The major newsweeklies have come up with some proactive plans on how they will handle advertisers if a war breaks out with Iraq. The magazines have received notice from several advertisers that they want ads pulled if shooting starts. So the magazines are reacting in hopes of keeping ad schedules. Some will create separate sections, in essence, dividing the magazine in two: war section and non-war section. Each magazine has it's own plan:
U.S. News and World Report is taking this approach by developing a second section that will have it's own cover and table of contents and will contain no war news.
Newsweek will allow advertisers to move ads into non-war editorial sections.
Time will not make any changes to their format. While U.S. News and World Report and Newsweek have had advertisers indicate canceling schedules in the event of war, Time has not had any advertiser pull out or threaten to. [via USA Today]
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There is never an end to interesting co-marketing and advertising partnerships. now, we have Italian Scooter maker, Vespa, teaming with condom maker, Trojan in a new ad campaign with the predictable taglines, "Ride Safely" and "Let's Get It On" Ha Ha.
How does coffee "fit in"? Oh, sorry for the pun. Starbucks will display POP material featuring the scooter and the condom. There will be a sweepstakes to win a trip to Italy and a Vespa. Also, 100 Starbucks will have actual Vespas on display, Vespa/Starbucks Card, and a "Passion Patrol" that will ride Vespas around cities handing out Starbucks Coffee. Nifty.
Here's my contribution:
"Put It On, Get On, And Ride Me Baby."
Way too wordy, you say? That's why I'm not a copywriter. [via Ad Age]
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As Evan and Zora ride off into the sunset, most likely never to be heard from again...except, of course, for their inevitable break up, butler Paul hogan stays in the limelight as the host of the Anna Nicole Show season premiere.
Hogan will host bachelor search for Anna.
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In this ingenious and entertaining spot, a couple realizes that they are living underground in a tomb with boring, old furniture. The payoff? They dig out and see an IKEA store. Watch it. It's great.
Others from Ad Age...
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The co-editors of Fast Company, Bill Taylor and Alan Webber have resigned.
"It's the right decision for the magazine at this point in time," the two editors stated in the office memo. "We've traveled an amazing distance since our premiere issue.... Now, in the spirit of Fast Company's DNA, we recognize the magazine's next challenge: For Fast Company to advance to the next level. And that, we believe, takes fresh eyes, new blood, and a blast of additional energy."
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Martin Sheen is doing an anti-war ad for moveon.org. In the ad, he says war is wrong and gives people the means to contact their representatives in support of the ant-war position.
The ad is running on local cable as national networks won't accept it.
Ben Cohen, founder of Ben and Jerry's said, "It is amazing that the networks are rejecting them in terms of freedom of speech and censorship. The news media pretty much acts as the megaphone of the administration. ... We are left with little choice but to buy time to get our message across. If, as a practical matter, you are not able to communicate a message, there is no free speech."
Interesting test of the first ammendment. I say they should be able to run regardless of your opinion on the war.
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Like many artists, Dr. Suess was commercial before he decided to aply his skills to children's books. He was most famous for his work on a product called Flit, a bug killer.
Check out the ads on this site. Very amusing. [via Boing Boing]
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Fox's 'Joe Millionaire' and 'American Idol' along with the Michael Jackson Freak Show were not enough to unseat NBC and CBS from the top spots.
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