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 ...

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.

Adverganza's Thursday morning picks, 10.30.08

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

From Advertising Age:

--Ad Age wants to know what you thought of the Obama infomercial.
--Procter & Gamble cut its ad budget by $67 million in the first two months of the quarter, with TV taking the biggest hit.
--And you thought what Pepsi was doing on the packaging front was dramatic. McDonald's CMO Mary Dillon is calling Mickey D's repackaging initiative its "biggest packaging initiative in the history of the brand." Kind of reminds me of what Burger King does.
--Ken Wheaton says that a certain Subway ad was " ... stupid, lazy, completely lacking in creativity and -- possibly -- disrespectful to the long-dead Abraham Lincoln. But racist it was not." If you want to know how he really feels, click here.
--3 Minute Ad Age: Finally getting under the hood of Honda's musical road.

From Adweek:

--Sir Martin Sorrell thinks next year's gonna suck too.
--So major media agency honchos think this recessionary media climate could last for a couple of years. Time to take that sabbatical.
--What's red and green and good all over? Starbucks' new partnership with (Red).
--Adidas launches global campaign from 180/LA featuring NBA stars who adopt young players. I've posted a 4-minute vid from the campaign below. There's also footage available at adidasbasketball.com.

--Is it just me, or does this revamp of Sony's Crackle sound a lot like Hulu?
--Ad of the Day: A Travelers Insurance commercial from Fallon. Since it's not posted at the Adweek site, I've done so below.


From Brandweek:

--Hey! Good news! Earnings are up at Kellogg's, Kraft and Procter & Gamble! And it's partly due to advertising!
--Embarq, a phone company I've never heard of, willing to give consumers 48 seconds of fame on YouTube. I think the company could use it.
--More on McDonald's: it's corporately responsible.

From Mediapost:

--The new Nissan "Z" to launch first in the game "The Need for Speed: Undercover" from Electronic Arts.
--The book "The Age of Conversation" featuring contributions from 237 marketing bloggers, is out. No one asked me, so I'd suggest you not buy it.
--Well, there's some good news at General Motors. It set sales records in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America last quarter.
--The future of online video from the OMMA Video conference.
--In case there was any doubt, Nielsen says MySpace is the no. 1 online destination for 15-to-24 year olds looking for info on new movies.
--AOL discovers social networking.
--Another layoff roundup. Read it if you dare.
--Meredith's revenue declines in its fiscal Q1 2009, down 6.7 percent in broadcast and 9 percent in publishing.
--Guess I missed that there's now an Oprah Winfrey Network. Anyway, former Lifetime exec Maria Grasso is now svp/programming.


From Mediaweek:

--Ready for the Out-of-Home Advertising Bureau?
--Comcast posts strong earnings; CEO Brian Roberts attributes to his father having lived through the Depression.
--Marc Berman's Programming Insider: CBS won Tuesday, au revoir Cloris.

From The New York Post:

--Everyone must be cutting back if Google has closed down its afternoon tea on Tuesdays.
--Had to run the picture at right of the Post's take on the Obama informercial.

From The New York Times:

--TiVo and Netflix together at last.
--Teen Vogue creates a hangout at the Mall at Short Hills.
--This group called The Beatles in a deal with MTV's Rock Band.

From The Wall Street Journal:

--Gee. They're having trouble marketing the movie "Zack and Miri Make a Porno." Free.
--Online video getting easier to search. Free.

That's it for today. Bye all.

Pepsi 's video about its new look

Saw this short video on Pepsi's morphing into a new brand idea on YouTube today while writing my Social Media Insider column. Whaddya think?

Adverganza's Wednesday morning picks, 10.29.08

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

From Advertising Age:

--I'm dreaming of a private-label Christmas.
--FDA tells Bayer that aspirin plus dietary supplements is a no-no.
--So, after all of the other attempts at creating buzz for Microsoft, here's the new idea: consumer-generated media! Here's a look at an "I'm a PC" ad, complete with amateur direction:



--Are you ready for Pomegranate Iced Coffee? I'm waiting for MADD to get all over one of the lines in one of the ads, which is: "Yes officer, I'm completely buzzed."
--So HBO decides to launch a "Sopranos" wine now?
--3 Minute Ad Age: A close-up of those video billboards planned for the sides of buses, because having video in cabs and in your pocket isn't nearly enough.

For Adweek:

--Obama will probably appear live at the end of his infomercial tonight, where he'll sell the latest skincare products developed by Cindy Crawford's French dermatologist. Kidding!
--From frenemy to friend: WPP and Google team up on academic research about online marketing.
--Like it or not, online video ads have reached critical mass.
--Shocker! Children actually see less ads online than you do.
--Interpublic numbers improve, but will they stay improved with that icky economy and all?
--Publicis numbers not so bad either. As far as next year, Maurice Levy's cup appears to be half full. Of what, I don't know.
--Levi's may have picked Zenith to handle its media.
--Univision remembers about the Zune.

From Brandweek:

--Here's to the value meal.
--Coors, now with a two-sided cold activated label.
--Are you interested in McRib-related content on your mobile? Neither am I.

