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When Life Gives You Lemons, Watch This...

2012-02-10T18:08:47Z

The movie is called Lemonade. It's about 40 minutes long, and it's a riveting look at what can happen if/when you get laid off from your advertising job. Watch it, it's good.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Watch This... originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Friday, February 10th, 2012 at 18:08:47.

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Is This the Beginning of the End for Goodby?

2012-02-09T10:37:00Z

One of the best creative shops in America, if not the world, is cutting hundreds of jobs. Much like the demise of the great Cliff Freeman & Partners, the announcement could spell very dark days ahead for Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. This is a section from the February 8th announcement Jeff Goodby himself sent to Agency Spy:

"Today, we at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners have begun adjusting the size of our staff in the wake of losing Sprint and parting ways with Hewlett-Packard. We don't divulge the number of people or the percentage of our staff affected, but it's commensurate with the numbers you'd have for accounts this size."

So, what are the numbers? It's estimated around 200 people will be laid off. That's 200, not 20. I really wish Goodby the best of luck. They do great work and this is a big blow for the ad industry, and the economy of San Francisco. Such a shame.

Is This the Beginning of the End for Goodby? originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Thursday, February 9th, 2012 at 10:37:00.

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The Top 5 Best, and Worst, Super Bowl Ads of 2012

2012-02-07T17:38:32Z

Here it is. My roundup of the good, the bad and the ugly. Mainly it was the latter, but I did find five spots that were better than average. Do you agree, or disagree? Did I miss something off the list? Let me know.

The Top 5 Best, and Worst, Super Bowl Ads of 2012 originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 at 17:38:32.

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The 2012 Super Bowl...How Was It For You?

2012-02-06T11:34:25Z

Not talking about the game here. That was a nailbiter and I loved it. But the ads that were liberally sprinkled through it, how did you feel about those? Everyone has their favorites, it's the main topic of conversation today (besides the actual game itself, and of course, the half-time show with MIA's bird-flipping nonsense). I'll give a roundup of my hits and misses tomorrow, but first, a poll.

UPDATE: The Top 5 Best, and Worst, Super Bowl Ads of 2012.

The 2012 Super Bowl...How Was It For You? originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Monday, February 6th, 2012 at 11:34:25.

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Sound Advice from Howard Gossage

2012-02-02T12:57:02Z

If you don't know him, check him out here.

Sound Advice from Howard Gossage originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 at 12:57:02.

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American Apparel, You Clearly Have No Idea About Marketing.

2012-02-01T18:39:20Z

So American Apparel, the clothing retailer who has always taken itself far too seriously, just shot itself in the foot. Again. And here's why. First, they launch a contest for plus-sized models, looking for THE NEXT BIG THING. Seriously, the title alone is enough to insult the average woman (and as most women are not anorexic catwalk models, that's a lot of women). But then they add this to the description of the contest:

"Calling curvy ladies everywhere! Our best-selling Disco Pant (and around 10 other sexy styles) are now available in size XL, for those of us who need a little extra wiggle room where it counts. We're looking for fresh faces (and curvaceous bods) to fill these babies out. If you think you've got what it takes to be the next XLent model, send us photos of you and your junk to back it up."

Boy, how do you spell condescending? And "those of us" implies that there are people at American Apparel who aren't rakes. Not that you'd know from their advertising. Why not just come out and say "Hey, fatties, we have some pants that will fit your gigantic butt, and we want you to have a laugh while doing it. Show us fat people can have fun too!"

Enter Nancy Upton, a very attractive "plus-sized" model (size 12...is that even big?) who decided to have a little fun at American Apparel's expense. Her photos were funny, carefully crafted and very well-received by the public. (Hmm, I wonder why?) In fact, they were so well-received that she won the contest by a landslide!

What happened next is a prime example of sour grapes, and a brand that doesn't know how to grow up and embrace something that could have really turned a negative into a positive. As the winner of the contest, AA should have gracefully (and with a cheery smile) given her the prize and been just as good-humored about it. They get to admit that the contest was, in fact, a bit silly, and give credit to Nancy for a job well done. What did they do? They cried about it, and sent out this reply:

"It's a shame that your project attempts to discredit the positive intentions of our challenge based on your personal distaste for our use of light-hearted language, and that "bootylicous" was too much for you to handle. While we may be a bit TOO inspired by Beyoncé, and do have a tendency to occasionally go pun-crazy, we try not to take ourselves too seriously around here. I wonder if you had taken just a moment to imagine that this campaign could actually be well intentioned, and that my team and I are not out to offend and insult women, would you have still behaved in the same way, mocking the confident and excited participants who put themselves out there?"

"Oh--and regarding winning the contest, while you were clearly the popular choice, we have decided to award the prizes to other contestants that we feel truly exemplify the idea of beauty inside and out, and whom we will be proud to have representing our company."

Oh, how wrong can you be? This is as juvenile as the models usually featured in the AA ads, and it's nothing short of a temper tantrum. And Nancy, she doesn't get her prize, but she does get respect. AND, to show up American Apparel for who they really are. So, think twice before you buy the overpriced clothes that are custom fit for adults who wear children's sizes. Do you really want to pad the profit margin of a company as shallow as this?

Nancy, you're great. More power to your ranch-covered elbow. And read Nancy's blog right here.

American Apparel, You Clearly Have No Idea About Marketing. originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 18:39:20.

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Freelancing FAQs - What You Need To Know

2012-01-31T09:43:32Z

Freelancing can be tricky. If it's something you do on the side, you don't want it to consumer every waking minute of your spare time. If it's your full time job, you need to figure out taxes, healthcare and a whole lot more. We get a lot of questions about freelancing here at About.com's Advertising channel. Here are the answers to the top six questions. And if you're in the mood for some career tips, read this article on assembling spec work.

Freelancing FAQs - What You Need To Know originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 at 09:43:32.

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Brand Identity Reviewed By a 5-Year Old

2012-01-30T15:30:41Z

Great idea, well executed, and some terrific insights. Thanks for the recommendation Kristin. For more about brands, read this on competitive ad strategies.

Brand Identity Reviewed By a 5-Year Old originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Monday, January 30th, 2012 at 15:30:41.

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How to Create a Great Super Bowl Ad

2012-01-30T10:30:46Z

If you're lucky enough to have a client who wants to do one, and has that kind of money to spend, you are actually more than lucky - you've hit the jackpot. It's the dream of every advertising creative to do a Super Bowl spot. But then the time comes, the pressure piles on, and so few actually deliver on the promise. Here's some advice to overcome Super Bowl ad fumbles.

How to Create a Great Super Bowl Ad originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Monday, January 30th, 2012 at 10:30:46.

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The 27-Minute Saul Bass Pitch for the Redesign of the Bell System Logo

2012-01-27T17:24:56Z

If only more people were as passionate about their work. And did they realize how lucky they were to have Saul Bass anywhere near their logo redesign project?

For more on advertising history, check out these articles:

A Brief History of Political Advertising in the USA

The Stella Artois "Reassuringly Expensive" Campaign

A Profile of Bill Bernbach

The 27-Minute Saul Bass Pitch for the Redesign of the Bell System Logo originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 17:24:56.

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