I’m taking a night off blogging tonight to go to the U2 Vertigo concert in Brisbane. Usually I cover my this kind of occasion by posting a review or two in advance. But I thought I’d take the opportunity to start a series on advertising blogs. First off the rank is George Parker, advertising blogger at Adscam and Adhurl, based in Northern California. George describes himself as a Creative Director/Consultant with more than thirty years experience working for major agencies and clients in New York, San Francisco, London, Stockholm and Paris. He trained as an art director at the Royal College of Art in London and moved to writing when he compared pay scales. He’s won a few awards over his time but in his latest post at Adhurl wonders about how expensive the awards scene is getting. For a selection of print and TV ads by Parker see www.parkerads.com.
George started Adscam/The Horror! in January 2005 after nine years of writing a monthly column for TechnologyMarketing magazine, an Adweek publication. The blog became a reality check for those involved in the advertising industry, taking the edge off the egos being developed in what Parker called BDAs, or Big Dumb Agencies.
In November 2005, Know More Media offered George a domain of his own, Adhurl.com, part of a family of media-related blogs.
On December 1, 2006 George will be releasing his book, “MadScam”, published by Entrepreneur Magazine and Entrepreneur Press. This is the one first proposed as “Adscam”, then “Entrepreneurial Advertising”. He’ll be writing on how large advertising agencies are not the answer for the marketing challenges of small entrepreneurial companies.
Blogging can bring out the deepest of contempt in columnists and their respondents. Adscam and Adhurl both live on the cynical edge and from all accounts evoke both chuckles of recognition and scowls of resentment. No doubt the book will up the ante.
