Ecko Enterprises is planning to open 150 full-price retail stores across the U.S. by the end of 2009, according to The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Ecko says he understands the risks. "If you want to grow a business in American malls...it's more than just being able to have the money for the key," he says. "There's theater to it. [Customers] want to feel something when they walk into a store. It's not enough to say, …
Idaho Hoo-ha
Over at AdFreak the comments have been coming in hot and heavy over this ad for a Boise bagel shop that ran in a local alt-weekly: But scroll down through all the cream cheese and schmear jokes and you'll find a comment from Brian at Idaho Ad Agencies: There's no reportedly about it -- it did run in the Boise Weekly. Even though it was supposed to be in support of the Vagina Monologues, what you see here is what was …
The Consumer Is Not A Moron. She’s Your Skinny Wife.
Seriously, can someone tell me what it was like to concept, present and shoot an idea like this? Because I just can't imagine working in an ad agency that would've done this. It's so far removed from the reality of my life as a copywriter in 2007. …
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World, ThreadBanger. ThreadBanger, World.
The New York Times looks at Next New Networks, a New York-based Internet start-up run and backed by former executives of MTV and Nickelodeon. NNN plans to offer a series of video-oriented Web sites — what the company calls micro-networks — on niche topics like do-it-yourself fashion, comic books, car racing and cartoons. The video above is from ThreadBanger (threadbanger.com), which offers a five-minute weekly show …
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Learn Mandarin!
The Wall Street Journal is reporting Michael Roth's strategy for growth in China. The chairman of Interpublic Group of Cos. said the advertising and marketing-services firm is working to expand in China by cultivating more local clients in addition to the multinational customers it serves in the market. "The untapped opportunity is with local clients and, eventually, with local clients trying to be global," …
I’ll Fight For You, Internet Radio
I don't like what I'm reading today about new fee structures for internet radio. Orbitcast and Arts Technica warn of the format's demise. While …
MTV’s New Web Strategy
Facing increased competition from MySpace and YouTube for the hearts and minds of young people, MTV will launch an ambitious and risky Web strategy, according to Reuters. MTV's web presence is already 150 sites strong, but the new plan is to build literally thousands more. [MTV] aims to build Web sites related to every personality and aspect of its shows, hoping to catch viewers wherever they happen to be on the …
Polling Ad Execs on Emerging Media
"Blogs, like podcasting and virtual worlds such as Second Life, offer a passionate niche audience. At the same time, they typically are not suited for repurposed content, and require special attention from marketers to work well as part of a campaign. This is partly why blogs are not considered very effective by most US advertising executives, according to the American Advertising Federation." [SOURCE: eMarketer] …