Seth Godin hit a nerve with his anti-Vegas rant. I've never liked Vegas much. The place seems flimsy and unreal, like a Hollywood set that will be gone tomorrow, after a big dust storm blows it up into Utah. Las Vegas is an epicenter of a trend that is accelerating through every market and community on Earth. A rapid increase in dissatisfaction. If you don't have enough money, you can fix it by gambling. It's okay …
Where The Girls Are
Adweek: Maybelline is launching a Web site Tuesday for its new makeup line, Pure, that takes a novel approach to engaging teenage girls and young women. Instead of focusing on its products, the cosmetics company is taking a page from MySpace's playbook and inviting visitors to create and share content. Built by aQuantive's Avenue A/Razorfish, the site, WhatisPure.com, will debut with polls on issues close to the …
Ikea Feeds The Needy
Der Spiegel: From Munich in the south to Kiel in the north, Ikea is increasingly turning into a welfare center for pensioners, young moms, low-earners and the unemployed. Many low-earners prefer eating in the familiar atmosphere of this temple to consumption to standing in line at the soup kitchen. Indeed, the stigma of poverty is hidden behind the company's cheep and cheerful designs. What started out as an extra …
Refuge For The Officeless
Fast Company: There was a time when "working a hotel" meant fishnets and a miniskirt--now it's a laptop and a cell. Hang out in a hotel lobby or bar, particularly a high-end one, and you're sure to see more people than ever running their entire business operations from a table over in the corner. "With a city-center hotel, it's hard to say who's a hotel guest," says Mark Sergot, director of sales and marketing at the …
Retailers Bait Sportsmen With Mountains Of Gear
USA Today: Millions of anglers, hunters and target shooters are shelling out billions of dollars on gear, from $300 fly-fishing rods to $10,000 shotguns. Outdoor retailers such as Cabela's are expanding nationwide, opening superstores that attract legions of shoppers and tourists. Outdoor trade shows are drawing more exhibitors each year. Many of the enthusiasts are baby boomers in their peak earning years — and …
Continue Reading about Retailers Bait Sportsmen With Mountains Of Gear →
Ernie’s Tempest
Ernie Schenck asked why Hispanics need their own advertising awards show. There have been 39 responses to his question thus far. Here's a segment of one response, from High Jive: I think we need Hispanic shows for many reasons. The first is to generate positive pr for Hispanic agencies. The work being produced in these shops doesn’t get the respect and coverage it deserves. Publications like Advertising Age and …
Fair Trade Adopted By Big Beverage
Common Dreams: Britain's most boycotted company, Nestlé, will attempt to claim the moral high ground today in the battle for "ethical shopping" by becoming the first multi-national to launch a Fair-Trade coffee. In a link with the Fair Trade Foundation, the Swiss food firm announced it will become the first of the big four coffee roasters to agree a "fair price" for farmers who are put into poverty by a glut of …
Power To The Pedal
USA Today: A spike in gasoline prices is fueling what could be the biggest year for U.S. bicycle sales since the Arab oil embargoes more than 30 years ago. "It should be close to 20 million units. If you look back historically, the three best years for bike sales were 1972, 1973, and 1974," Tim Blumenthal, executive director of Bikes Belong, a national coalition of bicycle suppliers and retailers said. Last year's …