I don’t know why it is, but I like TV shows about advertising. (Except “Bewitched,” which was on when I was very young and made me nervous, but that could have been because the night it came on was bath night and I hated taking baths.) When people know you’re in the ad biz, they want to know what you think of the profession’s depiction on TV. On balance, it’s not bad. I know doctors and police officers who cringe every time “ER” or “Law and Order” comes up in a conversation. I don’t have that reaction with ad shows. Back in the 1980’s I liked “Thirtysomething,” even though it was fashionable to say it was whiney. The show wasn’t much about advertising, but towards the end the two main characters ended up working for this guy who was the consummate evil slimy ad guy. (They do exist, though not at TMA+Peritus.) His name was Miles Drentel. I’ll never forget the guy. I feel like I worked for him. Even before that there was the “Bosom Buddies,” which was Tom Hanks before he was Tom Hanks. Oh, yeah, and in a dress. Don’t ask.
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If you haven’t read Jeff Howe’s Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd is Driving the Future of Business — well, let’s just say you should. Social media sites have become the darling of web 2.0 — soon web 3.0 — and everyone from P&G to the SETI program have paired their websites and social media to harness the power of the crowd. From generating the next Swiffer, to finding space dust worthy of note — breaking heinous projects into itty bitty pieces generates a good buzz. A great idea. An excellent interaction.
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The Obama brand. It’s powerful and it’s everywhere — from J. Crew, IKEA, Pottery Barn, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Southwest Airlines, to the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity and the National Education Association (NEA). This would be ideal for most businesses or iconic figures. But it presents a dilemma for the White House — a very public brand balancing act. According to White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki, they’re working on a policy that will “protect the presidential image while being careful not to squelch the overwhelming enthusiasm that the public has for the president.”
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