Mind Over Matter

Advertising creative has been tested to death. Many critics, pundits and agency pros cite testing as the cause of advertising's current low state of affairs. Perhaps, it is the testing. Perhaps the tests are themselves outmoded and unreliable. Maybe what we really need are just better tests.

Can neuroscience and biometric research really help advertisers craft better ads? While marketers have debated that question for years, the costly and cumbersome nature of the research (e.g., MRI machines, electrodes attached to scalps) means they've relied instead on second-hand information such as surveys to help decide what does and doesn't work.

Mind Over Matter

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700 MHz wireless spectrum auction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here's what is going down right now: The FCC is auctioning off the bandwidth that here-to-fore has been known as UHF television. These "channels" won't be needed for broadcasts when, in one short year from now, all over-the-air TV converts to digital (i.e. free over-the-air HDTV).

Who's buying? It's a silent auction. But reports come out daily. The wireless carriers are kicking each other and Google in the teeth to win the rights to operate this portion of the "broadcast" spectrum.

What's it mean for consumers? What was once known as UHF television becomes over-the-"air" programming on your mobile phone.

So, in one short year from right about now (well, Feb 17, 2009 to be exact), all "three screens" will be ready for prime time.

And how exactly are we supposed to run advertising on that?

The 700 MHz spectrum was previously used for analog TVs, specifically UHF channels 52 through 69. The FCC has ruled that the impending switch to digital television means that these frequencies are no longer necessary for broadcasters, due to the high spectral efficiency of digital broadcasts [1]. Thus, all broadcasters will be required to move to channels 2 through 51 as part of the digital TV transition.

700 MHz wireless spectrum auction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Study: Web Video Audience Differs Widely by Segment

comScore, has identified four key segments of the online video audience that should help marketers better plan media and target creative. The four groups include:

-On Demanders – this group is 30 percent more likely to a heavy video users. This 18- to 34-year-old skewing group gravitates to DVRs and video on demand, and are 89 percent more likely to pay for content to avoid ads than the typical user.
-Sight & Sounders – this group skews toward the 55 and over demographic, and are mostly unimpressed with video content and video ads. Nearly half have been watching online video for less than a year, and most prefer TV.
-Television Devotees – this female-skewing segment frequently use the Web to catch up on TV – and are fans of the broadcast and cable networks Web offerings. They appear to accept online video ads.
-Content Explorers - they are platform agnostic, and will watch pretty much anything on the Web – from long-form drama to short, user-generated clips. Perhaps surprisingly, this group skews toward 35-54, higher income category.

Study: Web Video Audience Differs Widely by Segment

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MediaPost Publications - Newsstand Mags Drop Circ, 'Time' Plummets - 02/12/2008

The writing's on the wall ... everywhere I look. Where are all the eyeballs now? I'd be guessing, but I might say, oh, gee, may-be, um, the Internet. (Just a theory.)

Time magazine received a body blow in the latest circulation report from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, leading a round of bad news for consumer magazines in a variety of categories.

MediaPost Publications - Newsstand Mags Drop Circ, 'Time' Plummets - 02/12/2008

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HarperCollins Will Post Free Books on the Web - New York Times

Note: This widget is offered by HarperCollins to help spread the word about its new free online book reader.

In an attempt to increase book sales, HarperCollins Publishers will begin offering free electronic editions of some of its books on its Web site, including a novel by Paulo Coelho and a cookbook by the Food Network star Robert Irvine.The idea is to give readers the opportunity to sample the books online in the same way that prospective buyers can flip through books in a bookstore.“It’s like taking the shrink wrap off a book,” said Jane Friedman, chief executive of HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide. “The best way to sell books is to have the consumer be able to read some of that content.”

HarperCollins Will Post Free Books on the Web - New York Times

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What Women Want (on the Net, That Is) - Advertising Age

This is required reading for anyone who works on a brand that is purchased by women. (Um ... everybody.)

Last year, "women's community" was the most visited and fastest growing internet category, tied with politics, according to a ComScore Media Metrix year-end report. The number of unique visits to women's community sites jumped 35% to almost 70 million from 52 million.

