Original and insightful articles from the biggest names in the business

Coupons: The Next Big Trend in Mobile Marketing? Chris Wood 11/17/09 Mobile coupons are everything their paper counterparts aren’t--incredibly convenient and uniquely spontaneous. Shoppers never have to worry about having them at the right time, because they always have their phones.

Naming and Branding Lessons from the Ivy League Diane Prange 11/10/09 With universities auctioning off the names of everything from courses to swimming lanes in order to raise money, we began to wonder. Given the long tradition of naming campus buildings, fellowships, chairs, and entire schools after donors, why do some of these names, particularly those of the Ivy League, carry such a weight of prestige?

Inspiration. It’s Not What You Think. Bart Cleveland 11/03/09 What inspires you? Most of us would answer with the name of someone we admire. But do heroes actually inspire us or do we simply wish to emulate them?

The Fastest Way to Kill Good Advertising is With Bad Service Greg Pruitt 10/27/09 It’s now an advertising genre. A flustered customer calls up the company and gets a cool salesperson on the phone. Despite the customer’s negative attitude, the sales rep answers the hard questions with confidence and clarity and quickly transforms the doubting Tom into a brand evangelist. On radio, it takes all of 60 seconds. On TV, just thirty.

A Matter of Life and Death –and a Grocery Bag Paul MacFarlane 10/20/09 Do you want to be remembered as a SEO expert? Do you want to be remembered as making soft-porn sales promotion posters? Do you want to be remembered for saving 1% off the media budget for the same reach and frequency?

Fortune Favors the Brave Mike Braue 10/13/09 In an economy that’s got a lot of businesses basing their decisions on fear, it’s important that agencies turn up the volume on their brave stance…Because no economic climate needs or rewards bravery more than one in crisis.

A Model for Meaningful Marketing Bob Gilbreath 10/06/09 In boardrooms and multiagency brand summits around the world, "value" has risen to the top of marketers' concerns. Brands that are making the most gains through the economic crisis have closely tied sustainability between the product and marketing.

The 4 Cs of Social Media Marketing Karri Flatla 09/29/09 To be effective in social media you must cut through the noise like a laser and say something that matters to people. You don’t have to be brilliant, but do convey insight, intelligence or, at minimum, the ability to cognate a complete thought.

Agency/Academy Symbiosis Needed to Prepare Undergrads for Industry Mark Allen 09/22/09 A lot of ad schools out there are doing a really poor job at preparing their students, especially in creative. There’s nothing sadder than the moment an undergrad realizes that they’re not ready for the career that they just spent the best years of their life training for.

What Work Would You be Willing to Get Fired Over? James P. Othmer 09/15/09 Where might one draw the line if asked to advertise a certain type of product. For instance, would you work on a cigarette account, a military account or a liquor account? Would you work on a pharmaceutical account for a product with possible side effects that include death and blindness?

Don’t Give Clients What They Want... Blake Ebel 09/08/09 Give Them What They Never Dreamed Possible. “Isn’t that why they hire us in the first place?” I remember it like it was yesterday. My first real mentor...

Hey Idea People, Got Any Idea How to Make Money? Britt Benston 09/01/09 Used to be that, for an idea person, there was a patented formula you’d use to get a better job: Book not good enough? Well then, do some spec or freelance campaigns that show off your creative abilities. Reel not good enough? Shoot a spec spot (just make sure people don’t detect that it’s spec). But nowadays...

Repairing the Agency-Client Relationship Mike Wolfsohn 08/25/09 Respect between agencies and clients isn’t about admiration or empathy; it’s about being active contributors to each other’s success. Clients shouldn’t have to ask agencies to help them do more with less during a recession...

Benefits of Public Relations Jenna (Gruhala) Oltersdorf 08/18/09 It’s no secret that both PR and advertising offer unique benefits when employed correctly. And, when working together, the two practices can build awareness, boost brand value and drive sales.

Meeting the New Media Challenge with ROI Leslie Moeller and Edward Landry 08/11/09 One of the great profitability challenges facing today’s marketers is how to make optimal use of the vast array of new media vehicles that have recently appeared and continue to emerge. Should companies use Twitter...

Oh, Oh, Here Comes the Future Norm Grey 08/04/09 In the early 80’s, a futurist group predicted that by 2000, we’d have to work a 32 hour week because with all our labor saving devices, there wouldn’t be enough work to keep all of us employed.

Class of 2009 Jeroen Bours 07/28/09 What do you tell art students coming fresh out of art schools? Those students who dream of becoming art directors, copywriters or graphic designers overnight? Those, who were told that they’d be shooting a commercial by the end of August?

Live Fresh. And Don't Die, Just Yet Paul MacFarlane 07/21/09 Rather than offering another "how to ______ in these tough times", (helpful as that might continue to be) how about some suggestions that are relevant for all times, for every day of our lives?

Music Branding Gets All Grown Up Mike Tunnicliffe 07/14/09 Artists partnering with brands and brands using music in their marketing is nothing new, but the neat thing about the ideas above is that they’re clear examples of where consumer brands are becoming business partners and revenue generators for artists (and vice versa) rather than just suppliers of exposure.

Let’s Redesign Advertising Ross Popoff-Walker 07/07/09 We experience the digital world as timely, relevant, useful, and personable. I can find out exactly what my friends are doing as they do it via Twitter or Facebook. This is how technology (when it works), has fundamentally altered the way we behave, work, and live.

He’s Been in Starkfield Too Many Winters Jim Astrachan 06/30/09 A friend of mine runs an advertising agency with offices in New Jersey and NYC. He has about 60 employees and is involved in every decision of consequence...recently, we met at his Manhattan office...

Will I Stay or Will I Go? Diane McKinnon 06/23/09 In the era of financial meltdown, “staycations,” slashed budgets and cost-cutting on all sides of the marketing ecosystem, what is the value of business travel?

Where It's At Morgan Vawter 06/16/09 Although economic times are hard, now more than ever is the best time for small businesses to get into the Google Adwords game. Google is making a big push to bring local mom and pop shops into the world of paid marketing.

Your Marketing Is Broken. And That Is Good. Tom Lynch 06/09/09 “I know half of my marketing is wasted, I just don’t know which half” was the famous quote from all those years ago. If only it were as easy to make such a claim over a three martini lunch, and still go on to hold your CMO job for 15-20 years. Fast forward a few decades, and if anything, the situation has gotten worse.

The Small Advantage Linda Kaplan Thaler/ Robin Koval 06/02/09 To say that looking for a job in this economy is difficult is like saying Bernie Madoff likes money. No kidding. With over 3.3 million jobs lost in the past five months alone, and unemployment rates the highest in over 25 years, finding a job is right up there with finding the Madoff money. But we are here to offer some “small” advice...

Heads Up Grads Paul Marobella 05/26/09 I kept thinking that nobody would take a look at me until I had experience, but how was I supposed to get the experience? It seemed like a chicken and egg situation. While people are losing their jobs in the advertising & marketing sector, there are still ways to gain that important experience and even more important relationships that will set you up for success. Here are 5 ideas that can help college graduates in this recession.

Same as It Never Was Jef Loeb 05/19/09 We start with three observations virtually guaranteed to make the question marks in your morning bowl of Alpha-Bits float a little higher. First: like it or not, our shared profession is more than a long link or two from being at the top of the economic recovery food chain.

Corporate Culture in the Workplace Jaci Russo 05/12/09 Once upon a time, getting a job generally meant you were there for the life of your career, or at best a good portion of it. This often meant starting at the bottom and working your way up the ladder. Well, in case you haven’t noticed, times have changed.

The Future Of Marketing Gareth Kay 05/05/09 There is precious little conversation about the impact technology is having long-term on culture, and how this might challenge some of the assumptions we have built marketing programs on for the last few decades.

Creative Solution vs. Creative Production Matthew Childs 04/28/09 It was the best of times, it was the worst of times in digital marketing. The banner is dead, long live the banner. Well, you get the idea. IAB head Rothenberg is decrying the state of online advertising creative, there are new standards and formats being set.

The World Needs More “Holy Jeez”! Andy Nulman 04/21/09 No time to fool around these days. Let’s get right to the point: The world needs more “Holy Jeez.” To be more specific, it needs more Holy Jeezers.

How To Win More New Business In a Tough Environment Avi Dan 04/14/09 It has been said that fairly or unfairly new business prowess is the way the market assesses ad agencies. You win and you are a star even if you’re not. You lose and you are judged harshly even if you shouldn’t be. But today, winning new business is more than just managing an agency’s perception.

The Generation That Won’t Go Away Has One More Thing to Say Jeff Johnson and Paula Forman 04/07/09 Even the most ambitious among us knows that net worth isn’t the same as personal worth. But a big pile of money makes every one smile, right? This recession is a face full of cold water that requires us to re-think the meaning of money in our lives for today and for the future.

How to Get Customers in this El Crappo Economy John Follis 03/31/09 You probably won’t find “el crappo” in Webster’s, but it does describe the current state of economic affairs. I run a creatively-driven, advertising and marketing consultancy geared toward small businesses...

Advertising Doesn't Work On Me Anymore Paul MacFarlane 03/24/09 (So I'm Working On Advertising) Aspirational, image-based advertising (what most of you are doing these days no matter the media) is dead, buried, rotted and is now fine maggot dust. Why? Because it was and always is a mere mask between the truth of a product or service experience and all of us.

Are You in Advertising? No Worries! Joe Grant 03/17/09 I don’t have any answers for you, no “6 Easy Ways To Keep Your Job” stuff. I’ve seen bad spells several times in my career and all I can say is like a rodeo cowboy, you just ride the beast as long as you can, get the tar whupped out of you, and hope it stops before you’re bucked off.

Your Duties as a Consultant Stefan Pinto 03/10/09 A colleague recently telephoned with a developing concern surrounding a consulting position she only just accepted. The client was facing possible restrictive challenges and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. She was concerned her reputation could be jeopardized if unable to fulfill her duties

SEO vs PPC Joel Cheesman 03/03/09 Ali or Frazier? Microsoft or Apple? Republican or Democrat? All tough choices. But perhaps the toughest choice marketers are struggling with today is, SEO or PPC?

Madison Avenue Meets Fifth Avenue Stephanie Hemmann 02/24/09 One may ask what draws me into the stores, and in most cases, I can say an eblast. Why an eblast verses the beautiful glossy magazine ads or TV ads? Because I am not only a shopaholic but also a bargain hunter.

Advertising After The Real Digital Revolution Alan Wolk 02/17/09 I’ve written quite a bit about the effects of The Real Digital Revolution, that transition of the consumer decision cycle from Ad -> Purchase into Ad -> Google -> Purchase and how it permanently altered the role of advertising in our society. But that doesn’t mean advertising is going away. Just that it promises to look and feel very different.

Sarah Palin, will you be my Valentine? Joshua Miller 02/10/09 Okay, I will admit I used one of the most obvious ploys to get your attention. As Sarah would say…Gotcha! Don’t’ worry, this article has nothing to do with Sarah Palin or politics. It’s about “paying attention”...

