Remember the guy from Arizona who built his own furniture from FedEx boxes? FedEx sued him for improper use of their packaging. Now, we have a new case of improper use of packaging. Two MIT students built a raft made from Gatorade bottles and paddled it across the the Charles River. After getting Gatorade's attention, they received a nice letter and some coupons—a much better repsonse than litigation. However, this …
Everyday Hero Takes AOL To Task
In the Age of Consumer Empowerment (made possible by millions of interlinked communications devices), companies that continue to practice draconion customer service will not only be outed, they will be forced to change, or face extinction. click for the You Tube video While watching Keith Olberman on MSNBC last night, I learned about one such customer's encounter with a customer service agent from AOL that made me …
As Good As Radio Gets
There's a ton of crap in the iTunes podcast directory. Which makes it all the more pleasing to find a truly great program. etown, produced by Nick and Helen Forster in front of a live audience in Boulder, Colorado is among the best of the best. Michelle Shocked and Nick Forster (of Hot Rize fame) Hopefully, you can hear the show on your local radio station. I tune in Sunday night at 8:00 thanks to Wave 104.9. Now, …
iPod Hubris Foreshadows Fall?
What happens to mega-brands that leave competitors in the dust? Bob Gilbreath, former brand manager of P&G's Mr. Clean and self-styled evangelist of Competition, thinks that they can falter and ultimately fail when their power becomes absolute. Here's his take on the ubiquitous iPod: Today, as Apple is celebrating its success and the failure of challengers with a flurry of hit TV commercials, the company is …
TV Ad Spending Continues To Grow (Despite It’s Its Rumored Demise)
TV ad spending is alive and well. Most of the spots consumers are asked to suffer through still suck, but that's not a deterrent to brands wishing to reach a mass audience. According to USA Today: Industry consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers — encouraged by the spread of digital and high-definition TV sets — is boosting its forecast for TV ad sales in the new edition out Wednesday of its annual, widely cited five-year …
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Unsexy CPGs Are Strongest Brands
The strongest brand in America is Reynolds Wrap, according to a Harris Interactive poll. Ad Age reports: Reynolds topped such icons as Coke, Pepsi and McDonald's. It blew away the ubiquitous Nike. It outclassed Mercedes and Lexus. It left the hip iPod in the dust. None of those brands even cracked the top 10, which was heavy on unsexy package-goods staples in commodity categories. Three of the top-10 brands belong …
Hybrid News Source Launches
In order to appeal to lunchtime and evening commuters wanting a print-based update of the day's events, The Guardian will begin to offer eight to 12-page PDF documents for download. G24 will be a free service featuring news content from the Guardian Unlimited website across five subject areas: general news, international, economics, sport and media. According to MIT's AdverLab the paper will insert ads into the …
I’m A Mac
Seth Stevenson looks at Apple's new ad campaign for Slate: Directed by Phil Morrison, the campaign is a marvel of clarity and simplicity. No slogans. No video effects. No voice-overs. And lots of clean, white space. It's like a bath of cool mineral water when these ads come on after a string of garish, jam-packed spots for other products. Stevenson goes on to say why he does not like the campaign. Read his piece if …
