Top 10 Reasons Your Company Probably Shouldn’t Tweet

Everyone’s Talking About It, but Should You Be Doing It?

Mainstream media has gone ga ga about Twitter, which grew more than 1,200% in the past year, doubled its members in the past few months and attained 14 million members in March, according to Compete.

Everyone and his dog seems to be tweeting, from CEOs, celebrities and not-for-profits to venture capitalists, banks, business services, government and, well, dogs (and cats and the random parakeet, too). Should your business be tweeting? Twitter is not for everyone. Here are the “Top 10 Reasons Not to Tweet.”

Denny’s Gets Into Music With Feed-a-Band Marketing Strategy

A 3 Minute Ad Age Video Report

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Denny’s, the family restaurant chain best known for its round-the-clock breakfast menu, is moving into musical branded entertainment. And for starters it’s simply feeding cash-strapped musicians on tour — offering them a month of free meals at any Denny’s. It’s also inviting some of them into its kitchens to be chefs for a day, with the best of their culinary creations being added to its late-night “Rockstar Menu.” And the new DennysAllNighter.com website offers users sample songs, the ability to vote for the best new bands and other musical connections.

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Economic Worries Dog DMA’s Fall Show

But Direct-Marketing Group Predicts Ad-Revenue Growth Despite Global Financial Chaos

LAS VEGAS (AdAge.com) — At its annual fall show here yesterday, the Direct Marketing Association said direct-marketing media and practices would once again outpace general advertising by a slight margin by garnering 53% of total advertising expenditures. With marketers clamoring for the cost efficiency and targeting that things such as database segmentation, CRM and e-mail marketing provide, this finding really comes as no surprise.

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Budweiser’s New Ale Strategy

A 3 Minute Ad Age Video Report

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — In all of its 130 years of operation as a beer giant, the Budweiser brand has never nationally marketed an ale. That changed this week as it rolled out its new Budweiser American Ale brand. Anheuser-Busch VP-Brand Management Keith Levy explains why the brewer believes now is the time to move into a market niche it has long ignored.

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Diversity Hearing to Be Held Second Day of Advertising Week Seabrook’s Committee on Civil Rights Back in Action

Campaign Trail

The New York City Committee on Civil Rights is holding a hearing Sept. 23, the second day of Advertising Week, on the topic of diversity and the advertising industry. Advertising Age obtained a memo, issued by the office of Gary Altman, the legislative counsel for the City Council, to participants. It was dated Sept. 10.

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Will All-in-One Products End Their Reign?

With Nothing Left to Add on, and ‘Total’ Items That Are Not All That, Marketers May Go Back to Single-Benefit Claims

BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) — Arbor Strategy Group, a new-product consulting firm that has tracked the history of package-goods launches for many years, found most categories ultimately spawn a product labeled “total” or “complete” at the tail end of a lengthy bout of product and benefit proliferation. Then competitors start all over again with single-benefit claims.

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Wendy’s Takes First Stab at Viral Video With ‘Crazy Lettuce’

But Baconator Film Gets Mixed Reviews on MySpace, YouTube

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) — When it comes to fast-feeders, the quirky viral video has largely been the domain of Burger King. But square-burger marketer Wendy’s is trying to get the buzz headed its way with a new video called “Crazy Lettuce.”

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Chrysler’s Press Talks Turnaround Strategy Annual Production Slashed, Among Other Dramatic Moves Aimed at Moving Away From Detroit’s ‘Old Metric’

DETROIT (AdAge.com) — Jim Press, who arrived at Chrysler a year ago this week as vice chairman after 37 years at Toyota Motor Sales USA, pulled back the curtain a bit on the now private carmaker’s performance and strategies.

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Schultz Announces 1,000 More Job Cuts at Starbucks

Senior VP-Global Strategy Michelle Gass Shifts Back to Marketing Role as Part of Reorganization

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) — Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said the coffee retailer will cut 1,000 jobs in addition to those resulting from the 600 store closures announced earlier this month. It’s unclear how many marketing personnel will be affected, but those familiar with the matter said some groups are facing double-digit cuts in what’s being described internally as a “bloodbath.”

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McCain’s Jukebox Stutters Again After ‘Obama Love’ Debacle, SFS Plays GOP Music Supervisor

Songs for Soap

We wouldn’t exactly call this an ideological repudiation, but John McCain got a slap in the face from the Warner Music Group for his “Obama Love” ad, which featured the Frankie Valli song “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.” It appears that no one ever cleared the rights to use this song, and the McCain team was forced to hastily replace the track with some soupy elevator tune that sounds ripped from some consumer-grade family home video soundtrack disc.