How Can Media Build Advocacy? Judy Popky 02/03/09 It’s the question of the hour at our company. We all agree that building advocacy is the way to build top and bottom line sales. After all, who’s a better spokesperson than a brand advocate.

Hanging-On While Your Agency Is Laying-Off Jackie Rodriguez 01/27/09 Over the years I’ve observed a few key traits that can help position you as a rock star an agency can’t live without, versus someone who can be made available to the industry.

Flexible Staffing in a Difficult Economy Judi Casey 01/20/09 How can employers cut costs while maintaining current staffing levels in a down economy? Some employers have implemented cost reductions by asking employees...

Web Design Evolution: Use WordPress to Create, Build and Launch Your Own Blog Stefan Pinto 01/13/09 For us designers, “WordPress is a state-of-the-art publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability.” Nothing in that description about dreaded code or, worse...

New Creatives Beware: Salesmanship Isn't a Four-Letter Word. Seriously It's Twelve. Blake Ebel 01/06/09 When I was just a kid in this business I worked for a few very nice creative directors who taught me how to stand in front of a room of strangers and walk a client through a storyboard or print campaign...

Creative Rock Star Steffan Postaer 12/29/08 Another best of 2008! This article by Steffan Postaer was one of the years' most popular pieces. Please enjoy this article again and have a safe holiday season.

Get Your Shiznit Together, There Will Be Blood Heidi Ehlers 12/22/08 Unless you've been living under a rock (sometimes known as working on a shoot) for the past three months, you can't help but be wondering if you're going to lose your job in January.

Creative Medical Advertising—Oxymoron? Bruce Nicoll 12/16/08 Okay, I have a confession to make: Despite having been a copywriter for fifteen years and a creative director for ten more—some readers of this column might say that I’ve never quite fully managed to actually get into advertising...

In Praise of Taking Your Eye Off the Ball Martin Bihl 12/09/08 Coaches tell us when we are first playing sports to keep our eye on the ball. But when I was very young, my father, who spent most of his life either in or arguing about ...

Why Social Media is the Most Efficient Marketing Possible Jason Baer 12/02/08 The explosion in marketing and message conveyance opportunities is simply breathtaking. We've gone from 3 TV stations to 500+. Satellite radio. Hundreds of new magazines. Out-of-home advertising...

Trust Yourself and Enjoy the Pay Off Joshua Miller 11/25/08 Let’s face it; times are tough for many people right now. With an uncertain economy and job security on the line, the one thing on the minds...

Of Froth and Five Dollar Lattes John Gerzema 11/18/08 Like a five year old who learns the hard way not to touch a hot oven, we usually learn from our mistakes. The exception to that rule would be the repeating series of financial follies...

Why Are Creatives Such Big Babies? Steffan Postaer 11/11/08 Because we’re “connecting to our inner fantastic.” I spent the evening at my children’s school, meeting their teachers, discussing the upcoming year. During this visit, I became aware of how “creative” so much of my girl’s curriculum really is.

Standing Out Erin Allsman 11/04/08 With financial markets collapsing all around us, a real estate crisis of gargantuan proportions and an economic environment similar to – if not worse than - the Great Depression era, it is no surprise...

Is Originality Dead or Is It Too Risky? Laura Spaugh 10/28/08 When was the last time you saw a movie that was based on original content – where the basic premise was not a sequel, a remake, or based on a true story? Have we simply run out of original ideas?

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors Jim Astrachan 10/21/08 It won’t come as much of a surprise to anyone long involved in the advertising industry – client or agency – that the game has really changed. Once, ad agencies were their clients’ marketing partners...

Thank You For Hiring Me…I Would Like to Give My Two Weeks Notice Now Joshua Miller 10/14/08 Looking back now having had a successful career in an industry that afforded me everything I wished for – there are still key lessons on how to survive the turbulent and wonderful world of advertising.

How Being a Social Network Butterfly Can Help You Land a Job and Improve Your Career (Part Three) Michael Durwin 10/07/08 If, like me, you find it difficult to focus on several disparate social networks, or find time to run or keep up with a blog, you may want consider microblogs.

How Being a Social Network Butterfly Can Help You Land a Job and Improve Your Career (Part Two) Michael Durwin 09/30/08 You can get much more from social networks than just a chance to show your mettle. SoNets are a great source of education. Other users can help you solve problems...

The "Other Green" Marketing Rusty Scholtes 09/23/08 I recently attended a retail marketing conference to stimulate the idea process, reconnect with peers and mingle with retail marketing executives. As in past years, it was an interesting conference.

How Being a Social Network Butterfly Can Help You Land a Job and Improve Your Career (Part One) Michael Durwin 09/16/08 It's no secret that Social Networking is huge. It's also obvious that it is continuously changing. Friendster gave way to MySpace...

Content Marketing is What's Next Chris Brogan 09/09/08 An ad is a great way to encapsulate information into a tiny bite. Think of it as a tiny cracker with a piece of cheese. It leaves us wanting more.

It’s the Empathy…Stupid! Cliff Medney 09/02/08 Carville was so right in 1992 to focus on the single minded message of the economy. It was obviously not the only thing the Clinton campaign thought...

You Can't Handle the Truth! Leo Bottary 08/26/08 We’re all taught to lie, aren’t we? When I say we, I don't mean just all of us in the PR business, I mean we as a society.

Why Athletes Are the Perfect Team Players in Media Ryan McNeil 08/19/08 The perfect team players in media are athletes. Being a former professional athlete myself, I know what I want and what I like and I know that my wants and likes influence others.

Getting Your Foot in the Door and Out of Your Mouth Joanne Davis 08/14/08 After 15 years as an agency leader and business development executive and now three years as a consultant, I've learned a lot about new business blunders as well as blockbusters. I've surveyed dozens of clients about their attitudes towards agency new business activities.

How to Create Advertising Without Creating Lawsuits Jim Astrachan 08/12/08 Over twenty-five years of representing agencies and advertisers I’ve seen different clients suffer from the same recurring mistakes that could have been easily avoided.

Banner-based Conversations Jim Russell 08/05/08 How the lowly banner has the power to get folks emotionally attached to your brand.

Advertising is Subjective? Mike Ogden 07/29/08 I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard that advertising is subjective.

The Last Generalization You Will Ever Need Martin Bihl 07/15/08 Life is full of generalizations. Like that one, for instance. And nowhere are generalizations more rife than in the Advertising industry. They appear in our creative briefs, our pitches, our presentations, our conversations and emails. But I am happy to be able to present...

Truth to Power Leo Bottary 07/08/08 The only question we have to ask ourselves is: Are we selfless enough and courageous enough to speak truth to power? Is it enough just to speak truth to power, or do you we have to actually be successful at it?

One Step At a Time Chris Miller 06/25/08 Last week I talked about the importance of doing and embracing the mediums, tools, and applications that our clients and brand’s audience’s are. This week I’ll give you some thoughts and concrete recommendations on how to do this.

You’ve Got to Keep On Learning Chris Miller 06/18/08 This time of year when I see kids walking to and from school, they all have that “it’s almost over” look on their face. Remember that feeling?

Why Advertising is the Best Job in Corporate America Matt Weiss 06/11/08 Everyone loves to hate the advertising industry. The TV show “Mad Men” portrays the heyday of advertising as a men’s club of gin-swilling, secretary-exploiting, self-satisfied white men who live in Connecticut and work in a bubble surrounded by dim-witted, loyal clients.

Ideas. Your Best Shot at Immortality Mike Ogden 06/04/08 Think about it. Every big decision in life or advancement for mankind starts with an idea. A man gets the idea to propose. A couple gets the idea to start a family. A 17 year-old Idaho farm boy had the idea of transmitting captured light.

Advertising, Now That's Low Brian Brooker 05/28/08 Advertising is not a highly regarded profession. In fact, advertising ranks just a notch above used-car salesman. Some would argue that it should be the other way around. No one in the ad industry will be receiving the Nobel Peace Prize anytime soon.

The Value of the PMP® Credential Michelle LaBrosse 05/23/08 PMPs are Certified Project Managers, and the designation is earned after logging a set number of hours managing projects and passing a rigorous test, among other requirements. Recruiters, hiring officers and federal and state government procurement officers often look for the PMP credential when viewing online resumes...

The New Rules of Online Marketing Jeremy Morris 05/21/08 I was looking at some internet usage stats today that should make any marketer stop and think very hard. This data relates specifically to the way consumers use the web to research cars and trucks, but the broad take-away is relevant to pretty much anyone trying to sell stuff on the web.

"Put it in writing."The power of print & outdoor Steffan Postaer 05/15/08 In 1998, Altoids won the prestigious Kelly award for best print campaign in North America. The campaign has since won numerous prizes and all of them, save last year’s Gold at Cannes, have come from print or outdoor executions.

What Do You Know About the Second Fastest Growing Medium? Betsy McLarney 05/14/08 Quick – what’s the first word that comes to mind when you hear outdoor advertising? Billboards, isn’t it? Well… while there’s no correct answer, if the “B-word” is your go-to, you may be a bit behind the times.

It’s Not What You Spend, It’s How You Spend It Howard Sherman 05/07/08 Show me a client who doesn’t care about results, and I’ll show you someone who’s looking for a job.

The Client Relationship Autopsy Leo Bottary 04/30/08 The client relationship autopsy is a delicate process and not for the squeamish, but it may be one of the most valuable exercises you'll ever undertake as a communication professional.

How to Put Your Agency Into a Crisis (Or: 10 Steps on the Way to Committing Agency Suicide) Gary Lessner 04/22/08 There is nothing in this article that you don’t already know about. There is plenty in this article that you aren’t doing anything about.

Why Good Creatives Leave – And Why They Stay Stan Richards 04/15/08 Ask anyone faced with building a team of terrific, committed creatives, and you’ll hear the same theme played back: Attracting top talent is hard enough. But keeping it? Next to impossible.

Leadership: The Pursuit of Continuous Improvement Greg Taucher & Stacey Prenner 04/08/08 The good news is that the ability to lead, motivate and foster collaboration is not tied to one’s age, tenure, title or discipline – it’s tied to one’s own practice in the pursuit of continuous improvement.

The Creative Athlete: Winning at Any Age Steffan Postaer 04/01/08 Last week my piece on ageism created a small furor in Ad Land. This week, I continue the topic with the “Creative Athlete.” A bit of an eye-roller, I know. But before the haters crawl out from under their Macs, here me out…

Your Career in Creative: ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray' Steffan Postaer 03/26/08 Growing old. It’s the one thing we ad folks dare not speak of. Yet the ‘circle of life’ is anything but gradual in the agency jungle.

Is Your Employer Investing in You? Doug Weaver 03/18/08 There is a multi-billion dollar industry in the US that revolves around “Workforce Satisfaction.” Why?

Now, What's The Payoff? Jim Holbrook 03/11/08 The most unfortunate thing about marketing these days is that it works pretty well. Our analysis, working with IMI International (a very cool research firm), shows that only about 10% of marketing programs are true home runs.

Mobile Ads Offer One-Two Punch: Reach and Influence Rob Lawson 03/05/08 Rather than peppering you with a list of the exciting opportunities presented by mobile advertising, thereby giving you the immediate desire to dismiss my comments, let’s simply look at the facts.

