Blogs & Columnists
How Facebook Can Take Photos Beyond Its New 'Camera' and Instagram
Facebook's instinct to address its mobile issue with images is a good one: it was the first to popularize tagging, which made photo sharing the predominant behavior that it is today.
EU Cookie Law Could Be the Death of Digital
The law, as it stands, does not consider its impact on the industry. Forcing these requirements on marketers lead to huge erosion in the quality of web experiences for consumers -- the very constituents it hopes to protect.
The Summer Road Trip Went Digital. What's Your Strategy?
Will the businesses that depend on our vacation travel be ready for this emerging breed of always-on, always-informed and always sharing traveler?
Want to Raise Online Display CPMs? Pull In Small Advertisers
As Internet ad spending rises, the value of ad inventory is dropping, crushing digital media companies. The solution: more small advertisers.
Ad Age Insights' Trend Report
The Cultural Connection
Univision Consumer Insights Research has been uncovering and studying the nuances and influence of Hispanic culture on consumer behavior for many years, and has now determined a concrete way of measuring U.S. Hispanics' cultural connections. Here, some highlights.
How Brands Should Evaluate Startups
Marketers are overwhelmed, but focusing on these criteria will help you see the forest for the trees when evaluating startups and new technologies.
Doing It Wrong: 11 Boring Things GM Posted on Facebook
GM's Facebook page is a sterling example of a company that wants to broadcast instead of listen, ignore instead of engage.
GM Doesn't Have a Facebook Problem, It Has a Brand Loyalty Problem
Rather than focus on selling cars on Facebook, the brand should have looked at how to connect with its best advocates to influence purchase behavior across the social graph.
How Walmart Is Localizing Its Stores With Facebook
A social-local strategy lets retailers capitalize on consumer use of new media, at the store level.
Why Facebook Isn't Screwed When It Comes to Auto Marketing
The real questions we should be asking ourselves, before we blame Facebook for GM's marketing effectiveness, are were they doing it right and were they measuring it right?
Social Sharing Data Vampires: They Vant to Suck Your Data
With social sharing tools, publishers are bleeding themselves dry, giving up the very customer data that hold the promise of their continued relevance
Will Facebook be an Internet Behemoth in 10 Years?
Facebook will need to fight a constant battle if it wants to maintain its dominant position amid ever-shifting consumer preferences and changing technologies.
Six Things You Need to Know About Real-Time Bidding
Real-time bidding campaigns perform well when executed correctly. But many assumptions about RTB 1.0 are incorrect. An integrated approach is essential.
Multicultural Is the New Mainstream for Brewers in Search of Growth
In an emerging multicultural strategy, brewers are making fewer overt appeals to African-Americans and Hispanics in targeted media.
May Is Time to Celebrate Asian-Pacific American Heritage
What can your company do to learn more about this group's achievements and contributions?
Romney Brand Is Tainted by Gay Aide's Resignation
The Romney campaign risks a significant backlash from gay and lesbian consumers.
Who's to Blame When an Ad Incites Anger?
Launching a campaign is like launching a nuclear missile: both the agency and the client have to turn their key. So when a campaign goes awry, such as Ashton Kutcher's recent "brownface" Popchips ad, it's unfair for the client to implicate the agency.
Romney Seeks to Chip Away at Obama's Grip on Hispanic Vote
Republican Mitt Romney not likely to win majority of Latino vote, but modest gains could hurt Obama campaign.
Anil Dash Pops Off About Ashton Kutcher's Going 'Brownface' in Popchips Ad
Anil Dash ripped into Popchips after the company posted a video of Ashton Kutcher in what the tech guru called 'brownface.' But a call from the founder smoothed things over.
Today's Marketplace Is Social, But Not Only Because of Technology
Regardless of how the financial community looks at Facebook, the marketing community is asking questions.
Big Data Requires Complex Analysis, But Don't Be Scared Off
Segmentation groups customers based on characteristics. But it can get so complex that companies become paralyzed.
Macy's Brings Brazil to Customers
Macy's looked to its history for inspiration in its latest marketing and merchandising effort, "Brasil: A Magical Journey."
Why It's Important for Us to Strictly Police Our Own Digital Efforts
Here's why self-regulation is in the interests of advertisers and the agencies that partner with them
Female Ad Characters Are Now More Than Just Sex Objects -- Kind Of
Marketers have always used women to sell products, but spokeswomen have lately veered away from the standard model of a well-endowed blonde in a mini.
Too Many Brands Stuck on Media Part of Social Media
If we can liberate ourselves from the "media mindset" and adopt a more "social mindset," we will then be able to make significant progress in understanding how to take part in the brand conversations going on around us, and how to build relationships in this new world.
What Do We Really Mean When We Say We Will Not Track Online?
The controversy comes down to the difference between data collection and targeted marketing: Does do not track mean do not collect or do not target?
It's Time for Advertising to Take a Lesson (Gasp!) from Public Relations
Advertising agencies need to learn how public relations can actually improve their creative thinking.
