Shawn points to this Associated Press story, about a SPAMer getting sentenced to nine years in prison. A man convicted in the nation's first felony prosecution for illegal spamming was sentenced to nine years in prison Friday, but the judge postponed the sentence while the case is appealed. Loudoun County Circuit Judge Thomas Horne said that because the law targeting bulk e-mail distribution is new and raises …
Playlist Sharing Opens New Window
from San Francisco Chronicle: The old adage used to be "you are what you eat.'' But with the advent of digital music and the popularity of gadgets like the iPod, now it's "you are what's on your playlist.'' Last week, musicologists and media pundits around the world had a great time trying to divine what makes President Bush tick by analyzing the songs loaded on his iPod. But playlist watching has also become a …
Coldplay Calling
Technology Review reports that Cingular Wireless launched its new ringtone service this week with the exclusive release of "Speed of Sound", the first Coldplay single from its upcoming album XY, the response from fans was immediate. "We've been floored," says Mark Nagel, director for entertainment and downloadable services for Cingular. Fans can plunk down $2.49 to purchase a 15-second song snippet that can be used …
BMW’s “Brand Story” Finds Another New Medium
from Ad Age: BMW of North America, which scored a major publicity coup with its groundbreaking online film series The Hire, has turned the story line's Driver character into a branded entertainment comic book series. The idea was that if Hollywood has been able to harness the appeal of comic books to lure moviegoers into theaters, why not use graphic novels to bring buyers into BMW showrooms? BMW's ad agency, …
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Online’s Piece Of The Pie Is Feeding More And More People
from San Francisco Chronicle: Five years after the dot-com bubble burst, Internet advertising is finally delivering on its promise. A passel of industry and analyst reports tell of a very strong 2004 and an even better 2005 for online ad spending. It's still a tiny portion of the entire advertising-dollar pie, estimated to be $12.3 billion of $256 billion in total spending by one account, but the talk is it's only …
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GM Leaves Skidmarks At The Los Angeles Times
Advertising has always subsidized the media, but it's clearly a love-hate relationship. And now, this story suggests that GM has pulled its advertising in the Los Angeles Times, in an objection to "factual errors and misrepresentations" in the Times' coverage of GM. I haven't looked into this particular matter, but I suppose a free press isn't really free. And when newspapers who have to kowtow to their advertisers …
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The Future of The 30-Second Spot
The New York Times weighs in today with this lengthy article--which made it to the front page of the Business section in the always-thick Sunday edition. …
The Mist-Takes Are Blowing Up
New York Times advertising critic, Stuart Elliot, today explores the staying power and charm of ensemble casts in advertising. Last month, BBDO New York introduced a campaign for Sierra Mist lemon-lime soda, sold by the Pepsi-Cola North America division of PepsiCo, that is centered on an ensemble cast called "The Mist-Takes." There are five comedians, featured in a dozen television commercials as well as on posters …
