Shhhhh!
Don't tell anybody. It's my birthday today. 59!
Steve
March 11, 2010
March 09, 2010
Appleduds
A clever new spoof site has emerged which chronicles fictional ads that somebody should have beaten to death with a club.
I'm not at liberty to disclose who, specifically, is behind the site, but they all worked on Apple while at Chiat.
(Check out the "Beatnik Lisa" ad and follow the link to a fake Wikipedia entry for Lee Clow.)
January 14, 2010
Bob Dion's funeral
All of us should be as kind and diligent as Robert Chandler, one of the Bob's writing partners has been, about making sure we all know about the services planned for Bob Dion's funeral. Says Robert ...
You may be receiving this same information also from Steve Alburty.
But, in case you're not on his Jay/Day email list:I just heard from Nancy Dion, Bob's first wife. She tells me that the memorials services for Bob are next Wednesday, 20 January at Desert Memorial Park. I'll look up the address and let you know when I have the time and any other details.
I'm guessing it will be in the late morning.
Bob's son David will be flying up from Chile this weekend and maybe 4 of the grandsons. (David lives in Rome and was on business in Chile when his dad died.
The sons are: Perry, Jeffrey, David, Robert, Benjamin
Grandsons: Kyle, Klinton, Dillon, Julian, Michael, Elias and Max.
Louise Seeley is Benjamin's mother.
Allie is Bob's widow.
By the way, I tracked down one of Bob's former clients, Noreen Young of Holland America, whose name I got from John Salvati. Used Linkedin to find her as per your suggestion. She immediately got back to me with some excellent remembrancws. Noreen currently works in Boston.
If any of you can suggest a client I ought to contact re Bob, please let me know. The Web in general, and LinkedIn plus Facebook in particular, make it much easier to find people if they are findable.
best,
robert c
And here's the official information from Bob's son, Perry ....
Dad will be buried at Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City (near Palm Springs). My Dad's wife, my brothers and I will be putting together a ceremony at the grave site at 1:30pm, Wed. Jan 20 at Desert Memorial Park.Please feel free to share this with friends and former colleagues of Bob.
Here's a link to the cemetery web site:
http://www.pscemetery.com/index.html
Desert Memorial Park
31705 DA VALL DR, CATHEDRAL CITY CA 92234-3277Thank you again for your efforts in helping us all celebrate my Dad's life.
Regards,
Perry
October 30, 2009
Clow names new creative director
Lee Clow and Duncan Milner
Lee Clow has given up his post as chief creative officer of TBWA/Media Arts Lab to Duncan Milner. The unit creates all of Apple's work. Lee will remain chairman of the unit, as well as retain his position at chief creative officer of TBWA Worldwide.
Read all about it in Ad Age.
September 14, 2009
Absolut ... eh, mango
Eve Luppert sent in this item about two billboards in LA's Koreatown one of which was taken down by order of the city.
Guess which one, then read this article to find out.
August 30, 2009
Apple and Advertising
There is a great article in Sunday's New York Times about the history of Apple's advertising. Read it here.
April 10, 2009
Brain ads
Your one-page full-color advertisement, broadcast telepathically to the entire population of the planet. Only $2,000.
January 09, 2009
Microsoft Songplay
Somebody must hunt down the people who create Microsoft's advertising and get them to take their anti-psychotic meds.
January 07, 2009
Pitching Laker
Sir Freddie Laker
Robert Chandler (former creative, LA) has been corresponding with the son of the irrepressible Sir Freddie Laker and sent me this lovely reminiscence of pitching Laker Airlines.
Freddie Laker, Jr., is currently Director, Digital Strategy at Sapient and is heavily immersed in digital ad biz. His own blog is here. Here's Robert's original email to Sir Freddie's son:
Back in the late 70s, I was a young group head at Chiat/Day in Los Angeles. Your dad and Jay, both being bright, pioneering mavericks were a perfect fit, and Jay won us an opportunity to pitch the Laker Airways account.Jay assigned me and my little group to develop the campaign. We came up with something that was a hit internally, so I started preparing for the big presentation day.
Now I had been in the business long enough to have met with clients on a regular basis (even scary guys like Ernest Gallo). And I'd presented many campaigns to existing clients. But, I'd never been the creative lead on a new business pitch before and was uncharacteristically nervous. Hy Yablonka, Chiat's first creative director and a partner with Jay and Guy Day bucked me up and convinced me that I was more than ready to make a pitch.
At the appointed hour, the Laker delegation arrived. Because Laker was a small smart airline and not a big dumb one, there were only three people: The head of marketing. A second person probably his assistant. And your dad. Sir Freddie Himself.
The usual preliminaries and setups were attended to by our marketing guys and media. Then creative stood up. Me.
I pitched the campaign which was built around the kickoff ad billboarding the theme: "Cross the Atlantic without getting soaked."
The campaign, in addition to a collection of cheeky full page newspaper ads and outdoor featured a very simple spot. It featured a
spokesman-- I think we proposed your dad, standing in the aisle of a 747. He said essentially, "When you fly to London on the old line airlines, they give you this nice cushy seat. So do we. They have lovely stewardesses. So do we. They give you two nice meals. So do we. They get you there in 6 hours. Us too. So why do the old line airlines charge you three times more than Laker ? I don't know. Why are you paying it?CUT TO SUPER: Laker Airways. Cross the Atlantic without getting soaked."
Well, Sir Freddie, unlike the usual poker faced prospects in a pitch was wonderfully effusive. He loved the campaign. He was highly complimentary to all of us. And, in fact, he tried to give us the account right then and there.
It was only the intervention of the prudent head of marketing that prevented a hand being shook on the deal in that room. Marketing reminded your father that they still had two or three other presentations to see. Your dad, obviously not one to pull rank, deferred to Marketing's ministrations.
In the event, other considerations intervened and we did not get the account. And my recollection is the winner did not mount a campaign as cheeky as ours.
But, I have to tell you, I have had a very fond spot in my heart for your father ever since. He was so obviously a lovely man. He had the courage to act on his instincts. And the great good will to show his true feelings in a business meeting and not worry about hanging onto his negotiating leverage.
