Mitchum Man
The deodorant brand is trying to one up the body shaver brand by replacing the dude in a bathrobe (see ShaveEverywhere.com) with a pretty lady who takes it (not all) off for you.
Mitchum Man
AP Wire | 01/24/2007 | Text message novel published in Finland
AP Wire | 01/24/2007 | Text message novel published in Finland: "'The Last Messages' tells the story of a fictitious information-technology executive in Finland who resigns from his job and travels throughout Europe and India, keeping in touch with his friends and relatives only through text messages.
His messages, and the replies - roughly 1,000 altogether - are listed in chronological order in the 332-page novel written by Finnish author Hannu Luntiala. The texts are rife with grammatical errors and abbreviations commonly used in regular SMS traffic."
Wired News: CIA Gets in Your Face(book)
Wired News: CIA Gets in Your Face(book): "Since December 2006, the Central Intelligence Agency has been using Facebook.com, the popular social networking site, to recruit potential employees into its National Clandestine Service. It marks the first time the CIA has ventured into social networking to hire new personnel.
The CIA's Facebook page (login required) provides an overview of what the NCS is looking for in a recruit, along with a 30-second promotional YouTube video aimed at potential college-aged applicants. U.S. citizens with a GPA above 3.0 can apply."
Consumers Not Keen on Ad-Supported Video on Web, Mobile: "Consumer interest in long- and short-form programming leans more toward free and all-you-can-eat subscription models than ad-supported or a la carte. That's according to 'Programming for the Three Screens,' a report published this week by JupiterResearch.
Thirty-seven percent of consumers with high-speed Internet access have an interest in watching either long or short form TV programming online, the report states. Roughly half the group looks for full-length TV programs rather than clips, additional footage and live broadcasts. "
Why tech leaders think Second Life could be a gold mine. - Jan. 22, 2007
Why tech leaders think Second Life could be a gold mine. - Jan. 22, 2007: "By early January more than 3,000 IBM employees had acquired their own avatars, and about 300 were routinely conducting company business inside Second Life. 'The 3-D Internet may at first appear to be eye candy,' Palmisano writes in an e-mail interview, 'but don't get hung up on how frivolous some of its initial uses may seem.' He calls 3-D realms such as Second Life the 'next phase of the Internet's evolution' and says they may have 'the same level of impact' as the first Web explosion."
Madison Avenue Calling - New York Times
Madison Avenue Calling - New York Times: "Cellular phone carriers like Verizon, Sprint and Cingular, now the new AT&T, are beginning to test and roll out advertising on mobile phone screens, and by next year, cellphone advertising is likely to be more common.
In exchange, the companies say, their subscribers will enjoy improved mobile Internet services and content provided free or at reduced prices. Other companies like Virgin Mobile USA and Amp’d Mobile are taking the idea a step further, rewarding customers for viewing ads by lowering their cellphone bills."
Advertising Age
Advertising Age - ONLINE VIDEO AD EFFECTIVENESS VARIES WIDELY: "The top-performing ads can lead to a 37.8% lift in ad awareness while the bottom-performing ads barely registered any increase. And creating that online-ad awareness is the first step to moving the needle on other kinds of metrics, including message association, brand favorability and purchase intent."
Digital music sales doubled in 2006 - Yahoo! News
Digital music sales doubled in 2006 - Yahoo! News: "Global digital music sales almost doubled in 2006 to around $2 billion, or around 10 percent of all sales, but failed to compensate for an overall decline in sales of CDs, the global music industry trade body said Wednesday."
MediaPost Publications - This Joost In: Venice Project Drops Cover, Changes Name - 01/16/2007
MediaPost Publications - This Joost In: Venice Project Drops Cover, Changes Name - 01/16/2007: "THE VENICE PROJECT, THE CODENAME for a new venture by the founders of Skype and Kazaa that has been promising to transform the way people watch TV over the Internet, has changed its name to Joost, and is going public on its plans and intentions. 'Joost is a new way to watch TV, free of the schedules and restrictions that come with traditional television,' the start-up's founders write on a new Web site launched this morning. 'Combining the best of TV with the best of the internet, Joost gives you more control and freedom than ever before - control over what you watch, and freedom to watch it whenever you like. We're providing a platform for the best television content on the planet - a platform that will bring you the biggest and best shows from the TV studios, as well as the specialist programs created by professionals and enthusiasts. It's all overlaid with a raft of nifty features that help you find the shows you love, watch and chat with friends, and even create your own TV channels.'
