AltWeeklies Wire
Wieden+Kennedy's Briliant Pitch or Epic Failnew
Deep within the labyrinthine layers of Wieden+Kennedy's Pearl District headquarters is the secret responsible for the company's three-decade run of screaming creative success. It’s a record that is the envy of every madman in the ad game.
Willamette Week |
Aaron Mesh |
12-04-2009 |
Media
The Case Against Chevronnew
An unprecedented campaign by at least a dozen nonprofit groups targets the oil company's global operations and reputation.
East Bay Express |
Peter Asmus |
12-02-2009 |
Environment
Feminists vs. PETA: 'Sexist' Ads Draw Portland Protestnew
The loosely knit Portland Feminist Action League organized the "flash protest" via the internet, criticizing PETA for its "sexist and offensive" animal rights campaigns. PETA's protests have featured nude women in cages, and most recently, the organization produced a billboard that pictured a fat woman in a bikini that read, "Save the whales! Lose the blubber. Go vegetarian."
The Portland Mercury |
Sarah Mirk |
08-28-2009 |
The War on Women
'Art & Copy': How to Sell Soap and Sex and VWsnew
However stirring these vintage campaigns and their graying creators may be for ad junkies like me, Doug Pray fails at analysis. His film is simply a tribute. And linking the ad biz to cave art -- well, that's just idiotic.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
08-24-2009 |
Reviews
New Documentary 'Art & Copy' Celebrates the Men Behind Ads by Skimming the Surfacenew
Advertising has long been perceived as a mirror reflecting reality back to consumers as a wish-fulfillment exercise. In that sense, Art & Copy is a worthy addition to a time-honored tradition.
New York Press |
Mark Peikert |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
Why is Tarantino's Opus Being Greeted With Indifference, Even Disdain?new
Some of the blase reception may be ingrained distaste for the Weinstein Company, or Grindhouse fatigue. But I suspect it has just as much to do with the way we have all been bought off by Hollywood marketing -- our loyalty purchased not with payola, but with proximity to the hot new thing.
Willamette Week |
Aaron Mesh |
08-19-2009 |
Reviews
If Your Love is Cheap, Windows Loves Your Bandnew
Microsoft's Sponsored Songs program is the latest in a series of variably successful attempts by large companies to use independent music to reach a new audience. If it is to be a long-term strategy, though, many say it must form a stronger bond between the bands and brands it links.
What's the Real Deal with Idaho-Made Vodkas?new
Recently, a handful of Idaho-made craft vodkas have started appearing on cocktail menus and "buy local" shelves at liquor stores. But what separates the Grey Gooses from the rotguts? Is it ingredients, number of times distilled and fancy filtrations processes? Or just excellent marketing?
Boise Weekly |
Tara Morgan |
04-22-2009 |
Food+Drink
Seattle's New Way to Fetishize Coffeenew
As a marketing strategy, "cupping" is straight from the wine-industry playbook. As a means of enjoying coffee, it's mostly hot air.
Seattle Weekly |
Jonathan Kauffman |
12-22-2008 |
Food+Drink
Zac Mazzotta Takes the Safe Sex Industry by Stormnew
Using extreme-sports-based marketing and a unique type of latex that he personally traveled the world over to find, Mazzotta has steered Santa Barbara-based Bravo from industry newbie to international critical acclaim.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Ethan Stewart |
12-15-2008 |
Sex
Old-Time Religion in New Locations Infiltrate Bostonnew
The congregation of Fenway Church, which is composed largely of young adults in their 20s and 30s, started worshipping at a new venue on October 5th. It doesn't have pews or an organ, but it does offer a stage, surround sound, plasma TVs and a bar.
Dig Boston |
Alexandra Dednah |
11-20-2008 |
Religion
The Eco Hustle: What Green Meansnew
A collision of double entendre has caught us in the crossfire of capitalism and self-preservation. We need to sort it out. But our closest hold on what to do is a vague reference we mostly associate with money. Is it just a buying guide? What does "green" actually mean?
Flagpole Magazine |
Alan Flurry |
10-03-2008 |
Environment
Confessions of a Promo-CD Junkie: Who Will Stop the Music Industry Gravy Train?new
With so much music available at the click of a mouse, do tastemakers really need hard copies anymore? Is it worth the waste?
L.A. Weekly |
Randall Roberts |
09-26-2008 |
Music
Fiberglass Giants: Chicago's Last Bastions of Marketing Kitschnew
During the 1960s and 1970s, the sight of massive pop-art fiberglass figures greeted drivers on streets and smaller highways across the country. From California to Maine, drivers and their families were alerted by figures in the forms of hotdogs, hamburgers, cowboys, clowns, alligators and oranges, lobsters and loons.
Chicago Newcity |
David Witter |
08-06-2008 |
Art
TV Ads Signal a Widening Divide in Video Game Marketingnew
Ads for Battlefield 2: Bad Company imply that games aren't just for geeks anymore.
Charleston City Paper |
Aaron R. Conklin |
07-09-2008 |
Video Games