Reinventing the Media Agency Greg Thomas 02/27/08

TV vs. Internet Video: It's All About the User Experience Jessica Kizorek 02/27/08 There are many distinct differences in the way consumers experience television versus Internet and mobile platforms. They do, however, have one clear common denominator. Kevan O’Brien, a solutions engineer for Adobe, acknowledges, “I have the same expectations of online video that I do of TV: Turn it on. It starts immediately.

Ads For Fun. Just Don't Do It. Dave Smith 02/20/08 I just heard a funny and disturbing story about a local advertising award show. Seems some young but very talented creatives went out and found a small client (in this case a small restaurant known for frying chicken).

Building a Successful Business as a Freelancer Stefan Pinto 02/13/08 Eleven years ago, I drove home on the New Jersey Turnpike in a shocking state of bewilderment. I had only just handed my then manager their gray, corporate-owned, incommodious desktop slash laptop slash docking-station in exchange for the unpredictable life of a freelancer.

Modernizing Your Resume for Today's Job Market Kristen Fischer 02/06/08 Employers now demand more out of job candidates, and having a resume that stands out can make the difference between getting the job and getting a form letter.

Thinking About Jumping Ship? Tara Lamberson 01/29/08 Anyone on the hiring end knows that our industry is currently experiencing a worsening talent drought. Some of you may be looking around – in fact, I’d bank on it since you are reading this on the Talent Zoo website.

Why do so Few MBA’s go into Advertising? Jo Ann Herold 01/23/08 I often have people ask me if the MBA was necessary to be successful in marketing or advertising. My answer is always — it depends on what your goals are.

When it Comes to Talent, Don't Just Say it, Mean it Alain Groenendaal 01/16/08 You’ve heard that a million times. (In fact, you’ve probably even heard yourself saying that a million times). While it’s easy to say, how often do you really feel it?

Are You a Player? Dr. Rob Yeung 01/08/08 Bad stuff can happen to good people at work. Decent, hard-working souls who try to do a good job often end up getting overtaken by nasty, vindictive types on the way to the top.

Chemistry is More Than Just an Attraction! Lisa Colantuonolisa 01/02/08 Chemistry is not simply about ‘love at first sight!’ It is a step-by-step process. It is a process of building trust and effective communication.

Educate Your Market Before Entering It Glenn Mangurian 12/26/07 How do you sell into a market that is not yet established? This is one of several dilemmas that emerging companies face as they create the next new thing.

Analog Meet Digital, Digital Meet Analog Howard Goldkrand 12/17/07 I love handshakes: the strong, the dainty, the forever “please let go now,” the missed palm-to-palm finger shake and even the clammy. It is the direct connection, the immediacy of the information transferred from hand to hand that I seek. You can find the same energy in the heart-touch after the hand-touch in the Arabic world...

Thank you Lürzer’s Archive Britt Benston 12/17/07 Thank you Lürzer’s Archive for showing us lately that advertising can still amuse. Thanks Archive for showing the art in communication arts.

Non-Traditional Advertising Needs a Shower, Bad... Paul MacFarlane 12/11/07 This resultant, ever-increasing encroachment creates a deeper hardness, coldness, numbness and ennui in our fellow human beings to our work, ever-escalating the stakes to get attention, inform, educate, inspire and offer the sale.

How Diverse Should You Be? Sam Ewen 12/04/07 On a recent speaking trip to South America, I listened to a colleague discuss how there is almost stock-market like volatility in on-line media, as some tactics do well, some don’t and on occasion you get an runaway hit.

Help Us Help You Ken Robinson 11/27/07 Not a day goes by that we are not contacted by agencies asking: “What is the best way to get onto your radar screen?” Here are five easy tips for grooming Search Consultant relationships.

Brand Discipline for Job Seekers Lilli Cloud 11/19/07 Although we often think of resumes, networking and job interviews as part of the human resources discipline, they are, in fact, all marketing. Lucky for you, unlike an accountant or teacher, as a marketing professional you know how to do this.

Civilization comes to the “Wild West:” The Online Video Marketplace is Maturing Angela Wilson Gyetvan 11/14/07 According to the latest Price Waterhouse Global Entertainment and Media Outlook, the Internet will remain the fastest-growing entertainment medium over the next five years posting an 18.3% combined annual growth rate (vs. 4.9% for filmed entertainment and 5.6% for television)...

Getting the Plumbing Right Gaston Legorburu 11/05/07 Let’s face it, most people with even a limited involvement with interactive marketing get it by now - they understand the foundational concepts behind media and creative optimization for digital marketing.

The 4 Myths of Agency - Client Relationships Trisha Scudder 10/31/07 If you want stronger, more productive, more stable relationships with your clients, you need to examine your agency's beliefs and assumptions about clients.

Dressing for Success Means Wearing The Tattoo Bob Rose 10/10/07 As any savvy business owner will tell you, the way to get employees to perform their best is to get them to rally behind a cause. In advertising, that means building your client’s business. When an agency accomplishes this, it’s successful. It’s a company employees love to work for, and one they’re proud to be a part of.

Marketing to the Empowered Consumer – Are You Ready? Mike Shutty 10/10/07 Until recently there was a clear line separating the channels and objectives of brand and direct. One focused on creating awareness and share-of-mind via television, radio and print, and the other on inspiring a specific action and share-of-wallet via mail, telemarketing and more recently – email.

It's More Than Digital: Why Paying Attention to Human Behavior Will Pay Off in a Digital World Andrea Coville 10/03/07 If I knew then what I know now. I enjoy recounting my early days in the agency business. I was full of energy, curiosity, and was certainly more verbal than I was thoughtful...

Providing Opportunities, Finding Inspiration Laurence Boschetto 09/05/07 We all seek inspiration. We all want a new perspective. We’re looking for that certain something that helps us start the day with fresh eyes, look at things differently and rekindle the fire we had when we first started out in this business.

The Power of Personal Brand Ann Mack 08/29/07 Following the CNN/YouTube Democratic debate in late June, I logged onto Hillary Clinton’s site to see how her team was spinning the victories and missteps from the evening before. Or at least, I tried to log on—it was before my morning coffee, and I clumsily lopped off one “l,” typing in hilaryclinton.com.

How to Successfully Pitch Yourself As a Speaker Susan Bratton 08/22/07 Getting the opportunity to showcase your expertise as a speaker at a trade show, conference, local association meeting or a bookstore can generate interest, great PR and even new business leads for your company. Further, being a speaker underscores your value and credibility as an industry professional, increasing your image and worth in the market.

With all the talk about "branding," shouldn't we agree on what brands really are? Wendell Pope 08/15/07 Nearly every time I read an article about marketing, sales, advertising or public relations, I am confronted with the word "brand" and its various parts of speech: brand, branded, branding. Often, the better word would be "product," "service," "advertising" or "marketing."

People Have the Power Russ Stoddard 08/08/07 In the promotional world, this is the age of the letter "P." It’s a time where profit has a purpose, and consumers and employees want to be treated as individual people—persons with a unique set of values, interests and tastes. Together, people and purpose have tremendous power in the marketplace.

Wise and Gentle Owl? Or Lying Corporate Shill! Ed Dilworth 08/01/07 37 years ago, The Tootsie Roll Corporation foisted one of the greatest fabrications in history on the American consumer. And this seemingly innocuous little owl was at the center of the deceit.

Getting Hitched: What's in a Name? Burkey Belser 07/25/07 I got a call the other day from the managing partner (let’s call him “John”) of a law firm looking for some thoughts on a tricky problem: how to design a name for a firm deep in merger discussions that could be sold to the partners.

Why a Porn Site Might Be More Enjoyable Than This Column Paul MacFarlane 07/18/07 A porn site says you need something. And here it is.

Stop Concentrating on Advertising Steve O'Connell 07/11/07 I’ll admit, it’s not often you see an ad guy question the need for advertising. However, it just seems wise to question the need for oneself every once in a while. Plus, this really has more to do with the need for what most people would call “advertising.”

How to Play Client Golf Ben Mack 07/02/07 Competition in advertising is greater than it has ever been. With more and more people competing for fewer and fewer jobs, it is increasingly important that everybody on your creative team know how to play Client Golf.

Why Social Networks Need to Interconnect Marc Canter 06/27/07 As the marketing and communications world adapts to the potential of working with MySpace and Facebook, it should be noted that end-users will want to interconnect their various social networks. This desire will drive a battle between open and closed systems, which will culminate with vendors having to publicly declare how they think of their members—as entities to exploit or end-users to enable and empower.

Managing a Crisis Into a Better Career Lisa Wehr 06/20/07 In any crisis, there are casualties. Externally, there are the direct victims whose lives are impacted by a specific disaster. Then there are the organizational victims—

Downloadable Media and Advertising Murgesh Navar 06/13/07 Consumers have been downloading audio and video content in large numbers since the advent of peer-to-peer networks. A 2005 study by CacheLogic found peer-to-peer traffic in 2004 was 60 percent of all Internet traffic and rising.

Using Podcasting to Create an Image Rob Walch 06/06/07 Podcasting is essentially the creation of an Internet radio or TV show. Historically, being the host of a radio or TV show created an air of authority in whatever topic you were talking about. Dr. Ruth, Dr. Phil and Bob Vila all are looked at as experts in what they talk about...

What I Look for in a Candidate Barry Lowenthal 05/30/07 When I first started in this business almost 18 years ago, I remember we were coached to answer an interviewer's questions in a very particular way.

Vacation Anxiety Peter Gerritsen 05/23/07 I just heard a report on the radio about how America’s workforce is filling with stress, even on vacation. Of course we are—so what? That was my initial reaction. Then I went back to following up to the countless emails that were sent between midnight and 5am: my 5 precious hours of being offline last night.

FOR SALE: Large Red Bridge Jonathon Linner 05/16/07 Consider the consumer advantages in entertainment technology. What used to require a radio, a TV, an MP3 player, a DVD player and a computer can now be accomplished on your mobile phone...

Building the New Media Marketing Capability Jacqueline Corbelli 05/09/07 As new media opportunities increase and the ways to achieve true marketing leverage through them grows, the driving questions for marketing professionals—advertisers and agencies, alike—are clear...

Modern Day Mobile Technology Brent Dusing 05/02/07 Cell phone technology is transforming consumer habits. Ninety-five percent of cell phone users take their cell phones wherever they go, and they are ready and eager to put them to use in new ways.

10 Ways to Retain Minority Employees Eugene Morris 04/25/07 Recruiting and retaining minorities in the advertising industry has generated much interest over the last year. New York City’s Human Rights Commission has mandated the city’s advertising agencies to make a more concerted effort to hire more underrepresented ethnic groups, which could bring more minorities than ever into the industry.

Working and Hiring in a Virtual World Reuben Steiger 04/18/07 As the CEO of an unusual startup marketing agency, I have recently been struggling with some equally unusual recruiting and staffing challenges.

