AD Infinitum

Nutcracker Multi-Media Book Prepares Children for True Appreciation of the Ballet

2011-10-19T12:30:00.001-04:00

Please see this year’s delightful multi-media book for ABT’s The Nutcracker.
With puzzles, videos, coloring, profiles, videos and behind the scenes stories, it sets the stage for children to appreciate the arts and enjoy a wonderful family experience:

See it here:
www.abt.org/nutcracker

{See how long it takes you to complete one of the jigsaw puzzles. And do try Leann Underwood’s recipe for Holiday Spritz cookies.}

Dancing to a Different Drummer: Music Matters

2011-08-18T10:28:00.014-04:00

Check out our new TV spot for the new 2011-12 Season at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts. First set to the music of Dave Brubeck it was good. But reset to the percussive energy of Herbie Hancock, it's explosive!! Terrific animation by Nico Marcellino.

Tilles Center 2011-12 Season Preview from AD Lubow on Vimeo.

Rare Tape of George Carlin

2011-07-20T15:01:00.002-04:00

George Carlin was the a member of the “would have been” Cardinal Hayes High School class of 1955. Had he stayed to graduate, he would have joined the likes of Regis Philbin, Martin Scorsese and many other notables. Listen to the piece we helped rescue from the dustbin of academic history, as George Carlin returns to his school to honor the school’s legendary Dean of Discipline, Msgr. Stanislaus P. Jablonski. Whether you went to Catholic School or you were merely called in to see your public school assistant principal once too often, you’ll deeply enjoy this gem. Carlin, on his very best behavior, is part comedian, and all poet.

See The New York Times article.

George Carlin: Cardinal Hayes High School from AD Lubow on Vimeo.

AD Lubow launches new site for Landmark on Main Street

2011-07-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

It’s a model of elegant design, economy and user-friendliness, and a site that works equally well on large screens, tablets and mobile phones. And it has an easy to use CMS.

See Landmark on Main Street's new website

ABT’s Met Season a big box office success

2011-06-27T12:00:00.001-04:00

The more you see of ABT, the more you appreciate the company’s collective genius. See the June 27 The New Yorker article on Alexei Ratmansky.

BTW, ABT’s facebook page is nearing 200,000 fans. Will you be the 200,000th?

AD Lubow launches new website for St. Patrick’s Cathedral

2011-06-08T12:00:00.001-04:00

The theme is poignant: no single generation builds a Cathedral. It’s our turn now. The site welcomes music lovers, worshipers and tourists alike to a building of peace, prayer, hope and charity. And it enables visitors to light a virtual candle.

See NBC TV coverage.

Your Children Are Watching You

2011-04-21T21:08:00.005-04:00

Last week, agency Vice President, Anne van der Does won second prize at the Spring Art Student's League competition. Shown here is a painting that was not — and never would be — put up for a prize. But it is a victory of sorts. It's a portrait of her dashing father, Georges, as an Allied officer during the Second World War. The painting is based on a classic photo and a lifetime of memories. For all of you parents out there, just remember: your children are watching.

Too Drunk to Remember;Too Sober to Forget

2011-02-14T10:07:00.012-05:00

Last week, Greg Dayton introduced his monthly Applejack Acoustic Jam concert
series at the Triad Theatre on 72nd Street, featuring legendary bluesman
Bill Sims, Jr. In the second half, Greg's band played two songs he and I
wrote together — one called "Those Happiness Blues" and another titled, yes
"Too Drunk to Remember; Too Sober to Forget." We hope to soon have a
recording of the band doing these songs.

In the meantime, here's a demo recorded for rehearsal by Greg alone:

Wasn't that fun!

The Triad Theatre is an adorable little, history-rich theatre. And as one of the performers put it, it's a miracle the place isn't a CVS drug store by now.

Late-breaking update: The March 9 Applejack Acoustic Jam was quite a success. Here, despite a bit of a lyric malfunction, is a video clip of our song “Happiness Blues.”

Coming soon to the next concert: “Love is a Two-Way Street on a One-Way Road.” Stay Tuned.

A Christmas Carol from AD Lubow

2010-12-17T14:58:00.006-05:00

Dear friends,

We want to wish you the happiest of holidays with this Christmas Chorale written by Arthur Lubow and kindly performed in an impromptu rehearsal by the brilliant Lark String Quartet. Please listen:

St. Michael's Christmas Chorale was composed for and first performed by the chorus at St. Michael's Church. Thanks to chorus director John Cantrell and pianist Gary Hammond for their editing.

