Juan Valdez And Gecko Win Ad Week Vote

The results are in and consumers have spoken. Columbian Coffee's Juan Valdez and Geico's gecko named to the Madison Avenue Walk of Fame. Winning slogans were "When you care enough to send the very best" from Hallmark and "Imagination at Work" from General Electric. Life goes on.

Jack Klues Predicts Future of Advertising

In a keynote at MediaPost's Forecast event, MediaPost reports Starcom MediaVest CEO Jack Klues told attendees "People will change; their desires and demands will change. Their options will change. Channels will change. Clients will change. Our model will change." And on how the industry should position itself to clients, Klues said, "stop counting obsolete things, and gain a better understanding of context. We have to compete and get paid on the power of our people and ideas, not on bargain-basement prices that prohibit us from delivering our promises." If anyone can master these changing waters, it's Jack Klues and Starcom.

Forecast Panelists Bitch Slap Each Other

In a rousing discussion at MediaPosts's Forecast conference, Ephron, Papazian & Ephron partner Erwin Ephron and Viacom Cable Networks VP Betsy Frank took opposite sides regarding the future of advertising. Ephron told attendees, "clutter, inattention, commercial avoidance in the old media, and a manic fascination with the new media ignores the most fundamental change in our business...Advertising doesn't work as well anymore." Frank says that all a bunch of hooey and "absolutely nothing will change" and "cable was supposed to kill broadcast TV, the remote control was going to kill advertising, and the Internet and video games would be the end of TV. So far, they've been adopted, they all co-exist, and people are consuming more of everything." Advertising panels are so much fun, aren't they?

Advertising Week Captured on Flickr

Never underestimate the power of a person with digital camera and a Flickr account. Yaniv Yaakubovich, who lives in Israel, traveled to New York for this week's Advertising Week and has, so far, snapped 105 images of the week's activities. There's sure to be more from Yaakubovich and others during the week.

Video Promotes Lance Armstrong Ad Week Scavenger hunt

The now corporation has produced a video to promote Boards-hosted Lance Armtrong "The Boards Big Find," a New York City Advertising Scavenger Hunt held September 29, in association with Advertising Week. Teams from the agency and commercial production communities will be challenged to find a series of industry-related objects and articles and help raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Advertising Week Kicks Off, Overly Sprawling

Ad Age keeps us up to date on Advertising Week happenings. Ad Age Editor Scott Donaton's take is the event is far too publich and far too sprawling, celebrating advertising as it was 30 years ago rather than advertising as it is today. Ongoing coverage is here.

Advertising Week Icon Voting Updated

As Advertising Week approaches, officials released Icon/Slogan standings and unveiled banners for 2004 winners.

2005 Icon/Slogan icon vote standings:

• At a press briefing in front of 437 Madison Avenue, Advertising Week officials announced the leading vote getters so far in the Advertising Week 2005 America's Favorite Icon and Slogan public vote.
• Juan Valdez, of the venerable Colombian Coffee Federation, has a commanding lead in the 2005 icon voting, followed by the Geico Insurance Gecko. Leader in the 2005 slogan race is Hallmark's "When you care to send the very best," followed by "We deliver for you" from the US Postal Service.
• Roughly 500,000 people have voted so far this year. Voting runs through September 23 via www.advertisingweek.com or www.advertisingweek.yahoo.com with winners announced on September 26, the opening day of Advertising Week.

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IQinteractive, Zugara Win WebAwards

The Web Marketing Association has announced the winners of its ninth annual WebAward Competition for website development. Out of 2,100 site submitted from 33 countries, Atlanta-based IQinteractive won Best of Show for its work on the National Geographic Inside the Mafia site which was also awarded the Best Entertainment WebAward. LA-based Zugara was named Top Agency, taking home 20 awards, the most any single organization has won in the nine years of the awards. The agency won Best Music site for Red Bull Music Labs, 11 Outstanding and eight Standard of Excellence WebAwards.

Ad Legend Neil French Gets Interviewed

Ad industry advocacy group ihaveanidea is hosting an event October 6 at Toronto's John Bassett Theater where advertising legend Neil French will be interviewed by creative superstars Rick Boyko and Mark Fenske. French came to advertising by way of bullfighting, Judas Priest band manager and a career in pornography. No doubt, the event, called "a night with Neil French," will be quite interesting.

Emmys to Accost Passengers Inflight

In an attempt to stem sliding rating, the Emmy Awards organizers have signed a deal with United Airlines to show a 20 minute commercial on flight beginning September 1 to promote the September 18 broadcast. Last year's broadcast was viewed by 13.8 million, down from 17.9 million the previous year. Perhaps it's not the award show itself but rather most everything on TV sucks.