Rueters reports that an old outdoor campaign is being recycled to promote a new documentary film. In an effort to tap into anti-war sentiment, billboards will appear in New York and Los Angeles this month declaring "War Is Over! If You Want It." The statement is not so much political as commercial: independent film distributor Lionsgate is using them to promote its documentary "The U.S. vs. John Lennon," set to open …
Hotel Chain Breaks Away, Seeks Reinvention
According to USA Today, Wyndham Worldwide, which completed its spinoff from Cendant on Tuesday, now plans to bulk up its top hotel brand with better marketing and a new, more consistent look. CEO Stephen Holmes acknowledged that the Wyndham brand has suffered from varying standards at its 87 hotels, all in the USA. The result: Travelers don't know what to expect. To reinvigorate the chain, Wyndham recently tapped …
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Speak Out. Rake In.
San Francisco Chronicle sent a reporter to BlogHer on Saturday. The reporter took note of the growing corporate influence on writers and their blogs. If the word "bloggers" conjures a romantic image -- of fiercely independent writers, untouched by corporate influence -- this may be the convention where that image begins to die. It also may be the convention where the divide between writers who want to pay rent …
Advertising-Supported Restaurant Is A Hoax. For Now.
There are a few "reviews" of The Butter Trough on restaurant-finder websites, and there was a help-wanted ad on Craigslist, but alas, there is no such place. Not yet, at least. From its website: The Butter Trough is the world's FIRST 100% advertisement supported restaraunt. Come down to our Atlanta Facility to enjoy food and fun with friends and family all for free. We are able to bring this great value to YOU, the …
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A Good Picture Of Lee Clow
photo by Stephanie Diani According to Ad Age, Lee Clow will be 63 on Thursday. The article mentions the possibility of retirement, but I find the fact that Clow stands at a large workbench all day, much more intriguing. Hemingway did that. The stand at a desk and work thing. …
Big Black Women On The Commercial Casting Couch
The New York Times takes a closer look today at the increasing use of heavyset black women in ads: This caricature, playing on stereotypes of heavy black women as boisterous and sometimes aggressive, has been showing up for some time in stand-up comedy routines and in movies like “Big Momma’s House’’ and “Diary of a Mad Black Woman.’’ Often, the pieces are produced by directors and writers who are black …
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Women Like Gadgets. Who Knew?
There is no digital divide between the sexes, according to this USA Today article: An Oxygen Network survey released Tuesday found that more than three out of four women said they'd choose the TV over a diamond solitaire necklace. Women preferred a top-of-the-line cellphone to designer shoes by a similar margin. And a little white iPod narrowly trumped a little black dress. These are among the results of the Girls …
“Sticky Eyeballs” Is So Not The Point
New York Times is reporting on a consortium of newspapers working with an online news aggregator, Inform.com, to scan hundreds of news and blog sites and deliver content related to articles appearing on their Web sites, regardless of who published those articles. In other words, they will begin linking to the competition. “Five years ago, everybody said you have to keep readers on your site, with no links out to …
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