Archive for August, 2012

Daily Buzz 8-30-12

Inside AT&T’s First Major Foray Into Experiential Retail I’m standing in a Michigan Avenue shop that’s white, stylish, interactive — and not the Apple store. The gleaming 10,000-square-foot space — complete with an Apps Bar staffed by “app-tenders” and plenty of communal space to grab a seat and play with gadgets — bears more than a passing [ READ MORE ]

Daily Buzz 8-28-12

After 50 Years, Avis Drops Iconic ‘We Try Harder’ Tagline After five decades, the “We Try Harder” tagline that’s been synonymous with the Avis car-rental brand is being shed in favor of a new one. This week, the company rolls out a new ad campaign and a new tagline: “It’s Your Space,” targeted at busy business travelers. [ READ MORE ]

Daily Buzz 8-27-12

IBM Uses U.S. Open to Debut TV Ads Targeting CMOs IBM is inviting the CMO to join its Smarter Planet. The company is set to debut two TV ads targeting chief marketers during the U.S. Open tennis tournament. Though the ads don’t explicitly reference CMOs, they touch on topics of specific concern to marketers, from tailoring the [ READ MORE ]

Daily Buzz 8-23-12

La-Z-Boy shifts from dude chair to mom’s seat Long before the coinage of the term man cave—that realm in every house where dad reigns sovereign—the male dominion over the American home was manifest in a single piece of furniture: the La-Z-Boy recliner. Introduced in 1929 as “nature’s way of relaxing,” the first La-Z-Boy had been built [ READ MORE ]

Daily Buzz 8-22-12

Marketers Need to Understand the Fallout Over Gabby Douglas’ ‘Do’ When Gabby Douglas unexpectedly captured the Olympic Gold medal in gymnastics this summer, I was elated, peacock proud and genuinely happy for the 16-year-old and her family. It was all the more special for me because she is African American. Then, incredibly, followed flack from critics [ READ MORE ]

Daily Buzz 8-21-12

Acer Shows You What Kind of Cupcakes Kiefer Sutherland Would Make Kiefer Sutherland’s not one to shy from commercials. He recently appeared as a kind of touchy feely stud in a commercial for Axe out of BBH and has done voiceovers for Apple, among others. Today, in a new blockbuster spot for Acer, out of Mother [ READ MORE ]

Daily Buzz 8-20-12

Meet the Man Behind Nike’s Neon-Shoe Ambush You probably don’t know Martin Lotti. But if you watched the Olympics, you are definitely familiar with his handiwork. He’s the man behind those shoes — the beautifully crafted, incandescent kicks that whizzed by on the feet of 400 Olympic athletes, including USA’s Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee, Great Britain’s [ READ MORE ]

Daily Buzz 8-17-12

AMC Brings ‘The Pitch’ Back for a Second Season AMC is renewing “The Pitch,” the reality show that pits agencies against one another to win an account, despite lackluster ratings and some harsh criticism from within the industry. “Simply put, we love the show,” said Joel Stillerman, exec VP-original programming, production and digital content at AMC. “‘The [ READ MORE ]

Daily Buzz 8-16-12

New Jay-Z Movie Will Be Backed By Budweiser Anheuser-Busch InBev’s reasoning behind strengthening ties with Steve Stoute’s agency Translation is becoming more clear, given news today that the “Budweiser Made in America,” concert festival the agency put together is now being made into a film by Hollywood heavy-hitters Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. What’s more, when the [ READ MORE ]

Daily Buzz 8-15-12

Domino’s Revamping Stores, Drops ‘Pizza’ From Logo In a move that signals changing consumer behavior, Domino’s is revamping its logo and its stores to appeal more to the increasing number of consumers picking up their pizzas. Russell Weiner, Domino’s chief marketing officer, said that Domino’s pick-up business has been increasing in recent years, now accounting for about [ READ MORE ]