Hasta La Creative!

USA Today has begun promoting several columnists in short YouTube videos—the most entertaining of which stars Michael Wolff, erstwhile Adweek editor and current writer for USA Today's Money section. In the spot, Wolff's takes-no-prisoners reputation has one suit literally running scared—he uses a grappling hook and rope to flee his office building upon hearing that the columnist has arrived and wants a word. Alas, they meet on the sidewalk, and the man barks, "This is off the record!"—as Wolff, nonplussed, silently tries to comprehend the man's desperation. The voiceover, echoed in on-screen copy, says: "Read Michael Wolff. And thank your lucky stars he's not writing about you." Commercial acting—is it everything Wolff expected and more? "All in a day's shamelessness," he tells AdFreak. See the paper's ads for columnists Christine Brennan and Susan Page below.

Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz has ruffled some bedspreads with this truly odd (and probably NSFW, though it's not really explicit) commercial positioning its new website as way more exciting than boring old sex.

"The design is impressive and comfortable, but the user experience as a whole … there's a slight sense of 'Been there, done that,'" the actor says in mid-copulation, according to The Hollywood Reporter, apparently referring to the experience of reading a traditional newspaper. The new website, though, is where the real thrills lie. "Life is not as interesting as Ha'aretz's new website," says the slogan at the end.

THR reports that women's groups in Israel were immediately outraged by the spot and formally protested it with a letter to the publisher. But 10 days after it was posted, it remains up on YouTube—and has more than 180,000 views.

Via The Ethical Adman.

The Chicago Tribune really, really loves Boston. Following the moral support it showed last week in the wake of the bombings at the marathon (via an impressive stunt on the front page of the sports section), the Trib today doubled down by sending dozens of pizzas to the Boston Globe—a free lunch as a gesture of thanks and respect for the exhaustive and exhausting coverage the Globe reporters and editors churned out under difficult circumstances. "You make us all proud to be journalists," read the accompanying note. It's a wonderful gesture, and clearly appreciated by the Globe staffers. Some will say it's starting to feel a bit like an image campaign for the Tribune. But even so, who cares? Someone there is taking the time to show a little empathy and respect—two things that could be in greater supply at almost any news organization these days.

HBO placed this wonderful ad in Monday's New York Times, with the shadow of a dragon looming over two pages of fake stories. It's a shame they couldn't advertise over a real spread—and while the non-Times fonts surely make the editors breathe easier, it takes away from the effect just a little. But still a fun execution. Check out this Yahoo piece for more on the faux articles, and what they have to do with the show. Via The Denver Egotist.

UPDATE: HBO did something similar to its own building in L.A. (see below). A dragon was also reported to be hovering over IMDB.com on Tuesday. What else have they dragon-shadowed?

South Carolina’s Rock Hill Herald placed an ad for gun shop Nichols Store adjacent to a news story about Friday’s Newton school shooting. While the paper issued a profuse and, no doubt, sincere, apology along with the explanation the newspaper’s layout was determined before the shooting, it’s hard to believe no one caught this prior to printing. In any event, the newspaper’s apology is below.

Dear reader,

In Saturday’s Herald, an advertisement for guns was placed on a page near stories and a photograph about the tragic school shooting in Connecticut. Please be assured that this was neither intentional nor the fault of the advertiser.

Advertisements are usually placed days before the newspaper lands on your doorstep. In this case, the advertisement in question was placed Thursday morning.

But we at The Herald should have recognized the unfortunate juxtaposition of the advertisement with stories and a photograph about gun violence.

Multiple editors worked on the page and should have noticed the problem. We all made a terrible mistake, and for that I apologize.

Please know that we will continue to strive to bring you a newspaper that is reflective of our community, insightful and sensitive to its readers.

Sincerely,
Paul Osmundson
Editor

Adscam’s George Parker brings to our attention an amazing ad for The Guardian created by BBH, London.

Isn’t there enough fighting and disagreement in this world?

Click Image To Enlarge

Advertising Agency: Impact BBDO, Kuwait

Via [Ads2Blog]

The Chicago Tribune reduced its news staff once again on Wednesday, due to restructuring and

…the economic downturn and changes in the media business that Editor Gerould Kern said “will focus us more clearly on our core mission” going forward.

Nationally, newspaper circulation has been in freefall since 1987, and the parachute never deployed. The industry has been victimized by lifestyle changes, emerging technologies (cable TV, satellite TV, and the Internet), and other news sources, such as online TV and radio sites, and social media outlets. In an attempt to evolve, newspapers produced less news, adding gimmicky special sections to help reel in more revenue. Yet, simple economics kept advertisers from biting: as circulation declined and advertising costs rose, newspapers became the least-efficient choice. Additionally, the twenty-plus year struggle to add pages was counterproductive, as one of the largest causes for the industry’s decline was bulkiness (some Sunday papers weighed up to seven pounds).

Not only counter-productive, newspapers have been notoriously difficult to work with; high rates and confusing rate structures, accompanied with an unwillingness to negotiate have led many advertiser’s to steer clear of running ads in their local paper. One option, never implemented, was to move newspapers in the opposite direction, cutting down non-news items, reducing the size of the paper, and selling papers to a business-based demographic. However, no one took the road less traveled.

In AdAge today, Jason Klein, president-CEO of the Newspaper National Network (NNN, a partnership of 25 major newspaper companies) published his view on the state of the industry. The major point: airlines have survived tough times, and so will newspapers. Mr. Klein also partially blamed the industry’s woes on President Nixon’s Newspaper Preservation Act, which allowed Joint Operating Agreements between competing papers in large markets. He also stated that there are too many newspapers in existence today, and consolidation = survival. His final point brought up paying for online subscriptions.

What he did not address is the fact that online newspapers are currently free (with a few exceptions), and there may not be enough readers willing to pay for subscriptions. Consumers have come to expect free online information, and once papers begin to charge, many users will simply change sources.

Newspaper companies have enjoyed a long and profitable run; they’ve also known for years that this day was coming. If consolidation is the answer, as Mr. Klein states, it should have happened ten-years ago. Online opportunities should already be in operation, and streamlined papers are over a decade late.

Although the NNN states that it’s “time for a comeback,” newspapers close or declare bankruptcy weekly. Several papers have moved online, while others have simply ceased operation. Award-winning journalists have been sacked, but the skeletons of their papers remain. Much like the skeletons of dinosaurs.

Jeff Louis is a Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: www.linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or on twitter @jlo0312.