I guess that when you read a blog called Why Advertising Sucks you know what you're in for, but still it's some good reading. There's a perfectly well-timed and well-crafted rant entry: You won’t matter for however much people insist that you do because no matter what, someone else will do your job and since your full potential shall never be utilized, then no worries, because someone half as good as you can provide …
Picturesque Americana In Focus
I saw a TV spot last night that led me to Google and then to Nikon's wonderful "Picturetown" microsite, created to promote their D40 camera. Nikon, with the help of McCann Erickson/New York, has put together a remarkable campaign. Remarkable because it's a consumer generated content initiative that looks and feels extremely high-quality. Consumers will no doubt attribute this to the D40's ease-of use, which from my …
eHarmony’s Sour Note
This Hanft Raboy and Partners ad for Chemistry.com is timely. Reuters is reporting that dating site eHarmony is facing legal action in California for denying lesbians and gays the right to use its service. Lawyers bringing the action on behalf of Linda Carlson are seeking to make their case into a class action lawsuit. eHarmony was founded in 2000 by evangelical Christian Dr. Neil Clark Warren and had strong early …
The Courage To Act
The Wall Street Journal wants to sell its Weekend Edition. Their creative leaders campaign is intended to do just that. Here's their pitch: Even in an industry full of radical thinking there are standouts—individuals whose ideas consistently break new ground, no matter how quickly circumstances shift. These pioneeers realize that even as the work week ends, the next big thing is about to begin. Weekend Edition is …
Kraft Drops Axe. Heads Roll.
Ad Age and the Chicago Sun Times are both writing about JWT's Chicago office today. Lewis Lazare leads with: It didn't take long for the other shoe to drop at JWT/Chicago. Just weeks after a quarter of the agency's staff was axed, JWT/Chicago also is jettisoning its top managers -- President Ros King and executive creative director Graham Woodall. This latest management upheaval comes in the wake of Kraft's recent …
Red, White + Blue vs. Red, White + Blue
WakeUpWalMart.com has launched an advertising campaign aiming to dissuade what it calls Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s core customers -- Southerners and conservative Republicans -- from shopping at the retailer. WakeUpWalMart.com, which was formed two years ago by the United Food and Commercial Workers union. The UFCW's tagline is "A Voice for Working America." The first ad to air criticizes Wal-Mart's ties to China. The ad …
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Why Is Grey Goose Expensive?
Not because it tastes good, according to a study sponsored by the award-winning ABC News team. In a blind taste test, conducted by Eben Klemm (the director of something called "cocktail development" for B.R. Guest, a chain of upscale restaurants), 5 of 6 testers reported that they "hated" vodka # 1. When they found out it was Grey Goose, here's what they said: "No way!!!" "I can't believe that!" "I really am …
There’s A New Content Sheriff In Town
Donna Bogatin of ZDNet has written two posts about Attributor, the VC backed start-up seeking to help online publishers profit from the widespread repurposing of their orginal content. Attributor’s technology analyzes publishers’ original content published to the Web—text, images, audio, video—with the goal of providing "visibility” as to how it is subsequently re-used by third-parties online. Today, Attributor …
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