What Women Want (on the Net, That Is) - Advertising Age - Digital

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Bluetooth to piggyback on Wi-Fi - Yahoo! News

Let's embrace complexity for a moment; it may lead to clarity. When the FCC flips the HDTV switch in one short year, several technologies will converge to forever change our media experience at home. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth working together only increase the - big word warning - INTEROPERABILITY of heretofore dis-connected devices.

So, what's that mean? Your TV will get HD content over the airwaves. An AppleTV or Tivo box will let you record your shows. Simultaneously, that device's Wi-Fi will let you rent movies, purchase movies, buy TV shows and season passes, watch online videos (via iTunes or Amazon). Then, Bluetooth will let you transfer content between your TV and phone and/or PC.

Magically, the whole process works in the other direction - from your digital camera, digital camcorder and/or digital phone.

What's this all mean for advertisers? Exponential increase in potential advertising inventory. Many more surfaces upon which to run ads. But ... with an exponential diffusion of the audience. Therefore, all media is becoming like the Internet - a "mass medium" of myriad niches.

Is this the end of advertising as we know it? Or the beginning of a renaissance in consumer advertising as we know it?

Linking Bluetooth and Wi-Fi may make it easier and faster to transfer large amounts of music between computers and cell phones, or send pictures from a camera phone to a printer, or video from a camcorder to a TV.

Bluetooth to piggyback on Wi-Fi - Yahoo! News

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The Next Small Thing

The Next Small ThingBits of code called widgets open the door to viral marketing across social networks. Silicon Valley sees them as a Web revolution in the making

The Next Small Thing

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Forrester: Agencies Need to Reboot

This is a grim assessment of the state-of-advertising-as-we-know-it is, well, grim.

In a new report, the research firm paints a grim view of the current state of advertising, which it believes is in "a world of hurt" because consumers are tuning out the messages the industry is predicated on producing. Instead, it believes shops need to be organized around communities, not disciplines. What it is calling "the connected agency" would not only know certain communities but also be active members of these groups. Pushing messages would give way to encouraging voluntary engagement, and ongoing conversations would replace time-based campaigns. "I can't say there's an agency now that's the agency of the future," said Peter Kim, a Forrester Research analyst and co-author of the report.

Forrester: Agencies Need to Reboot

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Cars.com Viral Video

Cars.com Viral Video

Practically hiding in plain site, the Cars.com campaign that launched during the Super Bowl includes a series of viral videos that tie-in perfectly.

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Virtual Barbershop

Must listen through headphones only.

Close your eyes, play along, and enjoy.

Unintentionally funny emerging platforms, Chapter XLIV

SnūzNLūz - Wifi Donation Alarm Clock review at Kaboodle

Wake up to the smell of...Animosity... Connects via WiFi to your online bank account, and donates YOUR real money to an organization you HATE when you decide to snooze!

Barack Obama "Yes We Can" YouTube Video
A word or two; I know many of my colleagues in the advertising agency business choose freely to vote for conservative and/or liberal candidates. However, this election season is electric with many interactive firsts, including this music video set to the text of a candidate's stump speech. Nicely done. I've never encountered anything quite like it.

Excuses, excuses, excuses ...

If you don't understand a word of this (below), you need to read the newspaper. Yeah, that's right. I found this in the Sunday Chicago Tribune. It's fascinating and very, very practical for anyone who works in a professional services office -- though it's still in beta. So you can sign up for access, but it's strictly by invitation only.

about us @ twine

Well, in a nutshell Twine uses the Semantic Web, natural language processing, and machine learning to make your information and relationships smarter. But if that’s all Greek to you, just think of Twine as your very own intelligent personal Web assistant, working for you behind the scenes so you can be more productive.

I'm F***ing Matt Damon Video

If you're not this f***ing funny, then don't f***ing try to make a f****ing viral video!

Sarah Silverman got Matt Damon to sing and dance in a music video for her boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel. She presented what may be the funniest video ever to Kimmel on Thursday night's show.

I'm Fucking Matt Damon Video

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Plug-and-Play online advertising

Look friends, when the local cable companies started shooting commercials it didn't kill the agency business.

Get your free account now.Creating an account will let you save your custom ads and make it easy to get your campaign started.