"
MediaPost Publications - When It Rains It Pours: Nielsen To Issue Six Streams Of Commercial Ratings Data - 01/15/2007
MediaPost Publications - When It Rains It Pours: Nielsen To Issue Six Streams Of Commercial Ratings Data - 01/15/2007: "MADISON AVENUE HAS LONG DESIRED TV commercial ratings data. It's now about to have its wish fulfilled - six-fold. Nielsen tomorrow is expected to announce a new plan that will provide six separate streams of data to advertisers, agencies, TV outlets. According to the plan, the new, multiple streams of average commercial minutes ratings data will be released beginning in May and Nielsen's clients will have until the end of August to evaluate them before a decision is made on how and whether they should become the official ratings currency for the new TV season beginning in September 2007."
IBM, Circuit City go prospecting in virtual world | CNET News.com: "IBM has clearly decided to put a major emphasis on virtual worlds and the potential such environments offer it and its many partners. It has around 1,000 employees who are spending some time in Second Life, and according to its metaverse evangelist, Ian Hughes, IBM has three employees who are doing nothing but working on Second Life projects."
Once a global player such as IBM gets involved it becomes awfully hard for marketing services agencies' interactive groups to compete. Heck, IBM's got one thousand employees trolling SL to master the environment. Most agencies don't even have a thousand employees! Ack!
eMarketer.com - Useless Information: "The findings indicate that organizations are simply failing to keep up with the volume of information produced by technological innovation. In fact, 59% of the managers said that because of poor distribution, they miss information that might be valuable to their jobs 'almost every day.' Although they know the information exists somewhere in the company, they cannot find it."
BBC NEWS | Americas | Taser launches 'stylish' stun gun: "US stun gun maker Taser is unveiling a sleeker version of its controversial weapon aimed at safety and fashion conscious members of the public.
Available in pink, blue, silver and black, the gun fits into a handbag like a mobile phone. It will be launched at a Las Vegas electronics fair on Monday."
Mmmm ... it even matches your iPod Nano!
Gadgets freed of binding cables | Chicago Tribune: "A technology called `eCoupled' that powers gadgets ranging from electric razors to iPods just by placing them on a countertop or into a slot on a car's dashboard will be introduced Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas."
Watch a demo video here.
Pew Internet: Social Networking and Teens: "More than half (55%) of all online American youths ages 12-17 use online social networking sites, according to a new national survey of teenagers conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
The survey also finds that older teens, particularly girls, are more likely to use these sites. For girls, social networking sites are primarily places to reinforce pre-existing friendships; for boys, the networks also provide opportunities for flirting and making new friends."
As we've seen with videogaming, today's teens become our most coveted 24-39 year old target in roughly five-or-six years (y'know, 24 minus 18?) as they take their habits with them into adulthood.
eMarketer.com - E-Commerce Hits All-Time High in 2006: "E-commerce revenues for one year over $100 billion?
Yup.
That's what happened last year, 2006.
A barrier has been broken.
Maybe, finally, people will forget all about that little bubble burst around the turn of the century and admit that e-commerce is for real — and it is going to just keep growing. Almost anyone who sells anything should be selling (at least part of what they sell) online."
NFL SuperAd Contest on YouTube
"Help the NFL decide which pitch would make the best Super Bowl commercial ever. Seriously. Voting ends this Sunday at 11:59 EST. Watch the 12 finalists at YouTube and then vote for your favorite at http://nfl.com/superad/vote"
CBS: Serious Web Users Bond With Prime-Time Shows: "According to CBS, a rapidly growing “fully connected” segment of the TV universe--which they define as users that both access the Internet via a broadband connection and have also purchased a digital television--is the group most likely to watch the top broadcast shows. This group, which CBS claims has grown from 22 percent of the population to 30 percent this year, is also more likely to be heavily engaged in their favorite shows, visiting network Web sites and even streaming shows on the Web."
