Hasta La Creative!

Though the president has only hinted at what his next step might be, major publishers say the Obamas could earn millions from book contracts.

(TrendHunter.com) From hybrid fitness studios to made-to-order organic meal services, the most popular September 2016 start-up ideas introduce a new range of products and services to enhance a variety of lifestyles….

Fifty-six years ago, E. Jerome McCarthy conceived the 4Ps of marketing: Product, price, place and promotion.

Today, product is still the starting point for most marketing programs but the other three Ps are not particular helpful. Price would seem to be part of product. And Place and Promotion are fuzzy concepts.

Instead of the 4Ps, a marketing mix for the 21st century might include the 4Ms: merchandise, market, media and message.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

After years of talk but very little progress, it seems marketers and agencies are finally taking solid steps toward diversity. Consider what happened with the space of a week: First, General Mills told Ad Age it is requiring the creative departments at the agencies participating in its review to be staffed by at least 50% women and 20% people of color.

Then, HP Chief Marketing Officer Antonio Lucio sent a memo to HP’s five advertising and marketing agency partnersGyro, BBDO, Fred & Farid, FleishmanHillard, and Porter Novelliasking for a commitment “to radically improve the percentage of women and people of color in leadership roles” in their organizations.

Mr. Lucio, who said HP is creating a scorecard to track its own efforts, expects agencies to deliver formal plans within 30 days and make good on such plans within 12 months, the memo read. Below, in an interview with Ad Age, he explains the reasoning behind his effort.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

(TrendHunter.com) The top September 2016 design ideas include paintings, furniture pieces and other products that explore a range of concepts across everything from sustainability to social issues and pop culture….

Billboards, long used by big brands to promote their products, and more recently by tech companies, are flourishing compared with other traditional media.

The science-fiction and fantasy publication, known for its mature content, aims to recapture its role as a showcase for avant-garde art.

Carl Hiaasen’s latest novel weaves together a demoted detective, a reality-TV star and Florida skulduggery in the writer’s trademark comic style.