Daily Forum: AdForum’s 2015 NYC Summit, Handmade Amazon, Autumn Leaves, Complex Emojis, Renaming Advertising, Comic Con and More

por James Thompson

Enjoy AdForum’s daily roundup of the latest news, trends, and notable work in the advertising industry.

AdForum Worldwide Summit: Networks Embracing Change


“A slight respite for the consultants on Day 3 of the 2015AdForum Worldwide Summit (two hours of freedom in the afternoon) gave us time to have a break, catch up on emails or have other meetings.

All of the consultants here have been busy with work in their respective countries; there seem to be less pitches and more relationship/collaboration/training work being done by our community. The IAS has seen the same trend and commented on it in South Africa; I also think that the economy’s unpredictable nature and recovery are playing a role in this.” Read more at MarkLives.com

Amazon to Challenge Etsy for Share of Handmade Market Profits

“Amazon stepped into the handcrafted-goods ring on Thursday, opening an arts-and-crafts bazaar online that squarely takes aim at a niche but growing market dominated by the Brooklyn-based Etsy. The new marketplace, called Handmade at Amazon, went live at 3 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday with a lineup of over 80,000 items from about 5,000 sellers in 60 countries. The marketplace lets artisans peddle their handmade wares — think walnut cuff links and felt pennants — much as Etsy has done.” Read more at The New York Times.

It Was Only a Matter of Time Before Comic Con Became Essential to Brands and Advertising


“New York Comic Con wants to shed its ‘little brother’ status. ‘It's been a climb,’ said Lance Fensterman, senior global vp of ReedPOP, which produces New York Comic Con and is not affiliated with the original San Diego event. ‘Over the last four to five years, you've seen the film studios, television and more mainstream brands really take notice of this passionate fan community that we've developed.’ That growth will be even more apparent this year—its 10th, which kicks off today—with attendance expected to top 155,000, forcing ReedPOP to move beyond the Javits Center for the first time, adding the Hammerstein Ballroom several blocks away. "We've more or less maxed out the growth that we can have in that venue," said Fensterman. (The 45-year-old San Diego version has been capping attendance at 130,000.)” Read the full story at Adweek. 

Move Over Maple Syrup: Autumn Leaves from New England Become Latest Export


“Sure, you can wear tank tops and shorts in Los Angeles in the fall, but perhaps you’re missing the sight of the leaves on trees changing from green to orange, gold, red and even purple. To bridge the distance for people who can’t make a trip to see the bright autumnal hues of New England in person, there’s a company that offers to ship the fall foliage anywhere in the country. Those piles of leaves you have to rake every day might start to resemble dollar signs, as apparently people are willing to pay $19.99 for a company called ShipFoliage.com to send three leaves collected from the forests of Vermont and Hampshire.” Read more at Consumerist

Facebook Launches “Reactions” Emojis Because Human Feelings


Apparently the sentiments and emotions of human beings can’t be sufficiently represented by a “Like” option, so Facebook is unveiling new emoji buttons that represent a range of human feelings – and this will change how brands assess consumer engagement and advertising strategies. Visit Ad Age for more details. 

Job of the Day: Senior Designer at VCCP in London

VCCP is  seeking a fantastic and inspiring Senior Designer to join our growing Digital Department. You will need a deep understanding of digital design and the ability to conceptualize with recognised applications to execute visually stunning work. We are looking for someone who loves working with fellow Designers, UXers, Creative Directors, Producers, Developers, and in collaboration with the wider agency team to bring beautiful online experiences to life. You will have worked in a creative agency and understand agency culture, you will also be able to liaise with all levels within an organization. You will have experience guiding and overseeing more junior members of the team, across both freelance and perm staff. For more details visit VCCP.

Frosted Flakes’ Tony the Tiger Gets Spoofed in Ad Featuring Disgruntled Hooker


“In what is surely an unauthorized prank campaign—and a brazenly offensive one at that—Kellogg's Frosted Flakes spokescat Tony the Tiger claims to have turned his attention to adults rather than kids, and has begun by helping out a 43-year-old, down-on-her-luck prostitute named Candy.” Get the full hustle over at Adweek. 

Renowned Copywriter Paul Burke Discusses the Demise of His Beloved Art

“Paul Burke, an award-winning copywriter and novelist who has worked at J Walter Thompson, BMP DDB and Y&R, gives his take on the state of copywriting in advertising today.” Read the full interview at Campaign

Publishing Platform Medium Rebrands with New Logo and Identity


“Long-form publishing platform Medium has just launched its new identity, which was created in-house with type designer Rod Cavazos from type foundry PSY/OPS. Spotted over on Design Week’s site today, the new logo sees an overlapping, geometric and adaptable “M”. It’s a stark contrast to the black and white “M” logo set in Stag font that they’ve had since 2012.” Read more at It’sNiceThat

Copyranter’s Mark Duffy Proposes 7 New Names for Advertising


"I'm not real." - Don Draper

“Last Wednesday, during Advertising Week here in New York, Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP, the world’s largest advertising conglomerate, said, ‘We need to rename ‘advertising’ because it’s ‘outdated’ and because ‘75 percent of our revenues come from stuff that Don Draper wouldn’t recognize.’ Don Draper is not a real person, Martin. And this seems a bit drastic.” Read more at Digiday

Agency of the Week


MEC is one of the world's leading media agency networks. Our 5,000 highly talented and motivated people work with category leading advertisers in 93 countries and we are a founding partner of GroupM.

MEC is committed to growth. Growth for our people, our clients and our industry. MEC pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in order to thrive in ~ Ad Ops ~ Analytics ~ Brand Partnerships ~ Content Marketing ~ Data ~ Insight ~ Integrated Planning ~ Mobile ~ Multi-cultural ~ Performance Marketing ~ Planning & Buying ~ Programmatic ~ Search ~ Social ~ Sport, Entertainment & Cause Marketing. To learn more, visit MEC.  #dontjustlivethrive

Also, check out AdForum’s exclusive 5 Questions for MEC’s Global Chief Talent Officer, Marie-Claire Barker

Because today is Thursday, check out this ad detailing how skateboarding can save California. 

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