Woo-hoo! No more MicroHoo, YaSoft etc.

Protracted acquisition battles are always annoying, but the lengthy stalking of Yahoo by Microsoft, to me, had its own special layer of yick: those endless attempts at trying to smash the words Yahoo and Microsoft together. Way too cute for lil' miss Adverganza. On a more serious note, even if there were certain business reasons for Microsoft to own Yahoo, it seemed like a cultural misfit from the beginning, whereas the search advertising deal that Yahoo struck with Google yesterday—which killed any thoughts Microsoft might have had about still getting hitched to Yahoo—sounds right, no matter what the antitrust regulators, or Carl Icahn, or Steve Ballmer, might eventually have to say in the matter. Even after all of the numbers are crunched, it's hard to discount the importance of entities that are working so closely together having a similar world view. Google and Yahoo are different companies, no question, but both come from that quirky Silicon Valley mindset. Last time I was at Yahoo (admittedly, it's been awhile), the campus was filled with purple and yellow flowers. You could picture Google doing something similar, but that would happen at Microsoft over Ballmer's dead body. Let's hear it for YaGoogle! Doh! (Photo via Opencontent on Flickr.)

Use Tampax so the sharks won't get you

Not to be gross, but is this Tampax ad (the logo is partially visible in the corner) saying what I think it is saying? What country is it running in? Or is it a hoax? In case you don't know what I think it's saying, there's an old wives' tale—and maybe a true one—that sharks are more likely to attack women when they are having their periods because they can smell their blood. Are we to assume, then, that the so-called product benefit is that the product works so well that sharks won't attack?

Nike tells what William Gallas knows

If you want to see a good, unadorned use of YouTube by a marketer, subscribe to the NikeFootball channel. You will find commercials there, such as the recent Guy Ritchie-directed film, but it's also a repository for short interviews with international soccer/football stars. The four-minute clip I've embedded above features William Gallas, a defender and captain of Arsenal (not that I know my international soccer stuff). It's a straightforward mix of sound bites and highlights, carrying the theme, "What William Knows." This is not the sort of content that is going to send people flocking to YouTube in the tens of millions, but it's a great, ongoing way to connect Nike Football with its formidable , passionate fan base.

Did 'Ad Age' kill the name "Synarchy"?

You may have seen yesterday that the new name for WPP Group's Dell-dedicated agency is Enfatico, instead of Synarchy. Now the question is, "Did the name change because of what happened after the name was leaked, or was it never all that definite anyway?" Fortunately for Ad Age, its initial story did leave an out, stating, "WPP could change direction if the name doesn't pass legal muster or translate well into the various international locales in which it operates." What it didn't say, of course, was that the company might also steer clear of the name if it was linked to something, like, say, Nazis, a connection that I believe was first made by the writers of that story, who pointed out that the term synarchy's Wikipedia entry, " ... quotes from a book on Vichy France that had an account of French industrialists who saw Nazi Germany as alternative to Communism." The blogosphere noticed, and now, the unit has a new name, Enfatico.

Is the upfront like the market for oil?

Stuart Elliott's summation this morning of this year's network upfront, includes this analogy from one analyst: that the market for the upfront is like the current state of the oil markets—in other words not all that sensical. “It’s totally counterintuitive,” Sanford C. Bernstein & Company media analyst Michael Nathanson told Elliott. “ ... the harder it is to find audiences, or barrels of oil, the fiercer the frenzy to pay more to acquire them.” Of course, the difference between network TV, which looks like it hit the same upfront numbers as last year, despite declining audiences, is that alternative sources of eyeballs, unlike alternative sources of energy, very much exist. It's just that marketers and media companies haven't figured out how to tap them yet, because, gee, it's only 14 years into the digital revolution.