Sir Freddie Laker gave a 30-something kid one of the most wonderful moments of a career that has enjoyed some pretty good days. And he made about the most pleasurable and long-lasting impression upon me of any person I've ever met in business.
I'm sure my experience is emblematic of moments enjoyed by many, many other people in their dealings with your father.
I can see why you think about your father every day. I think about him with regularity myself. And only met him once.
With best regards, and a salute to your father's memory,
-robert c
November 12, 2008
Make Waves
From Bria Silbert (a.k.a. "Barbara Winkler," C/D 1977-1984) ...
About three decades ago, Gene Cameron and Tom Patty were tasked to pitch Yamaha Outboards. This T shirt was developed as part of the campaign. I don't recall if we got the account, but I got the T- shirt.
November 10, 2008
California Cooler shoot
"Teach a man to fish ...." When I was in Vancouver, I helped Chuck Phillips hook up a new scanner to his computer. He's now having a blast putting it to use, scanning a lot of the C/D memorabilia he owns.
this picture of the shirtless director mark coppos and lee clow was taken 20 years ago @ the california cooler shoot (one of lee's favourite campaigns). it was february. the temperature at topanga beach had fallen to the low-40's. all the actors in swim suits and bikini's, pretending it was mid-summer, were freezing on their takes. so clow and mark took off their shirts as an empathetic act of camaraderie which got a rousing cheer from the cast. notice all the other folks huddled in parkas. among them is producer francesca cohn and a very good account guy whose name escapes me (the bundled bearded guy on the right).
November 08, 2008
Vintage ads
Vintage ads. 50 of 'em. Right here.
October 24, 2008
A marketing study
Got a request from alum Sara Leiman for some help with a marketing survey.
Hi SteveHave a question:
I just finished/ ready to release a syndicated media and marketing study (might be the first) of the federal marketplace! Wondering if you can to a post on the jayday.org web site on this ??
Below is a little more info... Its really exciting because my partner for this project and I have made arrangements out here for a formal presentation on the methodology and results and to date have 80 people signed up -- all very senior marketing communications titles from many of the military contractors, other ad agencies and media outlets. They have all been supportive and claimed no one else has done this.. Would like to believe that part is true; not quite sure yet.
Here is some general info on the study.. Please feel free to take a bit or all...
==================
Earlier this year, Sara Leiman (VP President, Media and Research Services at Sage Communications) partnered with Market Connections to do a syndicated study of the federal market. The questionnaire for this study was fielded during Q2/Q3, the results have been tabulated, put online and will be released by the end of this month. This entire study was conducted online via email.
The main goal of this survey was to better understand the role that federal government decision makers play in the approval and acquisition of products and services, as well as their media habits. To accomplish this, we needed to develop a universe of mid to senior level federal employees/managers who would then access a single questionnaire from which we could look at both media and marketing information. Overall, the content of this study includes questions across four areas: demographics, job function, purchase area and finally media habits: print, online, radio and outdoor.
Methodology:
In lieu of using a list house where often a high percentage of names/ addresses are “undeliverable,” we opted to take 21 leading (and diverse) publications that address the government sector, all with BPA audits. As you know, BPA International provides an audit of publication subscriber lists annually, with statements issued twice a year. Fifteen of those publications agreed and sent us a representative 7% to 10% sample of their subscriber base in email address format. We specifically requested “federal file only; no state and local, no contractors or non-government.” I should add that one of these “publishers” included a web site (dedicated to news and information for government) with no print component.After receiving the representative email addresses from all fifteen publications, this list netted down to a much larger group than we anticipated: 50,000 unique email names and address for the federal sector. The study was fielded towards the end of Q1 this year and we were quite pleased with nearly 3000 returns without the use of incentives!
This study (and the resulting data) has been divided into four sections :
• Demographics: Age, Education, Gender, Grade or Rank
• Employment: Civilian vs Defense agency, Title/ Function, Product/Service area of Purchase Responsibility with dollar volume)
• Media Usage: Print (30 publications), Web Sites and e-newsletters (34 web sites), Blogs, RSS Feeds, Webinars, Access to HTML, Podcasts, etc)
• DC Residents: Media usage extended to local newspapers, news weeklies, metro, radio stations
Below are some of the job functions and areas of purchase that were measured:• Accounting, Budget, Finance
• Aircraft
• Communications/Telecommunications
• C4ISR
• Engineering and Architecture
• Energy and Environment
• Executive and Command
• Facilities, Real Estate
• Fleet/ Auto
• Human Resources, Benefits
• Forestry, Wildlife and Environment
• Information Technology, Computers, Systems
• Law Enforcement and Public Safety
• Maintenance and Repair
• Medical, Health
• Office Equipment (copiers, fax, etc)
• Project, Program Management
• Procurement, Purchasing, Contracting
• Scientific, Mathematics, R&D
• Training, Education
• Travel Services
• Weapons/ Combat SystemsWith all of the data on line, users will be able to cross-match any number of data points and produce reports. Examples might be title and function (or purchase area), crossed against publication readership or web site visits. Users will also be able to take demographics and match those against specific purchase areas or job functions. While print as an advertising medium is less of a question for most in this market, the information gained from the questions and responses regarding online usage have been very interesting.
There will be a formal presentation on the release of this study and there is no charge to attend. We will be sharing additional information along with some sample data runs. The presentation will be at the Tower Club (Tysons area, McLean, Virginia ) on October 31st from 8 AM – 10AM. Please use the the link below to register:
http://www.marketconnectionsinc.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=98
Regards,Sara
Sara Leiman
Vice President Media Services
Sage Communications LLC
8229 Boone Blvd
Vienna, VA 22182
Of course, I'm hoping this survey reals what an important role the jayday website plays in the federal arena.
October 17, 2008
Alex Karras and his tutu
I am sitting in Chuck Phillips' apartment in Vancouver, where I have just hooked up his new printer and scanner. His first effort? A photo he had lying around in his apartment of a tv shoot (circa 1970) for Novus Watches which featured the famed football player, Alex Karras.
