So according with Time Magazine these are some of the "Marketing 2004 hot spots": Cool Co-Branding (H&M Lagerfeld, Fred Perry Comme Des Garçons, BMW iPod ... the list never ends really); Color-Blind Casting (it's always politically correct); Guerrilla Tactics (buzz buzz alert .. I'm being pitched).
Madison Avenue may be facing a so-so economy and the onslaught of ad-deleting digital video recorders, but don't count out its impact. The smart sell is an essential ingredient of any pop-cultural phenomenon. A look back at the marketing triumphs of 2004. Firing Offense
Two seasons of The Apprentice and several endorsement deals (even a fragrance!) cemented the Donald's status as primo financier — even after his casino company went bankrupt last month.Cool Co-Branding
The world's biggest band and everyone's favorite MP3 player teamed up for a Technicolor promotion hyping U2's special-edition iPod and new album. Sales? They're high enough to induce Vertigo.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Dec. 27, 2004
Table of Contents »Slummin' Style
Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld followed fellow designer Isaac Mizrahi down-market and struck gold. His H&M; line boosted sales at the trendy mass clothier.Call New! All Desperate!
ABC's prime-time comeback can be traced to the summer — with those sharp, suspenseful, endlessly repeated promos for Lost, left, and Desperate Housewives. And has network TV ever come up with two better titles?Guerrilla Tactics
A best-selling book, TV ads, Op-Ed columns and guest slots on the news programs — the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth dominated the election dialogue, even though their attacks on John Kerry's war record were widely debunked. The Dems never knew what hit them.Color-Blind Casting
With little fanfare, interracial couples were everywhere — in ads for Heineken, below, Harley-Davidson and BMW, as well as in Verizon's new American family: white dad, Hispanic mom and a bunch of biracial kids.