Pete Blackshaw, author of Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000, wrote a piece for Ad Age about the customer contact form and how stiff it is—an odd thing in a world where conversations with customers are so highly valued. I dare you to find a feedback form that winks even a quasi-friendly smile. And if you find one that allows consumers to truly communicate in their native voices -- …
Battleground States Are Good for Business
In Florida's living rooms, the presidential contest so far has been a landslide -- Barack Obama, 9,785; John McCain, zero. That is the tally of local television commercials broadcast by each candidate in the state. Recent polls in Florida show Sen. McCain holding a small edge in Florida. [via The Wall Street Journal] …
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Love Work Make Blog
Lots of agencies are toying with their self-promo web sites, as they should. One shop--Love Creative of Manchester, England--went so far as to design a site in Power Point. Why, I can't say. I suppose to prove it could be done. [via Ian Tait] …
60s Idealism Alive and Well in Vermont and Elsewhere
The brand that brought the ice cream eating world Phish Food and Cherry Garcia, is now inviting customers to "Imagine Whirled Peace." "Imagine Whirled Peas" has long been a popular bumper sticker on cars driven by Phish phreaks and Deadheads. According to Online Media Daily, visitors to the new Imagine Whirled Peace microsite are asked to upload their "messages of peace" in preparation for Peace Day. They may also …
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Koepke & Jensen
Gary Koepke and Lance Jensen of Modernista got their pictures in the paper. USA Today also helps the nation get to know these creative characters a bit better. About Lance Jensen Age: 45. Big-deal job prior to founding Modernista: Executive vice president, group creative director, Arnold Worldwide (Volkswagen's "Drivers Wanted" campaign). Favorite downtime activity: "We don't have much downtime." Favorite vacation …
Scratching Pepsi for Dollars
According to Pepsi, August is "Month in the Mix," a time to pay tribute to the DJ and DJ culture. "DJs are respected trendsetters who have an undeniable influence on hip-hop culture," said Frank Cooper, VP of portfolio brands, Pepsi-Cola North America. Pepsi will be putting on a series of events this month featuring DJs like Clinton Sparks, DJ Drama, DJ Pharris, Quicksilva and more. See Pepsi DJ Division for dates …
Extra Legroom Begets Dreamy Headspace
Ad critic, Lewis Lazare of the Chicago Sun Times likes United's new "Time to Fly" work from Barrie D'Rozario Murphy. He says the ads are the result of "a lot of hard, smart work." D'Rozario looked at reels of work from more than 200 animators. The veteran ad man said he was searching for particular animation styles that would be effective in fluidly communicating a sense of serenity that travelers are supposed to …
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Imagine A World Where Advertising Awards Go to the Brand and Agency, Not to Individuals Therein
Adweek has been reaching out to the ad community for thought pieces. They're running one now from Mark Wnek, chairman and chief creative officer at Lowe. He says stop worrying so much about who gets credit for an idea. In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins begins his chapter on Level 5 leadership with a beautiful quote from Harry S Truman: "You can accomplish anything in life, provided that you do not care who gets …