Archives: April 2008

Google's Schmidt: "We're not creative. We're sort of boring."

Posted by: Burth Helm on April 29

I'm back. Here are this morning's notable speeches from the 4A's Leadership Conference in a nutshell. I'll start with Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Eric Schmidt: In short, please don't fear...

Advertising Agencies: We're Good Enough, We're Smart Enough, and Doggone it, People Like Us!

Posted by: Burth Helm on April 29

If you wanted a window into the secret longings, fears, and hopes of advertising agencies these days, the first 30 minutes of today’s session would have done the job.

The Youtube Election Gaining Steam

Posted by: David Kiley on April 24

This year’s election is going to be more a youtube season than any other in history. As one new ad from a Republican 527 Group ad shows, the object is...

Recession has Finally Hit Latte Land

Posted by: David Kiley on April 23

More evidence of Recession. People are feeling sufficiently pinched (it costs about $50.00 to fill up even the tank of a Toyota Prius) that they are cutting back on...

Even McCain Doesn't Want A Pastor Ad War

Posted by: David Kiley on April 23

How far will Republicans go with using images of Barack Obama’s former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright? The North Carolina Republicans have jumped in the pool to try and make Obama...

Charmin TP: Is Too Much Info the New Standard?

Posted by: David Kiley on April 22

I was struck about two weeks ago when I watched a Charmin toilet paper ad featuring the now familiar animated bears. The one bear was vacuuming the butt of the...

MSNBC Reverses Course on Gun Ad

Posted by: David Kiley on April 21

MSNBC changed course, and has agreed to run an ad produced by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group created by New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. MSNBC had found the...

Skyy Vodka is Playing Hillary To Absolut's Obama.

Posted by: David Kiley on April 17

Getting the daily e-mails from the Clinton, Obama and McCain campaigns as I do makes me long to spend a morning in my six-year old's Kindergarten class to get...

MSNBC Won't Run Bloomberg's Gun Law Ad

Posted by: David Kiley on April 16

MSNBC refuses to run an ad created by Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The ad shows clips of all three Presidential candidates declaring their position on changing the loophole that allows...

Breaking Down Clinton's and Obama's New Ads: Remember when this was supposed to be "An Embarrassment of Riches"?

Posted by: David Kiley on April 15

Back in January, which seems like a year ago in this election campaign season, many were saying that the tension between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama was an embarrassment of...

From TV to the Web with American Idol

Posted by: Burth Helm on April 10

Last night American Idol presented its annual "Idol Gives Back" special, where it reaches out to its viewers to donate money to a variety of charities. At one point in...

Starbucks "Everyday": Can We Afford That?

Posted by: David Kiley on April 08

Starbucks “Everyday Coffee” offering is an effort to Dunkinize the brand a bit. Is that a good idea? To water down the brand, if not the coffee, is risky. The...

Absolut Boycott: Absolut Nonsense.

Posted by: David Kiley on April 08

Absolut Take Two: Just when I thought the Absolut vodka dust-up stemming from an ad it ran in Mexico would be a one-day story, some self-appointed border security advocates have...

Absolut Nonsense

Posted by: David Kiley on April 07

Vin & Spirits, the owner of Absolut Vodka until the approvals of Pernod Ricard’s acquisition of the brand go through, yanked an ad in Mexico that stirred up trouble...

John McCain is Now Hearing Bells: AUGH!

Posted by: David Kiley on April 03

And here we go with John McCain’s 3AM treatment. Now, this really does seem to be going an ad too far. At what point does the 3AM thing just get...

Clinton Ad: Will Somebody Answer The Damned Phone!!

Posted by: David Kiley on April 02

Senator Hillary Clinton’s speechwriter’s and ad team need to take up writer and TV personality Dick Cavett’s suggestion of hiring a first-rate comedy writer. The Senator has released yet another...

Absolut Sale Jacks Likely Price of Stoli

Posted by: David Kiley on April 02

Pernod Ricard's purchase of Absolut means it will divest itself of its distribution rights of Stolichnaya. Meantime, Fortune Brands, which has the U.S. marketing rights to Absolut through 2012,...

Walmart's Bad Week

Posted by: David Kiley on April 01

Just when Walmart thinks its on a roll, bad headlines about its behavior toward employees or small towns faded to the background, it gets pulled back in like Al Pacino...