tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:18:53 +0000facebookKidsNew mediaClick-through rateResearchRineyRitz-CarltonActorsinformation"StrategyAdvertisingWeb bannerBloggingPornographyPoliticsTaco BellDisplay advertisingTiVopepperidge farmnewspaperspontiacCollegeSouth ParkagenciesBaseballExistentialismEngagementCustomer Service`VolvoCreativeSuper BowlentertainmentinternetMarketingChurchillBrandingWritingRoger Clemens's AssSouthwest AirlinesgarfieldDOTACInternet marketingMediaBooksCranky opinions and advice from the ceo of a pretty big ad agency.http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)Blogger933125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-8185464226359451235Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:10:00 +00002012-01-26T09:15:29.520-08:00Dear General Motors, I hope you are happy with the 50 billion dollars that I and my friends gave you a few years ago. Are you enjoying it? Do you have nice offices? Have you been out to a few yummy dinners recently? Are your kids nicely dressed? That's great. I'd hate to see you unhappy or uncomfortable. Just one thing. I noticed in the newspaper the other day that you had a 3 billion dollar http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/pHxGGPQAPHk/ungratefulness-runs-deep.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=pHxGGPQAPHk:cn_QX32aYCM:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/pHxGGPQAPHk" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/ungratefulness-runs-deep.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-3496736628767563619Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +00002012-01-25T04:26:05.531-08:00Several years ago, in my creative director days, I was shooting a TV campaign in Los Angeles. I was staying at a suitably  swanky Hollywood hotel. The hotel had an equally swanky restaurant. The maitre d' was a grimly efficient woman who presided over her dining room very much like a third grade teacher governing her classroom -- with acute attention and an equal amount of thinly disguised http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/s5WlaQIjqBQ/humiliation-builds-character.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=s5WlaQIjqBQ:L1UErpI6nK8:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/s5WlaQIjqBQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/humiliation-builds-character.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-4918305627663008704Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +00002012-01-24T00:01:01.694-08:00It has occurred to me that I have not pimped my book recently on this blog. The reason it occurred to me is that I just checked the sales numbers and they're dropping like Tim Tebow at a revival meeting. So, since there are thousands of you (okay, dozens) who read this thing every day and haven't yet shelled out the meager pennies, I thought I would torment you with quotes from the Amazon http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/0H7AMRl7HZo/im-not-whore-im-pimp.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=0H7AMRl7HZo:EU6Fnp5Dw-U:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/0H7AMRl7HZo" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/im-not-whore-im-pimp.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-5257242148212308034Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +00002012-01-23T00:01:01.813-08:00If I told you that a tortoise had a body temperature of 83 degrees, could you tell me if that animal is healthy or sick? Unless you had some idea of what normal was -- what it's temperature should be -- there's no way to know what the number means. We have a great deal of data and a great many metrics about online advertising. Other than direct marketing, however, we have little to no idea what http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/sB5LniADkOY/human-factor.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=sB5LniADkOY:4uBey3Wo638:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/sB5LniADkOY" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/human-factor.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-1813388726781280371Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +00002012-01-19T00:00:14.164-08:00A few months ago, the advertising industry celebrated the 100th birthday of David Ogilvy. I was lucky enough to know David (or as I called him, Davey) intimately. I used to think of him as a younger brother. I thought I'd share my experiences with him. With you. I mean, the experiences were with him but I'd share them with you. You know what I mean. Most people think of David as an elegant manhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/dOleeiboKaM/davey-and-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=dOleeiboKaM:ehXM0roNgrk:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/dOleeiboKaM" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/davey-and-me.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-303561287086710934Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +00002012-01-18T04:53:20.767-08:00I have mentioned on many occasions that my first job was to teach science in public schools. The one thing that teaching science imbues you with is a high regard for the difference between a fact and an opinion. In science, establishing something as a fact is a daunting process. First you need convincing experimental data. Then you need to establish the reliability of your data by repeating thehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/TRoTDjnf36c/conscience-of-contrarian.