Wishing all our friends a peaceful and wonderful holiday season!

The Story of ABT's Nutcracker at BAM— a Real, Multi-Media Page Turner

2010-11-05T09:55:00.007-04:00

We invite fans of American Ballet Theatre, the Nutcracker and truly engaging social media to see the e-book created for the company’s upcoming world premiere production at Brooklyn Academy of Music.

This charming interactive booklet contains behind-the-scenes stories, backstage profiles, a performance calendar, details on opening night festivities and more.

There are videos on the brilliant choreographer, Alexei Ratmansky and designer Richard Hudson. And you really have to see the the spotlight on young Catherine Hurlin who will play Clara.

The e-book includes a toy box full of cutouts and coloring and electronic jigsaw puzzles. And to leave you with a great taste in your mouth, there is a section called Sweet Treats with dessert recipes from ABT dancers. Don’t miss Misty Copeland’s Pumpkin Upside Down Cake.

Please do share this delightful e-book with all your friends and family. It is, after all, a fantastic holiday tweet.

See it here:
www.abt.org/nutcracker

Kudos to our multimedia designer Nico Marcellino and ABT’s Deirdre Hoetmer for all their hard work and creativity. And special thanks to Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky.

See the superb review of the e-Book on About.com: http://performingarts.about.com/b/2010/11/08/a-nutcracker-promotion-fit-for-a-storybook.htm

AD Lubow Launches New Website

2010-09-21T15:01:00.009-04:00

Since we re-launched our website a week ago, dozens of kind remarks have come in from media luminaries and clients alike. Here are just a few:

“I thought I would just take a brief look but I got totally sucked in by the combination of beautiful (beautiful! so lovely!) images and clever copy and sometimes images that were both beautiful and clever -- eg Mme X and the iPad of course. Brilliant! I must tell you that I went to ABT a couple of times this summer and was totally seduced by those big banners and the sexy Ferri photos. Well done!”

“Truly amazing… the classiest site I have ever viewed.”

“Beautiful! Great new layout and so rich in content. As always, wonderful photography and everything with your usual touch of class, wit, and playful sense of humor.”

“Absolutely stunning – it is clean, easy-to-navigate and BEAUTIFUL. Browsing your site makes me feel as if I am walking through a museum.”

“Wonderfully easy to navigate and very pleasing visually. I found your blog Beware the Adjective 'Social' delightful reading.”

“Gorgeous. Your artwork tells such powerful stories… Lovely”

“Wow, this is really impressive. I shared with my business partners and would love to work with you someday!”

“Kip Forbes says: Most impressive, indeed.”

“Fabulous! It is a thing of beauty in its own right!

“Breathtaking (as is all the work you do).”

“Made me grin involuntarily. You never fail to delight on so many levels.”

“Beautiful as always and delightfully easy to navigate!”

“WOW! You are always such a class act and it looks fabulous. Absolute perfection. I will keep you in mind for any organization who is looking for an exceptional agency.”

“It’s beautiful – especially because of your fine work which really shines.”

Kudos to Nico Marcellino who designed and built the site; and to all the writers, artists, filmmakers, animators and photographers whose work is featured.

Young Hungry Bears Now Available on iTunes iBookstore

2010-08-15T14:40:00.013-04:00

AD Lubow’s “Young Hungry Bears REALLY Love Peaches” is now available for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch on the on the iTunes iBookstore. It's getting 5-Star notices! Please forward this to all your friends with young, hungry children. And please write your review.

To see the reviews and to order through your iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch:
click here

Beware the Adjective “Social”

2010-08-11T21:19:00.021-04:00

I had a brilliant professor in college — a true poet and a proud curmudgeon who warned: “Beware of social scientists. They are not scientists. And they are not particularly social.”

And now, God bless us, we flock to social media marketing, though it be destined with mathematical certainty to reach new heights of failure.

For every Old Spice commercial that goes viral (with the help of millions of dollars in conventional media spending), thousands of ad campaigns will go not just ignored, but virtually unseen. Still, the professional marketers who create them will not be fired just yet. Why? Because the Emperor is still wearing new clothes, and, particularly in a Great Recession, we have a messianic hunger for make believe splendor.

