Archives: June 2005

Refund Marketing Second Best Thing To Getting It Right The First Time

Posted by: David Kiley on June 30

Michelin Tire. Co., fearing backlash and lasting bad PR in the motorsports world is offering fans of Formula One racing $100 refunds, costing the company about $12 million, after a...

Why Carl's Jr. and Paris Hilton Are Doing It Right

Posted by: David Kiley on June 29

When was the last time consumers were really yacking about burger chain Carl's Jr., the retaurants operated by CKE Restasurants, before it launcherd the controversial ad featuring Paris Hilton slithering...

When Advertising Becomes Information--that's gold.

Posted by: David Kiley on June 23

Last night in the 90 minutes I watched a bit of TV, I saw two TV commercials for General Motors' big discounts in which they are selling vehicles to the...

General Mills Breakfast Campaign A PR Blunder

Posted by: David Kiley on June 22

I'm sure when General Mills began talking about promoting breakfast as a health benefit for kids, it seemed like a great idea. The company has all the data to back...

Historic BMW and Fallon Advertiser-Agency Relationship Comes to an End

Posted by: David Kiley on June 17

Man Bites Dog. That's how I felt hearing late Friday afternoon that BMW North American and Minneapolis ad agency Fallon Worldwide parted ways. Having written a book about BMW, with...

GM's "Employee Price" Ads Pay Off So Far

Posted by: David Kiley on June 17

It seemed desperate, but it may be paying off for struggling General Motors, at least in the short run. For a couple of weeks now, GM has been advertising "Pay...

Miller and Bud Begin a New Round in War of "Taste."

Posted by: David Kiley on June 16

Miller Brewing said it would run a new television spot this week called "The truth hurts", in which it depicts Bud Light drinkers "startled to learn that Miller Lite has...

Exclusive: Relaunch of McKids--It's Not About Selling Toys and Clothes.

Posted by: David Kiley on June 15

Contributed by senior correspondent Michael Arndt: Oh, how easy it would be to harrumph about Ronald McDonald. According to the government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every...

"Downsize Me" Pro McDonald's Film Interesting, but maybe not as tasty as "Supersize Me"

Posted by: David Kiley on June 15

A woman with the lyrical name of Soso Whaley has made a film, called "Downsize Me," which is a counter-weight to Morgan Spurlock's "Supersize Me." It doesn't have the dramatic...

Ad Placement Can Be Tricky When a Brand is in The Mud

Posted by: David Kiley on June 13

With all the news reports about General Motors last week cutting 25,000 jobs, and a possibility of salary cuts looming later this summer to help restore profitability, I found it...

Couch Potato Teens Helping Sites Like Mania TV

Posted by: David Kiley on June 13

With first quarter Internet Advertising Revenue topping more than $2.8 Billion, a 26% boost over the same time period during 2004, more ad dollars are being diverted from the TV...

Marketers and Media Companies Getting Ready for Everything On Demand

Posted by: David Kiley on June 09

Walt Disney Co.'s soon-to-be CEO Bob Iger says his company has made video on demand and digital ad formats a high priority. He also said Disney was involved in a...

Mass Customization Maybe Offers Too Many Choices

Posted by: David Kiley on June 08

Procter & Gamble's decision to kill its mass customization experiment, Reflect, a highly touted pilot in mass customization of beauty productsn caught my attention because of one , I thought,...

NutriSystem is a Brand Truly Made Over

Posted by: David Kiley on June 08

Anyone remember NutriSystem stores from the late 1980s and 1990s? Depressing places, they were. Making appointments with people who seemed as if they could just as easily been selling Avon...

Is Product Placement Beyond the FCC?

Posted by: David Kiley on June 03

Federal Communications Commission, Jonathan S. Adelstein says his agency should to toughen its requirements and expand its investigations into the practice of product placement. The FCC requirements covering product integration...

Converse Net Ads Worth The Watch

Posted by: David Kiley on June 01

I encourage anyone with a little time on their hands to check out www.conversegallery.com. These are Net ads produced by agency Butler Schine and Stern. These spots are a very...