AdHurl: February 2006 Archives

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Feb28	Pardon me while I Snicker! George Parker February 28, 2006 Know More: Agencies Someone recently said “There’s only one great big agency and people just move around within it.” News today that Masterfoods USA has reached beyond incumbent BBDO for creative ideas on its Snickers brand, will only go to prove this statement is correct. Agencies invited to come up with “Ideas,” will be Masterfoods other roster shops: independent Nitro in New York, which handles Twix and Dove bar, and Omnicom Group's TBWA\Chiat\Day in New York, which has Skittles and Starburst. All the advertising currently produced for these different products look remarkably similar to me. Which raises the question: “So, why bother looking around?” Particularly when you consider Snickers' current campaign from BBDO is tagged, "Hungry? Grab a Snickers." Wow, that must have required some late nights and lots of cold pizza to come up with that gem. Wanna bet the new agency comes up with something equally yawn-worthy? Is the Snickers spot over yet? Posted at 5:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb28	Smaller is bigger... Or, is it bigger is smaller? George Parker February 28, 2006 The one thing you have to say for Steve Jobs is that when he beckons the media curious to: "Come see some fun, new products from Apple." They show up in droves. And what exactly do they see? A lot... Continue Reading Posted at 3:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The best of British luck! George Parker February 28, 2006 This just in from London: British Airways staff have reacted angrily after Virgin Trains (One of the leading train companies in the UK since the privatization of the railway system) staged a guerrilla marketing event on one of its planes.... Continue Reading Posted at 11:15 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hey kiddies... Want some candy? George Parker February 28, 2006 I knew it wouldn’t be long before News Corp started to screw up MySpace.com, the hot Web site Murdoch’s empire paid a ton of money for last year. Even though it doesn’t appeal to old goats like me, it built... Continue Reading Posted at 10:13 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Traditional media feels the pain! George Parker February 28, 2006 Why am I not surprised to read in a report out today from Merrill Lynch that the only medium showing any ad growth is the Internet--and, to a lesser extent, cable TV networks--as the brokerage house retained its moderate stance... Continue Reading Posted at 9:32 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb27	Even more proof agencies are nuts! George Parker February 27, 2006 I love reading the ad trades, ‘cos they never fail to reinforce my opinion that advertising is the dumbest business in the world. Today’s AdWeek trumpets the news that B.F. Goodrich has cut the number of semifinalists in the review... Continue Reading Posted at 5:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What would Bertie say? George Parker February 27, 2006 The butler just got kicked downstairs. AskJeeves.com said today that Jeeves is toast! From now on it will just be simply a boring Ask.com with what they claim to be a better approach for focused search that goes beyond keywords.... Continue Reading Posted at 5:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Why publishers are pigs... Along with everyone else! George Parker February 27, 2006 The Pearson Publishing Group in the UK has just reported a rise in pre-tax profits of 23% to £422m for 2005, with ad revenue improving by 9% at the Financial Times. The company, which owns Penguin books and Pearson Education,... Continue Reading Posted at 2:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb26	I'll have a phone, a pint, and a packet of crisps! George Parker February 26, 2006 News from England of a breaking ad campaign for Vodafone promoting the fact that you can now buy your cell phone from a street vending machine. A Vodafone spokesperson explained: "The campaign is aimed at people who need a phone... Continue Reading Posted at 6:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Segwaying from Segway! George Parker February 26, 2006 News that Segway is looking to new agency, Saltworks to help build its brand via the Internet and direct marketing efforts, reminded me of how this once much hyped company has slipped off the radar. Apparently, the review... Continue Reading Posted at 5:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb25	Service is additional! George Parker February 25, 2006 Loved this in a recent edition of BrandWeek. Apparently a company called Grat-Z is in the business of making envelopes especially made for tipping. They’ve now introduced the Grat-Pack, a package of 12 envelopes, a record-keeping section, and a list... Continue Reading Posted at 5:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	No more pain for four more years! George Parker February 25, 2006 Well, it’s almost over, and I’ll bet NBC can’t wait to get out of Dodge. Except in this case, it isn’t Dodge, it’s Turin. All in all the Winter Olympics have been a disaster for a company that paid $800... Continue Reading Posted at 4:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb24	You look a little stiff tonight, darling! George Parker February 24, 2006 This just in from the non-profit Small Business Technology Institute of San Jose. They just awarded the top prize in their national technology contest for small businesses -- $100,000 in hardware, software and technology services -- to Mannequin Madness, an... Continue Reading Posted at 6:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bacon goes for the “Ham” Award! George Parker February 24, 2006 Apparel maker Hanes says it will expand its successful “Look Who We’ve Got Our Hanes On Now” campaign with the addition of actor Kevin Bacon. The first of two TV spots by The Martin Agency, roll out Feb. 27, and... Continue Reading Posted at 4:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	