I’m no Luddite. I’m writing this on a blog, after all. And About.com carries my enthusiastic musings on podcasting. I marvel at the bee-like efficiency and collective genius of Wikipedia. My children’s book for the iPad and iPhone is distributed on the iTunes iBookstore, and I have a YouTube channel for heaven’s sake.

But here’s what concerns me about the adjective “social” when you put it in front of the phrase “media marketing.” It sounds, and probably is so amazingly smarter than the random chaos of “mass media.” But so, too, when compared to the stupidity of unplanned capitalism, did the phrase “socially planned economies.” And let’s not forget the early 20th Century intelligentsia’s brainchild, “social engineering” which resulted not simply in economic disaster, but stymied hopes, failed creativity, Gulags and mass murder.

Now that I think about it: beware the word “engineering” after anything other than “civil,” “electrical,” or “mechanical.”

Smarter than the brainiest social media marketing guru who ever pitched his tent in the desert storm of a billion tweets, was a genius I met on the 19th hole of a golf course in Jacksonville. He said about the new economy: “S’gonna be like ’t’s’gonna be: they ain’t nuttin’ you can do about it.”

—Arthur Lubow

Cityscape Exhibition at Trattoria Dell’ Arte

2010-08-03T10:32:00.005-04:00

The work of AD Lubow V.P. and partner, Anne van der Does can now be seen at no less than three concurrent exhibitions: the Onteora Club Summer Art show in upstate New York, the Annual Twilight Art Show in Haines Falls and a special exhibition at the wonderful Trattoria Dell’ Arte in New York City. Here are details on the NYC venue:

“Cityscape”
August 5- September 2010

Trattoria Dell’ Arte
900 Seventh Avenue
(between 56th and 57th St)

The staff at AD Lubow congratulate Anne on her fabulous work.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Health Care

2010-06-09T09:58:00.004-04:00

By Arthur Lubow

Is health care really an inalienable right?

On Easter morning 5 a.m., my wife’s appendix burst while waiting for care in the emergency room of one of the world’s great university hospitals. I’d brought her in at midnight to a full waiting room pacified by the flat-screened omnipresence of Jim Carrey playing God’s assistant in Bruce Almighty. “Oh, God, the pain feels like a stabbing from the inside,” groaned my wife to the triage nurse. But the obvious pain didn’t trump the external stab wounds of several young men who had leapfrogged the queue into the ER. Two hours later, we were still waiting to be admitted.

The doctors knew at least one of the recreational stabbing victims by name. Apparently, the kid was a Saturday night regular. So was the elderly looking young woman who came in with unbearable pain each time she stopped drinking for longer than a day. Further symptomatic of the ER’s illness was a teen who showed up just for a good night’s sleep. (She refused to wake up for treatment of her bellyache).

Once we were admitted, the physician’s attention was diverted by two more trauma room alarms and other assorted situations, including a visitor raising living hell because she was missing breakfast. One of the stab victims was regaling his girlfriends with tall tales filled with too many expletives to be deleted here.

I’m not complaining. The young nurses were saints in a sedated hell that in its 50/50 split between horror and boredom did seem like an eternity. The staff was clearly doing its best, buying time by dispensing painkillers and gentle words. But the emergency room was in fact more like a second waiting room — a traffic jam with lines every step of the way for ultra sounds, X-rays, CAT scans, more analysis, more diagnosis and scheduling.

Just when we thought the wait was over, the legal process kicked in: Three separate surgeons were required to conduct three identical interviews. The hospital, after all, has to look after itself. And while it did, another hour vanished. By the time we rolled out of the ER, it was nine in the morning. Sometime between the CAT scan and surgery, my wife’s appendix had ruptured and poisons were spreading inside her.

Despite the current debate, U.S. emergency departments have been treating health care as an inalienable right for quite some time now, distributing it on an as-needed basis and quite inefficiently largely for free. It’s been available to the worthy and unworthy non-paying poor. At what other time in history has there been such largesse?

Many of the people ahead of my wife would not have needed the emergency room if they behaved more responsibly — and that’s the real issue for this country as we begin to distribute health care outside of the ER. Will this arrangement be fair to the people who pay for healthcare and don’t abuse their bodies? Will the responsible majority become a minority? And if so, will health care as we know it — or wish it — remain economically sustainable?

Does reform have any chance at solvency if too few people see themselves as their own best primary healthcare providers? If health care is in fact a right, has a violent, litigious nation that smokes too much, exercises too little, and is in debt up to its ears earned the right? If so, can we afford it?

