Having judged a few local ADDY shows, I know that the awards show is a point of pride for many small cities and ad communities. And last night, quite a number of shows around the country were held. First off, a big congratulations to our friend John January, Executive Creative Director of Sullivan Higdon & Sink, who was voted "Kansas City's Ad Man Of the Year." Some other cities making ADDY news: Memphis agencies …
Brand Relevance Aims For Differentiation
Some days, it's easy to think we live in a world of sameness. Where all brands and products look and sound alike. Not so, says David Aaker, the author of Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant. Aaker takes a very systemic approach to talking about how many companies and brands have successfully differentiated themselves. One of the good things I like is his focus on a few major categories for his case …
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Know Your Usage Laws. Or Pay Up.
I don't think I'll try to pull an appropriate image for this post. From SFGate.com: In May, 2010, with the assumption Web images without copyright notices were "public domain" and free to use, a Webcopyplus copywriter used Google images to find an unmarked 400 x 300 pixel scenic photo to complement an article for a tourism client's blog. In December, 2010, the client received a formal cease and desist demand and …
An Advertising Week Podcast Featuring Yours Truly
I've hosted some podcasts for Talent Zoo and have been a guest panelist on Bob Knorpp's BeanCast, but I'm not sure I've ever had my own advertising-related life and career become a topic of discussion. Until last night. I was a guest on The Advertising Week Social Club Interview, hosted by Doug Zanger. Take a listen if you're interested in hearing me babble a little. I'll give you his synopsis: Dan Goldgeier of …
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The Rope And The Tug Of Advertising. Which Do You Prefer?
In any subjective business, particularly this one, personalities will bump up against each other. And struggle. And sometimes clash. Sound familiar? I was once playing with a friend's dog, doing what all dogs love to do: playing tug of war with a rope. And this dog did what they all seem to do: She tugged and tugged maniacally until I let go. Then she just brought the rope right back, not content with her victory. I …
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Absinthe Isn’t Absent In Adland Anymore
The history of absinthe is quite an interesting and controversial one, and the drink only became legal again to import in the US in 2007--it had been banned since 1912. This week, as MediaPost reports, Lucid absinthe is making a splash in LA with a number of outdoor executions. Said Jared Gurfein, President and CEO in a statement, "Since the beginning, absinthe has always had a strong connection to the arts. The …
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Why “1984” Isn’t Like What Most People Think About “1984”
You've seen the spot. Plenty of times, I'm sure. But a new Adweek article from Steve Hayden, one of the spot's creators, sheds a little more light on Apple's "1984." When [Steve] Jobs and Apple CEO John Sculley finally saw the rough cut of the spot, Jobs said, "This is going to cause an information vacuum. We've got to fill that vacuum with the real story." So he ordered up a 20-page insert for Time and Newsweek, as …
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Taco Bell Gets Saucy In Lawsuit Response Ad
Folliowing up on the news of a lawsuit from the other day, a little crisis PR at Taco Bell has them taking out full-page ads in major papers and a video response on their site. Salon.com has more: The lawsuit, filed by the Alabama law firm Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, doesn't specify what percentage of the mixture is meat. But the firm's attorney Dee Miles said the firm had the product tested and …
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