A Look Back at Donna Summer's Long Commercial Career
The dance-music diva's megahits did more than flood dance floors and top the charts; Ms. Summer's songs were used in plenty of commercials, well after disco's peak in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Onion: Honey Nut Cheerios Bee Given Horrifying Backstory
In The Onion's latest marketing story, BuzzBee is given a childhood of misery as part of a rebranding effort.
How Romantic! A Marriage Proposal Via Banner Ad
How an ad sales guy proposed to an agency digital media director.
Brad Pitt Endorsing Chanel No. 5? Just Another Pretty Face
Andy Warhol put it on one of his posters, and Tilar Mazzeo wrote a book about it. Now one of Hollywood's most famous actors will be the face of it.
Branding Firm Appeals to Ellen in JC Penney Dustup
Hudson & Broad, which has sued JC Penney, has released a video appealing directly to spokeswoman Ellen DeGeneres.
After Sorrell Criticizes Own Y&R Shop, Argentina Attacks U.K.
Despite complaints by Martin Sorrell, Y&R and the British government, Argentina refuses to stop running a controversial spot in which an Argentine athlete secretly trains for the London Olympics on the Falkland Islands, where Britain and Argentina went to war over who owns the tiny islands.
Stop the Presses: Cee Lo Green, Purrfect Remix Meow Mix Jingle
Cee Lo and 'Voice' co-star remix Meow Mix jingle. But is someone hiding the truth about Purrfect?
Consumers Union Blasts Facebook in Full-Page Ad
Consumers Union took out a full-page ad in Politico today bashing Facebook's privacy policies--or lack thereof.
Real Steel: Obama and Romney Release Dueling Videos
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are fighting about steel jobs.
Obama, Romney Unlikely to Engage in Gay-Marriage Ad Battle
While pundits debate whether the president's declared support for same-sex marriage will cost him key swing states, a recent survey says that the issue is not a major concern for those voters.
Democrats Waste No Time Capitalizing on Obama's Gay-Marriage Position
Shortly after President Barack Obama came out in favor of same-sex marriage, the DCCC changed its website.
Why Obama's 'Julia' and Republican Response Are Good Things
The Obama campaign's 'Julia' prompts a debate over policy and positions rather than personality, dog treatment.
Obama, Romney Craft Stories as General Election Gets Under Way
The president and challenger will be looking to weave competing narratives out of the same set of numbers.
GOP Launches 'Social Victory Center' on Facebook
The RNC has launched a social-media app on Facebook called the Social Victory Center.
Super PAC Ad Attacking Obama's Celebrity Could Hit TV
Super PAC American Crossroads is attacking Barack Obama's celebrity, an approach used by John McCain in 2008.
How Did a Big-Government Republican Grab the Nomination?
For many in the GOP, libertarian and law-and-order Republicans alike, Mr. Romney is the only type of Republican that matters: the one that's running.
We're So Quick to Crown Social-Media Successes That We Forget What They're Actually Based On
While both Old Spice and "The Hunger Games" ran brilliant social-media efforts, it should be pointed out that one started out as a Super Bowl spot and the other is a best-selling book franchise.
Stat of the Day: The Agency Report Edition
The DataCenter's agency report has the scoop on nearly 1,000 U.S. agencies, networks and holding companies, as well as key accounts, specialties execs, and profiles. Here are five stats from the report as a teaser.
Blogs & Columnists Archives
Hey Publishers, Time to Increase Your Video Ad Load
Traditional TV found a model that works, but online publishers refuse to fully replicate the TV ad load model in their long-form content.
Full ArticleAdvertising Fits Best in Natural Pauses -- on TV and Online
The new media have natural breaks in the online experience that marketers can take advantage of to engage with their audience in a place where it makes sense.
Full ArticleWhat Facebook's Critics Don't Understand: It's a Platform, Not a Publisher
As a platform, Facebook seeks to offer something that publishers don't -- a utility to make marketing programs more efficient, more successful, and more relevant.
Full ArticleJames Dyson: 'I Don't Believe in Brand'
James Dyson, industrial-design icon, purveyor of luxury vacuum cleaners and one-time star of his company's TV ads, doesn't have much use for an important marketing concept: brand.
Full Article'Prometheus' Trailer Sucks Life Out of Campaign
After some masterful marketing (and teasing) for the film, the international trailer makes it look like little more than a prequel for "Alien."
Full ArticleFamous Faces, Adland Pasts
What do Salman Rushdie and Lindsay Lohan have in common? Both have played parts in the advertising world, as have Terry Gilliam, Jack Black and many others on our list.
Full ArticleImproving the RFP: Better Questions Yield Better Results
Marketers: If you want to find your agency "soul mate," you'd better review, and possibly retool, your request for proposal process so as not to turn off the perfect prospect.
Full ArticleChina: Can You Afford to Ignore the 'Other Internet?'
Marketing is everywhere you turn in urban areas, surprising, given press depictions of a government-driven and -controlled culture.
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