It’s not the random array of products being pushed that bugs me; it’s that these companies are trying to push them on me like I’m watching TV. But I’m not watching TV; I’m at the movies. Continue reading »
Filed under Advertising & Marketing …
A flock of Eberties, Part 2: Negative space
“A line does not occupy space; it defines it.” In the advertising world, there’s something the scares the crap out of clients: blank space. “Can we put something in the top half? It looks a little empty,” they might say. “Shouldn’t we make the discount burst a little bigger?” Or even, “It’s great, but I … Continue reading »
5 things best left in the ‘90s
To cap off what’s been a surprisingly successful series on the ‘90s, I want to impart some wisdom that could very well save our culture. Not everything from the ‘90s is worth hanging on to. So when we plan our revival, let’s carefully curate the things we revisit and leave these duds behind. 1. The … Continue reading »
Useful advertising. No, really.
It’s happening. Slowly, but eventually, it’ll be widespread. Online editions of some of our favourite newspapers are going behind a paywall. It makes sense: they have to break even, and it’s getting harder. So the New York Times, which has enjoyed a considerable online readership but a significant dip in print subscriptions, is soon only … Continue reading »
Hello, audience! This is all about you.
In the little bit of time I worked at Cossette, one of the senior copywriters took me under her wing. Perhaps because she picked up on my insecurities about having gone from rinky-dink agency to big-time ad firm in one leap. Or maybe because we had the whole “writes English but was brought up French” … Continue reading »
Grumly: The Don’t-Care Bear
Though I absolutely fell in love with the Niagara region, it has the unfortunate plight of being attached to Niagara Falls, which is, from every angle, a one-trick pony. It’s not a bad thing. I think the town knows it and does its best to help you see what you came to see from every … Continue reading »
Mustang muscle
Scott Monty, Ford Motor Company’s head of social networking, took the time to read my rather lengthy blog entry on new marketing, and responded…twice! I don’t know how Scott Monty came across my rinky-dink blog, or why he read it, but he did, and was kind enough to leave some constructive thoughts to boot. As … Continue reading »
Hello, my little niches
A couple of weeks ago, I came across this nifty video, which I feel compelled to share. In this panic-stricken economy, many companies are looking to new media for a solution to their branding problems. Some people found it: Twitter. I’ll admit that I have a Twitter account, and I’m not nay-saying the tool. However, … Continue reading »
Commercial appeal
Remember how reliably bad TV commercial music used to be? It’s hard to recall now because we’ve been blessed with years of iPod ads. The jingle would be a thing of the past if it weren’t an essential component of video-produced spots for local retailers (“Mel Farr to the rescue! Mel Farr to the re-e-es-cue”). … Continue reading »
Advertising Killed the Bulletin Star
Ever notice that when a brand does well, it’s advertising’s fault? It isn’t long before the same ad gets deconstructed in the academic world and chewed apart in laymenese by Naomi Klein. Sure, we’ll point fingers at the company behind the ad, but the agency gets a lot of flak too. And I have to … Continue reading »
