Question: is Anthony Hardwick of Omaha, Nebraska, the next Molly Katchpole?
Katchpole is the Washington, D.C., graduate student whose angry social media petition sparked a nationwide revolt against Bank of America’s plan to charge customers $5 per month for their debit cards. After losing thousands of accounts, B of A backed off.
The target of Hardwick’s online [...]
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AFTER B OF A, IS BLACK FRIDAY NEXT?
THE MONUMENTS WE CARRY: AN ODE TO STEVE JOBS
When I heard the news of Steve Jobs’ death, my mind detoured back almost 300 years to the great English architect, Sir Christopher Wren.
Wren’s most famous design is St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, whose dome vies with the towers of Parliament as the city’s most recognizable structure. When Wren died, his body was placed in [...]
FRIEND OR FOE? THE COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NEWS MEDIA AND PR
A few weeks ago, I read a story about how the New York Times was “curbing” freelance columnist David Pogue’s ability to speak at various events involving publicists or public relations. The story said that his participation in these paid events, specifically one hosted by Ragan Communications, violated the Times’ ethics policy, which states “Staff [...]
QUICK – WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE YOU?
I’m a consumer. I’m thinking about buying your product or service right now, at this very moment. Quickly, now – why should I? Have you given me a reason?
Did you make me feel special? Did you offer me insider privileges if I “Like” you on Facebook? Am I on your e-mail list for discounts – [...]
FAREWELL, OPRAH – IT’S BEEN FUN TRYING TO PITCH YOU
As Oprah is set to close the curtain on her 25-year reign as Queen of Daytime talk, it brings back memories – albeit frustrating ones – of attempting to pitch her show. It was early on in my career, but I recall trying to pitch one very heartwarming story, and then later trying to get [...]
THE HANGOVER, PART 136
Preakness officials are triumphantly crowing that ticket sales are up over last year, especially in the beer-soaked infield. Excuse me if I’m less than excited.
Don’t get me wrong: I want the Preakness to succeed. Its value to Baltimore – especially in this battered economy – is inestimable. But while shouting their success to the housetops, [...]
MGH CREATIVES PICK THE BEST AND WORST SPOTS FROM SUPER BOWL XLV
Everybody’s got an opinion about Super Bowl commercials. But what do people who actually make TV spots for a living think about last night’s collection?
We asked a few MGH creatives to select their favorite and least favorite spots. They didn’t hold back.
John Patterson, EVP, Creative Director
Best: Daimler Chrysler, “Eminem Detroit”
You could argue that the best Super Bowl [...]
WHAT’S A LOGO WITHOUT A NAME?
A few weeks ago, celebrating its upcoming 40th anniversary, Starbucks launched its revised logo—sans name with a refocused and uncluttered spotlight on its iconic “siren”/mermaid. The logo stands out in one color—a bright green—against the pure white of the paper cup and seems to serve as a beacon, “the queen” of all coffees.
Just last week, [...]
YOUR NUMBER OF FACEBOOK FANS MATTERS
Have you ever delivered a speech to an empty room?
What about speaking to a virtually empty room on a daily basis?
Unfortunately, for many brands using social media, that’s exactly what they’re doing – talking to themselves. Too often, companies become complacent with their followings on Facebook, Twitter and the like, and do nothing to grow [...]
A CHALLENGE FOR 2011: STAND FOR SOMETHING
Originally printed in INSTORE, a top publication for jewelry professionals (January 2011 issue)
If you’re reading this, you have my congratulations. In the most challenging economic environment for luxury retail in 50 years, you survived. Maybe thrived. You probably watched with glee as some of your competitors went belly-up. You’re still in business — feeling pretty good about yourself.
But [...]
PITY THE POOR (NON-POLITICAL) ADVERTISERS
Originally printed in the Baltimore Sun Opinion & Editorials section (Oct. 28, 2010)
I had one of those life-changing epiphanies this week.
I realized that I am responsible for the endless, mind-numbing, aggravating avalanche of political advertising we’ve all endured this election cycle. And it’s not because I’m president of an ad agency. We don’t even do political ads.
No, it’s [...]
ONCE AND (OVER) DONE
by Dave Spivey, Senior Copywriter on Feb 06, 2012 in Advertising, Commentary
New rule: if you want to predict how the Super Bowl commercials will go, your best barometer is the National Anthem.
This year, Kelly Clarkson larded her performance with quavers and grace notes until the poor “Star-Spangled Banner” sagged under their weight like Charlie Brown’s forlorn Christmas tree. And as the anthem went, so went the [...]