God bless the Queen, Prince Charles and Bangers & Mash! George Parker February 24, 2006 With a value of $3.5 trillion, Britain has been named as the world's number one national brand by a survey, beating France and the US, which scraped home in 10th place. The Anholt Nation Brands Index place Britain ahead of... Continue Reading Posted at 4:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	I'm rich!!! George Parker February 24, 2006 It would seem like “The Poisoned Dwarf” (Sir Martin Sorrel) is having a good week after his recent trials and tribulations. Today’s announcement that WPP has grown its full-year pre-tax profits by 36% to £592m, with Grey's strong contribution since... Continue Reading Posted at 6:58 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb23	I owe it all to my mother, my dog, and my psychiatrist! George Parker February 23, 2006 Seems like major advertisers never fail to stop throwing money at big TV events which usually end up a bust. After the Super Bowl next on the list for the most expensive 30 second spots is the Academy Awards... Continue Reading Posted at 6:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ring my chimes! George Parker February 23, 2006 To all my loyal readers who are currently between romantic liaisons and having trouble kick-starting their love lives, you may be interested in a scientific breakthrough which allows the mobile phone to become a potent weapon of love. From Denmark... Continue Reading Posted at 4:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Play it again Sam! George Parker February 23, 2006 My silicon valley spies inform me that out of every 99 cent iTunes download, Apple CEO Steve Jobs – I am Emperor of the Known Universe - Gets 90 cents (Well, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!) Today,... Continue Reading Posted at 3:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Harry Potter and the legend of the evil blogger! George Parker February 23, 2006 J. K. Rowling is already a multi-millionaire, but the news today that Scholastic has announced an online contest in anticipation of the July release of the paperback version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, means she’s guaranteed a few... Continue Reading Posted at 3:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb21	We're all making sacrifices together! George Parker February 21, 2006 With the news last week that the Federal Government spent $1.6 billion on advertising and promotion in the last year, the one thing the Ad and PR industry doesn’t need are the “trifling” details which recently came out about the... Continue Reading Posted at 5:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	iPod, uPod, we all Pod! George Parker February 21, 2006 What with all the hype about iPods that do iVideo and will probably soon be doing iSmellorama it was interesting to read that the Viliv P1 PMP would soon be available in the US. OK, if you have no idea what... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Yo, Ho, Ho and a bottle of rum. Interpublic sinking off the yardarm! George Parker February 21, 2006 I have posted on both my blogs about how much trouble Interpublic is in financially. Today’s news from the North Carolina lottery is that it has selected Wray Ward Laseter to handle the account after their original choice, Howard, Merrell... Continue Reading Posted at 4:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Michael, shame on you! George Parker February 21, 2006 Having worked on the Dell account in the days when Michael Dell was the feisty guy going up against Compaq and IBM, it saddens me to read that in common with all the other IT behemoths he’s trying to kill... Continue Reading Posted at 4:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb20	What a load of old cobblers! George Parker February 20, 2006 A recent study in England came up with what I considered to be the rather surprising finding that magazines come out ahead of other media, including TV, when it comes to reaching children. Then I read that it was commissioned... Continue Reading Posted at 6:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Trouble in Gnomedom! George Parker February 20, 2006 It would seem that “The Poisoned Dwarf,” Sir Martin Sorrell and his WPP Group are set to face more legal fees after a court ordered the French media company KR Media, in which it owns a 20% stake, to release... Continue Reading Posted at 6:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb19	What's in a name? George Parker February 19, 2006 Over in dear old Blighty, Sir Frank Lowe has announced his new advertising agency is to be known as Red Brick Road. Yet another unusual advertising agency name for sure, but not a patch on the big daddy of them... Continue Reading Posted at 6:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	SuperSize my SuperSize! George Parker February 19, 2006 I know we all love to eat stuff we really shouldn’t… But news that the “Tasty Baking Company,” makers of such gourmet treats as Butterscotch Krimpets and Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes, has just come up with a way to make... Continue Reading Posted at 4:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Olympics... Bah... Humbug! George Parker February 19, 2006 You would think that by now all the companies that have shelled out big, big bucks to sponsor and promote specific athletes would realize the inherent dangers of doing this. Remember the great “Dan versus Dan - Who will be... Continue Reading Posted at 10:33 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb18	We have lift off! George Parker February 18, 2006 Rocketboom, my favorite vlog, is a daily three-minute video done out of New York. It has 130,000 regular viewers and is hosted by Amanda Congdon. With a very desirable demographic, it is about to start carrying limited advertising. ATM maker... Continue Reading Posted at 6:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb17	Better living through bad merchandise! George Parker February 17, 2006 So, Wal-Mart is about to beef