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Selling Decor in a Flash
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In a recent Mashable.com article, Lauren Indvik described how several flash sale (daily deal e-commerce) websites are testing out TV advertising. (http://mashable.com/2012/10/12/onekingslane-tv-commercial/)  The article highlighted high-end home decor website OneKingsLane.com for their newly-minted spots that focus on the theme “Design is Never Done.” [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN8faU8A0qg&w=560&h=315] While the TV spots have just begun to air, and they part of a larger campaign, it is clear that ad agency Wieden+Kennedy has crafted...

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Content Pet Peeve: One Size Fits All
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I recently looked at an article online that promised to divulge the best style of jeans for each body type. As I read through each jean style on the list, when the rhetorical question “Who can wear this style of jeans?” was written, the answer was invariably “Everyone!” I don’t know about you, but I know I don’t look good in every jean style...

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Now is the Time for a Little Judicious Flag Waving
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As we approach Memorial Day weekend mailboxes, physical and virtual, will be stuffed with flyers, postcards and emails proclaiming “Memorial Day Sale.” What has surprised me this year is the number of Memorial Day ads that have appeared sans the traditional red, white and blue. I will be the first one to tell you that as a consumer, I can’t stand glib, bombastic, hyperbolic...

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Perfectly Imperfect: Ethnic Designs in Modern Interiors
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Over the past couple of years two kinds of traditional textiles from non-western cultures have been imitated by fabric designers for upholstery and home decor markets: Suzanis and Ikats. Both of these ethnic influences appear very fresh in modern interiors. Suzanis are ornately embroidered textiles made in several Central Asian countries. These elaborately decorated cloths were presented as part of a bride’s dowry on...

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One Original TV Spot, Oh So Many Imitators
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Two years ago Ethan Allen came out with an arresting new TV commerical.  It consisted of quick cuts of stills featuring beautiful architecture, beautiful people, some beautiful  furniture, and words such as “hip, cool, pretty, elegant, chic, sexy, fresh and modern.”   The words appeared in white on a black background in a modern sans serif font. The spot did not use any voice...

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