We might all thank (or blame) Soprano's writer and executive producer, Matthew Weiner, for injecting some Hollywood-style glam into our industry's sagging self-image. I mean just look what he did for New Jersey and gangsters. His new series "Mad Men" will premiere on AMC in July. The show takes place in 1960 at Sterling Cooper, a fictional Madison Avenue ad agency. Marc E. Babej and Tim Pollak, writing for Forbes say …
Bud.TV In The Shop For Repairs
When you go to market with a new product or a new campaign for that matter, you have one chance to make a first impression. Which leaves Anheuser-Busch in a quandry as it seeks to fix Bud.tv. According to Brandweek, A-B is in the process of adding shorter videos and the brewer wants to make its Bud.tv programming more edgy. This, despite an acknowledgment from St. Louis that the site didn’t draw even enough traffic …
Casting Call
Download this file if you and a creative partner would like to compete for a spot on Oxygen's new show, "Adfight." On the show, two-person teams will vie for the chance to have their work showcased on national TV. Casting Director, Danielle Barba, says the show will be shot toward the end of June. The time commitment is 3-5 days. Teams have until June 8th to submit their credentials/applications. …
Asheville Asks Americans To Step Out Of The Office
Roy McCrerey is an Atlanta-based actor who was recenly hired by Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau to star in its "Five Day Weekend" campaign. McCrerey told the Atalanta Constitution Journal that he only works two days a week. Actors... "In my dream world, the jerk boss is going to be the guy who makes you come in on Wednesdays," said McCrerey Maybe our message is a little crazy, but my response to that is our …
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MySpace Reality
The Wall Street Journal (paid sub. req.) is reporting on reality TV kingpin Mark Burnett's latest foray on the interwebs. MySpace.com and reality show producer Mark Burnett said today they will produce a political reality show that will appear on the social-networking site and also seek a network television slot. Dubbed "Independent," the reality series pits would-be politicians in a competition for a $1 million …
Jewel Can’t Drive 55
USA Today looks at one of my favorite topics—the explosion of content solutions brought to client tables by agencies. Gillette is producing an ABC prime-time reality series starring the group of NASCAR drivers — dubbed the "Young Guns" — who are featured in its TV ads and online. Gillette is a NASCAR sponsor for each driver and his race team. Gillette's ad agency, BBDO New York, came up with the idea for a reality …
Sex Sells Science
Adrants reports that Amanda Congdon is shilling for DuPont. On her blog, Amanda says, "I see nothing wrong with doing commercials." She apparently felt the need to defend herself, after Huffington Post wrote this headline about her: ABC Videocaster Congdon Caught Working For DuPont On The Side. …
From 30 Seconds To 30 Minutes
The line between advertising and content becomes thinner by the day. Here's today's example from Variety. Winner for most unusual piece of development this pilot season goes to ABC, which has turned a series of quirky Geico commercials into an actual half-hour comedy project. "Cavemen" will revolve around three pre-historic men who must battle prejudice as they attempt to live as normal thirtysomethings in modern …
