from New York Times: Many newspapers have been ailing as readers defect to other sources of news and as advertisers seek new ways to attract potential customers. The biggest challenge, by most accounts, comes from Web sites and search engines like Google and Yahoo. Both companies reported revenue last week that surpassed Wall Street's expectations. Yahoo, for instance, reported $672 million in ad revenue for the …
A Scalp-Tingling Win For Upshot ECD
Lewis Lazare reports on Brock Montgomery's new fashion statement. Although, he calls him Bruce, for some reason. Bruce Montgomery, executive vice president of creative for Upshot/Chicago, must like making dramatic bets. When the agency started pitching the Miller Brewing Co. promotions business last fall, he promised his staff he'd have his head shaved in front of them all if they were victorious. Upshot wound up …
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Stop The Madness
In an article on Slate, Seth Stevenson calls for an end for the kind of TV spots that make you go "huh?": "Enough already with the "twisted" humor. The willful wackiness. The over-the-top, absurdist scenarios." I've written about this before. It's hard for advertising to push the envelope when real life already is doing a pretty good job of it. …
Crack Berries Can Be A Pain
from Washington Post: The American Society of Hand Therapists issued a consumer alert in January saying that handheld electronics are causing an increasing amount of carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis. With that warning, the society included directions on how to properly hold the devices, urging users to take breaks and, if possible, place pillows in their laps so their wrists are in a more upright …
Fast Times For Fast Food
When Janet Jackson exposed her breast during the Super Bowl halftime show, pundits called the stunt a calculated move to boost sales of her upcoming album. Then, a year later GoDaddy made good with a graphic Super Bowl commercial mocking the Congressional hearings held in response to Jackson's stunt. Clearly, sex sells. Now, as before. Carl's Jr. understands that, and they have the numbers to prove it. from Adweek: …
Google Goes Ad Crazy
Google will soon be experimenting with larger form ads, giving advertisers more control over where their ads are shown, how they pay for them and what they look like. Google's market value is currently higher than Viacom and Disney. Ad people--planners, AE's, media folks, and creatives alike--had better start including Google ads in their client's marketing plans, because clients will likely demand …
Redmond Not Immune From Culture War
There's a bit of a tempest brewing over at Scoble's blog. It seems The Scobleizer is upset that his employer, Microsoft, is not backing a controversial state house bill on anti-discrimination. Apparently, there's a conservative pastor in the middle of the brouhaha, and that is what has Scoble's ire up. He addresses Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's CEO directly and publicly with his complaint. Steve: this comes down to …
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Ads On Satellite Radio? Surely, He Can’t Be Sirius
In an interview with Ad Age, Mel Karmazin, the CEO of Sirus Satellite Radio, predicts that ad revenue on Sirius will reach $100 million by 2007, although the music stations won't carry ads, just the news, sports and entertainment stations. Sounds to me like there's a whole new opportunity for radio advertising to get more creative, thanks to Sirius. And consumers will just have to live with it, like they do with ads …
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