April 2012
10 posts
March 2012
60 posts
“Strong insights often lead to great work. Not all the time, but enough to make...”
– Geraldine Pomato, Y&R
6 tags
“You start off with background knowledge. You have to understand the issues,...”
– Stephen King, Advertising: Art and Science
5 tags
Pricing and Portions... an exercise in Slurpee...
I would happily pay the same amount for half as much cilantro: 20 long sprigs for 59 cents / bundle is a ludicrous amount of cilantro for the average shopper— those who do a great deal of Indian or Hispanic cooking may disagree, but the majority of buyers will end up tossing a significant portion of their cilantro. Better instead to reduce the portion and double the units, with a nominal...
5 tags
ADWEEK: Mom used to buy Band-Aids because Junior...
Alright, I know this is a little 101, but it’s an interesting case study on how a ubiquitous brand goes about marketing/branding in a realm where licensing is king and where store brands, peasants in the equation, are sucking up all the spend. 20 years ago it may have been difficult to imagine tremendous brand equity not translating into impactvs private label products. Licensing is one way...
I disagree with William Bernbach. There. I said...
So I just found a pile of Bernbach quotes, and I must say that I disagree with almost all of these notions, except the first:
“All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarize that society. We can brutalize it. Or we can help lift it onto a higher level.”
Preach. This is why I chose to pursue advertising: as a means of making a positive...
ADhibition: What the World Eats
The book HUNGRY PLANET by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio profiles 30 families from around the world and offers detailed descriptions of weekly food purchases. Featuring photo-essays on international street food, meat markets, fast food, and cookery, this captivating chronicle offers a riveting look at what the world really eats.
Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City Food expenditure for...
“Being “moved” is an emotional sensation that leads to meaningful...”
– @johnmaeda
“If the dinosaurs had a space program, they’d still be here.”
– Astronaut Ron Garan in his Reddit AMA thread (via brownpau)
npr:
‘Damn Good Advice’ From One Of The Real...
“The Consumer: the person who has completely lost his identity and can now only...”
– I’ve heard this at various times, and I find it disconcerting. First of all, I disagree; though I’ve been a reader of @AdBusters for years, I’m also aligning my career with social branding through identity. Call me conflicted if you like, but it’s my honest opinion that...
5 tags
The Last Great Paper Map of the United States
It’s easy to ignore the value, the beauty of a map. I must say that I certainly did, until reading about this map on Slate moments ago. Call it my revelation of the day. This map is the sum of 6,000 hours of work by an artisan cartographer; an opus that fights against the dwindling use of paper maps, and the rise of cold, algorithmic arrangement of labels and names. This is the difference...
1 tag
WatchRory Sutherland (Ogilvy) A Case for Intangible Value
WatchTips for identifying social influencers in a given space
Why account people need creatives
An ad team is working very late at night on a project due the next morning. Suddenly, a Genie appears before them and offers to grant them all one wish.
The Copywriter says: "I've always dreamed of writing the great American novel and having my work studied in schools across the land. I'd like to go to a tropical island where I can concentrate and write my masterpiece." The Genie says "No problem!" and poof! The Copywriter is gone.
The Art Director says: "I want to create a painting so beautiful that it would hang in the Louvre Museum in Paris for all the world to admire. I want to go to the French countryside to work on my painting." The Genie says "Your wish is granted!” and poof! The Art Director is gone.
The Genie: then turns to the Account Executive and says "And what is your wish?" The AE says, "I want those two jerks back here right now."
6 tags
Facebook "offers" and "reach generators" for Small...
Offers: The most important and widely available new advertising tool for small businesses is called Offers, which allows businesses, brands and other Page owners to share discounts and offers with their fans. Making an Offer is as easy a creating a Status Update. Once posted to your Timeline, fans can claim the offer and use it at your business’s brick-and-mortar location or other point of...
5 tags
“[Advertisements are a form of social communication that resonate the cultural...”
– Durriya Khairullah (a bit academic, but clear and concise)
3 tags
“The best place to hide a body is page 2 of google search results”
How not to deliver customer delight: unmet...
“Lastly, regarding SEO: We put about 1600 keywords into the keywords meta tag for...”
– (via clientsfromhell)
“This is not time-sensitive, but I need it before Monday.”
– (via clientsfromhell)
7 tags
8 things you MUST share w/ your SEO consultant -...
1. Access to your website analytics and Google Webmaster Tools (GWMT) account.
2. The purpose of your website and your target market.
3. Who your competitors are.
4. Additional websites and/or domains that you have.
5. Information on any previous SEO work that you’ve had done.
6. Your unique selling proposition (USP).
7. The various conversion points on your website.
8. Your...
15 tags
15 tags
15 tags
15 tags
17 tags
“To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing”
– Aristotle 