A recent study by ABC and OMD of 18-49 viewers of ABC's American Music Awards in November found a 34 percent lift in brand awareness among viewers who were exposed to both traditional ads and branded integration. ABC Senior Manager of Primary Research claims the tow forms advertising work together yielding increased results saying, "This project was demonstrative of the effectiveness of the effectiveness of branding content coupled with traditional TV advertising. The most important thing in terms of integration is that it's seamless and organized in nature, both with the program and the brand identity. Viewers are savvy and the more intrusive, the less effective."
It seems the proliferation of in-theater advertising insanity knows no limits. Theater Advertising Solutions LLC today announced a multi-year agreement for the distribution of a branded concession carry tray, called MovieTRAY, at all of Regal Entertainment Group's theaters nationwide. Under the agreement, Theater Advertising Solutions will be the exclusive provider of movie tray adverblather, further ruining the already horrifically advertising-drenched movie going experience.
Maybe Regal should consider selling the back of its seats to advertisers so adverbloated movie goers could at least get the pleasure of kicking the shit out of brands that would actually consider placing ads within movie theaters.
Kazaa is displeased with how it's been portrayed in the media surrounding Claria's termination of an agreement between the two parties. While the split has widely been attributed to Claria's ongoing mission to "clean up its act" leading many to interpret Kazaa might have, in some way, tarnished the Claria brand.
Kazaa, in a press release, claims the real reason for the split "followed ongoing issues between the parties relating to Claria's lack of performance of its obligations under the agreement and steps Sharman (Kazaa parent company) had already taken to investigate and rectify that performance."
Kazaa further claims, "Claria's announcement is contrary to its obligations under the agreement. At present, Sharman continues to perform its obligations whilst pursuing its options under the Agreement."
A recent poll by MediaLife found media buyers believe only half of all media reps have a clue and know anything about what they are selling. The biggest area of media buyer complaints centered on sales reps' wasting precious time with too many sales calls, unpreparedness and overselling. Granted, there are certainly a lot of clueless sales reps out there but we quite sure we'd bet sales reps would say there's some pretty clueless media buyers out there too.
Lee Iacocca, who uttered Chrysler's tagline, "If you can find a better car, buy it," in 61 commercials during his reign as turnaround CEO for the troubled car company, is returning as pitchman in a set of new commercials. The deal calls for Iacocca to appear, initially, in three spots with compensation in the form of a Chrysler donation to Iacocca's diabetes research foundation along with $1 for every Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep sold for the rest of the year.
Extending its brand further into people's lives, Disney, using the Sprint network, will launch Disney Mobile, a cell phone service targeted t families with kids 11 to 14. Besides phone service, Disney Mobile will offer Disney-related content including ring tones based on familiar Disney songs, Disney branded phones, games and images. The service is set to launch in 2006.
ICON Advertising Solutions, an online ad sales company has signed a deal with Marvel.com, the online division of comic giant Marvel Enterprises, Inc., under which ICON will act as an online ad sales representative for the interactive division of the entertainment company.
Marvel.com features interactive information and activities for many of Marvel's comic book titles and characters such as Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk. Marvel.com claims reach of 18 million impressions to 750,000 monthly unique users, mainly in the male teen and young adult demographic.
Reuters has partnered with GE in a sponsorship deal which will place the American maker of all things in a premiere sponsor position on the Reuters Interactive TV channel. The sponsorship will center on GE's "ecomagination" campaign which touts the company's environmentally friendly products.
As the premier sponsor, GE will run 30 second post-roll video ads. While the video ad plays, a banner ad is also displayed on the left-side navigation which clicks through to a GE branded sponsor page. OMD Digital NY was responsible for the planning and buying of this campaign.
MarketingVOX reports Nickelodeon has launched a new broadband internet channel called TurboNick. The "channel" will contain 20 hours of original programming including SpongeBob SquarePants viewable on visitors own time schedule. Unfortunately, Nickelodeon appears oblivious to the fact all the cool kids use Firefox crippling TurboNick to work only with Internet Explorer. Perhaps now that Google has acknowledged the existence of Firefox with its introduction of the Google Toolbar for Firefox tomorrow, the rest of the slackers will finally catch up. IE is dead. Firefox is the only way to view the web.
OK, so we did fire up IE and can confirm the video quality on TurboNick is TV quality and the program selection is great. A cool concept. TurboNick is hip to the cool kids' viewing habits. Oops, viewing full screen crashes IE. Oh well.
An ad for London-based Accurist watch company which ran in Glamour and showed a near naked woman reclining in a chair with her left hand in her crotch above the tagline, "Me Time," was banned by the Advertising Standard Authority which deemed it sexually suggestive and likely to cause serious or widespread offense to readers. Accurist, apparently not having seen their own ad, denies the ad has any association with masturbatory imagery. One reader who complained seems to think masturbation is somehow offensive and demeaning to women. It seems both sides are having difficulty facing reality with Accurist plainly denying a near naked woman with her hand between her legs might possibly be interpreted as sexual and the complainer refusing to admit we've progressed beyond the pre-Kinsey world where masturbation was taboo.
Of course, this doesn't mean masturbating women in ads is a good thing but let's not mince words. In the ad it looks like she is. And, there's nothing wrong with masturbation which is certainly not demeaning to women.
Accurist has a series of these ads on its website including another crotch grab ad.
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