July 8, 2008
But He's Really Nice In Person: Social Media and the Embarrassing CEO
We all have one: the friend whose quirks are mildly amusing in person. But place them under the magnifying glass of social media and those minor quirks become major, hard-to-ignore annoyances. Or, as one friend recently remarked about an acquaintance of ours, “I’m embarrassed for him every time I go on Twitter.”
June 2, 2008
The Terrorist In The Kitchen
So last week Rachel Ray, erstwhile host of numerous cooking shows—including one that runs (coincidentally enough) in the back of New York City taxis—was involved in a bit of a kafuffle concerning the scarf she was sporting in the Dunkin’ Donuts ad above. For despite the appearance of said scarf in fashion magazines and the pages of Stuff White People Like, for conservative columnist Michele Malkin, it was as if the decidedly apolitical Ray had stepped out in a “Team Al Qaeda” sweatshirt.
April 24, 2008
The Right Time And Place: Reading vs Watching vs Talking
Rubicon Consulting came out with an interesting study earlier this month about the iPhone and how people are using it. There were a number of key findings you can read about there or on PSFK. But the one I want to focus on—because I see it happening more and more—is that people are carrying two phones.
April 14, 2008
The Rebirth Of Barbie
One of the more interesting side effects of having a daughter is that after years of Thomas the Tank Engine, Jay Jay the Jet Plane and the New Jersey Nets, I’ve had to learn the names of an entirely new set of characters. And despite her vilification over the past decade or two, who do I find right up there along with Polly Pocket, the Disney Princesses and My Little Ponies...? None other than Barbie.
March 3, 2008
Whither TV?
There’s a great piece in this month’s Atlantic Monthly (a magazine I’d forgotten how much I liked) by Michael Hirschorn about the eventual evolution of television.
February 12, 2008
Branded At Birth
The other day Mrs. T. asked me to pick up a birthday present for one of the Tadpoles’ friends and when I asked her what sorts of things the child was into, her response was a list of brands. Disney Princesses, Dora and Webkinz.
January 21, 2008
Five Things I Learned from the MacBook Air
I’ve learned a few things from the post I did a few days ago on the new MacBook Air. Namely, that it’s got a lot of features people aren’t thrilled about, like an external DVD drive, limited memory and a non-replaceable battery. And despite the price tag ($1,800), I don’t think it was designed to be anyone’s primary computer, but rather a portable model you use when traveling or commuting, your files having been instantly synched through the miracles of iDisk. There are a number of things Apple did right with the launch though, that other marketers can learn from. Let’s have a look....
January 10, 2008
What Is Digital Marketing?
While the rise of digital advertising seems to be the only thing anyone in the business is capable of talking about these days, I often find myself wondering what digital advertising really is. Is it a "viral" video like Dove "Evolution" or Smirnoff "Tea-Partay"? Or are those really just TV spots that run on the internet instead of NBC and aren't required to be exactly 30 or 60 seconds long?
December 10, 2007
Design Is the New Advertising
The other day, I came across a t-shirt that read “I’ll pay more for good design.” Now granted, I found it on a site I’d gotten from CoolHunter as I was looking for Hanukkah gifts, and the store was in Brooklyn and all that.
November 19, 2007
The Exit Plan
The “Exit Plan” is a conversation I seem to be having with more and more of my peers these days. As in “what’s your Exit Plan" for when you’re deemed too old to work in advertising anymore?
November 8, 2007
Defeating The Armies Of 'No'
Having spent close to 20 years in the creative departments of ad agencies, I’ve always found it curious how the vast majority of companies all but ensure that their marketing efforts end in failure. Why? Because they’ve burdened themselves with the Armies of “No.”
October 29, 2007
The Real Digital Revolution
The real digital revolution has nothing to do with advertising or marketing. In fact, it's the mortal enemy of advertising and marketing.
October 18, 2007
Not Everyone Is an Upscale, Urban, 30something, White Male Hipster
If all the ads you see on television sound like they’ve been written by the same person, a slightly snarky, all-knowing young hipster, odds are they have. Or, more accurately, by a crew of people who all strive to have the same voice: that of the creative directors who judge award shows.
October 9, 2007
Social Media Is Only 'Social' If You're Alone
As I mentioned in my post last week, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter would have made my teens and twenties a far more interesting time. These sites are ideal for the sort of audience whose social life is of paramount importance, whose lives revolve around their friends and going out, and who’d rather not be interacting with the people around them (e.g. their roommates and/or parents.) If indeed there are actually any people around them.
October 1, 2007
Your Brand Is Not My Friend
I mean when you think of it, it’s kind of creepy. Facebook is the 21st century diner or malt shop. It’s where teens and young adults go to hang out.
And the last thing they want is some salesperson coming up in their face and trying to have a “conversation” with them while they’re figuring out when they’re going to the movies. They don’t want to talk to you. They want to talk to their friends.
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