Business 2.0 named Toyota the Smartest Company of Year. With good reason: the Prius, the Scion and its marketing campaign, even something that other car companies take for granted--a minivan. But, I can't read all about it without a paid subscription. $6.99 for the year. $4.99 for six issues. Which leads me to ask, "Why is a magazine with a bleeding edge name like "Business 2.0" holding back the free flow of …
Split Open And Melt
from NY Times: Sun Microsystems said Tuesday that its Solaris 10 operating system would soon be available on an open-source basis, a move the company hopes will help counter the perception that its technology is too proprietary and pricier than the competition. The decision means the software will be free and that programmers outside Sun will be able to customize and improve it. The company, based in Santa Clara, …
Bud Still Struggling To Find Taste
from Adweek: Anheuser-Busch considered running a spot during this year's upcoming Super Bowl that parodies Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction" that took place during the halftime show of last year's game, but decided against it after consultation with Fox and NFL officials. "We basically came to the conclusion at the same time" that the commercial, created by Omnicom Group's DDB in New York, resurrected …
“Hype” Er Text
Yesterday, I wrote this comment on Tom Asacker's blog. "There's so much evangelizing of blogs (by bloggers) right now, it makes me wonder if it's authentic exuberance or defensive posturing." Tom replied to me via e-mail. "I think it is authentic, perhaps just as Heaven's Gate members were being authentic." I too have been thinking about the cultish nature of bloggers. Over at Johnnie Moore's place I recently …
Guerillas Adopted By Toronto Shop
Bensimon-Byrne, a Toronto agency working on Molson, Scotia Bank and Ottawa Renegades, among other accounts, have hired Brendan Watson and Jana Ranjitkumar as a creative team. After meeting with David Rosenberg, creative director at Bensimon-Byrne, Brendan and Jana followed up by baking and delivering a cookie in the shape of the "flying-H" Hyundai logo, an account the shop was in the process of pitching. The …
Can You Relate?
by San Grewal and Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star: It's not enough for a company to just sell you a product any more. The goal is for you to live the lifestyle any given product is supposed to represent …
On-Star Announcement In Pieces
"This is the last time you will ever have to feel alone on our nation's roadways." GM's Find The Message consumer promotion is in the news because a hacker broke the Wheel of Fortune-like code, spoiling the game for the rest of us. Big whoop. The "period" in Times Square I like this promotion. It's a teaser campaign where one word (or punctuation) is revealed on outdoor boards in cities across the US. The web …
See No Evil
from Middle East Online: British Muslim activists have stepped up a campaign to deface or rip down advertising billboards featuring scantily-clad women in communities with large numbers of Muslims. Ads for perfume, hair dye, bras and television programs are among those that have been attacked. Photographs of semi-dressed women are the most frequently targeted, with the offending body parts painted over or ripped …