The Founding Fathers never promised happiness — just the pursuit of it. Ditto for health care. Folks in this country from now on had better work a little harder at caring for themselves. If health care is to make it out of the ER alive, we all have to do a lot more pursuing and a lot less suing; more taking care of ourselves and less taking care for ourselves; more ensuring that small and large organizations have equal insurance rates and less talk about equal rights. Remember, we’re all co-payers now that health care is perceived to be a right. But you still have to earn the right — by, at the very least, first doing no harm.

ABT's spring season at the Met

2010-06-04T11:29:00.004-04:00

ABT's spring season at the Met Opera house is soaring to new heights as evidenced by Natalia Osipova's American debut as Kitri in Kevin McKenzie's production of "Don Quixote." Ospiova's blazing speed, perfect form and suspended flights into the air completely wowed the audience. When Alexei Ratmansky plucked first Natalia Ospiova out of the Boshoi ballet's corps, the world of ballet began revolving around a great new star.

Still so much more to come for our client, ABT, this Spring.
Get your tickets now!

The Lark Quartet plus

2010-04-23T10:18:00.002-04:00

Anyone interested in great chamber music playing should make it a point to see the next Lark Quarte+ concert. Last night in New York’s Merkin Concert Hall, the Lark plus pianist Jeremy Denk gave the world premiere of a piano quintet by the Pulitzer Prize winning composer, Paul Moravec. They followed with an interpretation of Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat Major that literally soared off the stage and took the audience with it. The Lark has a way of pulling you in by the force of their sheer elegance and then enveloping with you with string playing that tugs at your heart.

AD Lubow, recently re-branded the Lark Chamber Artists as “Lark Quartet plus.” To pay the favor forward, the Lark did a very impromptu reading of a vignette by Arthur Lubow entitled Chromatic Prayer. You can listen to it here.

Get ready for multi-media eBooks for the iPAD.

2010-04-12T09:47:00.005-04:00

Will the new medium be a game changer for editorial and promotional content alike?

Stay tuned.

American Academy of Dramatic Arts Showcase — a Virtual Portal to Real Talent

2010-03-15T14:37:00.013-04:00

Any theatre aficionado impressed with the recent showcase by the American Academy of Dramatics Acting Company can learn more about its members on this new portal developed by AD Lubow’s Nico Marcellino.

If you've been following our blog you know we have a soft spot in our hearts for young talent. It’s part of the wonder of New York that the City continues to attract the best, boldest and hardest working emerging artists from all over the world. Academy Company members come from Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, England, France, Greece, Mexico and everywhere in the U.S. from Texas to Tennessee, California to Colorado.

If you enjoy the thrill of discovering new talent, make sure to check out aada.org next fall to see the Academy Company’s new season of plays and players who will never fail to delight. And if you ride MetroNorth or the LIRR, be on the look out for AADA’s new posters created by AD Lubow.

Fervent Moderation

2010-02-23T10:30:00.008-05:00

With all the confrontational craziness in political communications these days, our concept of “fervent moderation” is working for clients as diverse trade unions and bankers associations. (U.S. Congress and talk show hosts, take note.)

Our transit campaign for DC 37-AFSCME/AFL-CIO powerfully articulates the union’s case against privatization of public services. But it does so with a positive, win-win message. Taxpayers can calmly see that full utilization of a well-trained workforce of dedicated public servants can mean savings for everyone.

The result: a Platinum Marcom award for this subway brand car campaign.

Learning to Look Video Wins Prize

2010-01-06T10:54:00.002-05:00

AD Lubow begins the New Year with an award from dailyfilm.tv in the
category of best short film documentaries. The Studio Daily judges included
the brilliant New York Times photographer and filmmaker, Vincent Laforet.
They wrote:"... the film nicely intersperses the classic artworks with its
documentary footage of New York City students -- and the subject is wholly
inspiring."

Videographer: Michael Pruitt-Bruun
Art Director: Jesse Wang
Editor and Director: Arthur Lubow

Contrast

2009-12-08T12:19:00.003-05:00

Light is brighter when contrasted against a neighboring darkness.
White is whiter when described as “Whiter than new snow upon a raven’s back.” *

And the desperation of homelessness is darker when contrasted against the warm comfort of a tree-lit living room — as in this ad created by our staff for Catholic Charities of New York.**

See how the ad comes to life in this animation:
www.catholiccharitiesny.org

Season’s Greetings.

*Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
**Print design by Mildred Lalica. Flash animation by Nico Marcellino

Announcing AD Lubow Stock Music

2009-11-23T10:02:00.008-05:00

Sunday Variations
By Arthur Lubow
Riffed by pianist, Gary Hammond
Click and listen
© AD Lubow 2009

As film producers, we got tired of running the gauntlet between complicated
music licensing agreements and the synthesized stock music you find on the
internet. So we started composing and recording our own. You can listen to
“Sunday Variations” here. It’s just one track in our growing library for
license. Enjoy.

------

Coming Attractions – With all the craziness in political communications these
days, our concept of “radical moderation” is working for clients as
diverse as trade unions and bankers associations. Tune in next week to see our
award-winning work.

Education is the Medication

2009-10-19T13:55:00.004-04:00

Our video about the MMC College Degree Program for Incarcerated Women

A video we created to help win private funding the Marymount Manhattan College Degree Program for inmates at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women has been viewed more than 25,000 times on YouTube — with plenty of strong feelings registered by viewers of all persuasions. Listening to the inmates featured in the film, some of us can’t help but feel that education, if administered daily, really is the most effective, least expensive “medication” possible—although it could be highly addictive.

Fritter.com

2009-10-04T10:52:00.004-04:00

What if Henry David Thoreau and William Shakespeare twittered? LOL.

chicklet posted a tweet beweeping outcast state. Having coffee now

juicyfruit posted a tweet OMG quiet desperation soul mate, having coffee 2

chicklet posted a tweet twittering away your life

juicyfruit posted a tweet Wasted, following you following me

Rich2spearshake posted a tweet I wasted time and now doth t waste me. G2G

HDTho posted a tweet Time is but the stream I go a-fishin in

juicyfruit posted a tweet U 2 R totally weird. Who R U? A/S/L?

HDTho posted a tweet Older male Walden Pond, Mass

Rich2spearshake posted a tweet Immortal Bi? Stratford

chicklet posted a tweet IMHO u r pseudo-intellect MYSPACE dropouts.

juicyfruit posted a tweet Get outta MYSPACE!

GALagent posted a tweet Save time and $$$ on Term Life Insurance now

adlubow posted a tweet (Time exists so that everything doesn’t happen all at once.):

Dukespeareshake posted a tweet LIFE, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees…

chicklet posted a tweet tongues in trees?? Yuk!

juicy fruit posted a tweet BFFnever, this public haunt’s private!

Mercutiospeareshake posted a tweet Now groaning for love, H&K

HDTho posted a tweet do not think U have companions: know that UR alone in the world

juicyfruit posted a tweet U R a lonely twitterofaman

HDTho posted a tweet KK, never a BF so companionable as solitude :)

chicklet posted a tweet GMTA

adlubow posted a tweet (Great minds DON’T think alike.):

chicklet posted a tweet Tween you me & the Tweetiverse U R VER-E sad, lonely. Having 2^nd coffee now.

HDTho posted a tweet Changed my mind. MM live lives of NOISY, public desperation

MacSpeareshake posted a tweet told by an idiot, FOS&F, signifying 0

chicklet posted a tweet BOOOORING! NTM weary, stale, flat, unprofitable??

HDTho posted a tweet Success comes 2 those who are 2 busy looking for it

REInstitute posted a tweet Earn Xtra income selling real estate while you sleep

HDTho posted a tweet Truest life is when we R in dreams awake.

SleepAcademy posted a tweet Can’t sleep? Twitter transcendentalist & Elizabethan lit

BraceYourself posted a tweet Transenddentalist. Cyberfillings and braces at best prices. CUL8R.

Flash: Newspaper Ads Still Perform

2009-09-08T14:05:00.007-04:00

News of the death of newspapers is greatly exaggerated.

As one of the earlier adopters of web advertising (which is no doubt wonderful for its ability to deliver a targeted message) we’d like to be among the first to proclaim newspaper print advertising still lives because it still hits home and gets results.

We’ve recently seen New York Times print ads result in more than a million dollars in new donations for one of the charities we represent. A mix of newspaper print ads, banners and engaging notices catapulted one of our performing arts accounts to their sales goal — in the height of the Great Recession, mind you.

When my daughter’s wedding was announced in the Sunday Times I was amazed at how many had seen it. Each time the inimitable Arthur Lubow writes an article in the New York Times Magazine, I don’t hear the end of it. (Thanks to newsprint, he’s really making a name for us!)

