jay/day

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."

Posted by alburty at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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.

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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.

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Nerve.com has gathered together videos of what it considers to be the 50 greatest commercial parodies of all time. View it here.

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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 ...

Posted by alburty at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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.. When I joined the company, I hired Charles Labiner as Media Director. Charles is leaving to join Fred Sattler at Initiative in a new post on the KIA business. I’m also looking to connect with someone from Chiat who may be interested in filling Charles role as Media Director. Here's what we're looking for:

Media Director job description.

Best regards,

Mark

Mark's bio

Here's how to contact Mark:

Posted by alburty at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

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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:

Posted by alburty at 05:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have a log cabin in the Catskill Mountains near Phoenicia. One of my neighbors does voice-over work and somebody at Ogilvy was smart enough to cast his voice for a national Kodak commercial, which you can see here.

The point is that those of you who are involved in the creation of commercials should join the Brett Barry bandwagon. (By the way, he and his wife produced an audio book this year which has been named one of the Top 10 audio books of the year!)

Here's how to contact Brett.

Posted by alburty at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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!

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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.

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A bizarre TV commercial for Sylvania light bulbs from, I believe, Thailand.

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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.

Read

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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."

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P.S. Lily is now Senior Vice President, Media Director, at EvansHardy+Young.

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Filmmaker David Lynch on product placement in movies. Click here. (Submitted by Charlie Bidwell. Thanks, Charlie!)

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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.

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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.

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Posted by alburty at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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!).

Listen

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Ghoulish, but clever placement.

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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."

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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!

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Posted by alburty at 08:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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.

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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 ...

Posted by alburty at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A friend of mine runs a voice-over studio and I thought I'd use my jayday connections to promote his services. Oh sure, you could continue to use the same people you already use, or, in the spirit of jayday philanthropy, you could give a young talent a chance.

Brett Barry is a full-time voice-over performer, based in the New York region and represented by Arcieri & Associates. He has recorded dozens of commercials for television and radio, narrations, promos, industrials, etc., and can be heard daily as the voice of CBS-TV's The Guiding Light. He's currently on-air with a Coors radio ad, and could most recently be heard on HBO, a network TV spot for Air Wick, and a series of commercials for Hibernia Bank. Brett has launched a full-service audio production studio, Silver Hollow Audio, and can now offer voice-overs and production nationwide.

Sites:
http://www.BrettsVoice.com
http://www.SilverHollowAudio.com

Listen to a sample voiceover by clicking here
.

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Posted by alburty at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Read

Posted by alburty at 05:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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)

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Kids. Eating. Advertising. Scary.

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A fresco for the Cologne train station for Adidas. Created by TBWA.

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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.

Visit

Posted by alburty at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

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From BBDO+ Detroit

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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.

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Posted by alburty at 08:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Visit

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An article from the Southern California Business Journal in 1989 about Bob Wolf.

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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)

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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

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A clever advert from Saatchi Budapest for a large washing machine from Samsung.

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You can see them all by clicking here.

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Here's Toyota's upcoming Super Bowl commercial. Don't watch if you're hypoglycemic.

Posted by alburty at 05:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.)

View

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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.)

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Posted by alburty at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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?

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The journal Typographica has announced their favorite fonts of 2005. And the winners are ...

Posted by alburty at 03:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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

Posted by alburty at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

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Billboardom highlights fine examples of the haiku of advertising: a well-executed billboard.

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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!

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Subverting advertising all over New York City.

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Those lovable, battling neighbors, Fred and Ethel Mertz, are being revived to sell the new Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage.

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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!'"

Visit

Posted by alburty at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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 campaign

Al 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."

Posted by alburty at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For those of you who read this interesting article in the Sunday New York Times Magazine about fonts, this is "Bello," voted the most readable display font by the Type Directors Club.

Visit the website of Bello's foundry

Posted by alburty at 09:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This seems like a very appropriate time to celebrate the design of underground rail systems.

Visit

(Thanks for the link, Bud!)

Posted by alburty at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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]

Continue reading "The orphanage and the Honda" »

Posted by alburty at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

www.alternet.org/story/22206/

Continue reading "The New Black List" »

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Sometimes advertisers go tooooo far ...

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Ok, adsters, let's play the logo game! How many can you name correctly?

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Posted by alburty at 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I see no reason why this site can't be used from time to time to advertise the employment availability of bright, young people. Why, here comes one now! And she is a friend, I believe, of Rodney Pringle and Amy Moorman and Tom Witt and Jerry Fields. Meet Jamie Foehl ...

I�m a former Fallon account person. Right now I�m freelancing but am looking for full time work.

I�ve concocted some job search criteria. What I�ve come up with is as basic as it gets. I simply want to work for another company that has enough integrity to champion great work. Perched high atop that list, of course, is TBWA \ Chiat \ Day (and it doesn�t hurt that LA is a heckuva lot warmer than Minneapolis).

Any thoughts on how to knock on the Chiat door?

I can be reached at ...

My resume and reference letters can be found here.

Posted by alburty at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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

Posted by alburty at 08:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

A wonderful online collection of hand-painted and hand-crafted signs.

Visit

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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

Posted by alburty at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Want to know what the Japanese fashionistas are wearing this week? (And I mean, this week.) Check out Tokyo Street Style.

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If viral marketing now has a website for tracking viral marketing, is the marketing still - well, viral?

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Posted by alburty at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.)

Posted by alburty at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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."

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Posted by alburty at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

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.

Posted by alburty at 03:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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."

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Posted by alburty at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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 doesn�t alter the taste of the crisp itself, which is good because they couldn't afford to taste worse than regular Pringles.

Posted by alburty at 09:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

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Continue reading "From Diversity News" »

Posted by Eve at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"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.

Posted by alburty at 11:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"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.)

Posted by alburty at 08:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

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Posted by alburty at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"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."

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Posted by alburty at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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
Steve

PS All the spots are also available to download or be transferred directly
to your adbeast studio.

Posted by alburty at 05:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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?"

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Posted by alburty at 09:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Regardless of your politics, you have to appreciate the efforts of these amateur ad-makers.

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Posted by alburty at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by alburty at 08:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Continue reading "TBWA Chiat/Day Exec Indicted" »

Posted by alburty at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)