The other guys in the photo? That's Chuck sitting on the floor on the left and Hy Yablonka standing just to the right of Karras. And David Murphy is the guy in the striped shirt on the left. Plus C/D's Broadcast Producer and the director, who names Chuck does not recall.
Chuck says that after the shoot, Karras asked if he could have the tutu. Chuck asked why and Karras said he was going to wear it at a black tie dinner he was hosting.
September 02, 2008
The Centaur
This gets my vote for the weirdest commercial on the air. It was produced by Weiden + Kennedy. I hope I'm not accidentally insulting any former C/Ders. But really, what were they thinking?
(If I'm not mistaking, the horse is a mare.)
July 28, 2008
Best Commercials Ever
Entertainment Weekly has chosen the best TV commercials of all time. One glaring omission? The "1984" spot for Apple, created by Chiat/Day. Here's an excerpt from a New York Times article:
The most contentious choice made by Entertainment Weekly was certainly the omission of a spot that Advertising Age, in a list of the ''50 best'' published in March 1995, ranked as the greatest commercial ever: the Chiat/Day spectacular, based on the George Orwell novel ''1984,'' that introduced the Apple Macintosh personal computer during Super Bowl XVIII in 1984.''We all felt that it was just so pretentious,'' said Mary Kaye Schilling, the senior editor for television at Entertainment Weekly.
''It just seemed over the top,'' she added, ''too consciously trying to be brilliant.'' In fact, in a feature that accompanies the list, the Apple spot is deemed the ''most overrated commercial'' ever.
Entertainment Weekly. Consider the source, consider the source. This is the same magazine that, when they compiled a list of "The 1,000 New Classics" for film, included "South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut."
May 31, 2008
Reach Green
Greenadworks is is an ad network designed to help advertisers reach Gen Green singles, busy moms, established professionals, tech-savvy consumers and affluent couples who represent the entire spectrum of progressive, green consumers.
You CAN teach an old billboard new tricks
An article from today's New York Times about new billboard technology which utilizes tiny cameras to identify some of the demographics of the person standing in front of it.
May 06, 2008
Commercial Parodies
Nerve.com has gathered together videos of what it considers to be the 50 greatest commercial parodies of all time. View it here.
Lauren Schiller
Lauren, her husband, and their two daughters, Mia and Tillie.
One of the great things about running this site is hearing from alums who started at C/D in humble circumstances (such as an assistant) who is now an advertising superstar. Here's Lauren Schiller. Take it away, Lauren!
Lauren Schiller here, class of '95...I hope you remember me... I was Jay's assistant for a while, then Ira's and Marty's, then an account person for Mary Maroun. I like to say everything I needed to know about advertising I learned from Jay (and of course, Ira, Marty and Mary!). And Adelaide and Roseann and I actually crossed paths again at kirshenbaum bond when I was heading up client service in San Fran. At kirshenbaum I worked for Nigel Carr for 7 years--and learned a ton from him.I am now working as VP of Marketing for Elephant Pharm (elephantpharm.com). We are a drug store chain which has completely reinvented the drug store experience, combining alternative with western medicine and lots of other fun, earth-friendly healthy stuff in an environment people actually like hanging out in. Anyway, I was interviewed at Web 2.0 and at the end the question came up: so tell me what it was like working with Jay Chiat. I thought that was pretty cool, so I am passing along the link to the video. Thanks for keeping the love alive!
And here is a video of Lauren being interviewed at Web 2.0 ...
Mark Bilfield
A note arrived the other day from Mark Bilfield, who worked in the LA office on Direct Marketing and Sale Promotion on Nissan and Infiniti. Before that, he worked on Worlds of Wonder, Mitsubishi Electronics, Toshiba, Upper Deck Trading Cards, and Australian Tourist Commission.
Hi. It’s been a long time. How are you? Well everything in life leads back to Chiat: I’ve been at Public Storage for the past three years after a six year stint at Saatchi on the Toyota and P&G business. Neal Grossman’s identical twin brother, Alan is CFO of our Operations Group at PS.. Best regards, Mark
April 28, 2008
Tom Carroll and the Four A's
There is an article in this morning's NY Times about the efforts of the AAAA's to juice up its annual conference. And who better to lead that effort than the most charming man in advertising, Tom Carroll ...
Ms. Sawyer, who described herself as “probably one of the most vocal people at the last conference” about its shortcomings, joined almost a dozen other executives who met for informal, wide-ranging discussions about recasting the meeting to make it more appealing, particularly to younger managers, and increase attendance.Those efforts were endorsed by the executive who is becoming the chairman of the Four A’s for 2008-10, Tom Carroll.
“The industry has changed dramatically, and it was time for the Four A’s conference to change its format and content fundamentally,” said Mr. Carroll, who is also the president and chief executive at TBWA Worldwide, part of the Omnicom Group.
March 26, 2008
An invitation from Rosemarie Ryan
Rosemarie Ryan, New York planner extraordinaire, says to keep the date of April 16th at 6:30 pm. open. Rosemarie and J. Walter Thompson, in association with Stephen King, will unveil something that will forever change the creative process.
Click on this thumbnail image to see the teaser in its full glory:
January 23, 2008
Paul Greenberg
inter national est (yes, that's how they spell it) is a trade magazine that is dedicated to "the business needs and challenges of international marketing and media professionals as they participate in multinational branding and campaign building."
Every year, they have their own "Oscars," announcing a list of international marketers who are truly the people behind the year’s outstanding marketing achievements.
Paul Greenberg, former media director at C/D NY is on this year's list for his work promoting the Big Apple throughout the world. Read all about it here!
November 13, 2007
Marian Salzman
Yes indeed, that WAS C/D alum Marian Salzman being interviewed by Morley Safer on "60 Minutes." If you missed it, you can watch it by clicking here.
November 07, 2007
Ghost lights
A bizarre TV commercial for Sylvania light bulbs from, I believe, Thailand.
