If you work in or pay attention to advertising, it helps to have an appreciation for irony. This New York Times article, for instance, demands it. Consumer cynicism is a topic of great interest to Amanda Helm, an instructor of marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. In connection with her research, she has conducted in-depth interviews with about two dozen consumers on the subject and has looked …
Using Advertising To Make Art
Ad people hitting on all cylinders may or may not be making art--we could debate the point for years--what it clear is that artists are increasingly making art from advertising. Rodney White, a visual artist living in Brooklyn, is one such artist. Look at this brilliant composition and use of type (to say nothing of the messaging): White descibes the inspiration for his pieces: I see things everywhere and everyday …
This Is Fucking Funny
Care of Transnationalblueblood …
Sellin’ It
RestrictionsApply at Why Advertising Sucks sees just how pathetic we who toil away in advertising are. We, the industry as a whole, are perhaps the only people who collectively hate what we do for a living, where each day is a living hell. There is no evidence of job satisfaction. Sure, there is no perfect job, but everyone who doesn’t work in this industry just seems happier. Which begs the question; Just who the …
You Stink So Good
Earlier this week, it was the makers of PLAY-DOH tapping into the power of scent. Today we have the makers of pungent cheese doing the same. From the Telegraph: The makers of Stilton have come up with a unique way of promoting their pungent blue cheese - a Stilton-scented perfume. Eau de Stilton will, apparently, "re-create the earthy and fruity aroma of Blue Stilton cheese in an eminently wearable perfume". It …
One Brand, One Story
Randall Rothenberg, director of intellectual capital at Booz Allen Hamilton, and author of Where The Suckers Moon on the promise (mostly unfulfilled) of integrated marketing. Why listen to Web wizards on integration? Because the medium has a naturally integrative function. As long ago as 1999, graphic design gurus Bill Drenttel and Jessica Helfand were showing clients that corporate Web sites, simply because of the …
Struggling For The Right Word
Imagine how hard copywriters would work if the ads they created became more expensive by the word. Consider the following on real estate classified ads from New York Daily News: Luxury is out. Old-World Elegance is in. As the city's real estate market slows, even the want ads must work harder. Brokers are freshening up their verbiage and pumping up the volume in newspaper and Internet ads. Luxury is one of the words …
Bud-B-Que
The Budweiser name will soon be on a line of non-alcoholic barbecue sauces that rolls out in July, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Anheuser-Busch Cos. hopes the sauces will strengthen the link between Budweiser and a favorite American cooking style, while heightening brand loyalty during the key beer-selling season. The recipes were cooked up by brewer's culinary team at the upscale Kingsmill Resort in …