UPN to Die?

UPN isn't looking so hot these days with Buffy ratings sliding and the new Star Trek, while critically lauded, has not caught on the way the network would have liked. Now UPN is talking to Fox about an affiliation deal to stay afloat.

Daily News: Viacom looking for Fox's help to pump up UPN
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Prime Time Television Without Commercials

The WB is launching a new television show called Live From Tomorrow which is variety show targeted to their traditionally young audience.

Big deal, you say?

The new new thing about this show is that it will have no commercials. It will be supported entirely by in-show product placement. The show is scheduled to begin next Summer.

I think this is a great move into the uncharted new world of advertising. I've said before, traditional advertising is dying. If executives at media companies do not begin experimenting with new forms soon, they will be left in the dust by those that do. Whether blatant product placement and sponsorship deals becomes the new way, is irrelevant. What is relevant is that change is happening. Media companies need experiment now, not later. WB should be lauded for this effort.

Ad Age: SPOT-FREE SHOW NEARS DEAL WITH WB
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Superbowl Advertising Line Up to Include Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan returns to the Superbowl advertising world after having been absent since 1997. He will be back in spots for Gatorade and Hanes.

Jordan will team with Jakie Chan for the Hanes spot. The Martin Agency created the spot.

For Gatorade, MJ will will play against his younger self in a special effects laden spot created by Element 79 Partners.

Great to see you back, Michael.

USA Today: USATODAY.com - Jordan heads band of famous faces in Super Bowl ads

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Wall Street Journal May Launch Saturday Edition

Dow Jones is said to be considering a Saturday edition. I think it would be a hit.

Yahoo Finance: Dow Jones Said To Be Considering Saturday Edition Of WSJ
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Lisa Dergin to Star in Next St. Pauli Girl Ad Campaign

Lisa Dergin, former Playboy Playmate and Fox Sports Net reporter, has been chosen to be the new St. Pauli Girl. She will become the brewer's next German barmaid and her image will be plastered all over the place from posters to print ads. She will also go on the ususual celebrity-based marketing tour.

As part of the tour, there will be an online sweepstakes with a chance to win a trip to the St. Pauli Girl photo shoot and a weekend in Las Vegas.

Starting next month, 500,000 posters will be distributed to retailers and 15,000 will be given away on the brewer's web site.

[via BrandWeek]

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Prediction: Charlotte Church Becomes As Popular as Britney

Charlotte Church as popular as Britney? Crazy? Maybe. But I have this feeling that she will be. If I'm wrong, I'll look stupid. If I'm right, I'll at least be able to say I said so.

Why do I say this? Well, she can sing. That always helps. She's 16 and sick of doing her operetic stuff and wants to go pop. She is starring in a movie. She's cute. She has an English accent. OK, so maybe some of those are stupid reasons.

Just remember, if it happens, you heard it here first.

BBCi: Charlotte Church makes her big screen debut

Idiotic: Ad Campaign Says SUV Owners Support Terrorists

Have we become so ridiculously green and politically correct that we can now say that the millions of SUV owners actually support terrorism? Author and columnist Arianna Huffington, came up with the idea to run this idiotic campaign:

"This is George," a girl's voice says of an oblivious man at a gas station. "This is the gas that George bought for his S.U.V." The screen then shows a map of the Middle East. "These are the countries where the executives bought the oil that made the gas that George bought for his S.U.V." The picture switches to a scene of armed terrorists in a desert. "And these are the terrorists who get money from those countries every time George fills up his S.U.V."

A second commercial depicts a series of ordinary Americans saying things like: "I helped hijack an airplane"; "I gave money to a terrorist training camp in a foreign country"; "What if I need to go off-road?"

This is like saying when you buy a sweater, you support sweat shop work conditions. Or that when you buy an electronic gadget, you support dumping chemicals in a river. Or that when you buy milk, you are "hurting" a cow.

Get over it! What are we supposed to do? Nothing? Eat nothing? Buy nothing? Sure, lots of things we do in this country have adverse affects. and sure, there are some things we can do about it. The station wagon is gone, The minivan sucks so we buy SUVs because they carry lots of stuff and like it or not, Americans have a lot of stuff.

Huffington's argument falls flat on it's face since all cars use gas and therefore every one in this country that owns a car supports terrorism.

Should we have cars that are less reliant on fossil fuel? Of course. But do we need radical tree huggers to say we support terrorism? There's nothing wrong with the message of buying an SUV wastes resources. But to blame SUV owners for terrorism simply goes too far.

Give it a rest.

NYT: TV Ads Say S.U.V. Owners Support Terrorists

UPDATE: Here are the ads
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Neilsen Adds to Advertising Monitoring Service

Neilsen has added five national cable networks and 9 national magazines to its list of monitored media. Nielsen Monitor-Plus will now collect advertising information from 45 cable networks and 222 national consumer magazines, along with the 13 other media types monitored both nationally and locally.

Neilsen Press Release: NIELSEN MONITOR-PLUS EXPANDS COVERAGE
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Technology Ad Spend to Increase?

So Cisco is going to launch a $150 million campaign within the next three months. Wouldn't it be nice if the rest of the sagging tech industry followed.

BrandWeek: Cisco Rides Again with $150M Campaign
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New Hispanic Direct Mail Magazine Launches

Cupones Hispanos is a new monthly direct mail magazine targeted to the growing Spanish language population. The magazine will launch initially in the high density Hispanic areas of the Bronx and Hudson County where the Hispanic population, according to the publisher, reaches nearly 40%. The first issues will arrive in homes beginning January 9th. The magazine plans to reach all Hispanic household in the New York area by late Q3 of 2003. Additionally, plans are in place to expand to other Hispanic markets in the US.

The magazine was created by long time Spanish language broadcast/media executive Alfredo Alonso. Alonso, Vice Chairman of Mega Communications, LLC, has owned and operated 21 Spanish radio station groups since he started the company in 1996 with his first acquisition of WURD/Philadelphia. The group expanded into Hartford in 1997, Tampa in 1997, Washington DC in 1998, Orlando in 2000 and finally New York in 2000.

From the press release:

Cupones Hispanos releases its first mailing. Cupones Hispanos has been established in order to provide a new and affordable advertising medium for the growing Spanish language population. Cupones Hispanos becomes the first ever U.S. Spanish language direct multi-mail magazine. The unique concept of Cupones Hispanos is that advertising and coupons will be delivered in Spanish for best results with Hispanic consumers.

There is no web site. Contact Adam Velazquez (201) 225-9595 with inquiries.

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