October 31, 2007
18-year-old creates Apple TV ad
A charming article from today's New York Times about a home-grown ad for Apple's iPod that was originally posted on youtube by an 18-year-old who is a freshman at the University of Leeds in Britain. TBWA/Chiat/Day liked it so much, they flew the teenager to LA and had him help them produce the spot for national air.
October 26, 2007
Media Arts Festival
Thank you to Lily Katz for alerting me to this Adweek article about Lee Clow, who seems to be starting a Media Arts Festival in Cabo San Lucas. Why? Said Lee, "I'm tired to flying to France."
P.S. Lily is now Senior Vice President, Media Director, at EvansHardy+Young.
September 05, 2007
David Lynch
Filmmaker David Lynch on product placement in movies. Click here. (Submitted by Charlie Bidwell. Thanks, Charlie!)
January 08, 2007
Top Brands of 2006
According to New York-based Landor Associates, Google is the top brand of 2006, beating out Las Vegas to claim the top spot for the first time.
December 19, 2006
Commercials from the 80s
Giant magazine reviews the greatest commercials of the 80s. The usual suspects are here - from Apple's "1984" to Brooke and her Calvins. But some smaller gems are here, too, including a political commercial from the governor's race in Ohio, in which a young Jerry Springer spins the fact that he once slept with a hooker. His regret? That he paid her by check.
December 05, 2006
Industrial Music
The album Product Music: Vol 1 is a collection of memorable examples of the industrial song. Because if you're not buying a company's product, perhaps a few listens to their new dance tune will change your mind!
The songs range from mellow dance tunes ("The Frito Twist") to manic dance tunes ("Dance The Slurp", with its frenzied cries of "SLURP SLURP!!!") to haunting ballads (the somewhat disturbing "My Bathroom Is A Private Kind of Place", one of three tunes in the compilation from American Standard's classic industrial musical The Bathrooms Are Coming!).
December 04, 2006
Subway ad for funeral home
Ghoulish, but clever placement.
November 29, 2006
Brands on the Brain
Radiologists in Germany have conducted tests showing that regions of the brain "light up" when consumers are shown the logos of various brands.
"This is the first functional magnetic resonance imaging test examining the power of brands," said Dr. Christine Born, a radiologist at University Hospital in Munich, Germany. "We found that strong brands activate certain areas of the brain independent of product categories."
Infomercial Review
It's the Ridiculous Infomercial Review! Yes, for a limited time only, you can view this website about colon cleansers, TV psychics, and products that help enlarge oh-so-particular parts of your anatomy. But hurry, this web-only offer is limited! Click now!
November 16, 2006
Guess the logo
SO! You're a bigshot in advertising, huh? Ok, prove it. Take this interactive test to see if you can identify the correct logo for these famous brands.
November 10, 2006
UK-based agency needed
The lovely Kelly Morris (nee "The lovely Kelly Smeltzer"), Class of CD/NY 1989 - 1992, is looking for an ad agency in the UK.
would you be kind enough to send up a flare on jayday.org and ask if anyone could recommend a wickedly creative and strategic -- but not astronomically expensive -- UK-based agency to help with direct mail, email, telemarketing etc efforts.
You may contact Kelly directly at ...
October 19, 2006
A billboard from Canada
October 18, 2006
Bad cover letter
An applicant to a media buying position tries his best ...
I think the only qualification I have that really applies for this position is my extencive CD collection. This shows I can research and purchase media, and media related products.
September 11, 2006
Agencies Agree to Hire More Black Managers
Can All-White Ad Industry Change? Agencies Agree to Hire More Black Managers
By Won Kim
(c) 2006 DiversityInc.com
Prompted by the apparent utter lack of racial/ethnic diversity in the advertising industry, New York City's Human Rights Commission took the lead in 2004 by actually checking out the numbers. The commission's findings were clear - the advertising industry, which conveys product information to most of America, is almost all white, especially in top-level positions.
Read (requires free-trial)
September 06, 2006
Demonic tots
June 25, 2006
Soccer chapel
A fresco for the Cologne train station for Adidas. Created by TBWA.
May 28, 2006
Old ads
James Lileks is a columnist for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and author of "The Gallery of Regrettable Food." He is one of the Internet's greatest collectors of ephemera. Here is his online collection of old newspaper ads.
April 24, 2006
Branding Sheep
From today's New York Times ...
The latest low-technology billboards along highways in the Netherlands are startling enough to prompt motorists to indulge in U-turns.Or make that ewe-turns. These ads are walking, woolly flocks of bleating sheep. Early this month, Hotels.nl, a Dutch online reservations company, began displaying its corporate logo on royal blue waterproof blankets worn by sheep.
April 20, 2006
Great new Jeep print ads
From BBDO+ Detroit
April 11, 2006
Mac insert from 1984
Some Macaholic out there has taken the trouble to scan in all of the ads from a 39-page insert from a 1984 issue of Newsweek. The ads were, of course, by Chiat/Day.
March 20, 2006
Save Like Never Before
Last week, I noticed an ad at the top of this page for an ad agency in North Carolina that specializes in advertising TO churchgoers on behalf OFchurches. (Remember, I don't select these ads on the top of the site, Google chooses them.) This isn't just marketing to Christians. This is advertising intended to increase church attendance.
Anyway, the thought of an agency for churches struck me as ... odd.
March 15, 2006
Bob Wolf
March 12, 2006
Diversity in Ad Agencies
Diversity in advertising was one of Jay's personal causes. And Bonnie Lunt has been fighting this battle for years. Here we are in 2006 and it is STILL being talked about, only this time, it's getting serious. Ad Age reports ...
NYC TO SUBPOENA AD AGENCY EXECS IN DIVERSITY PROBE
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Madison Avenue’s white management ranks are about to be exposed in public hearings on ad agencies’ minority-hiring practices that could drag industry stars such as Andrew Robertson, Kevin Roberts and Shelly Lazarus -- and their clients -- into an unflattering spotlight.
View (requires free Ag Age registration)
March 05, 2006
Leader of the Decade
from the Dede Dalton McMahon collection
The Western Association of Advertising Agencies held a banquet in Jay's honor in 1990, at which he was named Leader of the Decade. Adweek Magazine ran a full-page of photos showing all of the happy guests.