AdReady

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Casio Exilim - YouTube Capture Mode

How "normal" is YouTube™-brand consumer video sharing? How "mass" is the online video audience? What MORE justification for taking the Internet seriously as a bona-fide MASS MEDIA channel in the US do we need?!?!

Casio's Exilim Digital Cameras with the new YouTube™ Capture Mode makes it easy to upload and share your videos publicly or privately.

Casio Exilim: Casio Advantage

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It’s Official: U.S. Social Networking Sites See Slow Down « Creative Capital

Crisis or temporary lull? The writer fails to acknowledge the growth of professional social sites like LinkedIn. Also missing is the growth of social media embedded into nearly ALL online "experiences." Obviously, I tilt toward seeing social media as a permanent fixture of the convergence, not a passing fad a la Second Life.

The total audience of U.S. social networks seems to be stuck at a low-to-mid-single digit growth rate, while the engagment metrics are falling for just about everyone. Time spent on Bebo.com has been sliced in half over the last four months, while Friendster’s time spent has plummeted nearly 75% in the same time period.

It’s Official: U.S. Social Networking Sites See Slow Down « Creative Capital

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More Consumers are Ordering Meals on Web - eMarketer

The article cites a recent study that says 18% of all US restaurant orders will originate online in 2008. That's almost one in five, friends.

According to the article, ordering online is becoming increasingly popular for ordering lunch at work, where orders can be large and complicated.

More Consumers are Ordering Meals on Web - eMarketer

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Growth of gaming in 2007 far outpaces movies, music

We need to remind ourselves that we're all in the content business now. If we produce the content that consumers want, they will reward us with their purchases. I understand that this all sounds so abstract; but I wouldn't want to be living that "abstraction" in the music industry right now.

Both the movie and music industries should be jealous of gaming's 2007 growth. The motion picture industry saw modest growth in 2007, reporting a total box office take of $9.66 billion, a modest increase over 2006's $9.49 billion. Things aren't going as smoothly for the music industry. The RIAA has not yet released its 2007 report, but we did learn from the IFPI today that global music sales fell about 10 percent for the year.

Growth of gaming in 2007 far outpaces movies, music

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The Convergence for Media Nerds

Look friends, this convergence thing is getting to be very, very real. We all need to realize that the decisions we make this quarter will affect our collective ability to monetize our business in the coming quarters. (This same statement would have been measured in years before, but we're down to months. By the time we find ourselves weeks away from making integrated plans, it's too late.)

MediaPost Publications - Future Of TV Ad Market: A Lot Like Online's -- Ad Networks, Behavioral Targeting, Etc. - 01/24/2008

THE FUTURE OF TV ADVERTISING will probably be a lot like current state of the online advertising: aggregated advertising networks, behavioral targeting, and automated buying systems enabling small, "long-tail" advertisers to compete alongside the TV industry's biggest marketers and agencies. At least that's what a panel of TV industry executives blazing that path said Thursday during one of the final sessions of the Future TV conference in New York.

From MySpace to YourSpace - New York Times

Finally, we can point to the Web and say it's a mass medium. It's a reach medium. It's a frequency medium. It is a heavy medium.

The world’s largest social networking site, MySpace has grown far past being merely “a place for friends,” as its slogan states. With an estimated 110 million monthly active users, MySpace is undeniably a powerful tool for advertisers who seek reach and efficiency.

From MySpace to YourSpace - New York Times

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They're the Little Elves That Could - Advertising Age - Digital

Some 26.4 million people -- nearly one in 10 Americans -- this season visited the office-products company's holiday site that allows users to paste images of their faces onto dancing elves. That's up more than tenfold from last year, its first year in existence.

The Two-Thirds Rule? Check.

YouTube Continues To Grow Video Share - 01/18/2008

In November, more than 75% of U.S. Web users watched a video online--including both streaming video and progressive downloads--averaging 3.25 hours of video per person during the month, comScore reports.

A Cold Slap of Hard Facts

As Big Brands Embrace Digital, Digital's Branding Power Wanes - ClickZ

Much has been written about the eagerness of large brands to advertise online. Yet even as they increase their digital budgets, the Unilevers and Fords of the world are struggling to get their messages across.