Techcrunch » Blog Archive » AdBrite Makes Brilliant Video Product: "Adbrite has created an embeddable video player similar to YouTube, Photobucket, etc. (see video below using their player). If we choose to show a video on TechCrunch, we can use this embeddable player, and at our option it will include Adbrite ads and our logo as a watermark. "
MediaPost Publications - CBS: Viewers Not Aware Of Online Programs - 01/05/2007: "ONLY 56% OF U.S. TELEVISION viewers are aware that they can stream network TV shows over the Internet, according to survey findings released Thursday by CBS Research. Of those not aware, 62% said they would choose to watch at least one of the 33 available programs for viewing on the Internet in the future. Based on this data, CBS concluded: 'It is clear that the potential for network program distribution over the Internet is just beginning to be tapped.' The survey also found that as people become more connected to digital media, the more engaged they become in prime-time TV programming. And of those unaware of the 2009 deadline for broadcasters to switch to full digital transmission, 40% said they planned to upgrade to a digital TV set before then."
E-paper devices for the commuter crowd | CNET News.com: "One group being targeted by e-paper gadget makers is urban commuters, who could download newspapers with the devices. Other potential user groups are schools, which could use the readers to replace schoolbooks, and professionals, who could use them in the field.
"
NPR : High-Definition Opera Hits Movie Theaters: "The Metropolitan Opera has broadcast radio performances for generations. Saturday, the Met beamed a live performance in high definition to movie theaters around the world."
2006 Ads: The Ones We Remembered
The Web continues to eat into consumers’ television time. The 30-second spot has been challenged by viral campaigns, but that doesn’t mean every company should try it. Blogs, co-creation, and YouTube all spell change for the industry — it’s just not clear what that change should be.
Avis is expected to offer in-car Wi-Fi hot spot by March - Technology & Media - International Herald Tribune: "Autonet Mobile, a start-up wireless technology company based in San Francisco, is expected to announce soon that it has reached an agreement with Avis Rent A Car System to provide an optional wireless access point — better known as a Wi-Fi hot spot — to Avis customers by March. For $10.95 a day, Avis will issue motorists a notebook-size portable device that plugs into a car's power supply and delivers a high-speed Internet connection to passengers."
Machinima's Coen Brothers? - 12/29/2006: "World of Warcraft's 7 million registered users provide a responsive audience for creators of machinima - short films created using the graphics from video games - and Dementia-Myndflame Studios is one of the up-and-coming machinima producers that has just begun entering the world of ad-supported video.
An operation composed of two brothers - D.W. Hackleman does the video, and Clint does the audio - Dementia-Myndflame's first video, 'Zinwrath,' has garnered 1.5 million streams, and their second effort, 'Super Snacks: Illegal Danish,' topped 3 million streams."
eMarketer.com - eMarketer's 10 Key Predictions for 2007: "What to watch for in 2007....
* Online Ad Spending Will Hit $20 Billion
* Some Money and Lots of Hype for Online Video Advertising
* Social Networks Are Set for a $1 Billion Windfall
* Downloadable Games Will Get Hotter
* Thirty-Seven Million Strong: A 'Minority' Bigger than Canada
* Mobile TV Arrives
* US B2C E-Commerce Will Cruise Past $200 Billion
* The Retail Power of Word-of-Mouth
* Broadband Services Will Matter as Much as Speed
* DVRs Pump Up TV Viewing
"
Web 2.0 Magazine: Top 100 Web 2.0 Sites: "Here you are the most interesting web 2.0 site all over the internet, please if you have more sites add them to the comments"
From the dept. of Opinion Worth Reading, we dutifully present:
MediaPost Publications - Fitch Applauds Re-Integration, Warns Of Disintermediation - 12/20/2006:
"INFLUENTIAL CREDIT RATING SERVICE FITCH Wednesday issued a report indicating that Madison Avenues' biggest players face some considerable challenges - the erosion of the traditional TV advertising marketplace, the continuing fragmentation of media and a corresponding consolidation of media services, a shift from traditional advertising to 'below-the-line' marketing services, the reintegration of creative and media services, and the threat of 'disintermediation' from advertisers dealing directly with online services - but are generally better positioned than the rest of the media industry to weather some big changes in the years ahead."
Click the headline to read the whole piece.
