Slacker Uprising, the new film by Michael Moore, is available for free download starting today. DVDs are also available for $9.95. Such releases are more common in the music industry, where artists like Radiohead and Trent Reznor have experimented with alternative release and pricing schemes. "This is being done entirely as a gift to my fans," Moore said. "The only return any of us are hoping for is the largest …
This Blood’s For You
Here's an ad for a fictitious product being used to sell a very real TV show on HBO. The marketing team supporting TRUE BLOOD, HBO's new television series, asked ...And Company for a campaign that leveraged the fictional beverage, TRU BLOOD. The agency designed and executed a sequence of print and out-of-home advertisements that promoted the pseudo-blood beverage in the form of a contemporary liquor ad, replete with …
Major League ROI
Ad Age is running an interesting article on CandyStand.com, the popular gaming site created by Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. Wrigley is now selling the site to Funtank, a branded gaming and entertainment publisher. In my "Content is King" view, this is precisely what brands need to strive for today. Create media properties, not advertising. Then, if/when the content becomes popular enough, brands have the option to sell the …
Brands Spawn Labels
I often find myself saying, "If you're thinking it, someone else is doing it." According to Ad Age, that someone else is Pepsi. Sprouting from its Green Label Art initiative, the Pepsi brand has launched a virtual record label dedicated to digital singles. Green Label Sound, as the nascent outlet is called, has lined up two artists so far, Chicago hip-hop group Cool Kids and boy-girl synth duo Matt and Kim. So the …
A Peek Behind Nike’s Product Development Curtain
Ed Cotton of Butler Shine & Stern points to video testimonials from inside Nike's R&D labs. His takeaway is that brands have an opportunity to think like and act like media companies today. As a Content Director working on behalf of brands, I couldn't agree more. …
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Brands As Producers, Brands As Studios, Brands As Labels—That’s What It Takes To Compete In Today’s Mediascape
I sometimes call myself a content machine. Yet, Ground Zero's Court Crandall deserves a higher distinction. We can call him a content god. According to Adweek, Crandall--whose second film, A Lobster Tale, is released on DVD this week--sees a bright future for content in the agency world. "I have no intention of jumping ship [for Hollywood]," said Crandall. "My hope is that divisions in other agencies starting with …
Getting Out The “C” Word
Beet.TV is featuring an interview with Christine Beardsell, creative director of The Third Act. Digitas created The Third Act in May to create branded episodic programming for its clients. The Third Act brings together agency, production, media and entertainment resources to offer clients one source for branded content. Holiday Inn Express is the first client to step up to The Third Act's plate, as we've reported …
Elaborate PR Scheme Dressed In Content’s Clothing?
Have a story to tell and plenty of money with which to tell it? Natural gas producer, Chesapeake Energy Corp. does. According to The Wall Street Journal, Chesapeake will soon launch Shale.TV, a Web site devoted to creating content about the massive natural-gas field known as the Barnett Shale, located in and around Fort Worth, Texas. Chesapeake has signed up well-known local journalists, including a longtime local …
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