Advertising

Product Placement in Print

by Sheldon Rampton — October 19, 2003 - 10:00pm

"As TV and movies embrace a Madison & Vine ethos of blending entertainment with marketers' products and messages, magazine editors and publishers find themselves trying to pull off a tricky balancing act of maintaining the 'church and state' wall between editorial and advertising," writes Jon Fine. Recent examples include: a cover photo of Angelina Jolie on Rolling Stone that opened to a three-page ad featuring the sexy Ms.

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Advertising Age, October 20, 2003

Operation Army Advertising

by Sheldon Rampton — September 9, 2003 - 3:58am

"Just like in the old days, the military wants you," writes Beth Snyder Bulik. "But these days, Uncle Sam has a better pitch. With the help of big-time ad agencies and sleek messages, the stalwart armed services have modernized their marketing and advertising o and attracted a new generation of recruits in the process." Tactics used to promote its "Army of One" slogan have included interactive games on the Internet and sponsorship of a NASCAR race car.

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American Way Magazine, September 2003

Consumers Trust Media Reports Over Advertising

by Laura Miller — August 24, 2003 - 10:00pm

"A clear majority of American consumers are more likely to trust media reports than advertising, according to a nationwide poll conducted by consumer research company RoperASW last month," PR Week writes.
"The study ... showed that 68%
of participants place more weight on news coverage than advertising when determining their trust of individual companies. While just 23% of respondents said they consider the
two to be of equal value, a mere 9% called advertising more important." While this may come as no surprise, it's a boon for PR firms, often vying with advertisers for corporate dollars.

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PR Week, August 25, 2003

State Department Eyes Internet Ads

by Laura Miller — August 20, 2003 - 10:00pm

The State Department has issued a request for proposals for "an advertising campaign targeting Arab-language media on the web with the goal of explaining U.S. policy in the Middle East," O'Dwyer's PR Daily reports. "As part of that work, State also wants to pitch its 'Rebuilding Afghanistan' Arabic site to show that 'the U.S. follows through with its obligations and promises,' according to a copy of the proposal.

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O'Dwyer's PR Daily, August 21, 2003

Drug Industry Front Scares Seniors With Radio Ads

by Laura Miller — July 15, 2003 - 10:00pm

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has condemned a radio scare campaign sponsored by the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. "In a bid to defeat legislation that would allow the 'reimportation' of American-made drugs from Canada and Europe, a lobby group calling itself the Seniors Coalition is questioning the safety of Canadian and European prescription drugs," the Toronto Star reports. Reimported drugs are cheaper for seniors to buy. The legislation is part of the $400 billion, 10-year overhaul of the Medicare.

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Toronto Star, July 16, 2003

What Would Jesus (Rivera) Drive?

by Laura Miller — July 13, 2003 - 10:00pm

The industry front group Sport Utility Vehicle Owners of America is striking back at a Christian-sponsored anti-SUV campaign that asked "What Would Jesus Drive?" The Holland (MI) Sentinel reports that SUVOA, which has several hundred members, has created a $17,000 ad that asks, "What Would Jesus (Rivera) Drive?" According to the ad, Rivera drives an SUV because it gets him through the snow in winter, and his wife likes it because she can easily transport their grandchildren.

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Holland (MI) Sentinel, July 14, 2003

Advertising 'Essential 2' Chemical Industry Image

by Laura Miller — June 30, 2003 - 10:00pm

The American Chemistry Council is considering an advertising campaign by ad giant Ogilvy & Mather "that would convey to the American public how essential the chemical industry is to modern life." The chemical industry trade association saw the campaign proposal, which could cost several hundred thousand dollars, at its recent exclusive membership meeting, reports Michael McCoy in Chemical & Engineer News. Ogilvy's initial market research "shows that the campaign could really 'move the needle' on the public's dim view of the industry. ...

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Chemical & Engineering News, July 1, 2003

Military Recruitment Ads Focus On Parents

by Laura Miller — June 29, 2003 - 10:00pm

The U.S. Department of Defense has launched a new $1.7 million ad campaign designed to convince parents and other adults to encourage young people to join the military. The Washington Times reports that campaign features five successful veterans, highlighting "qualities such as commitment and perseverance" that the vets have gained from service. "We focus on the more emotional aspects the military has to offer," George Rogers, vice president of the agency that created the ads, told the Times.

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Washington Times, June 30, 2003

Rent This [Public] Space

by John Stauber — June 22, 2003 - 10:00pm

"This property for rent. That's what an increasing number of
strapped municipalities are proclaiming to Madison Avenue
as they make available for advertising, marketing and
promotional purposes an expanding range of public places -
whether zoos, parks and train stations, or museums, piers
and beaches. And while you still may not be able to fight City Hall, in some instances you can rent it for an event. ...

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New York Times, June 23, 2003

Bamboozled By Ads

by Laura Miller — April 6, 2003 - 10:00pm

"Are Americans more vulnerable to advertisements, and perhaps less skeptical about them, than, say, Europeans?" TomPaine.com's Sharon Basco asked Jean Kilbourne, author of Can't Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel. "The only reason that Americans might be more vulnerable than people from other countries is that we believe we're not vulnerable," Kilbourne said. "There's such a widespread belief in America that we're not influenced by anything really, that you know, we're not culturally conditioned.

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TomPaine.com, April 7, 2003
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