Rare Method, an Alberta-based interactive agency has its eyes (and hands) on the West. In the first move of a larger regional strategy, the firm acquired Blain Olsen White Gurr, Salt Lake City's 12-year-old high tech B2B shop (and the agency where I got my start). “This deal is an important step in our plan to increase our presence in the western United States through strategic acquisitions,” explains Rare Method …
How Do You Like Them Apples?
Apple ran a full page ad in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA Today on Monday celebrating its 100 millionth iPod sale. WSJ (paid sub. req.) has the details and some perspective on this achievment: Consumers have embraced the iPod, which went on sale in November 2001, far more quickly than they did Sony Corp.'s Walkman, the pioneering cassette player and headphones introduced in 1979 that changed how …
Serve The Customer First
Today, Tom Asacker digs deep in his sandbox for fundamental truths. What's your understanding of marketing? How do you define it? Here's the latest definition from the American Marketing Association: "Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its …
The Sanjaya Principle
Maybe it's a joke, maybe it's not, but millions of American Idol viewers are voting for this fool: Seems that bad advertising--just like bad singing--is still out there. It wouldn't be if it didn't work. And the masses still put up with it. Why? Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t try to produce better work. Quite the opposite; I believe in the power of differentiation. Never mind trying to sell a One Show-worthy idea: …
Hearst Plans To Meet Their Consumers On Fox
Ad Age spoke to Hearst Magazines Editorial Director Ellen Levine about the publisher's new partnership with Fox Television Studios. The development deal includes two initial webisode projects inspired by CosmoGirl and Popular Mechanics. "We're not going out there and saying, 'We're going to have a one-hour magazine show,'" Ms. Levine said. "We're going to create material for new platforms, not take previously …
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Bond On Bond
Stuart Elliott of The New York Times spoke to MDC Partners CEO Miles Nadal, a man he calls "The Monty Hall of Madison Avenue." He also spoke to some of the agency heads in bed with MDC. “The really talented, creative people don’t like being told what to do,” said Jonathan Bond, co-chairman of Kirshenbaum Bond in New York, who with Richard Kirshenbaum sold 60 percent of the agency to Mr. Nadal in 2004. “I don’t know …
Copycat Ads Make Me Wanna Puke
Here's an article (with accompanying ad) from Reebok's new ad campaign. It looked familiar to me. Oh yeah, Nike, 10 years ago... OK, so the message is a little different. But can't they make their point without regurgitating this visual idea? …
Honda Gives Up The Funk
Sometime last fall, the crew at RPA switched the Honday Odyssey's theme song from Foghat's "Slow Ride" to P-Funk's "Give Up The Funk." I can't find the spot online, although you can see the earlier Foghat version at RPA.com. Given that the spot is not online, I present George Clinton on David Letterman circa 1986, care of YouTube. It's hard to imagine Dr. Funkenstein is endorsing a minivan. The very idea would have …