Vinny Warren, a founder and partner of The Escape Pod, is the man. When he was at DDB/Chicago he helped bring urban slang to the mouths of millions via Bud Light's now world famous "Whazzup" campaign. At his own agency he's pulling some equally funny (and effective) "Penny Pranks" for OfficeMax. He's also been a fan of AdPulp for a long time, and hey, we like people who like us! So, drum roll please... Q. You're …
13 Ideas To Transform Advertising
My friend Bob Hoffman of Hoffman/Lewis in San Francisco decided to have some fun with the 4As recent call to converse (that Danny G. mentioned a few days ago). Hoffman decided he didn't need a conversation--a word he hates to hear in the context of marketing--to transform the business. Instead, he offers up his very own list of actions to be taken at once. 10 Ideas For Transforming Advertising 1. No cranberry bagels …
WKE Is A Pure Entertainment Play. My Advice: Dirty It Up.
Aaron Mesh of Portland alt weekly, Willamette Week, spent several weeks putting together a cover story on Wieden + Kennedy Entertainment (WKE), the division of the agency that sees itself as a budding north-of-Hollywood studio. It's a long story, but here's the heart of the matter: What it lacks is a business model. The project turns upside down the calculation that guides most advertising production: Instead of …
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Spotlight On NW Creative: Dave Selden’s Fleas
Dave Selden is Design Director at Pop Art and he has some advice for how to present a design portfolio, but the advice is applicable beyond design. Selden also recounts his migration story (he's from Iowa). When I moved to Portland in 2001 without a job, it was in pretty tough economic times. Most agencies were laying off designers, and I didn't know anyone. To stand out, I put together a gimicky little web site …
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W+K Sheds Its Skin
Wieden + Kennedy launched a new agency self-promo Web site today. I found the above video therein, along with another one from WKE called "Don't Move Here" about Portland's music scene. Another oddity is the banner ad for Anthem Records, and the disclaimer copy, "Unpaid Advertisement" that runs beneath it. I wonder how one goes about "buying" free ad space on WK.com. …
“You Get What You Pay For” Is An Adage For A Reason
Jim Edwards at BNET wrote some things recently meant to provoke and provoke his words have. Edwards rebuts Jonah Bloom's recent attack on the procurement officer. "The idea that clients will turn away from trying to save money on advertising because Ad Age declares it to be untrendy is, of course, ridiculous," he writes. Edwards then goes on to suggest some interesting ways for brands to save money. Why are you …
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Where Your Competition Is Weak, Be Strong
When you start a new company you need an edge, a point of difference, a calling card. You need something to sell that's better than what the next guy is selling. Matt Thompson of startup agency Indigo Sky in London thinks he has all that. "There is a knowledge gap in the UK of US digital marketing innovations like video ad networks, cookie exchanges and search re-targeting and it's our intention to fill that gap," he …
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Spotlight On NW Creative: Executives In Residence at U of O
Rishad Tobaccowala and Simon Mainwaring were in Eugene last week as part of the Executives in Residence program at the University of Oregon School of Journalism. According to Ad Age, Tobaccowala and Mainwaring spent three days working with students in seminars, workshops and meetings with faculty. Here's a video the students shot of Mainwaring: I like how near the end of this segment he says it's sometimes necessary …
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