links for 2008-08-19
by Brian Reich | 19 Aug 2008, 2:00am
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In the world of philanthropy, where independence from government has long been sacred, a revolution is underway. Social entrepreneurs are clamoring for a realignment of the way the federal government and nonprofit groups work together to maximize the impact of American generosity.
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: From the Trenches
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links for 2008-08-18
by Brian Reich | 18 Aug 2008, 2:00am
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Announcing Senator Obama’s running mate by text message has little to being an internet savvy campaign, and everything to do with getting out the vote on Election Day in November. The move should add thousands — and more likely tens or hundreds of thousands — of cellphone numbers to what is already one of the most detailed political databases ever created.
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: From the Trenches
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Why Does Advertising Suck?
by Brian Reich | 12 Aug 2008, 2:00am
Most of the advertising on television sucks.
Some ads make you laugh. Others make you think. And, every now and then, you’ll actually see an ad that (gasp!) makes you want to buy the product it is promoting. But really, if you think about it, most of the ads that appear on television aren’t worth the air time they consume.
This point has been reinforced for me while watching the first few days of Olympic programming.
- VISA’s ads are boring.
- I have seen two McDonald’s ads - neither impressed me. The McDonald’s happy meal commercial (featuring the kids who lose the soccer game but get happy meals as a consolation prize - which of course is really better) is too long, and drags — and the commercial about the new southern chicken sandwich actually makes me want to be sick.
- The Budweiser ads are formulaic (and in at least one case, where the thoroughbred wants to make the team, a repeat from the Superbowl)
- The Barack Obama campaign ad confuses me while the John McCain ad just makes me angry.
- The Exxon Mobil ads are thoughtful, but I’m not sure it makes me want to buy more gas (or even visit their website to find out more about their science programs)
- The AT&T commercials are annoying (and the model is getting tired)
- The Nike ads are beautiful, but make me anxious (too much!)
- And not a single one of the car ads makes me want to go out and buy a vehicle (and I am actually in the market right now).
The closest thing to a good commercial I have seen this week is the +8 ad that AIG is running - and all they did was take a video from YouTube showing a laughing baby and add a couple sentences of dialogue.
So my question is this - why produce such bad advertising? Is it really that difficult to produce advertising that doesn’t suck?
Look, I am not stupid - I know that a big reason that companies spend millions of dollars on advertising is so that I will recall their brands. And yes, me writing a blog post that uses specific commercials as examples when lamenting the poor state of advertising is evidence that the advertising is serving its purpose.
But just because I can recall the brand doesn’t mean that a poorly executed ad is doing its job. Does the advertising industry really think that the work they are producing is good - or do they not care because they get paid regardless? Do the media that cover the ad space really think they are doing us all a service by letting mediocre (or worse) ads get off without a scolding?
I would love nothing more than to write a post about the wonderful ads I have seen, the creative ideas that were shared, or a product that I really felt was worthy of my investment after seeing it on television. But I can’t.
So my hope instead is that someone will tell me why so many of the ads I see aren’t good, and what I am supposed to do about it.
links for 2008-08-02 [delicious.com]
by Brian Reich | 2 Aug 2008, 2:00am
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For wireless companies, senior citizens are a relatively underserved market. But, that is about to change.
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: From the Trenches
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links for 2008-07-30
by Brian Reich | 30 Jul 2008, 2:00am
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Boo! Facebook Inc., the owner of the biggest U.S. social-networking site, shut down the online word game Scrabulous in the U.S. and Canada after a lawsuit was filed by Hasbro Inc., the maker of Scrabble.
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Under the proposed law, Illinois residents would get slapped with a misdemeanor and a $25 fine if caught using a cell phone or other wireless device while traversing streets. You’ve got to be kidding me.
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One in three children in this country are overweight. But, until now, it was unclear how much the nation’s largest food and beverage companies spent influencing kids to eat unhealthy foods. Now it is VERY clear.
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Twitter was first on the scene again when an estimated 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck near Los Angeles yesterday — exactly as it was designed to do. Let the learning begin!
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Good expectations setting post from Ogilvy.
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: From the Trenches
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links for 2008-07-28
by Brian Reich | 28 Jul 2008, 2:00am
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The first in a series of articles about the impact the internet and technology have had on reading, literacy, and education as a whole.
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: From the Trenches
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links for 2008-07-27
by Brian Reich | 27 Jul 2008, 2:00am
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Verve Wireless’s mission is to save the local paper by making it mobile. It provides publishers with the technology to create mobile Web sites, so readers can read the paper on their cell phones.
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“Most businesses are started because you have a great idea, and you take it out to the public to see if they like it. This is the opposite. We’re finding out what people want and doing it.” Simple. Brilliant.
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Can NASCAR ‘Go Green?’
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: From the Trenches
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links for 2008-07-25
by Brian Reich | 25 Jul 2008, 2:00am
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Comcast is going an extra step by talking back, contacting customers who are discussing the company online.
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The more hours you spend in front of the TV, the more likely you are to be obese, right? But, it’s not the sedentary nature of television watching that causes weight gain; it’s the exposure to advertising and the food mindlessly consumed while watching.
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Libraries are no longer just about literacy, if they ever were. They’ve evolved into social and recreational centers that mirror the communities they serve.
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: From the Trenches
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links for 2008-07-24
by Brian Reich | 24 Jul 2008, 2:00am
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Researchers have found that today’s voter is pretty much the same dismally ill-informed creature he was back in the 1950s.
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: From the Trenches
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links for 2008-07-23
by Brian Reich | 23 Jul 2008, 2:00am
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A group of direct-marketing companies, along with a handful of their corporate clients, are banding together to make an inherently unsustainable practice at least a little bit greener.
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: From the Trenches
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