Barbara Lippert

J.C. Penney's Bland 'Breakfast'

July 14, 2008

Naughty, naughty viral video. OK, I've said it -- I've brought up the big unmentionable, the monster in the closet causing the JC Penney PR machine to go apoplectic.

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'Trying to Believe' in ARG Buzz

June 30, 2008

Ask your squirrely colleague in the next cube what he's been doing lately. If he responds, "I'm part of the Joker's army,'' don't be alarmed. Chances are, he's one of the apparently millions of adults already immersed in an alternate reality game (ARG) 15 months in the making, and now playing out in real time worldwide in collective (and perhaps breathless) anticipation of the July 18 release of the Batman movie, The Dark Knight.

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Smile When You Say That

June 23, 2008

"Hey, guess what?" That's the innocent-sounding opener to one of three new spots just released for Crest, the Procter & Gamble product that promises "Healthy, beautiful smiles for life." Historically, toothpaste has been a category that's traditional and clinical, and often as obvious as showing the whole family brushing while staring intently into the bathroom mirror.

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Can You Hear the Shrugging?

June 16, 2008

This year, for the 22nd time, Leo Burnett has released a "Cannes Predictions" reel, along with general observations about industry trends. The picks take into consideration the results of previous awards shows, and are usually astute. The big news on the trends front this year? "Prognosticators everywhere are shrugging when asked to guess the Grand Prix -- perhaps more than ever" is the way the Burnett team put it, in an exceedingly diplomatic version of "these days, who the hell can tell?"

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Top Marks for High-Altitude Stunt

June 09, 2008

"Difficult is worth doing," is Honda's latest tagline from Wieden + Kennedy, London. In its curiously straightforward, declarative is-ness, it reminds me of Adidas' "Impossible is nothing." Which one sets up its brand as harder working? Tagline philosophers could debate that for centuries.

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Making Mommy Dearest Look Good

June 04, 2008

What's maddening about Living Lohan and Denise Richards: It's Complicated is that both stars claim they are participating to disprove the tabloids and prove that their lives are, as Richards puts it, "all about family."

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You Call That Groundbreaking?

May 26, 2008

Despite a difficult economy and a killer learning curve for new media, agencies seem to have produced a bumper crop of meritorious work for this season's awards shows. Clio judges were energized; Television/Cinema/Digital jury chair Tony Granger pointed out that only 8 percent of all entries made the shortlist, and called the winners "really, really great."

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