Garbage Trucks: the New Hot Spot for Advertisers†

Glad's New York Effort Results in Strong ROI, Other Marketers Take Notice

Advertising Age, January 31, 2007 — The garbage truck may have become the latest advertising vehicle of the future. Ads on New York garbage trucks have worked so well for the marketers of Glad trash bags — boosting the brand's market share by two percentage points in the city through December — that they're now looking to try the tactic elsewhere.

Marketers Can't Buy Buzz†

Advertising Age, January 31, 2007 — The Beatles said you "Can't buy me love," but marketers' version of that refrain is closer to "Can't buy me buzz."

Retail 2.0

BusinessWeek, January 31, 2007 — Nau, a new apparel brand, offers sporty, chic clothes and a novel online/off-line business model, along with a focus on community action

Suspicious devices part of marketing plan

Promotion of ‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force’ cartoon closes Boston bridges

MSN, January 31, 2007 — At least nine electronic devices planted at bridges and other spots in Boston threw a scare into the city Wednesday in what a cable network said was a marketing campaign for a late-night cartoon.

An Old Dice Game Catches On Again, Pushed by P&G†

In Bunco, It Sees a Way To Pitch Heartburn Drug; Living the Joanne Lifestyle

Wall Street Journal, January 30, 2007 — Arriving at a home in Cincinnati for an evening of a dice game called bunco, Clarissa Niese was greeted with an extensive array of food and drink. "I could immediately see the relevancy to heartburn," says Ms. Niese, an assistant brand manager at Procter & Gamble Co.

Call It MyNewspaperSpace†

At NAA: Newspapers Embracing Social Networking

Advertising Age, January 30, 2007 — As stodgy old newspapers begin to think of themselves in digital terms, they're increasingly looking to MySpace — the unedited, consumer-generated and not-infrequently-profane social-networking site purchased by News Corp. in 2005 — as an unlikely role model.

A More-Targeted World Isn't Necessarily a More Civilized One†

Our Alarming Momentum Toward a Narrowing of the Collective Mind

Advertising Age, January 29, 2007 — Better, narrower targeting in the marketing world is taken as an absolute good, if not the holy grail. And certainly it behooves marketers to seek audiences open to their messages, and to tailor messages to heavy users of their products.

Beyond The Green Corporation

Imagine a world in which eco-friendly and socially responsible practices actually help a company's bottom line. It's closer than you think

BusinessWeek, January 29, 2007 — Under conventional notions of how to run a conglomerate like Unilever, CEO Patrick Cescau should wake up each morning with a laserlike focus: how to sell more soap and shampoo than Procter & Gamble Co.

Billboards That Know You by Name

New York Times, January 29, 2007 — Each day, it seems, marketers go further in their quest to deliver messages so engaging and personalized that one cannot help feeling special. The latest step will be seen today in four cities when Mini USA begins delivering custom messages to Mini Cooper owners on digital signs the company calls “talking” billboards.

How Consumers Help Build A Brand's DNA†

Adweek, January 29, 2007 — When your marketing asks consumers to share what they think about your brand, you better be ready to change it in ways you hadn't counted on. Tweaking products to make them more usable isn't only for the clever folks in R&D anymore. I

Living in the Age of Attraction

Heart of the Matter: Marketers Must Connect Emotionally With Consumers

CMO Strategy by AdAge, January 29, 2007 — I spent many of my early years in marketing in the Middle East for Procter & Gamble and Gillette. It was buying and selling at its most elemental. Each street had its own specialties, its own fragrances, its own community.

Measuring Bowl ROI? Good Luck†

Marketers Struggle to Put Number on Internet Buzz, WOM, Overall Viewership

Advertising Age, January 29, 2007 — For all the time, energy and angst marketers spend crafting the perfect Super Bowl spot, it's a relative breeze compared to trying to prove its return on investment.