Tapping into the Goldmine Carol Watson 04/09/07 I just returned from a marketing field trip of sorts. It is our job to uncover great multicultural marketing opportunities to share with clients, and it is always a blast to uncover a great marketing opportunity in an unexpected place.

12 Secrets to Selling the Agency's Credentials Toni Louw 04/04/07 Here are some key ideas when branding and selling one’s agency to potential clients.

The Ol’ Zeigarnik Effect: in Defense of Long-Form Copy Ben Mack 03/28/07 The Zeigarnik Effect is said to be the most powerful tool of direct response marketing, advertising engineered to elicit an immediate response. Direct response techniques are employed in infomercials; bulk emails; letters sent to your home asking you to send a check right now...

If you're not on top of the list, you're not even on the list Connie Connors 03/21/07 If you think the arrival of the Internet age came quickly, you’ll be shocked how quickly it can leave you behind.

Editors-in-Chief of Customer Intimacy Greg Pruitt 03/14/07 It’s now old news that the “consumer’s in charge movement” got some serious advertising street cred early last month when several user-generated ads ran on Super Bowl XLI. Not only did the user-generated content (UGC) fit right in with the work created by professionals...

More and More, Marketing Means Marketing Directly Alan Kuritsky 03/07/07 There are two kinds of advertising. Unlike mass advertising messages, where one size fits all, direct marketing is a way to make an offer that is tailored to customers’ needs, delivered to them directly, with the customers' responses measured quantitatively.

Our Diverse, Digital Universe Tyler Cavell 02/28/07 Media philosopher Marshall McLuhan wrote that “the medium is the message.” Apple continues to prove that McLuhan was right.

You Are Your Google Results Ben McConnell 02/21/07 Ben McConnell is the author of the new book Citizen Marketers: When People are the Message, which examines the rise of social media. Talent Zoo asked him about the differences between citizen and corporate marketing, why anyone in her right mind would want to market a product or service for free, and why you are your Google search results.

Capturing the Mooninites Blake Wirht 02/14/07 At the beginning of the week, I sat down to write this column with the goal of illustrating the value of compelling branded material in the user-generated content era.

And immediately following your Super Bowl Sunday will be...Monday Britt Benston 02/07/07 Used to be that, when you’d go to a party, you’d inevitably end up telling somebody that you’re in advertising; "what you do" is unavoidable conversation fodder.

Has the Tiger's Roar Been Silenced? Patrick Scullin 01/31/07 Thurl Ravenscroft died recently, but his voice will forever speak in our heads. Thurl was the voice of Tony the Tiger.

The Lies of PR: Is That Your Final Answer? Richard Laermer 01/24/07 How did lying become so fashionable — again?! Lately it appears everyone has foregone lessons of our recent forefathers (Mr. WorldCom, Mr. Rigas, and MS Living) and straight back to “what can I get away with” time.

Marketing through the Rear View Mirror Mike Carlton 01/17/07 The story goes that when Henry Ford was seeking financing to build the Model T, his banker asked him, “Mr. Ford, have you researched your market to see if they want this contraption?” Ford’s immediate reply was, “No! If I asked them what they want, I’d be asking you for money to raise faster horses.”

Too Much Is Not Enough Jeff DeJoseph 01/10/07 Marketing organizes and expresses brands to connect with an audience in meaningful ways and stand out from the crowd. But over the past few years, lots of major media opportunities have become numbingly overexposed.

Accountability vs. Experimentation: and how these two bitter rivals can become best friends forever Ed Dilworth 01/03/07 There is an incredible degree of schizophrenia in the world of marketing right now. And that’s a good thing. What I mean by this is that clients in many instances are appropriately demanding of accountability.

User-Generated Content — Are we really putting the Me back in media? Diane McKinnon 12/27/06 One of the buzz phrases bouncing around the marketing world over the last couple of years is “user-generated content.” The proliferation of web sites such as MySpace, Flickr, and YouTube that combine individual content and social networking, and the blogosphere in general, has created a tidal wave of online content created by individuals hoping to reach out to an audience much larger than their friends and neighbors. In fact, users are often reaching out to an anonymous mass audience because they don’t even know their neighbors.

When Metrics Lead to Bad Decisions Adam Cahill 12/20/06 While metrics are valuable, sometimes ignoring them is your best strategy. The other night I witnessed a moment of pure brand evangelism the likes of which CMOs must dream about (when they aren't having nightmares about tenure shrinkage):

Are We Effectively Measuring Campaigns? Ed Moed 11/29/06 Measurement is a topic that consistently receives attention year after year in the communications industry. Although media metrics have progressed, the fact remains that very little has changed or evolved when it comes to providing real measurement programs for more comprehensive,

Blogging: The New Communications Frontier Colleen Barrett 11/22/06 They wanted to do a blog. “Great,” I said. “Um, what’s a blog?”

Sometimes the big idea is in the details Dave Smith 11/15/06 I don’t know about you, but I am sick of hearing about the proverbial "big idea." Or more specifically, what the "big idea" has come to mean to some people.

Optimize — Meet Your Average Twentysomething Professional Don Tapscott 11/08/06

Politics and Public Relations Dr. Steve Iseman 11/01/06 Public relations and politics have been two firmly entwined concepts since the beginning of recorded history. For evidence from ancient times, take a look at Aristotle and his schools of rhetoric that taught the art of persuasive communication.

The Message Is All That Matters John Sullivan 10/25/06 While political advertising is not altogether different from traditional advertising, it does follow a different set of rules.

The YouTube Boom Greg Pruitt 10/18/06 An explosion shook the world last week. And I’m not talking about North Korea. Nope, the big story for our business is that three twentysomethings sold their dorm room startup to what was once a garage startup for $1.65 billion.

Brandism; A New Religion? Paul Marobella 10/11/06 We as marketers should look to other areas of people’s lives and study how, over time, their connection to “lifestyle brands” goes beyond what most corporate brands could ever hope to achieve — whether that’s religion, politics, a sports team, or their country.

Seven Types of Bad Writing Matthew Stibbe 10/04/06 Everyone can write. But not everyone can write well. We all learn to write at school, but then society makes a distinction between “writers” and “the rest of us.”

Sex in Marketing Scott G (The G-Man) 09/27/06 "Sex sells." People say that, but I take a contrary view. Sex in advertising is a flag, a beacon, or a siren's song.

Marketing: It Isn’t What You Think It Is Lani Hayward 09/20/06 Marketing isn’t what you think it is. It’s no longer company-directed ads, billboards and brochures. Instead, it’s about the customer experience—authentic, compelling connections between a brand and the consumer. Experiences that engage, intrigue and satisfy.

Necessary New Orleanians Robbie Vitrano 09/13/06 Too often the roar of paper tigers in our business. And still we cling to it as our best, last shot at accomplishing something that matters.

Complete Consumer Interaction Adam Aziz 09/06/06 The Takeover Group work includes online and offline projects for MTV, Ford, and numerous bands and record labels. In addition, his company AMA Cartel Inc. (of which the owner of The Takeover Group, Scott Willemsen, is a partner) launched HHNlive.com, a portal for hip-hop news and content, for which Adam serves as Editor-In-Chief. In an age where young people are ever harder to find and reach via mass media outlets, The Takeover Group has a definite feel for a new generation of consumers.

Unleash your potential and land the ultimate opportunity Brian Supler 08/30/06 My story begins in 2002 when I launched an experiential marketing agency in New York City, called CEMENT. I worked to define creative strategies that connected with leading edge consumers to expand my clients’ press appeal and bottom lines.

A Whole New Mind Daniel Pink 08/23/06 To compete in today’s workplace, Daniel Pink believes that jobseekers and corporations should place an emphasis on right-brain thinking. He’s the author of A Whole New Mind”: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. In this exclusive interview with TalentZoo.com, Pink talks about ways marketing and advertising professionals, and the companies they work for, can succeed in the global economy.

Keeping the (Creative) Romance Alive Laurence Boschetto 08/16/06 The strongest agency-client relationships can be described in terms of a marriage. First there’s a courtship, then a commitment, then the creative sparks that help produce a healthy and thriving business. But how do you stoke a great creative partnership after a decade or more together?

America the Brand Jon Bond 08/09/06 I was thinking the other day about politics, and it occurred to me that all of it is nothing more than the marketing of people, ideas and policies. As we all know, America the brand is suffering right now.

Naked Creative Joe Snowden 08/02/06 I was sitting at my desk this morning when my creative director walked in. I soon realized he was naked.

Be Prepared to Confront a Brave New Marketing World Alf Nucifora 07/26/06 Recently, I sat down for a wide-ranging discussion with consummate marketer, author, academic and futurist, Peter Sealey. An alumnus of marketing giant Procter & Gamble, as well as ex-marketing chief at The Coca-Cola Company and Columbia Pictures...

The 7 Habits of Truly Integrated Marketing Efforts Sal Taibi 07/19/06 Nearly every marketing company and advertising agency is talking about 360 degree marketing these days. At Lowe Worldwide, we’ve been practicing integration, or as we call it activation, for years.

It’s Official! Trading Down is the New Cool Alf Nucifora 07/12/06 For the past decade, an analysis of retail data has shown a clear propensity on the part of America’s retail shoppers to cross-shop within general merchandise categories.

Weekdays at Bernies Joseph Jaffe 06/28/06 I certainly don’t need to stress the importance of talent to the readers of Talent Zoo. No doubt you already know all the statistics about the dearth of talent in the ad business in general.

The Importance of Knowing Your Brand Personality Bob Parsons 06/22/06 In our business, we spend most of our time and energy marketing our clients’ brands, but how many agencies really take the time to define and build their own agency brand? If you are part of a large agency network, you cannot depend on the agency’s brand name alone to attract the best talent.

Let’s All Give Up Right Now and Be Miserable (Special thanks to Abe) Paul MacFarlane 06/21/06 Let’s imagine. Let’s imagine you’re traveling between two cities. Let’s imagine your starting point city is Las Vegas...

Getting Your Foot in the Door: a Modern Approach Doug Jaeger 06/14/06 I attended Syracuse University's School of Visual and Performing Arts. I was in a degree program called Art Media Studies, with a subsection called Computer Graphics.

Marketer, market thyself Michael Megalli 06/07/06 What is a marketer? For that matter, what is marketing? Every year it seems it becomes more difficult to know the answer to either question...

Let’s See If My Metaphor Holds Up Charlie Hopper 05/31/06 Know what? You live longer and feel better eating full, balanced meals than snacking on crappy junk. I know. I used to love snacking more than anything.

Is PR becoming the new Advertising? Britton Upham 05/24/06 That suggestion was best posed by Al and Laura Ries in The Fall of Advertising & The Rise of PR. But really, it’s not that black and white.

Online Green…the New Black Ed Alba 05/10/06 Ever since the early days of the advertiser-supported variety shows, advertising and marketing in the traditional sense have heavily focused on the mass-reaching mediums of television, radio, and print.

Unsold Timothy Stapleton 05/03/06

8 Good Reasons to Work in Asia Michelle Kristula-Green 04/26/06 When I left for Taiwan I remember someone at the agency remarking what a shame it was that I was going overseas where I’d be out of the loop and basically throwing away a promising career....

