In today's New York Times, (you may need to register to see this), Theodora Stites writes about the vast array of online social networks she belongs to. I log on to my Friendster, Facebook, MySpace and Nerve accounts to make sure the mail bars are rising with new friend requests, messages and testimonials. I am obsessed with testimonials and solicit them incessantly. They are the ultimate social currency, public …
ABC Wants Cat Put Back In Box
According to c|net News.com, Mike Shaw, ABC president of advertising sales, is so hungry for days gone by, he's willing to make idioctic utterances to journalists eager for just that type of thing. "I would love it if the MSOs (multi-system operators), during the deployment of the new DVRs they're putting out there, would disable the fast-forward (button)," he said in an interview Wednesday. Whether he gets his wish …
Crispin, The Book: Coming Soon To Every Mediocre Agency CEO’s Desk
Back when Cole & Weber was on a hot streak, I interviewed at an agency whose CEO said, "We want to be the next Cole & Weber." Of course, he had no idea what that meant or what it would take to make that a reality. So you can bet that when Warren Berger's book Hoopla: A Book about Crispin, Porter & Bogusky hits the streets in September, folks running mediocre agencies across the land will rush to get a copy and tell …
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Here’s A Great USP For Waterfront Property: No Hurricanes!
Over at BusinessWeek's Hot Property blog, Peter Coy tells of Liberty Harbor, a residential community being built in Brunswick, GA. Brunswick is on the coast, but to make the community really appealing, here are a few of the marketing pitches: "Because it sits nearly 100 miles from the Gulf Stream, Brunswick is in a geographical sweet spot that is protected from the hurricanes that have affected so many coastal areas …
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Wal-Mart Review Pits Brother Against Brother (Or Sister Against Sister)
Over at Adweek they've printed the 10 finalists in the Wal-Mart review, said to be worth approximately $570 in billings per year. In addition to the two incumbents, GSD&M and Bernstein-Rein, the others include...are you ready for this? WPP Group's Ogilvy & Mather and JWT, both in New York; Publicis Groupe's Publicis and Saatchi & Saatchi, both in New York, and Leo Burnett in Chicago; and Interpublic Group's Draft FCB …
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Pfizer F’s With Your Dreams
Last month the FDA approved Chantix, Pfizer's new smoking cessation drug. According to Pfizer: Chantix is unique because it ... partially activates the nicotinic receptor and reduces the severity of the smoker's craving and the withdrawal symptoms from nicotine. Moreover, if a person smokes a cigarette while receiving treatment, Chantix has the potential to diminish the sense of satisfaction associated with …
Rev Your Engines. Then Hire A Lawyer.
Karl Long at Futurelab's Blog says content makers will follow the money, and that Revver is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the YouTube craze. YouTube may be an upstart but it is going to get killed if it doesn’t find a way to compensate the content creators, because the content creators will follow the money in a heartbeat. The Diet Coke + Mentos team has made $15,000 from it’s viral video being viewed on …
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Rocketboom Goes Boom. Distress Signals Sent.
Note the upsidedown map Rocketboom, a new media company with a ton of fuel on board, lost a co-pilot and host, Amanda Congdon to Hollywood. Andrew Baron, the show's producer, is now piloting the craft and looking for a soft landing. Washington Post tracks Rocketboom's flight path: When Rocketboom started in 2004, young video producer Andrew Baron sent out a casting call in New York and hired Congdon to produce a …
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