Adverganza's Friday morning picks, 11.07.08

So where the hell was I on Thursday? On a field trip with my 10-year-old. Tried to do a post to that effect from my Treo but it didn't quite post, obviously. So, I'm back doing Friday headlines now, and hope a day off didn't ruin everything.

From Advertising Age:

--Microsoft hires ex-Time Inc. exec Robin Domeniconi as head of U.S. ad sales.
--If your brand is in "Slumdog Millionaire" you might want to rethink that.
--Watch out for Henry Waxman and regulation on DTC advertising.
--Can Burger King mandate that its franchisees stay open longer?
--Carat's Adam Cahill tells Barack Obama how "to extend the social-media foundation he built as a candidate and transform it into something even more powerful."
--3 Minute Ad Age: Getting all hyped up about the Corn Refiners Association new ad campaign about high fructose corn syrup.

From Adweek:

--Disney sets a record for its revenue, but sees dark clouds on the horizon.
--Obama win sets Election Night records: 71 million of us watched.
--Which Detroit ad agency just laid off 22 percent of its staff?
--Borrell Associates predicts local interactive advertising to grow--much less quickly.
--Do you have your Obama keepsake yet?
--News Corp. blames the ad business for its woes, which is actually accurate.
--Film at 11! DVR impact on TV viewing outpaces impact of VCRs.
--If you care, Lowe wins Outback Steakhouse.
--Ad of the Day: Havas' Arnold puts a huge pinata in Philadelphia for Carnival Cruise Lines. Don't know why, but man! The buzz!

From Brandweek:

--Blu-ray is going to spend $25 million to tell us all what the hell it is.

From Mediapost:

--October retail sales are lowest since 1969. Even Costco got hurt although, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and B.J.'s did not.
--GM to announce third quarter results today. They won't be good.
--Sears launches "Grant a Wish" campaign, as in "Don't just give a gift, grant a wish." Here's the 60-second version of the spot, via Young & Rubicam.



--Timberland admits that Mother Nature can suck. Here's a commercial from this new campaign, via Leagas Delaney.



--Time-shifted viewing of primetime this year is at 16 percent in the 18-49 demo, per Magna.
--Stephen Friedman named general manager of MTV.
--Ten percent of voters admit that "SNL" political skits influenced their voting, with six percent saying it made them pick Obama, and four percent saying it made them pick McCain. Don't know as I'd ever admit to that.
--Havas Digital's Stuart Epperson unveils ad trading system that will operate, eventually anyway, like the Wall Street futures marketplace.
--Craigslist to put limits on prostitution ads. Sorry to ruin your weekend.
--Is Facebook looking to Dubai?
--Here is Fox's Q1 2009 prime-time line-up.
--Marc Berman's Programming Insider: "Dancing with the Stars" rules.

From Mediaweek:

--Brian Lawlor named chief of E.W. Scripps' TV division.
--Adult Swim throws life preserver to "King of the Hill."

From The New York Times:

--Agency layoff round-up story. Read it if you dare.
--Money magazine managing editor Eric Schurenberg leaves as part of overall Time Inc. shakeup.

From The Wall Street Journal:

--Moscow confronting billboard pollution. Subscription required.

That's all. Have a good weekend.

More to come ...

Get ready for Michele Obama, fashion icon

Just got served up an ad in my Gmail, saying I could " Get the Look Michelle Obama Wore on 'The Tonight Show.'" A picture of her walking onstage last week in said outfit is at left. It links to this page at the J. Crew site.

Adverganza's Wednesday morning picks, 11.05.08

Wherein I scan the post-Election Day headlines because you're too busy looking at political news.

From Advertising Age:

--Yes, marketers, you can learn something from Obama's win.
--With Obama's win, here come the regulations.
--The Obama campaign's grasp of "time shifting and consumer control."
--Media outlets about to have a post-election hangover.
--Some think Obama-mania will turn Kenya into a tourism hotspot.
--OK, so Mediavest did a study predicting at what time each state would be called. Does that strike you as at all, say anal?
--Revamped Google/Yahoo search deal hasn't exactly erased all concerns.
--Booz & Co.'s Chris Vollmer on media companies gaining on the ad industry in data ownership.

From Adweek:

--Goodby's Mike McKay moves to Saatchi & Saatchi LA as ecd.
--Supreme Court hears starts to hear case on indecency over the airwaves.
--Film at 11! Gen X immune to traditional advertising!

