Guy Kawasaki wants you to clean up your Power Point mess. As a venture capitalist, I have to listen to hundreds of entrepreneurs pitch their companies. Most of these pitches are crap: sixty slides about a “patent pending,” “first mover advantage,” “all we have to do is get 1% of the people in China to buy our product” startup. These pitches are so lousy that I’m losing my hearing, there’s a constant ringing in my …
Nimble Beats Big (Again)
Ad Age: In another victory for small ad agencies taking on Madison Ave. giants, Kraft Foods has moved creative responsibilities for its salad dressings, mayonnaise and barbecue sauce to independent McGarry Bowen, New York, the marketer said. The accounts had been at WPP Group’s JWT and Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Foote Cone & Belding, both in Chicago. Kraft spends about $35 million on salad dressing and mayonnaise, …
We’ve Got Southern Ohio Covered
I've advised a handful of people on their paths to Adlandia. It's nice when things work out as well as they have for Matt Bergantino, AdPulp's new contributing writer. Today, Matt's a Senior Copywriter at WPP's Bridge Worldwide in Cincinnati, working on P&G's internet properties. He's contributed to Salon and is currently a contributing editor at Cincinnati Magazine. Matt has also taught English Lit and writing at …
Brooklyn Needs A Boost
NY Daily News: A thousand would-be sloganeers answered Borough President Marty Markowitz's call for a boastful phrase that would boost tourism - but in the end, a single slogan wasn't enough. "Brooklyn is too broad and diverse for one slogan," said Markowitz spokeswoman Jocelyn Aframe. "It became apparent that one slogan wouldn't be able to express all that Brooklyn has to offer." Instead, the Brooklyn Tourism …
The Ninth Life Of The 30-Second Spot?
It ain’t over till it’s over. CNNMoney.com reports that ABC is selling 30-second spots for as much as $2.6 million, a new record. Advertisers still appear to be willing to pay top dollar during the Super Bowl since a gigantic audience is virtually guaranteed, regardless of which teams are playing. More than 86 million people watched the Super Bowl last year in the U.S., according to Nielsen Media Research. "In this …
Continue Reading about The Ninth Life Of The 30-Second Spot? →
Buckeyes Storm The Gate
This USA TODAY article helps explain the outrageous salaries many college football coaches earn. Often, a public university's coach ranks as the highest paid public official in the state, well beyond the governor, for instance. Ohio State's athletic program is the nation's top collegiate sports moneymaker. Ohio State made $89.7 million from ticket sales, royalties, advertising, broadcast agreements and other sources …
Russians Succumb To IKEAization (See, We Really Are Alike)
Russia Profile: It’s 5 p.m. on a grim and rainy Saturday afternoon in November, and finding a parking place near the IKEA store in the Tyoply Stan region of Moscow seems to be impossible. The gigantic parking area is completely full, and the line of cars waiting for available spots stretches for at least another hundred yards. “During the past ten years, the middle class had been growing fast, and so have its …
Continue Reading about Russians Succumb To IKEAization (See, We Really Are Alike) →
Where Hugh Began…The Genesis Cartoon
Going To Great Lengths To Compete With Starbucks
Lewis Lazare: Maybe it's the name. Dunkin' Donuts, after all, doesn't suggest it's a chain that puts quite as much emphasis on its coffee as it does doughnuts. But starting this week in the Chicago market, and nationally as well, Dunkin' Donuts is introducing a new ad campaign from Hill, Holliday Connors Cosmopulous/Boston that hopes to convey the message the chain takes its coffee very seriously indeed. The launch …
Continue Reading about Going To Great Lengths To Compete With Starbucks →
Brands Top The 2005 Billboard Charts
Thirty-five percent of the top 20 songs on the 2005 Billboard chart contained brand references. According to strategy firm Agenda, Inc., 2005 was the year that: Missy Elliott’s Jell-o made the boys say hello, Mariah tottered back with a bottle of Bacardi, and the widest possible range of brands were showcased in the Billboard chart; from George Foreman Grills, to Froot Loops, to Listerine. …
Continue Reading about Brands Top The 2005 Billboard Charts →