Today's CMOs are more than marketers, they're "Marketing's CEOs." That's according to CMG Partners and their 4th Annual CMO's Agenda, a study of the latest trends and issues facing CMOs today. Based on interviews with 30 CMOs at U.S. companies, the study identified five trends affecting Chief Marketing Officers, including a reported increase in influence and credibility within the C-Suite, specifically with the …
One Badass Product Positioning
In the world of rock guitar, you can never have too many effects pedals. Especially distortion pedals. Guitar players talk about distortion the way wine drinkers talk about wine. One pedal has "a brittle edge with a sweet undertone." Another features "boosted mids and a smooth top-end." One pedal pairs well with a vintage tube combo amp, while another goes better with a modern head and half-stack. Some players prefer …
Jean Paul Gaultier Proves Thinking Is Always In Fashion
Holidays are always a good time to relax and recharge, and if you can do something that inspires you during your time off, so much the better. That's exactly what happened this year after I gave my wife a Christmas gift of tickets to the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. Gaultier? You mean the guy who designed those crazy cone-bras Madonna wore back in the day? Yes, that's him. Before last …
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Common Sense in Advertising? It’s a Christmas Miracle!
When did simple become so difficult? The short answer: who knows? The long answer, of course, is that it's probably always been that way. Marketing milquetoasts have always been with us, and they always will be. Research-addicted clients have always had agency-side enablers eager to take their money in exchange for the next fix. MBAs have always enjoyed the naughty thrill of masquerading as Mad Men. There have …
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Street Level, On A Global Scale
London-based music production and research house Aurotone launches a unique offering today with its Aurotone Network—a collection of influential musicians and music professionals in 30 cities around the world who are available to advise on music trends and help research music for specific projects. According to Aurotone "They include new music editors of print publications from the Guardian in London to Presence …
The Only Difference Between Famous Creatives And You Is That More Of Their Best Ideas Have Been Produced
Let's face it: fame (for lack of a better word) is important in advertising. From the people to the work itself, it's good to be known, to be noticed. It can happen at any time, even overnight. Fame is part of what makes advertising glamorous and cool. And if you can acquire a small bit for yourself within the industry or even outside it (without letting it go to your head of course), so much the cooler. The …
FIFA, American Style
To say the rest of the world loves soccer is an understatement. Americans, not so much. Nothing new there. Video game soccer, however, is a slightly different story, as the success of EA Sports FIFA series will attest. (Insert your own joke about Americans preferring artificial things to real ones here.) But hey, if you can't beat 'em join 'em. And that's exactly the thinking behind this new campaign from …
Taking It Personally: In Advertising, Criticism Is 100% Guaranteed.
Recently, after presenting to a particularly difficult client, a colleague in the media department turned to me and said, "Wow. You creatives really get beat up. I don't know how you handle the constant criticism." It wasn't the first time I'd heard that—almost always from someone outside the Creative Department—but it reminded me how surviving in Advertising means getting used to a level of criticism most would …
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And The Hits Just Keep On Coming
Behold the latest from Parry Gripp, close personal friend of mine (OK, professional acquaintance) and the musical genius behind YouTube sensations like Do You Like Waffles?, Hamster On A Piano and my personal favorite, Wiener Dog On A Minimoog. It’s a new iPhone app from Kihon inspired by one of his most popular songs, Baby Monkey (Going Backwards On a Pig). The original YouTube video is closing in on 9 million views …
EVE Is Real. With A Museum To Prove It.
In an effort to promote and celebrate EVE, one of the longest-running MMOs (Massively Multiplayer Online Games) out there, the folks at game developer CCP and their agency Ayzenberg Group have created an online museum of sorts to showcase user-generated content at www.eveisreal.net. According to the its creators, the site is a place where “players highlight their memorable in-game moments, and are encouraged …
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