I
n addition to her “nude” appearance in a recent Powerade campaign, Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard also got “naked” for PETA in support of the organization’s Don’t Wear Fur campaign.
Can we make an better ad banner? Or would that be like making better liver and onions? Microsoft-owned agency, Avenue A/Razorfish is betting on the former.
According to Brian Morrissey at Adweek, the agency is testing new Web display units that weave the social-media features popular on many sites directly into banner ads.
Shiv Singh of Avenue A/Razorfish said efforts like this are part of an industry-wide effort to solve a critical challenge: How to attract consumers’ attention at a time when display ads are ignored and customers rely more on what others say than advertisers.
“What’s driving this is the recognition that social influence has a big influence on purchases and brand affinity,” he said. “Customers listen to other customers more than anything else. It makes sense for the ad unit to carry customer voices.”
I can’t say I blame Avenue A/Razorfish for pursuing this. But I’m skeptical about the outcome. Sure, I might prefer to listen to “other customers,” but context plays a role here. Customers listen to other customers in forums, blogs, message boards, at the bar, etc. Not in a banner ad.
LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) — Memo to Nike and Mars: The best place to kiss and make up with the gay and lesbian community might just be on Showtime's "The L Word."
(TrendHunter.com) This has got be one of the most challenging packaging art directions ever. I mean, what direction do you go when the name of the pizza is UGLY?
Let’s start with the brand name. Ugly Pizza is a new product…
LONDON – Glasses Direct has become the first major UK customer for Platform A, AOL’s new advertising division.
Multiple sources confirm that ATTIK has indeed won a project from incumbent agency Saatchi LA. We reported this as rumor yesterday, but today we learned (thanks tip box, and others!) that the new Toyota Venza crossover work will be in the capable hands of the ATTIK crew.
Said one of our spies, “…it was drama since the project first started, and then blam ATTIK took it over…”
There is no word if Saatchi ECD Harvey Marco’s resignation is at all correlated to the lost work. You’ll recall that Saatchi LA is Toyota USA’s AoR — and the automaker is Saatchi LA’s only client.
More after the jump.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
The Wall Street Journal reports that GM, in dire straits, is looking to its ad agencies to pinch pennies:
In its latest attempt to save money, General Motors has asked its advertising agencies to slash their fees by as much as 20% this year and next, according to several people familiar with the matter.
The owner of Cadillac and Chevrolet works with dozens of agencies around the country, including Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett and Interpublic Group’s McCann Erickson and Campbell-Ewald.
GM declined to give details on its request that agencies lower their rates, but a spokeswoman says the car maker has “asked our agency partners to work with us to eliminate low-value work and find creative solutions to go to market more efficiently.”
That’s not gonna be good. I worked for a brief time in Detroit, and what I saw was quite illuminating. I won’t get into it now, but the whole system of marketing and selling cars, particularly for the Big-and-Shrinking 3, needs to be blown up and reworked. Unfortunately, these fee cuts aren’t going to change that, they’ll just put some hard-working ad people on the street. The real problems and problematic people will still be there.
LONDON – Living has bought the rights to broadcast the hit US NBC drama ‘Lipstick Jungle’, based on ‘Sex and the City’ author Candace Bushnell’s best-selling book and starring Brooke Shields.
LONDON – The British Heart Foundation is launching a two-minute, one-off ad, which will play at 9.17pm on Sunday 10 August, which will show Steven Berkoff simulating a heart attack.
Now this is Verizon so don’t expect Snickers bars shot out of a cannon by Mr. T but this new video is a welcome extension of the ongoing “It’s the Network” campaign.
LONDON – Microsoft Advertising has appointed Tom Pearman to the role of finance category development manager, to lead the company’s finance sales.
(TrendHunter.com) Single men usually live in small apartments and iron their shirts while watching Television. Der Alleinwohner designed the ultimate ironing solution for these bachelors.
The Ironing-Table is a coffee…
SYDNEY – Australian brewery Coopers has scrapped a billboard advertising campaign after monarchists complained that it used a pro-republican political statement as a slogan.
(TrendHunter.com) NBC might not want you to watch the Beijing 2008 Olympics on the web, but this is a celebration of China, and what would your Olympics schedule be like without a little copyright violation? Oooh, a low…
LONDON – Digital marketing company The Search Works has won the contract to handle search engine marketing for Mothercare and the Early Learning Centre.
Chien Hwang is a spectator for the upcoming games. But he's also looking at post-Olympic marketing plans for all the non-sponsors who were locked out of Beijing's media this month.
LONDON – Marks & Spencer has employed mobile marketing agency Incentivated to add a response and voucher element to its ‘Back to School’ ad campaign.
(TrendHunter.com) Scientists in Cairo are carrying out DNA tests on King Tut and two tiny fetuses. These tests will determine whether or not the fetuses are King Tut’s babies.
King Tutankhamun’s parental tests are…
Like a mashup of country club elitism and Rastafarian grooviness, these new videos from 10 Cane rum are delightfully intoxicating and elicit a blurry, drug-addled fogginess.
Sponsors have covered China, including Beijing, with ads featuring local athletes such as Yao Ming. But city officials have launched their own ad campaign starring real people to help Beijingers feel like part of the games too.
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