Your Book is Fine, It's Your Breath That's Bad. Buffy Kelly 04/19/06 The process of shopping your book and interviewing for your first job is exciting. It's exhilarating. It's like navigating your way through a booby-trapped mine field with one leg tied behind your back. Having a decent book is not enough. You've got to have mojo, good manners, and curb appeal.

Integrated Marketing: What Does It Really Mean? Michael Koziol 04/12/06 When we first made the move into interactive marketing in the mid-1990s, the media mix and marketer-to-consumer dynamic was a lot easier. Defining integrated marketing was easy.

How to hire people when you don't understand what they do Ron Gould 04/05/06 There’s an old one-liner that goes: we wanted to start an anarchistic society, but no one would follow the rules. When we opened the doors of Ignited Minds in 1999, we had 15 people, covering all the traditional and non-traditional creative bases, plus Media.

Metrics: The Real Power Behind Email Campaigns Elaine O'Gorman 03/29/06 Savvy marketers realize that you can only achieve solid improvement on campaign elements that you actually take the time to measure. The great thing about email marketing is its ability to be evaluated quickly and effectively.

Beyond Obligation Deborah Morrison 03/22/06 Lately, I've been noticing how well advertising works. Not that we've answered age-old questions of consumers and message effectiveness and how to attain market share, but I do see this: there is more and more advertising that strives to make the world better.

Another way to measure PR value Katie Paine 03/15/06 One of the communicators I most respect on the planet, Jim Fetig, former head of PR at Raytheon, came to me with an interesting challenge. Some of the folks in his divisions were using Ad Value Equivalent (AVEs) to prove their worth and he wanted to make a standard AVE calculation available to everyone who reported to him.

Product Placement: a Marketing Phenomenon George Simkowski 03/08/06 It’s Christmas 1990, and Kevin’s mother (Catherine O’Hara) is trying to find a way back to Chicago where her son (Macaulay Culkin) is left “Home Alone." When she meets John Candy and his Polka Band at the Airport, they offer to take her to Chicago in the Budget truck he and his band were renting...

New business is like medieval dating Robb High 03/01/06 Consulting on new business success is a little bit about using better techniques, but mostly it’s about changing the corporate culture to approach new business differently. A few thoughts about how to do that:

Losing an Arm vs. Losing a Pinkie Katie Paine 02/22/06 For nearly two decades now we've been hearing communications professionals whine about how important it is to measure results, but they don't have the budget for it, or it got slashed from their budget. Enough already.

The Learning Curve Mitchell Caplan 02/15/06 There was an article in a recent issue of the Sunday NY Times about Terry Semel and what he's done at Yahoo! during his first five years as CEO. He has completely changed the way they do business, and has done so with remarkable success.

What's so "scary" about ROI? Curt Ippensen 02/08/06 I find all this talk—at the ANA, the ARF and AAAA—about the "Scary Question" of measuring return on advertising communications investment to be puzzling and bordering on the ridiculous. In fact, it's remarkable that agencies that don't embrace this idea are still around in today's environment of accountability.

All I Can Offer You Is Blood, Sweat And Change Orders Chris Knopf 02/01/06 On the bulletin board in my office is the internal phone list, a bunch of receipts skewered by a pushpin, several pictures of my wife and son, and the famous Karsh portrait of Winston Churchill.

What do Starbucks, al Quaida, Mickey Mouse and Las Vegas have in common? Part 2 Patrick Hanlon 01/25/06 Using the seven pieces of primal code, leaders can launch new ideas (whether new products or new politics) with confidence. Leaders can also retrofit or re-engineer existing brands and instill them with missing or more vibrant pieces of primal code.

What do Starbucks, al Quaida, Mickey Mouse and Las Vegas have in common? Part 1 Patrick Hanlon 01/18/06 More than they might think. Each of them sparkles with a construct that first entices us and then does its best to help make us a part of the community of people who believe in what they’re all about.

Recruitment Advertising in the Not-So-Distant Future Scott G (The G-Man) 01/13/06 Imagine a world in which you are able to enjoy real-time interactivity with a global workforce while having recruiting, retention and onboarding materials available at the click of a mouse.

Account Leadership Patrick Hanlon 01/11/06 Over beers one night down in Miami, Jim Patterson, then JWT's Creative Director; James Patterson, now best-selling author, pulled me up short and told me two things he wanted me to know: first, even though I was an account guy, he thought I could be a creative director somewhere, but not at JWT, because that was his job.

Viral marketing – Is it still viral if everyone is doing it? Diane Systrom 01/06/06 It seems like you can’t open an email or article in the advertising world these days without reading about the new holy grail — viral marketing.

What I've Learned Ernie Mosteller 01/04/06 If you're familiar with Esquire magazine, then you've no-doubt read one of its "What I've Learned" essays in which some old codger offers up some lessons learned. While this isn't Esquire, I have learned a lot in my career as copywriter, creative director, designer, and director of food, fashion, comedy, effects, kids and toy spots.

Agencies at the Tower of Babel Mike Carlton 12/28/05 At one time the whole world spoke a single language and used the same words. 4 "Come," they said, "Let's build a great city with a tower that reaches to the skies--a monument to our greatness!" ...

Satellite Radio—Another Threat to Advertising? Don Cole 12/21/05 Some subscribers describe it as a “music lover’s paradise.” Like TiVo users in the TV arena, those few million people who have picked up satellite radio over the last three years are genuine enthusiasts.

Lost in Translation: Why so much multicultural advertising is still so bad Hadji Williams 12/07/05 Tom Burrell, founder of Burrell Communications once famously quipped that Black people are not simply "white people with black skins." What he meant was that clients cannot take white creative or concepts developed for white consumers, slap some black faces on it and expect to effectively build long-term relationships with black consumers.

Slaying the Dinosaur Brent Kuhn 11/30/05 There is a dinosaur alive and well in today's advanced world of advertising and marketing. The dinosaur is...call it what you will, image advertising, general advertising, brand advertising.

Differentiating Your Agency with Intelligence Toni Louw 11/23/05 This document addresses the age-old question asked by agencies worldwide, "How do we differentiate ourselves from our competition?"

12 New Business Pitch Rules Joe Grant 11/11/05 Are there any silver-bullet guarantees for winning new accounts? Well, no, but in our work interviewing "lost" prospects for agencies, i.e. those who chose someone else, we've discovered some consistent mistakes to avoid.

Serendipity Jill Whalen 11/09/05 A few weeks ago, my wife and I went to Santa Fe to take in the museums and galleries. We stopped in a bookstore where she found a book of recipes from the New York City restaurant Serendipity...

A Scary Question Bob Barocci 11/02/05 At the ARF senior executive workshop in Chicago last week, Steve Levitt, author of Freakonomics, turned the tables (as he is known to do) and asked the attendees a question during his Q&A.

The Name Game John Follis 11/02/05 When salesman Jeff Johnson suggested a new name for the Blue Ribbon Sports company he didn't realize he'd be christening the most successful sports brand in history. And although Nike's success is based less on its name than its innovative shoe design, it's hard to imagine the world's hottest running shoe from a company called Blue Ribbon Sports.

Immersion Branding—Laser Targeting Means More Bang for Your Marketing Buck Ed King 10/25/05 What if you could spend a fraction of what a national company spent on its marketing campaign, yet still create as much exposure to your target market? It's possible with a method called Immersion Branding.

A New Media World Yvonne Furth 10/18/05 We're halfway through the decade and what have we learned? That consumers have more control now than ever before and that trend is no longer a trend but is our new reality.

How Did We End Up Here? Melissa Rose 10/12/05 Most of us know what it takes to make an agency a success. You have to have good clients. You have to do great work. And, of course, you have to make money. So, if it is that easy, why is it so damn hard? Well, I don't know the answer to that question, and if I did, do you think I'd share it with all of you?

Advertisers and Clients Have Woken Up to Viral, but Old Ideas Won't Stand Up in This New Discipline Matt Smith 10/05/05 This article assumes a certain amount of knowledge about viral. If you're a newcomer to the field, I refer you to Debbie Scoppechio's excellent guest column of 08/31/2005.

Are You Really A "Brand"?A New Brand Continuum for the 21st Century Robert Passikoff, Ph.D. 09/28/05 Today everybody from clothing designers to celebrities claims to be a "brand." Seems it's the latest cool thing. Announcements of new "brands" fill time on shows like Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight, but ultimately the products and services must face the realities of the marketplace...

The Revolt of the Galley Slaves Mike Carlton 09/22/05 When I was a kid, the Saturday matinee at the local theater cost fourteen cents. For that you got to see some non-descript, low-budget, class-C movie.

In Today's Marketing World, "Close" Doesn't Cut It Brian McHale 09/14/05 Once upon a time, marketing was a bit like horseshoes: close was good enough. If you advertised and came anywhere near your target, you were in good shape. Most strategies and tactics focused on simply selling more with little regard for what customers really wanted, as long as it was "close enough."

Hurricane Katrina Hits Home David Horowitz 09/07/05 Beware of "Katrina Scams" Officials nationwide are warning people to beware of opportunistic scams in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Toxic Culture USA Kalle Lasn 08/17/05 Back in 1989 we dubbed Adbusters "the journal of the mental environment," and ever since then we've explored this cerebral terrain and tried to give it the respectability and prominence it deserves.

Maybe the Judge was Right: the Advertising Industry Does Need a New Ethics Code After All Andrew Jaffe 08/03/05 Many people in the advertising industry were taken aback by the unusual sentence levied against Shona Seifert, the former Ogilvy & Mather executive convicted of conspiring to defraud the U.S. government in a recent case involving inflated time sheets and the filing of false claims.

What’s Wrong With Advertising Today? Robert Murray 07/27/05 All too often companies announce new products or services with a multi-million dollar media blitz and forget to plan for a critically important by-product of their efforts. They forget that advertising and all other "awareness tactics" drive people to do one thing…

SHARPENING THE POINT Because Good Enough is Never Good Enough Jeff Freedman 07/20/05 In a previous article, I discussed Small Army's "On Point" approach to effective marketing communications. That approach lies at the foundation of all of the work we do at Small Army.

The Brand and the Brain: What science is telling us about consumer behavior Jamie Turner 07/12/05 Recently a team at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas studied the brain scans of 67 individuals who were asked to do blind taste tests of Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Participants were split virtually 50/50 over which soft drink tasted better.

Presenting in the 21st Century Toni Louw 07/06/05 Presentation skills training. Oh, how this conjures up being trained in “eye contact," “voice modulation," and "gestures"—great phone and PDF file presentation applications are they not?

Defending the Company Culture Greg Bergan 07/05/05 This is a true story. Recently, I was having drinks with a chief operating officer (I’ll call him Biff) and a creative director (Bob, for our purpose). Both worked for successful national agencies.

"Robert, They Can't Eat You!" My Rules For Success Bob Parsons 06/29/05 Prior to speaking at a breakfast meeting hosted by a Phoenix magazine, I received an advance question from a participant: "What advice do you have for someone who is starting a business?"