That's because the branding effectiveness of online advertising has declined over the past two years by nearly every measure, according to data provided to ClickZ by Dynamic Logic. Explanations for the decline include the rise of ad clutter, the desensitization of Internet users to display ads and other causes.

Video Ads Planned for Grocery Carts

Video ads are planned for grocery carts - Yahoo! News

Microsoft Corp. is bringing digital advertising to the grocery cart. The software maker spent four years working with Plano, Texas-based MediaCart Holdings Inc. on a grocery cart-mounted console that helps shoppers find products in the store, then scan and pay for their items without waiting in the checkout line.

Ads coming to your cell phone - Jan. 15, 2008

Howard Luck Gossage famously wrote that nobody likes advertising. People like what interests them, and sometimes it's an ad. Could I possibly want to endure audio ads in exchange for free phone service? I'm queasy about this one.

Marketers are about to invade one of life's last advertising-free zones, the private phone call. At the end of last year, privately held Internet phone company Jangl started testing "in-call" advertising

Ads coming to your cell phone - Jan. 15, 2008

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On Texting, a Question of Access or Invasion - New York Times

Desperate to connect with the best players, college coaches have adopted text messaging with zeal, and some athletes have had enough. Beginning in August 2007, the N.C.A.A. banned Division I colleges from using text messaging to recruit athletes, citing complaints from students that the practice was driving up cellphone bills and intruding on personal time.

On Texting, a Question of Access or Invasion - New York Times

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Noontime Web Video Revitalizes Lunch at Desk - New York Times

The Web has become normal. It's not a niche medium. In fact, I prefer to call it a mass medium. Everybody uses it. We should accept and exploit it for every ounce of advantage we can muster.

In cubicles across the country, lunchtime has become the new prime time, as workers click aside their spreadsheets to watch videos on YouTube, news highlights on CNN.com or other Web offerings.The trend — part of a broader phenomenon known as video snacking — is turning into a growth business for news and media companies, which are feeding the lunch crowd more fresh content.

Noontime Web Video Revitalizes Lunch at Desk - New York Times

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Instant VOD via The Internet ...

What was once a fantastic prediction of the "future convergence" is now a reality in millions of US households. Between Netflix and iTunes today - with Amazon, Blockbuster and many more to follow - it has become easy to choose any movie in a vast catalog stored completely online and fetch it at will.

Netflix Expands Internet Viewing Option - New York Times

Netflix is gearing up for the increased competition by expanding a year-old feature that streams movies over the Internet instead of making customers wait for their online rental requests to be delivered through the mail.

Wii-Like Game System Works With LCD TVs - Yahoo! News

"Software developer Reactrix Systems have unveiled a gaming system made for LCD TVs that mimics the Wii game console in that people punch in the air to hit a boxing opponent or swing their arms to return the ball in a game of volleyball."

Reactrix is well-known to us agency types for its projector systems in malls, airports and events. The underlying tech - that recognizes physical gestures and translates them into on-screen action - is licensed from GestureTek.

Wii-Like Game System Works With LCD TVs - Yahoo! News

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Widgets by Clearspring

Excellent widgets that finally begin to define how good widgets can be.

Subscription for Mobile Platform Metrics from m:metrics

M:Metrics MobiLens™

MOBILENS GIVES YOU UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON:
Supply
Comprehensive catalog of mobile content and pricing offered by US and European mobile operators on leading devices including portfolios of hundreds of publishers
Demand
Marketwide metrics on mobile media consumption, including detailed demographic profiles of mobile media consumers in the US and Europe
On mobile platforms
Detailed technology profiles of every handset in active use in the US and supported European geographies

File Under: Duh

Use of Video-Sharing Sites Soars in US - MarketingVOX

Nearly half of internet users have visited video-sharing sites, such as YouTube, and typical daily traffic to such sites nearly doubled from the end of 2006 to the end of 2007, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, MarketingCharts reports.



Notably, 70 percent of the highly coveted 18-29 year old demographic visit video sharing sites.

Found This On Seth Godin's Blog

Best Internet Marketing Blog Posts of 2007 » techipedia | tamar weinberg

"I present you my favorite timeless posts of 2007, complete with descriptions about each blog post (which more than quadrupled the workload for me this time around, especially because I tripled the amount of links, but I had fun!)"

