Hasta La Creative!

(TrendHunter.com) Is your blog having a gender identity crisis? Have you ever read a blog and wondered what the writer had in the basement? Do gender-confused blogs drive you wild with investigative fervor, making you determined…

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Despite the publishing industry's troubles, Rodale's Best Life is going ahead and taking over a Delta lounge at New York's JFK airport, while Time Inc.'s Cooking Light supplies recipes and its brand to the room-service menu at the New York Palace Hotel.

Tom Asacker is the change agent’s change agent. So it’s natural that he has some thoughts on changing one’s behavior when different/better results are sought.

You have the talent, the ability and the contacts. But do you have the vision and courage? Vision and courage are what leadership is all about: Making sure that everyone viscerally understands your purpose (and it should not be to produce and sell things. It’s should be to add value to people’s lives), and then orchestrating, empowering and inspiring people to bring that purpose to life with daring and imaginative vision.

I had to pause and re-read that Asackerism about ten times over. That’s the test every entrepreneur has to pass everyday.

Here’s more from Tom:

Stop and ask yourself, and your people: Are we asserting integrity of purpose in everything that we do? Does our desire to improve our customers’ lives shine through in each and every action that we take? If it doesn’t, then stop it! Change it! For example, when was the last time that you picked up the phone, called your customers, and asked them
how you can help? (That’s what I thought.)

“Asserting integrity of purpose.” I like that. One can fit tasks like “write compelling copy;” “foster community around the brand;” and “inject content into the mix” around this kind of high minded focal point.

(TrendHunter.com) Judging by these ads, the Chinese Army is having trouble attracting virile young men (or lesbians.) On the other hand, they might be recruiting for officer training.

These Chinese Army recruiting posters…

Everyone wants to get in on the social thing nowadays, and tech companies are often ahead of the pack, for obvious reasons. Here’s Intel’s new effort: To promote the company’s Core i7 Extreme Edition microprocessor, Web shop Razorfish is looking for digital designers to build short videos in an hour, using the same materials, around one of the brand themes of speed, power or innovation. The so-called Digital Drag Race has the necessary microsite, blog, live event in San Francisco and YouTube channel. Razorfish told me the campaign would make microprocessors sexy. Maybe. What I wonder is: Who participates in this kind of thing? I imagine lots of students. Two finalists get a trip to Vegas during the Consumer Electronics Show to face off, along with an Intel-powered computer with Adobe Creative Suite software. In its first couple days, Intel’s gotten only a trickle of entries. 

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Cliff Freeman & Partners CEO Jeff McLelland was asked to leave the agency, he confirmed today.

Dr Pepper plans to announce that it will promote a video game player on bottles that it will distribute nationally.

Marc Brownstein of Philadelphia’s Brownstein Group thinks this is a good time to buy an agency.

That’s right. One of the smartest strategies over the next 18 months will be to grow through acquisition. Seek out an agency that complements the strengths your shop has, both in skill sets, client roster, specialty and culture. Some shops are hurting now, so they may be inclined to want to sell; others may be doing well, but want to take advantage of the downturn in the economy to add core services to continue to satisfy the client base. Either way, now could be a rare opportunity for you to grow without making a new-business pitch or winning additional assignments from current clients.

[via Small Agency Diary]

(TrendHunter.com) In looking at these stunning pictures by photographer Andrea Karin, one would think that the Grace Jones photoshoot was an ad for Superhero Dominatrix Couture—except you’d have Leopard Woman instead…

LONDON (AdAge.com) — U.S. online shoppers are being "outshopped" by their U.K. counterparts, with U.K. consumers spending 40% more money and making 24% more purchases online than U.S. shoppers.