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Bonnie Fuller on Team Obama’s Tabloid Strategy

Portraying Barack and Michelle as Brangelina Is Working

Commentary

It’s official. The Obamas are just like us. With their latest PR move — being photographed as a family for this week’s People magazine cover story titled “The Obamas At Home” — it’s apparent that Team Obama has a clear and clever presidential marketing strategy: present Michelle and Barack as the beloved Brangelina of the political world.

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We Can’t Take Our Eyes off McCain Media-Mocking Spot GOP Contender Scores With a Funny Ad That’s Also Somewhat True

Garfield’s Ad Review

We here at AdReview are a tough crowd. There’s stuff we like, stuff we dislike, stuff we hate. But hardly anything out there that we luuvvvvvv. Thank you, therefore, John McCain, for giving us “Obama Love.” We luuvvvvvvv it. Because it’s funny. And because it’s (more or less) true.

Talking Brand Strategy With Starbucks’ Senior VP-Marketing

Q&A: Terry Davenport Discusses TV Ads, Latest Offerings and Retailer’s ‘Suggestion Box’ CHICAGO (AdAge.com) — Starbucks might have taken a hiatus from TV advertising, but it isn’t ruling out a comeback to pitch its new health-and-wellness platform, Vivanno Nourishing Blends, said Senior VP-Marketing Terry Davenport. Mr. Davenport, who oversees the coffee giant’s overall brand strategy, talked to Ad Age about his upcoming plans. FULL ARTICLE

If Julie Is Paula, Linda Kaplan Thaler Is Randy And Gene Simmons Will Have to Take on the Simon Role for CBS Game Show ‘Jingles’ NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Ad-agency honcho Linda Kaplan Thaler will join outspoken marketing executive Julie Roehm on “Jingles,” a new CBS game show that has gone into production. Kiss bass player and tongue wiggler Gene Simmons will also be on the judging panel. FULL ARTICLE

AT&T’s Wendy Clark to Leave Telecom Corporate HQ’s Move to Dallas Cited as Reason for Her Departure NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Wendy Clark, senior VP-advertising, AT&T, and one of the most powerful executives in the marketing world, is preparing to leave, the telecom said. FULL ARTICLE

GM Opens Cutting-Edge Green Dealership Near Detroit Earth-Friendly Move Offers a Rare Bright Spot in Publicity for Embattled Automaker DETROIT (AdAge.com) — As it plots major spending cuts and bats back bankruptcy rumors, General Motors Corp. celebrated the opening yesterday of its first green dealership, LaFontaine Automotive Group’s new $15 million Buick-Pontiac-GMC and Cadillac facility in suburban Detroit. FULL ARTICLE

DDB Braces for Fallout From A-B Sale Agency President Admits Marketing Budget Could Be Cut, but Sees Hope for Growth CHICAGO (AdAge.com) — Rick Carpenter, president of Anheuser-Busch’s lead agency, DDB, Chicago, held a meeting with agency staff Tuesday in which he acknowledged there could be cuts to the brewer’s domestic media and marketing spending in the wake of its $52 billion sale to InBev. FULL ARTICLE

The Truth About Black America Radio One/Yankelovich Study Shatters Myths The Big Tent Finally, here’s a study that quantifies the way many Blacks live every day: dreaming, living, buying, connecting, thinking and, yes, hurting. It also sends a message that Blacks are so much more — more than criminals, welfare recipients, athletes and overachievers. Black Americans don’t all live the same way or believe the same things. FULL ARTICLE

Seth MacFarlane Discusses His Landmark Google Content Deal A 3 Minute Ad Age Video Report NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Seth MacFarlane, the country’s highest-paid TV series creator, says his new content deal with Google is so complicated even he doesn’t really understand it. Ad Age Los Angeles bureau chief Claude Brodesser-Akner caught up with the director at the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Beverly Hills. The landmark agreement turns Mr. MacFarlane into an internet producer while transforming Google into an original entertainment content player with massive global distribution capabilities. FULL ARTICLE

Is Advertising Still Attractive to College Graduates? Staying Close to Campus Can Keep Industry Brand Alive and Well Small Agency Diary Several agency CEOs agreed that young talent is going elsewhere for careers. I found that consensus alarming, as our industry has long been considered sexy by the (naive) youth entering the business. I say “naive” because agency life always appears more glamorous than it really is. FULL ARTICLE