Recently in Advertising Category

If you've been in this business long enough, you're bound to have come across a look-alike and/or sound-alike advertising campaign from competing brands. In fact, many times the creative ideas and concepts are almost identical. It's as if the same creative teams worked on them. It happens in all product categories. It is especially noticeable in categories that are intensely competitive with huge media dollars behind them.

For many, summer is the quintessential time to enjoy beer. Nothing tastes better than a cold beer on a hot afternoon. After working in the yard, playing ball or being involved in any outdoor activities, a tall, frosty one just seems so right. It's the adult version of lemonade.

As we come into the dog days of August, adults often conjure images of how great it was when you were a kid, when summer seemed to last forever. Today, summer passes in the blink of an eye. First it's Memorial Day, then it's Fourth of July; and all of a sudden you're rapidly running towards Labor Day. If only summer could last like it used to. Wouldn't you give anything for the days in the summer when you were bored, with nothing to do? Give me a few days with nothing to do and I'll fill them with activities like reading a book, fishing, snoozing in a hammock or just admiring the beauty of the gardens that my wife has created around our home. It is wonderful to take in the magnificence of gardens all around us and dining in the outdoors surrounded by nature. It makes you appreciate the simple things in life

Is it me, or does it seem as though every major consumer brand is coming up with a "viral" campaign? You can't make great viral campaigns happen. Many appear forced and/or are trying far too hard. The best ones grow and evolve on their own, without any marketing gimmicks. Viral marketing isn't easy. It is far more than just some cutesy URL. Yes, brand buzz is utopia for marketers; yet it is so hard to achieve. This isn't stopping brands from trying.

It's almost inconceivable to believe that not too many years ago doctors made house calls. They'd turn up with their little black bag and stethoscope to check on patients. Imagine that happening in '08! Today it's extremely difficult to get an appointment with doctors in their offices, let alone even conjuring the image of having them come to your house. I remember doctor house calls in the 60's; and also making $1.35 an hour at my first job and paying $1.20 for a six-pack of beer. That's how long ago it is. Having this history, it is with interest that I see brands going back to their "house roots."

Father's Day has just come and gone and it's a good time to do a little introspective thinking on the subject of how fathers are portrayed in television. For years, fathers have been portrayed in various television sitcoms and commercials as bungling idiots and doofusses who can't get out of their own way. We don't need to look any farther than the 20 years of Homer Simpson humoring us to know that nothing has changed. Who can forget Tim "The Toolman" Taylor; and of more recent vintage, Alan Harper on Two and a Half Men? Fathers are easy targets and will continue to be so. That's one reason it's so sad to think about the loss of Tim Russert.

Everywhere you turn today it seems as though pessimism abounds; in everyday conversations, news, the economy or the environment. It's all about doom and gloom. Talk of the dreaded "R" word is pervasive. Some pundits are hinting about a depression. One thing is for sure, everyone seems to be in a depressed state. Recessionary times present challenges that marketers either run from or face up. Brands everywhere are attacking the problem head-on with automobile brands offering $2.99 a gallon for gasoline and family-style restaurants changing their menus and portions sizes to control costs. It's the old adage of be distinct or become extinct, only more exacerbated in recessionary economics.