Adverganza's Monday morning picks, 11.10.08

Wherein I scan the Monday morning headlines so you don't have to.

From Advertising Age:

--Worldwide CD Bob Isherwood leaves Saatchi.
--Levi's asks agencies in review to unzip more of their fly than they should.
--What will Obama do with his three-million people database?
--Looking at Blackberry's Election Day launch.
--Las Vegas hotels spending, even as tourism slips.
--The audacious Barack Obama.
--Obama and the relaunch of Brand America.
--Simon Dumenco thinks McCain's brand suicide was all about Sarah Palin.
--Except post-Election Day, Obama hasn't helped Chicago newspaper circulation at all.
--Meet Team Obama.
--Bob Garfield gives the McCain campaign one star. Maybe he was feeling generous.
--Fast food giants get into text, Facebook orders.

From Adweek:

--Mediacom gets its arms around reorganization, "value reengineering" whatever that is.
--Tod Seisser, Steve Landsberg, start creative consultancy, Grok.
--Finalists in Home Depot review to present this week, if you care.
--Vanguard calling a review. Hey, get on the stick!
--Finally, someone takes a closer look at Honeyshed.
--"Just Asking: What Impact Did Ads Have on the Election?"
--A car company that's advertising! Cars.com will start $200 million campaign on Super Bowl.
--Former head of ad sales at Fox Interactive Media, Michael Barrett, joins startup AdMeld as CEO.
--Profile of Cameron Death, vp of NBC Universal Digital Studio. (BTW, it's pronounced "Deeth".)
--Barbara Lippert on why "traditional political ads have never seemed so irrelevant."
--Joseph Jaffe gives you 10 reasons why you should start a blog. (As long as it doesn't compete with Adverganaa--but what could?--it's OK with me.)
--StrawberryFrog's Scott Goodson and Chip Walker think it's a time of opportunity, and appear to have been stone cold sober when they wrote this column.
--Ad of the Day: Mark Dolliver likes this Hyatt commercial about its exceptional service except for that part at the end where it uses the word "humbly" which " ... does introduce a bowing-and-scraping note that the spot has otherwise avoided."

From Brandweek:

--Are the changes Obama is promising bad for the marketing community?
--Interview with Church & Dwight vp/marketing James Daniels about that Trojan campaign, below, in which men actually are pigs. (I admit I never saw it before.)




--Yet another Simpsons/Burger King promo.
--Cold remedy makers tout their latest innovations, i.e. the ones private-label makers haven't ripped off yet.
--Hennessey continues its partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
--Todd Wasserman interviews Steinski, the 57-year-old Jewish hip-hop legend who works in advertising. Yes, you read that right.

From Mediapost:

--Your chance to read more depressing things about GM.
--Credit card promotions apparently continue, if this new music-themed one from Citi is any indication.
--When it comes down to saving money vs. buying organic, saving money wins.
--Compaony touts an alternative to pre-roll and overlay video ads.
--Search advertising still immune to economic slowdown.

From Mediaweek:

--Integration? Schmintegration! Magazines cut back on those integrated packages.
--ABC News wins the election.
--Elvis Costello, Sundance get sponsors.
--Which media company just laid off its recently-promoted chief innovation officer?
--A report from CNN's Election Night shindig.
--Which cable net saw its revenue increase in Q3?
--Now that Googlehoo is dead, is it time to reinstate Microhoo, or Yasoft, or whatever?
--Do other newsweeklies want to be The Economist?
--Obligatory political ad spend wrap-up.
--So much for Nielsen's out-of-home report.
--Richard Beaven of Initiative is Mediaweek's Media Exec of the Year. The rest of the list is here.
--Marc Berman's Programming Insider: It was a good weekend for ABC and CBS.

From The New York Post:

--Those Time, Newsweek Obama covers are selling out.
--Circuit City cozies up to Chapter 11.
--Will the lousy economy cause agencies to rethink their business model?

From The New York Times:

--"Goodbye Seduction, Hello Coupons." The headline says it all.
--Finally figuring out who the hell Nate Silver is.
--YouTube snares MGM deal.
--Book publishers get into that digital thang.
--Rescuing "Heroes."
--Guy titles his book, “A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can’t Win”. Oops.
--New MSNBC tag: "Experience the Power of Change." Are they taking credit or something?
--Video gamers not sure about this Obama guy.

From The Wall Street Journal (long story, having to do with how much Internet Explorer sucks, but you'll have to find out yourself whether this content is free; for the record, I'm devoted to Firefox):

--You probably don't want to be in the radio business right now.
--Agency.com sues iCrossing, accusing its former CEO Don Sciales with "raiding" the agency.
--Shari Redstone walks away from Midway Games.
--Cable results good, broadcast bad.

That's it kiddos. The news isn't as depressing as usual, but the week's still young.