I wouldn't say Los Angeles is the friendliest of American cities, but 180 Amsterdam seems to be making a place for itself. According to Adweek, the agency is settling in to their Santa Monica digs (above a yoga studio). Last fall, the consumer electronics giant Sony awarded its U.S. business to the agency, which is teaming up on the account with BBDO. This was the incentive 180 needed to expand, and in early 2007, it …
Channel Marketing Capabilities Adds $400 Mil To Burnett’s Billings
You may have heard that automotive behemoth General Motors shifted its Buick and GMC truck advertising accounts to Leo Burnett without a review. Sun Times ad columnist, Lewis Lazare, says it wasn't a creative decision, although he despises McCann Erickson's new tagline for Buick, "Drive Beautiful." In fact, Lazare calls the line "horrendously stupid." Rather, GM wanted to establish Buick, Pontiac and GMC in one …
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What Do You Do When You Don’t Get Paid For Freelance Work?
Okay, here's an open question for all of you. I did some freelance work for an ad agency late last year. Two separate jobs for $900 apiece. I was paid for one, but not the other. I have the agency's PO issued for the unpaid job, dated January of this year. I have been steadily (once every two weeks or so) inquiring and emailing to the accounting department (and occasionally to an account person who deals with this …
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One Green Egg Leads To Another
Egg in Seattle is one agency committed to making a difference in the world. The focus of their work is on sustainable brands, but they're also putting plans in place to reduce their own footprint. Our goals: full carbon neutrality for our agency, and carbon-neutral print advertisement and website development options for our clients. Kevin Wilhelm, of Innovative Strategies, a sustainability consulting firm, paid a …
Stale Category Gets Action-Packed Injection
According to a spokesperson from Springer & Jacoby International in Amsterdam, the shop has positioned themselves as "a sparring partner to clients, helping and challenging them to overcome their own brand's conventions. In this vein, the agency worked up a rebranding campaign for Atradius - one of the world's leading credit insurers. The new campaign concentrates on the freedom that credit insurance provides, and …
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I Think I’m Turning Japanese, I Really Think So
The Wall Street Journal shines its light on the Japanese ad market, showing just how closely held it is by the Japanese themselves. Recognizing this fact has led some international players like TBWA to invent new structures that work within Japanese business culture, instead of the lame (if not imperialist) "If it works in the U.S. it'll work here too" approach. For years, Western advertising agencies have had a hard …
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A Banner Ad For A Copywriting Job?
Can't say I can recall seeing a banner ad like this before. Partners+Simons in Boston is looking for a copywriter. And on some parts of Adweek.com, they've got a banner ad on the site just to advertise the one job opening. Wow. Back in 2002, they'd have had a million folks applying right away. What's going on in the job market in this industry these days? …
A Diverse Set Of Problems
Seems that nearly everything I've read lately has focused on the need to communicate one-on-one with consumers, engage them, have a conversation with them. Is that at all possible with mass marketing? Let’s try an experiment. I want you to form a mental image of “Joe Sixpack.” Advertising people talk about “Joe Sixpack” all the time. But what does he look like? Picture him in your mind. Look away from the screen …
