The New York Times has good news for TV executives reliant upon ever-diminishing ad revenues. According to new data released yesterday by the Nielsen Company, people who own digital video recorders, or DVRs, still watch, on average, two-thirds of the ads. One big reason is that many people with DVRs still tune in to watch about half of their shows at the scheduled start time, meaning they must sit through …
Sam Ewen Talks. Finally.
In the big hubbub about the Boston Cartoon Network bomb scare thing, I thought it was very strange how the CEO of Interference Inc., Sam Ewen, seemed to disappear, issuing only a written statement while his hired guns went to jail and the CEO of Cartoon Network had to resign. Now, two weeks later, he's given an interview to Brandweek: BW: Was there any concern in the planning stages that it could be taken out of …
New At The Zoo: Sally & Seth Naked And My New Column
Two things of note today on Talent Zoo. First, Sally Hogshead returns with The Naked Career podcast featuring Seth Godin. My TZ spies tell me, "This is the first time Seth has directly addressed the ad industry and the fact that they are in dire need of self-reinvention." Second, Dinosaurs, Cockroaches, and Guerrillas, my new column, takes a closer look at all the recent attention advertising has gotten from the …
Continue Reading about New At The Zoo: Sally & Seth Naked And My New Column →
The Way To Kill Off Your Brand
1) Sell counterfeit merchandise and threaten customers. 2) Get pissy with a TV investigative reporter. 3) Call back reporter, tell reporter you've changed and "witnessed the power of God," and are willing to talk on camera. 4) Punch, spit, curse, and throw snowballs at the reporter when he returns, all the while being filmed on camera. 5) Barricade yourself in your store, even when the cops show up. 6) Have Anderson …
Save the Crabs, Then Eat ‘Em
Marketing for Change, whose motto is "Our business is behavior change," is using a unique twist to advertise a local environmental initiative. Instead of leaning on the tired old "save wildlife" mantra, their campaign for a cleaner Chesapeake Bay relies on a more selfish approach—human appetite for blue crabs. Here's a TV spot from the campaign. [via Houtlust] …
Sam’s Seeks Affluent Female Members
According to The Wall Street Journal (paid sub. req.), Sam's Club wants to appeal to affluent shoppers and mothers. "If we are to expand Sam's Club at the rate we expect, we are going to have to broaden our appeal beyond small business owners," Greg Spragg, Sam's Club's executive vice president of merchandise and replenishment. The change of course is significant for Sam's marketing efforts, which for years signaled …
Continue Reading about Sam’s Seeks Affluent Female Members →
He Blogs. He Scores.
True Hoop is a pro basketball blog written by Henry Abbott. Abbott is a journalist with more than a dozen cover stories and one hundred plus feature articles to his credit. His work has appeared in HOOP, Inside Stuff, Men’s Journal, the official NBA Finals program and on CBS’s national radio network. He's making bloatospheric news this week because he sold his media property to ESPN. Steve Rubel ponders which blog …
Brand Stewards Start To Listen
Media Post reported a few weeks ago on the relationship between Technorati and Ogilvy. In an effort to help clients better understand the blogosphere, Ogilvy North America has enlisted the services of blog-tracking company Technorati. "We believe the blogosphere can have a considerable impact on brand health," Carla Hendra, co-CEO of Ogilvy North America, a WPP Group agency. She said that Technorati will aggregate …
