NYT: Companies will soon have to buy the electronic equivalent of a postage stamp if they want to be certain that their e-mail will be delivered to many of their customers. America Online and Yahoo, two of the world's largest providers of e-mail accounts, are about to start using a system that gives preferential treatment to messages from companies that pay from 1/4 of a cent to a penny each to have them delivered. …
Apple Calls PCs “Dull Little Boxes.” Intel Ecstatic.
Money: In its ad blitz announcing the first ever Intel-based Macs, Apple skewers PCs -- which happen to be Intel's biggest customers. While Apple is known for controversial ads, the newest spot puts Intel in a potentially uncomfortable spot. Clearly, Intel is happy that its newest customer -- one that's especially rich on cultural cachet at the moment -- wants to celebrate the partnership, and gets some extra …
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How To Waste 5 Mil In 60 Seconds
Barbara Lippert: Let's start with the lowest of the low: GoDaddy.com. Talk about a $5 million vanity project (so bad they had to run it twice). This complete mess was what it took Bob Parsons 14 tries with ABC to get through—a bunch of cliché-smarmy boy executives rehashing the wonder of last year's GoDaddy commercial? Message to clients: ad agencies actually supply an idea and a framework for a spot, so maybe you …
Another Platform For Deep End Diving
John Bell, Vice President and Creative Director at Ogilvy PR, invited me to take part in Morph, a new group blog sponsored by The Media Center, a provocative, future-oriented, nonprofit think tank. Part of the American Press Institute, The Media Center agitates for dialog and action towards the creation of a better-informed society. In my initial post, I talk about trust, honesty and authenticity being on the …
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Monday Morning Quarterbacks
Lewis Lazare also liked the Fed Ex "stick" spot from last night's big game. But Lazare loses me soon thereafter, as he believes the Escalade spot, and the Ameriquest Mortgage hospital spot are "touchdowns." Ameriquest's key message, "don't judge too quickly" does come across loud and clear in the spot, but I question the appropriateness of death bed "humor" used to deliver the message. Stuart Elliott of The New York …
Super Bowl 40–A Commercial Occasion
[Pre-Game Pre-Ramble] USA TODAY provides a list of Super Bowl ads, complete with a one-line synopsis for each. Some of the spots don't sound too good. Ameriquest: Patient's family walks in on medical misunderstanding. Budweiser: Sheep is a big fan of big game. CareerBuilder: Chimps celebrate strong sales quarter. Gillette: Five-blade razor is a top secret until now. GM Hummer: Monsters marry and have a Hummer …
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Super Spots On Replay
Salt Lake Tribune: Football fans have always enjoyed watching replays, especially during the Super Bowl. Now they will be able to watch replays of the Super Bowl's commercials, among other special treats. New technologies are changing how marketers are approaching the game - typically the biggest day of the year for Madison Avenue. The roughly 40 glossy big-budget spots to run during the game on ABC today - at a …
Ernie’s Up By 34
Ernie Schenck is up by 34 votes in Ad-Rag's Battle of the Adblogs. The score is currently AdPulp 203, Ernie 237. Frankly, I'll be glad when this beauty contest is over on Friday. I'm tired of clicking over there to see the score. Isn't vanity a sin? I'm pretty sure it is, although I'm rusty in theology. Anyway, what is this common yen for recognition? I have it, Ernie has it, George has it... …
Why Buy Media When You Can Become The Media?
Spike Jones points to this iMedia Connection article on Super Bowl expenditures--a cool $2.5 mil per 30 second time slot. The writer, Brad Berens poses the question, "How might this money be better spent?" It's far from a rhetorical question, for Berens asks 28 qualified people to respond. Gay Warren Gaddis, President and CEO of T3 (The Think Tank) says: Instead, take what is more like $4 million ($2.5 in media plus …
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Vermont Teddy Bear Is As Subtle As A Leather Thong
Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Naturally, twice today I've seen this spot for Vermont Teddy Bear. It's a one-minute direct response spot narrated by Adam Corolla: "For about the price of a dozen roses, a Vermont Teddy Bear keeps giving and giving." This is just so...so...direct. Does it work on you? …
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