants. Wild Abandon recently sold 2861 $12 Groupons, while Elephants Delicatessen sold 7206 $7 deals. Groupon uses the power of the crowd to drive prices down and volume up--the deal doesn't go through and Groupon users are not charged if a minimum number of Groupons are not …
A Good Excuse To Listen To War
In this remake of Pepsi's classic 1995 commercial, the Pepsi Max truck driver shows us what can happen when one overshares personal "data" on a social network. …
The Association of National Advertisers Needs A New Agency Of Record
The "ad" below was sent to me by email today. Here's some of the lead copy that goes along with it: "Celebrate ANA's 100th anniversary by connecting with your colleagues--senior marketers and chief marketing officers--for an event, one hundred years in the making, that will bring you cutting-edge trends and ideas from the industry." It seems to me an event "one hundred years in the making" ought to have an ad to …
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A ‘Zine Just For You, Edited By Your Friends
What if all the crap your friends post to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc. everyday came packaged in a slick online magazine? According to Fast Company, Flipboard was founded by Evan Doll, a former iPhone engineer at Apple, and Mike McCue. The company just snagged $10.5 million in startup cash from such luminaries as Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, former That '70s Show actor Ashton Kutcher, and Facebook co-founder …
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This May Not Be The Ad Your Ad Could Smell Like
Writing on BNET Media Blog, Catharine Taylor issues a warning for all the folks looking to re-create the Old Spice sensation. It takes a special brand of marketer and ad agency to pull such a thing off, and, as anyone in the ad industry will tell you, that's much easier said than done. It's no surprise, really, that the agency which finally broke through the online viral landscape in the biggest way ever is Wieden + …
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Waste Not, Want Not
Sukle, recognizing that "frugality is en vogue like never before," is presenting new work for Denver Water. To demonstrate the proposition and lead by example, Denver Water and Sukle reused old billboards and placed a thin vinyl snipe over the existing art, using only 8% of the vinyl that a newly printed board would. …
American Family Is Pioneering Trackable Advertainment, Proving That It Helps Sell insurance
American Family Insurance has no gecko, but they the company's marketing pros do have a clue. According to Ad Age, the brand's content play, "In Gayle We Trust," is now entering its second season with an even stronger focus on targeting and tracking new customers. American Family is also bring gaming to the forefront with a new social-simulation game, "I-Am-Fam," from game developer WildTangent. "I-Am-Fam," a new …
The Women Are Now The Mad Men
One of the more interesting side effects of the popularity of AMC's "Mad Men" (which starts its 4th season on Sunday) is that the show has thrown a spotlight on the ad industry. And let's be honest, most people who don't work in the ad biz, or don't really know anyone who does, haven't got a clue how the whole business really works. So it's always enlightening to see how the industry gets portrayed in today's media, …
As A Writer, You Want Other Writers As Readers
I hope you don't mind me saying this, but it can be weird on this side of the screen sometimes, not knowing who's out there or who really cares. I think that's one of the great things about being a musician or stage actor--musicians and stage actors play live and get a visceral reaction from the crowd. For the most part, they know what's working and what isn't. So, it's nice when a note comes in that brings a bit of …
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Like Agencies, Ad Schools Compete For Talent
In a reminder that ad schools sometime compete for instructors as well as students, Eddie Snyder has joined Atlanta's Creative Circus as Senior Advisor of Advertising Studies. Snyder says, "I love teaching. After all, It's what a good creative director does: you teach, nurture, elevate work and inspire. The Creative Circus is the perfect environment for me to do just that." The Creative Circus is equally thrilled to …
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