Only the Strongest CMOs Will Survive

Senior-Level Marketers Must Anticipate and Embrace a Massive Reinvention of the Marketing Function

CMO Strategy by AdAge, January 29, 2007 — Over the past two years, my contributions to Advertising Age have ultimately supported a single theme: Our fast-changing world is forcing a massive reinvention of the marketing function and its leadership. And those senior-level marketers who can't anticipate and embrace the implications and opportunities will be marginalized, at best, in their roles.

P&G, Unilever Sit Out the Super Bowl†

Package-Goods Giants Avoid Clutter of Big Day, Learn to Build Own Buzz

Advertising Age, January 29, 2007 — Every January the country's major marketers ponder the same question: Is a Super Bowl ad worth the money? This year two of the biggest, savviest advertisers out there, Procter & Gamble and Unilever, decided the answer is no — believing they can get better bang for their buck playing on fields that aren't so crowded with a slew of outsized commercials.

Seeing Through Buyers' Eyes†

Wall Street Journal, January 29, 2007 — Susumu Sato doesn't need glasses to see properly. But he owns 60 pairs and wears glasses daily. Mr. Sato is head of advertising and investor relations at Japanese eyeglasses retailer Meganesuper Co., which requires employees to wear glasses at work. "I change them every day," says the 50-year-old, sporting a pair of black-and-white frames that clash with his navy-blue striped suit.

Similar Search Results: Google Wins

Global: Bow to Your Google

Brandchannel.com, January 29, 2007 — Google hogged technology headlines and spread its ubiquity (which is a nice way of saying "world dominance") throughout 2006. The dust barely cleared on its US$ 900 million deal with News Corporation to provide service to sites such as MySpace when it purchased video site and workplace time-waster (as well as third-place finisher) YouTube for $1.65 billion.

24 Rolls of Toilet Paper, a Tub of Salsa and a Plasma TV

New York Times, January 28, 2007 — SHOPPING at Costco often goes something like this: Customer comes to buy bulk necessities like toilet paper and dish detergent. Customer buys those items, as well as a pack of giant muffins, three cashmere sweaters and a power tool.

Gap Is in Need of a Niche

New York Times, January 27, 2007 — In the fall of 2004, Gap put on a splashy ad campaign called, “How do you wear it?” with Lenny Kravtiz and Sarah Jessica Parker. It featured the pair dancing in customized Gap jeans — his with metal studs down the seam; hers with a waist-to-cuff velvet ribbon.

Spend, spend, spend. Save, save, save†

Financial Times, January 27, 2007 — When Product Red launched last year, its aim was an unusual one in the commercial world of branding: to tackle the Aids pandemic in Africa. Battling celebrity-cause fatigue, it's had a slow start. Shame, says Alan Beattie, because the Red business model really could change the way we consume and contribute

Crayola Brightens a Brand

Binney & Smith has always been known as the maker of the country's favorite crayon. Now they're letting their most popular name do the talking for them

BusinessWeek, January 26, 2007 — Standing outside Binney & Smith's Easton (Penn.) headquarters on Jan. 18, chief executive Mark Schwab stood beside a duo dressed in blue and red crayon costumes and—"ta-da!"—slipped a cloth off of the corporation's new sign. Gone was the rather staid name that the company, now a subsidiary of Hallmark, has used for 104 years. In its place was a sign that read "Crayola."

Brands come alive

Marketing Week, January 25, 2007 — It must be dispiriting being a creative or account director working in broadcasting advertising. It seems to have become a medium that is easy to bypass. The whole idea of interrupting someone's viewing enjoyment to present that person with a commercial message is beginning to sound archaic.

Companies Extend Brand Names

MSN, January 25, 2007 — Today Show profiles the proliferation of brand extensions

Ala Detergent Endorses Dirt†

Media Campaign Sends Kids Out to Play in Argentina

Advertising Age, January 24, 2007 — In the past an ad slogan was just that, a slogan limited to TV and posters. But this campaign takes its "Dirt Is Good" platform beyond media and into the target audience's lives. It's a great example of how marketing messages can become events.

