Monthly Archives: June 2007

i vanna that phona

In case you’ve been on the dark side of the moon the past six months, today’s launch day for Apple’s much touted iPhone.

The past week has been a barrage of news about the device. Network television, major print, every periodical from fashion to child rearing to brides to construction has run multiple pieces on the fashionably bundled technology from Cupertino.

Which is the point I want to make. The iPhone rollout is officially the most highly touted new product intro ever. Ever. And while Apple’s thought to have budgeted $100 million on the campaign, the unpaid media effort is many multiples of that number.

In the world of public relations, this is a certifiable coup. Looking for case studies on best practices? Look no further.

uncharted territory – ebay a target?

Yesterday’s reversal by a 5-4 Supreme Court majority of 1911’s Sherman antitrust prohibition of retail price maintainence agreements, in which the manufacturer can set and enforce the price at retail, causes my brow to wrinkle trying to anticipate how this sea change will affect the aftermarket industry.

Off the top, I don’t agree. The Bush administration, arguing in support of the appeal brought by a designer of leather products against a Dallas reseller of fashion items, cited some economists opinions that price fixing can promote competition.
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mickey d on the move

Monday night’s network broadcast news included a feature on McDonald’s move to recruit in the know moms in two capacities: food tasters to the realm, and evangelistas to the masses. Two separate strategies, one common goal. And it seems as though it might just work, as the noose continues to tighten around Wendy’s continuing struggles.

Tuesday morning, my daily AdAge inbox brief ran the same news. Coincidence? So what do moms and burgers have to do with powersports?
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