Monster High Dolls to Resurrect Mattel [INSIGHT]

Mattel is an iconic american toy manufacturer responsible for the release of several iconic toys throughout the 20th century.  Namely Mattel has single handedly raised American children to demand Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher Price and now Monster High Dolls.  Contributing authors of the May 2010 issue of Theatre Journal indicated the power iconic brands have on culture stating that,  “Iconic brands spin narratives, complete with “plots and characters,” that address “the collective anxieties and desires of a nation” and provide a kind of magical resolution of “cultural contradictions”.   However, Barbie’s sales are down 12% this quarter as there is a new girl in town.

Payment Terms for Marketing Services Have Been Extended [STUDY]

A new ANA (Association of National Advertisers) study entitled, “Payment Terms – Current Practices for Marketing Services,” reveals that 43 percent of marketers have extended payment terms this year on at least one marketing service in their portfolio. That portfolio includes agency fees, research, media, production, and talent payments.

Recognizing the Business Value of Great Storytelling [INSIGHT]

It used to be that choosing a college major in any “content-related” discipline was the equivalent of an employment death sentence. English, philosophy, history, you name it — merely mentioning the possibility of focusing on any of these areas would make even the most well-intentioned parent of the ‘80s and ‘90s cringe, sigh, and cross their fingers in the hopes that their children would, above all else, not move back home at the end of it all.

As Content & Conversation become Advertising, Brands must have Personas

Consumer brands often develop big brand bibles, but they are largely ineffective at helping companies navigate social media. That is because they lack authentic personas, like people have.  Yet shifts in the media and advertising landscape are creating a growing urgency for brands to have well-defined personas.

There’s No Business Like Show Business – Strategies for Successful Theater Marketing

When you think about live theater, what comes to mind for most people is Broadway and the soldout shows that grace its famous stages. Unfortunately, theater isn’t always as high-profile as a Broadway show in the Big Apple. Many theaters painstakingly dedicate a lot of time and effort into getting people to buy tickets to first-run or lesser-known shows.

Advertisers continue Rapid Adoption of Programmatic Buying

Advertisers are spending more than expected on real-time bidding, which is expected to account for a significant share of all display ad spending in the US this year and in the near future, according to a new eMarketer report, “Programmatic Advertising: Forecast and Future Growth Trends.”

The Cost Of Complexity: Lessons From Obamacare [INSIGHT]

Is Healthcare.gov different from Expedia.com?

Lately it’s been hard to let a day go by without following the next intrigue on Obamacare. At this point, it’s probably fair to say there isn’t a living soul who considers the website a success. And while I’ll refrain from expressing a point of view on the legislation itself or on the details of project planning or technical competency, I did want to dig deeper to understand the nature of the “complexity” that has marred the heart of Obamacare—the exchange. After all, there are many technologically complex data exchanges that we depend on—airline traffic management, ticketing, loan offers on lendingtree.com, the stock exchange, eBay, Paypal…the list goes on.

National Pork Board celebrates Hispanic Holiday Season

The National Pork Board will launch a social media promotion –  “21 Dias de Tradiciones Navideñas” (21 Days of Christmas Traditions) – on its Spanish-language Facebook pageas part of its efforts to engage with Hispanic consumers during the holidays.

Penetration of Smartphones, Tablets grows among US Teens

Both smartphone and tablet use saw a large leap among US teenagers ages 13 to 17 between 2012 and 2013, according to an October 2013 survey from the nonprofit Family Online Safety Institute (FOFSI) conducted by Hart Research Associates.

Wolfe Pereira named CMO at Datalogix

Datalogix announced that it has named former Starcom MediaVest Group executive Steven Wolfe Pereira as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for the company.

Tadin Herb & Tea Co. taps Sensis

Sensis will develop a social media campaign for Tadin Herb & Tea Co. Sensis has begun developing the social media strategy and will begin rolling out elements of the campaign before the end of the year.

Top Opportunity for the Holiday Season: All Newly Employed “Santa’s” Are Multicultural [INSIGHT]

Hispanic and Asian American segments are leading the current job recovery as indicated by positive Labor Force growth, Employment, and decrease in unemployment (negative numbers in chart). While White Non-Hispanics are leaving the Labor Force instead of staying as other Multicultural segments and have caused a rapid reduction in the labor market.   By Carlos Santiago / Santiago Solutions Group

Potential Changes in Deductibility of Advertising Expenses within Tax Reform Legislation Would Only Serve to Stifle Economic Activity

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, released his discussion draft of tax reform legislation that includes a provision that will, if enacted, severely impact the economy and lead to significant job loss. This provision would allow advertisers to deduct only 50 percent of all advertising expenses in the first year and amortize the remaining 50 percent over the next five years. Advertising currently is treated as a fully tax deductible ordinary and necessary business expense.

Retailer anticipate +3.1% increase on Black Friday Sales

Despite some early season promotions, retailers still expect consumers to be active for the official start of this year’s holiday shopping season. According to a survey of top retail chief marketing officers by BDO USA, LLP, retailers anticipate a 3.1 percent increase in sales on Black Friday this year, mirroring their projections from last year. However, retailers have moderated their expectations for growth in Cyber Monday sales, predicting that sales will grow by 3.7 percent this year, down slightly from last year’s sunnier 4.3 percent growth projection.

Are Blogger Moms ‘Measuring’ Up?

We started working with mom bloggers nearly eight  years ago, at a time when hardly anyone knew who or what they were and persuading brands to trust this new and mysterious form of media was a lengthy, painful and, for a long time, unsuccessful experience.

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