I suggest you bookmark it and keep going back for links to articles on every important trend that affects advertising agencies and advertisers.

The Content Revolution Continues

MediaPost Publications - Sony Runs Web-Only Penn Jillette Political Series - 01/10/2008

LOOKING TO keep pace with other Web sites offering original series, Crackle, the broad video entertainment content site of Sony Pictures Entertainment, says it will start a Web-only series, featuring Penn Jillette. The show, "Penn Says"--which will air at least four times a week--will be an unscripted political comedy series. Each episode will be one to three minutes in length, and created by Jillette, the talking half of the magic-comedy team Penn & Teller.

Shave Everywhere Redux

They've done it again. This is state-of-the-art interactive storytelling. And it sells the product while it lifts the brand.

Philips Norelco - Second Puberty

E-Commerce Just Got Interesting

Apple's Piping Hot Innovation - Forbes.com

In an application with the U.S. Patent Office published on Dec. 20, the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer and gadget company described a wireless system that would allow customers to place an order at a store using a wireless device such as a media player, a wireless personal digital assistant or a cellphone.

The system could go far beyond the program that Apple announced with Starbucks in September, which allows iPhone users to press a button and wirelessly download the song playing in the background as they sip their soy lattes.

Apple's application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office describes a process for placing an order and then notifying customers when an order is ready to grab at a pick-up station. One goal, the patent application notes, is to avoid an "annoying wait in a long queue if the purchaser arrives before completion of the order."

Seth Godin Experiments With SEO

Seth's Blog: ...and your clicks for free (the new ebook)

TV on Your Phone ... Coming After Jan 08

MediaPost Publications - Google, Verizon, AT&T Vie For 700MHz Spectrum - 12/20/2007

Google, Verizon, AT&T Vie For 700MHz Spectrum
Thursday, Dec 20, 2007 7:00 AM ET
GOOGLE, VERIZON WIRELESS AND AT&T are among 266 companies competing to bid for the 700MHz spectrum auction set for January. The field of potential bidders, released late Tuesday night by the FCC, so far has accepted 96 applicants--and another 170 have until Jan. 4 to complete their paperwork. Verizon and AT&T were among the bidders whose applications were marked as "incomplete" by the FCC. Other companies bidding for a chunk of spectrum include Cablevision Systems Corp., Cox, Qualcomm, Towerstream and Frontline Wireless. Paul Allen is also planning to bid through his Vulcan Ventures investment firm, as is a Guam-based phone company backed by an investment firm run by Roy Disney. The auction could raise up to $15 million for the government.

Advergaming for QSR

Thought you might be interested in checking this out. I like the countdown aspect ...and the play on hungry as a ....

http://hungryasa.com/ I stink at the game but it is interesting....

Checkers Launches Virtual Game to Promote Double Value Menu

Checker's/Rally's is running an online game to promote its Double Value menu.

Checkers Drive-In Restaurants has rolled out an online game to promote its new Double Value menu.

A microsite at http://hungryasa.com/ teases the new menu, which launches Dec. 31. On the site, visitors can play a virtual eating game for a chance to win Checkers/Rally’s coupons.

In “Hungry As A,” players select from a dog, a bear or dinosaur icons and use their keyboard arrow keys to grab, eat and fend off competitors. At the end of the game, players receive a printable coupon offer based on their score for a discount off Checker’s Spicy Chicken Combo meal, a Big Buford combo or a free Loaded Fry upgrade.

The promotion runs through Jan. 31.

The online game supports Checkers/Rally’s’ new value menu. It will offer 17 items, 10 of which start at $1 and seven double burgers and chicken and fish sandwiches offered at “2 For” prices ranging from $3 to $5. It’s the first time the company is adding a permanent value menu to its restaurants, spokesperson Elizabeth Sheridan said.

Checkers/Rally’s is promoting the game online, on its bags and through blog sites. ML Rogers is handling the campaign.

