WHO KNEW BRITAIN HAD HIGHER STANDARDS of truth in advertising than it does of military intelligence? Sure, it may have invaded Iraq six years ago over a fishy report about enriched uranium, but woe betide the beverage maker who makes false claims in advertisements! This week Coca-Cola had its wrist slapped over a trio of Vitaminwater ads that claimed the drink was beneficial to drinkers' health. One poster bragged the coloured liquid had “more muscles than brussels,” which the Advertising Standards Authority said had to be removed because it could be misleading. The best part of this story? A total of three people complained.

Read More >> Because it's Friday, something fun(ny).

A highly respected news source claims that Pepsi plans to cease all future advertising.

"We know it's good, and everyone's pretty happy with the overall taste, so why spend all our time worrying about what other people think?" the publication claims PepsiCo CEO Indra K. Nooyi said at a press conference.

Read More >> Can you craft a compelling story? Or capture a pivotal moment on the field from a dramatic angle?

The Globe is giving all amateur sports reporters and photographers a chance to strut their stuff--and to win a once-in-a-lifetime prize.

What's up for grabs: the chance to cover the 2010 Winter Olympic Games as part of The Globe and Mail's editorial team. The winning writer and winning photographer will also each be awarded round-trip airfare to Vancouver, two-weeks' accommodation, event tickets for Olympic events and $1,000 in spending money. As if that weren't enough, the winning writer will score an Acer Aspire 8935 laptop while the winning photographer will take home a Panasonic DMC-L10 Lumix digital SLR camera.

Read More >> Last Tuesday, Didier Mormesse talked to a Toronto crowd about a new study that combined a traditional quantitative survey with state-of-the-art qualitative research.

The SVP of advertising sales research, development and audience insight at CNN International was at IAB's MIXX conference to present CASE, or the Cross-Platform Advertising Study on Effectiveness and Engagement, to a roomful of online marketers and stats geeks.

Read More >> 2009 has been a good year for Lars Bastholm. In March, he assumed the newly created role of chief digital creative officer for Ogilvy North America. In June, he chaired the Cyber jury at Cannes Lions. When he spoke at IAB's MIXX conference last week, he offered up fresh insights, a winning sense of humour and the breakthrough creative of several Cannes Cyber winners.

Read More >> Steve Rubel is SVP, director of insights, at Edelman Digital.

During his keynote speech at IAB Canada's MIXX conference last week, Rubel set neurons (and Twitter channels) afire as he spoke to a packed room about Edelman's Five Digital Trends for 2009.

After asking the obligatory Studio 54 joke (at which Steve very graciously laughed), your humble blogger asked about reaching media-weary consumers, the future of big media companies, and the social-media challenges faced by both small and large organizations.

Read More >>
Wondering about the age-old appeal of animals in advertising? In this week's Adhocracy column, Simon Houpt, The Globe's advertising and marketing reporter, writes about the thinking behind a variety of campaigns and why many marketers continue to rely on our fury friends to push their products.

Read More >> AFTER WATCHING THE U.S. UNEMPLOYMENT RATE SKYROCKET, is Barack Obama now trying to put ad copywriters out of work, too? The Democratic National Committee is holding a contest (at barackobama.com/videochallenge) to find the most effective user-generated ad for health care reform. The glamorous prize? The possibility that "all or part of the winner's video" will be used in a television ad. ("Approximate retail value: $0," reads the official instructions.) The contest closes Oct. 18. Of course, with the way the debate is going, the possibility of reform might already be dead by then.

Read More >>

Your humble blogger is off to the IAB Canada's MIXX conference this week to talk to some of the biggest names in our industry.

What in it for you? Quite simply, a chance to hear what Edelman Digital's Steve Rubel, CNN International's Didier Mormesse and Oglivy North America's Lars Bastholm have to tell us about where we are--and where we're going.

My interviews with these esteemed gentlemen will be posted by the end of the week. Be sure to check back!

Read More >>
In this week's Adhocracy column, Simon Houpt takes a look at the publicity tactics for author Dan Brown's newly released book "The Lost Symbol." The book has sold more than 2 million copies in the first seven days, post launch, which is a record for an adult hard-cover book. Much of the early success can be attributed to shrewd marketing and publicity efforts. Simon Houpt outlines all the angles that have lead to high-interest and phenominal sales of the book.

Read More >> The Globe and Mail's acclaimed Talking to the Taliban series has won a News and Documentary Emmy.


Read More >> HAS DON DRAPER QUIT SMOKING? A cigarette held suavely in his right hand is as much a part of the ad man's identity as a highball and a leer. But in Canadian transit ads for AMC's Mad Men, Draper's smoke has been cut out of the iconic silhouette, the victim of local anti-tobacco laws. "Smoking is a big part of the show," said Jan Diedrichsen, the senior vice-president of affiliate marketing at Rainbow Network Sales, which reps the network's shows abroad."But it's much more important for us to get promotion for the show than to stick to our guns and have cigarettes on there."

Read More >>