Care to see how the blog format can liberate a journalist from his expected approach to a story? Garfield: The Blog provides such an opportunity. It doesn't matter that a beer costs $12 when the Crain family is paying the tab. The little woman is getting a very nearly free vacation and the beach is filled with some of the most beautiful women that money can build. All in all, another week on the French Riviera should …
Oh What A Relief It Was
New York Times is reporting on the return of an iconic TV commerical. Comedian Kathy Griffin appears in a remake of one of Madison Avenue's most popular commercials, a humorous 1971 spot for Alka-Seltzer known as "Try it, you'll like it." The re-created commercial is to begin running today on television as well as on the brand's Web site (alka-seltzer.com). This is the second time that Bayer Consumer Care and BBDO …
Miller Brews A Real Blog
In what I see as a major advance for blogs emanating from large packaged goods companies, BrewBlog from Miller Brewing Company, provides daily analysis, commentary and some original reporting on the current state of the alcohol-beverage industry. The site is run by Jim Arndorfer, a reporter who spent many years covering the beer industry for magazines like "Advertising Age," with occasional contributions from other …
Lobsters Liberated From Death Tanks
Austin-based Whole Foods Market wears its ecological values like an honor badge, which one can argue is a smart business decision. Here the latest from …
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Jay-Z Puts A Cork In It
"My motto, stack rocks like Colorado/Auto off the champagne, Cristal’s by the bottle" -Jay-Z Frederic Rouzaud, managing director of Louis Roederer, the company that produces high-end champagne, Cristal, told The Economist he found rappers fascination with the product, "curious." Asked by the magazine if the association between Cristal and the “bling lifestyle” could be detrimental, Rouzaud replied, “That’s a good …
Social Networking Blows Up
According to Market Watch the social networking phenomenon continued its stratospheric ascent last month. MySpace.com reached new heights with 50 million visitors in May and YouTube.com nearly doubled its traffic from April, reaching 12.6 million visitors. Facebook, Flickr, MSN SPaces, LiveJournal, Yahoo 360 and Xanga also received millions of visits. "The popularity of social networking is not expected to wane in …
eMotionless
Even though I send a ton of email everyday, or perhaps because I send (and receive) a ton of email everyday, I've begun to despise it. The Christian Science Monitor helps me understand why: In a world where businesses and friends often depend upon e-mail to communicate, scholars want to know if electronic communications convey ideas clearly. Though e-mail is a powerful and convenient medium, researchers have …
Old Schoolers Get Jiggy With The New
The agency formerly known as J. Walter Thompson is using TV commercials from its reel not to advertise its clients' wares, but to make itself appear relevant in the new media sphere. Here's the New York Times take on the ploy: JWT has purchased all the ad space on The Huffington Post home page for one week, starting tomorrow. The Web site will showcase nine of JWT's best television commercials with links, so that …
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Help Wanted
I'm looking for a Content Manager to work with me at BFG Communications in Hilton Head. If you're an outstanding writer with an ever better attitude, and you want to live by the beach, let's talk. Here's the classified I'm running on our agency blog, Talent Zoo, Craig's List and CreativeCoast.org: Content Manager You soak up pop culture like free beer at a backyard party. You recall names, dates and places faster …
The Web Is About People
Hugh MacLeod is busy writing collateral materials for Stormhoek—the South African winery he helps market via Geek Dinners and the bloatoshere. Here's some of his copy: The future of the wine business is- actually- the same as the future of all business. The future is, of course, the internet. But when we say ‘internet’, we’re not talking about the usual suspects: Internet retail. Vineyard websites. All the stuff …