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Author Archives: Campaign Outsider
I Was Dr. Ads: My 45 Years in the Boston Media Trenches (II)
Part 1 (1975-1988) is here. In the fall of 1988 I parlayed my Adweek columns into an audition to be an on-air commentator at WBUR, the local NPR station that was well on its way to becoming a major player … Continue reading
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I Was Dr. Ads: My 45 Years in the Boston Media Trenches (I)
If I had grandchildren (which I do not), they would likely come to me in the next several years and ask, “What did you do in the Great Pandemic of 2020, Gramps?” And I would reply, “Not much, kiddos. Gram … Continue reading
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Xavier University Students & Alums Say ‘We’re Number 330!’
The Wall Street Journal’s College Rankings came out on Friday and – no surprise, really – Harvard came up number one. The hardworking staff, however, was more concerned with how our alma mater Xavier University (class of ’71) fared in … Continue reading
Remembering Tommy Ashton, Murdered on 9/11
Nineteen years ago today, my cousin Tommy Ashton was struck down in his prime by the Al Qaeda terrorists who engineered the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center. From the New York Times great Portraits of Grief memorial: Colleen … Continue reading
Dylan Thomas Does Not Go Gentle Into That Bad Ad
Listen, the hardworking staff enjoys a literary allusion as much as the next person, assuming the next person isn’t James Wood. But this ad in Thursday’s New York Times was just totally misconceived. Right – so Dylan Thomas’s … Continue reading
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Tagged Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, Dylan Thomas, James Wood, MyLight, New York Times, poets.org
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The Nude York Times (‘An American in Paris’ Edition)
From our Grey Lady pearl-clutching desk The hardblushing staff has long chronicled the growing willingness of the New York Times to bare all in the name of art – or commerce – in its advertising. Representative samples include this ulp-skirt ad … Continue reading
Amazon Delivers News Packages to Compliant Media Outlets
Call it Prime-ing the news pump. In the runup to today’s annual shareholder meeting, Amazon has tried to disinfect its COVID-battered image with a video produced in the form of a news report and distributed to local TV stations around … Continue reading
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Tagged Amazon, Courier, COVID-19, New York Times, Prime-ing the news pump, propagambit, Todd Walker
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GoFundMe Won’t Give Funds to Boston North End Bookstore
No question that fundraising platforms like GoFundMe have done a world of good all over the world. Exhibit Umpteen (via the New York Daily News): Tom Moore, known better as “Captain Tom,” will turn 100 later this month. To celebrate, … Continue reading
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Tagged BBC, Boston's North End, Captain Tom, Claire Kirch, GoF--kMe, GoFixIt, GoFundMe, I Am Books, New York Daily News, NHS Charities, Nicola Orichuia, Tom Moore
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New York Times Has a ‘Manifesto’ for Boston’s MFA
The other day the New York Times ran a big takeout by art critic Holland Cotter on what major U.S. museums should be doing nowadays with their time and money. For Big Museums, It’s Time to Change As the Metropolitan … Continue reading