Adverganza's Halloween picks, 10.31.08

Wherein I scan the scary Halloween headlines so you don't have to.

From Advertising Age:

--Bargain shoppers, are you ready for Black Sunday? Kmart is, and it's coming, this Sunday.
--Right after announcing a major layoff, Time Inc.'s Ann Moore appears at the Audit Bureau of Circulation conference. Cliff Notes: Scrap the five-year plan if you're not smart enough to have scrapped it long ago.
--More people watched the Obama infomercial than "America's Next Top Model." Phew.
--Apparently, fashion no longer rocks.
--Hey, PC makers, hit Control C and do this.
--If Men's Vogue is published only two times a year and is no longer available newsstands, does it make a sound?
--Hank Close, president of ad sales at MTV Networks, to leave at the end of the year.
--3 Minute Ad Age: Social networks rule at Hewlett-Packard.

From Adweek:

--Barbara Lippert tells you what she really thought of the Obama infomercial, though she has her doubts about "the amber waves of grain" at the beginning. If you didn't see it, part 1 is posted below, and the rest can be accessed here.



--Ad of the Day: Saying thanks to Maimonides Medical Center.

From Brandweek:
--For its holiday campaign, Macy's channels Santa Claus' Virgina, and maybe Tug McGraw. (Don't think it's online yet. If it was, I'd show ya.)
--Is your room horrible? Call HGTV and Stanley Steemer.

From Mediapost:

--Gen Y must be getting old, because now it wants safe vehicles.
--Avon's not scared of the recession.
--Is this the right time to promote a tequila brand with the tag "Live notoriously well"?
--Moveon.org gets over 9 million people to share a customizable "get out the vote" vid.
--Procter & Gamble asks girls to name their favorite innovations, in the name of a revolutionary advancement in ... drumroll please ... feminine protection products.
--Nielsen unveils first ranking of mobile Web sites. Yahoo's on top there too.
--Thrillist to relaunch its Web site.
--IAB unveils plan to make online media less of a logistical nightmare.
--Judge bans Google AdWords campaign from Chevron aimed at telling its side of a lawsuit using the plaintiff's name as a keyword.
--Omnicom launches The Mobile Behavior Agency. Guess what it does?
--Meebo to host Comedy Central's user content during election night.
--More earnings: Hearst-Argyle flat; Liberty Media revenue increases two percent.

From Mediaweek:

--More detail on the Time Inc. restructuring.
--Conde Nast's Portfolio goes to ten issues per year, which means more down time, if you keep your job.
--Marc Berman's Programming Insider: apparently people like watching the last three innings of a World Series game.
--ComScore tries to measure the audience for "content that travels all over the Internet."

From The New York Post:

--Keith Kelly's take on the Conde Nast cuts. Whew! Alliteration!
--Displaying angst over online display ads.

From The New York Times:

--Can Tony Bennett make people shop for Christmas?
--OK, if not Tony Bennett, can Tinker Bell make people buy stuff?
--CBS's third quarter earnings. I'd say more but it's quarter of 11 Thursday night and I'm tired.

From The Wall Street Journal:

--Former Procter & Gamble chief marketer Jim Stengel's start-up is all about "purpose-based marketing." Time to study up, people. That's the second time in a few days, I've seen this term. Subscription required.
--Tainted toys are back, only this time, they're probably not tainted.