In an ever more fragmented media world, newspaper advertising still represents one of the last communal communication experiences because, in contrast to a rotated banner ad or TV spot lost in the swirling surf of a thousand channels, a print ad is found in one place for all to uniformly see. Anyone who has witnessed a newspaper strike can envision the sad scenario of a major city without a serious paper. During the last shutdown in New York, theatre, book, real estate, culture, movie and retail sales all sympathetically tanked when newspaper ink went dry and the City was cut off from the voice of its daily commerce.

And use this measure when judging newsprint. How many times have you heard the word “annoying” to describe:

a) Internet banners

b) TV and radio commercials

c) Print ads

Which of the following do people actually purchase in order to find and read the ads:

a) Newspapers

b) Websites

c) TV and radio shows

Print advertising, in general, works best when it doesn’t fight with editorial material. Look at The New Yorker’s longstanding formula— where most of the content is words and the print ads provide visual refreshment. Look at the Vogue fashion issue where the ads are the principal content. A fortune will go to the genius who stages as clever a format online.

Though it may be hazardous to the health of a media buyer’s quarterly evaluation to hop off the bandwagon of the latest, trendy tweet, it should be noted that new media rarely ever fully replace the old. Television was supposed to mean the demise of radio; but it didn’t — the two have coexisted for years.

Newspapers —though no longer black & white— are still read all over. About 115 million adults read a printed newspaper on an average Sunday. By comparison, 94 million people watch the Super Bowl; and 64 million watch the late local TV news. And when you combine newspaper web and print platforms, newspaper readership in most cities has never been higher. A recent study showed 45 percent of all active Internet users visited newspaper websites. That’s huge.

Nonetheless, we’ve found that internet banner advertising is no replacement for print; it’s a supplement. The sooner newspaper publishers realize this and begin encouraging the complementary use of print and internet advertising through combo deals, affordable package pricing and more innovative formatting, the better for advertisers and the better, in turn, for news-papers and news-screens alike.

—Arthur Lubow

Peaches, Poachers and Bear Markets

2009-08-31T13:25:00.003-04:00

In an economic environment with no shortage of crooks, beware of the bull
and don’t feed the bears. This young bear came to dine on our peaches.

It came.

It picked.

It posed.

And then returned by the cover of night to tear down our tree and feast on
its succulent, tree-ripened fruit. For all of you who work hard, nurture
create and grow, beware of bears!

The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling,
Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven
And as imagination bodies forth
The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen
Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing
A local habitation and a name.
Such tricks hath strong imagination
That, if it would but apprehend some joy,
It comprehends some bringer of that joy;
Or in the night, imagining some fear,
How easy is a bush supposed a bear!
—A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Act V, scene 1)

What’s a Picture Worth?

2009-08-04T12:06:00.019-04:00

Photos by AD Lubow photographer, Anne van der Does, have been invaluable for the many charities we serve. Look at these for example.

enlarge

Autistic children have trouble communicating or making eye contact. And yet Anne managed to engage this child in a way that he seems to communicate everything.

enlarge

You’ve all seen the many deer-in-the headlights group celebrity shots. But look at this photo in which Anne manages to reveal the distinct personalities of each and every person in the picture*.

enlarge

Now Anne has ventured to a new medium, transferring her story-telling ability to open air paintings and portraits. See this one, entitled “The Waiter”

Related links:
To see a brief, musical retrospective of Anne’s photos, go to:
www.adlubow.com/photography

*To see "Regis Reflects," our Inner-City Scholarship Fund video about Regis Philbin’s visit to his grammar school in the Bronx, go to:
www.adlubow.com/video

Strategies for Finding P.R. jobs in the Arts

2009-07-27T13:08:00.017-04:00

This week, agency president Arthur Lubow was asked to write a guest entry on culpwrit, the popular career advice blog of Ron Culp, Partner and Managing Director of Ketchum's North America Corporate Practice Division.

It was also a chance to remember two of our favorite ads created for Ron when he was at Sara Lee Corporation and Sears.

Website to Watch: NYC ARTS

2009-07-22T10:01:00.005-04:00

This week, AD Lubow media strategist, Cynthia Lugo, talks about the marketing potential of a new website by ALLLANCE FOR THE ARTS.

