USA TODAY: The world's biggest chipmaker said Thursday it will scrap its 37-year-old logo and well-known tagline as part of a major rebranding that will emphasize its shift away from its core PC business and into consumer products. The original Intel logo featuring a lowered "e" will be replaced with one showing an oval swirl surrounding the company's name. The phrase "Leap ahead" will supplant "Intel Inside," which …
AT&T Promises To Deliver
NYT: AT&T became the country's largest phone company in November when SBC Communications, one of the original seven Baby Bells, bought AT&T, the old Ma Bell. Having absorbed its former parent and taken its name, executives at SBC are introducing a sweeping campaign to highlight the company's new aspirations. The challenge is to refresh the venerable AT&T name, which in recent years has been better known for corporate …
Time For Someone Else To Make The Donuts
From the AP: Michael Vale, the actor best known for portraying sleepy-eyed Fred the Baker in Dunkin' Donuts commercials, has died at age 83. Ads featuring Fred, who uttered the trademark line "Time to make the doughnuts," ran for 15 years until Vale retired in 1997. The same campaign for 15 years? Good lord. These days, campaigns barely last 15 weeks. R.I.P., Michael. …
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Suspend Disbelief For The Holidays
Freelance Fred thinks Lexus is stretching a bit with its buy-your-honey-a-new-car spot. t’is the season to hallucinate I’ve read reports that the average American will spend under $700 this year for everyone on his or her Christmas list. And yet, the marketing people at Lexus seem to feel that some of us will go out and drop 40 thousand bucks on a Lexus for the significant other, and judging from the commercials, …
Taggin’ Joy Zee
According to The New York Times, New Jersey's acting Governor Richard J. Codey unveiled the top five entries for New Jersey's tourism slogan last week and asked state residents to vote for their favorite. The five finalists - "New Jersey: Expect the Unexpected;" "New Jersey: Love at First Sight;" "New Jersey: Come See for Yourself;" "New Jersey: The Real Deal" and "New Jersey: The Best Kept Secret" - were chosen by …
Albertson’s Chooses To Hold
USA TODAY: Albertson's is no longer considering a sale of the entire company, officials said late Thursday after CVS and other potential suitors withdrew from talks. The nation's second-largest grocery store company said it will continue talks with "several parties" interested in buying its underperforming divisions. Dave Parker, Albertson's vice president of investor relations, said in a telephone interview that the …
Microsoft Dumps Its “Problem Child”
Ending a partnership that soured long ago, Microsoft and NBC announced yesterday that they would dissolve their joint ownership of the cable news channel MSNBC, with NBC taking control. NBC has completed a deal to assume majority control of the channel immediately, with an 82 percent stake, and it will become the sole owner within two years, NBC executives said yesterday. The two companies did not disclose financial …
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Coke Pours On The Details About Its New Ad Campaign
A couple of snippets from a larger story in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Coke will debut a host of commercials on New Year's Eve. Instead of a traditional tagline, each spot ends with a red-and-white graphic image of a Coke bottle, along with the sound of a soft drink being opened and poured. The spots all have a humorous element but nothing too edgy. The company, as it tries to revive sales of its core soft …
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