Categories: Inside Story

Are Brand Managers Dead?

Posted by: David Kiley on October 12

Ad Age today previews a report due from Forrester Research that suggests that the day of the “brand manager” is dead. The article says the recommendation by the research firm...

VW Ad Review: Only Part of the Chaos Over Car Accounts in Ad Land

Posted by: David Kiley on August 24

As Volkswagen of America forges ahead with finding a new ad agency, the review that some agencies are calling the review of the decade may turn out entirely predictable....

Volkswagen Ad Account In Review: Agency Plum

Posted by: David Kiley on August 17

Volkswagen of America announced today it is reviewing its $200 million-plus advertising account, which has been at Crispin Porter + Bogusky since 2005. The German automaker is laying plans for...

Suzuki's Quality Gain and Audacious Ads May Finally Boost Respect

Posted by: David Kiley on June 24

Japanese automaker Suzuki has long been the doormat of the U.S. auto industry. The company, known for making very good and competent motorcycles, scooters and recreational three and four wheel...

Sirius XM Should Be Able To Get Ratings

Posted by: David Kiley on September 29

It’s hard to believe that advertisers and Sirius XM can’t agree on some sort of audience measurement system for satellite radio subscribers. Advertisers say that any system thee company pays...

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,...

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...

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...

An Expert’s Analysis of Dove’s Campaign for “Real” Beauty

Posted by: Burth Helm on May 19

I asked re-toucher Kenneth Harris to take a look at several images. He saw what he thought was clear evidence of retouching on the ProAge shots. His thoughts on two...

Dove’s Photography Folks Simply Couldn’t Help Themselves?

Posted by: Burth Helm on May 19

I’m still digging into how Dove digitally altered photos from its Campaign for Real Beauty. Dove denied it did anything more than “color correction,” while a New Yorker profile says...

Dove: Deny! Deny! Deny!

Posted by: Burth Helm on May 09

So earlier this week, a New Yorker story implied Dove had airbrushed its Campaign for Real Beauty ads -- a practice which the brand has long boasted it doesn’t...

Surprise! Dove's "Campaign for Real Beauty" ads actually kind of fake

Posted by: Burth Helm on May 07

Remember the first ads for Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, when it flaunted its defiance of the beauty and fashion industries with images of love-handled and cellulite-prone “real” women?...

Tumi's Cheap Shot at Green Marketing

Posted by: Burth Helm on May 06

Over at Seth's Blog, Seth Godin gripes about a Tumi ad, pictured, that never explains why more luggage equals more trees, or acknowledges that manufacturing luggage likely cancels out...