Wenda Harris Millard tells what's wrong with Yahoo

Brian Morrissey at Adweek has posted a story about yesterday's interview of Wenda Harris Millard by Federated Media chief John Battelle at the Conversational Marketing Conference. It proved unusual in that Martha Stewart Omnimedia media president Millard actually took swipes at her former employer, Yahoo, which seems to have sunk into a year-2001-like mire since her departure. But Millard's criticism doesn't come off as sour grapes, but as a well-reasoned analysis of a company that has lost its, well, sites, placing technology above all else. "Technology is very important, but where many companies go wrong is when they think technology is the answer or primary solution to proving a business solution to a marketing problem," she said. "The business of advertising is still a business of persuasion. Machines can't make art." (Of course, Yahoo has said that it can do great brand advertising and focus on technology at the same time.) UPDATE: Martha Stewart Omnimedia just announced that Millard and the president of merchandising, Robin Marino, are being promoted to replace Susan Lyne, who just said she is leaving as chief executive.

Making stuff out of branded boxes all the rage

So I'm not the only one who immediately thought of the guy who made his furniture out of FedEx boxes when I heard about Deutsch's new campaign to promote the first New York City IKEA. You might recall that this guy posted photos of his FedEx furniture at this site several years ago. Thankfully, it's still up. Then FedEx, cluelessly, started to threaten legal action, and then, Stanford University's Law School Center for Internet and Society began to represent him. Anyway, so the Deutsch campaign features New York landmarks made out of IKEA boxes, only this time, it's not some guy building stuff out of boxes, but an artist and architect named John Hobbs, who I should probably know about. But I don't.

Here's Mr. Bill for MasterCard

The people at MasterCard sure are lucky that I remembered—days after the hype subsided—to look up the new Mr. Bill spot that they touted last week but didn't put up online until around now. Anyway, here's the commercial. The nostalgia will no doubt work, but somehow I remember the old Mr. Bill sketches featuring a lot more, well, dismemberment.

Metacafe makes David Wright $1082.01 richer

So the bidding for Ian Schafer's Twitter feed is over and the winner is an entity called Teametacafe (aka metacafe.com), paying over $1000 for the one month privilege to take over his Twitter profile page and replace his mug with some its assets, like maybe its logo. Wishing, once again, that I'd thought of that, but it's never too late is it? Still didn't get the first mover advantage though. Oh, right, what's the reference to New York Met David Wright? Schafer says he's giving the money to the David Wright Foundation.

Adverganza's Monday morning picks, 06.09.08

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

From Advertising Age:

—More thumbs-down on the Hummer. Here's to hoping they close down the dealership in my hometown.
—If you think you can monetize YouTube, than you sell some ads.
—The iPhone and the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference.
—Going green not just for Birkenstock-wearing liberals.
—Exploring the oxymoron that is the news weekly.
—Really need a (non-alcoholic) drink? Go to McDonald's.
—All about the upfront.
—Toyota targets puts, of all things, a Camry in the middle of an espionage-filled online game.
—Jonah Bloom thinks Yahoo has a plan.
—Bob Garfield gets verklempt about Element 79's last work for Gatorade.

From Adweek:

—How Dell learned to listen.
—Tough times for agency outposts in L.A.
—Milk discovers this thing called the Internet.
—Profile of See Jane Run TV Marketing's Jane Rockwell.
—More on the Wachovia review.
—Will WPP bid again for TNS?
—Barbara Lippert floats through the air over Wieden + Kennedy's "Jump" live stunt for Honda. Metaphorically speaking.

From Brandweek:

—Licensing industry in the dumps.
—Star Trek-themed coffins and urns? Oy.
—Even in an economic downturn, organic sells.
—Can you find canyoufindwaldo.com?
—Q&A on how Everlast plans to last forever.

From Mediapost:

—Interview with Barry Herstein, PayPal's first CMO.
—Traffic to super centers up, gas station convenience stores down.
—"Alcoholic beverages are withstanding the economic downturn very well." Why is that not at all surprising?
—Best Western hires a travel blogger.
—Initiative decides to hold Alan Cohen to his contract.
—TV commercials still rule.
—Most depressing story of the day: Tribune's plan to "right-size" the company.
—Rodale shuffles editors, wants to expand digital and international.
—Diane Mermigas on online video's (lacking) business model.
—Will the cable upfront be moderately up?
—Meebo launches some new ad formats.

