Because it's Friday, something fun--for foodies! (Click through to view the video.)



Read More >> BusinessWeek asks "Do Reputation Management Services Work?"

The answer is: Sort of, but not all reputation management firms are created equal.



Read More >> Last week, The Globe and Mail held an online chat session with Simon Creet, chief creative officer of the Hive.

The Toronto-based agency is responsible for a new campaign that asks customers to register UPC codes from Cadbury products at the Bicycle Factory microsite.

Read More >> Grant Robertson talks to Walter Werzowa, the man behind the "Intel bong." In Created, Jennifer Wells looks at a new spot in Dos Equis' "Most Interesting Man in the World" campaign. And in Noted, she looks at "the tree bike," a concept developed for "Live Green Toronto, the megacity's tips site for city dwellers."

Read More >> THE VOTES ARE IN AND B.C. has chosen "fair beer prices" after newspaper ads urged voters to defeat the NDP and its plans for a liquor surcharge.

Full-page ads in two Vancouver daily newspapers decried the New Democrats' plan for a $155-million liquor surcharge if they won Tuesday's provincial election.

"Vote May 12 for fair beer prices," read the ad, paid for by a representative of independent liquor stores. The ads included a photo of "NDP Beer" at $15 for a six-pack, compared with $12 for "Our Beer."

The NDP's plan could have led to a 25-per-cent markup on beer prices or closings of private liquor stores, critics said.

Read More >> The U.S.-based Association of National Advertisers has just concluded its "Brand Building in Tough Times and Beyond" conference.

Ad Age's Jonah Bloom was on the scene and chatted with a number senior marketers in attendance.

While many have reduced brand-advertising budgets due to the recent economic downturn, the tide seems to have turned.

Read More >> The New York Times reports on the rise in fraudulent pay-per-click ad schemes.

According to the story, the growth of click fraud corresponds with the increase in pay-per-click advertising--one of the few formats that's shown any significant growth in the past year. Citing the IAB, the Times notes that "[i]t accounted for 57 percent of Internet advertising in 2008, up from 52 percent in 2007."

So how can advertiser distinguish between genuine and fraudulent clicks?

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There's no question that photography and its history have played a central role in the development of modern advertising.

That's why I have no reservations about recommending The Genius of Photography to anyone within TV Ontario's broadcast area. Part 2 of this six-part documentary airs on that station tonight at 10.

Read More >> Jennifer Wells profiles Bryan Collins and Rob Sweetman, who recently jumped ship from Rethink to Cossette's Vancouver office. In Noted, she looks at a DDB Canada campaign for Toronto Crime Stoppers' annual Chief of Police dinner. And in Created, Wells chats with Cossette's David Daga, the CD behind a new McDonald's commercial that aims to tug at the heartstrings of dads, daughters and hockey fans.

Read More >> Because it's still Friday, something else that's fun.



Australian designer Rhett Dashwood assembled an entire alphabet using Google Maps. All 26 letters (click the link to see them) were found within Australia's state of Victoria.

Read More >> BILLBOARDS MAY SOME DAY MAKE Toronto a more beautiful city. That's the idea behind the Beautiful City Billboard Fee, which would see outdoor advertisers contribute upwards of $16-million a year to public art projects and greening initiatives as well as enforcement of signage laws.

More than 150 supporters rallied at Toronto city hall this week and have circulated an online petition in support of the initiative, which goes to the city's executive committee on June 2 and to a vote by City Council in early July. The fees, which would be levied based on the type of sign and its location, would more than double the city's arts budget.

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



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