Future Publishing has launched case. (the full stop is part of the title folks). <- this is ours It’s tagged ‘the business of creativity.’<- also ours Mike Schalit seems to be the face of the business of creativity with which I can find no fault. <- yup

Future Publishing also publishes The Annual and The Journal. As titles go case. seems like quite a leap in the imaginative prowess of the publishers. I would have bet a weeks pay on something like The Creative. Maybe the industry bodies endorsing the new title, namely the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) and the Creative Circle, intervened.

case., <- ha-ha writes editor Jeremy Maggs (he also edits The Annual and The Journal and is arguably the country’s leading marketing and media journalist), is “dedicated to single-mindedly articulate excellence and value in advertising.” In this magazine advertising as an industry finally gets to state its case, according to Maggs, adding that the title will target cynical CEOs and brand and marketing executives.

I’m not trying to be cynical or anything but there seems to be a formula to all the articles. Short intro or headline formulating the question followed by pages and pages of creatives having their say (quoted verbatim). It’s great for the budget but where is the journalism?

Also, I have to quote the intro to the profile piece on James Cloete because, well it’s a case in point:
“‘What’s it like inside the mind of James Cloete?” The Draftfcb executive creative director throws the question I’ve just asked back at me. “It’s kind of like a big, dark cave, with a big pink-grey sponge in the middle of it – except that the walls of the cave are made of bone and the big sponge is actually a brain (of sorts).’ Flippancy aside, the big sponge has been doing some thinking – and these are the topics that have it going:” etc.

Run Mr Cynical Executive run!

Of course the advertising industry is overjoyed at finally having a publication stating its case with such intellect and flair. case. kindly included its media pack (read rate card) with the launch edition. You can score a full page colour ad for only R11,244. Pity no-one took them up on their offer. The launch issue contained no ads. Nada. Niks. Grid got the OBC but they also designed the book so it was probably a quid pro quo. Mmm earth to ad industry – I think you just shot down you case.