All posts for the month November, 2011

The Ads of Christmas Past: Pampers (2006) “Peace on Earth”

Being the sap that I am, I found it hard not to cry during this commercial. This ad proves that less is more. All it takes is a timeless song performed by one voice and simple footage to capture vulnerability, beauty, and peace. It doesn’t get much more powerful than this. The campaign was tied [...]

Truth in Advertising… No, Seriously.

Some of you may have seen the recent Chevrolet ad where a man is reunited with his beloved 1965 Chevy Impala that he was forced to sell years earlier due to financial difficulties. If you were like me, you assumed that the “Chevy True Story”, while probably based on actual events, was more of a [...]

The Ads of Christmas Past: Colt Guns (1939)

Note to marketers: Probably best not to run ads like this in a down economy. Besides, any 80′s movie buff knows that guns and Christmas don’t mix:

Will Best Buy Prevail by Throwing Santa Under the Sled?

It’s official – the holidays are here. And even though they say it’s better to give than to receive, many retailers are expecting a lot in return for their hefty advertising budgets. The more you give, the more you get. Well, one daring retailer is putting this theory to the test with a brand new, [...]

The Ads of Christmas Past: Coke (1971), “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing”

The clothes may be outdated, but the message is still relevant. Perhaps now more than ever. The creative vision for this spot began when a plane was diverted to Ireland because of fog. You can read the whole story here.  

Retro Ad of the Week: Cadillac (1915), The Penalty of Leadership

All text, no photos, but still powerful. This ad shows how far autmobile advertising has come. Here is the text, in case you can’t read the image: “In every field of human endeavour, he that is first must perpetually live in the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership be vested in a man or [...]

Is Christmas Commercialism Such a Bad Thing?

It happens every year. The Christmas decor and merchandise start creeping into the department stores and the holiday TV spots start airing. Many say it creeps earlier and earlier every year. There is one store though that refuses to give way to the holiday push until it’s official. Haute department store Nordstrom puts it’s Jimmy Choo-clad foot down and [...]

Stop Salivating Over Potential Holiday Sales for Just a Second

I know, I know. You’re excited at the prospect of affluent shoppers opening up their purses in your stores or on your website. It’s exciting stuff. We’re all hoping that the sales predictions will be true. But even if they’re not, you - the head honcho, marketer extraordinaire, or whatever you may be – have things [...]

The Muppets Take America

It all started with a rendition of “Bein’ Green” on an episode of Glee three weeks ago. And then two weeks ago, during the Harry Potter marathon on ABC Family, it was the spoof of the same station’s Pretty Little Liars. And they’ve taken on pretty much every other blockbuster that’s come out in November, [...]

Retro Ad of the Week: Bulova Watches (1958)

FUN FACT: Bulova paid $9 for the world’s first television commercial, a July 1, 1941, placement on New York station WNBT before a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies.