Hire a mind from AdBusters

Public handlers are institutions that delicately shape the minds and affairs of the general public. The best PBs are without doubt those who criticize public handling. Ad Busters, and their guerrilla style marketing of a knock-off BlackSpot sneaker and the Unswoosher, is a case in point. Their anti-Converse Chuck Taylor classic 'blackspot' sneaker products scream anti-establishment as much as Nike screams establishment. Nike's purchase of Converse provided the market timing. Of course, Ad Busters lack the tremendous breadth and depth of Nike's market. Is it possible to call the white spot a brand? Moreover, is it possible to brand an anti-brand or brand an anti-establishment movement? I believe that anti-institution has become an institution.
Accordingly, institution has run out of steam. Westerners have become accustomed and aware of corporate manipulation. Ads are not capturing the Western attention; we have a history of ad-filtration. One glossy yet featureless minivan/car/SUV navigating the windy slippery/cliffy/snowy road/street/boulevard...is easy to ignore. A clever head of Nike mar-com would hire the likes of Mr. Ad Busters or Naomi Klein to run their ad campaign and marketing division. What they need is a conspiracy theory, an advertising conspiracy theory: Something that doesn't quite fit. The combination of establishment and anti-establishment would be highly effective; nobody would get it or ignore it--for a while.

Blogs and BlogAds

Advertising is undergoing a little but significant change; it is taking place in the online world. It's an interesting phenomenon and worth a look, particularly for those in the businesses of advertising, public relations, and marketing/communication, publishing, media--and those into social events in general. First check out http://www.pvrblog.com/ and then check out www.blogads.com... Google's own AdSense for bloggers, info at http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=42281, is also leading the way.

The current interest in blog, MySpace, civic or layperson journalism, its comes as no suprise that advertising is following. It is a bloodhound with a scent for a buck. Blogging and blogads seem like a natural fit. Indeed, GoogleAds have been available for some time, blogads add a second easy-to-use sources of income for bloggers. (AdBrite is another newcomer that looks well-planned and executed.)

In blogs I see a changing of the guard. The field of journalism--the guardians of the public interest--is losing ground to at-home one person operations. In blogs you find opinion maker, journalist, editor, and publisher rolled up into one. Civilians taking care of their own interests. The traditional outlets for placing insertions will follow the content providers--with increasing disregard for their academic or professional background.

Blogs will not likely displace traditional rags, in fact, it may increase the latter's readership. As the reading public increases in size and, or turns to alternative forums of opinion. However, I do see newspapers, radio and TV losing advertising dollars monthly to Bloogers unless they form some sort of relationship with the new journalist bloggers.

Friendster is back from the dead! I haven't touched my friendster page for at least two years. But these past two weeks I've been actively organizing associated services--mostly blogs--and adding new friends. Two plus years ago friendster held my interest for less than three months. It had a short shelf span, collecting friendsters, watching in fascination as the 6-degrees-of-separation circle grew exponentially, and collecting accolades from pals willing to jot a note.  But what else could one do with the original friendster? A hair shy of nothing. However, its been an interested few years during which friendster.com keenly observes meetup.com, blogger.com, take5.com, and other associated companies in the social webnetwork (for lack of any other word) industry. And I'm impressed with their resulting services. Friendster, my friend, well done.