Ad Age: Out of bankruptcy and under new ownership, "fresh Mex" restaurant chain Chevys has named Maiden Lane of San Francisco its advertising agency following a review. The win was the first for the shop, formerly Gardner Geary Coll, since it changed its name to Maiden Lane this summer. Other contenders in the review included Amazon Advertising and Eleven, both San Francisco. The chain has about 100 Chevys Fresh Mex …
Turning Text Into Photos
Looking for an interesting application for Short Message Service, or SMS? Restaurant 11 in Amsterdam found one. Developed by Dutch new-media developers Mediamatic, Playing Flickr lets visitors of Club/Restaurant 11 in Central Amsterdam call up pictures by sending in SMS (text) messages on their phones. The pictures in Flickr with matching tags appear on the surrounding screens so that while patrons dine the backdrop …
Econometrics: Sorrell Says “Yes.” Porter Says “Whaaa?”
Today's Wall Street Journal (you'll need a subscription or pick up a hard copy of the real thing) has an interesting article on "econometrics" and its impact on the ad industry. Here are the highlights: "There is no doubt in my mind that scientific analysis, including econometrics, is one of the most important areas in the marketing services industry," Sir Martin [Sorrell] says in an interview. Econometrics uses …
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Maximizing The Brand
According to Money, Maxim magazine is getting in to tthe night club business. With a radio station on satellite radio carrier Sirius and a number of consumer products such as bedding on the market, creating a nightclub with the Maxim brand was a natural progression, Stephen Colvin, the chief executive of Dennis Publishing, Maxim's publisher, told the paper. "We feel that we have an understanding of how to translate …
VC Wins Merit Badge For Honesty
Johnnie Moore and Adrian Trenholm point to Bessemer Venture Partners anti-portfolio. In other words, their miscalculations, which in this case cost them hundreds of millions (or more). It's hard to imagine someone in advertising being this real. Can you imagine an ad agency showcasing their anti-portfolio? "Hey, look at all the truly stupid ads we've made!" …
Worry Warts
Ad Age editor Scott Donaton needed an idea for his latest column. So he wrote to 100 of his closest associates and asked them, "What keeps you up at night?" Here are some of the answers from the captains of our industry: "Will consumers under 30 feel they should ever pay ANYTHING for content?" "Clients who get way too involved in execution." "Delivering on the demand for accountability." "The trend toward …
Baby Got Back But Where’s The Copy?
Steve Hall of Adrants makes available a new ad from Nike that celebrates big butts. Given that Nike is a fitness company, one might think this approach incongruous. But from a strategic point-of-view, it makes sense to be inclusive of all body types. Sadly, from a creative execution point-of-view, this ad needs work. Here's the worst copy sequence from the ad: My butt is big... It's a border collie That herds skinny …
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Yes, I Want Chili Cheese In Between The Keys Of My Powerbook
I love Wi-Fi. It's great to surf the net anywhere you want. But I can't understand the appeal of bringing in your Powerbook to a Krystal, which is offering free Wi-Fi access in all of its stores. Unless you wrap your laptop in some sort of protective compu-condom, it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Krystal is the South's version of White Castle. It's the greasiest place on earth. And I mean that in a good …
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