The Resonsibility Project from Liberty Mutual is a new campaign from Hill Holiday that rests on the shoulders of a fictional but believable family that's faced with tough times and even tougher decisions. Stuart Elliott says the commercials--directed by the film director Harmony Korine--present fraught moments in the lives of the Marlowes. Paul G. Alexander, senior vice president and manager for communication …
Don’t Put Your Principals In A Parade, Show Me Your Principles In Action
Bob Hoffman of Hoffman/Lewis in San Francisco is offering a hell of a lot of value on his site of late. Just the other day, he framed the dance clients and agencies do quite nicely. There is one question every client should ask a prospective agency, and if you're in an agency it's a question you should be able to answer. The question is this: What are the principles by which you create advertising? By way of example, …
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The Strategic Crafting of Your Story
Seth Godin is offering a great description of public relations. Most PR firms do publicity, not PR. Publicity is the act of getting ink. Publicity is getting unpaid media to pay attention, write you up, point to you, run a picture, make a commotion. Sometimes publicity is helpful, and good publicity is always good for your ego. But it's not PR. PR is the strategic crafting of your story. It's the focused examination …
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That’s The Way Patriot
In response to Danny G.'s earlier post today on the greatness of well rendered copy, I thought I'd respond with some examples of my own. Credits: Wieden & Kennedy, Radical Media and director Errol Morris. …
Umpqua Bank Has Money Coming Out Of Its Ears
According to The Oregonian, Portland-based Umpqua Bank may return the $214 million in bailout money it didn't need in the first place. "We have been put in the same bucket with all the institutions that have failed, these companies that are being bailed out," said Ray Davis, Umpqua CEO and chairman. "I've gotten calls from shareholders and customers (who say) 'You dirty dog, you shouldn't have done this.'" Davis …
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Getting Back To Basics With Great Writing
Every now and then (or more like all the time), I need to remind myself that there's an art form to great writing and concepting. In the day-to-day, get-it-out-now world of advertising, we need to keep the basics in mind. Over at I Have An Idea, there's a wonderful article by Suzanne Pope, GCD of John Street in Toronto. Using dozens upon dozens of examples, she points out how great headlines and great concepts drive …
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Today In Twitterverse: Franklin & Marshall College
My alma mater is on Twitter, as of yesterday. Wisely, but surprisingly, they reached out to me for advice. So far, I've advised the college to "Be Human (as opposed to some plastic PR version of your best self) and to employ the hashtag #fandm. …
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Great Concepts Demand To Be Built (It’s Like There’s A Real Seed In the Idea)
Microsoft's needed a way to showcase its Expression Studio and Silverlight products and sell them as integral to the creative process. So they came up with the PhizzPop Online Design Challenge and PhizzPop Tour. When the tour came to Minneapolis, Zeus Jones stepped up and won the local competition, a fact which led them to compete and win again in Austin at the PhizzPop nationals. Zeus Jones Phizzpop SXSW Finale from …
