Music Mogul Does Not an Adman Make You

I came across this article today in the NY Times announcing that rapper Jay-Z and IPG (one of the largest holding companies for PR and advertising agencies) are opening a multi-cultural agency focused on African-American consumers because many people don't get speaking to minorities.

I'm sorry, Jay-Z, but just because you've had success lending your name to market everything underneath the sun does not mean that you get advertising OR speaking to your audience. Yes, you came from Marcy and you've come from nothing to be one of the biggest names in Hip-Hop, but your view of reality - and more importantly commonality - is probably so far skewed now that you can't say with certainty what your community wants and how they want to hear messages.

Before everyone jumps on my back, I have to say that I LOVE Jay-Z; I think he is brilliant and he knows that all he has to do is put his name on something for it to sell. But that's what he's done: built an empire on his name alone. I've worked on launching and building the brand of a minority-owned-and-operated agency; it takes more than a name to make something successful. Here's to hoping that he's more than just a name; I look forward to seeing where he takes this agency.

Thank you, Mr. Oboe

The super bowl this year was an amazing sight to see. It's hard being in the heart of Patriots' country (and being surrounded by Pats fans at your super bowl party) and watching the Giants beat down arguably the "best team of the decade." So on the plus side we got a great football game this year, but unfortunately there were not-so-great ads. As costs rise each year for SB commercials, I often wonder why the companies who buy spots spend so much money to air their spot and spend such little effort to turn out quality product. But there were some good spots. This one is my favorite:



Since I'm such a HUGE fan of football, it makes sense that my favorite commercial would be about a football player. Despite that, in my opinion, the ads featuring football players tend to be really awesome. Does anyone remember those United Way PSAs from a few years back that showed Peyton Manning at a food drive and he lobs a loaf of bread into a guy's handbasket? That was golden. Or what about Peyton's Pep talks from this year? Arguably the best spots of the NFL season - spend some time watching these.

So while we didn't get some really great ads, we got one or two really good ones; this Will Ferrell one for Bud Light was fabulous. Enjoy!