Bravery in Advertising Phil Johnson 06/15/05 Given the seismic shifts that have occurred within the advertising industry over the past several years, we are all feeling more acutely than ever the need to “adapt or die.” Advertising has never been a profession for timid wallflowers.

Pop-Up Stores: the New Marketing Trend of Temporary Brand Environments Jim Anstey 06/08/05 When it comes to “What’s Hot?”, marketers are always seeking the next “big” thing. The trend du jour seems to be the temporary brand environment better known as the “pop-up.”

Does Size Matter? Rob Schapiro 06/01/05 The last generation that took jobs based more on providing for their families than finding personal fulfillment was the Greatest Generation. You know? The one Tom Brokaw keeps writing books about? (They’re always prominently displayed in airport gift shops as you run by to catch a plane.)

Advertising with Roots Jeffrey Buntin, Jr. 05/25/05 That house has good bones. That guitar has soul. That ad has roots. What is that intangible quality about certain things that makes them enduring, valued and relevant after years of evolving culture?

Profiling Tomorrow's Media Leaders John Muszynski 05/18/05 Within a sector of the marketing industry that—some would say—is shaping the advertising models of tomorrow, Starcom has always been a media agency that prides itself on looking forward.

The TiVo Revolution: Are You Ready? Don Cole 05/11/05 Are digital video recorders (DVRs) all hype? Or are they changing the way people view TV? We believe there is a revolution happening in our industry and it is being led by TiVo, the most prolific DVR in the marketplace today.

Want a Career Marked by "Bottom Line" Creativity? Try Direct Response Television. Lucas Donat 05/04/05 The advertising industry has long thrived on the notion that some ads serve to build brands (the high-concept creative spots that make us laugh or cry) while other advertisements drive sales (the long-form “infomercials” that keep us company in the wee hours)—and never the twain shall meet.

Creating Great Media People: A Matter of Training and Inherent Skills Murray Dudgeon 04/27/05 The days of arming junior level media people with a basic knowledge of media math and some media kits are over. In today’s world, fragmentation of media and the evolving role of the media planner mean two things

Who Wants to Kick a Millionaire's Ass??? (Part 2 of 2) Mark DiMassimo 04/20/05 More on How I Got Over Biggism and Learned To Love Challengers.

Who Wants to Kick a Millionaire's Ass??? (Part 1 of 2) Mark DiMassimo 04/13/05 Or, How I Got Over My Biggism And Learned To Love Challengers.

GETTING ON POINT An approach to making the most of your marketing dollars Jeff Freedman 04/06/05 Over the last several years, we have all witnessed decreases in marketing budgets. At the same time, the market(s) in which those organizations compete continues to change. So, as organizations become more optimistic about the future, they need to be prepared to effectively market their brands in a new environment.

Sins of Omission: Tough Decisions Agency Executives Hate to Make Sheila Campbell 03/30/05 “What new business strategy makes the most sense? How can we create an agency culture that fosters creativity? How can we improve the performance of our people? What do we have to offer that is uniquely ours?”

Branding to Your Most Important Client Sheila Campbell 03/23/05 You are one of the top managers in your company. You’re on the phone with your boss talking about how well your department is doing when there's a knock at your door.

What Makes Yours a Good Book? And How to Judge Someone Else's Norm Grey 03/18/05 As we all know, the only Good Book is The Bible. But when looking for a job in Advertising, we each have to carry our own version.

The Other Side of ROI Jim Holbrook 03/16/05 Is marketing driving incremental volume, or is it protecting the health of the entire franchise?

The Young & The Desperate: Agencies Who Cheap Out and the Creatives Who Let Them Ernie Schenck 03/09/05 I don’t remember a whole lot about my first job in advertising, just that I spent most my time writing ads for injection molding machines, that my office got really cold in the winter, and that I made $15,000 a year.

A New Home for Account Management? Matt Kasindorf 03/02/05 We’ve all read about the balance of power shifting from creative agencies to media agencies; that clients are increasingly turning to media agencies for strategic leadership and guidance on how to best reach the elusive consumer. So what does this mean for those of us in account management?

How to Hire an Award-Winning Creative Staff Deanne McLean 02/16/05 When I was asked by DDB many years ago to help create the best creative department in the industry, I had a distinct advantage over my fellow recruiters: I actually sat on the other side of the desk. I first worked as a copywriter at small, medium and large-size agencies and then later as an acting creative director with big-brand responsibility.

How to Coach Trisha Scudder 02/09/05 What do top performers in tennis, football, the Olympics and performing arts have in common? They aim for the highest level of excellence—and they work with a coach.

Curator Economy Steven Addis 01/19/05 We’re overwhelmed. There’s simply too much choice and access to information to manage on our own. And, the oppressive amount of complexity grows each day. To cope, we rely on influencers, retailers, friends, bloggers, style mavens, critics, publishers, TV networks, and trusted brands to help guide our personal choices.

Why Talent Moves Every Two Years Gavin McElroy 01/12/05 After 20 years in the industry representing both agencies and talent (plus eight years of parenthood), I've found that life is a series of negotiations, the outcome of which usually depends on someone's leverage and their willingness to use it. So when agencies ask why key employees depart after short tenures, I know the answer: money

Why Advertising Joey Reiman 01/05/05 Inspired by watching Darin Stevens on Bewitched, I entered what I thought was the magical business of advertising.

Is Your Company Creative Enough? Bart Cleveland 12/14/04 Creativity is all the rage in business books and magazines today. The theory is that today's most successful businesses are using their employees' creative juices to succeed. When a company completely embraces creativity, it views its disruptive nature as a part of a healthy environment.

Could Ghandi Have Helped Kerry? Dan Santy 12/01/04 If John Kerry's camp could have changed the behavior of a few million people last month, his world and possibly ours, would be a different place today. Changing behavior, our own and that of others, is perhaps one of life's greatest challenges. Yet by choosing to live and work in the field of advertising, we attempt it every day.

Aching for Innovation Chuck Greene 11/24/04 As a newly minted MBA, I find myself falling into the same trap that lures every other newly minted MBA—trying to introduce everything we learned in business school to our new agencies.

Automobile Advertising,­ Street Drugs and Secret Cults Paul MacFarlane 11/10/04 It’s confirmed. I must be seeing things from a different planet. And relax. This is not going to be a simplistic car-bashing essay from a committed bicycle rider, pedestrian and mass transit user. So let us begin.

Where does advertising come from? It could be coming from you. Mort Goldstrom 11/05/04 The flip answer is likely, "The Creator." However, one thing is clear despite what the industry bible, Advertising Age might suggest: advertising comes from lots of places but mostly not from advertising agencies.

Su Voto Es Su Voz (Your Vote is Your Voice) Victor Ornelas 10/27/04

What Sets Great from Good? Paul Lavoie 10/06/04 Picasso was one of the great artists of the 20th century. He was enormously talented and amazingly prolific—and his massive presence was matched by his massive ego.

Grandmas and Mustaches Carlos Arambula 09/29/04 "What's Hispanic about them?" The first time I heard that phrase was eleven years ago, while working on Hispanic market efforts for an automobile account.

Client Relations: The Star Trek Model Steven Neiman 09/22/04 Ad agency execs turn to myriad different resources to refocus their minds on the keys to business success. Mentors. Consultants. Case studies. Great books.

Weblogs Benefit Ad Agency Business Steve Hall 09/15/04 By now, everyone has heard of weblogs. If you haven't, welcome, you are reading one right now. For various reasons, many people and companies can benefit from blogging.

Creativity in the Age of Procurement Chris Wall 09/08/04 One of the main paradoxes of our time is the conflict between the growing economic value society places on intellectual property (a lawyerly way of saying "creativity") and the relentless drive towards ruthlessly efficient procurement systems and the commoditization of human talent.

Can Ad People Find Happiness? Steve Baer 09/01/04 I once saw Bill Bernbach speak. He was 71. I was 24. He laughed and joked about his career. He seemed really happy. I wish I had asked him why he was so happy.

Internship Programs: A Benefit To Both Parties Debbie Scoppechio 08/31/04 Each summer, college students across the country anticipate the end of the semester and the beginning of summer break. However, summer break has recently taken on a new meaning.

Justifying Your Livelihood - Part 2 of 2 Tom Monahan 08/25/04 Last week we started surrounding the question: how do you defend a livelihood making ads that, even if they're good, are interrupting football games, sitcoms or reality divorce shows? Go to Part 1.

Justifying Your Livelihood - Part 1 of 2 Tom Monahan 08/18/04 You make ads for a living. It can be rewarding and fun, but it is a job. It's often hard work. The hours are long. There's little job security. Clients are frequently thankless, occasionally downright abusive.

Cultivating Culture in an Advertising Agency Jay Shields 08/11/04 I have been pleasantly surprised by how frequently we have been requested to talk about our culture, as well as our vision and our mission, in new business pitches. It is a sign that clients are recognizing how important cultural compatibility is in establishing a long-term partnership.

There Are No Magic Bullets Jim Osterman 08/04/04 My first jobs after college were in radio/television news departments, and that was the first time I ever heard of consultants. When things weren't working the wisdom was "let's bring in a consultant" to fix what's wrong.

Unlocking the Mysteries of Good Integration Five Building Blocks for Success Rob Moorman 07/28/04 The landscape of advertising continues to change dramatically. The solution? Advertising and marketing budget reallocation across multiple disciplines.

Is Long-Term Relationship an Oxymoron? Linda Fidelman 07/21/04 The client/agency relationship is a complicated one. It is a partnership of buyers and sellers. This is almost unheard of in any other industry or any other facet of life involving more than two people.

Dr. Frankenstein! It's Alive, Creating the Brand Experience Joel Sobelson 07/18/04 Remember when you were little and went to the grocer with your Mom and the deli guy would give you a slice of bologna, just because? You liked that store. You wanted to go back to that store. They knew your name. They treated you like someone special.

How to Get the Best Client Gavin McElroy 07/14/04 As an advertising lawyer who structures employment agreements for top management and key talent, I have seen how successful agencies hire, motivate, and retain key talent. Here are three strategies to land that star (or soon-to-be star) employee:

How to Involve Procurement in Managing the Advertising Budget, Part 2 of 2 Alan Krinsky & Steve Marcus 07/07/04 In part 1 of the article, we outlined the opportunity and detailed steps clients can take to make this work for both sides. Part 2 describes the detailed steps that both sides can take together.

How to Include Procurement in Managing the Advertising Budget, Part 1 of 2 Alan Krinsky & Steve Marcus 07/01/04 Say the word procurement to an advertising agency and most will cringe thinking their fees are about to be skinned once again. Agencies will claim that procurement doesn't apply to their business because their product is creative and hard-to-measure. Yet agencies want to be compensated for the impact they can have on a client's business.

If Ads Shouldn't Look Like Ads, Agencies Shouldn't Look Like Agencies Scott Goodson 06/23/04 The Cannes Ad festival is this week. It has been an uphill struggle to get here. We're going to see a lot of great work. So what are we going to do next year to help us do even better work? The first step is to see what we can do to eliminate the problems that caused bad work. So what needed to be removed?

