The New York Times takes a closer look at P&G's increasing embrance of viral videos that venture into subjects that the marketer wouldn't have previously embraced, like one that discusses menstrual cramps: The campaign started with small classified ads in newspapers around the country, which all carried the same eye-catching headline, “Men: Are You Suffering From Menstrual Cramps?” The ads directed readers to a Web …
Red Red Wine
I've often thought that the tipping point for Kmart's descent into retail irrelevance came because of "Rain Man." When Dustin Hoffman's character said, "Kmart Sucks!" at the end, the audience in the theater I was in clapped wildly. Merlot, it appears, has suffered the same image breakdown, thanks to "Sideways" when Paul Giamatti exclaims, "I'm not drinking any fuckin' Merlot!" But wine is big business, and makers of …
Airport Insecurity
Okay, I'll make this ad-related in a minute... ...but how insane is it that airport security wouldn't let Troy Smith bring his Heisman Trophy on the plane???? Now, here's my question for all you award-show winners: Has anyone had trouble carrying a One Show Pencil on the plane? Or a Cannes Lion? What about your oversized portfolio cases or unusual photography equipment? Do you get any extra scrutiny? Has anyone from …
Do You Buy iTunes For Your iPod?
I actually prefer to buy CDs and load them into my iPod instead of buying them on the iTunes Music Store. I may not be the only one who's doing that. Here's an interesting story from The New York Times that takes a look at the numbers of iPods sold vs. the number of songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store: At any given point, the cumulative number of songs sold by the iTunes store has generally been about 20 …
Wal-Mart’s Spurned Ex
For 32 years, until Julie Roehm walked in the door, Kansas City's Bernstein-Rein took the lead on the Wal-Mart ad account. This fascinating article in The Pitch (a local KC publication) traces the history of the account: Walton had chosen Bernstein-Rein for one reason: a simple ad he'd seen for the now-defunct Milgram Food Stores. It featured "Janie from Milgram's," who did nothing more in the commercial than list …
Ad Age Stories Focus On Wally World
As if you needed any more proof that Wal-Mart and its travails reverberate throughout the ad world, this week's Ad Age has 5 stories related to recent events: In Bentonville, Buyers Abide by Stringent Code Draft Dealt Staggering Blow After Strutting Like A Champ Sam's Successors Share Blame For Wal-Mart Shame As Wal-Mart Reopens Review, Windy City Ad Community Lets Out A Groan Pushing Envelope Julie's MO--Not …
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If You Were Howard Draft, What Would You Do Today?
The Chicago Tribune, which I think rarely publishes interesting stories about the ad world compared to the Sun-Times' inimitable Lewis Lazare, ponders the immediate future of DraftFCB: DraftFCB needs to act quickly to restore its reputation, say public relations experts who specialize in crisis communications. If Draft and his team determine the agency did nothing wrong, they should write a strongly worded letter to …
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Montgomery Ward Is Back. Or Is It?
Here's an issue that branding gurus don't address all that often: Brand names, ones with long histories, that simply get bought or licensed and used by unrelated companies. The AP reports on a new iteration of the Montgomery Ward brand: Five years after Montgomery Ward went out of business, its brand name has been revived on the Internet and there's even a 21st-century version of the Wards holiday catalog that was …
