Forget buzz and focus on the biz, says Pontiac exec.(News)(Mark-Hans Richer spoke at Madison & Vine conference)

Advertising Age, February, 2007

Byline: AD AGE STAFF

[los angeles] It's about the biz, stupid, not the buzz.

That might seem an odd statement from the guy behind the Pontiac "Oprah'' giveaway, a press-garnering stunt criticized at the time for being more about noise than numbers. But Mark-Hans Richer was damning in his denouncement of those who make a splash, not a sale, and underscored his case by showing how his innovative adventures in branded entertainment have added up to real-world results.

"Many of you can cite incredible examples of merging content with commerce,'' said the Pontiac director-marketing in his keynote speech at the fifth annual Madison & Vine conference last week. "But I'm here today to say that we must end the era of buzz for buzz sake-and the manic...

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