A weekly compendium of interesting items from the world of media, marketing and advertising.


AdWeek, June 8, 2010
Your brand doesn’t succeed because your cars are the fastest or your clothes are the most durable. Particularly in the age of blogs and Twitter, positive customer experiences are what make or break brands—and these experiences start not with a customer service department, but with a corporate culture that permeates through every facet of the company. Read the AdWeek article

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BY SHAWNA RICHER
THE GLOBE AND MAIL

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3,300 Trademark violations in 84 countries from the 2006 World Cup, according to FIFA. Soccer’s governing body didn’t pay attention to rights infringements until the 1990s, when ambush marketing took off as an alternative to exorbitant sponsorships. In 1994 there were 258 violations reported in 39 countries, and by 2002 the number had spiked to 1,884 in 94 countries.

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In today’s World Cup themed issue, the Adhocracy column, The Gospel of Soccer,, Simon Houpt writes about how ESPN learned hard lessons from broadcasting the World Cup four years ago, and embraces authenticity to get it right this time around.

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A weekly compendium of interesting items from the world of media, marketing and advertising.


AdWeek, June 1, 2010
Chief Marketing Officers, or CMOs, are increasingly being seen as crucial strategic partners and are often joining the CEO at the executive table. What’s the value in bringing these two executives together? According to a new survey, CMOs with regular access to the CEO make revenue growth a priority. Those that don’t make it to the CEOs office said their main focus was on brand awareness. Read the AdWeek article

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In this week's Adhocracy column, Books, and that beguiling little bird, Simon Houpt write about how the publisher Penguin has developed a strong connection to consumers over the past 75 years.

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BY SHAWNA RICHER
THE GLOBE AND MAIL

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Passengers on a Horizon Air flight from Seattle to Portland this week received something you almost never see these days – free food. Boxes stuffed with pita chips, pretzels and Hershey’s chocolate were passed out by flight attendants, along with a perky announcement that the snacks were courtesy of electronics company Creative Labs. It’s the work of Air Advertainment, a West Palm Beach, Fla., marketer that links brands and advertisers with airlines and passengers. The Seattle-Portland route was chosen for the Creative campaign because passengers are considered tech savvy. How about a Boston-Providence route sponsored by Legal Sea Foods? A Pittsburgh flight sponsored by Primanti Brothers? We have ideas.

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A weekly compendium of interesting items from the world of media, marketing and advertising.


AdWeek, May 25, 2010
Despite their widespread usage and increased value for businesses, people are still nervous about social media platforms. In a Vision Critical survey released this month, nearly half of respondents said social media networks are either “not very” trustworthy” or “not at all” trustworthy, with only 5 per cent feeling they are “completely” trustworthy. Read the AdWeek article

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In this week's Adhocracy column, Heartfelt from the front lines, Simon Houpt writes about companies who are using real employees in advertising in hopes of building authenticity by pursuing an authentic engagement with customers.


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The life of a thirty-something Canadian mother is a hectic one. Each new day brings with it a new set of child-rearing challenges that intermingle, often unexpectedly, with activities, classes, play dates, arguments between siblings, and the "simple" task of getting the family dressed and out the door. There's a saving grace to Mom's day, however -- a tool that she can use to assist her with virtually any trial she may face. This savior -- her great liberator, mentor, and personal assistant -- is digital media.

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BY SHAWNA RICHER
THE GLOBE AND MAIL

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The White House is getting serious about slimming down America’s kids, this week cautioning the food and beverage industry that it’s no longer enough to simply stop hawking some unhealthy foods on Saturday morning TV. President Barack Obama wants in-store promotions of unhealthy food stopped and popular cartoon characters licensed only to healthy fare, as well as junk-food taxes, screening by pediatricians, and even yanking deep fryers from school cafeterias. Pulling ads for sugary snacks from Saturday morning TV hasn’t worked, first lady Michelle Obama said this week. With one in every three kids in the U.S. aged two to 19 considered obese, we would agree.


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In this week's Adhocracy column, Cataloguing consumer behavior and the art, and meaning, of the ad, Simon Houpt writes about the ad industry quarterly magazine Contagious. The mag has carved itself a unique niche and is revered throughout the industry.



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A weekly compendium of interesting items from the world of media, marketing and advertising.


ADWEEK, May 11, 2010
Michael Brito, VP, Social Media at Edelman Digital takes a walk on the negative side in an effort to drive home his point on how brands can go wrong when creating social media strategies for their businesses. Read the ADWEEK article


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