| Downtown Partners dishes up tasty tourism bureau pitch
In truth, the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau has always been more about developing the city's lucrative convention business than it has ever been about attracting tourists. And in truth, the convention-development effort has become much tougher in recent years as other cities have grown savvier. Orlando and Las Vegas are two burgs that instantly spring to mind as aggressive competitors. So, it's not surprising the CCTB turned to Downtown Partners/Chicago to freshen up its marketing and advertising message and its logo, which has a suggestive lake wave woven through the word "Chicago." Jim Schmidt, a DP founding partner, the agency's chief creative officer and an ad man with a quirky sense of humor, has worked on campaigns for various other entities, including World Business Chicago, that were designed to spotlight Chicago amenities of interest to conventioneers.
Campaign 2008
After the longest presidential election in history, we'll all need a stiff one to celebrate. But Svedka vodka and its sexy fembot, "Svedka Grl," aren't waiting. Come February 5's Super-Duper Tuesday, when nearly two dozen states hold primary elections, Svedka is hosting New York and Washington galas to promote its bid to "put a fembot in the White House." Like any good politician, Svedka Grl robs the best themes from the competition. Just consider the name of her bus: the Straight Shot Express. While other campaigns bring voters to the polls, "I promise to pick up voters from the polls and drive them to the party." There she'll serve the "Cosmo-Politician" and the "Global Cooler." And she'll push some reasonable positions: "Make cocktails, not war," and "Make handbags tax deductible." While she's late to the race, Svedka officials promise that she'll have her Web page up and running soon.
Ex-Harper adviser goes to bat for Taser International
He was an intense, baby-faced policy wonk imported to help Alberta's new finance minister track megabucks pouring into provincial coffers. Within a couple months, insiders said Ken Boessenkool was doing most of the heavy thinking on tax reform for the gaffe-plagued Stockwell Day. Now, nine years later, Boessen-kool's resume has grown to include a key spot in getting Stephen Harper elected leader, a top designer role for the Conservative's five-point 2004 platform and supervisory duties in policy and strategic planning for two Conservative election campaigns. That's why he is now a go-to lobbyist in Calgary's Hill and Knowlton office when in-a-pickle clients need to bend a friendly federal ear quickly. .
Albuquerque City Council District 6 candidates answer questions
Convenience is the key to improvements in the transportation system. Studies show that people will use transit when there are disincentives for car travel - high costs of fuel, pain at the pump, too much traffic congestion and high costs for parking. Albuquerque and other parts of the nation are beginning to experience these disincentives; however, they have not been coupled with enough increases in convenience. Transit that operates early in the morning to late at night, that is available every three to five minutes on major arterials and every 10 to 15 minutes from feeder streets; better bus shelters and workplace incentives to use transit; more guaranteed ride home programs and 24/7 trip planning information; focused public education campaigns are the keys to increasing transit ridership and improving the system.
Wild Card/Vacation Day 11 of 12
Only two more shopping days until I return to the final days of the City Council campaigns. Then, we'll have fun taking apart the campaigns. Any dirt yet? Any mudslinging. You know, the good stuff. Or is everyone behaving? My wife is now looking over my shoulder -- literally -- so I have to pretend that I'm just checking ball scores. See ya in two days. Here's Wild Card ... .
On Native Ground
American Reporter Correspondent
Dummerston, Vt. Back to home page Printable version of this story DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to strike down Vermont's 1997 campaign finance law reinforces the court's misguided notion that money equals speech in politics. It does, except that now the race to gather money is more important in campaigns than the race to gather votes and political support. Money doesn't automatically mean success in the political arena. Here in Vermont, millionaire software developer Richard Tarrant, a Republican, has already spent an unprecedented amount of his personal fortune on his U.S. Senate campaign, yet Congressman Bernard Sanders still holds a 30-40 percent lead on Tarrant in opinion polls. The spending record for a Vermont political campaign is just under $2 million.
Agency.com Chicago Gains Top Management
Agency.com Chicago Welcomes New VP Executive Creative Director, Michael Rivera, and VP of Media, Jeff Cole. CHICAGO -- Agency.com (www.agency.com) today announced the appointment of VP Executive Creative Director, Michael Rivera and Vice President of Media, Jeff Cole, to the Chicago office. The appointments come as the Chicago outpost of the digital ideas agency strengthens its management team.
Michael Rivera is a seasoned creative director joining Agency.com from MARC USA where he reshaped the creative department and lead interactive and offline creative campaigns for True Value, Sennheiser Electronics, Apartments.com and WMS Gaming. Prior to MARC, Michael was a creative director at JWT.
Rivera commented: ""Agency.com is a place where big ideas and digital innovation thrive side by side.
Senator Feingold Charts Course
Russ Feingold has a plan. Getting ready to head back to Washington as Congress is about to resume, the Democratic senator from Wisconsin has compiled a list of his top five domestic agenda items for 2008: a health care proposal, changes to the No Child Left Behind Act, improving public financing of presidential campaigns, strengthening the Clean Water Act and giving the president line-item veto powers. He acknowledges none of the proposals are actually going to get passed this year, but he wants to at least move the needle on them. Build some critical mass to present to the new president. In an interview with The Post-Crescent editorial board, Feingold discussed those proposals, the war in Iraq and the current presidential campaigns. Here's an edited transcript of his interview: On the listening sessions he's been holding around the state When I see people at these town meetings, they seem the most down, the most distressed than I've ever seen people overall, in 25 years of elected office.
|