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=TRoTDjnf36c:GGHCudRs8VE:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/TRoTDjnf36c" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/conscience-of-contrarian.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-3045149903739869991Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:35:00 +00002012-01-16T06:58:44.743-08:00Get out your tuxedo. Mark your calendar. Advertising is dead again, and we're having a celebration! It's all being brought to you by the Content Marketing Institute. They're having a "Post-Advertising Summit" and we're all invited. "The Post-Advertising Summit celebrates the end of the broadcast age and the dawn of a new era for marketing."  Now, this isn't the same "end of the broadcast age" http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/IO6Do8xI_iA/end-of-broadcasting-dont-miss-party.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=IO6Do8xI_iA:q8jS76ImN5c:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/IO6Do8xI_iA" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/end-of-broadcasting-dont-miss-party.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-6172776350875391752Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +00002012-01-12T00:01:01.450-08:00Tip O'Neill was was one of the great American politicians of the 20th century. He was the second longest-serving Speaker of the House in U.S. history. O'Neill once famously said, "All politics is local." From Wikipedia... "...this phrase...encapsulates the principle that a politician's success is directly tied to his ability to understand and influence the issues of his constituents. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/e5-bedENDVk/all-marketing-is-local.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=e5-bedENDVk:QzN6sGOSlIs:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/e5-bedENDVk" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/all-marketing-is-local.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-4205408213469633253Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +00002012-01-11T00:01:01.325-08:00One of these days Twitter is going to have to stop being a hobby and become a business. When it does, presumably it will make its money from advertising. And when that happens, its numbers are going to be critically important to advertisers in determining value. Right now, I have no idea how reliable Twitter's user numbers are. But I do know one thing first hand -- the number of followers http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/sF0EKDwyxH8/twitters-phony-numbers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=sF0EKDwyxH8:VAJjpv4R3sI:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/sF0EKDwyxH8" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/twitters-phony-numbers.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-7617731908692747324Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +00002012-01-09T00:01:02.289-08:00There was a time when it was believed that the web would be a beacon of rationality that would deliver a deep blow to the forces of ignorance. According to Arianna Huffington... "Thanks to YouTube -- and blogging and instant fact-checking and viral emails -- it is getting harder and harder to get away with repeating brazen lies without paying a price..." If you need evidence of the astounding http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/cjFrj02kRAI/future-of-nonsense.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=cjFrj02kRAI:_ELtz_SyxPU:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/cjFrj02kRAI" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/future-of-nonsense.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-4546213890705281280Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +00002012-01-05T00:01:01.852-08:00It seems that every company in the world is trying to cut through the hype and baloney about online advertising and produce an online ad strategy that makes sense. Here at The Ad Contrarian, we always put our loyal readers first and so today we are going to speculate on how you might spend digi-dollars sensibly and prudently. Let's start with all our cards on the table. As you know, when it http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/p7OtW4i9ceI/way-too-simple-online-ad-strategy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=p7OtW4i9ceI:_mLcD1GZ2K4:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/p7OtW4i9ceI" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/way-too-simple-online-ad-strategy.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-7318081572618872055Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +00002012-01-03T00:01:01.142-08:00It's the time of year when everybody is making Top 10 lists. Here at The Ad Contrarian, we want to be part of the fun too, darnit. 2011 may have been an astonishingly stinky year, but one thing you have to say -- it's been a fabulous year for bullshit. Since bullshit is our beat, we thought we'd make a list of the varieties of bullshit that made 2011 such a delight. So here is the 2011 Top 10 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/kTU7x5r5P0A/2011-top-10-best-of-bullshit.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=kTU7x5r5P0A:fCbh-pspPus:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/kTU7x5r5P0A" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/2011-top-10-best-of-bullshit.