From Mediaweek:

—The network TV upfront may go north of last year's $9 billion.
—Magazines dive into more low-class direct response ads.
—Those reliable online metrics aren't actually that reliable.
—Broadcast networks summer shows nothing to write upfront deals about.
—9.5 million people watch first game of Celtics vs. Lakers.

From The New York Post:

—The iPhone gets ready to steal some of Blackberry's thumbs.
—Store windows might start watching you back.

From The New York Times:

—Profile of Joe Ripp, the AOL whistleblower, who is not named in a financial fraud civil suit.
—Taking toys on tour.
—Wal-Mart in concert.
—Will Steve Jobs use today's iPhone announcement to make other news?

From The Wall Street Journal:

—"Kung Fu Panda" wins big at the box office. Subscription required.
—After the earthquake, marketing in China becomes a delicate exercise. Subscription required.
—AC/DC to sell its newest album exclusively at Wal-Mart. Subscription required.

That's it for today folks. Stay inside. Drink lots of water.

Matt Freeman leaves Tribal to go fishing

This just in to my email box: Matt Freeman, CEO of Tribal DDB, is leaving to become CEO of a company called GoFish, which, according to the email, is "a relatively new digital media company that provides brand marketers with deeply immersive advertising environments across its burgeoning network that already reaches over 20 million consumers per month in the US and 65 million worldwide." Matt says that Paul Gunning will take over as CEO. Matt's been at Tribal for ten years, which in this business in particular is a long time. Never heard of GoFish until this morning. Well, whatever. Good luck Matt, and amazing that he chose to move just weeks before the annual junket to Cannes.

Sobe Life Water makes your nipples silky

I haven't made it a secret that I'm not a big fan of the Sobe Life Water campaign that manages to rips off not just one part of pop culture, but several. Leveraging "Thriller" and the Geico campaign to create something that has nothing whatsoever to do with the product? Genius. Discovered that there are now a series of videos featuring the lizards on YouTube, including this new one, which involves two lizards and a Sobe Life Water theme park, and a discussion of whether the product makes lizards' nipples silky. Really. It also features a slight ripoff of that Geico spot where the gecko breaks into the song "Kung Fu Fighting." Fortunately, no Naomi Campbell, which is the other thing I simply detest about this campaign—after all of the harassment of hers that various people have endured, no one should be looking to give her work.

The Social Media Insider smells Herbal Essences

Too busy yesterday to link to my Social Media Insider column, which this week focuses on the concept of advertiser Facebook page as CRM database. C'mon geeks, you know you love it. You can be a passive observer and just read the thing, or join the discussion, here.

All about Yahoo, and lunch

As I haven't been traveling into the big, evil city much of late, missed yesterday's Ad Age Digital Hollywood Advertising 2.0 conference, which, strangely enough, was held in New York. But since this post is all about territory not really mattering anymore, I guess that's fitting enough. Seems Yahoo's Susan Decker told the assembled multitudes yesterday that the company is going to be selling ads on Walmart.com. Meanwhile, in a separate lunch with what I gather was a gaggle of reporters, Decker said the company is still serious about search, despite the fact that Google, well, eats Yahoo's lunch in that area. Me? I was home eating a roast beef sandwich and drinking some VitaminWater. BTW, here's the text of Yahoo chairman Roy Bostock's letter to Carl Icahn. It starts with this not-so-nicety: "We are in receipt of your letter of June 4th and take issue with its content." Have a nice day!

Kelly Awards Gallery goes live today

So, The Kelly Awards has its virtual awards show going live this morning at this site. There are also "inspiration" videos going up on The Kelly Awards channel on YouTube. Above, Wieden + Kennedy's video about the inspiration for the Nike "Rush Hour" campaign, starring Dan Wieden.

Shouldn't the MasterCard "Mr. Bill" spot be up?

I'm gonig to pose a question to you, dear readers, so you better respond, and it's another question that proves, without a doubt, that I have no life. So, yesterday, you probably read that MasterCard let it be known that its latest spot in the "Priceless" campaign features Mr. Bill, the iconic, eternally-damaged clay guy from Saturday Night Live. But the commercial isn't going to go on air, or apparently live on the priceless.com site or YouTube until Monday. Here's the question: if you're MasterCard, and you're going to go out getting all that press, shouldn't the commercial be available immediately? I think it's a missed opportunity to get it going virally when the press and blogosphere is all over it. Post your thoughts below.