up its marketing dept. The word is that Wal-Mart’s CMO, John Fleming, currently overseeing a staff of 200 and a budget nearing the $1 billion mark, in an unprecedented hiring spree, plans to grow... Continue Reading Posted at 3:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hello, hello... Is there anyone there? George Parker February 17, 2006 As an enthusiastic user of Skype for the last year or so, I was particularly pleased to read an item in today’s bizreport.com that unlike other Internet voice services, Skype calls are encrypted. That apparently makes them impossible to snoop... Continue Reading Posted at 3:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Becks creates Booty! George Parker February 17, 2006 When it comes to football (the game played with your feet in the rest of the world) David Beckham has helped Real Madrid topple Manchester United as the world's richest club and biggest brand, according to the latest Deloitte Football... Continue Reading Posted at 7:33 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb16	Eat up... It's bad for you! George Parker February 16, 2006 Parden me for being a bit of a cynic here, but news of a new poll of parents showing that 77% of them want marketing of children's food products directed at them, not their children, leaves me a tad under... Continue Reading Posted at 8:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Another nail in the BDA coffin! George Parker February 16, 2006 Online advertising among the top 10 auto manufacturers accounted for just 2.5 percent of their total ad spend from January to November 2005, but in part because of tight online inventory and higher prices, eMarketer estimates that they will spend... Continue Reading Posted at 8:31 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb15	A really dumb idea! George Parker February 15, 2006 Anyone who’s traveled to England via Heathrow Airport knows that it’s one of the worst airports in the world for overcrowding, dirt, long lines and just generally being a pain in the butt. Well guess what? It’s about to get... Continue Reading Posted at 5:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What was that about China's unfair trading practices? George Parker February 15, 2006 The world’s biggest criminal retailer, Wal-Mart, is about to launch a new campaign this week focused on surprising shoppers with the range and quality of Wal-Mart merchandise. Hello, on the very few occasions I have had the misfortune to walk... Continue Reading Posted at 3:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A pint and a pickled herring! George Parker February 15, 2006 I never cease to be amazed at how many “holidays” Americans are prepared to spend their hard earned cash on. Unlike Europe, where holidays are day’s people don’t work, and are peppered (apologies for using “CheneySpeak there) throughout the calendar... Continue Reading Posted at 3:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb14	Ex-Jock... Will work for money! George Parker February 14, 2006 What is it with washed-up sports stars? Why can’t they just say, OK, I made a ton of money, now I am about to go off and run a launderette in Oshkosh and you’ll never have to put up with... Continue Reading Posted at 4:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb13	The Poisoned Dwarf is not OK! George Parker February 13, 2006 Newspaper publisher Richard Desmond and the Poisoned Dwarf (Sir Martin Sorrell,) Head Gnome of WPP, are locked in a legal dispute with both sides claiming they are owed millions of dollars. WPP's media buying agency, Mediacom, has accused Desmond of... Continue Reading Posted at 5:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Would you like a Bud with that lobotomy? George Parker February 13, 2006 The world’s most boring beer is determined to become the world’s most boring beer advertiser. As if Anheuser-Busch didn't get enough mileage from their mind melting ads during the Super Bowl, they are now inflicting hundreds of even worse spots... Continue Reading Posted at 4:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Houston... We have blast off! George Parker February 13, 2006 One of the few vblogs actually worth watching is Rocketboom. So, I was pleased to hear that even though they had decided to join the unwashed swine of the capitalist society and begin selling ad space on their wonderful site,... Continue Reading Posted at 2:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb12	Relax... We have control! George Parker February 12, 2006 Ever since the days of Vance Packard’s “Hidden Persuaders” the great unwashed public has been convinced that the charlatans of the ad biz (people like me,) have been subjecting them to “subliminal” advertising. Well, they may just have a point.... Continue Reading Posted at 7:24 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb11	Sir Richard, you're for the birds! George Parker February 11, 2006 Sir Richard Branson, main sponsor of Steve Fossett's just completed non-stop flight distance record, would rather the world didn’t know the full story behind the problems at the very beginning of the flight. Most newspapers mentioned that Fossett had to... Continue Reading Posted at 5:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Absolutely Fabulous! George Parker February 11, 2006 This just in from the heart of the Empire. The BBC is about to launch a major advertising and marketing campaign to convince Brits that it’s really “Fab.” Now, as I am sure you all know, the BBC is a... Continue Reading Posted at 5:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb10	Time Gentlemen Please!!! George Parker February 10, 2006 One of the things that continues to baffle me in the ad biz, (actually, nearly everything in the ad biz baffles me!) Is how clients, agencies and the media invest so much time going for that 18-34 demographic. Particularly, the... Continue Reading Posted at 7:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Poisoned Dwarf - Back to the basement? George Parker February 10, 2006 The “Poisoned Dwarf,” (Sir Martin