Advertising Age - Blog Posts

Tillman the Wonderdog Skates From YouTube to Real Ads

kwheaton@adage.com — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:23 EST

Armstrong Flooring wasn't just content to run some ads against the skateboarding-dog video on YouTube. The marketer, along with agency BBDO, New York, decided to create its own spot with a skateboarding bulldog.

Canadian Groups Enlist Parents on Climate Change

kegolf@adage.com — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:51 EST

In an effort to make the subject of global climate change more personal, two Canadian organizations have teamed up with marketing agency zig in a new campaign, "Moms Against Climate Change." The effort includes a public service announcement and a Web site, TakeActionOnClimateChange.com that encourage parents to take action leading up to the United Nations' Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen in December.

Why Google Android Is Already Confusing

dfrommer@businessinsider.com — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:50 EST

Because so many different companies are involved in the mix, Android is at risk of becoming very confusing and fragmented. That's already starting to happen.

The Droid Gets Google.com Real Estate

aklaassen@adage.com — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:05 EST

"Sesame Street" is not the only one getting plum placement on Google. Droid is as well, with 42 characters of promotion, right underneath Bert and Ernie.

How Would You Remake Mickey Mouse?

jpollack@adage.com — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:24 EST

This is an amazing opportunity for branding experts, so we throw the question out to you, dear reader, so you can strut your stuff: How would you remake Mickey Mouse?

American Express Teams With United Way

kegolf@adage.com — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:30 EST

With gift cards topping the list of what people want for Christmas this year, American Express is teaming up with United Way to offer a card that gives twice: Once to the recipient and once to charity.

Tap Into the World of Multicultural Marketing and Find New Opportunities

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:34 EST

There are many of us looking for jobs out there, and naturally we are encouraged to exhaust our resources. One of those less obvious resources is tapping into the world of multicultural marketing. Being a minority increases your ability to identify with other markets, in addition to mainstream markets, and this ability can lead to opportunities.

Will Ferrell Jumps to YouTube for 'No Financial Gain'

mlearmonth@adage.com — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:56 EST

YouTube is bending over backward to accommodate content creators, and it just landed one it probably should have had a long time ago: Will Ferrell's Funnyordie.com.

Making a Strong First Impression

kegolf@adage.com — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:35 EST

Sometimes a bad first impression is all it takes to ruin a beautiful friendship between a nonprofit and a marketer looking to get involved in a cause. On Nov. 10, Scott Pansky, co-founder and managing partner of Allison & Partners, will offer some practical advice for getting past this critical first step as part of the Cause Marketing Forum's Master Series teleconference.

Social-Media Pranksters Had Fun With Walmart's Caskets

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:43 EST

A simple search on the social-media chatter around Walmart's new caskets reveal strong positive sentiment. What it can't tell you is that much of it was facetious.

What's That Comida Kraft Ad Doing on My Huffington Post?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:37 EST

I like the Huffington Post. I like Epicurious.com. I navigate the web in both Spanish and English depending upon what I'm seeking or what experience I'm looking to have. It's contextual. So I suppose the Spanish-language Comida Kraft ad that popped up on my Huffington Post page was a result of my online behavior. Even when you know you're being cyber-stalked, it's always a little startling when the stalker finds you.

Life Is Not A Billboard

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:10 EST

Next time you find yourself working on the next commercial, poster or billboard, please consider that hijacking our attention – on the sofa or on the street – might not be the most fun and convincing way to permeate culture and create a compelling emotional connection.

Is Your Agency a Few Phone Calls From Closing Shop?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:55 EST

Four calls from being out of business. That's how a colleague summed up the plight of many smaller agencies. Or the agency business in general. We've seen some fantastic, talented, historic agencies shut their doors this year. Big and small. How can we better prepare ourselves to weather the storm if one or two or three clients pull out?

One of These Things Is a Lot Like the Other One

jmullman@adage.com — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:11 EST

The ad features a screen-filling "G" logo, and it features Derek Jeter leaping into the Yankee Stadium stands to make a remarkable catch. A spot for Jeter-endorsed Gatorade of course, right?

Muse Releases White Paper About Diversity Communications

kwheaton@adage.com — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:48 EST

Jo Muse has just released a white paper titled "The Challenge of Corporate Diversity Communication: Achieving Sustainability in Difficult Times." Muse notes that we're at an intersection in which a horrible economy may start to take its tolls on the few good examples of multicultural communication programs out there.