Look here for an ad from Google

You may have read earlier this week that Google is advertising now, so the irony of the company that makes the online ad market what it is not being an advertiser itself is over. For what it's worth, here's an example.

Adverganza's late Monday picks, 06.02.08

Wherein at 10:23 p.m. I finally scan the Monday morning headlines, which all of you probably already have, but in case you haven't:

From Advertising Age:

--Not again! Networks get small upfront price increases.
--Guess who's not liking McDonald's Dollar Menu?
--"How to Get Your Brand on Oprah." 'Nuff said.
--Al Ries on ad slogans. Well, at least someone still cares about them.
--An obit of Coke's Chuck Fruit.
--What if Brazilians take over Bud?
--Google actually does some advertising.
--Bob Garfield gets all steamy about K-Y Yours + Mine lubricant stuff.
--Once again, I don't make Ad Age's list of "Women to Watch."

From Adweek:

--Dave Morgan becomes chairman of the Tennis Company?
--Planworks gets out the hatchet.
--C3? Meet L3.
--Interview with Hal Varian, Google's chief economist.
--Macy's YouTube version of "Road Rules."

From Brandweek:

--Mac OS share up 6.1 percent. Maybe those "Mac vs. PC" ads are actually effective.
--What me worry. Hummer launches a campaign for the H3.
--The store within a store concept grows.

From Mediapost:

—Faith Popcorn thinks "Sex and the City" is new "Depression-era feel-good movie." Just hope it doesn't cost too much gas to get to the theater.
—Burger King uses Diddy, Spike Lee to promote that it's now open until 2 a.m.
—Olay launches Color Recapture. Sounds like a camera, but, no, it's "a daily anti-aging moisturizer that provides sheer coverage."
—Seth Goldstein's regrets about Beacon.
—Did anyone notice? FedEx is losing the Kinko's name and rebranding it FedEx Office. Why does this feel like a mistake?
—Interview with Oren Frank, new worldwide chief cd at MRM Worldwide.
—NBC Universal, Nielsen, developing new media research product.

From Mediaweek:

—This just in: Taylor Nelson Sofres and GFK get the urge to merge.
—Group M does a few network and cable upfront deals.
—Turner packages together its sites into an ad network.
—Discovery's Planet Green launches tomorrow.
—Massive agrees to third-party verification of its in-game ads.
—This week's magazine facts and figures.

From The New York Post:

—It's been 123 days since Carl Icahn's last blog post.

From The New York Times:

—New Mr. Bill ad for MasterCard currently the Times' second most e-mailed business story. Old ways die hard. Sorry, the spot isn't available online yet.

From The Wall Street Journal:

—Wal-Mart lets people post free classifieds on its site. Interesting. Free.
—Who wants to show off their bottle of Febreze?

OK, gang. Sorry that took so long. Enjoy.


More to come ...

Where are the Monday morning picks?

Hi folks. I'll be getting to them much later in the day, unfortunately. Work obligations, a conference to go to in town. See, sometimes even I leave my desk.

Why the sudden Cheetos uproar?

So, I'm amazed at what appears to be a sudden uproar concerning the Cheetos campaign. (If that sentence isn't proof enough that I have no life, than I don't know what else I can tell ya.) It all started on Monday morning, when Bob Garfield's column in Ad Age ran under the headline, "Cheetos Ads That Promote 'Random Acts' Are Irresponsible." Whew! Garfield compares the campaign's premise of encouraging youth to commit random acts to "stick it to the man" as stealing marketing tactics from the drug trade. Don't need to tell you how many stars he gave the campaign, but let's just say that Cheetos' agency, Goodby, Silverstein + Partners, may have never seen this treatment before. Then, yesterday, someone at AOL Living picked up the story, which now has 239 comments. Here's the amazing thing: this campaign has been out for months now, so where was the initial outrage? Seems to me that if a thing can sit around for months without anyone expressing outrage, than it's a trumped up controversy—although, yeah, not the best ad idea ever.