Innovation and the Prosperity of Nations

At the recent Competitiveness Summit, the connections between business and innovation were made starkly clear

BusinessWeek, January 24, 2007 — In November 2005 the UK Treasury published the Cox Review of Creativity in Business, addressing “a question that is vital to the UK’s long-term economic success—namely, how to exploit the nation’s creative skills more fully” where the “emphasis is on the use made of creative skills by smaller businesses, with particular concern for manufacturing.”

What's in a Name? For Apple, a Focus on the Digital Living Room

Knowledge@Wharton, January 24, 2007 — Apple's name change from Apple Computer to Apple on January 9 highlights the company's new reality: CEO Steve Jobs' strategy today revolves around converged consumer devices much more than around personal computers.

Picturing Web Shoppers†

Start-Up Taps 'Visual DNA' to Gather Data

Wall Street Journal, January 23, 2007 — In the rush to tap Internet surfers' tastes and help online advertisers target more specific audiences, one British software start-up is pushing a different vision.

Beat The Clock: CMOs In A Race Against Time†

Execs say unreal expectations, ROI pressures lead to marketer churn

Brandweek, January 22, 2007 — It's a tough time to be in marketing, especially if you're in the top post. This month alone, Volkswagen dismissed CMO Kerri Martin after only 20 months and Sears CMO Joan Chow left last week after just 19 months.

Can a Re-Engineered Kleenex Cure a Brand's Sniffles?†

Assailed by Generics, Kimberly-Clark Bets On a Virus Fighter

Wall Street Journal, January 22, 2007 — Everywhere you look, Kleenex is under siege. Cheap generic tissue is tearing into its market share. Meanwhile, it faces mounting pressure in a consumer-products industry obsessed with infusing even humble paper products with innovation and high-tech ingredients.

Consumers Like Online Video, But Business Model Still Evolving

Revenues from Internet video services are expected to grow from $1 billion in 2006 to $7 billion in 2010

Information Week, January 22, 2007 — Interest in video delivered over broadband is growing among consumers, but strategies for building a business around the Web-based content remain elusive, a research firm said Monday.

Death of the Rock Star CMO†

Roehm, Martin and DeVard Were Change Agents -- and That Might Have Cost Them Their Jobs

Advertising Age, January 22, 2007 — Do you wanna be a rock 'n' roll marketer? Just pick up a gig at a troubled Fortune 500 company that thinks it needs a change agent. Be quick with a quote; cruise the conference circuit; fire your agency; and say you want a revolution that, instead of being televised, plays out on any number of sexy new digital channels.

How Motorola Squandered a Brandbuilding Opportunity†

It Focused on the Razr as a Product Rather Than a Brand

Advertising Age, January 22, 2007 — Motorola stock recently fell 12% after the company warned of disappointing holiday sales. "The trendsetting Razr has lost its buzz in the marketplace," reported the

Associated Press, "and Motorola's efforts to come up with a new killer product have so far not paid off."

Life After Hot And Sexy†

An Inability to Communicate Truthful Brand Qualities Is Holding Back This Industry

Advertising Age, January 22, 2007 — The four industries that create the slippery nexus of branded entertainment — media distribution, entertainment, new technology and advertising — are bogged down splitting hairs over the demise of the 30-second spot, the web's growing importance and the viewer's propensity to tune out nearly all traditional advertising.

Study: Freshen It Up To Keep Sales Hot†

Brandweek, January 22, 2007 — Want to make sure your brand is still viable? Then rip it up and start over every three to five years.

This Frog Speaks Volumes About Word-of-Mouth†

Webkinz Sell by the Millions -- Without Advertising

Advertising Age, January 22, 2007 — Starbucks, Amazon, Palm and ... Webkinz. If you haven't got kids, it's possible you just haven't heard of them yet, but these Beanie Babies on steroids are following in the footsteps of some of the great word-of-mouth marketing success stories as they take over the nation's playgrounds.

Unnecessary Tension†

Profits vs. growth. Short term vs. long term.