Take the Living Communications Challenge

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:09 EST

When it comes to going green, designers can take on a much bigger role than many might think. Zack Shubkagel of Willoughby Design challenges designers to take the Living Communications Challenge.

Design and the Garden

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:04 EST

Think like a gardener and let your designs flourish. By Nick de la Mare

Why Digital Agencies Aren't Ready to Lead

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:43 EST

Any conversation about digital marketing these days includes at least one mention that traditional agencies just "don't get it." While this may be correct, what's equally true is that digital agencies are not ready to take the lead.

How You Can Redefine Your Agency in a Single Moment

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:45 EST

Game-changers don't just materialize out of thin air. You can't will them to happen. I suspect they happen like a lot of events in life: You pick a destination and then work your butt off. There's risk too. Losing a key client can be a game-changer. Too much success too quickly has crushed plenty of good agencies. An exciting game-changer for one person can be a game-changing nightmare for someone else.

Want More Dogs? You're Barking Up the Right Post

kwheaton@adage.com — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:34 EST

The hard-working dogs of advertising took a week off while I traipsed around Ireland last week looking for Leprechauns in the bottom of pints of Guinness and Smithwick's. But they're back this week. The number of entries are trickling to a halt, but that's no reason not to have a gander at the last few adorable pooches that came over the transom. Enjoy the slide show.

Macy's Congratulates the Phillies on Winning the World Series

kwheaton@adage.com — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:05 EST

The Philadelphia Inquirer and Macy's will both be charged with an error for an ad that ran in today's edition of the Inquirer.

Use What You Know

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:35 EST

What may seem so simple to us may not be for our agencies and clients, and our value-add as employees is how we can leverage skills, such as our knowledge of social-media platforms, in our jobs.

Facebook's Big Changes: Action Items for Marketers

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:28 EST

Facebook's latest round of updates announced this week will affect everyone: marketers, developers, publishers, consumers and anyone else remotely connected to its site and platform. And some of the changes will especially affect marketers.

How Diversity Efforts Can Boost the Economy

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:34 EST

In today's ever-expanding global marketplace, for an advertising agency -- and the industry at large -- to effectively compete and prosper, its ranks must accurately reflect the world to which it caters. But there's an even more salient and basic reason to champion diversity and inclusion: the chance to re-energize the economy by giving a much-needed boost to small businesses.

Catching the Smile Train

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:12 EST

Working for years in advertising, Brian Mullaney opened his own shop and rode the crest of the mid-1990s technology wave. After selling the $100 million shop, though, he had to figure out what to do next. And so he created the Smile Train.

Real London Fog Adman Not Happy About 'Mad Men'

kwheaton@adage.com — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:23 EST

London Fog was not a tired, 40-year-old brand at the time, as it was launched in 1954 when it changed from Londontown Clothes. It is also questionable whether a warm, traditional, avuncular Jewish tailor like Israel Myers would ever be seen in the halls of a Sterling Cooper.

Ten Things Social Media Can't Do

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:23 EST

Amid the endless pronouncements about social media -- often shortened to "social" these days by consultants trying to sound like they know what they are talking about -- is the reality that social media is not a solution, or a sure bet.

Local Spot Yields Refreshing Bit of Honest Advertising

bgarfield@adage.com — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00 EST

Rhett and Link voluntarily produce spots for little companies that amuse them. One such was the Cullman (Ala.) Liquidation Center, an outfit that buys used mobile and modular homes, fixes them up and resells them. It certainly has no media budget. But it does have a commercial, shot on a shoestring by Rhett and Link, with no production gloss but plenty of moxie.

Pass the App -- Feed the Hungry

kegolf@adage.com — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:26 EDT

Facebook users can feed the hungry while e-feeding their friends with Yum Brands' Food for Food app. For $1, Facebook users can send a virtual gift to a friend, an icon from the menus of Yum Brands' KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, with all proceeds going to the United Nations World Food Programme in support of Yum's World Hunger Relief campaign.

So U Think U R Such a Professional? Plz!

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:22 EDT

A memo went out to one of our clients last week that read more like a text message than a professional letter. You know what it looked like: Every third word was abbreviated, as though it was written on the run, from a cell phone. I was appalled, and could only imagine what the client must think: If we are writing to them in such a casual way, what else is being executed casually?