Sorrell – Chairman WPP) may be forced to move back into the basement (his ex-wife made him live there during divorce proceedings recently) if Marco Benatti, the WPP Group country manager in Italy who was... Continue Reading Posted at 5:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 9	Something smells funny here! George Parker February 9, 2006 This just in from England. Forget about communicating visually, Brands should stop ignoring the other senses, according to a new agency. “Brand Sense Agency” says it is "extraordinary" that 83% of all commercial communications are visual when 75% of our... Continue Reading Posted at 7:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Wecome to the toilet walls of the Internet! George Parker February 9, 2006 The leader of a campaign to cheer up German citizens has been forced to apologize after dismissing blogs as "the toilet walls of the internet". Jean-Remy von Matt, CEO of German ad agency Jung von Matt, fired off a furious... Continue Reading Posted at 7:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Well, hush my mouth! George Parker February 9, 2006 It’s bad enough when agencies butcher the English language on behalf of their clients, usually because that’s the kind of CorporateSpeak the clients use all the time, but there’s no excuse when agencies do it for themselves. Today’s announcement that... Continue Reading Posted at 4:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 8	SpongeBob - Criminal! George Parker February 8, 2006 It would appear that “SpongeBob SquarePants." the cartoon character is turning into some kind of evil “SpokesGeek” who is having a bad influence on the children of America! Some consumer activists believe his image is so powerful among kids they... Continue Reading Posted at 5:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Habla ClowSpeak? George Parker February 8, 2006 This just in from AdAge… Apparently, “Life Takes Visa” the new tag line for Visa attributed to Lee Clow’s magic touch (when not surfing.) See my previous post, was created by Visa’s former agency, Omnicom’s BBDO, New York, a few... Continue Reading Posted at 5:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 7	What happens when Lee takes a day off from surfing! George Parker February 7, 2006 In an earth shattering announcement today Visa unveiled its new tag line… Ending the decades-long reign of "It's everywhere you want to be," the revolutionary new line is… "Life takes Visa.” WOW!!! Suzanne Lyons, Visa’s EVP and chief marketing officer... Continue Reading Posted at 8:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 6	Stupor Bowl!!! George Parker February 6, 2006 As usual, the Super Bowl was a major yawn, the game, the entertainment, the commercials, the whole thing was stultifying. I have to confess, I’m not qualified to comment on the game. To me football is that wonderful game the... Continue Reading Posted at 4:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 5	Talking to teens... Halooo! George Parker February 5, 2006 Loved that piece in BrandWeek on Friday that “Today's marketers will have their work cut out for them in trying to reach tomorrow's major consumers: teenagers.” This apparently from a study conducted by BBDO, Chicago. Hello! Isn’t BBDO one of... Continue Reading Posted at 10:25 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A "win-win" for "who-who?" George Parker February 5, 2006 My continuing “Battle of the Beers” with Vinny Warren, spokesflack for the worlds worst beer - Or, as he loves to correct me, “lager” - continues. Now he thanks me for giving a free plug to his client… As he... Continue Reading Posted at 10:04 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	BDA's (Big Dumb Agency's) still don't get it! George Parker February 5, 2006 Why am I not surprised to read in a recent report that search engine marketers and the ad agencies who hire them still aren't getting along? It would seem that traditional ad agencies continue to have a serious inferiority complex... Continue Reading Posted at 9:42 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 4	I believe R - I - C - E spells rice! George Parker February 4, 2006 Wow… At least my last post… “Is it “Beerdom,” or “DumbDumb?” certainly made an impression on Mr. Vinny Warren, who apparently works on the Budweiser brand, I assume at DDB in Chicago. After ranting about Bud being the number one... Continue Reading Posted at 1:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 3	Is it "Beerdom," or "DumbDumb?" George Parker February 3, 2006 Apparently, Anheuser-Busch will allot one of its 10 Super Bowl spots to “beerdom.” Whatever the heck that means! "Here's to Beer," via DDB Chicago, will feature A-B's lineup of faux beer brews… i.e. Bud, Bud Light and Michelob Ultra Amber,... Continue Reading Posted at 5:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 2	Wow... Now you can keep Super Bowl commercials for eternity! George Parker February 2, 2006 If you are masochistic enough to want to watch the Super Bowl TV spots over and over… Your wish is about to come true. Yahoo Inc. will feature on its video home page, at http://video.yahoo.com , links to this year's... Continue Reading Posted at 5:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Miller time at Crispin, Porter, Bogusky... Too bad! George Parker February 2, 2006 Today’s news that Miller is consolidated its Miller Lite brand at Crispin Porter + Bogusky only goes to prove that people in advertising are whores! Why so? Because when CPB picked up some work from Miller last year, I expected... Continue Reading Posted at 4:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Another nail in Mad Ave's coffin George Parker February 2, 2006 Apparently Google is looking to expand even more into traditional media, including TV, print and radio. Google SpokesFlack Tim Armstrong says “We're able to help advertisers break into other media, such as print, radio, and other areas, which will enable... Continue Reading Posted at 2:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