Jay-Z, Jimmy Kimmel & Second Life. What Was the Point?: "All hype, zero return. This is not how a company should approach something like Second Life. They didn’t even go for any buzz since the announcement of the event only came out late yesterday afternoon."
NBC to host "jam session" in Second Life tonight | News.blog | CNET News.com: "Adding to the growing trend of popular musicians putting on virtual performances in the virtual world Second Life (Jay-Z, after all, did an in-game simulcast of his performance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'), NBC Universal has announced the first concert in its recently-unveiled virtual headquarters."
Moving Through Matter with Buckaroo Banzai: "When Buckaroo Banzai travels through matter he discovers a parallel world in the eighth dimension that is inhabited by bizarre creatures called Lectroids. The world of the Lectroids opens new vistas to stimulate filmgoers' interests. Take, for example, the evolution of Lectroids and their organically grown spaceships on the tenth planet of the solar system, or their passion for electrical discharges. "
Digital billboards spark outdoor-ad revival - U.S. Business - MSNBC.com: "Digital billboards, which resemble ballpark jumbo video displays but scroll through several static ads each minute, are helping to draw advertisers back to the outdoor medium as one of the world's oldest forms of marketing undergoes a renaissance.
The computer-controlled LED displays allow advertisers to change their message as often as they'd like, unlike their vinyl predecessors,"
Dove To Use Real Women To Create Real Ads, MindShare Continues Placing Media - 12/15/2006: "The packaged good giant today will kick off a consumer-generated advertising contest for its Dove Cream Oil Body Wash brand, inviting its consumers to create their own 30-second spots. The winning ad will break on the 79th Annual Academy Awards on Feb. 25, 2007. Grey's Anatomy star Sara Ramirez joins Dove to help kick-off the contest and encourage women to submit their entries at www.dovecreamoil.com."
Advertising Age - Digital - Finding and Harnessing Online Brand Advocates: "Of about 144 million internet adults, about 13.5 million purchased a vehicle in the last six months. About 5.1 million of those were advocates who, on average, talked to about 20 people each about the purchase, for a total of 105 million people. About 8.3 million of those car buyers were nonadvocates, who talked to eight people about the purchase, for a total of 69 million people who heard about it.
The research pinned some digital traits on these influencers: They conduct about 25% more online searches, they have wider online social circles, are 119% more likely to use instant messenger and 40% more likely to use podcasts. And about half have written about their purchases online.
"
Saatchi Gallery - Stuart - Report - New York Times:
(registration required)
"The brainchild of the London-based advertising magnate and collector Charles Saatchi, this social networking outlet — a kind of MySpace knockoff for artists — is causing something of a sensation, boosting traffic at the gallery’s Web site overall to more than three million hits a day.
In May Mr. Saatchi, famed for spotting young unknowns and turning them into art-world superstars, created a section on his Web site for artists of all ages to post their work at no charge. It is called Your Gallery, and now boasts contributions by about 20,700 artists, including 2,000 pieces of video art."
eMarketer.com - Online Video Becomes a Real Business: "According to 'The Video Store Goes Virtual: The Global Outlook for Online Video Sales' report from Strategy Analytics, yes, online sales of television shows, movies and other prerecorded video products will become a billion-dollar business — next year.
Although video-download sales made through iTunes and other online sources will total just $298 million this year, Strategy Analytics predicts that by the end of 2007 the online video market will grow to $1.5 billion."
More shoppers online; sales hit $670 million in record day - USATODAY.com: "ComScore says last Wednesday was likely the biggest online shopping day of the year and, with nearly $670 million in sales, topped last year's No. 1 day by over $100 million. In fact, sales on 12 days this year have surpassed $600 million.
Last year's single biggest day for Web sales was Dec. 11, when consumers spent $556 million online."
Three quarters of Web users on broadband - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com: "More than three-quarters of residential Web users got on the Internet using a high-speed broadband connection in November, according to a study released Tuesday."
iVillage Launches Girls' Nights out in Second Life · MarketingVOX: "As part of a national TV, outdoor and online branding campaign, women's portal iVillage has launched a presence in virtual world Second Life - but unlike many other in-world campaigns, the strategy driving the NBC-owned site's is based on the actual dynamics of the community.
On December 14 and every two weeks thereafter, a local resident will curate a 'girls' night out' inside Second Life, with a group of avatars that will congregate at the iVillage loft on Sheep Island, developed by ElectricArtists, writes ClickZ.
