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Embrace The Cutting Room Floor
Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Sheen and Gary Oldman were three of the many famous actors who suffered the same fate in director Terrence Malick’s 1998 movie, “The Thin Red Line.” They were completely edited out of the movie, despite months of filming.In the February issue of FastCompany, editor Robert Safian…
The New CTP: An Insider’s Look at a Rebrand
CTP’s rebrand took the better part of a year. There were a lot of ideas, lots of discussion and lots of opinions. The most important factor in branding a company, or an agency, is understanding who you are, what you stand for and the type of work you do. Once…
What Makes Betty White, a Tailor and a Monster Super?
Why do brands, year after year, spend upwards of $3.5 million on a 30-second Super Bowl spot? Because with those 30 seconds in the spotlight comes media coverage, instant social media buzz – sometimes positive, sometimes negative – and weeks of viral chatter. And for the brands that really do…
The Legends, the One-Hit Wonders & the Comeback Kings
Beyond the actual game, the most heated debates in the aftermath of this Sunday’s Super Bowl will center on two expressions of creativity – the commercials and the halftime show.Super Bowl ads are our industry’s most widely viewed and closely scrutinized expressions of creativity. And with good reason. With investments…
It Was the Best of Times. It Was the Worst of Times.
Who doesn’t like positive press? It’s generally good for business. Strokes the ego. Makes your employees feel good. Heck, you could even argue that even some bad press can be good for at least some of the above reasons. But positive media coverage isn’t always good for business. Yes, you…
Why Lockouts Are Bad PR
The National Basketball Players Association announced this week it had rejected the latest offer regarding its collective bargaining agreement and now it will be up to the courts to decide the fate of this year’s NBA season. Like the NFL lockout earlier this year, the NBA and the Players Association…
Rocky Seas for Those Ignoring Social Media, Technology
The Boston Globe recently spotlighted a practice that gave pause to fish eaters in this seafood mecca. It was about a literal “bait” and switch taking place at area restaurants and food stores. The stories exposed discrepancies between what fish is on a menu and what you’re actually eating. “The…
Lessons of an Anticipated Product Release
It was a difficult week for one of the world’s most iconic companies. Obviously, the saddest news from Apple was that its visionary, Steve Jobs, died too young after years of failing health. While his legacy as an innovator, inventor and marketing genius is secure, some worry about the future…
Netflix to Its Customer: It’s Not You, It’s Me.
The apology on Sunday by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings reminds me of a long overdrawn breakup. Two months ago, Netflix announced a change in its pricing and has been inundated with unhappy customer response since. Then on Monday, Hastings made another announcement that stunned the marketplace. Its well-branded DVD services…