The Minorty of Time Shifters Do The Most Time Shifting

MediaPost Publications - Interpublic Unit Finds 28/72 Rule For DVRs: Minority Represent Majority Of Time-Shifting - 12/18/2007

"A small group accounts for a dominant share of DVR usage: Applying conservative assumptions, it appears that slightly more than a quarter (28%) of DVR users account for almost three quarters (72%) of total marketplace time shifting -implying that the vast majority of consumers with DVRs use them on a limited basis, and continue to watch most TV in real-time," Wieser wrote

MEDIA>> interviews the Long Tail guy

MediaPost Publications - Free Thinker - 12/18/2007

How does Chris Anderson chase his own Long Tail? Last year, the editor-in-chief of Wired gave us such a compelling name and a theory for the digital economy that hardly a business plan goes by this year without dropping the term. After showing us how the Internet helps empower and monetize niche markets and tastes, Anderson will explore what he calls "the radical price of zero." Free, planned for late 2008, suggests that the new economies of abundance that he outlined in The Long Tail make it possible for companies to succeed by charging consumers little or nothing. After reviewing some of Anderson's preliminary musings on the topic at conferences and on his longtail.com blog, we put his model to the test. We asked for a free preview.

Older dude from Forbes finally likes LinkedIn

Why you'll finally use LinkedIn - Dec. 14, 2007

For years, I've been befuddled by LinkedIn. I knew it was supposed to be the social network for work, but to me it was like war. "What is it good for?" I asked myself repeatedly, even as I occasionally poked around and accepted requests to link with people. I belonged to it, but I really didn't know why.

Sent from my iPhone. So what.

The Convergence backslides ... Momentarily ...

Online Video Traffic Drops 6 % | WebProNews

The top five online video sites switched their ranking order and site traffic in October, according to Compete

Frustrating news for mobile internet freaks

Mobile Web: So Close Yet So Far - New York Times

Similarly, surveys by Yankee Group, a Boston research firm, show that only 13 percent of cellphone users in North America use their phones to surf the Web more than once a month, while 70 percent of computer users view Web sites every day.

“The user experience has been a disaster,” says Tony Davis, managing partner of Brightspark, a Toronto venture capital firm that has invested in two mobile Web companies.



While many phones have some form of Web access, most are hard to use — just finding a place to type in a Web address can be a challenge. And once you find it, most Web content doesn’t look very good on cellphone screens.

Social bookmarking's effect on rankings

Ben Cook created a blog with a single post
and submitted it to Digg. The post reached Digg's front page, a deluge
of visitors ensued, but what's next? High search engine rankings and a
continuous trickle of visitors, Ben Cook explains



MIT Adverlab links to a recent experiment by some guy who claims to be trying to "make it" as a blogger or quit. He documents how he's used Digg to grow his audience, and we can learn a thing or two about social bookmarking for brands by association.

Emerging media meets sports

Sports Marketing Gets Digital Boost

One emerging area of opportunity is targeting fans on TV and the Web simultaneously. About 58% of fans watching a game on TV are also using their mobile devices for instant messaging, e-mailing, text messaging or talking on the phone, the study found. In addition, research shows that these multitaskers are more engaged and have better recall of the ads they see than the viewers who are only watching the game, the report said. This provides an opportunity to engage fans using multiple media at the same time.

- This is real. It's happening now. And we know how to take full advantage of the emerging media within target consumers' lives.

The End Game is Upon Us ...

Use Of Broadband Service To Overtake TV Viewing

Tuesday, Nov 20, 2007 7:01 AM ET

WITHIN THE NEXT THREE YEARS, more than 16 million U.S. households with televisions will use their broadband service more than they use their TV sets today, says technology consulting firm In-Stat. Up to 30% of viewers will drop subscription TV and use the Internet for watching TV, according to a recent survey by the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based In-Stat. More than 40% say they aren't getting enough international news and information from their current TV service, despite having hundreds of channels to choose from. Respondents had a broadband connection, a TV, and were 18 or older. --Mark Walsh

In-Game Ads ... Still Emerging

Google Optimistic About In-Game Ads, Dabbles Lightly with AdSense - MarketingVOX
n July, Microsoft and EA developed a dynamic in-game ad platform for the Xbox 360. Google's budding interest in in-game advertising will likely bode badly at Steve Ballmer's breakfast table.