The lovely lady on the left in this one shot above is Yvonne Smith, the art director who taught me everything I know about print production. (Remember that before I became head of technology, I was also head of print production. Yvonne - how many letterpress proofs did we go through on that Thai Airways ad? 17? 18?) And there's Lee and his wife, Ilene.
View the whole page
February 08, 2006
Big Wash
February 06, 2006
Super Bowl commercials
You can see them all by clicking here.
February 03, 2006
Super Bowl
Here's Toyota's upcoming Super Bowl commercial. Don't watch if you're hypoglycemic.
February 02, 2006
Cartoon rage
As I'm sure you've read in the paper, the Muslim world is in an uproar about a series of cartoons that first appeared in a Danish newspaper which featured the image of the Prophet Mohammed. It is considered a blasphemy to depict Mohammed period, let alone mock him in a cartoon. Danish dairy products company Arla is losing $1.6 million in revenue a day due to a boycott in the Middle East.
Newspapers throughout Europe are now reprinting the cartoons ... and receiving bomb threats because of it.
So, of course, I'll add my own fuel to the fire of fanatacism by displaying one of the cartoons (above) and providing this link where you can see the rest of them. Lighten up, people!!!
(I can't help thinking about last night's "Colbert Report," there was a whole bit about images of Jesus, including one of Christ shaking hands with Ken Lay.)
January 27, 2006
Old ads for electronics
Fun old ads for deceased gadgets. (Remember when TVs had tubes? I think I inherited my love of electronics from my mother, who was always taking the TV apart and taking the tubes to the hardware store, where you'd insert them into a fibre-board testing panel to see which one had blown.)
January 20, 2006
Spinning Hamas
Here's a challenging client: Hamas. Although Hamas is often the sole provider of humanitarian care to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East, they also have this nasty habit of launching suicide bombers against Israeli civilians. Love the carnage, hate the bad press.
So Hamas has now hired a "spin doctor" to help give the organization a softer image. Here's a sample of the new way of positioning the untidy business of blowing people up, offered recently by a Hamas official: "Sometimes we are innocent enough to react in a way that the Israelis use the reaction against us."
Isn't PR wonderful?
January 04, 2006
Favorite fonts
The journal Typographica has announced their favorite fonts of 2005. And the winners are ...
January 03, 2006
Disruption Network
I was intrigued by this article in the Sunday New York Times business section about how ad agencies are rushing to figure out how to use their own worldwide employees to spot trends.
I had to sigh, because a few years ago I helped design a system which did this very thing. It even won a design award from ID Magazine, thank you very much.
I was brought into BDDP Advertising as a technology consultant by long-time C/D alum Adelaide Horton, who was President of BDDP North America. She asked me to take a look at their information systems and provide some strategic vision as to how they could use technology to make their own worldwide network "smarter." I did extensive user interviews and other forms of "anthropology" in BDDP's New York, Paris, and Singapore offices.
My findings? Except through email, the network had no way to share knowledge. If someone in Singapore had a fascinating study on Asian consumer habits, nobody had a way of sharing this information with the rest of the network. If someone in Paris had just seen an ad for a competitor's product, there was no way of sharing that visual information ... and wouldn't even know who to send it to by email if they'd wanted to!
So the concept I came up with was to create what today might be called a "communal corporate blog." (And this was long before the word "blog" had even entered the world's vocabulary.)
We ultimately hired Art Technology Group, a leading-edge software design firm in Boston, and together we built what we called "The Disruption Network."
It let any employee in the company worldwide post articles of interest to an internal website. It was intended to be used to show work that the various offices around the world were creating, and to share information on global marketing and cultural trends.
As employees perused the site, the most frequently-read pieces would float to the top of the "blog." (A technique used by Google to make the most relevant sites rise to the top of a search request.) My favorite feature? I devised a technique that let even the most technologically challenged executive take an article they had found in a newspaper or magazine and get it into the system: all they had to do was fax it to a dedicated fax number and the article would appear on the website moments later.
Employees were even to be rewarded for the value of the information they contributed to the site.
You can see a demo of the website here.
Alas, just weeks before the software was to be implemented, BDDP lost a big client and the agency was down-sized and ultimately sold to ... of all people, TBWA. Although TBWA inherited the rights to the software, the project was ultimately abandoned.
How useful it would have been for just the type of "trend-spotting" this article says is now every agency's grail.
Steve Alburty
December 04, 2005
Magazine Covers of the Future
That magazine cover got your attention, didn't it? The Magazine Publishers of America have created a website that imagines what magazine covers of the future might look like.
November 10, 2005
Billboardom
October 17, 2005
Tilting at Windmills
Here is a brief but biting article from the October issue of Fast Company which catalogues Chiat/Day's multiple attempts to reinvent itself.
Andy Law, of course, was head of C/D's London office before heading off with David Abraham to start St. Luke's. And for those who are in to hermeneutic circles, I wrote an article about St. Luke's in 1997 in (what else) Fast Company!
October 14, 2005
The Bubble Project
October 11, 2005
Fred and Ethel live!
Those lovable, battling neighbors, Fred and Ethel Mertz, are being revived to sell the new Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage.
August 24, 2005
Kabbalah Energy Drink
Ah, the pause that refreshes ... your consciousness. Kabbalah Energy Drink is "a citrus-flavored carbonated beverage which contains taurine, B vitamins and caffeine, and is infused with 'Kabbalah water.'"
Oh mercy. I can see the headline now: "It's 'Kabbalah-nated!'"
August 20, 2005
Al Jazeera
I rarely report on what's happening at TBWA, but I thought this article was fascinating. It's from today's edition of The Peninsula, the daily newspaper in Qatar. (Hey, I'm well-read, what can I say?)
Al Jazeera appoints TBWA\RAAD for campaignAl Jazeera International, the 24-hour English-language news and current affairs channel has appointed TBWA\RAAD for its global marketing communications campaign, a company release, said here yesterday. Several agencies pitched for the account to provide marketing communications support for the channel when it broadcasts globally in the first quarter of 2006.