Wall Street Journal, January 22, 2007 — The biggest challenge for business leaders is achieving many different things at the same time. It isn't enough to make a company more profitable or to grow revenue. The problem is finding a way to do both simultaneously.

VF's New Math†

(Strong entrepreneurs) + (financial controls) = growth

Wall Street Journal, January 22, 2007 — Over the past five years, Mackey J. McDonald has transformed VF Corp. from a manufacturer of Lee and Wrangler jeans and underwear under the Vanity Fair label into the largest apparel maker in the world.

Marketers Still Not Realizing Full Potential of Online Video†

At NATPE: Unfortunate Contextual Mishaps Partly to Blame

Advertising Age, January 18, 2007 — With online video projected by eMarketer to reach 157 million viewers by 2010, advertisers and content providers alike are scrambling to find a way to frame any kind of advertising message around their clips.

Stephen Colbert Explains AT&T/Cingular Deal

Humorous explanation of AT&T's evolving brand architecture

YouTube, January 17, 2007 — see video

Victoria’s Secret uses science and art to sell

DMNews, January 17, 2007 — Delivering value to customers is the way to conversion, said Mark Giresi, executive vice president at Limited Brands Inc., at the National Retail Federation’s annual show Jan. 17.

Vodafone Paints Romania Red†

As It Enters Market, Telecom's Color Dominates Country's Media

Advertising Age, January 17, 2007 — The numbers associated with mobile-phone marketing have traditionally been mind-boggling. These are brands that deal in millions and billions of dollars.

Bring Out Your Dead: Crispin Resurrects Orville Redenbacher†

How Not to Sell Popcorn 101

Advertising Age, January 16, 2007 — First I'd like to say that I'm not a typical Crispin hater (i.e., a jealous creative who wished I could have a shot to do work like that), but the agency has crossed the line with its new spot for Orville Redenbacher.

The best new business ideas we've covered in 2006

Springwise Newsletter, January 16, 2007 — Over the past few weeks, we've picked our favorites from the new business ideas we covered in 2006. Not because we're particularly fond of reminiscing, but because we're convinced these innovative concepts still offer plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurs seeking to start something new in 2007.

Anywhere the Eye Can See, It’s Likely to See an Ad

New York Times, January 15, 2007 — Add this to the endangered list: blank spaces.

Advertisers seem determined to fill every last one of them. Supermarket eggs have been stamped with the names of CBS television shows. Subway turnstiles bear messages from Geico auto insurance.

Bright Lights, Big Challenge†

Why China's $700 Bil. market is as much an obstacle as an opportunity for marketers

Adweek, January 15, 2007 — Just 10 years ago, Procter & Gamble's Crest brand was unknown to China's population, most of whom seldom—if ever—brushed their teeth. Now P&G, the country's largest consumer products company, sells more tubes of toothpaste there than it does in America, where Crest has been on store shelves for 52 years.

Discover Opportunity in the Midst of Chaos

Ad-Model Disruption Might Just Be What Media Metrics Need

CMO Strategy by AdAge, January 15, 2007 — Much lip service has been given to the deteriorating state of the advertising industry. Bob Garfield summed this up in his 2005 apocalyptic manifesto, "The Chaos Scenario."

How Google Could End Up Selling TV Inventory†

As Part of Deal With CBS, Web Giant Might Assume Control of Local Ad Space

Advertising Age, January 15, 2007 — Google and CBS have spent the last year getting to know one another, and clearly have found that each has something the other can use. Which is why the worst-kept secret in the media world at the moment is the deal the two are negotiating and expect to finalize very soon.

Just ‘Citi’ as the Brand, and a Folded Umbrella

New York Times, January 15, 2007 — Citigroup, the global banking giant, is shrinking — but only its name. Executives are prepared to rebrand the company "Citi" and to fold up its familiar red umbrella and instead use a logo with a stylized arc above the name.

New Media: Google, Yahoo! Educate Marketers About Testing†

Need for testing grows along with online ad spending.

