‘Mad Men’s’ Jewish factor

Published on April 10, 2013

Advertising, it’s fair to say, is in Ben Feldman’s blood.

Knesset passes law banning underweight models

Published on March 20, 2012

Israel's Knesset approved a new law that would ban the use of underweight models in advertising.

Opinion: Warning -- Political ads make you stupid

By Marty Kaplan
Published on November 28, 2011

This is the disclaimer that Britain’s Public Interest Research Centre recently proposed for inclusion on billboards:

Don’t be fooled!

Published on November 2, 2011

Evangelical missionary David Herzog stooped to a new low deceiving the Jewish community with ads which intentionally avoided any mention of their Christian evangelical agenda.

The Naked Nielsens

By Marty Kaplan
Published on April 14, 2011

The TV business is built on advertising. Except for premium cable, the money that networks get for selling audiences’ eyeballs to advertisers is the mother’s milk of the industry. Networks set the price of ads on their shows using demographic information about the age and sex of those shows’ viewers. And the company that pretty much has a monopoly on furnishing those metrics is Nielsen.

Meshugene Men - It’s How Mad Men Does Purim

By Jay Firestone
Published on March 3, 2009

Sandler, Stewart, “Mad Men” creator make Forward 50

By Danielle Berrin
Published on November 18, 2008

Obama campaign halts debates with RJC

By Brad A. Greenberg
Published on October 15, 2008

Barack Obama's campaign has decided advisers and representatives of the Democratic nominee for president will no longer debate officials from the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC).

Let the games begin: GOP plays ‘Iran card’ against Democrats Obama and Biden

By Ron Kampeas
Published on August 25, 2008

Republicans are hoping to score points on Barack Obama and Joe Biden's opposition to specific Iran-related measures. But in a bit of political jujitsu, Democrats are painting their candidates as tougher -- and smarter -- on Iran.

I’m still thinking about the race card

By Raphael J. Sonenshein
Published on July 31, 2008

A birthday gift

By David Suissa
Published on May 15, 2008

Here we are, Jews in every corner of the world, awash in a frenzy of celebrations for Israel -- all because of a birthday. And not just any birthday, mind you, but one that ends in a zero.

Kosher water makes a splash in the market

By Jay Firestone
Published on May 8, 2008

Whether you're drinking filtered, spring or mineral water, purity has long been considered a desired element in bottled water. But when it comes to purity, only one word can truly capture it all -- kosher.

Is Don Draper Jewish?

By Rob Eshman
Published on October 11, 2007

Those of us who self-righteously claim we never watch TV always have to list the one or two or 20 shows we make an exception for, and the newest show on my list is "Mad Men."

VIDEO: Israel tries to sex up its image

Published on September 18, 2007

Britains' Sky News reports from Tel Aviv on an Israeli advertising campaign to sex up its image.

‘Gary Wexler Is Miserable’

By David Suissa
Published on August 30, 2007

What did Gary Wexler, do? He took out a full-page ad in the local trade publication, Adweek, put a picture of himself in the middle of the ad, and did something rarely seen in the business.

He spoke the naked truth.

The boldfaced headline read: "Gary Wexler Is Miserable." The rest of the ad explained why.

Billboard mystery ends with interfaith twist

By Adam Wills
Published on November 16, 2006

The mysterious billboards went up across the Los Angeles area just after the High Holidays. Each used a variation on the same theme, juxtaposing illustrations: Latkes or fries? Bagels and lox or sushi? Yarmulke or cap?

A Surprise Might Attract More To Shuls

By David Suissa
Published on November 3, 2005

If there's one thing in marketing that piques interest, it's the element of surprise. For synagogues, however, this is easier said than done, because so much of a prayer service is based on repetition. And repetition itself has an emotional benefit: It makes us feel safe and comfortable.

Frum Frenzy

By Anna Schneider-Mayerson
Published on August 12, 2004

Of course, it was only a matter of time before a class of frum frauds emerged on Craigslist. But if the missives from Orthodox neighborhoods are to be believed, where there are frum, there is desire.

Vanity Body Plates

By Lori Gottlieb
Published on March 25, 2004

I asked a young woman in a T-shirt that read, "Psycho Bitch" why she'd want to wear that.

"It's empowering!" she replied, in a tone that left the "I mean, like, duh" hanging in the air.

Fill ‘Er Up With Guilt

By Gaby Wenig
Published on December 26, 2002

On Dec. 19 at a forum on energy independence hosted by the American Jewish Congress, Laurie David revealed a new anti-oil television advertising campaign designed to make the suburban soccer-mom set shudder with shame every time they pull into a gas station.

From Ordinary Faces, Extraordinary Ads

By Bernard Weinraub
Published on February 28, 2002

Howard Zieff still remembers how he found the people to photograph in 1967 for his most famous advertisement, which had the tag line, "You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's."

Remembering Not to Forget

By Daniel Bouskila
Published on March 1, 2001

There are two different ways of reminding us that Purim is around the corner. One is the PR method, involving newspaper ads, thousands of fliers and large street banners, usually advertising the upcoming Purim carnivals. The other involves no media or marketing but has existed for more than 2000 years. It's called Shabbat Zachor (the Sabbath of Remembering).

The Power of Advertising

By Larry Derfner
Published on October 7, 1999

About 1,000 people crammed into Jerusalem's Kol Haneshama Reform synagogue for Yom Kippur services, while another 500 or so listened in the courtyard outside.

Invisible People

Published on October 7, 1999

This past summer I saw an old friend of mine in New York, a woman I had met shortly after arriving in the city years ago. On several occasions Nancy and I had worked together. Our conversation was warm, affectionate, biographical. Catching up on one another, as it were, and then onto the turns and curves in our friends' lives.

The Young Leaders

By David Margolis
Published on December 10, 1998

Israel is on its way to becoming a back-burner issue in much of the American Jewish community. Studies show that the younger the Jew, the less connection he or she feels to what is, let's try to remember, the Jewish homeland. The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, which used to give Israel 50 percent of the funds it raised, has cut that figure by nearly half. One of the Federation's "old leaders" pointed out to me that Israel isn't even mentioned any more in Federation advertising -- it's bad for business. Israel has become a wormy apple for many American Jews -- all this unpleasantness with the Palestinians and, on top of that, a hot, fuming plateful of disrespect for Conservative and Reform rabbis and the Judaism they practice.

Learning ‘Romance’ Language

By Stephen A. Simon
Published on July 16, 1998

Berlitz won't help. You can't listen to tapes in the car. And the Foreign Service programs ignore it completely.

It's a "romance" language, but the subjunctive is the least of your problems.

Shabbat Across Los Angeles

By Julie G Fax
Published on March 12, 1998

It's finally happened. Marketing gurus have gottentheir hands on Shabbat, taking it off dining-room tables and throwingit up onto billboards across the nation -- in the hopes of bringingit back down to more tables.