Fortune is running a number of articles on the importance of teams. One team they examine is from the ad world. From 1987 to 1997, MasterCard maxed out five advertising campaigns - and failed to narrow the gap with Visa. So when the company decided to get a new ad agency, it looked like desperation. To McCann Erickson, it looked like opportunity. McCann assigned a core creative team of three - Joyce King Thomas, …
Movin’ On Up
The mainstream media is having trouble adjusting to the new info-rich economy, or so we're told. Yet, one notable player seems to be well above the fray. According to New York Times, Privately-owned Hearst Corporation paid for their resplendent new headquarters at Eighth Avenue and 57th Street in Manhattan with $500 million in cash. It is probably no accident that the new 46-story headquarters, with its geometric …
Dear Levi’s,
Few brands are as iconic as Levi's. The denim maker has a storied history and legions of brand zealots, some quite famous. Here's a thank you letter from Cary Grant on display in a new online exhibit from the brand: The San Francisco Chronicle describes the exercise in brand history: Levi's historian Lynn Downey selected items to include on the Web site from reams of material in the company's extensive archives, …
Eat Ramen Noodles Until Your You’re 30
Wieden's Mark Fenske, by his own admission, is "out of bounds idealistic." We can find evidence of this in the poetry he dedicates to his VCU Adcenter students: Forget the money. Pay no attention to it. Go after what your inside wants--the work. Love the making. Screw the mammon. You can't eat it. However. You can live on work. You'll see. "Screw Fenske. He's an idealist." I can hear you think it. You're right. I'm …
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Brands To Put Their Stamp On Mail
Earlier this week, I bought stamps at the post office. I picked out a book of Katherine Anne Porter stamps which led to a literary discussion with the mail clerk. It left me feeling glad that a federal worker was so well versed in American culture. Now this from Ad Age: The U.S. Postal Service last week canceled an old law that forbade businesses from placing ads or logos on any type of currency -- including postage …
Big Time Ad Agency Wins Promotional Acclaim
While some mainline agency folk look down their rigid noses at their below-the-line relatives, there are others actively embracing below-the-line tactics and making them their own. Arnold is one. From PROMO Magazine: Following months of evaluating several hundred applicants, PROMO announced its PROMO 100 annual agency ranking yesterday. Among the highlights: Arnold Brand Promotions was named 2006 Agency of the Year. …
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Iron City Gets Presidential Endorsement
According to Sporting News President Bush's sense of humor was intact during a White House visit from western Pennsylvania's athletic he men. The White House echoed with chants of "Here we go Steelers! Here we go!" on Friday as President Bush recognized the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. "It sounds like some people have been drinking some Iron City beer here," Bush joked after walking into the East Room, …
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Sun Times Ad Snob Weighs In On Draft FCB Story
I don't believe I've ever read a more revealing piece from Lewis Lazare. The man is an ad snob through and through. The evidence: We hope your black armbands are securely attached by now. Without question June 1, 2006 will go down as one of the darkest moments in the history of an increasingly troubled ad industry, which, with each passing day, shows new and disturbing signs it has lost its way. The Draft FCB Group …
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