Tag Archives: advertising

h-d marketing escapes from solitary

harley tries new dance steps, picks 3 to replace carmichael lynch

iconic brand splits ad work three ways

News out this morning from Ad Age has Harley’s media planning/buying to Publicis Groupe’s Starcom (first globally in media buying – new adds include Darden Group, Best Buy) while doing a 180 and casting their creative future with newcomer Victors & Spoils following Carmichael Lynch’s ship jumping last August after 30 years of mostly hidebound (“screw it – lets ride”, jeans over boots) treatment. At the same time, Publicis shop Digitas is greenlighted for digital, a too long neglected portal. Continue reading →

cycle world management shakeup

little out; leisner named as replacement

In a series of major management changes at Cycle World magazine this week, Senior Vice-President/Chief Brand Officer Larry Little (left) was let go August 4th, following earlier news of the departure of Vice-President Brand Publisher (formerly national Advertising Director) Paul LaBella and long time veteran national Advertising Coordinator Dottie George.

Little first joined Cycle World in 1981, as Western Advertising Manager. In 1985 he took over as National Advertising Director before being named Publisher in 1990.

Little represents one of the last connections between Cycle World founder Joe Parkhurst and the current publication’s owners, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM), publishers of Car and Driver, Road & Track, Elle, and Women’s Day, among their best known titles.

Little, well known and regarded for his role in guiding the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) as Chairman for the past seven years and board member for 13, is also integral to the success of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation in partnering with the powersports community.

labella oversaw national ad sales

LaBella, with HFM in Detroit before joining the Cycle World staff in the early ’90s, took over as National Ad Director from Little and oversaw the publication’s growth during the past two decades.

Leisner returns to the magazine after a previous stint as Western Advertising Manager in the late ’90s.

the ultimate consumer

why pay once when you can pay twice?

Does Corvette know their customers or what? Say you’ve got a hankering for a nifty new ZR1 or Z06. The dealership’s walked you through all the paperwork, but in order to really feel fulfilled, you’d like to lend a hand on the engine assembly line.

For a nominal $5,800 fee, all things are possible, and helping build your own blown and injected engine that you’ve already paid for once is one of those life experiences that, if you have to explain, no one would understand. Visit your local Chevy dealer for details.

via adland.tv – all the ad news not fit to print

fresh twist in online ads

Got caught up reading a link from Poynter Institute’s Daily Beast RSS feed and noticed this tasty fresh approach to presenting online advertising – note the word wrap to the ad’s outline.

For all I know this technique’s been around awhile but it’s the first time I’ve noticed. End result: eyecatching integration and another step closer to replicating print sex appeal in an increasingly flexible online framework.

the ad harley should have made

jeep would settle for just a little respect

As The Motor Company continues to lurch from marketing pillar to advertising post, this new message for Jeep Chrysler nicely summons the Zeitgeist Harley historically fails to communicate. The 60-second ad from Wieden+Kennedy (Nike) introduces Jeep’s new slogan, “The Things We Make, Make Us.” Wow. Perfect. And perfectly positioned. Continue reading →

but – what about print?

Today, thanks to desktop publishing, four color printing has never been cheaper, crisper, smarter or easier. It also finds itself nearly shipwrecked in channel after channel, helping to drag down the US Post Office along the way.

The June, 2007 issue of Motorcycle Product News ran 108 pages including covers. By March, 2010, the pages had shrunk – along with staff and editorial budget – to 56 and counting. This isn’t to pick on venerable MPN, long a staple in the powersports community – they’re just one among thousands of titles facing real issues of survival. It’s more an open question of what happens next to the communications infrastructure when fading advertising revenue can’t sustain the hard costs print publishing requires.

Continue reading →

why i do what i do

Tough to pick a favorite role model from this trailer for Art&Copy, an ad shop darling with an ’09 Sundance pedigree now making the rounds of art theaters and video conference rooms across the land. I’ll go with George Lois; predictably profane and absolutely dead-on in his assessment of what trips peoples’ triggers.

Next would have to be Lee Clow, unforgettable for his “1984” breakout for Apple which easily established the viral category long before there was one.

As the discretionary border between creative wow! and God-awful crap continues to erode, self absorbed ceos, lacky beancounters and DIY afficianados “who think they can” really should stop and think: if your creative skills really are that golden, why hasn’t anyone other than you paid you for them? Come to think of it, where the hell is that beef everyone once talked about?

mmm, med. rare creative hits the spot

great creative from a steak house includes the hilarious expense report generatorSomehow the hilariously effective Expense Report Generator from NYC steakhouse Maloney & Porcelli escaped mention on our blog. Until now, thanks to Ad Age’s Bob Garfield’s sharp eye.

We’ve never eaten there, but will at the drop of a hat if we’re ever in the same zip code. This is the kind of all around professional creative that separates ROI from DIY.

Clever, original, funny. Served with a satisfyingly snarky attitude, both the clean and functional web site and the technically over the top flash driven report generator easily make our list of neat-O stuff done really well.

volkswagen me a tune

Volkswagen Sweden’s gotten plenty of attention for their DDB created spot featuring a Stockholm subway, an escalator, and a giganourmous set of stairway piano keys ready to be trod upon.

This is just plain good stuff, showing – again – how much a role creativity plays in shaping and directing behavior. If you haven’t seen it yet, go ahead. Smile at your inner self. And thanks again to advertising for contributing to the best that’s in us.