Is the ad business more relevant or less relevant in times of economic instability? For the sake of argument, I'll say advertising is even more important, because it's all the more necessary to persuade people that X Widget or Y Service is actually worth spending hard-earned money on. Let's look to BusinessWeek for more information on where the economy is today, and where the collective American psyche is: The …
The Big Money Is In The Platform, Not The Content
Do venture capitalists use real money or Monopoly money when they throw cash at a startup? For the startup's sake, I hope it's real money, but it sure looks like Monopoly money from here. According to The Wall Street Journal, micro-blogging platform, Tumblr is valued at $800 million by the money men who have put $85 million on the line. Naturally, they're interested in seeing a massive return on their …
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Stay Positive And Deliver Real Value
Show Media provides its brand partners with unique transportation-based campaigns. Here's the company's CEO, Laurence Hallier, explaining how his company stays successful, despite shrinking ad budgets in a poor economy. …
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Get Online Advertising Right, Or Get Out Of The Way
Former Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz was sent packing this week for failing to meet performance goals, according to The Wall Street Journal and several other sources. The Journal points out that Yahoo's focus on producing content is part of the problem at the portal. "People tell me that content is king, but that is not true at all," says Rishad Tobaccowala, chief strategy and innovation officer at Vivaki, the …
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Sales In The Tank? Drive Purchase Intent With TV
According to Marketing Daily, Coldwater Creek's sales are hurting and the company is turning to TV advertising for the first time ever to dig itself out of a hole. The Sandpoint, Idaho-based retail chain and direct mailer hired DeVito/Verdi in New York, to create the new seven-spot campaign. http://youtu.be/gjCUGJXYSGY The spot above throws me a bit. Getting dressed for a big night out in no way equals the …
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More Better Faster
John Winsor, CEO of Victor & Spoils , the crowdsourcing agency in Boulder, has been on the road for the last month talking to a dozen CMOs of Fortune 500 companies. He says, "there’s a lot of frustration out there" and that the biggest frustration of all is "the cost of creating advertising, both in terms of time and money." More better faster. That's the mantra of the day. More better faster. Of …
Is Social Media Marketing Paying The Bills In Your House?
According to several reports from Wanted Analytics, marketing managers with social media skills are in high demand, particularly in New York City and San Francisco. I'm not sure what "marketing managers" means, because it could mean any number of things depending upon the context. Case in point, I interviewed for two different high level social media marketing positions in Portland, but was disappointed to …
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Trouble Ahead, The Economy In Red
Ad Age is feeling awfully bullish. The trade magazine published an article yesterday--the same day that Standard & Poors downgraded the nation's debt rating to AA--with this headline: Why Marketers Shouldn't Worry About Wall Street's Late-Week Panic Attack. "In the months ahead, financial markets likely will be volatile, consumer confidence will remain under pressure and marketers will need a strong stomach," Ad …