The coupon was born 125 years ago. 125 years later with millions of the little suckers being redeemed every day, it seems it was a good idea... unless you ask J.C. Penney. J.C. Penney is celebrating the coupon's birthday by trying to kill it at their stores. Continue reading

Thanks to Scott Monty, head of Social Media at Ford Motor Company, for this insightful infographic. For more awesome social media advice and info from an acclaimed master of the art and science, check out his musings at The Social Media Marketing Blog! Created by Voltier Digital for ScottMonty.com Continue reading

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Working in close collaboration with the marketing team at Belle Tire, and based on research and consumer feedback, Atomic Ideas created three new commercials to highlight the fact that tire shopping really isn't that much fun. The new campaign capitalizes on Belle Tire's commitment to providing an unexpected and extraordinary customer experience for tire and automotive service customers, and introduces the new tagline "Better At Every Turn." Continue reading

Check out Atomic Ideas' latest work for bd's right here. Then head to the location nearest you to try out something totally different at bd's - an awesome burger, Mongo-style! Continue reading

Here's the idea for BK. Deliver on the promise of your advertising and you'll blow people's minds! Burger king has (yet another) new agency McGarryBowen and a new commercial. The creepy king has been replaced by glorious (though somewhat stock-footagy) shots of "fresh" ingredients being sliced, diced and prepared for the final image... an equally glorious shot of the new burger designed to elicit a pavlovian response from consumers and drive them into Burger King in droves. Continue reading

We're all used to a variety of loudmouth pitchment on late night TV. But way back in time, there was a guy named John Cameron Swayze who pitched Timex watches. These weren't recorded, these were live demonstration. Talk about pitching compelling marketable truths about a product. Better yet, they worked. Continue reading

How much has life changed for creative folk working in ad agencies in the last twenty years, or so? Well, for one thing, we would have said, "Oh my god," not OMG. Because, well, people didn't talk or text that way back then... oh yeah, they didn't text at all. Continue reading

Remember the heady days of the dot com explosion? I'm talking about the explosion before the implosion. The salad days, when money was being flung at any shiny new startup with a dot in its name, and millions were being spent on commercials and media to let us all know they existed. Continue reading

If your concept of stir-fry doesn't go much beyond sweet and sour chicken, you need to check out bd's where Mongo-Fusion rules. Create your own Mongolian-style stir-fry flavor sensation, from Asian to Caribbean to Italian, or your very own “signature” bowl. To give you a better idea, here are just a few of the in-store pieces Atomic Ideas created for several recent bd's Mongolian Grill promotions. Continue reading

Ever wondered how your pitch would stack up if you made it to the legendary adman David Ogilvy of Ogilvy & Mather fame? If you have an iPhone you can now find out. Continue reading

Crispin Porter + Bogusky may have been retired by Burger King, but their final effort for the fast feeder is a great example of work designed to affect behavior to drive trial and, dare we say, sales! After Crispin was fired, I posted on the fact that much of CP+B's work for BK, while buzz-worthy and award-winning, mostly failed to move the needle: Continue reading

Try getting an estimate from Hansons Windows here in Southeast Michigan without both the man of the house and little woman present and you'll be in for a fight. Let's take a look at customer service, gone wrong. Continue reading

For seven years, CP+B garnered recognition, awards and peer accolades, and also much criticism for its Burger King work... from "Subservient Chicken" to sometimes bizarre and creepy "King" commercials to "Whopper Sacrifice". The problem is, that apart from an initial boost in sales, Crispin basically failed to help BK sell more stuff. Burger King is famously famous for switching agencies when nothing goes their way. Continue reading

With social becoming more and more important in the marketing mix, we thought this chart from cmo.com and 97th Floor presents a great way to quickly review the pros and cons of the top platforms dotting the landscape. Continue reading

bd's Mongolian Grill is making a great dining experience even better with a brand new iPhone App. Continue reading

There's plenty of evidence that advertising pays off for clients. But according to The Daily Beast, it doesn't pay so much for the people who work in the industry. Continue reading

At Atomic Ideas, we're all about trying to take the B.S. OUT of brand strategy. But maybe we're blowing smoke. Because Donald Trump is quite possibly living proof that you can be full of it, yet still rise to the top of the polls. Continue reading

Thank you. Two simple words we all love to hear. They say the most powerful word in advertising is "FREE." Okay,hard to argue with that if something you're advertising truly is free. However, I read an article the other day that made me realize that two other words in our advertising vocabulary can be equally as powerful and have a more LONG TERM effect than free. FREE tends to have immediate efects. But for retailers, while an immediate efects, i.e. traffic, is important, long term relationship-building is eqaully, if not MORE important. Continue reading

A QR, (Quick Response) code is a way to instantly allow people to use their iPhone, Android or other camera-enabled smart phone to engage further with your business and connect to more information about whatever it is they happen to be looking at, from business cards to brochures. This QR code contains my contact info and took less than three minutes to create: Continue reading

I never thought I would drive a Lincoln... before I retired. Yet here I am, the proud pilot of a Lincoln MKS AWD. In fact, I like it so much, register a complaint with the brand. Continue reading

For many companies, succesfully marketing to and engaging with Generations X and Y is essential to future business growth and success. Let's face it, someday all the seniors and Boomers (sadly, me included) will be gone. So it's important to stay on top of trends and research that helps us understand how the Xers and Yers will find us (and,of course, how we can find them). Continue reading

Here's some recent design work from Atomic Ideas for bd's Mongolian Grill's current Fun, Fresh, Food promotion... from interior store signage to recipe cards, promo menu and more. bd’s Fun Fresh Food promotion, provides guests with a “Fun” way to get a “Fresh” start on the New Year with great tasting, healthier­for­you “Food”. Continue reading

Chrysler's first batch of "Imported From Detroit" tee shirts has already sold out! The Super Bowl commercial featuring the two comeback kids - that would be Chrysler and Em - has created buzz on a global level. It's also created some pretty high expectations and the promise of renewal for a struggling brand. Continue reading

If you liked the (Volkswagen) commercial, you'll love these outtakes from the "Making of The Force Commercial". Continue reading