Advertising News and Know-How
By David Burn
Slim Jim's in trouble. Next time I'm on a long road trip and hungry for beef jerky (that's about the only time I am), I'm reaching for Jack Link's. Why? Jerky's a parity product. I'm buying the advertising. …
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By David Burn
Thanks to Apple we have a story about how elegent product design drives intense desire in consumers. This Friday at 6:00 pm Apple's latest communications device goes on sale and people are already lined up in the heat of the summer to buy one, or more than one. According to Info World, one man from Long Island is going to spend five days in line to be the first person in New York to own an iPhone. Greg Packer, a …
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By David Burn
You may have heard that automotive behemoth General Motors shifted its Buick and GMC truck advertising accounts to Leo Burnett without a review. Sun Times ad columnist, Lewis Lazare, says it wasn't a creative decision, although he despises McCann Erickson's new tagline for Buick, "Drive Beautiful." In fact, Lazare calls the line "horrendously stupid." Rather, GM wanted to establish Buick, Pontiac and GMC in one …
Continue Reading about Channel Marketing Capabilities Adds $400 Mil To Burnett’s Billings →
I have to admit, it's a little hard to come home after a day of dealing with client nonsense and try to tackle a book called "Work Like You're Showing Off! The Joy, Jazz and Kick of Being Better Tomorrow Than You Were Today." Especially when there's an exclamation point in the title and 2 dudes in suits literally jumping for joy on the cover. But the book, written by Joe Calloway, a restauranteur and public speaker, …
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By David Burn
One of the interweb's most famous academics, Danah Boyd, weighs in on class divisions found in social networking preferences among teens. The goodie two shoes, jocks, athletes, or other "good" kids are now going to Facebook. These kids tend to come from families who emphasize education and going to college. They are part of what we'd call hegemonic society. They are primarily white, but not exclusively. They are in …
By David Burn
Nando's Chicken Restaurants in the U.K. found a breakthrough means to espress the chain's addictive qualities. They cast a "working" mom as a poultry addict in need of a nicotine-like patch to assuage her hunger pangs. But the patch got in the way of her work duties, so she and her cute little family had to actually show up at Nando's for a meal. For this campaign to really hit home, there needs to be a point-of-sale …
By David Burn
Scott Donaton, Publisher of Advertising Age, wanted sparks to fly from the panel he moderated in Cannes last week. Instead, he could barely muster enough smoke to smudge an industry wallowing in denial. Here's what we learned at the high-powered Cannes Debate panel on agency reinvention, which I moderated during last week's International Advertising Festival: next to nothing. Here's what that means: The ad business …
A few great posts on some other blogs recently, if you haven't yet checked them out: Tangerine Toad has a great 3-part series on "Web 2.0 Unmasked," exposing the issues faced when pushing brands in new media applications. HighJive at MultiCultClassics outlines "an abridged lineup of stereotypical characters that effortlessly land Madison Avenue positions ahead of minorities." I've never worked in New York City ad …
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