Al Ries is offering Ad Age readers some insight into why Obama's message was so well received. "Better" never works in marketing. The only thing that works in marketing is "different." When you're different, you can pre-empt the concept in consumers' minds so your competitors can never take it away from you. Ries also notes Obama's mastery of simplicity, consistency and relevance. …
Ad People, Like All People, Are Sometimes Right As Rain
Since it's a political season, we've dedicated a fair bit of space here to political ads and also to what Alan Wolk calls NASCAR blindness. Wolk says, NASCAR blindness is "the strongly held belief that if no one in your little bubble of upscale artsy BoBo friends is into something, then clearly no one else is." It's a topic that the daily (ad) biz picked up on, as well. ...we in advertising are supposed to know the …
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Doberman of an Attack Ad, Bites CDs on Ass
Freelance copywriter, Jay Kaskel, has been making Robo calls to Minneapolis creative directors in what he calls "a shameless, blatant attempt at self promotion." Instead of hanging up on the robot, the CDs on the receiving end have suggested he send the voice file to "the blogs" and enter it in upcoming award shows. "It's topical, if nothing else," says Kaskel. By the way, check out Kaskel's resume. I've never seen …
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The Future Is Now
Lewis Lazare of Chicago Sun-Times asked Dan Fletsam, Energy BBDO's new chief creative officer some interesting questions recently. Here's one: Q. Do you believe the Web will remain a dominant presence in the advertising business 10 years hence? A. Absolutely. I have middle- and elementary-school-age children. The role of the Web in their lives is not a topic of discussion, it's simply oxygen. The bigger question is: …
Hanging A Shingle On Purpose
James Stengel, a Franklin & Marshall grad like me, is set to embark on a new journey in his storied marketing career. According to The Wall Street Journal, the outgoing global marketing chief at Procter & Gamble and 25-year P&G veteran is opening Jim Stengel LLC on Monday. Stengel will try to persuade companies to buy into "purpose-based marketing," which Stengel says is about defining what a company does -- beyond …
Brand Guys Are Tied Tight
Steffan Postaer has just compared advertising to fly-fishing. Norman Maclean would not be pleased. Brand advertising in its highest form is like fly-fishing: sleek, urbane, wise. Think glorious anthems, the launch of new campaigns. Fishing with lures is one step down. It’s brand advertising, packaged and distilled. Though not a lavish opus, it still requires craftsmanship. Grinder TV, the churn and burn of most …
Duck Overplays His Hand and Other Tales of Mad Men
Season two is a wrap. Damn these things fly by quickly. …
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Vinny Warren, Someone Ran Off With Your Concept
The party responsible: 60 Frames. [UPDATE] BusinessWeek spoke to Charles Stone III, the director of the original “Wassup” commercial. Stone says, Budweiser never owned the rights to the idea. He’d originally made it as a short film independent of the brand, and Budweiser had only leased the rights, paying a mere $37,000 for five years of use. Back then, people gave him a hard time about the low price. Now Stone, a …
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