According to this this news story from A.P., Absolut is for sale. The vodka distilled in the southern Swedish town of Ahus is the world's No. 3 premium spirit and one of the country's most recognizable brands. It's owned by the Swedish government, who will likely make billions on the transaction (while gratifying those Swedes who contend their government needn't be in the spirits business). …
The Puritans Are Still In Power
Pamela Grossman at Getty Images reports that the Dove spot depicted above has been banned by the FCC for showing too much skin. However, the ad is airing in Canada, according to Canoe. And on the internets, obviously. Grossman fights the Feds logic with: How can it be that Ms. Spears is allowed to gyrate in a bikini top on MTV with a snake whilst singing “I’m a slave for you” to 12 year olds, but 50-something women …
Industry to Kennedy: Restrict Us Not
Senators Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. and John Cornyn, R-Texas, along with 29 sponsors from both sides of the aisle, recently introduced a bill designed to significantly restrict tobacco advertising--particularly to minors--by giving the FDA authority over the product's marketing. In the House, Reps. Henry Waxman D-Calif., and Tom Davis, R-Va., introduced a similar measure with nearly 100 co-sponsors, and that number is …
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Podcasts Perfect For Novelists
In the New York Times today, a great example of how faith in your art can pay off, if you're smart, resourceful, and have something people want. Most first-time novelists only sell a few thousand copies, but Scott Sigler, a San Francisco-based sci-fi writer, has built a sizeable audience for his "steel-tipped boot on your throat, speed-metal fiction” by podcasting from a makeshift studio he set up in his walk-in …
Twitter De Twitter Dum
Web Host Industry Review offers a concise look at some possible uses for Twitter, a Web 2.0 darling du jour. You can use Twitter as a shorthand newsletter. The example that LifeHacker gave was a video store, whose employees can post new movies now available for rental, holiday business hours, limited-time sales promo, etc. Likewise, web hosting providers can keep customers posted on network status ("some DC2 circuits …
Can An Agency With A Name Like “Arnold” Be Anti-Male?
Adweek reports on a war of words between Arnold and Glenn Sacks, a blogger who thinks Arnold's commercials denigrate men. Glenn Sacks, on his Web site glennsacks.com, yesterday wrote, "We are asking Volvo not to award the contract to Arnold and instead award it to one of the other agencies, preferably Euro RSCG." He objects to several of the agency's recent commercials, notably an execution for Fidelity Investments, …
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The Populists’ Primer
Christopher Carfi published a WWWWH guide to "business-driven Web 2.0 efforts" today. I like what he says about who Web 2.0 is for--the people! Web 2.0 is about people. Period. Who are the people involved? Who will be the primary contributors to the effort? What are their backgrounds? Who are they as people? In addition, who are the other people who will be interacting with the environment, even if they don't …
The Fine Art of Marketing Scotch
According to The Wall Street Journal, sales of super-premium liquors costing $150 or more a bottle were the fastest growing category in the U.S. last year, with revenue rising 18% to $2.19 billion. Johnnie Walker Blue Label--a $200 bottle--is working to capture a larger slice of that revenue. The brand sponsors about 100 gallery openings and events in New York, as well as private gallery parties in Chicago and Los …