Take a look at this classic VW spot from 1969. It is a minute long, was very successful, and surprisingly, doesn't even mention the client's name until the end of the spot. Continue reading

But the bigger point is this -- when a TV commercial is crammed into a 4-minute commercial break, even a pro-commercial person like myself has a hard time staying tuned in, let alone the multitude of folks who could give a crap. Continue reading

Either way, it supports a wise piece of advice I heard about investing a few years ago. When faced with a great item, you can choose to buy the product or buy (a piece of) the company. If you have a little bit of time, it's often better to buy the company! Continue reading

Just as funny today as it was in the late '80s. Ladies and gentleman, Mr. Steve Martin.... Have a great weekend from all of us at Atomic Ideas. Continue reading

This spot gives consumers with a couple dozen grand in their pockets some real reasons to buy a Nissan. Whereas their previous pickup spots gave these same people a reason to say "hey, look at that" but no real reason to part with their dough. Continue reading

While you're at it, Nissan, if you're going to live in a fantasy world, why not just give your truck lazers, afterburners, and submarine qualities in your commercials, too? No real truck has those, either. Continue reading

So naturally, we appreciate when such a message goes wrong. Whether it is an actual ad, a parody ad or in this case, "an educational film" (which, when produced by a lobbying organization, is really just a long-form commercial) that was part of a Simpson's episode Continue reading

Here's to a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year! And a look back at the last 34 New Year's Eves. Continue reading

Our Holiday Card. Continue reading

Marketer's have long known the value of the customer testimonial and have done commercials and info-mercials based on that premise. Like for instance, Ronco's big-selling, but short lived, spray-on hair. (Click below.) Now, let's face it, social media is basically cutomer testimonials on steriods. Continue reading

You've been marketing your product or service so long that you really know your customer... or do you? Economic conditions change people's values, new generations with different goals rise to prominence, people move, demographics change, neighborhoods turn over, and every year, some of your best customers leave the market completely. Continue reading

Okay, so they had a chatchy name and they got thousands to follow. But then what? If they had better utilized the basics of brand-building, they might still be in business. Let's see how they did: Continue reading

Sure it's a little early, but let's face it, how many of you would actually be reading this ON Thanksgiving? So here's something for you gobble, gobble up before the big day! Continue reading

Well, it's two full weeks until Thanksgiving and retailers are already jockeying for postion on Black Friday. Since they are all competing on price, and prices can only be cut so far, the only tool they have left is Continue reading

Happy Halloween from all the Guys and Ghouls at Atomic Ideas. Enoy this video we found while Zombie-ing around the web. Continue reading

Where your customers are is an important question. As the articles below point out, nearly 25% of Americans still don't use the Internet. Only about half use Facebook and only 7% use twitter. Continue reading

Sure it was well produced. Sure it cost gazillions to produce (Not the least of which is all that CG work). And sure it got my attention... right up to the part when I realized it was B.S. Continue reading

The simple answer is: As much as you can afford. Why? Continue reading

This video illustrates that as the rate at which new technology is introduced accelerates, eventually some of us are not going to be able to keep up. But if we treat each other well, and keep a sense of humor about it all, we can keep those dang-blasted, new-fangled, doo-hickeys from making our lives miserable! It also teaches us, that as marketers, not everyone we are trying to reach is plugged-in with social media! Social media is just a tool. But it may not always be the right tool to reach your audience. Continue reading

It's an ever-present battle. About half the country wants to raise taxes to fund all kinds of programs. The other half wants to cut taxes to fund their own personal programs. The solution? Let the people who want higher taxes, pay all they want! Continue reading

Of course, everyone loves to attack whoever is the leader, the numer one, and whoever is rubbing someone's face in something, so parody ads have been popping up. Here is one of the funnier ones. Caution: It does use occasional foul language. Continue reading

Give the people what they want and they will flock to your door, whether it is a product, service, or in this case, a blog. By incorporating the "fad of the day" -- ie the Stock Market Crash into the headline, I can attract customers - in this case, readers to the blog. Continue reading

The attached video illustrates in a very funny (and slightly disturbing) way, just how powerful the desire to buy can be. Continue reading