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-2238223481649705893Mon, 26 Dec 2011 08:01:00 +00002011-12-26T22:03:22.931-08:00Every year about this time the editorial board of The Ad Contrarian gets together for its annual year-end analysis. This consists of large plates of pasta, several pitchers of martinis, and an afternoon of irresponsible betting on bowl games. Sometimes we even talk about the blog. 2011 was an interesting year here at Ad Contrarian world headquarters. Here are the highlights, as chosen by the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/lcUNhDSk3X4/year-in-contrariana.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=lcUNhDSk3X4:bL2l8Gh-r30:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/lcUNhDSk3X4" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2011/12/year-in-contrariana.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-2554190102989674073Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:01:00 +00002011-12-21T06:17:57.641-08:00Since Christmas and Hannukah are this week, I am publishing this guest post I received recently from a Very Important Being. I am starting to get annoyed with you people. The universe is a large territory to cover and I’ve got a lot on my plate. I take my eye off you for a couple of thousand years and what do I find when I get back? You’re putting rings through your eyebrows and pineapple on http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/oU1Gre8ho4U/ten-amendments.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=oU1Gre8ho4U:ysRp64dt8RE:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/oU1Gre8ho4U" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2011/12/ten-amendments.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-7824072554591242789Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:01:00 +00002011-12-20T00:01:03.003-08:00My recent foray into publishing an ebook has been a real eye-opener. I am a very big fan of Apple products. I believe they make beautiful products that are generally easy and delightful to use. The service in their retail stores is usually outstanding. Dealing with "corporate" Apple, however, has been a complete nightmare. They are the epitome of everything that's wrong with the tech industry. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/cQnksUbYcRs/comparing-apples-and-amazons.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=cQnksUbYcRs:Q7f7GQcCPiQ:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/cQnksUbYcRs" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2011/12/comparing-apples-and-amazons.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-527625269716619140Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:01:00 +00002011-12-19T09:00:29.760-08:00I love science. The reason I love it is that unlike marketing and advertising, science does not obediently accept the word of "experts." In science, it doesn't matter what your title is, or how many awards you've won, or how many conferences you've spoken at, or how big your weenie is. If you can't prove your premise, you're done. No proof, no dice. Even today, Einstein's ideas about gravity http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/bYEGbthFk6w/advertising-education-and-science.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=bYEGbthFk6w:lqKhH-cTQmo:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/bYEGbthFk6w" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2011/12/advertising-education-and-science.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-7027734687308940656Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:27:00 +00002011-12-16T02:27:41.189-08:00Christopher Hitchens had such an original mind that it was almost impossible to agree with him on everything. But even when you disagreed, you continued to be in awe. I still can't get used to the idea that people really die. “The wise understand by themselves; fools follow the reports of others”-- Tibetan proverb. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/dHD1fEumtMs/hitchens.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=dHD1fEumtMs:VsqPZkBS7AY:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/dHD1fEumtMs" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2011/12/hitchens.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-7673670083781762526Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:01:00 +00002011-12-16T00:01:00.901-08:00I read an article in The Wall Street Journal last week that said the way to get a best-selling ebook is to sell it for 99¢. Since it doesn't cost me anything to print the book -- it's just a bunch of electrons or pixels or something -- I thought, what the hell, let's sell it for 99¢ and see what happens. So for the next five days, you can get my new book 101 Contrarian Ideas About Advertising http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/N4iBbiJD0_g/just-in-time-for-holidays-contrar-thon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=N4iBbiJD0_g:tCzYah8bEF8:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/N4iBbiJD0_g" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2011/12/just-in-time-for-holidays-contrar-thon.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-4728853348877610522Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:01:00 +00002011-12-15T00:01:02.408-08:00As Facebook prepares to go public, they face some significant problems. Like most web-based businesses that don't sell anything, they need to find a way to monetize their user base -- in this case, a base that is both enormous and loyal. They are obviously not the first to face this problem. The history of non-sales focused websites with large user bases achieving their assumed potential (as http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/N2nDTDo8mVo/facebook-dilemma.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=N2nDTDo8mVo:0Ry5ZzojxfE:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/N2nDTDo8mVo" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2011/12/facebook-dilemma.