Starcom Mediavest Launches Online Gaming Division

Always thinking ahead, my former employer Starcom Mediavest (SMG), has launched a new division called Play. Play will specialize in helping SMG clients master the $10 billion consumer gaming market. The unit claims to be the first of its kind to focus specifically on leveraging videogames and the gaming industry as consumer contact channels. That's SMG language for media outlets.

Play will be led by marketing specialists and long-time gaming enthusiasts, Tim Harris and PJ MacGregor, who bring a unique combination of SMG's consumer contact expertise and 30 years of gaming experience to the division.

"We plan to innovate and advocate the effectiveness of the videogame industry as a viable, measurable communications medium," said Harris, vice president and director of Play. "As marketing practitioners and gamers, we're excited to capitalize on videogame contents and formats to convey our clients' branding messages to a massive and influential consumer audience."

It nice to see the big boys get into the advergaming business. At a minimum, it will at least make these emerging advertising channels more visible to large consumer packaged goods clients driving much needed ad dollars into these developing channels of communication.

Check Play out here.
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There's a New Hunk For Brawny Paper Towels

According to a New York Times article, Publicis Groupe's Fallon of New York has created a new campaign for Brawny that will air as soon as this weekend and feature a new set of Brawny hunks. The commercials portray the men as doting husbands that clean up after themselves...with Brawny towels, of course.

The campaign will be supported by a $10 million media buy, most of which will be spent on television.
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TNN's Spike TV Gets Spiked By Spike

What's with all the Spikes? Viacom has renamed the TNN network calling it Spike TV. Director, Spike Lee didn't like that and sued Viacom and won a preliminary injunction against Viacom. With the new TNN set to launch Monday, Viacom will have to scramble to overturn that ruling or rename the network.

"You can't take the name Spike TV when you have a person like Spike Lee who is such an important part of television and film. When you talk to people, across the board they think of Spike Lee when you talk about Spike TV," said Lee's lawyer, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr.

Viacom bites back. "We are seeking an immediate stay of the court's order, pending appeal. We respectfully disagree with the court's judgment, which we believe is not supported by the law or the evidence."

I guess we'll know the outcome by Monday.

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