"
Techcrunch » Blog Archive » Omniture Announces Marketing 2.0 Analytics Tool: "Omniture is an online marketing analytics company. Genesis is a measurement, performance, and integration tool. Integration being the key buzzword of the event. In this case, integration refers to the ability to understand how various online campaigns perform both together and separate, and making marketing purchases accordingly.
Are marketers not doing that? Forrester analyst Char VanBoskirk presented data showing that they don’t. Instead, she said that most marketers subscribe to the more-is-more theory.
“Users know how to filter out messages with spam filters and pop-up blockers. So how are most marketers responding to this challenge? They just send more messages,” VanBoskirk said."
Calling "Bull$#@!" on 3 Marketing Strategies
Ask.com's Sean X Cummings writes a rather challenging tome about that latest wave of emerging media/platforms trends.
"Those times breed a whole new slew of verticals specializing in the emerging field-- email, SEM and the word-of-mouth nexus of viral, buzz and social networks are all moving us forward ... The problem is that the technical understanding and emergence of those verticals does not make people marketers, nor does it give them an understanding of branding or how to properly research, drive consumer insights and fundamentally shift consumer perceptions."
The Other Slingbox - HAVA from Snappy Multimedia: "Stream video content from any video source to multiple PCs in your home or business, totally wirelessly (no wires or Ethernet Adapters required), or through your Ethernet. View TV content in full screen DVD quality. View TV content remotely on an Internet connected PC. Control all the functions of the video source, such as a TV or TiVo, from your PC. Moreover, HAVA functions as a Personal Video Recorder and allows you to Store, Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind, Record and burn your video."
Survey: Mobile entertainment services fall flat
"A new report from IDC concludes that the mobile entertainment services offered by cell phone service providers aren’t proving to be particularly popular with U.S. consumers. The report, entitled U.S. Wireless Teen and Adult Consumer Entertainment Survey, 3Q06: Age, Device Type, and ARPU Segmentation, finds that almost three-quarters of respondents didn’t use any data services for their phones beyond messaging."
City Dunks Cookie-Scented Ad Campaign - AOL News: "Some critics expressed concern over potential allergic reactions. Others complained the ads could be offensive to the poor and homeless who can't afford to buy sweet treats.
Scented oils were sandwiched between cardboard cards emblazoned with 'Got Milk?' and affixed to shelter walls, in hopes that the smell of just-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies would spark cravings for milk. The promotion was launched at five San Francisco bus shelters at a cost of about $30 per shelter."
Background from Reuters here.
During the test, anyone in Norway who volunteers will be able to access NRK's two television stations and five of its radio channels with their normal mobile phones, using existing mobile phone infrastructure and a Java application."
Mobiqa - Home: "Mobiqa are the world leaders in mobile ticketing and mobile coupon solutions based on the creation, delivery and redemption of barcodes to mobile phones."
MediaPost Publications - P&G Fits E-mails To Customer Needs - 12/05/2006: "Different brands often require different strategies. Some brands warrant weekly emails to customers, others do better when aggregated into a monthly newsletter, according to Denis McGrath, interactive marketing manager at Procter & Gamble.
Speaking at MediaPost's Email Insider Summit, McGrath says P&G adjusts frequency of its marketing e-mails for the company's vast array of brands. Customers simply aren't interested in seeing information about batteries or toilet paper in their in-boxes all that often.
Diapers, on the other hand, are intensely fascinating to new parents. 'We've found expectant mothers are like sponges,' he says. 'They're collecting information on everything.'"
qode.com
Mobile marketing software that lets you take a cameraphone picture of a special bar-like code and receive information (including multimedia) directly to your mobile phone.
Wendy's - The Bureau for Better Value
More spawn of the Shave Everywhere rich media "viral" Web site trend. If you haven't seen The Pants Whisperer, you should do so now. The topic at hand is the new value menu site for Wendy's, the QSR also ran that never says quit.
eMarketer.com - Youth Market Favors Facebook: "'For the first time ever, Facebook was ranked number one among both men and women,' said Josh Weil of Youth Trends. 'Based on the findings, Facebook is more than likely to be their first visit of the day.'"
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