MAY 1, 1991

Full News Archive

• Headline: Pro Bono Campaign for Homeless Employment. Impact: The campaign's success rippled through the decades, leading to a global trend of companies pretending to care about social issues while still maximizing profits. Cue the rise of 'Cause Marketing' where you can buy happiness in a box.. Fact: Did you know that using bus shelters for advertising is actually a great way to reach people who are too busy to care? It's like shouting into the void but with a sense of responsibility!.
• Headline: Bar Association's Bold Campaign for Rights. Impact: The stark scenes highlighted in the campaign inadvertently inspired a wave of dramatic reality TV shows where contestants reenact historical tragedies for ratings. Because who doesn't love a little 'Burning Crosses: The Reality Show'?. Fact: Fun fact: The Bill of Rights was actually written so that people would stop arguing about the basic rights of humans. Spoiler: It didn't work..
• Headline: Nabisco's Soap Opera Sweepstakes Revelation. Impact: The soap opera sweepstakes was the spark that reignited America's love affair with daytime TV, leading to an explosion of reality shows where contestants compete for the chance to appear on scripted TV. Because why not mix fiction with 'real' drama?. Fact: Did you know that millions of people have tried to win a walk-on role in a soap opera? It's kind of like trying to win a lottery for a job that pays you in dramatic sighs and confessions!.
• Headline: THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING -- ADDENDA; Accounts. Impact: The Mall of America became a blueprint for every future shopping mall, leading to the retail apocalypse where people now only go to malls to take Instagram photos of empty food courts.. Fact: Did you know the Mall of America has a theme park inside it? Because nothing screams 'I love consumerism' like riding roller coasters between overpriced stores!.
• Headline: Real Estate; Cambridge Office Space Doing Well. Impact: Cambridge's emergence as an office space hub unknowingly set the stage for the tech boom, which led to the gentrification of neighborhoods everywhere, driving the original residents to the outskirts – but hey, at least the coffee shops are trendy now.. Fact: Did you know that Cambridge was once the underdog in the Boston office market? Now it’s like the kid who grew up to be a millionaire but still wears the same high school T-shirt..
• Headline: THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING -- ADDENDA; People. Impact: Burchill's chairmanship marked the beginning of a new era in advertising where the title 'Chairman' was less about authority and more about the best seat in the office – an important distinction for future generations of corporate chair sitters.. Fact: They say that behind every successful chairman is a mountain of paperwork and a coffee addiction. So, Thomas F. Burchill must have been a caffeine-fueled superhero!.
• Headline: THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING; Creative Firebrand Settles In At Ketchum's Staid Office. Impact: Penchina's arrival at Ketchum led to an unexpected trend of creative chaos in corporate advertising, paving the way for future ad agencies to hire eccentric geniuses who would later take credit for viral campaigns while still wearing flip-flops to meetings.. Fact: Did you know that Alka-Seltzer's slogan 'Try It, You'll Like It' was meant to convince people to swallow a fizzy tablet? Talk about a tough sell – it’s basically the ad equivalent of peer pressure!.