An Open Apology to David Lubars or a Step-By-Step Guide to Getting Fired Lawson Clarke 06/16/04 First and foremost, I hope this letter finds you well. From what I hear, it appears you've landed at some shop in New York. I don't know what unfortunate circumstances forced you to live amongst so many Godless Yankee fans, but if I know you, you'll be making lemonade out of those lemons in no time.

Too Much Information Can Be a Good Thing Heather Collins 06/09/04 Each month, the employees of archer>malmo gather together for an agency update, an event we affectionately call the “Stairwell Chat” (appropriate, since it’s held in the stairwell between 5 and 6). Besides the usual updates on financials, new business, existing clients and employee news...

The Mini-Books Are Coming! The Mini-Books Are Coming! Jay Suhr 06/02/04 If you’re a recent grad, you’re probably reading this in hopes of finding some insight that will cause a bidding war for your services. Sorry, that won’t happen. All I can do is offer the advice of one CD at one growing mid-sized shop in Austin, Texas.

The Fall of Advertising Steve Laughlin 05/26/04 If you’re keeping up with your reading, you know that advertising is a profession with no future. Sergio Zyman, the former chief marketing officer at Coca-Cola, recently published a book titled The End of Advertising as We Know It. Perhaps you remember the name Al Ries.

Background Checks on Background Checks Michael Lasky & Daniel Weinstein 05/19/04 Ad industry employment has trended downward since the Internet bubble burst a few years ago; layoffs, hiring freezes and other cost-saving steps were the keys to protecting profitability during the downturn.

Branding a Sense of Belonging Douglas Atkin 05/12/04 Cults and cult brands. Everyone has an opinion. Few know much about them. But as marketing professionals we should become experts in excessive commitment. Cults have become a modern definer of absolute devotion at the same time that brands are seeing their loyalty slip away.

The Relevance of Being Relevant Carl Anderson 05/05/04 Whenever someone finds out I work at an agency that’s been around a hundred years, and that a good number of our clients have been with us for decades, some since the 1930s, they’re always amazed…and curious. In fact, they ask me to share Doremus’ secret.

I Beg To Differ: Freedom Is Most Certainly Free Paul MacFarlane 04/28/04 I just realized after many, many re-writes, that I'm about to challenge you, perhaps to the very core of your self-image as an advertising, marketing or businessperson.

Branding Big When You’re Small Diane Cimine 04/14/04 Not the ‘B’ word again I can hear you all moan… what’s new to say here? Nothing. That’s right… it’s all been thought of, said, done before. So why are we always seeking more?

Safe Hiring: Get Applicant Consent Before Checking References Gavin McElroy 04/07/04 The old joke is that the assets of the agency go up and down in the elevator every day. In other words, people (along with clients and reputation) are an agency's most important asset, and hiring and keeping key talent has never been more important.

Buh-Bye to the Ad Business Gay Warren Gaddis 03/31/04 Considering the masters of strategy, positioning and creativity that we profess to be, it’s shameful that we’ve allowed our work to still be categorized as the “advertising business.”

2004: What Kind of Advertising Recovery? Joe Dell\'aquila 03/17/04 After the last three years, it was really nice to hear predictions about a big turnaround in advertising spending in 2004.

Leading from the Heart Lorraine Rojek 03/10/04 The collective mindset of the advertising industry is often mired in insecurity and a sense of being superfluous to the real issues of the day. It’s a rare occasion when advertising is recognized for anything other than fueling the consumption engine of the free market economy.

Don't Touch That Dial: Drive Time Is Prime Time for Radio Roger Dodson 03/03/04 Maybe instead of telling you what an expert I am it might be more appropriate for you to tell me why you aren't using Radio as your primary vehicle for your advertising campaign.

Looking Back at Success and Failure Jack Trout 02/25/04 Starting at General Electric and winding through hundreds of companies in the United States and all over the globe, I've had the rare opportunity to understand what makes up success or failure in business.

Brand is Dead. Now What? Jeff DeJoseph 02/18/04 The Post Post World. Post modern. Post literate. Post digital. Post ironic. Post 9/11. Post Enron. Post Andersen. Post brand

The Death of Account Service Has Been Greatly Exaggerated Mike Carlton 02/11/04 You've heard it all. The gurus say that the agency account service function is no longer needed. It should be eliminated. It's not relevant any more.

Value Pricing: Vicious to Virtuous Circle Graham Beckett 01/28/04 During Van Gogh's lifetime, the monetary value of his paintings was as close to the recent value of a Cordiant share as makes no difference. Yet, but a few years ago, the Bates component of the deceased Cordiant alone was bought by the Saatchis for around $800M.

Old Ad Problems Never Die...They Don't Even Fade Away Jerry Germain 01/24/04 One of my favorite forms of entertainment is to watch classic movies or television broadcasts. It is enjoyable to me to predict the memorable dialogue and look for new details in the plot or character development, or laugh once again at the same jokes, even though the ending is well-known.

The Art and Science of Winning New Business Avi Dan 01/14/04 Winning is pretty much everything in advertising these days. If you win, people believe in you and thus you win more.

Haute Culture: Bringing the Concept of Culture into the Agency Trenches Ralph Cutcher 01/07/04 The only meaningful difference between agencies today is their culture. That’s it. That’s my line in the sand.

Objection Prevention: A New Way to Enjoy Safe Sales Jeffrey Gitomer 01/04/04 Your price is too high." Rats. Don't you hate when you hear that? It's the number ONE objection in the world of sales. Why do salespeople continue to listen to it? Beats me.

Advertising That Makes a Difference Peggy Conlon 12/17/03 A business professor at Emory University once said, “PSAs create a better person. Not a buying person.” Anyone who has spent time working in the advertising industry has seen the power of ads to tap into the psyche of consumers and influence their purchasing behavior

Now, Here's the Only Time a Search Consultant Will Give You a Straight Answer Andrew Jaffe 12/10/03 I recently moderated a panel on the subject at the AAAA's New Business Summit in New York. One thing I'm sure of: the way agencies approach a pitch and the ways clients view the finalists are 180 degrees different.

Positioning Is Alive and Well Laura Ries 12/03/03 Today, the best-selling advertising book at Amazon.com was Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind by my father, Al Ries and Jack Trout, a book first published 22 years ago.

The Few. The Proud. The Great Radio Writers. Stan Richards 11/19/03 I'm a graphic designer by training, so naturally, the thing I most want to talk about here is radio.

Information Not So Overloaded Ted Nelson 10/29/03 The folks who churned out all those books and articles about information overload must have thought they were pretty funny. But they knew the public would bite: we are, after all, a society that loses sleep over the possibility of developing chronic anxiety syndrome.

Emotions Are a Matter of Affect Jon Morris 10/22/03 Emotions are a matter of uncertainty, both figuratively and literally. We act but claim that we have done so without emotion. We chastise others for being too emotional and we celebrate the iconoclast who we believe isolates him or herself from the dregs of emotion.

Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World Linda Kaplan Thaler & Robin Kova 10/15/03 These days, getting people to notice you isn't easy. The Information Age has morphed into Information Overload. Messages are everywhere: At the bottom of golf cups on the putting green, flashing on ATM screens, even posted over urinals (an excellent product placement for Budweiser).

Fresh Talent: The Importance of Keeping Your Agency Eternally Young Mark Tutssel 10/08/03

How to Win the Relationship Game Michael Brunner 10/01/03 While you are constantly trying to expand your business (offense) you must constantly try to grow and maintain your existing business (defense). How do you achieve that balance in order to sustain long-standing agency/client relationships? How do you win the relationship game?

What Do Clients Really Want? Andre Cappon & Lyamna Abrouk 09/24/03 About a year ago, Ken Kaess, CEO of DDB, in a now-famous critique, urged the advertising industry to address the burning issues of what advertisers really want and where agencies are failing to meet their clients' expectations.

Fishing in Troubled Waters—New Business in Tough Times Bob Sanders 09/17/03

What Clients Are Saying About Agencies Jane Bedford 09/10/03 Today, corporate CEOs and other members of the 'C-Suite' are subject to greater accountability than ever before. A downsized corporate America is looking for agencies whose informed objectivity can provide support and directional input in making decisions, which affect the corporation's very survival.

Brand Yourself Richard Kean 09/03/03 Today, organizations of all kinds are looking for strategic ways to establish trust and credibility, to build powerful and enduring "brands." If these branding strategies can be used for products and services, why not people?

Advertising or Diversity: Is What We're Doing Working? Robin Hafitz 08/27/03 It's no secret that the advertising industry doesn't look like America. It never has. When David Ogilvy famously said in 1971 "The consumer isn't a moron. She's your wife," he obviously wasn't talking to bullpens full of women.

Is There A Future For The Small To Mid-Sized Agency? Stanley Beals 08/19/03 This is a question that keeps surfacing. Advertisers ask it. Managers of small- to mid-sized agencies ask it. And our industry press asks it.

The Game Behind the Game Bruce Bendinger 08/13/03 Once upon a time, I heard a line about Hollywood attributed to F. Scott Fitzgerald. It sort of went like this: "When people look at Hollywood, they're like an audience watching a ventriloquist act—everyone is fascinated by the dummy."

Everything I Need To Know About Advertising I Learned From Star Wars John January 08/06/03 For unexplainable reasons, one night, my friend Tug and I decided to get a case of beer and watch the Star Wars movies in chronological order back to back to back to back to back.

Marketing Communications without Borders Jim Hasl 07/30/03 I still hear advertising people use the term "below-the-line" marketing and not always in a flattering way. This well-worn phrase evokes a marketing communications caste system that, I believe, is counterproductive to executing the marketing most companies need today.

The Tinkerbell Phenomenon Michael Jeary 07/23/03 Several years ago I was asked by BrandWeek magazine, a trade publication, to be a guest columnist. So, naturally, when Talent Zoo asked me to do the same thing, part of my research was a re-read of my earlier work.

Sure-Fire Ways to Fire Up Your Agency Before You Decide to Fire Them Catherine Bension 07/16/03

Advertising Industry Manifesto #1: Fear & Creativity Tim Love 07/09/03 There is something that has always been true about the advertising agency business, and is its greatest asset, at this moment.

Rejuvenate Thyself David Regan 07/02/03 "Don't go crying stinkin' fish in your own backyard." That's what my friend Greg always said. About a year and a half ago, after 20 years of mostly fond memories and experiences enjoyed in the ad agency biz, there was a "Big Bang Theory" like explosion in my life.

10 Guaranteed Ways to Lose a Pitch Cleve Langton 06/25/03 The AAAA recently held, in New York, its first New Business Summit. It was attended by over 450 senior people from across the country. Speakers included virtually all the major agency consultants as well as marquee names on both the client and agency sides.

Agency Management: An Oxymoron? David Maister 06/18/03 Advertising agencies, like many other professional firms, tend to be very well administered but poorly managed. Administrative topics, such as financial controls, cash flow management, target utilizations and the like, are in place almost everywhere, and deployed to great effect.

Why Creatives Hate Account People and Vice-Versa David Smith 06/11/03 Superman and Lex Luthor. Churchill and Lady Astor. Hillary and Rush. Just a few folks who despise each other about as much as creatives and account executives. Show me an agency and I'll show you an AE and a creative who want to beat the living #$%@ out of each other.