« January 2006 | Main | March 2006 »

Feb28	Pardon me while I Snicker! George Parker February 28, 2006 Know More: Agencies Someone recently said “There’s only one great big agency and people just move around within it.” News today that Masterfoods USA has reached beyond incumbent BBDO for creative ideas on its Snickers brand, will only go to prove this statement is correct. Agencies invited to come up with “Ideas,” will be Masterfoods other roster shops: independent Nitro in New York, which handles Twix and Dove bar, and Omnicom Group's TBWA\Chiat\Day in New York, which has Skittles and Starburst. All the advertising currently produced for these different products look remarkably similar to me. Which raises the question: “So, why bother looking around?” Particularly when you consider Snickers' current campaign from BBDO is tagged, "Hungry? Grab a Snickers." Wow, that must have required some late nights and lots of cold pizza to come up with that gem. Wanna bet the new agency comes up with something equally yawn-worthy? Is the Snickers spot over yet? Posted at 5:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb28	Smaller is bigger... Or, is it bigger is smaller? George Parker February 28, 2006 The one thing you have to say for Steve Jobs is that when he beckons the media curious to: "Come see some fun, new products from Apple." They show up in droves. And what exactly do they see? A lot... Continue Reading Posted at 3:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The best of British luck! George Parker February 28, 2006 This just in from London: British Airways staff have reacted angrily after Virgin Trains (One of the leading train companies in the UK since the privatization of the railway system) staged a guerrilla marketing event on one of its planes.... Continue Reading Posted at 11:15 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hey kiddies... Want some candy? George Parker February 28, 2006 I knew it wouldn’t be long before News Corp started to screw up MySpace.com, the hot Web site Murdoch’s empire paid a ton of money for last year. Even though it doesn’t appeal to old goats like me, it built... Continue Reading Posted at 10:13 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Traditional media feels the pain! George Parker February 28, 2006 Why am I not surprised to read in a report out today from Merrill Lynch that the only medium showing any ad growth is the Internet--and, to a lesser extent, cable TV networks--as the brokerage house retained its moderate stance... Continue Reading Posted at 9:32 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb27	Even more proof agencies are nuts! George Parker February 27, 2006 I love reading the ad trades, ‘cos they never fail to reinforce my opinion that advertising is the dumbest business in the world. Today’s AdWeek trumpets the news that B.F. Goodrich has cut the number of semifinalists in the review... Continue Reading Posted at 5:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What would Bertie say? George Parker February 27, 2006 The butler just got kicked downstairs. AskJeeves.com said today that Jeeves is toast! From now on it will just be simply a boring Ask.com with what they claim to be a better approach for focused search that goes beyond keywords.... Continue Reading Posted at 5:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Why publishers are pigs... Along with everyone else! George Parker February 27, 2006 The Pearson Publishing Group in the UK has just reported a rise in pre-tax profits of 23% to £422m for 2005, with ad revenue improving by 9% at the Financial Times. The company, which owns Penguin books and Pearson Education,... Continue Reading Posted at 2:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb26	I'll have a phone, a pint, and a packet of crisps! George Parker February 26, 2006 News from England of a breaking ad campaign for Vodafone promoting the fact that you can now buy your cell phone from a street vending machine. A Vodafone spokesperson explained: "The campaign is aimed at people who need a phone... Continue Reading Posted at 6:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Segwaying from Segway! George Parker February 26, 2006 News that Segway is looking to new agency, Saltworks to help build its brand via the Internet and direct marketing efforts, reminded me of how this once much hyped company has slipped off the radar. Apparently, the review... Continue Reading Posted at 5:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb25	Service is additional! George Parker February 25, 2006 Loved this in a recent edition of BrandWeek. Apparently a company called Grat-Z is in the business of making envelopes especially made for tipping. They’ve now introduced the Grat-Pack, a package of 12 envelopes, a record-keeping section, and a list... Continue Reading Posted at 5:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	No more pain for four more years! George Parker February 25, 2006 Well, it’s almost over, and I’ll bet NBC can’t wait to get out of Dodge. Except in this case, it isn’t Dodge, it’s Turin. All in all the Winter Olympics have been a disaster for a company that paid $800... Continue Reading Posted at 4:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb24	You look a little stiff tonight, darling! George Parker February 24, 2006 This just in from the non-profit Small Business Technology Institute of San Jose. They just awarded the top prize in their national technology contest for small businesses -- $100,000 in hardware, software and technology services -- to Mannequin Madness, an... Continue Reading Posted at 6:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bacon goes for the “Ham” Award! George Parker February 24, 2006 Apparel maker Hanes says it will expand its successful “Look Who We’ve Got Our Hanes On Now” campaign with the addition of actor Kevin Bacon. The first of two TV spots by The Martin Agency, roll out Feb. 27, and... Continue Reading Posted at 4:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	God bless the Queen, Prince Charles and Bangers & Mash! George Parker February 24, 2006 With a value of $3.5 trillion, Britain has been named as the world's number one national brand by a survey, beating France and the US, which scraped home in 10th place. The Anholt Nation Brands Index place Britain ahead of... Continue Reading Posted at 4:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	I'm rich!!! George Parker February 24, 2006 It would seem like “The Poisoned Dwarf” (Sir Martin Sorrel) is having a good week after his recent trials and tribulations. Today’s announcement that WPP has grown its full-year pre-tax profits by 36% to £592m, with Grey's strong contribution since... Continue Reading Posted at 6:58 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb23	I owe it all to my mother, my dog, and my psychiatrist! George Parker February 23, 2006 Seems like major advertisers never fail to stop throwing money at big TV events which usually end up a bust. After the Super Bowl next on the list for the most expensive 30 second spots is the Academy Awards... Continue Reading Posted at 6:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ring my chimes! George Parker February 23, 2006 To all my loyal readers who are currently between romantic liaisons and having trouble kick-starting their love lives, you may be interested in a scientific breakthrough which allows the mobile phone to become a potent weapon of love. From Denmark... Continue Reading Posted at 4:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Play it again Sam! George Parker February 23, 2006 My silicon valley spies inform me that out of every 99 cent iTunes download, Apple CEO Steve Jobs – I am Emperor of the Known Universe - Gets 90 cents (Well, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!) Today,... Continue Reading Posted at 3:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Harry Potter and the legend of the evil blogger! George Parker February 23, 2006 J. K. Rowling is already a multi-millionaire, but the news today that Scholastic has announced an online contest in anticipation of the July release of the paperback version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, means she’s guaranteed a few... Continue Reading Posted at 3:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb21	We're all making sacrifices together! George Parker February 21, 2006 With the news last week that the Federal Government spent $1.6 billion on advertising and promotion in the last year, the one thing the Ad and PR industry doesn’t need are the “trifling” details which recently came out about the... Continue Reading Posted at 5:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	iPod, uPod, we all Pod! George Parker February 21, 2006 What with all the hype about iPods that do iVideo and will probably soon be doing iSmellorama it was interesting to read that the Viliv P1 PMP would soon be available in the US. OK, if you have no idea what... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Yo, Ho, Ho and a bottle of rum. Interpublic sinking off the yardarm! George Parker February 21, 2006 I have posted on both my blogs about how much trouble Interpublic is in financially. Today’s news from the North Carolina lottery is that it has selected Wray Ward Laseter to handle the account after their original choice, Howard, Merrell... Continue Reading Posted at 4:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Michael, shame on you! George Parker February 21, 2006 Having worked on the Dell account in the days when Michael Dell was the feisty guy going up against Compaq and IBM, it saddens me to read that in common with all the other IT behemoths he’s trying to kill... Continue Reading Posted at 4:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb20	What a load of old cobblers! George Parker February 20, 2006 A recent study in England came up with what I considered to be the rather surprising finding that magazines come out ahead of other media, including TV, when it comes to reaching children. Then I read that it was commissioned... Continue Reading Posted at 6:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Trouble in Gnomedom! George Parker February 20, 2006 It would seem that “The Poisoned Dwarf,” Sir Martin Sorrell and his WPP Group are set to face more legal fees after a court ordered the French media company KR Media, in which it owns a 20% stake, to release... Continue Reading Posted at 6:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb19	What's in a name? George Parker February 19, 2006 Over in dear old Blighty, Sir Frank Lowe has announced his new advertising agency is to be known as Red Brick Road. Yet another unusual advertising agency name for sure, but not a patch on the big daddy of them... Continue Reading Posted at 6:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	SuperSize my SuperSize! George Parker February 19, 2006 I know we all love to eat stuff we really shouldn’t… But news that the “Tasty Baking Company,” makers of such gourmet treats as Butterscotch Krimpets and Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes, has just come up with a way to make... Continue Reading Posted at 4:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Olympics... Bah... Humbug! George Parker February 19, 2006 You would think that by now all the companies that have shelled out big, big bucks to sponsor and promote specific athletes would realize the inherent dangers of doing this. Remember the great “Dan versus Dan - Who will be... Continue Reading Posted at 10:33 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb18	We have lift off! George Parker February 18, 2006 Rocketboom, my favorite vlog, is a daily three-minute video done out of New York. It has 130,000 regular viewers and is hosted by Amanda Congdon. With a very desirable demographic, it is about to start carrying limited advertising. ATM maker... Continue Reading Posted at 6:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb17	Better living through bad merchandise! George Parker February 17, 2006 So, Wal-Mart is about to beef up its marketing dept. The word is that Wal-Mart’s