Microsoft formally introduced Windows 7 Thursday at a launch event in New York City. Speaking at the event, CEO Steve Ballmer called the OS more responsive and "less busy" than its predecessor, the widely maligned Windows Vista. Microsoft needs the product to be a hit, as Windows sales have slumped badly of late, according to Information Week. …
Size Matters To Mini Drivers
[via German site, Brain Wash] …
Now There’s A Reason For The “!”
Kara Swisher of Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital says Yahoo's new partnership with Goodby Silverstein & Partners "is sure to be much commented on by the advertising industry." And she's right, here I am about to comment... First, let's examine the ridiculous spin put on the move by Yahoo's Integrated Marketing and Brand Management SVP, Penny Baldwin. (Baldwin) stressed that the move was a broadening of its …
Capitalism: An Advertising Story
It's hard to watch these stories about people who are struggling in the economy. And I get the impression that even people who are doing OK are very cautious about spending. That's a problem for the advertising industry. When people can't buy what we sell, we're in trouble: We don't need Socialism with a capital S, but we do need the balance that maintains a vibrant middle class. A little spreadin' the wealth helps …
So Much For Saturn
Ad Age reports that "It's the end of the road for Saturn, as General Motors pulls the plug on the iconic car brand following an11th-hour breakdown in talks with would-be buyer Roger Penske." Penske terminated the deal because it was unable to secure a source of new product beyond what GM would build on contract. …
I’m A (Insert Proper Noun)
According to Ad Age, University of Phoenix spent $134 million on measured media last year. The school also inked a $154 million deal for naming rights at the NFL stadium near its Phoenix headquarters in 2006. Yet, the brand continues to be ill defined, claims the trade mag. Pereira & O'Dell, a fancy new San Francisco startup was hired by Phoenix to help change all that. But from the looks of the new campaign, the …
Words Move Me
Erick Schonfeld of Tech Crunch reports on Sony's foray into micro-messaging. In conjunction with today's announcement of a new wireless Sony Reader, the electronics giant also launched a literary clone of Twitter called Words Move Me. The site falls into the category of viral social marketing--there are links to the Sony Reader website and eBook store plastered on every page--and was obviously rushed out before it …
Fiji’s Politically Charged Waters
Anna Lenzer, on assignment in Fiji for Mother Jones was detained by police, threatened with imprisonment and repeatedly asked to verify her identity despite having a mound of evidence on hand that clearly showed she's an investigative journalist (are they that rare today, as to be totally unrecognizable?). Her piece for the magazine on Fiji and Fiji Water, in particular, is not flattering. For example: Nowhere in …
