Adam Nagourney, national political correspondent for The New York Times profiles Republican Party Chairman, Ken Mehlman, in today's Magazine section. It's a flattering portrayal of a compassionate and intelligent young man. The article makes Mehlman look quite a bit more liberal than many mainstream members of his party. He actively courts African-American and Hispanic voters for one, something he claims the …
Indie Not Just Another Market Segment
CNN is running a special section on indie culture. Ryan Schreiber, the editor and founder of Pitchfork Media, a popular online magazine that chronicles the indie music scene, said the indie spirit has been commodified and re-envisioned as a marketable lifestyle just like punk, alternative and grunge before it. "But those are all permutations of the same very resilient subculture," he said. "If the last 30 years are …
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Making Sense Of Edward Jones
I enjoy the Edward Jones "Making Sense of Investing" camapign. It's memorable, sensible and delivers a distinct service benefit. The spot above also benefits from sharp writing and great casting. …
Indie Site Seeks Suit (Provided That It’s Vintage Thrift Store)
If you want to feed the indie masses visions of amateur porn care of American Apparel, Pitchfork has a job for you. Pitchfork Media's Chicago headquarters is looking out for a Senior Account Manager to generate advertising and develop new business. The position is full-time and requires 2-4 years of sales experience (online preferred). Since the work environment is decidedly non-corporate (like, we listen to music …
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Another Journalist And His Trusty Stereotypes
Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post examines the changes to our industry over the past twenty years. Gone are the days when gray-suited admen would commute to Grand Central Terminal from the Connecticut suburbs, walk the few blocks to Madison Avenue, spend the day concocting clever, feel-good ads, collect 15 percent commissions for placing them with the three TV networks and glossy magazines, and schmooze …
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General Interest Mags Don’t Sell Cars
Newspaper and magazine ad buys by auto companies are down 24% this year through July, from $1.8 billion to $1.4 billion at magazines, and from $1.1 billion to $754 million at newspapers. Conversely, total auto spend for online ads is up 51.6%, from $110 million to $159 million. According to Brandweek, Steve Parr, president of Primedia's enthusiast media division, which publishes Automobile and Motor Trend, said the …
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The Point Of No Return
Lewis Lazare of the Sun Times simply can't get cozy with the idea of a direct marketing hustler like Howard Draft sitting pretty atop venerable FCB. But that's the state of affairs today. DraftFCB's Chicago office has a staff of 1100, making it the city's largest shop. But size is not what's bothering Lazare. Like any aesthete, he's concerned with commerce's grubby hands encroaching on the arts, in this case the lost …
She’s Mighty Mighty, Just Lettin’ It All Hang Out
Senior decision makers at Yahoo appear to have a thing for old Commodores songs. Liz Gannes, a staff writer for GigaOM has this scoop for us: Yahoo is in the process of setting up an in-house incubator in an attempt to hold onto its expensive talent, sources say. The project, called Brickhouse, will be led by Flickr founder Caterina Fake. Big companies are no longer the safe havens they were during the tech bust. …
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