The media business is a train wreck. In Denver, the people running the train have decided to make a platform for those who would gawk. We meet in this strange place in a noble effort to save the Rocky Mountain News. And if we can't save the Rocky, we can, at minimum, make some noise before we go. Since the day the proposed sale of the Rocky was announced, we've been waiting for the odd billionaire to join our cause. …
Super Dog Bowl
Pedigree, which is owned by Mars, will be running a Super Bowl ad next February, but the ad won't tell pet owners why the brand is superior to P&G's Iams or Colgate-Palmolive's Hill's Science Diet. Instead the ad from TBWA\Chiat\Day will encourage pet adoption. Here's more from The Wall Street Journal: Pedigree, which has never advertised during the big game, says the cause-marketing approach is the way to go. "It's …
People Who Fire People Are People Too
Ad Age probably realizes that only the still-employed get the copy of Ad Age that's being routed in the office, so they're trying to feel the pain of management: Already beset with worries over flagging income and burdensome expenses, those in the top roles face the unenviable task of letting staff go. And while the holidays may be a time of forgiveness and harmony, this year there will be little empathy for the …
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Keep It Simple, Stupid
Advertising is a simple business. Of course, we don't want anyone to know that. It might impact our fees. Note, I did not say what we do is easy. I said we're in a simple business, as opposed to something like politics or medicine. The Ad Contrarian, for one, is pissed that "the advertising business is now in the hands of complicators." Web metrics maniacs have been measuring every visit, every click, every time we …
Old School Spice
Old Spice has named Matthew Chancey from Ashville, Alabama its 2008 Art of Manliness Man of the Year. Chancey will receive the $2,000 cash prize from Old Spice along with a manly assortment of Old Spice products. Right now Matt's in Africa working for his non-profit. His $2,000 prize will be going to Darfur to help refugees from the genocide. Wow, what a guy. He's manly and he's cares. According to Truth Wins Out …
Twitter Stream, Blog River
I was inspired by Chris Brogan to Tweet the above thoughts last night. Here's the heart of what Brogan is saying: It's important to think about where you want information to live, and how you want it to impact the world. For everything you toss into a stream rolls past, and if I'm not at the stream when you throw your leaf onto the waters, I'll miss the leaf entirely, or perhaps catch only the ripples. In reaction to …
The Russo-American Treaty of 2008
I like to see an agency benefit from hiring an outside firm to design their web presence. Newly rebranded Denver agency, Vladimir Jones (formerly known as PRACO), did exactly that. They turned to Culver City, Calif. firm Sisu, Inc. for a new site that helps breathes life into the agency's new identity. If you're wondering who the heck Vladimir Jones is, here's the answer... "Vladimir Jones is the very real person …
Over-The-Rhine And Under The Radar
Few people in the ad biz really think of Cincinnati as an marketing hub, but it is. The hometown of Procter & Gamble is known for its overall conservatism, but it has spawned a number of fun and funky advertising, branding and design shops such as The Creative Department. To celebrate this history, a new museum is being created. The Business Courier of Cincinnati has more: Digital marketing guru Pete Blackshaw wants …