Chicagoan Carol Felsenthal is a journalist who writes in-depth magazine articles about political and media figures. She has also written several biographies, including books on Katharine Graham and Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Her new book about Bill Clinton's post presidency, Clinton in Exile: A President Out of the White House, was published by William Morrow/HarperCollins in May. So, why does this successful writer …
Everyone Together Now: PULL!
I’ve spent most of my ad career serving large companies with equally large marketing budgets. These companies invest many millions of dollars pursuing all sorts of push marketing efforts. But that's not my concern at the moment. Recently, I've been realizing how much small businesses mean to me. My friends work in, and own, small businesses. And when these friends ask me about their web site or advertising, I …
Honda On The Power of Failure
Stuart Elliott of The New York Times takes a look at three brand-sponsored documentaries showing now on Honda's Power of Dreams microsite. The webisodes, directed by Derek Cianfrance, are low-key in their promotion of Honda and are polished and absorbing enough to make a viewer (almost) forget they are sponsored shorts, and part of the trend toward branded entertainment. But in this case, one can't (almost) forget, …
Creative People Find Elegant Solutions (It’s Our Job)
Bill Taylor, co-author of Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win with Polly LaBarre, reminds us that tough economic times are also times of innovation. Don't let risky times dull your appetite for taking risk. More then ever, companies and their leaders have to offer a positive alternative to a demoralizing status quo. So why wouldn't you move now to shake up your market and transform your …
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Respect The Channel, Or Be Swept Out To Sea
"Social media." Those two words on a lot of lips today. Gavin Heaton, writing on Servant of Chaos riffs on Gary Vaynerchuck: NOT engaging with your customers via social media creates opportunities for your competitors. And while you may not lose your whole market, you may well lose the high yield, low churn folks who are your bedrock, or you may lose the low yield, high maintenance influencers who help attract a …
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PlaceVine, The Matchmaker
Ads are direct come ons from another century. In the 21st century, brands need to connect through cultural currency. Which is well and good, but brand managers need to know where their next content opportunity lies. Their highly paid advisors may not know. On another front, independent producers are getting their films/projects made, come hell or high water, thanks to production and distribution costs being at an all …
Melrose Is One Bitchy Avenue
The Denver Egotist finds the content on Melrose Jewelers blog particularly offensive. It's a blog like Perez Hilton's that skewers LA gliterati, including Owen Wilson, Lindsay Lohan and others. Simply put, it's lurid content for people who want to flash some high dollar jewels. As a content strategy, it's hard to fault. Even so, I'll stick with my Nixon. …
Dove’s Chinese Soap Opera
China has it's own "Ugly Betty," but her name is Wudi, not Betty. According to The Wall Street Journal, WPP Group PLC's Mindshare, brokered a deal to bring the format to Chinese TV, giving Unilever the right to exclusive ads and product placements during the show, as well as a script built around the company's Chinese reformulation of the campaign for real beauty. "Ugly Wudi," protagonist Lin Wudi, who works at an …
