Archives: December 2005

The Alistair Sim Version of Scrooge The Best

Posted by: David Kiley on December 22

Before I take off for the holiday, I just wanted to say something. There are many film versions of "Scrooge" kicking around the TV dial and DVD shelves. I...

Dawna Stone Not Much of a Reach For Martha Stewart

Posted by: David Kiley on December 22

So, Martha Stewart chose Dawna Stone as the winning apprentice. Would she have hired her in any other context? This is what Martha told BusinessWeek recently about the cast...

Buckley's Cough Syrup Tells It Like It Is. Are you listening striking transit workers?

Posted by: David Kiley on December 21

For weeks, I have been hearing these ads that stick in my head for Buckley's cough syrup. "It Tastes Awful, And It Works," go the radio ads, which go...

It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Festivus

Posted by: David Kiley on December 19

As a commenter on all things marketing and media, I have been going back and forth between bemusement and disgust about the preposterous conversation going on in the public...

The AFA Readies The Next Volley Against Ford

Posted by: David Kiley on December 15

No, Im not obsessed with this topic. It's a bit of a tennis match now, though. The latest--The American Family Association's Wildmon says he may reinstate the boycott on Ford...

Ford Affirms Gay Publication Support. No Victory For AFA

Posted by: David Kiley on December 14

Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday afternoon said it will run ads in gay publications, reversing a decision last week to pull advertising of its Jaguar and Land Rover luxury...

Coke Polar Bear Ads: A Bit of Sense In An Otherwise Chaotic Scene.

Posted by: David Kiley on December 14

As Coca-Cola literally lurches from one product and marketing strategy to another hoping to makes sense of its brand portfolio, at least it has the good sense not to...

Volvo's Gay Friendly Position Proves Ford Didn't Cave To The AFA

Posted by: David Kiley on December 09

The best definitions of “conservative” and liberal” I ever heard comes from….well…me. “Liberals” are about protecting freedoms of choice for individuals as long as those freedoms aren’t unlawful or...

MINI USA Chooses Bay Area's Butler Shine To Replace Crispin Porter

Posted by: David Kiley on December 08

MINI USA, after a three month search , chose Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners as its new ad agency, replacing Miami’s Crispin, Porter +Bogusky, which resigned the business last...

Advantage Walmart: Giant Retailer Looking Warmer All The Time Compared with Ebeneezer Target

Posted by: David Kiley on December 08

Gotta love Walmart and its efforts to improve its image. It's no secret that the giant retailer has long taken it on the chin from smaller rival Target, which...

JWT's Salzman: "Brand Slut"

Posted by: David Kiley on December 08

The New York Post interviewed JWT’s Marian Salzman (pictured above) about what she calls brand “sluts” and brand loyalists. The agency apparently did research that found that consumers switch...

McCann-Erickson Wims Army Ad Biz. Good News For IPG

Posted by: David Kiley on December 08

The U.S. Army, facing declining recruitment, opposition to recruiting on high school and college campuses and an unpopular war, awarded its $1 billion plus ad account to McCann-Erickson. The...

GM States Its Case. But Better Marketing and Backing The Right Horses Could Help.

Posted by: David Kiley on December 05

In Today’s Wall Street Journal, General Motors chairman and CEO G. Richard Wagoner Jr. pleads his case for why GM is losing so much money. He makes many relevant...

The Pentagon and Bush Admin Pushing The Same Planted Journalism in Iraq as They Did in The U.S.: Idiotic

Posted by: David Kiley on December 01

Someone once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. I give you the nicely reported story...

What's an Ad Agency To Do? Fallon and Grey Get The Axe Despite Good Work.

Posted by: David Kiley on December 01

The other day I blogged on an ad by Fallon, London for the Sony Bravia TV. It's a great cinematic ad, I blogged. Ballsy, I blogged. Sony, which obviously didn't...

House Party: At Alexis Stewart's.

Posted by: David Kiley on December 01

Okay, let me put my Liz Smith mask and Richard Johnson hat on. Last night, I went to a party at Alexis Stewart's house. It was Alexis, Martha, me...

Trump Brand Should File Charges of Parental Abuse

Posted by: David Kiley on December 01

Donald Trump's name will now be used to push vodka. Drinks Americas Holdings Ltd., which markets other "celebrity" beverages, is the instigator. "Trump: The World's Finest Super Premium Vodka"...