Archive for November 2008
At Issue } essential reading
Marketing in the World of the Web
Retailers will eventually recover from the consumption tailspin that threatens this holiday season. But quite apart from the recession, there are other, profound changes underway in the retail sector. As the evidence mounts about the power of social networks to reconfigure individual behavior, the crucial question facing industry is: How to leverage this phenomenon into actual profits?
GM: Death of an American Dream
In many ways the story of General Motors since the 1960s is a tale of accelerating irrelevance. Customer preferences changed, competition tightened, technology made big leaps, and GM was always driving a lap behind.
Welcome to the Post-Agency Era
The post-agency era is upon us. With staggering speed and efficiency, consumer preferences and digital technologies have coalesced to create a broad and deep cultural demand for direct relationships. In this disintermediated market, do we need go-betweens at all?
Becoming Screen Literate
Everywhere we look, we see screens.These ever-present screens have created an audience for very short moving pictures, as brief as three minutes, while cheap digital creation tools have empowered a new generation of filmmakers, who are rapidly filling up those screens. We are headed toward screen ubiquity.
Country of Origin: A Brands Best Friend?
A multiple choice question: is Land Rover British, German or American? Or none of the above? That’s right - it’s Chinese. The Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) recently acquired the brand and the rights to all its past models for US$140 million.
Should Newspapers Become Online Ad Brokers for Local Businesses?
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and that's where the newspaper business is right now. With profits slashed, unending layoffs, and online ad growth slowing, newspapers have to be open to new ideas that will help them deal with a media shift like no other.
Embrace Cultural Diversity? Ignore It At Your Peril
For brand marketers today, "global" is increasingly the name of the game. Long the prerogative of American and European brands, now Chinese, Indian, Mexican and Brazilian brands are seeking to establish their position as global players. Underlying this push to globalize brands is the assumption that the world is becoming more homogeneous.
Lessons for Marketers Who Face a Hard Sell
Ask a dozen advertising agencies for advice on marketing in a downturn and the chances are that each will begin with a lecture on the dangers of cutting budgets. Even for those having to do more with less, however, there are lessons to be learned about how to return stronger.
The Perils of Having a Passionate Helmsman
Switching jobs from Chief Yahoo to Yahoo Chief does not sound like a stretch. It was for Jerry Yang.
Advertising Age Special Report: Marketing 50
Advertising Age honors the top brands of the year -- and the brains behind them.
