There’s a cool series of P&G ads now. Yes, I said cool P&G ads. Old Spice Man literally breaks into faux ads for other P&G’s Charmin, Bounce, etc. His brand is “too powerful to stay in its own commercial”, as per the brand’s new ‘Smell Is Power’ tag. http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/02/03/old-spice-guy-terry-crews-invades-kinder-gentler-commercials/ It’s Rickrolling writ large. Rickrolling got [...]

I was at the AutoShow yesterday; the vehicles were smokin’ hot; but many of the staffers were freezing cold. The staff you select for a consumer show is crucial. It reflects on your image; after all, staff gives a ‘first impression’ of a brand. I never understood why companies bother to exhibit at a show, [...]

Despite RIM’s enthusiastic announcement last week to boost their investment in Communications, I have reservations. I may be misquoting the great David Ogilvy, but I believe he implied that great advertising won’t make a success of a bad product, but it will kill it faster (by generating enough public interest to achieve Trial!) . As [...]

I was considering compiling a list of my Favorite ads of 2011, but someone not only beat me to it, they did a terrific job at it. You’re encouraged to visit Simon Houpt’s Top Ten Ad list, to see inspiring examples of creative talent. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/adhocracy/the-10-top-ads-of-2011/article2282686/ True, a great ad is one that achieves its strategy against a target audience- [...]

It’s a grey, wet autumn Monday- a sombre topic seems appropo. Complain as I might, of the post-Stanley Cup riots (‘over-exhuberant street party’) in Vancouver this spring, that chaos’ harm to tourism is a trifle next to some other tourism-crushing challenges. Imagine being hired to promote Mexico. Gorgeous climate. Massive sunshine & sandy beaches. Close [...]

Of the countless sites worthy of trend-watcher attention, allow me to share the name of one that’s unjustifiably lesser known, StumbleUpon. A terrific site for taking your interests & sending cool content links. Why do I share it now? Guerilla Ads. The past few years I’ve seen more & more creative ad media choices. Ad [...]

Television hardware’s demise has been predicted so many times I’ve lost track. First there was the move from B&W to color; that would be the last TV set you would ever need. TV set makers would be doomed once the market was penetrated. But wait!- stereo sound emerged – we had to have that- then [...]