After selling his consultancy, crayon, in January of 2010, Joseph Jaffe is back in the agency saddle again. His new company is called Evol8tion, LLC.
Evol8tion aims to change the way brands work with technology-based startups via early stage participation with early stage ventures.
“The startup lives in the epicenter of technology-inspired innovation,” said Jaffe. “But brands are often not brought into the picture until the startup is so far downstream in the process that it’s too late to influence direction, partner or truly innovate.”
On board with Jaffe’s new venture already are two blue chip companies, Kraft Foods and Anheuser-Busch InBev.
“Innovation is no longer a nice to have for brands, it’s now become imperative to stimulate a deeper and more meaningful connection with consumers,” said Ed Kaczmarek, Director of Innovation, Consumer Experiences at Kraft Foods. “We’ve been doing just that with initiatives like our iFood Assistant and Big Fork Little Fork apps, as well as our partnerships with Intel and Shopkick. Through our collaboration with Evol8tion, we are looking to accelerate our innovation pipeline even further.”
Ad people will see echoes of Richard Grant’s character in How to Get Ahead in Advertising. To me, it’s a happier though no less weird version of the classic “Second Evil Head” spot for Mike’s Hard Iced Tea.
As reported here earlier this week, Cars.com is a brand likely to connect with the Super Bowl audience. And this spot will likely do the trick, as well, given that it will be seen (and appreciated) in loud party environments, not judges booths at Cannes.
What’s the difference between a talented ad executive and a talented and successful ad executive? Often times, the successful one knows how to present.
Coughter knows his stuff. He co-founded an agency in Richmond and is now a professor at VCU Brandcenter along with a consultant to ad agencies around the world. What he imparts are lessons learned from many years pitching and winning new business.
The Art of the Pitch offers great advice and tips for presentations of all kinds, but even more valuable (and fun) are the stories from other ad execs that complete each section. Bill Westbrook, Jeff Goodby, Anne Bologna, Sally Hogshead, John Butler and others relate anecdotes that are sometimes good, and sometimes embarrassing.
Of all the books that might give you a hand moving up in the ad business, The Art of the Pitch just might be one of the more valuable ones.
Special thanks to Palgrave Macmillan for providing me with a review copy.
Amidst recent news of recalls and skepticism from the general public, Chevrolet is seeking to regain support for the Volt by featuring Hamtramck, the Detroit neighborhood where the car is built.
In its open-letter-format newspaper ads, GM CEO Dan Akerson writes that the Volt is “the most significant step in GM’s history to give customers a choice beyond oil” and “a technological ‘moon shot’. …Yes, the world is learning from Detroit again. And we couldn’t be prouder.”
I think this is a good spot, but it’s not going to quiet critics of the automaker and its car. Still, it’s technology that has to be, and ultimately will be, improved. Hopefully the good people of Hamtramck will press on.
At a price north of three million dollars for a Super Bowl spot this year, Chief Marketing Officers might be sweating some ROI-tipped bullets. With good reason. It’s a big spend and not every company is well suited to court the Super Bowl audience.
Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys’ president, tells Marketing Daily that a brand can’t make awareness the goal. “Everyone’s advertising is known by everyone. But what did you get besides time and exposure?”
Amy Shea, EVP of global brand development at Brand Keys, adds, “The creative can be wonderful, but brands forget that creative can only go so far in terms of whether or not there is fit between the brand and the Super Bowl.”
Passikoff and Shea’s data suggest that Dorito’s, Hyundai and Cars.com will likely get their money’s worth, whereas, Budweiser, Best Buy and Century 21 will not.
Passikoff and Shea also believe that “a laugh, a sigh, or a tweet aren’t really acceptable returns on an investment this size.” Perhaps, but a million or more tweets, a.k.a. massive word of mouth, might be worth something. No?
We don’t feature enough radio on this site. With that said, let’s give this spot from M&C Saatchi Worldwide a listen. The spot was created to raise awareness of fire risks amongst visitors that would be staying in campervans during the Rugby World Cup 2011 (NZ). “Lame, lame your van could go up in flames.” [...]
Tom Sullivan, a principal at MDC Partners-owned shop Vitro in San Diego, thinks ad pros could learn a thing or two from political hacks. Writing in Ad Age, Sullivan argues: The truth is that agencies and brands often miss opportunities to attack. Elections are a good reminder to agencies that drawing direct comparisons can work. [...]
It’s like Moby Dick, but Audi quattro is the whale and a Northwoods tow-truck driver is Captain Ahab. Filmed in sub zero temperatures in Alaska, “Ahab” was directed by Daniel Kleinman and edited by Cut + Run’s Steve Gandolfi for agency Venables Bell & Partners.
I’d say my advertising career as a copywriter has been a bit unusual in one sense: Most of the CDs I directly reported to have been women. But it’s not that way for most people, nor are many of the top CD slots at agencies held by women. To call attention to the issue, and [...]
