Crispin Porter + Bogusky's new work for Microsoft is on the air and being written about by The Wall Street Journal, among others. The Journal found someone to bash it: "Despite this attempt to be cool, the commercial does nothing to change Microsoft's brand image, says Leslie Smolan, chief strategy officer at Carbone Smolan Agency, a New York-based branding firm. "It's big, it's got deep pockets -- certainly deep …
I Am Cow, Hear Me Moo
It's been 13 years since I last lived in Portland. So, I have some catching up to do. Who works where? What accounts are most notable? Where is there an opportunity for a guy like me? These are the kinds of questions I seek answers to. Which leads me to Portland Ad Fed's well put together site. I've been using it to get up to speed on things. Like this print ad from Livengood Nowack, for instance: Thanks to …
Sears Tries To Be All It Can Be
The military look is back in, if you shop at Sears, that is. From Ad Age: Sears, Roebuck & Co. has signed a deal with the U.S. Army to launch the All American Army Brand's First Infantry Division clothing collection. It marks the first time the U.S. Army has officially licensed its marks and insignias; licensing fees will be used to support military programs for troops and their families. The collection aims to …
No Need
In 2005, the pharmaceutical industry spent more than $4 billion on direct-to-consumer advertising. But according to a study out today from Harvard Medical School researchers, the ads have no impact on sales. So, can we let the doctors prescribe the pills? And how about passing the money saved on advertising back to the consumer? I know it's a lot to ask. [via Marketplace] …
When Opportunity Knocks, Get The Door
Burgerville's customers are hooked on the regional chain's veggie burger. When Kellogg's, which owns Gardenburger, issued a voluntary recall, Burgerville customers were bumming. But thanks to the ingenuity of Chez Gourmet, a small Oregon-based outfit that went from making 3,000 veggie patties a week to producing over ten times that amount, things in Veggie Burgerville are copacetic. According to Marketplace, Marie …
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This McCain Is Rich…In Sodium and Potassium
When your brand shares the same name as a Presidential candidate, why not take advantage of it? That's what McCain Foods is doing: McCain Foods, a Canadian package-food company that has languished in American freezer aisles for years, has decided it's time for a change -- at least in frozen potatoes. McCain and Chicago-based agency Schafer Condon Carter decided on "Why McCain should be in the White House." The …
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The Brits Get Their Soviet On
New work from Publicis/London and Psyop: …
Advertising’s Role In The Mortgage Crisis
Today's New York Times features an article that pulls no punches in suggesting that in recent years, more aggressive advertising prodded consumers to take out risky home equity loans: “Live Richly.” That catchy slogan, dreamed up by the Fallon Worldwide advertising agency, was pitched in 1999 to executives at Citicorp who were looking for a way to lure Americans to financial products like home equity loans. But some …
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