Apple's Newest TV Commercial... Adrift at Sea...
by Bob Abbate
in Branding on Jun 12, 2013
I'm an Apple guy. The day after the awesome 1984 TV spot aired, I was at the computer store (there were no Apple stores) ordering my first Macintosh. I was hooked. I saw that the Macintosh was more than a computer. It was, and is, a tool that empowers me to be creative. It allows me to think about my work without ...
US Traditional Media Outook, 2013-2017
by Bob Abbate
in Uncategorized on Jun 07, 2013
PwC has issued its annual “Entertainment & M...
Value At The Core Of Advertising
by Bob Abbate
in Branding on Jun 03, 2013
I read an article in yesterday's New York Times that make me stop and think. Have today's packaged goods companies and their Madison Avenue agencies become so detached from the American consumer that they have forgotten about one of the core desires of today's consumers? Value is at the heart of what shoppers and ...
"Dumb Ways To Die" Lives
by Bob Abbate
in TV on May 28, 2013
http://youtu.be/IJNR2EpS0jw
I'm not big on advertising awards shows and competitions. So many of the ads that are entered seem to have been created purely to win awards. The ads we create are created to get results. Our budgets have no room for fluff. But this ad, this ad is different. It's utterly simple, assu...
Kmart's Big Gas Viral
by Bob Abbate
in Uncategorized on May 23, 2013
On the heels of their "Ship My Pants" TV commercial, KMart launched another wonderfully edgy spot last night. Using an equally slippery play on words, this spot promotes Kmart's gas stations (I didn't know they had gas stations)....
Digital Advertising Advice for Your Small Bus...
by Bob Abbate
in Uncategorized on May 22, 2013
We recently made a media recommendation to one of clients for an initial run of commercials on Pandora. Pandora was projecting lots of impressions for us, all concentrated exclusively in the client's marketing area, and at a reasonable CPM. The idea of seeing AND hearing our ad content simultaneously is appealing,...
“Creative without strategy is called ‘art.’ Creative with strategy is called ‘advertising’.”
– Jef I. Richards
– Jef I. Richards
Is Mountain Dew's "Goat" Ad Racist?
by Bob Abbate
in TV on May 20, 2013
Pepsi's newest Mountain Dew "Goat" ad has been targeted as being "the most racist ad ever" by some critics. Do you think it is racist, or is this an overreaction? ...
Reports of Demise of Radio Are Premature
by Bob Abbate
in Radio on May 17, 2013
No one has ever accused Bob Abbate Marketing of being anti-radio. A couple of us spent many years toiling at the foot of radio broadcast towers, including yours truly. So it always struck a nerve wit us when we hear anyone say "Radio? No one listens to radio anymore". Here's some research that shows that 7 in 10 A...
Meet The New Boss...
by Bob Abbate
in Radio on May 16, 2013
... same as the old boss? With apologies to The Who, we hope so! Westport CT based Connoisseur Media is now the proud new owner of some of our favorite local radio stations. Connoisseur's deal to purchase WEZN (Star 99.9), WPLR, WFOX (95.9 The Fox), and a broadcast service agreement to operate Yale's WYBC closed t...
The 12 Best/Worst Local Business Taglines
by Bob Abbate
in Branding on May 08, 2013
I've seen some terrible taglines in my career (of course, none of them were mine). But some of these, well, they are bad! But... that guy Sofa King, he's got what could be the best tagline EVER. What do you think? Take a look....
Google Doodle Celebrates Graphic Designer
by Bob Abbate
in Art and Design on May 08, 2013
http://youtu.be/64lDaAmpvSo
I'm thrilled to see that Google is honoring cinematic title designer superhero Saul Bass in today's Google Doodle. Bass is the genius behind some of Hollywood's best movie intros. Today's video Doodle features designs that echo the following films: Psycho, The Man with the Golden Arm...
New iPhone TV Spot - Well Done!
by Bob Abbate
in Great Ads By Others on May 06, 2013
Apple's advertising has always inspired me. From "1984", the spot that introduced the Macintosh, to "Think Different", Apple has always entertained and informed, and broke new ground. It seems that since the passing of Steve Jobs, Apple's creativity has been on a sort of vacation. Until now.
"Photos Every Day" ...
Advertising Makes a Difference
in Uncategorized on May 06, 2013
Advertising can be funny, entertaining, annoying, and in some cases mindblowingly (word?) VITAL.
Here is a brilliant use of technology aimed at helping children who need help. Watch this- and discuss!...
Are you Just Like Don Draper?
by Bob Abbate
in Uncategorized on May 06, 2013
It happens all the time. Really. Whenever I'm out and about at a social event, dinner, fundraiser, etc. When the conversation turns to "So Bob, what do you do? "Oh, I'm in the advertising business. I run an ad agency." Inevitably... the next words I here are "Oh, like Don Draper?"