From Mediapost:

--Karl Greenberg talks to Michael Sprague, the new head of marketing at Kia. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Scottie Pippen and Spike Lee -were also there.
--So, senior marketing executives don't understand the value of their brands.
--The rich are still different than you and me.
--Carmakers like events in a tight economy.
--It's not just food, it's functional food.
--For better or for worse, "White Gold" is back. Here's the new clip, "Is It Me Or Do You Love My Hair?
--Depressing read of the day: a roundup of magazine layoffs.
--Should I care that Verizon is now offering ABC content on Verizon?
--Jack Feuer thinks we're about to be attached by brand-attached maniacs, and they are us.



--The Charmin port-a-potties are back.
--Nike rolls out eco-friendly products in all its divisions.
----If you've never understood VivaKi, here's your chance for enlightenment. David Kenny explains it all.
--Razorfish says consumers actually act on social media ads.
--Report says that lots of advertisers use keywords that are three or more words. In the search world, that's big time sophistication.

From Mediaweek:

--As part of major reorg, Time Inc. will layoff hundreds of employees. Also, Ed McCarrick, worldwide publisher of Time Inc., will retire.
--McGraw-Hill to cut 140 people in its Information & Media unit, which includes BusinessWeek.
--The Christian Science Monitor closes its daily print edition in favor of that thing called the Web.
--Group of Northeastern newspapers has met to talk about sharing content. Screw you, Associated Press!
--Hold that thought. Interep is still with us ... for now.
--CBS cancels The Ex List, which, I must admit, I never heard of.
--Marc Berman's Programming Insider: ABC wins the overnights.

From The New York Post:

--Holly Sanders' take on the earnings results from ad holding companies.
--Keith Kelly gives you the skinny on the Time Inc. layoffs.
--Wal-Mart re-opens its MP3 store, offering songs for only 74 cents. Take that, Steve Jobs!

From The New York Times:

--David Carr on print's problem, and it isn't an audience problem.
--The NYT pegs the Time Inc. layoffs at 600, or six percent of the workforce.
--Gannett to layoff 10 percent of the workforce, but no one at USA Today.
--So how is Hulu doing?
--Doubleday Publishing lays off 10 percent of staff, but it's only 16 people (though, admittedly, it would suck if you were one of them).
--Ad revenue in Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's publishing division declines by 18 percent. Ouch.
--Dealbook tells Steve Ballmer it's just about time for Microsoft to buy Yahoo.

From The Wall Street Journal:

--The Obama ad by the "Whassup" guys. If you haven't seen it, here it is:



That's it for today. If you read to the bottom, it's a depressing one.

Adverganza's Tuesday morning picks, 10.28.08

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

From Advertising Age:

--More bad news about the newspaper industry. Today's downer? Almost universally crappy circulation figures.
--Google says that lots of people pick their carrier at least partly based on the handsets they offer ... which in its case better mean that everyone is flocking to T-Mobile.
--TD Ameritrade, E-Trade say its high time to look for new, beleaguered customers.
--MTV launches a site that is pretty much an homage to Hulu. Check out the MTV site here, and Hulu here.
--3 Minute Ad Age: Is China the new Cannes? Well, Terry Savage just showed up at the China International Advertising Festival.

From Adweek:

--The idea behind GSD&M Idea City: purpose-based branding.
--Jeffrey Davidoff named CMO at Orbitz. Used to work at Whirlpool. You know ... airline tickets, dishwashers ... it's all just marketing.
--MDC Partners' Miles Nadal goes on a bit about innovation.

From Brandweek:

--Less gift cards predicted in your stocking this year. Sorry.

From Mediapost:

--Macy*s partying to celebrate its 150th birthday like its 1929.
--Big marketers adopt new "Smarter Choices" nutritional label for the front of packages. Do products like Doritos get a "Dumber Choices" nutritional label? Won't this be hell on those carefully-designed packages? And furthermore, what do I know?

From Mediaweek:

--Heads rolls at Wenner Media, but, hey, the layoff is only two percent.
--ABC makes budget cuts. No heads roll, but there goes the holiday party.
--Tiffany's goes downscale. I meant more affordable.
--The people at Kia must be cursing the weather in New York today. Does anyone want to play basketball outdoors in this?
--Aegis, Interpublic and Publicis high on digital going forward as they release their quarterly earnings.
--On the other hand, online display may be down by as much as ten percent, says an RBC analyst.
--Now that Dolly Parton is all over this white space issue, it finally got my attention.
--Yesterday Brightcove snagged The New York Times, today it's AOL.
--What Dr Pepper fans like to listen to. It's not Guns 'n' Roses.
--Obama's 30-minute infomercial now slated to air tomorrow night on CBS, Fox, NBC and Univision. Why no ABC? Because otherwise millions of Americans would miss "Pushing Daisies."
--Top digital exec at HGTV, Freddy James, named head of program development and production.

From The New York Times:

--Joel Moss Levinson, who has won $200,000 in cash and prizes for making user-generated commercials, is crowned Mr. UGC! (By me, anyway.) An example of his handiwork, which inexplicably won him free nights at Best Western, is below. Get me David Lubars, stat! Or maybe not.





--Missed this from yesterday. Times' readers favorite portrayals of Madison Avenue. Hmmm ... "Putney Swope"?

From The Wall Street Journal:

--Missed this from yesterday: Twitter for Dummies. Free.
--Here comes the shakeout in online ad networks. Subscription required.
--Mitch Williams: broadcaster, salsa maker, goat. Free.
--Who said there's no good news out there? These days you can get a tattoo at the mall! Free.

I'll report back on today's outing. A trip to Taco Bell for Steal-a-Taco Day.