"Advertisers are the interpreters of our dreams — Joseph interpreting for Pharaoh. Like the movies, they infect the routine futility of our days with purposeful adventure. Their weapons are our weaknesses: fear, ambition, illness, pride, selfishness, desire, ignorance. And these weapons must be kept as bright as a sword." -E.B. White, "Truth in Advertising," The New Yorker So begins The Happy Soul Industry, by …
Brands Forced To Learn New Customs
That the web is a revolutionary medium, goes without saying today. But James Cherkoff's thinking may lead one to say it, regardless. Many big brands are shocked to discover that their fame is almost irrelevant online. Checkoff says brand's offline fame must be "exchanged into local currency that is instantly recognised, trusted and circulated" and that they way to do that is let people remake it in the web's …
Making A Mark at Vitamin Water
Vitamin Water has a concept store in the UK, where the lowly internet message board is put to use in an an elevated experiential setting. In other words, consumers can write down what they think on the wall after trying a certain flavor. No word on how often the wall is wiped clean or how long it takes to fill with commentary. [via The Denver Egotist] …
Software Developers Are Hooked On Iterations
TechCrunchIT has a thought piece by Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of salesforce.com, wherein he makes clear his vision for Web 3.0. Web 3.0 is about replacing existing software platforms with a new generation of platforms as a service. To put Web 3.0 into perspective, we need to look at all of the major waves in the history of the Web. Web 1.0: Anyone Can Transact Web 2.0: Anyone Can Participate Web 3.0: Anyone Can …
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Today in Twitterverse: Newspapers in 140 Characters or Less
Biz at Twitter points to this excellent resource, detailing the use of Twitter by newspapers around the nation. I have to say, I enjoy updates from funny and interesting people, but many things I see in my feed are worthless. Not so, when the update is from a newspaper. Thanks to this list, I just added @oregonian, @latimesbiz, @statesman and @denverpost. …
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A Classic Misdirection
Zuji, a Travelocity company operating in Asian markets, introduced an affordable line of packaged goods so people would have money left over to take a vacation. This idea checks a lot of boxes: smart; memorable; utilitarian; etc. [via Cherry Flava] …
Diplomacy in the Ring (seems like an oxymoron, but isn’t)
"Diplomacy is not weakness," said Kate Walsh, the star of “Private Practice” on ABC and a member of a dissident faction with Screen Actors Guild. The New York Times has more on struggles at SAG, but I'd like to linger on Walsh's thinking. The great struggle of my ad career has been diplomacy, because frankly, I feel like I'm holding myself back from slugging it out on a regular basis. What I've learned is my ability …
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Hyper-Targeted Out of Home
Get through to Oprah (or her producers) and you just might reach millions with your story, product or service. According to Ad Age, a Pennsylvania animal shelter managed exactly that in its ongoing crusade against puppy mills. Last spring, Main Line Animal Rescue bought a billboard four blocks from Harpo, Ms. Winfrey's Chicago studio. The show's producers quickly contacted the shelter and enlisted its help in a …
