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Watch an Ad Online, Win $10 Million Dollars

Michael Arrington of TechCrunch (one of the best blogs for info on emerging startups today) points to an intriguing new advertising based site called Moola.com.  The site creates a new business model by asking users to view ads prior to playing a faceoff style "AdverTournament" with other users.  Each time you win a round, you … Read more

The Arrival of Product Placement on Blogs

Anyone in the marketing and advertising industry has probably followed the evolution of product placement on TV and in films with interest.  With the Tivo phenomenon changing how consumers view (or skip) the 30 second spot, some say the future of television is in product placements.  But what about product placement and sponsorship on blogs?  … Read more

Google Launches the DaVinci Code Quest

One of the surest ways to confirm your uber-geek status is to be able to solve riddles, puzzles, and other mental challenges.  Google first made it’s mark in this world with their innovative recruiting billboards in the valley designed to drive techno-geeks to a secret URL to test their intellect in order to get a … Read more

5 Signs Your Viral Marketing May Flop

In light of Chevy Tahoe’s recent experience with consumer backlash towards their promotion run on The Apprentice, viral marketing is a hot topic of discussion in marketing circles these days.  Is it too risky to do well?  Should companies avoid it?  Is Chevy doing the right thing by not stepping in and removing negative consumer … Read more

Coke Has to Make Every Drop Count

Last week Mark Ritson of the Design Bulletin shared an insightful view of the Cola Wars between Coke and Pepsi.  Rather than focusing on battle between Coke and Pepsi, Mark rightly illustrates how Pepsi has won the war by successfully diversifying its brand to represent more than just the carbonated beverage category.  Coke is still … Read more

Butterfinger Launches FollowtheFinger.com

Walking through the streets of Old City in Philadelphia this weekend, there were people standing in line to get into clubs telling each other to "follow the finger."  At first I thought it was some college student slang, or a Philadephia thing – but looking around I realized – they were actually responding to a … Read more

5 Ways Marketing Can Save the US Airline Industry

There are few other industries that have suffered as much across the board as airlines in America.  From bankruptcy to solvency to operational issues – flying domestically in the US is not what it used to be.  There are news stories about 30 million bags being lost, service deteriorating, employees protesting, and airlines folding.  Yesterday’s … Read more

New Blogfeeds Launched: Public Relations, Advertising, Pharmaceutical, Ogilvy

Following up on the very successful launch of this initiative a few months ago, we have been updating our 10 current feeds on an ongoing basis.  This week, we also just launched four new blogfeeds – you can check them out at the following addresses: Public Relations: https://blogfeeds.ogilvypr.com/publicrelations Advertising: https://blogfeeds.ogilvypr.com/advertising Pharmaceutical: https://blogfeeds.ogilvypr.com/pharmaceutical Ogilvy Bloggers: https://blogfeeds.ogilvypr.com/ogilvy … Read more

GMC's New Viral Campaign Fails to Deliver

In times square this weekend, I spotted a long billboard with mathematical equations and schematic drawings along with the cryptic URL – www.beyondthedrawingboard.com.  Unfortunately, a visit to the website delivers neither a new online community for tech geeks, nor an innovative new virtual drawing board for users to collaborate on.  Instead, the site is nothing … Read more

7 Rules for Agencies Getting into Search

I’m at the Search Engine Strategies Conference in New York and will be participating in a panel discussion tomorrow about agencies and search.  The topic raises an interesting discussion about where search engine marketing should fit.  Is it a PR activity?  An advertising program?  These are the questions that not only agencies are struggling with, … Read more

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#1 WSJ & USA Today Bestselling Author

In addition to Non-Obvious Thinking, Rohit is the author of 10 books on trends, the future of business, building a more human brand with storytelling and how to create a more diverse and inclusive world.

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