From Brandweek:

--Thinking it's not enough to launch one campaign, Qwest launches two.
--Hard to argue with this tagline: "Five bucks and change" for CiCi's pizza. Here's a commercial, posted to YouTube by my buds from AdFreak:




--From where I sit at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, looks like a good idea that Greenpeace used some JFK footage in its new campaign. Here's the spot:



From Mediapost:

--Supposedly, people will spend more on holiday shopping now that Obama has won, and Goldman Sachs is one of the entities behind this particular survey.
--You can buy a new car for $9,900.
--Those "white spaces" get approved. FCC chief Kevin Martin calls this the beginning of "WiFi on steroids."
--Film at 11! "LinkedIn Users Have Higher Incomes!"
--AT&T puts a limit on consumer downloads. Something tells me this isn't going to sit well with everybody.
--Twitter looking for new executives.
--Media stocks up on Election Day.
--Obama regulation watch: expect him to regulate DTC ads.
--San Diego, Austin, Dallas and Orlando lead the country in DVR penetration, with almost 40 percent of San Diego residents having one.
--Jack Feuer on why this year's presidential nominees were great at the marketing thing.

From Mediaweek:

--Former Yahoo exec Sean Lyden joins digital out-of-home company Outcast as vp/product strategy.
--At least Americans are getting ready for something: the onset of digital TV.
--Maybe broadcast TV will do better once this damn election is over. Sounds plausible.
--Pet-lover site zootoo.com signs advertisers.
--Something or other about Starburst and a content distribution deal of a series which appeared yesterday in home page space on YouTube. Anyway, here's the show:



--More management shifts at Westwood One, following last month's ouster of the CEO.

From The New York Post:

--No one is buying scatter.
--People, US Weekly, rush to get Obama on the cover.

From The New York Times:

--Google drops Yahoo search partnership in its entirety. Jerry Yang calling Steve Ballmer as we speak.
--Slate names Obama winner at 9:27 p.m.; networks wait until 11.
--Time Warner beats its forecasts, but sees some gloom ahead.
--Great. Now layoffs are being blogged, and not just by the, um, lay-ees.
--Which newsweekly turned news bi-weekly is becoming a monthly?
--The new Westfield London mall has 100 digital billboards from CBS Outdoor. Just imagine the electric bill!

From The Wall Street Journal:

--U.S. TV market got you down? Hooray for Bollywood! Free.
--The Journal's take on Google backing out of the Yahoo deal. Subscription required.
--Online retailers expect sales to slow this holiday season, but because they are such a happy group they still expect them to be up. Just less up. Free.

Au revoir.

CNN wants you on its live page

Found this ad linking to CNN's live stream of election coverage at The New York Post's site, of all places. Now, that's bi-partisan.

Qantas ad overloads on the Muzak

File this commercial among those that really, really bug me. It's for Qantas Airways, touting it as "The World's Most Experienced Airline." It's not that line that bothers me, it's the wretched, Muzac-style version of Men at Work's "Down Under." Was it the finest song of the 1980s? No. But the way the song is arranged here sounds like just the sort of schlock you'd here in an elevator, or on a plane while the passengers are boarding, come to think of it.

Fear-mongering 'til the bitter end

So, my television consumption last night was pretty much a toggle between the "SNL" election eve show and the cable news channels. Saw a version of this ad from the National Republican Trust repeatedly, no matter what I watched. The Rev. Wright fracas wasn't Obama's finest hour, but enough already.

Adverganza's Tuesday morning picks, 11.04.08

Wherein I scan the Election Day headlines so you have time to vote. (Don't worry ... I'll get to it too.)

From Advertising Age:

--Interpublic and WPP win lots of biz from Johnson & Johnson.
--Guess which carmaker's sales were down 45 percent last month? 32 percent? 23 percent?
--Guess which media company's revenue was down 37 percent in the third quarter?
--Party down! OMD wins $1 billion Renault-Nissan media biz.
--Ah, it all comes clear now. Former Heavy and Microsoft exec Eric Hadley moves to Yahoo as vp/U.S. field marketing where he'll no doubt work closely with former Microsoft exec Joanne Bradford. Also, Yahoo media honcho Scott Moore has left for parts unknown.
--3 Minute Ad Age: About the Hanger Network, which creeps me out. Do you really want ads hanging in your closet?

