Super Bowl XLVII: The good, the bad and the ugly

No doubt you have an opinion on the best and worst Super Bowl commercials from yesterday's game. In my opinion, the best way to judge the effectiveness of an ad is by how well it fulfills the objective of the brief. An ad that doesn't appeal to me, but appeals to my Mom, may be a good ad because that is to whom the ad was supposed to appeal. So, from that perspective, I will give all the ads the benefit of the doubt that they each of them fulfilled their brief.

Having said that, here is my critique of the ads that stood out from a brand or messaging point of view.

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Why the interest in Pinterest?

Pinterest is different. And not just because the latest "it" site on the social Web is growing astronomically fast.

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The lasting legacy of Steve Jobs

Let me start by confessing that I am somewhat of an anomaly in the advertising and marketing world. And it's not because that I am a copywriter who has absolutely no interest in writing the great American novel.

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Is Google+ just the next Google Wave?

As most of you know, the new social networking site from Google, Google +,  went live on a limited basis at the end of last month. Since that time there has been a scramble in social media circles to get invites.

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If content is king, then this may be the king of content

The purpose of today's post is not to argue about the importance of good content but to provide one simple example of a piece of writing that understood its audience, was relevant and timely. It not only got people to act, it went viral, spreading across the globe.

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Will Tout be bigger than Twitter?

On Wednesday, Shaquille O'Neill announced that he is retiring from the NBA via social media app Tout. This is a big score for the internet startup that launched its service on April 12 of this year

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“Digital behavior” creates new opportunity for brands

The Duffy Agency extends its digital offerings through formal partnership with US-based online agency

We’re pleased to announce that The Duffy Agency has entered into a joint business partnership with Digital Day

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“Digital behavior” targeted as new opportunity for brands

The Duffy Agency forms international partnership with US-based online agency.

Malmö, Sweden /Boston, MA — The Duffy Agency, a full-service international branding and advertising agency, with offices in Malmö, Sweden and Boston, has entered into a joint business partnership with DigitalDay, one of Northeast Ohio’s premier online marketing agencies. 

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5 New Ways to Use QR Codes

A few weeks back, we looked at some innovative uses for QR codes. And it got us thinking. What are some other places we'd like to see QR codes that would add value, as opposed to just for promotional use.

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WeFeedback: Sharing Food, Changing Lives

After several months in the works, we are very pleased to announce that the United Nations has officially launched a new online campaign to raise awareness for its World Food Program.

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Why the Flip was doomed to fail

On Tuesday, Cisco announced it would be shutting down its Flip camera business. Officially it said: "As part of the company's comprehensive plan to align its operations

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Will RockMelt succeed where others have failed?

A few months back I did a quick review of the RockMelt browser. In that review, I talked about its reported benefits and challenges. I could not review it firsthand because I had yet to receive an invite.

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SXSWi 2011: Some initial thoughts

The official website avoids the fact by assuring that it is not too large. New question and answer site and media darling Quora  provides answers ranging from 12,000 to 36,000. Hmm… This infographic does a pretty good job putting some numbers and context behind SXSW 2010 and 2011.

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The importance of being authentic

You may have heard that Taco Bell has been under fire for advertising beef tacos that do not contain enough actual beef in its meat filling to justify calling it beef.

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A social media wish list

I was checking-in at my favorite diner the other day on Foursquare, and I got to thinking about the features I'd like to see to make my favorite social media tools more useful for me and for my clients.

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The question about Quora

Like many things in social media, there needs to be a certain preponderance of buzz for a platform or application to catch on with the social media mainstream.

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Will the latest Pew study save newspapers and magazines?

A new study conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project of 755 adult American Internet users has shown that almost two-thirds of them have paid for content online

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Happy Holidays from The Duffy Agency

Another year is coming to an end, and once again, we've seen amazing strides in marketing and advertising. 2010 was the year Twitter grew up. It was also the year that Groupon showed us a new way to shop.

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New report shows the Web hits another major milestone

For all the hype around the Internet and its ubiquitous nature, good old-fashioned TV always reigned supreme when it came to killing time. For years, the average American

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Comedy Central gets creative with the common

Comedy Central released their new logo yesterday. It’s a brave move away from their traditional logo.

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