The agency will handle the global advertising campaign for the channel as well as related above and below-the-line activity, supporting Al Jazeera International's senior executives and the corporate communications team.
Lindsey Oliver, Commercial Director at Al Jazeera International said, "We are extremely pleased at the appointment of such a highly respected and experienced global agency who will be working with us on the world's most exciting television project. We are creating broadcast history as the first English language international network based in the Middle East."
July 18, 2005
Bello
July 17, 2005
Metro logos
June 26, 2005
The orphanage and the Honda
Alum Doris Berry asks for advice on how to entice Honda to somehow embrace the idea of helping an orhanage in Guatemala ...
My Jay Day deed: I called Rubin Postaer to try to get Honda to help this orphanage out. (I'll explain.) The nice fellow I spoke to (Pen Pendleton, another C/D Alum) very kindly advised that contact Honda's PR person directly, and I will. But... today as I read through the recent postings I see that many are in philanthropic pursuit. Maybe if you find this interesting, you can either advise me or post it so others can advise me how to proceed. I.e.: What do I do now?[Click on "Continue reading ..." to see the rest of Doris' story]
June 15, 2005
The New Black List
Why sell laundry soap, when you can sell a good old fashioned radical homosexual agenda?
Read how advertisers are getting pressured out of a good media buy.
June 12, 2005
Wizmark
June 08, 2005
The Logo Game
May 06, 2005
Online ad spending
The April 30th issue of The Economist reports that "this year the combined advertising revenues of Google and Yahoo! will rival the combined prime-time ad revenue of America's three big television networks, ABC, CBS and NBC, predicts Advertising Age."
Which brings up a question: how would all of you feel about the addition of ads to this very website? There is a cost associated with maintaining this website (web hosting and maintainance) and it strikes me that you all are an audience that some advertisers would like to reach, thereby reimbursing me for those costs.
Your thoughts? Please click on "Comments" and let me know what you think.
Steve
April 24, 2005
Signs
March 23, 2005
Shonafreude
One of the interesting perks of running this website is that when I send out a mass mailing, I get "bounce backs," which tells me that someone's email address is no longer valid. One can only wonder why, sometimes. Here's one I received today, which requires no explanation:
{shona.seifert}; originally to shona.seifert (unrecoverable error) The recipient 'shona.seifert' is unknown
March 03, 2005
Tokyo Street Style
Want to know what the Japanese fashionistas are wearing this week? (And I mean, this week.) Check out Tokyo Street Style.
February 18, 2005
Viral Tracker
If viral marketing now has a website for tracking viral marketing, is the marketing still - well, viral?
February 02, 2005
Hire her or else
I received the following spam today, presumably because I am the webmaster of the JayDay website and therefore, or so this person thought, I might have some sort of sway as far as hiring at ad agencies is concerned.
I found it amusing, and just a wee bit disturbing ...
Employment at Mother
I am a young, adaptable, creative, motivated, cute, producer. I have been blessed with the skill of being able to bolster anyone's confidence convincingly. I can ass kiss so well that you aren't aware when I am doing it. I can morph myself into any personality, depending on the client. If you want edgy, I am edgy. If you want flirty, I have that too. Gay? Not a problem, I make an exceptional cheer leader for that side too. If you want soul sister, hip hop, angry, sarcastic, bitter woman..I am all those and more (again depending on clients need). I do not drink, I do not do illicit drugs. I have proudly weened myself from concerta, a powerful stimulant (who knew?). I have just started yoga and have quit smoking as well.
By a mere twitch of an eye muscle I can get vendors to drop their costs by a substantial amount. I speak Italian, I cook Italian...what more can I offer?
Attached is my resume. If this particular resume isn't interesting (doubt it) I have more.
Thank you for your interest,
Anne
Actually, no resume was attached. But nice try, Anne. (For those of you unfamiliar with pharmaceuticals, "concerta" is used to treat ADHD.)
January 27, 2005
Huh?
At first, it's a little difficult to realize that this website is a parody of consulting companies. But start checking out the various sections, like "Ideas."
January 07, 2005
Toilet humor
January 6, 2005
Toilet Brush Warning Wins Consumer Award
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT (AP) -- The sign on the toilet brush says it best: "Do not use for personal hygiene.''
That admonition was the winner of an anti-lawsuit group's contest for the wackiest consumer warning label of the year.
The sponsor, Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch, says the goal is "to reveal how lawsuits, and concern about lawsuits, have created a need for common sense warnings on products.''
The $500 first prize went to Ed Gyetvai, of Oldcastle, Ontario, who submitted the toilet-brush label. A $250 second prize went to Matt Johnson, of Naperville, Ill., for a label on a children's scooter that said, "This product moves when used.''
A $100 third prize went to Ann Marie Taylor, of Camden, S.C., who submitted a warning from a digital thermometer that said, "Once used rectally, the thermometer should not be used orally.''
This year's contest coincides with a drive by President Bush and congressional Republicans to put caps and other limits on jury awards in liability cases.
"Warning labels are a sign of our lawsuit-plagued times,'' said group President Robert Dorigo Jones. "From the moment we raise our head in the morning off pillows that bear those famous Do Not Remove warnings, to when we drop back in bed at night, we are overwhelmed with warnings.''
The leader of a group that opposes the campaign to limit lawsuits admits that while some warning labels may seem stupid, even dumb warnings can do good.
"There are many cases of warning labels saving lives,'' said Joanne Doroshow, executive director of the Center for Justice and Democracy in New York. "It's much better to be very cautious ... than to be afraid of being made fun of by a tort reform group.''
The Wacky Warning Label Contest is in its eighth year.
Floating Logos
Photographer Matt Siber captures those huge logo signs meant to be seen from miles away. He digitally erases the poles. He intends his work "to give the signs a supernatural quality that is meant to call attention to the hegemonic role consumerism and advertising play in our society."
November 15, 2004
Pringles prints
Pringles Prints are made using a technology where words and images can be printed on one side of the crisp. The technology uses food coloring and doesnt alter the taste of the crisp itself, which is good because they couldn't afford to taste worse than regular Pringles.
