The "Brand Problem" Problem

There was a time in America when every problem was a "communications" problem.If you couldn't get along with your husband, you weren't communicating. If your kid was incorrigible, you probably weren't on the same wavelength. If your boss didn't like you, you just didn't communicate well with him. There were no problems of substance, just problems of communication.Well, the truth is, sometimes

Guest Blogger: TAC Needs A Better System

The following guest post comes from John Joss, a regular commenter here at TACHaving seen, read and enjoyed the earlier TAC book, I willingly signed up to receive the new, expanded and improved edition. Imagine my disappointment, then, when after three attempts to execute the 'order' I found that there was no apparent, obvious way to send it.This failure to devise a complete system that works end

Now With 20% More Cranky Opinions

The new edition of The Ad Contrarian book is being printed and will be available shortly.The difference between the blog and the book is that in the book we don't just whine about everything, we also give you ideas about how to make your advertising more effective. Also, the book burns easier.And, it makes a great Christmas gift for people you don't really like.Best of all, it's free. Just click

The Ignoramus Superhighway

For those silly enough to believe in the "The Information Age" and "The Information Superhighway" here are Yahoo's Top Ten search subjects of 2007: 1. Britney Spears2. WWE3. Paris Hilton4. Naruto5. Beyonce6. Lindsay Lohan7. RuneScape8. Fantasy Football9. Fergie10. Jessica AlbaIt's encouraging to see Americans getting so much useful information about so many important subjects on the

Ritz Bits

People over 50 control 77% of the financial assets of this country and are the target for 10% of all advertising. The prejudice against older customers is so strong and so pervasive that even smart companies can't see beyond it (see Aiming Low.)A few years ago, Saks Fifth Avenue decided their customers were too old. They embarked on a plan to attract younger, hipper customers. After two

In-Your-Face Book, II

According to The New York Times, Facebook is changing its "Beacon" marketing scheme after 50,000 people signed a petition protesting it.As we reported earlier in "In-Your-Face Book", Facebook was playing with fire by paying only perfunctory attention to privacy sensitivities.While consumers still don't fully understand internet privacy issues, TAC predicts that web-based marketing schemes --

Unreasonable People

One of the things web providers are going to have to get used to is the irrationality of everyday people.This can be seen in the reaction of webbies to the fuss over Facebook's "Beacon" program (see In-Your-Face Book). They point out that people put their most intimate details on their Facebook page and then get all stirred up when Facebook publicizes what they've been buying. Isn't this complete