Apparently everyone is watchin...
Differentiate or Die
by Bob Abbate
in Branding on May 03, 2013
This brilliant cartoon just about sums up how I feel about positioning of brands. You can be an also-ran, or you can be unique. Are you ready to shake things up, or are you satisfied with the status quo?...
Keep Oakland Clean
by Bob Abbate
in Great Ads By Others on May 03, 2013
The city of Oakland, California is coming back, however the city suffers from a nasty litter problem. To further Keep Oakland Beautiful's mission of creating and sustaining a beautiful, clean, green and litter-free city, the campaign shows just how bad litter can be. Kudos to Campbell Ewald (CE), the creative age...
The Hispanic Radio Phenomenon
by Bob Abbate
in Radio on May 03, 2013
I saw this post on RBR this morning (RBR is a radio trade website). Although written for radio broadcasters, it makes a point that we've seen developing over the last few years, that the Hispanic population is growing, and, in many markets, it can be successfully influenced by advertising on a growing number of Hi...
Reminder: Do Not Show a Man Having Sex With a...
by Bob Abbate
in Uncategorized on May 02, 2013
Of all the images to take from British TV series Black Mirror, the one that made a billboard for Australian TV network Studio was of a man doing the underpants Charleston with a pig. Cable provider Foxtel issued an apology in response to the immediate blowback, and it's as spineless as the offending image was ...
"In advertising, not to be different is virtual suicide."
Thornton Wilder
Thornton Wilder
"If you don't advertise,
you fossilize"
you fossilize"
Ancient Advertising Wisdom, Still True Today.
by Bob Abbate
in Uncategorized on Apr 29, 2013
I've never seen a business fail due to "reaching the wrong people." So why does every business owner instinctively believe that "reaching the right people" is the key to successful advertising?
Who, exactly, do you not want to know about you? Who isn't qualified to repeat the good things they've heard about...
3 Paths Toward a More Creative Life.
in Art and Design on Apr 28, 2013
Disconnect/Reconnect/Create! I look forward to reading every night as a before-sleep ritual. Sometimes I am not even paying attention to the words; just the action reading the thoughts of another is soothing, and I can go on a journey - listen to someone else’s story. I like books made of paper. I like the smel...
Do You Unplug When You're Winding Down?
by Bob Abbate
in Digital on Apr 24, 2013
I just came back from a lunch meeting where a colleague asked me if my girlfriend knows about my smartphone addiction yet. So you can understand why I laughed when I checked my email and found this report. According to a new report from Prosper Insights & Analytics, the majority of mobile users can't live with...
ESPN, CBS, SEC to Form New Sports Net
by Bob Abbate
in Uncategorized on Apr 16, 2013
April 16, 2013 •
ESPN and the Southeastern Conference on Tuesday will formally announce the launch of a new sports network devoted to the 14 member schools. ESPN and CBS will hand over an estimated $205 million per year for the broadcast rights. In spite of what ESPN and CBS might think, playing football is ...
Survey Shows Although Men Are Shopping More, ...
by Bob Abbate
in Digital on Apr 12, 2013
A recent survey by Nielsen shows that although...
Automakers Prep For Big Ad Spending
by Bob Abbate
in Digital on Apr 01, 2013
General Motors, Volkswagen and Hyundai are preparing to boost their ad outlays for 2013, Ad Age reports. Alan Batey of General Motors believes there is a pent-up consumer desire for new cars and trucks that they couldn't or didn't buy during the recession. He adds that the financial environment to buy a car righ...
Social Sharing Icons Boost Email CTRs
by Bob Abbate
in Digital on Apr 01, 2013
Emails that include social sharing buttons have a click-through rate 158% higher than those do not (6.2% vs. 2.4%), according to a new study from GetReponse. That represents an even bigger boost than the 115% jump noted in the researchers’ study last year. More here: http://www.marketingcharts.com/wp/interac...
Reaching "Second Screeners"
by Bob Abbate
in Digital on Apr 01, 2013
According to eMarketer, among those with a smartphone, TV and computer, 60% are multitasking while watching TV. The implications and opportunities for advertisers are huge. Accorting to the research, the more screens you have, the more likely it is that you will engage in multitasking. We're talking beyond the sec...
BAM Drives Fans To Downtown Bridgeport
by Bob Abbate
in Downtown on Mar 12, 2013
March 30th was a sunny Saturday, Thousands of fans arrived for what would turn out to be a day of fun and basketball in downtown Bridgeport. And Bridgeport was ready. The city, the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, and the Downtown Special Services District (a BAM client) had worked hard to make sure that fans...