September 14, 2004
From Diversity News
THE ENVELOPE PLEASE: The American Advertising Federation, based in Washington, recently named the winners of its annual Mosaic Awards, designed to honor companies breaking ground in marketing to people of color and working toward diversity in the advertising industry.
Read more
September 13, 2004
Terror, inc.
"As nihilistic as it may be, al-Qaeda, from a business point of view, is a major success: three years after September 11, it is a global brand."
Read this fascinating article from Asia Times.
April 26, 2004
Stockstock
"Stockstock" is online Woodstockian festival of stock photography. Entrants receive a 30 minute tape of stock photography. Your mission? Create a coherent three-minute film using only those images. Some of the past winners can be seen by clicking here.
(Requires a high-bandwidth connection and Quicktime 6, which is available on both PCs and the Mac.)
March 29, 2004
Portable People Meter
The Portable People Meter from Arbitron monitors its wearer throughout the day - picking up specially encoded signals from the environment - keeping a perfect record of all the broadcast media consumed.
February 12, 2004
Adrants
"Reporting on the brilliance and idiocy of the media and advertising industry, Adrants offers subversive comment on the questionable, the absurd, the new and the noteworthy. Everything from new campaign launches to useful facts and figures to odd little items from the fringe are delivered with wit, humor and sarcasm."
February 02, 2004
Super Bowl Commercials
Courtesy of alum Steve Hancock (formerly of C/D NY and Toronto, now at adbeast) ...
In partnership with Nielsen Media we are pleased to bring you a free online recap of all the Canadian and US Super Bowl XXXVIII spots. Organized by commercial break you can review all the spots that ran in this years Super Bowl . Just click here.
Enjoy
StevePS All the spots are also available to download or be transferred directly
to your adbeast studio.
January 29, 2004
Adtunes
As mentioned in Thursday's New York Times Circuits section, Adtunes is a website which answers the question, "What was that music they were playing in that commercial?"
January 13, 2004
Anti-Bush Ads
Regardless of your politics, you have to appreciate the efforts of these amateur ad-makers.
January 12, 2004
Andy Law
Today is the first official working day at a new ad agency in London called boymeetsgirlsj. Or is it typed boymeetsgirl? How do you spell it if you can't do that little uplifty thing at the end?
Well, at least I can say that no matter how it's typed, I'm sure it's fascinating, because it has been founded by Andy Law. Andy was the head of Chiat/Day's London office, and then went off to found St. Luke's, which I wrote about in Fast Company.
Visit Andy's new company website.
January 07, 2004
TBWA Chiat/Day Exec Indicted
A federal indictment has been leveled against the director of finance at Ogilvy & Mather, Thomas Early, and a former O&M Senior Partner, Shona Seifert, who is currently the President of TBWA Chiat/Day's New York office. The Associated Press says Seifert's lawyer is Gregory Craig, who represented President Clinton during his impeachment trial.
December 10, 2003
Product Design
Remember when Alka-Seltzer came in glass tubes? Anacin in totable tins? Bayer in baking-soda like boxes? (Oh God, I got two out of three!) Take a little walk down memory lane at the American Package Museum.
P.S. Who can guess why I chose this particular image for this posting? Could there be an alum out there to whom this product might be significant? Post your answer by clicking on the "Comment" link.
December 06, 2003
More Xmas gifts for ad folk
I would be remiss in posting Christmas gift ideas, without mentioning a book called "The Toaster Broke, So We're Getting Married: A Memoir by Pamela Holm. Says Publishers Weekly ...
The author is at her best depicting the strong, healthy relationship with her kindhearted fianc which will assure readers that Holm has as good a chance as anyone can to make a marriage work, long after the wedding hoopla is over.
And that kindhearted fianc? Our very own Denzil Meyers.
And Eve Luppert's book, although out of print, is available through Amazon's used book service. As little as $1.50 for a fabulous read. (And notice to whom the book is dedicated!) This is your big chance to have Eve cheap!
December 05, 2003
Lovemarks
Its more than a brand. Its a lovemark.
According to Saatchi & Saatchi, Lovemarks transcend brands. They deliver beyond your expectations of great performance. Like great brands, they sit on top of high levels of respect - but there the similarities end. Lovemarks reach your heart as well as your mind, creating an intimate, emotional connection that you just cant live without. Ever.
I feel an overwhelming desire to open my kitchen cupboard and tell my can of Campbell's Chunky Soup how much I love the big palooka.
Xmas gifts for ad folk
Why We Shop : Emotional Rewards and Retail Strategies by Jim Pooler.
The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life by Richard Florida
An iTunes gift certificate. (You don't even have to wrap it!)
Moleskine notebooks (favored by the famous journalist Bruce Chatwin)
November 09, 2003
The Super Bowl of Spec
This just in from Reuters:
Indie Agency Auctions Super Bowl Ad on eBayNEW YORK (Reuters) - Throwing out a long-shot resembling a Hail Mary football pass, an independent advertising agency has offered to develop a Super Bowl commercial for the highest online bidder at eBay, starting at a price of 99 cents.
Independent advertising agency Boone/Oakley, which has yet to create a Super Bowl ad, said on Friday it would devise three concepts for a show-stopping commercial to air during the Feb. 1 National Football League's championship game.
November 06, 2003
Open Video Project
The Open Video project offers nearly 2,000 videos from a
variety of sources. A series of classic television commercials
capture old-school advertising, while close to 500 documentaries
tackle everything from golfing on the moon to the story of Hoover
Dam. Go further back in time and watch short films made by Thomas
Edison in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
October 21, 2003
The message is the media
Poynter Online is perhaps the most respected online 'zine about journalism and the media. It's a daily "must read" for news junkies. Check out the flap about Ad Age's decision to name Lucky the Magazine of the Year.
