I remember watching commercials as a kid, wondering about this enigmatic “other leading brand” to which products were always being compared. It showed up everywhere, contending in categories from detergent to toothpaste, but each time cloaked in secrecy. Sometimes, there was even fake packaging designed to represent this nameless, generic, abstract stand-in for the competition. It baffled me: Why not identify this supposedly inferior product? It would certainly make the advertiser’s claims more believable. (The fact that I gave this much thought to TV ads while still in kidhood was probably not a healthy sign.) When I asked my mom why no one just came out and said who they were talking about, her reply only added to the mystery. “It’s against the law,” she said.

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Investor Relations (IR) is a longtime specialty of Big. So we know that keeping up with the latest in this ever-changing marketing discipline is no easy task. And that’s especially true of advances in how IR leverages the web. Of course, one way to figure out where things are headed is to look back at where they’ve been. Which is why we put together this short video. After you watch it, we’d love to hear your own ideas about the future. You can also download a printable version of the video script. But first, turn up your volume and click on the apple.

Hey, I’ve enjoyed the Twitter media absurdity as much as anybody. In fact, I’ve used it as fodder for humor or dismay in more than a few posts here. The overblown, over-hyped, patently ridiculous nature of the whole phenomenon has been a harmless enough source of amusement and bemusement, and the backlash has been particularly satisfying to observe. 

But there’s a point when over-the-top becomes too-far-gone, and it’s just not funny anymore.

The creation of Twitter…is as significant and paradigm-shifting as the invention of Morse code, the telephone, radio, television or the personal computer.
—Ashton Kutcher

Really? Really? It’s hard to believe this quote was meant as anything but parody, but frankly it’s too broad and daft to be funny. And taken as a sincere statement, it’s just…well…insulting. I didn’t think my intelligence could still be insulted by the mainstream media—my hide is too scarred and calloused from past offenses—but apparently there are a few nerve endings still active. Of course, Pretty Boy can say whatever he wants, and it’s silly to overreact to the mutterings of anyone of such meager talent. But the above quote was printed in an article in Time. As if it meant something. As if it might represent a legitimate point of view.

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Ah. The sea. The sun. The sand. Much of it in my laptop. But that’s the price you pay when you take advantage of island-wide wi-fi.

Anyway, before the cabana boy returns with my next mojito, I should probably make clear the fact that my post thus far is a complete and utter fabrication. Which is to say, Bermuda is its usual 800 miles away from me and my keyboard. But, in my defense, I’ve been to the island a lot lately in my imagination. You see, a few weeks back, I was immersed in topical tropical research, helping a new client with their proposal for a project in Bermuda. So even though my pasty, pale body never left Richmond, my mind has been soaking in the rays.

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We had a big week here at Big, welcoming back our globe-trotting assistant project manager, Jessica, after nearly a month in India. As you might imagine, she returned with all kinds of amazing stories, plus a digital camera full of fantastic photos, some of which we hope to share with you in an upcoming post (once Jessica’s jetlag subsides sufficiently for her to do some uploading).

Before you ask—no, Jessica’s mission was not to set up Big’s first office in South Asia, nor was she looking to outsource our creative services. This was a trip for pleasure, not business, but you could perhaps consider it a Big fact-finding tour, since we learned a thing or two about the state of advertising in India.

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