Marketing

If you watch the news regularly, you often hear about companies merging--often after one of the companies has been bought for a very hefty sum. But what goes into determining the value of a company? It's not just a dull calculation of cash and physical assets, or even annual revenue. Part of a...Read More»

Everyone knows that the Super Bowl isn't just about football. The Super Bowl is an event -- a huge event -- and events are marketing opportunities. On this very special day, we're encouraged to consume, consume, consume: to drink more beer, to eat more pizza, or, if football isn't our thing, to...Read More»

Acura, by a significant margin, has the best-rated OEM mobile website. It's followed by Cadillac, Porsche, and Chrysler, as other mobile manufacturers' sites top-rated by shoppers. That's according to the J.D. Power 2014 Automotive Mobile Site Study, which gauges website effectiveness through four...Read More»

There were three ways to view "Poolside", Cadillac's recent ad for the ELR electric car: 1. Wow, that's a nice-looking car. 2. Wow, that's a nice-looking car and it's eco-friendly. 3. Wow, that guy in the ad is a schmuck. ALSO SEE: The Best-Selling Cop Car Is Actually An SUV Unfortunately for...Read More»

Put yourself in these shoes: you've just graduated from college, and you love using video to bring stories to life, so you've started a company to do just that. That's the good news. The bad news is that you're based in the intensely competitive arena of Los Angeles, California, and you have just...Read More»

Once upon a time, advertising was a long, drawn-out process. The Don Drapers of the world took months to develop slogans, refine logos, and copyedit commercials before unleashing them on consumers. Then came the internet, and eventually, social media. Together, they changed the way that we think...Read More»

At noon Eastern, Chevrolet unveiled two commercials on YouTube: one for the all-new Chevy Traverse, the other for Chevrolet, the brand. "Why should that matter?", you ask. "Don't automakers post clips to the web on a daily basis?" They do, but these are special: they're intended for TV, and they...Read More»

Nissan is hyping the 2014 Rogue compact crossover with a new online campaign called "Detour" that could be one of the better Friday afternoon timewasters we've encountered -- this week, anyway. The campaign creates a fantasy road trip-slash-music video using Google Maps, some stock car-on-road...Read More»

Yesterday afternoon and evening, millions of sports fans geared up for a Super Bowl that would ultimately prove to be stupendously underwhelming (or overwhelming, for Peyton Manning). But despite the huge number of TV sets tuned to the big game, many viewers were glued to other, smaller screens...Read More»

The television has been dusted, the batteries in the remote have been changed, and the Rotel is bubbling quietly in a crock pot: the Super Bowl is here, featuring Queen Latifah, an opening-seconds safety, and Audi apparently losing its mind on Snapchat. Of course, football fans aren't the only...Read More»

Once upon a time, Volvo was a force to be reckoned with. Can it rise from the ashes, or is it speeding irrevocably toward irrelevance? Even at the height of its popularity, Volvo never achieved the high-end luxury status of other European marques like BMW or Mercedes-Benz, but that seemed to be a...Read More»

With every passing hour, we edge closer to Super Bowl XLVII. And with every passing day, we encounter another teaser for a new Super Bowl ad. Today's teaser comes from Audi, which has asked folk temptress and Lilith Fair mastermind Sarah McLachlan to bring you a special message about a poor...Read More»

It's that time of year again: time to stock up on Rotel, replace the springs in the sectional, and prepare for the Super Bowl and its many amazing ads. Or not so amazing, if Volkswagen's teaser for Super Bowl XLVIII is any indication. Once upon a time, advertisers went to great lengths to keep...Read More»

It's a big week for directors, grips, and gaffers -- and not just because of the Golden Globes. The North American International Auto Show is up and running in Detroit, and today on the show floor, awards are being doled out for the best recent car ads. The Automobile Advertising of the Year Awards...Read More»

If you're a car dealer and you're unfamiliar with the term "best practices", listen up, because the Federal Trade Commission may soon be knocking on your door. The FTC has investigated consumer complaints at ten U.S. auto dealerships, all of whom were accused of deceptive advertising. The agency...Read More»

Since the 1960s, university students have vigorously debated the politics of identity: what does it "mean" to be a woman? Is there an "authentic" African American experience? Which parts of LGBT culture have been "appropriated" by the hegemony? Scare quotes have proliferated. Critics dismiss such...Read More»

Earlier today, we told you that Consumer Reports refused to recommend the 2014 Infiniti Q50. (Reviewers used the word "dull". Ouch.) As it turns out, however, Infiniti launched a "ground-breaking" ad campaign for the Q50 this morning -- the same morning that the Consumer Reports story broke. A...Read More»

Once upon a time, Walmart seemed very, very weird. "Who would want to get groceries, gardening supplies, and oil changes, all in the same place?", we wondered. Then the internet hit the mainstream and showed big-box retailers how it's done. Seriously, have you looked at Amazon lately? If you can't...Read More»