October 01, 2003
A New Mother
Mother Selects from the 10/1/03 NY Times
Fourth Partner Mother in London, which is planning to open its first office in the United States, has named Rob DeFlorio as the fourth partner at the office, scheduled to open in New York by the end of the year. Mr. DeFlorio, 42, had most recently been global advertising director at Nike Inc. in Beaverton, Ore., and before that worked at agencies in New York like Chiat/Day and McCaffrey & McCall. The other partners, announced previously, are Andrew Deitchman, Linus Karlsson and Paul Malmstrom.
Welcome home Rob!
September 14, 2003
CD DNA (preferably pre OMC) wanted
You'd better sit down before reading this. Ready? Ok, here's the scoop: an ad agency is actually hiring people! Yes, unbelievable but true! Here's the email I received from Joe Naporano, former CFO of the New York office:
We are the sixth largest agency in the US here at Campbell Ewald in Warren Michigan. We are a well kept secret (agency is over 90 years old) in that we can actually provide clients with full integration having a full complement of below the line services all under one roof-built and not purchased.
We are doing well and looking for some smart, energetic folk. People and clients are really nice. The CD fashion will need some toning down (sorry Jay), but ability/energy wanted. We need people for all departments including BTL units.
The heartland is the place for quality of life and raising kids. Boy, would I like to see Maroun, Arado, Greenberg, Lipsky, Howell, Jamie Barrett, the Marties, Mike and John, Bob Zach, Sue Katzen, Bob Perkins, and other CDers working here.
Let me know.
Regards,
Joe
If you are interested, contact Joe at
jnaporan@campbell-ewald.com
Note that Campbell-Ewald was voted Adweek's "Agency of the Year Midwest" in 2003. You can visit their website by clicking here.
August 08, 2003
Celebrity voiceover from hell
Here is a transcript of a recording session in which the great Orson Welles does a voiceover for what appears to be fish sticks.
July 30, 2003
Hum zinger
Here's the anti-hummer website that was mentioned in yesterday's New York Times. Although I'm sure there have been many instances of anti-advertising advertising before, this one seems to have attracted the most noteriety:
July 22, 2003
Encyclopedia of Advertising
A three-volume, $385, 1,873 page work: the Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising. Are you in it?
Read (requires free New York Times registration)
June 21, 2003
Eulogy for a Whiner
Since this is Jay/Day, I thought I'd simply put a link to what was perhaps the most moving tribute to appear following Jay's death. It's from the April 29, 2002 issue of AdAge. Of particular interest are the links in the yellow box. which contain excerpts from the last speech Jay ever gave.
June 20, 2003
Marcel Varela
Photo by Marcel Varela
Part of the Jay/Day manifesto is to support young artists. Here's my effort for the year:
Marcel Varela works behind the front counter at Republic on Union Square. (He's the one with the huge smile and the most amazing head of hair you've ever seen in your life.)
I was in the other day and discovered that he's a budding commercial photographer. I mentioned the Jay/Day website and he is thrilled to meet all of you. I told him that you were all movers and shakers within the industry and that several of you are art directors for major agencies. So, as your Jay/Day contribution, please read his bio below, visit his website, and then invite him to come show you his portfolio. (I'm absolutely serious about this. Remember how hard it was to get inside the door of your first agency!)
You can write to him at marcelsphoto@yahoo.com. Or stop by Republic. He's
the very personable young man behind the front counter at lunch time.
June 17, 2003
Why Johnnie Can't Shop
Adbusters, the "in-your-face" anti-almost-everything magazine, takes a look at the campaign by Corporate America to subtly introduce commercials into the classroom. Representatives of the drug Prozac will come to your school to "teach" you about depression. McGraw-Hill prints a six-grade math text book that includes brand names in it's math equations. Want more examples?
June 11, 2003
Ad Humor
Being ad people and ex-ad people, you will find this "holiday card" from Rodgers Townsend extremely funny.
June 04, 2003
Aye carumba!
A federal jury Wednesday ordered Taco Bell Corp. to pay $30.1 million to two men who claimed the fast-food chain stole their idea for the advertising campaign featuring a talking Chihuahua.
June 03, 2003
"Advertising has come a long way ....
... or not," says former C/D-er Susan Wands, who provides us with a link to a website that demonstrates just how far advertising (and the art of food photography and presentation) has come. Celery log, anyone?
What dish of today will be tomorrow's joke?
Susan, by the way, is an accomplished actress and just returned from San Diego, where she starred in the world premiere of "Knowing Cairo" at the Globe Theatre. Her husband, Robert Petkoff, also an actor, recently starred in the lead role in a critically-acclaimed production of "Sunday in the Park with George" at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.
June 02, 2003
Steve Hancock, Adbeast
I seem to recall former Chiat/Day-er Steve Hancock as being very soft-spoken and exquistely well-mannered. Well, an article in the Financial Post, Canada's Wall Street Journal, has disclosed the truth of what's happened to Steve since he left Chiat/Day. The man has become an adbeast.
May 29, 2003
Billboard Liberation Front
Meet our nation's newest threat: outdoor advertising terrorists.
Brighter Teeth? Yes!
Those who ignore advertising are doomed to repeat it. The Ad*Access Project is a searchable database of 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955.
Online advertising supersizes
McDonald's will shift more of its $716 million ad budget from TV to the Internet. "Males ages 18 to 24 are a critical market to us," says Neil Perry, the fast-food outfit's director of digital marketing. "They're spending as much if not more time on the Internet than watching TV."
May 22, 2003
As a virgin
Jay was never more Jay-like than when it came to pitching new business. He was a perfectionist, and many a pitch was rewritten the night before to meet his demanding expectations. And nothing made him more frantic than to see something misspelled.
Forbes.com reports on the recent 100-agency fist-fight that broke out to win the $15 million Virgin Atlantic Airways account. One of the agencies might have been eliminated, suggests Forbes, because a follow-up thank-you referred to Virgin Atlantic "Airlines" instead of "Airways." Which agency was it? Youll have to read the article to find out.
May 12, 2003
Ad buyers back off reality programs
Just in time for the new upfront, it appears that advertisers are losing interest in reality television. Will Joe Millionaire scream frantically to Paula, "I'm a celebrity, get me out of here!" (Wait a minute. I think I'm getting my plot lines mixed up.