From Adweek:

--NBC Universal digital honcho George Kliavkoff says he's leaving at year's end. No word on where he's going.
--Hill, Holliday gets more Dunkin' Donuts business. Pass the java.
--In case we need one, a social network just for artists, called SohoMuse. Blah.
--McCann-Erickson wins Sirius XM business, where it will "to promote the use of Sirius XM Radio to owners of new and certified used GM vehicles." If there are any, that is.

From Mediapost:

--Automakers hope the worst is over. Hope springs eternal, I guess.
--Are you ready for "The Meow Mix Think Like A Cat Game Show"? Neither am I.
--CEO of Corebrand thinks the Dow will get back to 13,000 by the end of 2009.
--Hyatt really wants you to stay there.
--True, you can get free coffee at Starbucks today, but it's now also possible to follow Dunkin' Donuts on Twitter. Here's where you can sign yourself up.
--Still trying to stir up some excitement about this white spaces issue. Anyway, if you've been able to the FCC is probably going to vote on it today, because there's not enough voting to do today.
--More allegedly seamless digital ad planning and buying integration, this time courtesy of Comcast-owned Strata Marketing and Microsoft's Atlas.
--Full-length movies now available on Break.
--Wink and Reunion merge to create some kinda search/social networking mashup.
--Toby Gabriner moves to Tribal Fusion as CEO.
--Young viewers watching more commercials, even though they have DVRs!
--All those new measurement techniques in traditional media aren't all they were cracked up to be.
--Guess which radio company laid off 4 percent of its staff?
--Guess which aquatically-themed digital ad agency let go 40 employees?


From Mediaweek:

--Guess which Pennsylvania-based publishing company is laying off 10 percent of staff?
--Cox president Andy Fisher to retire.
--The Fockers meet primetime.
--Oh great, another reality show, this time pitting neighbors against neighbors.
--Fuse wins right to air Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame telecast, ensuring no one will watch it.
--Guess which Chicago-based newspaper company is planning drastic cutbacks in its Washington bureau?
--Guess which Pacific Northwestern newspaper is cutting 10 percent of its workforce?
--Marc Berman's Programming Insider: So far in November, everyone's in the game.

From The New York Post:

--Guess which major electronics retailer plans to close 155 stores?
--American Media's president and COO, John Miller, leaves the company.

From The New York Times:

--Everyone's favorite quadrennial controversy is back! Some networks may call the election before all the votes are in.
--Negative campaigning comes to brands.


From The Wall Street Journal:

--Those "people familiar with the matter" says Google and Yahoo sent a letter to the DOJ revising their proposed search deal, so that Yahoo can have no more than 25 percent of its search revenue come from Google. The deal would also only last for two years rather than as many as ten. Subscription required, but that's the skinny.
--Advertisers go for the warm and fuzzy in hard times. Subscription required, but if you don't have one, you can still watch this Pillsbury commercial with apologies to Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz."




Go vote, people.

McCain and Obama: the final YouTube posts

Thought on this final day before the election, I should stop by John McCain and Barack Obama's channels on YouTube to see what they most recently posted. On Obama's channel, you get Bruce Springsteen doing an acoustic version of "The Rising" at a rally where he introduced Obama yesterday in Cleveland.



On McCain's channel you get comments from a gun owner's convention in Minnesota.



'nough said.

Starbucks giving coffee to voters tomorrow

Nice idea by Starbucks to give free coffee to voters tomorrow. The company bought the home page of The New York Times, and probably a lot else too to promote the give away. The 1-minute YouTube video is above. BTW, you just have to say you voted to get the coffee—you don't have to bring in a hanging chad or anything. But don't lie. Go vote!

Adverganza's Monday morning picks, 11.03.08

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

From Advertising Age:

--Even in an election and Olympics year, media spending is down in the first three quarters.
--Oprah kindles interest in the Kindle.
--Kohl's upping its holiday spending to focus on value.
--What it will be like when Conan O'Brien helms "The Tonight Show."
--The future of print.
--Speaking of which, according to a few sources, Macy's has cut all of its print budget for the first half of 2009.
--Your viewers skipping ads on TiVo? Not to worry ... make sure they can't skip on broadband.
--Wal-Mart buying up national radio, some cable nets.
--AOL's Randy Falco says it's all digital's fault.
--Eric Hadley leaves Heavy, amid tough times for laddie sites.
--The Brits embrace "one downmanship." If you don't know what that is, you'd be surprised to know you're probably doing it, too.
--You might want to know about digital divas.
--What does media M&A activity look like in a downturn? It doesn't look entirely comatose.
--3 Minute Ad Age: It isn't just the lack of money; media companies just aren't green.
--Admitted Phillies fan Bob Garfield reviews ads he saw during the playoffs.