CMO, John Fleming, currently overseeing a staff of 200 and a budget nearing the $1 billion mark, in an unprecedented hiring spree, plans to grow... Continue Reading Posted at 3:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hello, hello... Is there anyone there? George Parker February 17, 2006 As an enthusiastic user of Skype for the last year or so, I was particularly pleased to read an item in today’s bizreport.com that unlike other Internet voice services, Skype calls are encrypted. That apparently makes them impossible to snoop... Continue Reading Posted at 3:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Becks creates Booty! George Parker February 17, 2006 When it comes to football (the game played with your feet in the rest of the world) David Beckham has helped Real Madrid topple Manchester United as the world's richest club and biggest brand, according to the latest Deloitte Football... Continue Reading Posted at 7:33 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb16	Eat up... It's bad for you! George Parker February 16, 2006 Parden me for being a bit of a cynic here, but news of a new poll of parents showing that 77% of them want marketing of children's food products directed at them, not their children, leaves me a tad under... Continue Reading Posted at 8:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Another nail in the BDA coffin! George Parker February 16, 2006 Online advertising among the top 10 auto manufacturers accounted for just 2.5 percent of their total ad spend from January to November 2005, but in part because of tight online inventory and higher prices, eMarketer estimates that they will spend... Continue Reading Posted at 8:31 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb15	A really dumb idea! George Parker February 15, 2006 Anyone who’s traveled to England via Heathrow Airport knows that it’s one of the worst airports in the world for overcrowding, dirt, long lines and just generally being a pain in the butt. Well guess what? It’s about to get... Continue Reading Posted at 5:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What was that about China's unfair trading practices? George Parker February 15, 2006 The world’s biggest criminal retailer, Wal-Mart, is about to launch a new campaign this week focused on surprising shoppers with the range and quality of Wal-Mart merchandise. Hello, on the very few occasions I have had the misfortune to walk... Continue Reading Posted at 3:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A pint and a pickled herring! George Parker February 15, 2006 I never cease to be amazed at how many “holidays” Americans are prepared to spend their hard earned cash on. Unlike Europe, where holidays are day’s people don’t work, and are peppered (apologies for using “CheneySpeak there) throughout the calendar... Continue Reading Posted at 3:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb14	Ex-Jock... Will work for money! George Parker February 14, 2006 What is it with washed-up sports stars? Why can’t they just say, OK, I made a ton of money, now I am about to go off and run a launderette in Oshkosh and you’ll never have to put up with... Continue Reading Posted at 4:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb13	The Poisoned Dwarf is not OK! George Parker February 13, 2006 Newspaper publisher Richard Desmond and the Poisoned Dwarf (Sir Martin Sorrell,) Head Gnome of WPP, are locked in a legal dispute with both sides claiming they are owed millions of dollars. WPP's media buying agency, Mediacom, has accused Desmond of... Continue Reading Posted at 5:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Would you like a Bud with that lobotomy? George Parker February 13, 2006 The world’s most boring beer is determined to become the world’s most boring beer advertiser. As if Anheuser-Busch didn't get enough mileage from their mind melting ads during the Super Bowl, they are now inflicting hundreds of even worse spots... Continue Reading Posted at 4:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Houston... We have blast off! George Parker February 13, 2006 One of the few vblogs actually worth watching is Rocketboom. So, I was pleased to hear that even though they had decided to join the unwashed swine of the capitalist society and begin selling ad space on their wonderful site,... Continue Reading Posted at 2:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb12	Relax... We have control! George Parker February 12, 2006 Ever since the days of Vance Packard’s “Hidden Persuaders” the great unwashed public has been convinced that the charlatans of the ad biz (people like me,) have been subjecting them to “subliminal” advertising. Well, they may just have a point.... Continue Reading Posted at 7:24 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb11	Sir Richard, you're for the birds! George Parker February 11, 2006 Sir Richard Branson, main sponsor of Steve Fossett's just completed non-stop flight distance record, would rather the world didn’t know the full story behind the problems at the very beginning of the flight. Most newspapers mentioned that Fossett had to... Continue Reading Posted at 5:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Absolutely Fabulous! George Parker February 11, 2006 This just in from the heart of the Empire. The BBC is about to launch a major advertising and marketing campaign to convince Brits that it’s really “Fab.” Now, as I am sure you all know, the BBC is a... Continue Reading Posted at 5:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb10	Time Gentlemen Please!!! George Parker February 10, 2006 One of the things that continues to baffle me in the ad biz, (actually, nearly everything in the ad biz baffles me!) Is how clients, agencies and the media invest so much time going for that 18-34 demographic. Particularly, the... Continue Reading Posted at 7:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Poisoned Dwarf - Back to the basement? George Parker February 10, 2006 The “Poisoned Dwarf,” (Sir Martin Sorrell – Chairman WPP) may be forced to move back