Archives: August 2008

38 Million Watch Obama

Posted by: David Kiley on August 29

Almost 38 million people watched Sen. Barack Obama's acceptance of the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday night, according to Nielsen Media Research. That figure, which includes both broadcast and cable...

Kellogg Beats GM To Phelps

Posted by: David Kiley on August 29

Now, this is the kind of marketing one-upmanship I like to see. It is tradition for General Mills' Wheaties to put the athlete of the moment on its box....

MSNBC Misses Tim Russert

Posted by: David Kiley on August 28

It’s hard to miss, watching MSNBC and Fox during the Democratic convention, how each network is hopelessly skewed for their candidates. I thought I was the only one doing this,...

McCain Ad or Video Press Release?

Posted by: David Kiley on August 27

The McCain campaign hasn’t let up an inch firing off new ads this week. It seems to me there was a time when each party’s convention was almost a mutually...

Obama Ad Finally Draws Real Blood From McCain

Posted by: David Kiley on August 21

The Obama campaign finally put together a striking ad retort after weeks of allowing the McCain campaign to set the ad agenda and keep Obama on the defensive. McCain’s ad...

Are Burger King Ad Men Really Mad Men?

Posted by: David Kiley on August 21

For the second time in two days I am writing about how the interests of ad executives can run divergent to the interests of their work for clients. It’s...

Microsoft's Turn To Seinfeld May Need Virus Protection

Posted by: David Kiley on August 21

When Jerry Seinfeld starts appearing in Microsoft Windows ads, will the fact that he always had a Mac on his desk during the iconic TV series figure into the...

Modernista!'s Anti-Gun Ad Is A Hummer Dinger

Posted by: David Kiley on August 20

You gotta like the irony. Boston-based Modernista! Ad agency is probably best known for doing the Hummer advertising for GM. Now, you could superficially think that there is a...

Al Gore's "We" Advertising Needs a Makeover

Posted by: David Kiley on August 19

I promise that this is a total coincidence. But for the second time in two days, I find myself going after the work of The Martin Agency in Richmond. It’s...

Geico Cavemen: Just Let Them Be Neanderthals.

Posted by: David Kiley on August 18

I’m trying to figure out why there is an effort to leverage the Geico cavemen into something besides ad characters. Last year, there was an attempt to put the inferiority-complex...

Papa John's Crop Circle: Now That's Engaging

Posted by: David Kiley on August 07

Papa John finished its crop circle ad, and I think it looks pretty good. You have to be pretty impressed with the GPS technology that allows tractors to work...

Obama Not Immune To Overstatements in Ads

Posted by: David Kiley on August 06

While presumptive GOP nominee John McCain has been pilloried for a flurry of negative ads and attacks against Democratic challenger Barack Obama, Obama is hardly immune from overstatements in ads....

McCain Takes Negative To Olympic Levels

Posted by: David Kiley on August 05

The McCain Presidential campaign has made a $5 million ad buy on the Olympics, $1 million more than the Obama campaign. According to AdAge, the McCain purchase includes network and...

Loving Mad Men In Season 2

Posted by: David Kiley on August 04

I confess that I lost the thread last year in season-one of Mad Men. I loved the premise of an ad agency drama set in 1960. But there was...

Life Is Improving: Schlitz Is Back

Posted by: David Kiley on August 01

Housing values are in the dumper. Jobs are being lost by the thousands per month. The stock market is a worse ride than a busted roller coaster. Gas prices...

No Racism in McCain Spears "Celebrity" Ad

Posted by: David Kiley on August 01

I am perplexed by comments on some of the cable yack shows that the John McCain "Celebrity" ad that equates Barack Obama with shallow celebs like Paris Hilton as racist....