According to The New York Times, Ritz-Carlton is objecting to foul language and brand-diminishing storylines in a book of short stories it commissioned from Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. The luxury hotel chain planned to provide the book, Turndown Tales, as part of its turndown service. One of the stories in Turndown Tales is by the novelist Jodi Picoult, who wrote about a woman so fed up with her …
Bud.TV Not Viral
Nigel Hollis of Millward Brown examines the jerky start for A-B's $30 million dollar online content play, Bud.TV. Unfortunately for Bud.TV, it seems that the pundits were not alone. While money can buy you content, it can’t, apparently, buy you respect. Of the five males aged 21 to 27 who viewed the site for me, none found the content compelling enough to add it to their destination sites or recommend to …
Ad Age Pedals Impending Doom
Bob Garfield is trying to scare us with his "Chronicles of the Media Revolution" series in which he explores ongoing technological upheaval across the media and marketing industries. Perhaps you believe that vast structures on which vast societies and vast economies depend do not easily lose their primacy. Perhaps you believe that the TV commercial and magazine spread -- and radio spot and newspaper classified -- are …
A Content Driver
Los Angeles writer, Mark Haskell Smith, cerated a serial novel--Black Sapphire Pearl--for Lexus. According to the Washington Post, he was paid "more than a modest book advance but less than what he would get for an episode of Grey's Anatomy." Call it a fictomercial, a literatisement, branded entertainment. Lexus doesn't really care. As long as it makes people lust after its new top-of-the-line car. The story arrives …
Cut The Crap
One of the nation's top general interest bloggers, Jason Kottke, wants podcasters and video buffs to get to the point. Before YouTube and Google Video came along, video on the web often suffered from taking too many cues from the production values of traditional media. Even in the early days of YouTube, a typical video made by someone for an audience was like a mini-movie: 15 seconds of titles, followed by 10 seconds …
Branded TV Shows And Movies Freely Offered
Today's New York Times explores the world of marketers who are busy producing their own full-length TV shows and movies: Advertisers say they are prepared to give the shows to networks free or in exchange for commercial air time; such offers could appeal to networks looking to control costs. But some network executives voiced skepticism that advertiser-created shows would draw much audience and said, for now, they do …
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“Very Old Wine In New Bottles”
Long before he created the popular crime-solving TV series "Law & Order," Dick Wolf was an ad man working for Benton & Bowles and other agencies. Mr. Wolf, 59, recently spoke with The Wall Street Journal about the changing relationship between advertisers and television. WSJ: Decades ago, many programs were sponsored by a single advertiser, who often got to showcase their products during the show itself. Would you …
Radio Shack Has Knowledge To Share
Associated Press looks at one retailer's investment in online content. RadioShack Corp. thinks it has found a way to help consumers wondering how to edit digital photos or understand the difference between 1080i and 1080p high-def televisions: online classes. The electronics retailer on Wednesday announced a series of virtual training courses to help consumers learn about tech topics including digital photography …
