Testify. That's what the CEO long shot is all about. The man in charge addresses the lone camera and reassures and convinces all by uttering his precious words aloud. Just by making his thoughts known they become real. CEOs are the best magicians! Here's the leader of Jersey Mike's thanking his franchise owners, not his employees, because he doesn't see them as his employees. The sandwich makers work for the …
Now for the Good News: Here’s A Growing List of Smokin’ Hot Jay Oh Bees
It's Tuesday morning. Depending on your location, it's week three (give or take) of the global and totally unprecedented information worker lockdown. Did you know that as many as 1.5 billion people are working from home today? A handful of these people working from home are creative recruiters. And a handful of that handful have jobs they need to fill. Yes, now. In the midst of deep concerns about the future …
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Many Media Companies Now Reeling from Sudden Loss of Advertising Revenue
Earlier this year, when the Oracle of Omaha said that newspapers are toast, he wasn't kidding. “They’re going to disappear,” the Oracle said. He didn't know that COVID-9 was about to make a bad situation much worse, but he did know that the industry was hanging by the thinnest of threads. In the United States, we have lost almost 1,800 papers since 2004, including more than 60 dailies and 1,700 weeklies. Today, …
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Ford Motor Company Wants To “Help Take Care of You”
Ford Motor Co. is "built to lend a hand." That's what the car maker's new information-rich ad campaign says. For instance, did you know that Ford Service centers are essential to your community and still open? We need our cars and trucks, even if we can't go anywhere in them. https://youtu.be/F0x1PDIklkE Ford is also dangling discounts during this economic crisis. For qualified buyers who use Ford credit to …
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Chaco Retrofits Factory Operations, Is Now Sewing and Donating Protective Masks
Chaco, the outdoor lifestyle footwear brand, has shifted the focus of its Michigan-based ReChaco factory and mobile factory bus from sandal repairs and product customization to the production of face masks and other critical protective equipment needed by healthcare and other first responders working through the COVID-19 pandemic. After Michigan issued a statewide stay at home order on March 23, 2020, Chaco moved …
Alt-Weeklies Are Sinking Quickly to the Bottom of the Dead Newspapers Pile
Alternative weeklies--our city's free arts and entertainment newspapers--are facing untenable marketplace conditions today. The papers rely on advertising revenue from bars, restaurants, movie theaters, and retail stores. Given that all of the above are temporarily closed for business, there is next to no ad revenue coming in the door today. Joshua Benton at NeimanLab paints the situation like …
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Ad Biz Is Facing Dire Outlooks for 2020 Revenue, New Business, and Jobs
How are you feeling about the future of your agency and your job? Or if you're primarily an independent contractor, what is your outlook? I am hearing anecdotally from friends in the business that things look pretty bleak on the horizon. Then there are the press reports to weigh, which I will now do... Let's start with the NY Post: The coronavirus pandemic could slash as much as $3 billion from advertising …
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Anheuser-Busch Makes Emergency Response to COVID-19 Pandemic
Bud Light wants to help America's bars and restaurants survive. To help consumers locate bars and restaurants across the country that are #OpenForTakeout, the brewer is launching a new resource at BudLight.com/OpenForTakeout. Bar and restaurant owners and operators can sign up now and be listed soon. I don't know what percentage of the brand's sales are on-premise, but I am sure it's high. Marketers are …
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McCann Colombia’s Truth Well Told: Save Yourself for Romance
Loneliness. Along with the spread of deadly disease, and the global economic impacts from the spread, loneliness is a real problem. The following public service announcement illustrates the hard truths of our situation today—if you're dating, and you do not live together, you can look (and smile and sext and so on) but you can't touch. https://youtu.be/WkcWCiUF368 McCann Worldgroup Colombia is asking …
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To Survive the Adpocalypse, Run All the Scenarios and Act with Humility
People who make advertising their profession are often optimistic and idealistic. I think this is a great way to be, as long as it doesn't cloud your vision. There is a time for optimism and a time for realistic assessments of reality. And pandemic or no, clouded thinking mixed with delusions of grandeur are bad for business. Gartner Suggests Holistic Planning Here's a dose of clear thinking from my friend …
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