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Turn a Product Negative into a Benefit

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:03:54 +0000

I like this. A lot. And that's all I have to say about that.

What's The Deal With Those Little Things Anyway?

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:37:35 +0000

You see them everywhere, but very few people interact with them. QR codes are becoming the next way to communicate with brands, but how much do you actually know about them? For instance, did you know they started life as a way to track car parts on a production line?

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PETA's Valentine's Day Ad - No Surprises Here

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:10:59 +0000

For years, PETA has been fighting for animal causes by producing some of the most shocking, outlandish and provocative ads in history. They're right up there with the United Colors of Benetton and anti-abortion campaigns. This one, living with BWVAKTBOOM, "Boyfriend Went Vegan and Knocked the Bottom out of Me", for Valentine's Day (slightly NSFW so be warned) is the usual mix of risque meets "please talk about this ad!" And I am obliging, but as it's Feb 14th and this is the only ad worth talking about, I am falling into the trap. What do you think? As a meat-eater myself, I'm guessing this is supposed to convince me that eating only vegetables will make me a stud. I'd be surprised if I had any energy at all actually, let along "Wang Power."

When Life Gives You Lemons, Watch This...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:08:47 +0000

The movie is called Lemonade. It's about 40 minutes long, and it's a riveting look at what can happen if/when you get laid off from your advertising job. Watch it, it's good.

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Is This the Beginning of the End for Goodby?

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:37:00 +0000

One of the best creative shops in America, if not the world, is cutting hundreds of jobs. Much like the demise of the great Cliff Freeman & Partners, the announcement could spell very dark days ahead for Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. This is a section from the February 8th announcement Jeff Goodby himself sent to Agency Spy:

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The Top 5 Best, and Worst, Super Bowl Ads of 2012

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:38:32 +0000

Here it is. My roundup of the good, the bad and the ugly. Mainly it was the latter, but I did find five spots that were better than average. Do you agree, or disagree? Did I miss something off the list? Let me know.

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The 2012 Super Bowl...How Was It For You?

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:34:25 +0000

Not talking about the game here. That was a nailbiter and I loved it. But the ads that were liberally sprinkled through it, how did you feel about those? Everyone has their favorites, it's the main topic of conversation today (besides the actual game itself, and of course, the half-time show with MIA's bird-flipping nonsense). I'll give a roundup of my hits and misses tomorrow, but first, a poll.

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Sound Advice from Howard Gossage

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:57:02 +0000

If you don't know him, check him out here.

American Apparel, You Clearly Have No Idea About Marketing.

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:39:20 +0000

So American Apparel, the clothing retailer who has always taken itself far too seriously, just shot itself in the foot. Again. And here's why. First, they launch a contest for plus-sized models, looking for THE NEXT BIG THING. Seriously, the title alone is enough to insult the average woman (and as most women are not anorexic catwalk models, that's a lot of women). But then they add this to the description of the contest:

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Freelancing FAQs - What You Need To Know

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:43:32 +0000

Freelancing can be tricky. If it's something you do on the side, you don't want it to consumer every waking minute of your spare time. If it's your full time job, you need to figure out taxes, healthcare and a whole lot more. We get a lot of questions about freelancing here at About.com's Advertising channel. Here are the answers to the top six questions. And if you're in the mood for some career tips, read this article on assembling spec work.