Brandweek, January 15, 2007 — Most marketers wouldn't think of launching TV and print ads without testing them first, but online ads typically have been introduced with little or no testing.

2007: The year of mobile TV

Providers are scrambling to let consumers take the boob tube to go - but are we willing to pay up for the privilege?

Business 2.0, January 11, 2007 — Will 2007 be the year American consumers can finally watch live football wherever and however they want? Judging by the onslaught of mobile TV-related announcements and demos (the majority of which made reference to the current football season) at this week's Consumer Electronics Show, the answer is a resounding "Yes."

Branded Retailing: The Experience Is the Message

Brands meet real estate…really expensive real estate

Inside 1to1, January 11, 2007 — The New Yorker magazine usually reserves its critical coverage of openings for Broadway plays, art galleries, and Lincoln Center concerts. At the end of December however, the "Talk of the Town" turned to an opening of a different sort: retail.

Questions With ... Judy L. Hu†

Innovating Beyond Traditional TV Ads

Wall Street Journal, January 10, 2007 — General Electric has a long history of invention; after all, the company was founded by Thomas Edison. Now GE has been bringing some of that entrepreneurial spirit to the way it advertises, by trying its hand at nontraditional commercial formats.

To Refurbish Its Image, Tiffany Risks Profits†

After Silver Took Off, Jeweler Raises Prices To Discourage Teens

Wall Street Journal, January 10, 2007 — In the late 1990s, Tiffany & Co.'s silver charm bracelet was a must-have fashion accessory. Teens jammed Tiffany's hushed stores clamoring for the $110 silver bauble. Sales skyrocketed, investors cheered.

Using 'Double Screen' to Drive TV Viewership†

RSS Feed Alerts Consumers to Live Shows

Advertising Age, January 10, 2007 — Anyone in media has read a host of articles about convergence, the meeting and merging of TV and online. While much of the talk has, as ever, been premature, there are signs that consumer behavior is starting to alter and, more importantly, that marketers are responding to it.

TNS: Online Ad Spend to Grow 13.4 Percent in '07

MarketingVox, January 9, 2007 — U.S. online display advertising spend in 2007 will increase 13.4 percent over 2006 levels - much more than the 2.6 percent ad spend growth forecast for all media, according to TNS Media Intelligence, writes ClickZ.

Behind the Epidemic of Lousy Viral Campaigns†

Me-too-itis Hobbles Too Many Marketers' Efforts

Advertising Age, January 8, 2007 — Most of the online viral campaigns you hear about and see these days have one thing in common: They suck.

Burger King Sets High Score with Its Adver-games†

Case Study: Looking at the ROI on the Fast-Feeders X-Box Offerings

Advertising Age, January 8, 2007 — The King has conquered yet another realm: adver-games. Burger King's 'Sneak King' video game for Xbox may not have won rave reviews, but gamers still bought more than 2 million copies.

Dial "M" for Marketing†

Cellphones and other mobile devices are the latest frontier for eager brand marketers. But will users really listen, or just hang up?

Brandweek, January 8, 2007 — It's a grey winter day for train commuters on the Northeast Corridor. Crammed into his seat on his way into Manhattan, a businessman uses his cell phone to log onto Weather.com just to see if there's some sunshine on the way.

P&G Boosts Social-Networking Efforts†

Latest Sites Shift Tack From Brand Promotion To Market Research

Wall Street Journal, January 8, 2007 — Procter & Gamble, in its biggest foray into the hot Web phenomenon of social networking, is launching two Web sites aimed at creating online communities where the consumer-products titan can learn more about its customers and market to them.

Ready to Get Weird, Advertisers?

2007 may be the year they fully embrace the Net

BusinessWeek, January 8, 2007 — Or maybe 2006 was the year of virtual-world site Second Life, even if its fanatically devoted audience remains small relative to the hype; Advertising Age recently commented that it will start writing about marketers that aren't establishing presences there.

