According to Ad Age, "On the Road Again ... Spain," a new show from PBS starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Mario Batali, New York Times food critic Mark Bittman and Spanish actress/singer Claudia Bassols, will be sponsored by Chipotle Mexican Grill. The deal marks Chipolte's maiden voyage into TV. Jim Adams, the chain's exec VP-marketing, said it was important Chipotle's sponsorship be more of an alignment of marketing …
Citi’s Looking for a Revival
According to The Wall Street Journal, Publicis reached into the archives for Citigroup. Beginning this weekend, Citigroup will kick off a global ad campaign that reprises the tagline "The Citi Never Sleeps," which made its debut in 1978. In digging into its marketing vault, Citi is engaging in the popular ad strategy of using a familiar catchphrase as a tonic during periods of economic and other uncertainty. (but) …
Life Imitates Idiocracy
In today's New York Times Magazine, "Consumed" columnist Rob Walker takes a look at the real-life marketing of Brawndo, which was made up for the movie "Idiocracy." This happened not because of a movie-studio marketing brainstorm. It happened because of an “Idiocracy” fan in Oakland named Pete Hottelet. A graphic designer with very particular pop-culture tastes, Hottelet has started a business devoted to bringing to …
A Classic Case Of Non User-Centric Design
Last week, Microsoft reported a 24% decline in Windows sales in the third quarter. According to USA Today, Vista, Microsoft's new operating system, is getting hammered in the press and corporate buyers are refusing to upgrade from XP. Hence, the poor numbers. Microsoft rebuilt Windows from scratch to create Vista, which has a dazzling interface and improved security tools. But so much computing power is required to …
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The Real Marlboro Man Could Use Some Support
Luis Sinco/LA Times The above image, taken on November 9, 2004 has since appeared in more than 150 publications worldwide. It's also earned the subject, Blake Miller, the moniker "Marlboro Man." According to Rolling Stone: Overnight, the photo made Miller an unwitting icon, a symbol of the indomitable spirit of U.S. troops, the heroism and virility of the American fighter. The New York Post ran the shot — later …
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Arby’s Eats Wendy’s Lunch
Los Angeles Times is on top of breaking news in QSR land. The owner of Arby's said today it is buying Wendy's International Inc. in an all-stock deal worth $2.34 billion that comes after the burger chain's board rejected at least two earlier offers by the company. Triarc Companies Inc., which is owned by billionaire investor Nelson Peltz, will pay about $26.78 per share for the company, which has about 87 million …
Just Turn Your Head…Uh…Cockeyed To The Left
And see if you can spot what's peculiar about this logo for the UK Office of Government And Commerce. …
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Where’s That Disembodied Voice That Comforts Me So?
Olay for You, an online product- recommendation program that's attracted more than a million visitors since January, is getting some play in Ad Age. I'll give it some more here because I like to see online initiatives with offline legs. Wal-Mart Stores has begun testing an in-store version of Olay for You via kiosks in stores, marking the latest of several efforts in which offline retailers are looking to tap the …
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