From Adweek:

--Yeah, we kinda knew this already, but agency holding companies are cutting back. Don't be surprised if you get cut out of that trip to L.A.
--Keeping it all in the family, DDB gets AT&T's b-to-b business.
--Arnold lets go eight percent of staff at its Boston headquarters.
--Hold that thought: OMD, not Zenith, gets Levi's media business.
--Video blogger/sports rapper wears Timberland's on his hands, raps for Timberlands. Too much going on here for me to parse, but here's the dude's MySpace page.
--NYSE Euronext proves hot for Havas.
--Razorfish buys Spain digital shop called wysiwig. Who knew that wysiwig meant the same thing in Spanish?
--"Just asking" asks people who should know how Obama and McCain's marketing might have been better. It's all water under the bridge now.
--DraftFCB goes to Sydney; picks Michael Simons to be its New York CCO.
--How Saatchi, Pampers moved away from Sally Struthers, teaming on an effort to fund one tetanus shot in developing countries for every pack of Pampers sold. Cool. Here's an ad from the campaign:





--The political ad career of former Fallon creative Bill Hillsman.
--Alan Wolk diagnoses the agency community with Nascar blindness, dismissing Nascar, "some bizarre redneck affectation akin to eating squirrel meat." Cool.
--Paul Cappelli gets into trouble in Italy, but maybe wins that tourism account anyway.
--Adweek video: The International Advertising Association's Michael Lee on creating a, well, global global warming campaign.





From Brandweek:

--Can you use the skills of designers to tackle business problems? Those who say yes call it "design thinking."
--Q&A with Laurine Garrity, senior vp/CMO of TD Ameritrade, on the opportunities the company sees in the current market.
--Eco-friendly cleaning products company Seventh Generation gets serious.
--Purina drooling all over Christmas flick, "Marley & Me."
--White Gold makes an appearance at beauty salons.

From Mediapost:

--Denis Leary for the Ford F-150. Hey, it gets 21 miles per gallon!
--Oh no! Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa for the new TD Bank.
--Non-smoking groups tell Philip Morris they own the color pink.
--Psssst. Want to know how to make it through the recession? Go into digital out-of-home media.
--Nielsen says that Internet users are also big TV watchers. They're also sloths.
--New York AG Andrew Cuomo starts an investigation of Arbitron, and, yes, it ties back to the Portable People Meter.
--JP Morgan downgrades its online advertising estimate for the second time recently; now it predicts it will only grow by 13 percent in 2009. That other media could be so lucky.
--The Rubicon Project says online advertising will be up too.
--AOL aggregates morning show content into "The Morning Rush."
--MySpace, MTV in ad insertion deal when people upload MTV content to YouTube.

From Mediaweek:

--Clear Channel's outdoor digital billboards will stream news on election night.
--Conde Nast's direct response group goes bye-bye as company cuts.
--Fox's "King of the Hill" will tumble after more than 250 episodes.
--Marc Berman's Programming Insider: "30 Rock" benefits ... somewhat ... from the Tina Fey bounce.
--John McCain pulls in the "SNL" ratings.
--A roundup of how each medium will fare in the downturn.
--Why are all those respected brands showing up on racy gossip sites anyway?
--How broadcast TV buyers would change the broadcast lineup.
--The ups and downs of the CW.
--Meredith's "Better" gets picked up by more stations.
--Jim Cooper on being a political news junkie during a heated election.

From The New York Post:

--Costco is the new Nordstrom's.
--Music-themed video games may hit sour note.
--Editor-in-chief Steve Adler says no more cuts at BusinessWeek this year, after the magazine shuts down its TV show, that is.

From The New York Times:

--The political campaigns and Web 2.0.
--Trying to drive local ads to local newspaper Web sites.

That's it, folks. One day until the election. Thank God.

More to come ...