into the basement (his ex-wife made him live there during divorce proceedings recently) if Marco Benatti, the WPP Group country manager in Italy who was... Continue Reading Posted at 5:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 9	Something smells funny here! George Parker February 9, 2006 This just in from England. Forget about communicating visually, Brands should stop ignoring the other senses, according to a new agency. “Brand Sense Agency” says it is "extraordinary" that 83% of all commercial communications are visual when 75% of our... Continue Reading Posted at 7:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Wecome to the toilet walls of the Internet! George Parker February 9, 2006 The leader of a campaign to cheer up German citizens has been forced to apologize after dismissing blogs as "the toilet walls of the internet". Jean-Remy von Matt, CEO of German ad agency Jung von Matt, fired off a furious... Continue Reading Posted at 7:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Well, hush my mouth! George Parker February 9, 2006 It’s bad enough when agencies butcher the English language on behalf of their clients, usually because that’s the kind of CorporateSpeak the clients use all the time, but there’s no excuse when agencies do it for themselves. Today’s announcement that... Continue Reading Posted at 4:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 8	SpongeBob - Criminal! George Parker February 8, 2006 It would appear that “SpongeBob SquarePants." the cartoon character is turning into some kind of evil “SpokesGeek” who is having a bad influence on the children of America! Some consumer activists believe his image is so powerful among kids they... Continue Reading Posted at 5:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Habla ClowSpeak? George Parker February 8, 2006 This just in from AdAge… Apparently, “Life Takes Visa” the new tag line for Visa attributed to Lee Clow’s magic touch (when not surfing.) See my previous post, was created by Visa’s former agency, Omnicom’s BBDO, New York, a few... Continue Reading Posted at 5:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 7	What happens when Lee takes a day off from surfing! George Parker February 7, 2006 In an earth shattering announcement today Visa unveiled its new tag line… Ending the decades-long reign of "It's everywhere you want to be," the revolutionary new line is… "Life takes Visa.” WOW!!! Suzanne Lyons, Visa’s EVP and chief marketing officer... Continue Reading Posted at 8:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 6	Stupor Bowl!!! George Parker February 6, 2006 As usual, the Super Bowl was a major yawn, the game, the entertainment, the commercials, the whole thing was stultifying. I have to confess, I’m not qualified to comment on the game. To me football is that wonderful game the... Continue Reading Posted at 4:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 5	Talking to teens... Halooo! George Parker February 5, 2006 Loved that piece in BrandWeek on Friday that “Today's marketers will have their work cut out for them in trying to reach tomorrow's major consumers: teenagers.” This apparently from a study conducted by BBDO, Chicago. Hello! Isn’t BBDO one of... Continue Reading Posted at 10:25 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A "win-win" for "who-who?" George Parker February 5, 2006 My continuing “Battle of the Beers” with Vinny Warren, spokesflack for the worlds worst beer - Or, as he loves to correct me, “lager” - continues. Now he thanks me for giving a free plug to his client… As he... Continue Reading Posted at 10:04 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	BDA's (Big Dumb Agency's) still don't get it! George Parker February 5, 2006 Why am I not surprised to read in a recent report that search engine marketers and the ad agencies who hire them still aren't getting along? It would seem that traditional ad agencies continue to have a serious inferiority complex... Continue Reading Posted at 9:42 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 4	I believe R - I - C - E spells rice! George Parker February 4, 2006 Wow… At least my last post… “Is it “Beerdom,” or “DumbDumb?” certainly made an impression on Mr. Vinny Warren, who apparently works on the Budweiser brand, I assume at DDB in Chicago. After ranting about Bud being the number one... Continue Reading Posted at 1:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 3	Is it "Beerdom," or "DumbDumb?" George Parker February 3, 2006 Apparently, Anheuser-Busch will allot one of its 10 Super Bowl spots to “beerdom.” Whatever the heck that means! "Here's to Beer," via DDB Chicago, will feature A-B's lineup of faux beer brews… i.e. Bud, Bud Light and Michelob Ultra Amber,... Continue Reading Posted at 5:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Feb 2	Wow... Now you can keep Super Bowl commercials for eternity! George Parker February 2, 2006 If you are masochistic enough to want to watch the Super Bowl TV spots over and over… Your wish is about to come true. Yahoo Inc. will feature on its video home page, at http://video.yahoo.com , links to this year's... Continue Reading Posted at 5:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Miller time at Crispin, Porter, Bogusky... Too bad! George Parker February 2, 2006 Today’s news that Miller is consolidated its Miller Lite brand at Crispin Porter + Bogusky only goes to prove that people in advertising are whores! Why so? Because when CPB picked up some work from Miller last year, I expected... Continue Reading Posted at 4:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Another nail in Mad Ave's coffin George Parker February 2, 2006 Apparently Google is looking to expand even more into traditional media, including TV, print and radio. Google SpokesFlack Tim Armstrong says “We're able to help advertisers break into other media, such as print, radio, and other areas, which will enable... Continue Reading Posted at 2:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

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