Saturday, May 17, 2008
Neotrope®

The Advertising Industry

 

Communication Nation: Missing Janet

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 23:45:09 -0800 PST
by Scott G

COLUMN: With caustic comments about the addled advertising and mixed marketing messages in Super Bowl XXMVIILVXIVIVMVVVIII or whatever, Scott G also offers a Remembrance of Super Bowls Past.

Communication Nation: We Are Now Transmitting Directly to Your Brain

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 22:28:44 -0800 PST
by Scott G

COLUMN: After predicting direct-to-brain advertising years ago, Scott G takes a look at the latest schemes to beam advertising and marketing communication inside your skull.

Communication Nation: Phone Ad Fury

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 19:08:31 -0800 PST
by Scott G

Scott G is doing a lot of phoning latelyCOLUMN: Advertising is everywhere, but does it have to clog up the phone lines? Scott G has a message for marketers using the phone as a sales weapon.

Communication Nation: Unspeakable Ad Techniques

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:03:23 -0700 PDT
by Scott G

COLUMN: Google monitors e-mails for contextual advertising matches, and few people seem to mind. Scott G wonders if these are the same people who will allow Pudding Media to monitor their phone calls.

Outrage in Your Mailbox: A Peek into Direct Response Advertising

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 15:40:00 -0700 PDT
by Scott G

Scott G speaking at an industry functionCOLUMN: Ever since the invention of mail delivery, we have had to endure direct response solicitations. These ads-to-your-door may be informative, helpful and economical. But as Scott G points out, they can also be sneaky, intrusive and surprisingly distasteful.

Mad Men May Save the 30-second Commercial

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 21:57:57 -0700 PDT
by Scott G

Scott G recording a commercial voiceoverCOLUMN: The one-hour drama, ‘Mad Men,’ part of AMC channel’s original programming, has many attributes and can be quite entertaining. Scott G says what’s truly intriguing about the series isn’t in the show but during the commercial breaks.

In Praise of the Product Demonstration

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 23:31:21 -0700 PDT
by Scott G

Scott G of Advertising Industry NewswireCOLUMN: Dating back to the days of cave dwellers, the humble product demonstration can be one of the most persuasive sales techniques. Scott G examines this method of selling in the light of today’s new media realities.

Smile, You’re on the iPhone

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 23:06:57 -0700 PDT
by Scott G

Scott G on the iPhoneCOLUMN: With the nation’s collective craving for Apple’s iPhone, the product seems poised for the most consumer-friendly product launch in marketing history. Scott G speculates about that little ‘camera’ button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

Carl Doesn’t Know Jack or Dick

Tue, 29 May 2007 16:57:03 -0700 PDT
by Scott G

Scott G in the studioCOLUMN: Dick Sittig, the marketing genius behind the Jack-in-the-Box ad campaigns, has created a commercial concept so powerful that he now has rival Carl’s Jr. helping him spread the word. How? By being so funny and acerbic that Carl’s is trying to sue for relief.

Take Aways: What Consumers Learn From Ads

Mon, 21 May 2007 19:51:59 -0700 PDT
by Scott G

Scott G casts a shaded eye on current advertisingCOLUMN: Advertising and marketing executives say their business is art, craft and science, and Scott G admits that may be true about a third of the time. Consider a few current ad campaigns that leave potential customers exhilarated or puzzled, intrigued or disgusted.

Ad Industry Thinks You Are an Idiot

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 17:19:13 -0700 PDT
by Scott G

Scott G looks askance at bad adsCOLUMN: Scott G often works in the advertising industry and he’s frequently appalled by what he sees, as when large corporations insult your intelligence with misleading marketing, or when they treat you like absolute morons with super-silly or saccharine-sweet ads.

Ideas, R.I.P.

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 21:23:02 -0700 PDT
by Scott G

Scott G doing a voiceoverCOLUMN: A manifesto entitled 100 Ways to Kill a Concept is currently bouncing around the Internet. It is being sent in anger, frustration and/or glee by anyone who has ever had the misfortune to present an original idea to a boneheaded boss or calcified committee. Scott G lauds author Michael Iva for his horrific hundred.

Smart People in Advertising - Please Step Forward

Sat, 24 Mar 2007 21:11:07 -0700 PDT
by Scott G

Scott G insisting he's in the music bizCOLUMN: Curiouser and curiouser, weaker and weaker, stupider and stupider. That describes much recent advertising from major brands. Clogging the airwaves with badvertising is nothing new, but it does seem as if idiocy is lately on the rise. Scott G lists a few of his least favorites from the past couple of weeks.

Superliminal Advertising

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 23:19:37 -0700 PDT
by Scott G

COLUMN: Sponsored messages worm their way into entertainment and news. Tracking of consumer purchases allows for precise targeting of those messages. Computerized production technology enables marketers or government agencies to control what you see and when you see it. Scott G plays George Orwell by putting these 3 ideas together.

Your Brand Here: The TV Show

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 04:01:42 -0700 PDT
by Scott G

G-Man on and off the wallCOLUMN: With the announcement that the Geico Insurance Cavemen are being written into a script for a television series pilot, the issue of branded content again rears its ugly head. Scott G speculates on some of the oddities surrounding this silly side of advertising.

All Data Fox-Checked For Accuracy

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 02:31:13 -0800 PST
by Scott G

COLUMN: The news is no longer the news. Scott G points out that we are in the midst of some bodacious blending: information & invention, data & political agenda, fact & fiction, actuality & publicity, and truth with whatever else comes to mind.

Contextual Counter Branding: Your Pizza is My Pizza - Why Search Engines Want to Sell Your Trademark to Your Competitors

Sat, 03 Mar 2007 20:51:57 -0800 PST
by Christopher Simmons

COLUMN: While the subject of contextual branding against other company’s trademarks will not be a new issue to some people, and I had been aware of the problem from the past couple of years of litigation between major companies and search portals like Google and Yahoo!, nevertheless I was a bit surprised when my brand was targeted by an upstart competitor.

Ad Backlash

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 00:11:46 -0800 PST
by Scott G

Scott G pretending to look thoughtfulCOLUMN: Too many ads in too many places appearing way too often. Product placement invading content. Messages triggered by RFID chips. Advertorials. Sponsorships. Hype. Spin. Noise. Scott G isn’t the only person who thinks we’ve gone too far. Some consumers are fighting back.

What Do Creatives Do?

Sun, 18 Feb 2007 19:07:21 -0800 PST
by Scott G

Scott G making a client presentationCOLUMN: When an ad agency gets a new client, a lot of people swing into action. Account managers assess the brand, competition, positioning, and strategy. The media department finds target audiences. And the creatives, well, just what are they DOING back there with that loud music and riotous laughter? Scott G tells all.

Vista Spot an Ow not a Wow

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 00:32:29 -0800 PST
by Scott G

G-Man at the MicCOLUMN: Microsoft once paid the Rolling Stones millions for the use of “Start Me Up” to inject some excitement into their campaign for a new operating system. Scott G tells why MS better buy the rights to a whole bunch of rock, electronic, county and hip hop songs because the launch of their Vista OS is currently dead in the water.

Ads Masquerading as Content

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 19:24:47 -0800 PST
by Scott G

COLUMN: Paid placement is a dirty little secret of advertising and public relations. Scott G explores a few of the subversive, sneaky, snaky, snarky, sleazy and very profitable methods of putting your product in front of the public in just the right light.