Writer of the Life Cereal “Hey Mikey!” Ad is Gone

If you grew up in the 70’s and watched any TV at all, there is probably a space reserved in your head for the “Let’s Get Mikey!” ad. If you, like me, never thought about the fact that someone wrote the thing, take 30 seconds to salute Edie Stevenson, who died recently at the age […]

How NOT to Use YouTube: KFC Botches the Apology

It’s hard to imagine a promotion as poorly planned and executed as KFC’s Grilled Chicken fiasco. If you’ve been living in a cave for the past week or so, here’s a quick review of the clusterpluck: To promote their new Kentucky Grilled Chicken, KFC offered a downloadable coupon for a free meal. And had Oprah […]

sales advice: don't be too chicken to apologize when you screw up

New Era Makes a Marketing Challenge Go Away… Almost

The Sunday New York Times has a look at American Idol contestant Adam Lambert. Lambert is… 1. Widely rumored to be gay, and 2. Widely considered a favorite to win the competition Homosexuality has always had a significant place in the arts, but because the vast majority of the marketplace is straight, those in charge […]

Sometimes You Can Break The Rules

Deadspin alerted me to this video by Ben Gullett. Ben’s dad, Mark Gullett, was laid off from his marketing position with hockey’s Tampa Bay Lightning. So Ben put together the video in an effort to help his father get a job. As a piece of advertising, there’s much to criticize: 1. It’s all about the […]