TNS Media Intelligence Forecasts 2.6 Percent Increase in U.S. Advertising Spending for 2007

Internet to Continue Double Digit Growth, With Syndicated TV, Outdoor and Magazines Higher Than Market Average

Associated Press, January 8, 2007 — Total U.S. advertising spending is expected to increase 2.6 percent in 2007 to $153.7 billion, according to the full-year forecast released today by TNS Media Intelligence, the leading provider of strategic advertising and marketing information. This anticipated tepid gain is the smallest since the media economy emerged from its 2001 recession and follows estimated advertising spending growth of 3.8 percent in 2006.

When Buying a Diamond Starts With a Mouse

New York Times, January 7, 2007 — MARK C. VADON is one of the world’s top diamond retailers, but wholesalers often decline to meet with him on the convention floor at jewelry trade shows. At the very least, many ask him to flip over his nametag so that no one knows who he is or what company he runs.

National Football Intrigue

Hub, January 6, 2007 — Despite its success- or maybe because of it - the NFL is rarely thought of as innovative. Lisa Baird, the NFL's senior VP of consumer products and marketing, readily admits that the league is not exactly a bastion of new ides, but just as readily asserts that she is out to change that.

Advertisers turn to science to get inside consumers' heads BRANDING†

Neuroscience is shedding new light on how people respond to marketing, but can it be used to change behaviour, asks Alan Mitchell

Financial Times, January 5, 2007 — When researchers working under the auspices of the Radiological Society of North America scanned the brains of subjects exposed to images of brands, they discovered that strong brands excite parts of the brain most associated with pleasure and reward.

The Law of Division

Jack Trout - Tales from the Marketing Wars

Forbes, January 5, 2007 — I noticed recently that soda has lost its fizz. For the first time in decades, volume has declined in 2005 and even more in 2006. Consumer demand for bottled water, sports drinks and energy drinks is exploding, and contributing to eroding sales.

Unlock the power of brands

Marketing Week, January 4, 2007 — Not so long ago, branding was something that companies left to their ad agencies. Not any more. One after another, corporations are joining the scramble to portray themselves as clean, green and socially responsible.

Disrupting Official Sponsorship

adidas delivers brand experiences to match the passions of World Cup fans

Hub, January 1, 2007 — Over the past two decades, we have seen explosive growth in sports-marketing sponsorship around the world in every realm -

Is Dave Insane? Inside a Brand Makeover

Inc. Magazine, January 1, 2007 — The branding experts said he desperately needed help with his image and message. (He did?) They'd do the job for free. (They would?) In the end, Dave Hirschkop, of Dave's Gourmet, was offered six distinct approaches for rebranding his company. So here's the big question: Is it crazier to change everything or nothing?

On our radar for 2007

Trend Briefing

Trendwatching, January 1, 2007 — OK, so we’ve finally succumbed to list mania. Last month, we discussed GENERATION C(ASH) as one of the many emerging consumer trends to watch this year, but to honor your requests for a more elaborative overview of what’s going to be ‘hot’, here’s a quick list of five big trends/themes that are on our radar for 2007*.

Only The Strongest CMOs Will Survive

Prophet, January 1, 2007 — In this article, Scott Davis discusses the challenges being faced by Senior Marketers and four key mandates they should address on the path toward becoming empowered CMOs.

The Net Promoter Debate

A new study testing the validity of Net Promoter scores and its true impact on corporate growth

Ipsos Minute, January 1, 2007 — The Net Promoter concept in loyalty is very popular with executives. A research team including yourself and three academic colleagues recently conducted an in-depth study that put Net Promoter to the test. Why the study?

The New Superpower: China's Emerging Middle Class†

Adweek, January 1, 2007 — Qian Zhi Ying is the epitome of the stylish Shanghainese working mother. Dressed in her Dolce & Gabbana jeans and Mickey Mouse T-shirt, the 30-year-old greets American visitors in her sunny, lemon-colored living room in one of the city's average-income neighborhoods.