- A psychiatrist examines how viral marketing has infiltrated youth and offers parents tips to help "unplug: their kids from the onslaught.
- Microsoft's online magazine Slate has finally found a buyer. The Washington Post is expected to announce its purchase of the online mag.
- Recent RADAR study high reach to high income groups - 95 percent. Also 97 percent to working women and 94 percent 12 plus.
- An iMedia Brand Summit panel asks the age old question, "Are Agencies Still Relevant?" Another question to ponder, "Why would be be asking that question if they were?"
- In yet another "Not Another Study Confirming What We Already Know," an Online Publishers Association study says...hold your breath...the Internet is our favorite medium. OK, TV did pretty well too.
- Ponderosa Ranch, based on NBC's Bonanza which ran from 1959 to 1973, rides off into the sunset after being purchased by PeopleSoft Founder David Duffield.
- "I play this girl named Caitlin, and I'm dating Logan, who's the cool guy in school, and we're, like, the 'it' couple. And I'm doing a little bit of cheating with somebody." Eesh...Paris Hilton on her guest appearance in WB's Veronica Mars. No comment on her latest sex tape.
Haggar has launched a new ad campaign promoting a line of clothing for those of us who can't be bothered with ironing or, for that matter, keeping various fluids off our clothes. The campaign, called "Stop Time," introduces the Haggar ForeverNew line, "which offers superlative fabric technology features, including virtually no fading, no shrinking, no wrinkles and no stains, even after multiple washes," and will appear in magazines, television and radio. Hey Haggar, heard of the Internet? No? It's this medium that people spend more time with than TV. Yes, hard as it is to believe, people like their Internet more than they like their "must see TV." Come on, give it a try. We know you'll like it.
AdWeak, well known for it's snarky insider ad biz humor recently returned from the dead and along with reporting on how a media planner's boob job caused a 30 percent drop in agency productivity, spent the week in New York City cutting through the bullshit and reporting insightful "truisms" about our self important industry we call advertising.
Conan O'Brien can rest easy. He doesn't have to worry about jumping networks to get a better gig. He's done his time. Today, Jay Leno announced his retirement from NBC's Tonight Show effective in 2009 and named Conan O'Brien as his replacement.
"In 2009, I'll be 59 years old and will have had this dream job for 17 years," Leno said in a statement. "When I signed my new contract, I felt that the timing was right to plan for my successor and there is no one more qualified than Conan. Plus, I promised [my wife] Mavis I would take her out for dinner before I turned 60."
The question remains, though, will O'Brien be forced into the Tonight Show mold or will he be permitted to carry over is loser, fresher style? Tune in in 2010 to find out.
Ypulse points to a deal between Mattel and Hilary Duff in which Duff, reigning tween queen and ad babe, will lend her likeness to a new ad campaign promoting a new line of Barbie dolls called Fashion Fever along with new Barbie apparel and Barbie fragrance.
Duff gushed (or rather a press release writer gushed for her), "When I was younger, I was so inspired by Barbie. She has been a role model for my friends and me -- I love her style and her spirit!" Ooo that just makes us want to go grab our GI Joe and hang with these fetch new Barbie chics. Duff will appear in two commercials, one of which will also feature her older sister, Haylie. Print and outdoor will be components of the campaign as well.
Writing in MediaPost's TVWatch, Wayne Friedman says "old fashioned Internet advertising" is holding place for the yet to be "released" TV medium which will include interactive qualities of the Internet but builds on the existing positive qualities of television. Friedman says we'll see dramatic increase in set top box opening screen sponsorship, video on demand messaging, sponsorship of digital recorder menu pages and electronic programming guides. The Internet in a box, so to speak.
Rock the Vote, the national organization which educates young adult on the importance of voting, is furious with AM New York- the free daily newspaper. Apparently AM New York used Rock the Vote's logo without permission for some ads in last week's paper. More to follow.
Hotel Chatter points to little fight between the Nevada gaming regulators and the Hard Rock Cafe. Apparently, there was some rodeo in Las Vegas and the Hard Rock wanted as much business out of that as it could get so it bought a billboard which read, Get Ready to Buck All Night." The Nevada Gaming Commission received many complaints but the hard rock upped its ante and placed another board with the headline "Another Clean & Inoffensive Billboard" - with images of a beaver (c'mon people, the animal kind!), two rabbits "enjoying themselves" and a kittie who obviously thinks she has a hot bootie. This time, the good 'ol First Amendment won out.
On September 29, Starcom will launch a new print planning tool designed to provide detailed insight into reader engagement with editorial and ads.The tool is based on Mediamark Research Inc. data and will gauge how advertising melds with magazine content. The tool is the result of recent research Starcom conducted into magazine categorization by consumers, ads perceived as content versus ads and how editorial or ads that don't "gel" with the magazine's content affect perception.
In Ad Age's TV Spots of the Week, we find what we never though possible - an ad from a car dealer that speaks honesty. Yup. Atlanta based Walsh Chevrolet features Lisa Walsh being a bit too honest with a police officer. Other spots this week include a guy jumping on NASCAR vehicles to hear what drivers are saying for Nextel's Fan Scan service which allows Nextel users to hear conversations between pit crew and driver; two guitar store clerks who get oddly appreciative for a customer's guitar playing; a Hispanic beauty shot spot for American Airlines new campaign; a Land Rover spot that makes no sense - unless you visit the website; an artist who somehow makes car oil something to care about and the debut of Absolut's new artist campaign in which time lapse photography shows an artist rendering of the new Absolut Rasberry bottle.
|
|
