Big In Print
Special: MOY 2008
Obama Wins! ... Ad Age's Marketer of the Year
ORLANDO, Fla. (AdAge.com) -- Just weeks before he demonstrates whether his campaign's blend of grass-roots appeal and big media-budget know-how has converted the American electorate, Sen. Barack Obama has shown he's already won over the nation's brand builders. He's been named Advertising Age's marketer of the year for 2008.
Apple
Apple continues its evolution from the darling of early adopters to a must-have tech brand for the masses. Yes, the iPhone and Mac got most of the marketing attention, but while the iPhone 3G has been marketed with the tagline "Twice as fast. Half the price," its latest big story involves apps.
Coors
Coors Brewing Co.'s case to be Marketer of the Year is a straightforward one: It simply outperformed all the competition.
John McCain
In succeeding twice, Sen. John McCain -- with the help of two separate marketing teams -- provided a textbook example of a marketer who didn't throw in the towel, one who found a way to keep the brand alive, grab maximum media exposure with fewer resources and turn the competition's strong points against him.
Nike
Despite poor market conditions, Nike has rarely performed better, with an all-time high market share of nearly 50% that's growing at the expense of its most significant competitors in the largest and most important categories.
Zappos
Early on, Zappos made customer service a cornerstone of its marketing, preferring to rely on word-of-mouth recommendations from happy customers rather than glitzy ad campaigns, a brave strategy that's paid off. The scrappy footwear retailer is poised to hit the $1 billion sales mark this year.
Video Preview: Ad Age Marketer of the Year Candidates, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Advertising Age's Marketer of the Year ceremony will be part of the CMO Choice Awards on Oct. 16, to be held during the Association of National Advertisers conference in Orlando, Fla. In these six video previews, Ad Age staffers explain why each marketer -- Apple, Coors, Sen. John McCain's campaign, Nike, Sen. Barack Obama's campaign and Zappos -- is worthy of the top honor. The audience at the Oct. 16 event will cast a vote to determine which of the six is officially declared Marketer of the Year.
