Marketer of the Year: Hyundai†

The Carmaker Won Handily in Our Reader Poll, Besting Walmart, McDonald's, Lego and Amazon

Advertising Age, November 9, 2009 — Consider the state of affairs when viewers tuned into the Super Bowl in February: Banks had failed, a stimulus package still hadn't been announced, and unemployment was surging toward 8%, up from 4.8% the year before. Escapism was the order of the day, and most advertisers played right along, with brands like Coke and Pepsi offering saccharine happy-happy joy-joy visions that jarred with the bleak reality.

Does Klein's Temporary Leave Herald the End for the King?†

BK Insists All Is Well With Ad Efforts, but Franchisees Are Hungry for Change

Advertising Age, September 21, 2009 — An unusual Burger King memo stating that chief marketing officer Russ Klein is taking a leave of absence sent tremors through the organization last week and prompted speculation from franchisees about the future of the company's advertising.

Geico’s Lizard Offers a New Message of Reassurance

New York Times, February 19, 2009 — FOR years, prosaic consumer products sought to puff up their appeal by boasting they contained “secret” ingredients that improved their performance. Colgate toothpaste had Gardol, for instance, while Dial soap had AT-7 and Certs breath mints had Retsyn.

Now, confronting consumer anxiety over the economy, the giant insurer Geico is for the first time rolling out a secret ingredient of its own: Warren E. Buffett. The financier controls Berkshire Hathaway, the company that has owned Geico for more than a decade.

A Fashionable Lift for the Everywoman

New York Times, February 17, 2009 — AT Liz Claiborne, the apparel company that is struggling to endure a shutdown in consumer spending, executives have their own stimulus plan.

Call it Isaac Mizrahi.

Mr. Mizrahi — whose fashions for Target were so popular he helped the discount chain become synonymous with chic design — was poached by Liz Claiborne last year to overhaul its aging brand.

Marketers Take a Softer Tack to Reach Uneasy Consumers†

Wall Street Journal, November 5, 2008 — The roller-coaster stock market and plunging housing prices have left many consumers afraid. In response, marketers are adopting a softer approach to peddling their wares, playing up comforting images in their ads and focusing on family and the warmth and safety of home.