Scott Davis: Build a Brand Consumers Will Actually Want to Control.
The "Customer Rules" bandwagon is getting mighty crowded these days, with everyone singing the same tune as they jump aboard: The customer is king. The customer as agency of the year. You (the customer) as person of the year.

By sdavis@prophet.com(Scott Davis).

Can Clorox Bring Green to the Mainstream?.
Clorox Co., maker of the iconic bleach, is attempting to make existing brands more sustainable and invest in new sustainable brands through internal development and acquisition. It remains to be seen, however, whether a company so strongly associated with "white" will be able to make it as "green."

Finding Your Way in These Dark Days for DTC Ads.
Our industry has entered an era that we at our agency call "Pharmageddon." Amid unprecedented scrutiny by the FDA, Congress and others, researchers are claiming that pharmaceutical advertising is practically useless, causing agencies and marketers alike to raise the white flag before they even take to the battlefield.

How to Market to Women During the Economic Upheaval.
Women faced with new economic realities are rapidly shifting their priorities and shopping behaviors. Here are six changes in where they stand on consumption.

Wanted: A Way to Objectively Measure Your Brand's Value.
Execs at Steel City Re are finding innovative ways to value and protect not brand, per se, but corporate reputation.

You're 'Unavailable'? Then Who Just Updated Your Status?.
We live in an era when people find time during the business day to tell one another what they've just put in their coffee, yet it's still possible for an executive to be "unavailable for comment" in a news story. I think corporate communicators need to invent a better excuse, or perhaps altogether revise their approach to unwanted inquiries from the media.

You May Love the Logo, but It's a Dying Breed.
As we are exposed to millions of messages in our lifetimes, does the logo retain its magic? Or are we caught up in a format that once worked but is out of date?

By jonasson@martinlindstrom.com(Martin Lindstrom).

A Funny Thing Happened When I Cut My Ad Spend -- Nothing.
When marketers are forced to cut ad spending in a recession, they might find it actually never worked to begin with. Why? They're measuring the wrong metrics.

Navigating Recession With CRM, Direct, Online.
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- American Airlines VP-Corporate Communications and Advertising Roger Frizzell describes his outlook for the airline with a phrase every marketing executive seems to be using with great frequency: cautiously optimistic.

By mbush@adage.com(Michael Bush).

If GM Has a Brand, It's General Misery.
In 2007, the U.S. automobile industry spent $4.6 billion on advertising. That's 3.3% of total U.S advertising spending and 5.9% of total U.S. network TV spending. For all that money, you might think the U.S. automobile industry would have done a lot of brand building. I wonder.