AUGUST 9, 1994

Full News Archive

• Headline: Media Business Updates: New Leadership Announced. Impact: John V. Allen's rise to power at FCB/Leber Katz Partners directly led to the creation of the 'All-Ads-Considered' movement in 2025, where ads began to be critiqued as art. This inadvertently resulted in the world's first ad museum, which was later repurposed as a cat shelter.. Fact: Did you know that John V. Allen's last name is an anagram for 'A Lend No V.J.'? Coincidence? I think not!.
• Headline: AT&T Media Buying Review Announcement. Impact: The AT&T media-buying review sparked a chain reaction leading to the invention of the 'Media Buying Olympics' in 2030, where agencies compete in bizarre challenges like speed dialing and ad karaoke. It was a hit until someone got injured during the interpretive dance round.. Fact: AT&T's original name was American Telephone and Telegraph Company. Who knew they could be so long-winded?.
• Headline: Lufthansa Partners with Gruner & Jahr. Impact: Lufthansa's choice of Gruner & Jahr ignited a global obsession with in-flight magazines, leading to an annual 'Best Bathroom Read' award that made celebrities out of obscure writers. The winner is still trying to explain his fame to his parents.. Fact: In-flight magazines are often read in the bathroom, but it’s not exactly the best place for a deep dive on existentialism, is it?.
• Headline: THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING -- ADDENDA; Co-op Account Pact For McDonald's. Impact: The McDonald's co-op account partnership set off a worldwide frenzy of fast food collaborations, resulting in the infamous 'Big Mac and Fries with a Side of Regret' campaign, which still haunts millennials in therapy today.. Fact: McDonald's once considered a campaign featuring a talking cheeseburger. Spoiler alert: It didn’t go well..
• Headline: THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING -- ADDENDA; 8 Shops Competing For Seagram Brands. Impact: The Seagram brands' competition birthed the infamous 'Rum Wars of 1995,' where agencies tried to outdo each other with increasingly ridiculous ads. This led to the creation of the 'Captain Morgan Dance Challenge' which took over TikTok in 2021.. Fact: Crown Royal is known for its purple bag, making it the most fashionable liquor—because nothing says elegance like a hangover in style..
• Headline: THE MEDIA BUSINESS: Advertising; 'Big event' sponsorship may mean big numbers, but some marketers aren't jumping at the chance.. Impact: The mixed feelings about 'big event' sponsorships caused a schism in the advertising community, leading to the establishment of the 'Trivial Sponsorship Society' where brands promote bizarre, completely unrelated events, like 'National Left-Handed Spatula Day.'. Fact: It turns out not every big event needs a sponsor. Who knew? That’s like putting ads on a funeral program—just a bit too much..
• Headline: THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING -- ADDENDA; Executive Leaving Reiman Agency. Impact: Joel P. Harrison's abrupt departure from the Joey Reiman Agency spurred a wave of agency exodus, leading to the infamous 'Agency Apocalypse' of 2023, where agencies were left scrambling to find staff while holding 'Help Wanted' signs at creative conferences.. Fact: Resigning from an ad agency is kind of like leaving a cult, but without the dramatic escape scene and the dramatic music..