Gyro's new campaign for Glenfiddich portrays it as way cool.

A brand perceived as stolid, even stodgy, has hired an upstart agency for an infusion of what is hoped will be a hipper, more irreverent attitude.

Gyro Worldwide in Philadelphia has become the agency in the United States for the Glenfiddich brand of single-malt Scotch whisky, distilled and sold by the British company William Grant & Sons Ltd. The assignment for the rest of the world remains at McCann-Erickson Worldwide Advertising in New York, part of the McCann-Erickson World Group unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies.

"What's On The Menu?"

These days, menu engineering is big business. Steven Grasse, CEO and creative director of Quaker City Mercantile (formerly known as Gyro Worldwide) (who designed menus for Stephen Starr's Continental and Café Republic), says that his design agency tries "to capture the vibe of the whole place; when you open the menu, it should feel like the restaurant." Prilla Rohrer, co-owner of Flux Visuals (the agency responsible for Rouge 98's and Striped Bass' menus), agrees. "Menu covers communicate graphically the identity of the restaurant." Her agency designs the outside shells of menus, but doesn't get involved in the area of item placement. Yet she's always wary of menu design when she goes out to eat: "I often find them cluttered and manipulative."

Read more on City Paper (link to Site)

http://www.citypaper.net/articles/071698/food.menus.shtml?print=1

Categories:

Quaker City Mercantile

In Search of Joe Six-Pack 2001; Sales Sag and Brewers Battle to Quench Future Thirsts

'They're not very brand loyal because they see through all the advertising,'' said Steven A. Grasse, chief executive of Quaker City Mercantile, a Philadelphia advertising agency that specializes in marketing to people ages 18 to 30.

It is not that they hate advertising -- quite the contrary. ''They look at advertising and marketing as almost a spectator sport,'' Mr. Grasse said.

Read more on The New York Times (link to Site)

http://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/18/business/search-joe-six-pack-2001-sales-sag-brewers-battle-quench-future-thirsts.html?pagewanted=all

Categories:

Quaker City Mercantile

MARKETING 101: NEW PUMA ADS GO BACK TO BASKETBALL BASICS

Puma's new basketball ad campaign "forgoes proendorsers in favor of the potentially risky strategy of using high-school" basketball players, according to Jeff Jensen of AD AGE. The "Back to the Game" campaign, from PA-based Quaker City Mercantile, will have TV and print support. The young players used in ads "are from Puma's strongest markets:" Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia, N.Y., and L.A. Jensen writes that some footwear companies have been "criticized for targeting and wooing high school" players, but Puma Chief Creative Officer Antonio Bertone said that the athletes featured in the new ads "aren't being paid, and therefore they shouldn't be considered endorsers." He noted that Puma will stop using the athletes in their senior year in order to protect their NCAA eligibility. Puma, whose '98 ad budget will be 15% of sales, will begin airing the spots nationally during the NBA playoffs (AD AGE, 3/9 issue).

Read more on Sports Business Daily (link to Site)

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/34331

Categories:

Quaker City Mercantile, Puma

High-school athletes to star in new round of ads from Gyro Worldwide.

Puma will seek to build credibility with urban youth for its re-turn to basketball with an ad campaign that forgoes pro endorsers in favor of the potentially risky strategy of using high-school roundball stars.

High-school athletes to star in new round of ads from Gyro Worldwide.

Puma will seek to build credibility with urban youth for its re-turn to basketball with an ad campaign that forgoes pro endorsers in favor of the potentially risky strategy of using high-school roundball stars.

The "Back to the game" campaign is from Gyro Worldwide, Philadelphia, with TV and print ads supporting Puma's Cell Five-0. The young basketball stars are from Puma's strongest markets: Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia.