Archives: July 2008

"No Conversations" About Troop Ad: McCain Camp--BND's Further Thoughts

Posted by: David Kiley on July 31

Given the McCain campaign’s vehement denials about ever discussing an ad/messaging strategy that would have bashed Sen. Barack Obama for visiting wounded troops in Germany this month [The New Normal:...

McCain Campaign Denies Preparing Ad That Would Have Bashed Obama Had He Visited Wounded Troops

Posted by: David Kiley on July 31

Referring to blog entry: "The New Normal: McCain's Desperate Ad Hours," the McCain campaign issues the following statement: “Like the press corps, this campaign was entirely unaware of Obama's scheduled...

McCain Waging Effective War of Words.

Posted by: David Kiley on July 30

The war of hot button words is revving up in the Presidential campaign. In John McCain’s newest ad today, the McCain camp calls Barack Obama, “the biggest celebrity in the...

RIP Scrabulous: Trademark Law Rears Its Ugly Head.

Posted by: David Kiley on July 29

I had a pause in my work-day, about ten minutes. So, I thought I would go make a move on one of my six running Scrabulous games on www.facebook.com....

The New Normal: McCain's Desperate Ad Hours

Posted by: David Kiley on July 28

Please see my blog entry ["No Conversations": McCain Troops Ad] to go with this original post: The McCain campaign had adopted an ad strategy that has been dubbed “desperate” by...

Uncle Sam's Breast Obsession.

Posted by: David Kiley on July 28

Thanks to Adfreak.com for pointing this out. This "Babies were born to be breastfed," ad is part of an expanded Ad Council campaign that’s been around since 2004. The...

John McCain': Whose Brand Is It Anyway?

Posted by: David Kiley on July 23

I’m sure some will find the new web video produced by the John McCain campaign, “Obama Love,” amusing. The video strings together a bunch of snippets of TV commentators talking...

Apple Censors Mad Men Ad

Posted by: David Kiley on July 21

I thought it was bad when I could no longer smoke a cigar in an outdoor stadium while watching a football or baseball game. But Apple's move to photoshop...

Red Cross Logo Played Part in Colombian Hostage Rescue

Posted by: David Kiley on July 17

It turns out that a logo helped save 15 people in Colombia held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe admitted Wednesday that...

Starbuck's Vivanno A Good Addition, But Hardly Unique

Posted by: David Kiley on July 15

If Starbuck’s is looking for its new Vivanno smoothies [ " Starbucks Sashays Into Smoothies"," Businessweek Online, July 15]to substantially revitalize its menu and create a new buzz in...

New Yorker Editor David Remnick Could have Learned From Imus on Obama Cover

Posted by: David Kiley on July 15

In running its satirical cover of Barack and Michelle Obama this week, the New Yorker seems to have forgotten one important ingredient of really good satire. It has to...

Men Making Asses of Themselves With Prep-H

Posted by: David Kiley on July 14

Preparation H apparently is one of those products being used for purposes its marketers did not intend. Men, and some women, are using it on their torsos and arms to...

McCain Reaches Out To Hispanics With New "God's Children" Ad

Posted by: David Kiley on July 11

John McCain has launched a new ad aimed at Hispanic voters. Titled “God’s Children,” the ad tries to work on multiple fronts—patriotism, hispanic outreach and doubling down on his position...

Skechers Signs American Idol's David Cook

Posted by: David Kiley on July 10

Skechers USA has signed American Idol winner David Cook to endorse the brand globally, hoping the new idol will super-charge the athletic shoe company's cool, hip brand image. I...

McCain's Summer of "Love" Ad: Pass the Ammunition. But hold the Hope.

Posted by: David Kiley on July 08

Imagine my surprise when I looked in my e-mail and saw that the McCain campaign issued an ad titled “Love.” What will this be, I thought. The softer side...

Holiday Inn Express Smart Show Comes Back for Second Season

Posted by: David Kiley on July 08

The Smart Show, brought to us by Holiday Inn Express, comes back for a second season. The series of episodes feel like a mash up between “Dirtiest Jobs” and Jay...

InBev Playing Hardball with Budweiser: Fire The Board

Posted by: David Kiley on July 07

Belgian Brewer InBev is out to force Anheuser-Busch to fire its board of directors. Has this tactic ever worked? No. But it is a good way to draw shareholder...

Is Bill Gates Pro McCain?

Posted by: David Kiley on July 07

I was writing a post abaout the political party websites, writing in an ms word file so I could spell-check. And when the ms spellchecker got to "Obama," it asked...

The DNC and RNC Websites Both All About Obama

Posted by: David Kiley on July 07

Visiting the websites of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee is an interesting study in party personality right now. Go to www.gop.com, and the homepage is kind...

Starbuck's No Longer Can Afford To Be The Neighborhood Coffee Shop

Posted by: David Kiley on July 04

Starbucks is still on the run. It has announced closing some 600 under-performing stores, which results in the layoff of around 12,000 employees. There is a cover story in the...

Starbucks to Close 600 Stores - Will It Be Enough?

Posted by: Burth Helm on July 01

Is this the end of the old Starbucks-on-every-corner joke? It should be. It's time to stop thinking about Starbucks as a hot growth company and more like a (sorry, Howard)...