According to The Syndey Morning Herald, the man in the bear suit just banked $200,000--ten times what a "normal" photog might earn--for a Lee Jeans campaign. Terry Richardson, known for "louche imagery that blurs the lines between photography and pornography," gets this kind of cash, because the competition is incredibly stiff in denim at the moment. Richard Bell, the marketing manager for Lee's parent, Icon …
Sex Sells…Condos?
The New York Times calls attention to some racy techniques to sell condos: The Developers Group, a sales and marketing firm, first departed from the tried and tame in January with an advertisement for the Hudson Condominiums near the Time Warner Center, which showed an image of the 20-story building accompanied by the statement: “You Know Where You Can Stick Your Bonus.” The firm’s partners, who are all younger than …
Advertising As Cocktail Party: The Metaphor
Writing in BusinessWeek, Steve McKee offers a way of looking at advertising that I thought about a long time ago, but I don't think I ever wrote down. Think about how you relate to most ads you see. You expect them to focus on themselves. You expect them to be loud. You expect them to tell you what they want you to hear, rather than focusing on what's interesting to you. Most ads act like someone with bad manners at …
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How’s Your Narrative Coming?
Ad Age has a piece on storytelling's place in the marketing wheel. Storytelling in a business context is not about telling stories just for the sake of it. Rather, as rational and physical features are becoming easier to imitate, authentic storytelling is becoming a growing source of competitive power. All companies have authentic raw material: genuine, real-life episodes that can be used in the continuous …
This Land Was Hand-Crafted For You And Me
AdPulp has readers around the world, so forgive me if this comes across a little too insider-American, but July 4th is our Independence day. And it occurred to me that nothing's more American than advertising. We live in a land where anybody can stand in front of a camera dressed up like George Washington, cherry tree in the background and say, “I cannot tell a lie. I’m chopping prices on all sofas and loveseats in …
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The Live 30-Second Spot
If people won't watch ads on TV, perhaps opera enthusiasts and theatregoers can be forced to watch them on stage. They are, after all, "captive audiences." Check out this twist on a dying media, as reported today by the New York Times. No, to answer your question, there is nothing sacred. The advertisement, which is itself advertised as the world's first live theatrical commercial, is a creation of Visit London, a …
Hurt Me. Whip Me. Make Me Write Bad Ads.
If you've ever longed for the Good Ol' Days of Advertising, take a look at these ads featuring corporal punishment. [Via Pull My Finger.] …
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Consumer Generated Content? Or Fine Art?
Mac users, on a good day, may well think of their machine and its operating system as a working piece of art. Playful Painter, an Indianapolis artist and blogger, has created a series of oil paintings geared to appeal to Mac users with this mindset. The current bid on eBay for the painting above is $356. [via Pogue's Posts] …
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Using Advertising To Make Art
Ad people hitting on all cylinders may or may not be making art--we could debate the point for years--what it clear is that artists are increasingly making art from advertising. Rodney White, a visual artist living in Brooklyn, is one such artist. Look at this brilliant composition and use of type (to say nothing of the messaging): White descibes the inspiration for his pieces: I see things everywhere and everyday …
Paul Arden Writes Again
Strolling through a Barnes & Noble today, a familiar, yet odd look caught my eye: Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite is the latest book by former Saatchi & Saatchi Creative Director Paul Arden, whose book "It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be" was quite a word-of-mouth success when it came out. …