Branded utility is becoming a buzzword, but when the examples are this flawless, I can't help but be impressed. According to Ad Age, Clear Channel Outdoor, which runs several self-service public bicycle rental programs in Europe, has brought the concept to Washington, DC. The initial rollout features a total of 120 bikes at 10 rental sites near downtown Metro stations. Rack locations depend on a number of factors …
Dems Cowboys
My view of Denver is skewed from growing up in Nebraska and the fact that I twice lived there. I see it as a place where Neal Cassady was at home. Not as a cow town, by any stretch. Yet this poster from Colorado designers Idaho Stew has stirred some to suggest the image reinforces an unwanted stereotype. Unbutton your stuffed shirts, is my response to that. Even better, trade them in for shirts with pearl …
Baby Boomers Keep Going Back to the Well
"A touch of gray kind of suits you anyway" -Robert Hunter Just for Men is using music from Cream and a product name from Grateful Dead to sell aging hippies (who long ago became something else) on artificial hair color. I hardly know where to begin with this, it's so far beyond bad. [via Make the Logo Bigger] …
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The Need for Advertising Is Black and White
Belarusian fashion model, Maryna Linchuk, is one of The Gap's new stylemakers, joining Liv Tyler, Scott Schuman, Chanel Iman, Clemence Poesy and others in the fashion brand's latest print campaign. See FabSugar for more images, or Ad Age for some of the business thinking behind the approach. …
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Take This Job And Film It
Examples of advertainment or brand-sponsored entertainment are cropping up at a regular interval now. Could it be, brands--consumer and B2B--are ready to embrace this form of content full on? I think yes, especially when you factor in the internet as an affordable distribution channel for the content. Navistar International Corporation, which markets a new long-haul truck, the LoneStar, with a sticker price of …
A Peek Behind Nike’s Product Development Curtain
Ed Cotton of Butler Shine & Stern points to video testimonials from inside Nike's R&D labs. His takeaway is that brands have an opportunity to think like and act like media companies today. As a Content Director working on behalf of brands, I couldn't agree more. …
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It’s Mostly Garbage
I could give you a dozen or more reasons why advertising sucks, but there's no need. There's no need because there's an entire blog dedicated to the topic. "RestrictionsApply" at Why Advertising Sucks spells it out pretty nicely. I blame my dad for making me realize the truth. He once asked me the following: “How is it that you, as an advertising professional, spend so much time, energy, sleepless nights, lost …
Today in Twitterverse: Holland House
Canadian photographer, Kris Krug, is in China for the Olys and Dutch beer. Uhm... God bless Holland. Heineken House rawks. More croquettes, frites, beers and blondes than I know what to do with. ;) This video is the work of Robert Scales, another Vancouverite in China. I'm thinking Krug and Scales might know each other. …
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