Archive for September 2007
Davis Thinking
Movie Week: Getting Even #2
Death Sentence, from the torture-porn folks of SAW infamy, explores a deep, lasting and personal motivation for rage: injustice. Violence with a noble purpose is still violence? Vigilantes are heroes? The Hatfield and McCoys for a modern age - with much more fire power.
Quantity Over Quality
Given tight deadlines today, this blog post arguably has neither. But I thought this article on OpenAd.net, “The Biggest Creative Department in the World,” was worthy of discussion.
Brand Wal-Mart: Basics Bungled, Leadership Lost
The retail giant's new slogan suggests Wal-Mart is part of a higher standard of living. There's more than one problem with that claim, from internal policies to a lack of marketing vision.
Will it Flush? Kohler Rips Blendtec in Flash Crap Fest
Never underestimate the power of an agency creative team to sweep in on a successful Internet phenomenon and whore the idea out to a client. So it goes with Kohler—the bold toiletsmiths of tomorrow. Taking a cue from the wildly successful Blendtec “Will it Blend?” series of catchy YouTube videos, Kohler has plunged the depths of their creatives to come up with JosPlumbing.com.
Movie Week: Getting Even #1
The Brave One, starring Jodie Foster, is just one of several "vigilante" movies coming to the screen now. Why so many of them all at once? We're feeling a little worried about this emerging cultural narrative. National group therapy, anyone?
Music Week: Amsterdam Revisited
We'll end the week the way we started it. More Amsterdam! This time, Guster sings. Here's to hoping you're getting somewhere!
10 Little Things #18
See what's up against the wall. Read some redacted text. Get life tips from a dumb little man. Meet some daring bakers. Find jeans that fit true. And bring some precision to your nutrition. It's all in this week's 10 Little Things We Love.
Music Week: Tupac Shakur
To some, he was a thug and a criminal. To most, he was the most gifted rapper and hip hop artist that ever lived. Either way, he will forever be remembered. And he died 11 years ago today.
Critics of the at&t Brand, BACK OFF!
Many are bitching about at&t’s ‘identity crisis.’ This week, BusinessWeek reports that “AT&T Rebrands. Again.” After acquiring cingular in a mammoth merger, at&t chose to do some brand remodeling to incorporate the new owner. Many saw this as a poor decision:
Web Content Strategy: What’s Your Signal-to-Noise Ratio?
Congratulations. Your business has embraced a digital content strategy. You’ve all settled on the cornflower blue icons. The company president wants to know if you’ve “gotten IT to install the Web 2.0 yet.” You’re sitting in your cube, taking a moment to breathe, thinking that the beast has been slain, the stables cleaned, the rock is on the top of the mountain, and hey, Hell looks nice from up here.
