Hasta La Creative!

LONDON – Peter Iacono has been appointed as president and a managing director of ITV Worldwide.

As we all know, brands are living things. They can get sick, they can get tired, or they can thrive and become energetic. The getting better/mending (and potential positive turnabout) is off to a good start with this relatively recent branding ad for Saturn automobiles. In fact, I really dig this ad!

Saturn was one of the only GM brands that had darling status in the industry when it was introduced some 22 years ago. But in the last decade, Saturn has endured a steady erosion of brand equity and sales of its automobiles. Part of the decline was due to unimaginative automobiles given to it by GM — but, getting away from its original branding has also played a role.

This “Rethink American” ad and platform re-make of the Saturn brand has me optimistic about the division’s future. The ad is thought-provoking in a more global consequential way, as well as informative about the Saturn line-up. It sizes up that things change — how we once viewed things, now mean something else. And, with Saturn’s 5 new models, commitment to affordable hybrids, and a 100,000 mile (5 year powertrain) warranty, it may be worth giving this brand another look.

As the ad’s uplifting rock music articulates in the end, I may be ready to “come around”. Good idea, good execution, and good luck turning the corner resurrecting the Saturn brand.

Technorati Tags: GM, Saturn, Brands, Rethink American, Beyond Madison Avenue

That popping sound you heard last night wasn't the champagne corks at the Clinton and McCain headquarters. No, that was the sound of pundits and so-called experts pulling explanations and excuses out of their posteriors.

PARIS – ZenithOptimedia has strengthened its hold on the L’Oreal account by winning the media buying business in France.

The "Hey, it’s not the New Year anymore" Edition

Recorded Dec. 30th but posted just now for a savory, yet slightly rotten, taste:

Chapter One:    Stone cold open
Chapter Two:   NEW FEATURE "Like it" or "Tired of it"
Chapter Three: Off Star Technology
Chapter Four:   What retailers could learn from ad club
Chapter Five:   The Gumbel Brothers
Chapter Six:     Webkinz mania
Chapter Seven: Traditions

P.S. We’re giddy to tease you with the fact that our next podcast is going to feature a super cool ad legend type. More details soon. In the meantime, listen to this.

LONDON – Sony Ericsson is to headline sponsor the Empire Film Awards 2008 for the fifth successive year.

LONDON – BT has handed its consolidated £65 million media planning and buying account to the Publicis agencies Starcom and Zed Media.

LONDON – The proportion of unsolicited emails compared to all emails reached a record high of 97.02% during December 2007, according to figures released by UK email security provider SoftScan.

LONDON – BusinessWeek is launching an Israeli edition in Hebrew, featuring editorial from BusinessWeek as well as local stories developed by Tel-Aviv publishing company Hirsh Media.

It’s a tough marketing challenge, since you can’t rely on any individual’s repeat business to sustain a customer base. But a wire-service story suggests there’s a “potentially huge” market for biodegradable coffins as part of a broader trend toward “natural” burials, which avoid formaldehyde embalming and other planet-hostile practices. The story notes that cremation used to be viewed as the eco-friendly way of disposing of oneself but has fallen out of environmentalist favor due to its use of fossil fuels. No doubt ad agencies will come up with catchy slogans to tout competing brands of biodegradable coffins.

—Posted by Mark Dolliver