Reality TV and the Changing Face of American Culture Seth Shulman 06/04/03 It's impossible to understand fully the popularity of reality TV without considering the profound ways American culture has changed in recent years. Thanks to the Information Revolution, we have grown accustomed to regarding ourselves as de facto experts in everything from medicine to world affairs.

Turning 55 Years Old and the Suddenly Irrelevant Demographic Doctrines Jack Myers 05/21/03 I recently celebrated my 55th birthday. I use the word 'celebrated' advisedly. This is the first birthday that has mentally challenged me. Twenty-five was a positive milestone. Thirty, Forty and Fifty were all acceptable because, being in the media business...

Where Have All The Headlines Gone? Lawson Clarke 05/14/03 So, the other day I'm sitting in my tastefully cluttered office, flipping through an old CA, admiring headlines I wish I had written, when I get a call from our receptionist. I had made an appointment with an ad school graduate who wanted to show me his book.

Oh No, Not Another "Building Brands" Article Jack Myers 05/07/03

Should People Give Up Looking For an Ad Job Norm Grey 05/01/03 If you're thinking Advertising is in bad shape but there are industries/professions with lots of opportunities, well, who can blame you! You're absolutely right. And wrong.

The End of Advertising As We Know It Sergio Zyman 04/23/03

The Liz Account Luke Sullivan 04/16/03

Where have you gone Joe Dimaggio? Ron Huey 04/09/03 We are a nation of heroes. Fans of those who triumph on the ballfield, the battlefield and elsewhere in life. Their accomplishments inspire us and push us to try harder. For that, we should all be thankful.

What's an Agency/Client relationship all about? Joe Grant 03/26/03 You buzz up to a fast food drive-up and order a burger and a drink. It's simple, fast, easy. Now picture this: you get a call from your client who wants the agency to do a 24-page brochure. Not so simple, right?

The Ideal Client Dave Lubeck 03/19/03 Advertising guru David Ogilvy once wrote, "Most agencies run scared, most of the time. Frightened people are powerless to produce good advertising. If I were a client, I would do everything in my power to emancipate my agencies from fear, even to the extent of giving them long-term contracts."

Baby, You're Money And You Just Don't Know It Michael Ashley 03/12/03

The Big Picture Ron Seichrist 03/05/03 So say some creative directors about what they see in portfolios of recent graduates. "Not like portfolios of the past that demonstrated great sensitivity for typographic form. Today's graduates grind out print ads in a predictable format: no headlines, no body copy, perhaps only a tag line of four to six words.

Saving Planning and Planners Ian Latham 02/26/03 I don't know what caused the body blow to account planning. It might have been the slump in economic growth, the slump in business spending, the advertising recession slump, or the slump that followed the Internet expansion, a slump that perversely punished all of us for the gerbils-shot-from-cannons of a few. Choose your slump.

New Technology Leads Outdoor Industry Astray From What It Was Designed to Do Lee Morrow 02/12/03

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Hank Richardson 02/05/03

How many consultants does it take? Rudy Banny 01/29/03 How many consultants does it take to do the job that advertising agencies did alone 15 years ago? Hold on -- I'll have to check with my consultant.

10 Ways To Turn Your 2003 Goals Into Success Trisha Scudder 01/22/03 Notice how crowded it is at the gym these January weeks? But as gym rats know, come March attendance will fall back to normal. How can you make sure your resolutions for 2003 are more than memories in March?

The Top 10 Things You Need to Know If You Want to Spend Some Serious Time in Advertising Jim Lauerman 01/15/03 For those of you considering getting into the advertising/communication business, here is some very straightforward "advice," although that may be a bit over complimentary. It's based on my three decades in the agency business, plus a few more in broadcast. Please keep the following in mind:

How to Swallow Your Pride and Get Your Soul Back Stephen Curry 01/08/03 So one day I was sitting in my perfectly nice ad agency in Atlanta, surrounded by perfectly nice people and a good, comfortable life, when I decided that being good and nice wasn't enough.

Why Are Ads More Like "Jackass" Than "Bowling for Columbine?" Paul MacFarlane 01/03/03 Imagine a group of friends in a sports bar. A commercial for a local bank comes on. The TV spot actually serves up a debate over Western materialism. Imagine the friends talking about where they spend their paychecks, and what they'd give up if they had to --

Wall Street Ate Madison Avenue. Now What? Britt Benston 12/22/02 So, how many whiney columns like this does it take to reinvent an industry? Well, maybe this will be the last. Or possibly the first in a whole new series of whiney columns.

The Rules are Dead. All Hail the New Rules. Tom Birk 12/11/02 Why have our greatest successes as an agency come when we've ignored or rejected what over the last 40 years have become the written-in-stone rules of brand building? This is the very question we set out to answer.

Hungry Anyone? John Ludwig 12/04/02 As a small agency located in Orlando, we don't exactly have the multimillion dollar budgets everyone dreams of. Heck, if we get a budget that has seven digits in it we get all giddy. TV shoots for less the 50K? Oh yeah, we've done them.

Losing My Virginity Michael Ashley 11/20/02 It's been sixteen months since I lost my virginity. Sixteen months, yet it seems like a lifetime. It's hard to even remember what it was like before. I thought I knew what it would be like when it happened.

Ethics? In Advertising!? Greg Thomas 11/13/02 It's no secret that advertising is near the bottom of the list of admired professions. And it's never enjoyed a reputation as a particularly ethical line of work, either. Now, those of us who work in this business know that those perceptions aren't accurate --

Courage at the Top Joe Grant 10/30/02

Sticking to Your Guns Dave Gray 10/23/02 So many times in this business we are asked to do something very personal. Something people in most other "normal" lines of work don't have to do. Something that is as completely common and normal a practice as concepting or producing the work we create.

A Letter to Talent, That You Should Discover Your Place in the Zoo Mark DiMassimo 10/16/02 Dear Talent, You bitch. You unfair, undiscerning, promiscuous, teasing, capricious asshole. You are like the God of Job, doling out extravagant fortune and appalling catastrophe based on the inscrutable logic of some cosmic inside joke.

Why the Future of Branding is Local Ed Cotton 10/09/02 The events of the last 12 months have had a considerable impact on brands. Many analysts have commented about the consumer impact of hunkering down or how inappropriate humor in advertising is now out.

Winning New Business and the Art of Convincing Hasan Ramusevic 09/25/02 A few weeks ago, Joanne Davis wrote a well-articulated guest column for Talent Zoo in which she clearly laid out the dos and don'ts of contacting prospective clients. Her findings are true and her advice is priceless.

The Challenge of Voiceover Readings Dick Orkin 09/18/02 I called a plumber to my house the other day because my outside hot water tank was leaking. He walked into the house lugging his impressive array of tools, announced that he was a plumber and instantly-without a word from me-began checking the water pipes beneath the kitchen sink. I told him that wasn't the problem.

Things I Know Greg Hahn 09/11/02 There's a little ritual I go through every month. No sooner does my subscription of O magazine get to my mailbox, than I immediately jump straight to the back. You know, the part where Oprah shares some wisdom. Maybe it's some insight she's gained through the years.

Dave Hanneken 08/21/02 There's a little ritual I go through every month. No sooner does my subscription of O magazine get to my mailbox, than I immediately jump straight to the back. You know, the part where Oprah shares some wisdom. Maybe it's some insight she's gained through the years.

What Creative Slump? Eric Hirshberg 08/07/02 There's been a lot of talk lately about an industry-wide creative slump. It certainly seems like there ought to be one. The stock market is plummeting, corporate America is collapsing...

Okay, Someone Just Has to Come Right Out and Say It Sally Hogshead 07/24/02 I'm about to say some things that are politically incorrect. Things that aren't normally said in a public forum because they can seem a little harsh. And the last thing I want to be is harsh.

Killed Concepts - Learning to Let Go Mike Ward 07/11/02 For those not in the know, this summer's hot color is tangerine. I know this because we read a lot of magazines at work. GQ, Glamour, Maxim, FHM, Detour, Cosmo Girl (don't laugh, there are free stickers in that one).

Hi, my name is Tommy Abercrombie. Who are you? Jud Smith 07/03/02 In the old days, out west on the Great Plains, Native Americans would paint their marks on their horses. You know. Hand prints. Lightning bolts. That sort of thing. "Me and my horse" the hand prints and icons would say.

Talent is Overrated Tom Kelly 06/26/02 There it is. My attention grabbing headline. I was told by a college professor once that was the primary job of a headline. Actually, someone else from class told me. I overslept.

Win/Win in Agency Compensation Samual Williams 06/19/02 I've been putting client/agency compensation agreements together for about 23 years. That's probably why I have no hair on the top of my head. Creating agency/client compensation agreements that are fair and "relationship building" ...

Thank You for Ruining My Favorite Song with Your Bad Commercial John Spaulding 06/12/02 Let's face it. Using the hits of yesterday to push a new product has always been a popular route to take in advertising. Low budget? Impossible deadline? Sixth round of concepting?

Diversity in the Advertising Industry Angel Rivera 06/06/02 As a first generation Puerto Rican in New York City, I never ever imagine that someday I would be working for the Fire Department and later at an advertising agency. But for the last five years...

The State of Advertising Bill Garrison 05/16/02 After reading this, you will know everything there is to know about the state of advertising, and you will walk away from your computer fully confident in your assumption that my opinions mean absolutely nothing.

Getting Fired. Getting Fired. Getting Fired. Getting Fired. John Follis 05/08/02 I've heard it said that in advertising you can't be any good if you haven't been fired at least once. If that's true I'm very good. I've been fired four times.

6 Myths About Good Names Steve Rivkin 05/01/02 A good name is golden. As a Kraft Foods executive says, "Kraft has thousands of trademarks and they are among our most treasured assets. To the outside world, they represent who we are and what we do."

Your First Week in Advertising Bill Wright 04/24/02 Welcome. Thanks for reading this far. While many of you have jobs in advertising, there are almost certainly a few of you out there who are just starting your careers. Perhaps as soon as next week. So it is for you folks that I'd like to give a brief overview of what to expect during your first week on the job.

The Lure of Everywhere Else Greg Thomas 04/10/02 In the ad world, there’s Boston. Minneapolis. San Francisco. And then there’s Everywhere Else. The first three (and you might argue that Richmond, New York and others deserve to be on that list) seem to be charmed...

Research Explains Glass Ceiling for Female Creatives Colleen O'Hare 04/03/02 More women than ever are being employed in creative positions at advertising agencies. Although this is an encouraging trend, most women inevitably face a "glass ceiling" at the highest levels.

Why Web Site Creativity Matters More Than Ever John Follis 03/27/02 If one more person tells me their site sucks because they're just too darn busy to deal with it, I'm gonna hurl. That's like saying, "I'm working in my underwear because I'm too busy to get dressed." It makes a poor impression.

Britt Benston 01/01/00 If one more person tells me their site sucks because they're just too darn busy to deal with it, I'm gonna hurl. That's like saying, "I'm working in my underwear because I'm too busy to get dressed." It makes a poor impression.