MediaPost Publications - Wal-Mart to Reveal Holiday Promotions Online - 11/08/2007

Walmart.com CEO Raul Vazquez estimates many of the 10 million people who visit Walmart.com on Thanksgiving Day will end up in the store on Friday. "The same behavior driving Google's growth reflects the increase in visitors we see on our Web site traffic," he tells MediaPost.

BullsEye BBQ Drummer

Drummer rocks the kettles brandishing brushsticks and barbeque sauce. Featuring David Suycott from the indie rock band Stabbing Westward, who wrote and performed the drum solo.

read more | digg story

Mobile video still growing but still small ...

MediaPost Publications - Mobile Video Audience Grew To 8 Million: MMetrics - 10/25/2007

THE U.S. MOBILE VIDEO AUDIENCE has grown by more than one-third this year to eight million, according to a new study by mobile market research firm MMetrics. With 6.8 million viewers, viral clips have proven to be the most popular category of mobile video.

Search Marketing Vital for Brand Building and Driving Offline Sales for Consumer Packaged Goods Companies

“While search marketing has long been recognized as an effective direct response vehicle, it’s been largely overlooked by CPG companies who focus on brand advertising and promotional efforts to drive in-store purchasing,” commented Gord Hotchkiss, Chairman of SEMPO. “This study seeks to demonstrate the potential brand-building impact of search for CPG marketers.”

Millions of Consumers Use Search to Learn About CPG Products
Search appears to represent a significant marketing opportunity for CPG brands. The study found that a majority of U.S. consumers visited Web sites for CPG product categories during the three months ending April 2007, with search driving a significant percentage of visitors in all the categories. Food products represented the largest search marketing opportunity with nearly 44 million category site visitors searching. Baby products attracted 15.7 million searchers, followed by personal care products with 9.8 million and household products with 1.7 million.

The study also found that a substantial percentage of the visitors to category Web sites arrived as a result of a search query. Among visitors to baby products sites, 60 percent arrived via search, followed by 47 percent in food products, 27 percent in personal care products, and 23 percent in household products.

TV Viewing Habits - A Long March Uphill ...

Advertising Lab: future of advertising and advertising technology: TV Viewing, 1952-2007

Historical TV viewing activity among households, from about 4hr 48min a day in 1952-53 to 8.14 in 2006-07.

Bring on the IPTV Device Wars ...

SanDisk to debut USB drive, video service - Yahoo! News

Similar to using a USB drive to store and move data files, users of TakeTV can drag-and-drop video files stored on their computer — Fanfare downloads, home videos or other unrestricted video content from the Web — onto the device. Users can then plug it into the cradle connected to a TV.

A simple menu appears on the TV to scroll through the files for playback.

The TakeTV player is $99.99 for a 4 gigabyte model and $149.99 for an 8 GB one that can hold up to 10 hours of video. Fanfare, in a test stage, offers premium TV shows for $1.99 per download — roughly the same price as rival services, but SanDisk says it hopes to ultimately provide a broad mixture of free and ad-supported content as well as pay-per-download videos.



Fanfare's catalog at launch is small, with about 85 titles. It features TV shows from CBS, including "CSI" and "Survivor," Showtime, TV Guide, and Smithsonian Networks. Dozens of titles are being added each week, SanDisk said.

Convergence ... Was: Weird, Is: Strangely Normal

TV Wonder Combo 650 USB from ATI - New York Times

"For computer owners who want to see what convergence is all about, the TV Wonder Combo 650 USB from ATI, out this week for $150, will pump lots of television into a PC."

So let's get this straight: You plug this doo-hickey into your PC's USB port, and it gets over-the-air HDTV which you can watch live or record in a Tivo-like manner onto your PC's hard drive.

You plug it in. And it works.

Plug. And play.

Plug and play. No pay.

You think people are going to mind seeing commercials with that? (Maybe not.)

The Meth Minute 39: Internet People

It all started with South Park and the Star Wars kid, Numa Numa did his thing and the Back Dorm Boys lipsynced... An animated tribute to the internet people of the world. First episode of the series The Meth Minute 39. Animated by Dan Meth, with music by Dan Meth and Micah Frank.

read more | digg story

Facebook Gets Personal With Ad Targeting Plan - WSJ.com

Social-networking Web site Facebook Inc. is quietly working on a new advertising system that would let marketers target users with ads based on the massive amounts of information people reveal on the site about themselves.

