In New Campaigns, Spots Take On a Rosier Hue

New York Times, October 13, 2009 — The American economy is back — or so some of the country’s biggest advertisers are saying in new campaigns.

It may be a sign that the recession is ending, or it may be a sign that consumers are sick of hearing about it.

While economists and investors study housing starts and gross domestic product predictions to measure economic vibrancy, General Electric, Bank of America and other companies are using commercials to proclaim that America’s future is bright. And that may be something of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

How Brands Can Build a Successful App Strategy†

12 Lessons From Benjamin Moore, Bank of America, Kraft and Others

Advertising Age, September 23, 2009 — More than a year into the age of the iPhone app, brands are starting to get on board — and best practices are emerging. At Wednesday's Apps for Brands event in New York, marketers taught other marketers what's worked for them. Here are 12 lessons culled from the day, during which MLB.com CEO Bob Bowman and marketers from Kraft, Bank of America, Benjamin Moore and AKQA convened to talk about what they've learned from their early, successful forays into the space.

Restore Confidence With Decisive Action

By Andrew Pierce

Prophet, December 15, 2008 — Repairing the damage done to consumer confidence is not going to be easy, and many of the sector’s brands that were once pillars of the community (Lehman Brothers, Bear Sterns, and others) are beyond the task. But the work starts now, and falls to marketing leaders to draw on all the best thinking and resources at their disposal to get the job done. (Marketing News)

Thinking by Design†

Brandweek, November 2, 2008 — While marketers have appreciated the value of distinctive design for some time now—at least since Apple and Target started making it a key differentiator about a decade ago—design thinking is something else. The premise is that if you tap a designer, or a designer's problem-solving approach, to tackle standard business problems, you will get game-changing results.

Resolved to Keep on Marketing, Even in Tight-Fisted Times

New York Times, October 20, 2008 — Attendees of a big annual conference for marketers, held here last week, could have been forgiven for believing they had stumbled into a symposium for scholars of American history in the 1930s.

These are some of the words and phrases heard during the conference, the 98th annual meeting of the Association of National Advertisers: “financial crisis,” “scary,” “foreclosure,” “economic crisis,” “difficult times,” “the chaotic financial markets,” “devastating,” “under siege” and “unprecedented.”

Whether the members of the association — 400 companies that together spend an estimated $100 billion a year on advertising and other forms of marketing — are willing to stick to the spending plans they made “before the globe... continue reading

To Reach Mobile Users, Make Your Marketing Useful†

Roundtable of Experts Says Smart Advertisers Will Use the Medium to Provide Consumers Something Valuable

Advertising Age, September 8, 2008 — When it comes to mobile marketing, advertisers have not only a challenge but a mandate to create something useful for consumers, according to a panel of experts Advertising Age gathered to talk about the opportunities — and potential pitfalls — of reaching consumers on their phones. Good mobile marketing, the consensus said, takes advantage of the channel's inherent traits and ties into other media.

Tough Times Increase Pressure To Meet the Marketing Effectiveness Imperative

Prophet, September 1, 2008 — Businesses today are hunkering down. With consumers clutching their wallets more tightly, companies are scrutinizing every budget item to maintain profitability even as revenues are flat and costs rise. And with marketing commonly viewed as a discretionary spend, it is one of the likeliest victims of the ax.

Retail Giant Will Remake Private Bank

U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, can burnish its private bank’s reputation in catering to the very rich.

New York Times, June 18, 2007 — Bank of America built its brand as a financial supermarket that could be all things to all people. Now, it will see if a new name can burnish its private bank's reputation in catering to the very rich.

How BofA Juggled 9 Shops, Single Message†

Case Study: Working With Omnicom, Bank Integrates 'Opportunity'

Advertising Age, April 2, 2007 — Anne Finucane took over as CMO of Bank of America with a big task — completely reposition the industry leader's consumer, credit-card and private-banking businesses — and do it in less than 12 months. The challenge was made all the bigger by the fact that there's no real consensus on how to implement massive integrated campaigns.

Seeing if Banks Are Any Nicer†

We Find Out if Service is Truly a Top Priority; Free Coffee and Couches

Wall Street Journal, March 29, 2007 — n recent times, several big banks have been claiming that they've rediscovered customer service. In New York City, at least, this is showing up in trivial ways, such as a notable absence of bulletproof glass and greeters saying hello to customers as they walk into local branches. Some are even installing couches and TVs and playing pop music to encourage people to linger and perhaps pick up the pamphlets about banking services that they leave scattered around.