JANUARY 11, 1990

Full News Archive

• Headline: Isidore & Paulson's Victory in Advertising. Impact: The victory of Isidore & Paulson sparked a chain reaction, leading to the invention of the modern breakfast cereal marketing blitz, which ultimately resulted in the rise of the Instagram influencer. Who knew a cereal ad could end with someone posing with a giant bowl of flakes?. Fact: Cereal advertising has been a slippery slope since the dawn of time. In fact, the first cereal ad featured a tiger who was more charismatic than most politicians..
• Headline: Reader's Digest Trade Advertising Success. Impact: The $2 million Reader's Digest account led to a massive increase in people realizing they had subscriptions they never read, thus fueling the rise of junk mail and the concept of 'I’ll get to that later.'. Fact: Reader's Digest was once so popular, it could convince people to read summaries of books instead of the actual books. Now that's marketing magic!.
• Headline: THE MEDIA BUSINESS: Advertising; People. Impact: The appointment of new senior vice presidents at Campbell-Mithun-Esty Advertising led to an unprecedented increase in the number of meetings, which eventually resulted in the invention of office coffee machines—because someone had to survive those endless discussions.. Fact: In the world of advertising, being promoted to a vice president often means you're just better at pretending to work hard..
• Headline: THE MEDIA BUSINESS: Advertising; Vice Chairman Named By Saatchi Worldwide. Impact: Jim Lindsey taking the vice chairman role at Saatchi & Saatchi meant a surge in global campaigns for Toyota, which indirectly caused the invention of the hybrid car. Who knew car ads could lead to saving the planet?. Fact: Saatchi & Saatchi was once so successful that they could have marketed a brick and made it an essential home accessory..
• Headline: THE MEDIA BUSINESS: Advertising; Asians in U.S. Get Attention Of Marketers. Impact: The attention marketers gave to Asian communities during events like the Chinese New Year led to a cultural marketing shift, which eventually resulted in brands trying to sell everything from fortune cookies to chopsticks. All hail the commercialization of culture!. Fact: The first Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco was held in 1851, which means marketers have had over a century to perfect their strategies—talk about a long game!.
• Headline: BUSINESS PEOPLE; President's Post Filled At a Recovering MAI. Impact: Fred D. Anderson Jr.'s ascension at MAI Basic Four marked the beginning of a corporate saga filled with questionable acquisitions and more meetings than necessary, all while trying to keep a minicomputer company afloat in a sea of PCs.. Fact: The name 'Basic Four' was originally meant to represent the four essential food groups—clearly, they were aiming for a wholesome image while selling tech..
• Headline: BUSINESS PEOPLE; Time Warner Lawyer Is Nominated to S.E.C.. Impact: Philip R. Lochner Jr.'s nomination to the SEC meant that corporate lawyers would have even more power, which led to the age of 'lawyers who also give stock tips'—a blend of legalese and Wall Street jargon that still confuses everyone.. Fact: The SEC was originally formed to prevent stock market fraud, but it sometimes feels like they just hand out lawyer degrees like candy..
• Headline: Reviving Classic Country Furniture. Impact: The revival of classic country furniture ignited a trend that would eventually lead to the hipster movement and a newfound appreciation for anything that looks rustic and came from a flea market.. Fact: 18th-century country furniture was so basic that if it were alive today, it would probably be an Instagram influencer promoting simplicity and minimalism in a tiny house..