Guest blogger Tom Collinger is chair of Medill’s Integrated Marketing Communications program. I recently had the pleasure of moderating a panel discussion with Medill alumni Terry Davenport, senior vice president of marketing at Starbucks, and Jonathan Blum, chief public affairs officer at Yum! Brands. The format was interview-style in nature, and the questions revolved around [...]
Customers have communicated with companies in various formats: a visit/phone call to customer service, a written letter, and more recently, a post to their social media site. In the early 2000’s, I submitted a letter to GUESS about a GUESS purse whose strap kept falling off. I quickly received an identical replacement purse and an [...]
From Apple’s takeover of the most valuable brand position to Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype , here is a look at what happened this week in the integrated marketing communications industry. Apple tops list of 2011 most valuable brands Apple passed Google for the first time as the most valuable brand, according to Millward Brown’s 2011 BrandZ [...]
When we slip on a Burberry trench or carry a Louis Vuitton bag, men fall at our feet, our conversation sparkles, and people ask, “Who’s that?” as we sashay past. Well, maybe not, but in our heads, we are transformed—and as a result we walk a little taller and even project more confidence. A Harvard [...]
Think back to your first box of Crayola crayons: That whiff after opening the school-bus yellow box, all those colorful possibilities in one place. When Tom Marchese came to talk to IMC students last Friday, it was as if the former Crayola product manager and inventor of the world’s first quick drying arts-and-crafts paint was [...]
By Diana Lopez Negrete Kraft Foods recently debuted a series of television ads for its Athenos Hummus line that are not only sexist but also blatantly racist. However, according to a Chicago Tribune online poll, people are not offended by the ads. In fact, the Chicago Sun Times gave the ads a B+, saying that [...]
By Shakerra Grays This billboard reads: “The most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb.” Since seeing a tweet of this billboard the other day, I’ve found it hard to get it off my mind. I find the statement inflammatory, irresponsible, offensive and shortsighted. Upon researching this organization, I found that TooManyAborted.com [...]
By Kate Hellman As an IMC’er, I try to stay abreast of technological trends and advances. IBM has developed a computer that detects nuances in language and meaning. Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland have succeeded in re-creating the conditions that developed shortly after the Big Bang. Google is developing a car that [...]
By Carrie Griffith The battle between the online deal websites Groupon and LivingSocial was one of the most anticipated Super Bowl commercial match-ups this year. Both start-ups used controversial humor in pre-game and Super Bowl spots to get the word out about their daily deal sites. In the aftermath of eyebrow raises and social controversy, [...]
By Katie Lombardi Thank you for suing us. You just read the first line in Taco Bell’s rebuttal to a class action lawsuit that claims the fast food chain doesn’t use real beef in its tacos and burritos. Last Friday, Taco Bell hit the public with a massive ad campaign to make it clear to [...]