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-603000769475628121Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:01:00 +00002011-12-14T00:01:01.225-08:00As regular readers know, I very rarely make statements about the future. The reason is simple. I'd rather make fun of stupid predictions than generate them. Here's a perfect example. Over four years ago I wrote a post called "The Backlash Is Going To Come." I was about as wrong as I could be. In it I wrote... It's not going to take advertisers long to figure out that on-line display advertisinghttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/WR6K2U2QC1c/wrong-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=WR6K2U2QC1c:bahl8jeFRW4:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/WR6K2U2QC1c" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2011/12/wrong-again.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-4725003763161924121Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:01:00 +00002011-12-12T00:01:03.128-08:00In his famous essay, Principles of War, Major-General Carl von Clausewitz postulated that one of the key principles of winning a war was to apply a preponderance of physical force and material advantage to a decisive point of conflict. This principle is also applicable in marketing. Sadly, however, it is rarely understood these days. Instead, we are living in the era of "360-degree touchpoints."http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/a5T4O3J2EpE/think-like-prussian-general.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=a5T4O3J2EpE:jlFGaFXWiuI:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/a5T4O3J2EpE" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2011/12/think-like-prussian-general.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-5047727072521778049Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:01:00 +00002011-12-09T00:01:01.768-08:00Congratulations to Sprint's CMO for winning The Ad Contrarian first Gold Medal in Jargonomics. He managed to cram a remarkable stinking, reeking heap of CMO double-talk into one sentence yesterday as he announced he had fired Goodby. Before we get to the winning sentence, let's talk about the context. Apparently this ninny fell for the oldest agency gag in the book -- the "integrated network http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/tUSu8Mgf8Ww/gold-medal-in-jargonomics.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=tUSu8Mgf8Ww:lUytBGPdH4E:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/tUSu8Mgf8Ww" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2011/12/gold-medal-in-jargonomics.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-682690144155646667Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:01:00 +00002011-12-08T19:02:36.327-08:00It has come to my attention that some of you have not yet purchased 101 Contrarian Ideas About Advertising. I'm afraid this is not acceptable. Consequently, I have created, for your reading pleasure, a list of quotes about the book that will convince you of your need to read it. First, some quotes from the reviews on Amazon: "This is take no prisoners kind of stuff that is just superbly http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/9ub6S46PF-A/festival-of-shameless-self-promotion.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=9ub6S46PF-A:tKjqccYCuwY:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/9ub6S46PF-A" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2011/12/festival-of-shameless-self-promotion.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-4878123539073924966Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:01:00 +00002011-12-07T02:11:05.247-08:00Now that I'm an Official Social Media Expert, I thought I'd give you a little lecture -- because that's what we Social Media Experts do.  The subject of today's lecture is this: Where does social media marketing fit into the marketing "ecosystem." See, now I even talk like a knucklehead. Social mediacrats, agency trendsetters, and marketing conference blowhards have been assuring us dumb http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/F2V86NexCZo/first-comes-sale-then-comes-social.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)1<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=F2V86NexCZo:7xud-gYDM7E:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/F2V86NexCZo" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2011/12/first-comes-sale-then-comes-social.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249997465016074955.post-6451475126584510436Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:01:00 +00002011-12-05T08:46:01.997-08:00It's been a long time since we checked in on the death of television. In about 2007, as the economy was going into the tank and the ad industry was bleeding money our chattering marketing geniuses, pundits, and visionary journalists developed a "narrative" that television was dying. Of course, TV was being killed by the web. Why would we watch TV anymore when we had YouTube and Hulu and TiVo? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~3/MqbdIb4ifWE/tv-just-wont-stay-dead.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Ad Contrarian)0<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?a=MqbdIb4ifWE:UbhKB9USZTU:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/aDYs?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/aDYs/~4/MqbdIb4ifWE" height="1" width="1"/>http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2011/12/tv-just-wont-stay-dead.html