May 11, 2010
Why an honest approach will prove more effective -- and certainly viewed as more honorable by clients -- than baiting and switching.
May 10, 2010
April 19 saw the passing of perhaps the only non-east Indian who could rightfully call himself a guru with a straight face. Keith Elam's death also got me thinking about all the other so-called gurus out here.
May 10, 2010
A brand's style guide is more important than ever, and it is in dire need of innovation in order to humanize a brand voice, something that people can truly connect to online and offline. We need to revisit our core and modernize our story, how we present it and how we intend to be perceived, setting the tone for engagement and resulting activity.
May 07, 2010
GM has a strong opportunity to demonstrate genuine progress with its decision to hire Joel Ewanick. The announcement this week that it had snagged Mr. Ewanick to serve as its U.S. marketing head some six weeks into his new post at Nissan sent shock waves through the industry.
April 26, 2010
When it comes to the ad industry, the basics of supply and demand seem to be permanently suspended. There are too many agencies chasing too few dollars.
April 12, 2010
Companies that are not extremely cautious and diligent in their use of sweepstakes for marketing purposes may find themselves in hot water with the Federal Trade Commission.
March 29, 2010
As Ad Age celebrates 80 years, I'm reminded of a question people often asked at the end of 2007 when I became publisher and Ad Age was just a spry 77: What did I want to accomplish in the next five years?
March 22, 2010
A news operation has to do more than mass-produce content; it must create intelligence, says Bob Tipee, editor of Oil & Gas Journal.
March 22, 2010
Rather than continue to beat a drumbeat of saving, sacrifice and survival, marketers must tap into the newfound self-reliance and positivity today's post-recession consumer is expressing.
March 15, 2010
In an ever-increasing digital and fragmented world, marketers are craving ways to form a deeper connection with their consumer. Maybe it's time to give the USPS another look and rethink direct marketing in the physical form, writes Ad Age Publisher Allison Arden.
March 04, 2010
When the economy takes a nosedive, marketers get nervous. And when sales follow suit, clients stop approving creative ideas and start staring at numbers.
March 02, 2010
With the upcoming (and much anticipated) Tom Brokaw special, "Tom Brokaw Reports: Boomer$," it seems like everyone is trying to jump on this particular wagon. Advertising Age published a fun piece by Judann Pollack called "The 15 Biggest Baby Boomer Brands" in which Pollack attempts to lay out the iconic products and their ad campaigns of her generation. This is precisely why marketing to boomers is in such a state of disarray. Folks are trying to take 20 pounds and shove it into a five-pound bag.
March 01, 2010
There are a number of parallels between Olympic figure skating and preparation for a big client meeting or presentation
February 23, 2010
To say the world of advertising is in flux is a colossal understatement. Call this new reality what you will -- a sea change, a paradigm shift -- it's leaving marketers and agencies alike scratching their heads about the future ad landscape. What will agencies look like a few years from now? Here's where I'm placing my bets.
February 22, 2010
While the situation remains up in the air for Tiger Woods and his sponsors, it's time for the rest of us to shift our attention from how long and winding his road to redemption will be to the relevant lessons his saga offers to marketers regarding minimizing the damage from an alliance tainted by scandal.
February 22, 2010
Lenore Skenazy was right to bemoan the difficulty of bloggers finding their own sponsors; the simplest solution we've found is to work with blogger networks such as BlogHer or Federated Media.
February 15, 2010
If the internet really wants to take a bigger slice of the CPG ad pie, it should look beyond the tens of billions of TV advertising and focus on where the real money is spent: the trade and consumer-promotion budgets.
February 15, 2010
How long would it take a brand to realize it was being impersonated, and what course of action would it take? Would the brand embrace the conversation or end it?
January 27, 2010
This car company now has only one chance to emerge from this very thorny situation with its reputation not entirely broken, and that is what I call "righting the consumer at any cost."
January 25, 2010
Self-destructive. This is the best way to describe clients' attitudes when it comes to the thorny subject of agency compensation. There comes a point in time when by being exclusively focused on cost-cutting, we miss out on the big picture. We risk value erosion.