Eventually, it hopes to refine the system to allow it to predict what products and services users might be interested in even before they have specifically mentioned an area.

Pay attention to this ... Really ... Today ...

New Web Sites Aim for TV Experience - Los Angeles Times

Watching video online in small, fuzzy boxes is heading the way of rabbit ears.

Some highly anticipated Web sites are being modeled on making the experience of watching video online more like watching television. These sites rely on software that enlarges the interface so that it fills your computer screen -- from edge to edge.

This new wave of applications is led by Joost and includes VeohTV and Babelgum. Though all are in beta (testing) phases, the hype has been mounting -- leading many to claim the next big advance in online video is imminent.

- Veoh (Windows and Mac)
- Babelgum (Windows PC only)
- Joost (Windows and Mac; invitation only)

Women so do too use games online ...

50 Million Adults Play Casual Video Games to Bond with Children, Grandchildren - MarketingVOX

Some 79 percent of those "family gamers" were female and 95 percent were age 30 or older - figures that closely reflect the overall casual gamer audience, according to PopCap.

As many as 44 percent of survey respondents identified themselves as mothers of children who play casual games, and 36 percent said they were grandmothers. Among males, 16 percent and 6 percent of respondents identified themselves as fathers and grandfathers, respectively.

Super Surfing Moms Rely Heavily on Search for Purchases - MarketingVOX
Moms rely heavily on search engines for both online and offline purchases, and when coordinating travel and planning a host of other activities, according to a study unveiled by DoubleClick Performics last week, reports MarketingCharts.

The "Searcher Moms - A Search Behavior and Usage Study" was conducted in cooperation with Microsoft and ROI Research.

"Of the nearly 1,000 moms surveyed, 89 percent use the internet at least twice per day, and 90 percent have been using it for more than seven years," said Stuart Larkins, VP of search for DoubleClick Performics. "A whopping 86 percent of respondents said search engines are the most efficient way to find information."

Draftfcb Paris Gets Funny in Second Life ...

Graham Cousens writes ...

Interesting article entitled "Marketers Start to Use Social Networks for CRM
Instead of Ads" in Adage at the following URL:

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=119918

In addition to the article, I'd like to share a current State Farm campaign
that's happening on MySpace that is pretty cool.

In addition to a nifty microsite at http://nowwhat.com, they have a
community site at http://www.myspace.com/nowwhat.

Right now there is a 6 hour webcast concert featuring Linkin Park, My
Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, Him and Placebo. In 3 weeks, they've
built up 65,000 friends.

MySpace is regarding this as best practice in leveraging their site.

Essential Web 2.0 Reference ...

From quirky applications to venture-funded startups, a wide variety of new services are being launched leveraging Google’s APIs, helping users perform a multitude of tasks. Here is a non-technical introduction to some of the company’s most popular APIs and some of the most interesting applications built on top of them.

Dow does it the right way ...

Advertising Age - Rance Crain - Dow's Corporate Ads Have Great Chemistry, but Will Respect Follow?
The "Human Element" push, now a year old, has boosted Dow's brand-equity rating, as measured by Core Brand, 25%, but here's how Dow's CEO Andrew Liveris reckons the campaign will be successful: when a Dow employee in a bar anywhere in the world can tell the guy next to him where he works and get the response, "Oh, Dow. That's good."

Simple solutions, people ... Tag your ads with a short code not a URL.

Mobile Shortcodes Boosts Advertising Recall
The research revealed that 44% of mobile users between the ages of 18 and 60 fail to respond to advertising campaigns because they simply forget the brand name and contact details when the moment their interest was captured by the advertisement had passed - with many people wasting time later, trying to find the company, and eventually giving up.

Other key findings highlighted that more than one in three mobile users have sent a text message to a five digit shortcode, primarily in response to TV and radio advertisements, and competitions. When asked if they would find it useful using text as a response mechanism to an offline advertisement, to then be forwarded to a mobile internet site for more details, more than 51% of consumers said they would be quite keen or extremely keen to use it.