Archives: January 2005

P&G and Gillette. What Mergers Were Invented For.

Posted by: David Kiley on January 28

P&G buying Gillette. This is one of those deals that makes so much sense , it's scary. We have a piece in this week's about P&G's strategy to gadget up...

Advertising. Obesity. Prince Harry. Nazis. And My Kashi Is Getting Soggy.

Posted by: David Kiley on January 28

As reported in The Wall Street Journal: "Ken Powell, an executive vice president at General Mills, said a link between advertising to kids and obesity was "unlikely." He cited statistics...

The Super Bowl Ad Fest is Nearly Upon Us

Posted by: David Kiley on January 26

I think this year's Super Bowl will be known more for the game than the ads. The Eagles and Patriots should be a great game. Then again, I thought the...

Usually, the simple ideas are the cleverest

Posted by: David Kiley on January 25

Starbucks. Love em. Hate em. Love em for the easy availability of espresso and the ubiquity of the stores. Hate em for all that ubiquity. However we feel about the...

One Man's Idea of Misinformation is Actually His Own Intellectual Laziness.

Posted by: David Kiley on January 24

According to Advertising Age executive editor Jonah Bloom, weighing in today with his two cents on the media's coverage of the obesity epidemic, "...concerns over the validity of the data...

SpongeBob's Bad Day

Posted by: David Kiley on January 21

SpongeBob SquarePants is having a bad day. Make that a bad week. It's all in the difficult life of a wealthy cartoon character. The New York Times last week ran...

Scion's Success Surprises Me...A Little

Posted by: David Kiley on January 19

When Toyota announced plans to launch a "youth" brand, called Scion, with two small budget-priced products, I had the temerity to tell Toyota COO Jim Press that it was a...

All Politics is Marketing

Posted by: David Kiley on January 18

There is an old saw that says "All Politics is Retail." I'm not saying that isn't true. But I think it can be said nowadays that all politics is also...

Better Living Through M&Ms?

Posted by: David Kiley on January 14

The decision by Kraft Foods this week to limit the marketing of junk food to children via TV is sure to ignite many food marketers to follow the lead. But...

PR Agencies Will Do Almost Anything

Posted by: David Kiley on January 13

This week's controversy over the Department of Education, via Ketchum Communications, paying African-American conservative commentator Armstrong Williams to flog "No Child Left Behind" during his various talking-head appearances comes as...

Subaru's Transformation to Johnny Town Mouse

Posted by: David Kiley on January 12

More from the North American International Auto Show. Subaru is a brand clearly trying to go from a country mouse to a city mouse. Beatrix Potter readers know what I...

Minivan Is Not A Dirty Word For Those Who Know How To Spell It

Posted by: David Kiley on January 11

Just back from the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, an industry show where one gets the latest interpretation of where American tastes are headed. There are new production...

Saturn's Curious Orbit

Posted by: David Kiley on January 07

Colleague David Welch this week penned a nice piece in Businessweek on Saturn's gambit to go upscale with new designs influenced by General Motors's European styling studio. The irony here,...

Brands Abroad Under Fire

Posted by: David Kiley on January 05

There has been a belief among some executives we've talked with that over the last two years that there is a slow but definite weakening of U.S. brands abroad as...