So it turns out Brownie wasn't doing "a heck of a job" after all. Simply put, the news coverage of Hurricane Katrina showed us that if PR or advertising initiatives don't take reality into account, they won't work. When the gloriously badass Lt. General Russel Honore rolled into New Orleans to oversee military operations a couple of weeks ago, he was asked why the response took so long. "This is a disaster," he said. …
No New Ideas
Frederik Samuel kindly points out that Quark's new logo is already in market, but sadly it belongs to another entity. Oops. …
Dude, Dell’s No Longer Bitchin’
First Jeff Jarvis launches an all out assualt on Dell. Now Sun Microsystems is getting in to the act. Sun Censored but Not Silent Top business publications refused to run our bold ad concepts because the headlines were thought too controversial. At Sun, we're the radical engineers that build "ass-whoopin" technology - we're not Miss Manners and we never want to be. We ask all you contrarians out there to e-mail us …
Not The Same Old News
The New York Times: The biggest problem in the newspaper industry is capturing readers between 18 and 34 years old, and now The Associated Press is looking to tackle that problem head on. On Monday, the 157-year-old wire service is to start its "younger audience service," offering articles and "experiences" in multimedia formats, with audio, video, blogs and wireless text aimed at reaching readers between 18 and 34 …
Change My Oil Dave
USA Today: In its quest to make cars more like futuristic computer Hal 9000, OnStar, General Motors' in-car telecommunications system, now will give owners e-mail updates from their vehicles reporting problems or reminding about maintenance needs, officials said Tuesday. The service will tell car owners how long they have until they need to change the oil, whether the air bags are working, how the anti-lock braking …
American Knows Why You Fly. That’s Comforting.
I like to see Lewis Lazare upset by a weak ad campaign. Seriously, it's a fun way to start the day. Much as it pains us to say so, American Airlines is sticking with the mantra "We Know Why You Fly" that the carrier introduced a year ago in an ad campaign from TM Advertising in Irving, Texas. In a hugely disappointing new television, print and Internet ad campaign breaking today, American purports to build on the …
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A Casting Call For Account Advisors
Ernie Schenck turned his CA column over to Neil French this issue. The results are hilarious and didactic. There’s a Confucian saying that “he who asks humbly teaches how to refuse.” Well, “submitting” ads for approval is demanding refusal plus a damn good hiding, in my view. And while we’re meandering down this side-road, why do agencies bang on about “serving” their clients? (Account people are in “client service” …
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Panicast
Widespread Panic is podcasting, or Panicasting, as the case may be. Their first effort is a discussion between bass player Dave Schools and lead guitarist George McConnell. The 56-minute segment also includes live and unreleased music from the band's recent Dallas, TX performance. Click here for the iTunes link. Or here if you want to grab the file off the band's site. …