We at AD Lubow are always interested in how cultural consumers find out about what’s going on in the city, and have long wished for a comprehensive online database of all the city has to offer. A new site called NYC-ARTS.org has the potential to fill that void. Launched by Alliance for the Arts, the goal of the website is to bring together the myriad of cultural options available—from art museums to zoos—and present them in a single, easy-to-navigate format. An online guidebook of sorts, the website’s clean and compelling design combined with an impressive roster of participants—currently over 800 organizations are listed—make NYC-ARTS.org a potential go-to source for New Yorkers and non-New Yorkers alike.

We met with the folks behind the website and were excited to hear of its plans to expand their sponsorship opportunities (both corporate and institutional opportunities are available) and that each organization actually manages their own information. As of now, the website functions more as a repository for cultural institutions, and it would be great if more comprehensive events coverage were somehow integrated, making it a daily destination for patrons of the arts. (On a personal level, I was also thrilled that they had applied for a Google grant and had received it: this is a great way to increase website traffic for next-to-nothing.) If you’re an NYC-based arts organization, I urge you to contact Alliance for the Arts as part of your efforts to expand your online presence. NYC-ARTS.org has the potential to become an indispensable “one-stop shop” to everything arts-related in the city.

Never Give UP!

2009-07-13T10:02:00.021-04:00

During the depths of War War II, Sir Winston Churchill famously said to the boys at Harrow:
“Never give in – never, never, never…”*

In the daily battle of business, I tell my team: “Sometimes you have to give in a little. Business is all about giving. But never give UP. Have patience. Be prepared. Be creative. Wait for the right moment. Then seize it." Jockey Calvin Borel in the 2007 Kentucky Derby demonstrates precisely what I mean. It's Street Sense. Watch and learn:

Don’t always play the favorite.
When Calvin Borel steered his steed from 19th place to seven lengths ahead of the pack, people said his horse was amazing. But, hey, sometimes it’s the jockey. Look what Borel did this year on a 50-1 shot:

Moral to clients looking for the right partner to steer them ahead of the pack: don’t compulsively pick the favorite. Choose a distinctive, smartly managed team who will give you everything they’ve got; and never give up!

* “Never give in – never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
Sir Winston Churchill, 1941 Speech at Harrow School

Youth, Talent, Etc.

2009-06-25T15:08:00.006-04:00

The thrill of young talent discovered

Natalia Osipova at her ABT debut at the Met Opera House.

Last week, Natalia Osipova made her debut with our client, American Ballet Theatre. What a thrill to witness talent like this for the first time. She can act. She can dance. She can fly! The audience gasped for breath at every leap. Osipova has everything— excitement, grace, wit, feeling. Her hands can move like a ripple in a pond; her arms like the wind in a wheat field. They look like painted music. She’s a gymnast and virtuoso musician all at once. What a joy to watch her every movement — from whimsical to sublime.

Alastair Macauley of The New York Times wrote: “During the intermission of Saturday evening’s “Giselle” at the Metropolitan Opera House, a woman approached me while I was talking with a friend over coffee. “I just have to ask,” she said, “is it always this wonderful?” I asked if she had seen “Giselle” before. As if to explain that the answer was no, she said, “I’m from Nova Scotia.”

In appreciation of youth and pure talent, we point you to this rare clip of Osipova as just a student of 17 with Boshoi Ballet Academy. She’s come along way since then. But, have a look, and raise a glass to the miracle of great artistry at its wondrous outset.

Youth not just on stage, but in the audience
On the subject of youth and beauty, here’s a marketing assignment for ABT we at AD Lubow quite enjoyed. It’s for the 18-29 Club. The offer is: if you’re 18 to 29 years old, you can buy a ticket for $18 to $29.

Work your way through the promotion to have a look at the virtual book we designed as an introduction to this year’s ABT season. It’s a real page turner. Enjoy.

Youth not just in the audience, but on our staff
AD Lubow media strategist, Cynthia Lugo recently gave a presentation on Google Grants to Emerging Leaders of New York Arts (ELNYA), an NYC-based group that explores new ideas, best practices and challenges in the field of arts management.

Part of the Arts & Business Council of New York, ELNYA’s membership includes young arts administrators under 35 from some of the most dynamic and innovative arts organizations in New York City.

The event was a great success and generated a lot of interesting dialogue on how to construct and sustain an engaging online presence on all platforms, from Google to Facebook to Twitter.

Podcasting: the quintessence of brevity

2009-06-25T15:06:00.002-04:00

See the About.com interview with Arthur Lubow on the uses of Podcasting in Marketing.