Yes, You Too Can YouTube - Forbes.com

When YouTube launched in 2005, success on the Web was measured largely by the number of users who visited a site. Now YouTube is trying a different strategy: letting users avoid visiting its site altogether.

On Wednesday, YouTube announced the next step in its transformation from destination to application, releasing a set of free software tools that let Web developers create fully functional YouTube players on their own sites. Unlike previous embedded YouTube players, which simply streamed videos, these new tools would allow users on other sites to search the YouTube inventory, comment on and rate videos, and even upload clips to YouTube's servers--essentially everything that users would have done on YouTube's site.

Yes, You Too Can YouTube - Forbes.com

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Pontic G8 Gets Eighties Spy Hunter Treatment - AdGabber

Pontic G8 Gets Eighties Spy Hunter Treatment - AdGabber

TiVo and YouTube to Deliver Web Video to TV - New York Times

Pick up the remote, turn on the television — and watch YouTube.The user experience envisioned by technology enthusiasts came a step closer to reality on Wednesday when TiVo, the maker of popular digital video recorders, announced a partnership with YouTube that will deliver Web video directly to users’ televisions.

TiVo and YouTube to Deliver Web Video to TV - New York Times

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Hulu Launches: Great Product, Still Screwed - Silicon Alley Insider

The condundrum of making a business out of watching TV online continues to confuse even the most clear-minded of convergence watchers.

Hulu finally launches, adding Warner Bros. and Lionsgate. CEO Jason Kilar says 5 million people have viewed Hulu videos in the past month and that 80% of Hulu's videos are viewed at least once a month.Five million is an impressive number given that Hulu has been in a closed beta test, and as we said over the weekend, the product is great. As we also said over the weekend, however, we still have big doubts about Hulu as a business (see below). Judging from his quote in the NYT, CEO Jason Kilar is still optimistic that he can win over CBS and Disney as content partners, but as Michael Learmonth explained yesterday, this will be easier said than done.

Hulu Launches: Great Product, Still Screwed - Silicon Alley Insider

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58 Million U.S. Mobile Subscribers Have Seen Advertising Over Their Phones - SlashPhone.com

Not terribly impressive ... yet. An audience of 58MM is good. Not yet great.

Twenty-three percent (58 million) of all U.S. mobile subscribers say they have been exposed to advertising on their phones in the past 30 days, according to a new report out today from The Nielsen Company. Half (51% or 28 million) of all data users who recall seeing mobile advertising in the previous 30 days say they responded to a mobile ad in some way.061116_Google_mobile_adsThe findings come from the bi-annual Mobile Advertising Report from Nielsen Mobile, a service of The Nielsen Company, and are based on a survey of more than 22,000 active mobile data users who used at least one non-voice mobile service in the fourth quarter.

58 Million U.S. Mobile Subscribers Have Seen Advertising Over Their Phones - SlashPhone.com

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Cable Firms Join Forces to Attract Focused Ads - New York Times

Bingo! Here's the proof. All TV will be INTERACTIVE TV ... but the change over is coming very fast.

In an effort to slow Google’s siphoning of advertising dollars away from television, the nation’s six largest cable companies are making plans for a jointly owned company that would allow national advertisers to buy customized ads and interactive ads across the companies’ systems.

For the last six months, executives from Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Cox Communications, Charter Communications and Bright House Networks have been meeting monthly, alternating between New York and Philadelphia.

Quarterbacking the initiative — code-named Project Canoe to emphasize that the companies must all work together — has been Stephen Burke, president of Comcast, and Landel C. Hobbs, the chief operating officer of Time Warner Cable.Getting the right advertisement to the right person, based on that individual’s own tastes and lifestyle, has been the promise of cable television for years and the reality of the Internet.

Cable Firms Join Forces to Attract Focused Ads - New York Times

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Toyota Makes a Sharp Turn on the Web - WSJ.com

Toyota Motor's new comedy-themed marketing campaign for its 2009 Corolla sedan, to be rolled out on YouTube next week, is as much of a gamble for the video Web site as it is for the auto maker.

While online marketing is growing at a rapid clip, ad revenue for some of the biggest social-media sites such as YouTube and Facebook have failed to meet the sites' own forecasts. Part of the problem is that while they have become a hit with consumers by featuring content that is particularly interactive, they often continue to push advertising options that are far more static -- like banner or video ads on the home page.

Toyota Makes a Sharp Turn on the Web - WSJ.com

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Microsoft Silverlight: Light Up the Web

Microsoft Silverlight: Light Up the Web

This multimedia presentation requires a few minutes of your time, but the facts and thoughts about producing content for the interactive space are spot on.

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Esther Dyson v3.0.1

Anybody remember Esther Dyson? Raise your hand. Now she's predicting the inevitable victory of behavioral targeting for all forms of advertising.

And I couldn't agree more!

The Coming Ad Revolution - WSJ.com

The current online-advertising model will become less effective, even as it gets increasingly sophisticated. New players are emerging to devalue the spaces that the ad giants are currently fighting over. Companies you've never heard of called NebuAd, Project Rialto, Phorm, Frontporch and Adzilla are pitching tools to Internet service providers that will enable them to track users and show them relevant ads. This approach (called behavioral targeting and already in service by ad networks that track users through so-called tracking cookies) undercuts traditional online publishers, who employ content to lure users and to sell adjacent ads. Now, the ISPs can sell advertisers direct access to the same users.

Nielsen Says Mobile Ads Growing, Consumers Respond - New York Times

About 23 percent of U.S. mobile phone users have seen advertising on their cell phones in the last 30 days and about half of them responded to the ads, according to a report from The Nielsen Co released on Tuesday.The number of phone users who recalled seeing mobile ads rose by 38 percent to 58 million in the fourth quarter compared with 42 million in the second quarter, Nielsen's fourth-quarter survey of 22,000 active mobile data users.

Nielsen Says Mobile Ads Growing, Consumers Respond - New York Times

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Now US Is Online, And How! - eMarketer

There are approximately 186MM Americans age 18+ while there are 188MM Americans online today.

Internet usage is becoming a daily habit in the US.Although growth has slowed to the low single digits in recent years—projected to be just 3.1% in 2008—US Internet users can be counted in the hundreds of millions.

Now US Is Online, And How! - eMarketer

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In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

Why 2009 will be nothing like 1999. Whereas the former decade was held captive by fads with a decidedly dot com flair, this decade is proving itself to be the real birth of the media convergence. And when TV finally goes digital on Feb 17, 2009, we'll see the beginnings of social television - in which communities of people who love certain programs will bond together beyond the watercooler.

In other words, a normal social behavior will be amplified exponentially by digital social connections via the Net.

Nearly half of marketers surveyed in a new report from TNS Media Intelligence/Cymfony believe social media has become an established fixture in the media and marketing landscape and should be overseen by senior executives.In the survey of 71 marketing professionals in the U.S., Canada, France and the U.K., not even one respondent saw social media as a passing fad.

In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

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MediaPost Publications - Unicast Partners With AdMob To Power Mobile Web Pages - 03/03/2008

Early Adopter Alert!

The Rich Media Mobile technology is a hosted delivery and tracking solution for optimized rich mobile Web page content aiming to help advertisers provide a richer experience for audiences that are both media- and mobile-savvy. The platform provides tools for advertisers and agencies to create, deliver, and measure the effectiveness of rich media mobile ad campaigns.

The campaigns can be tracked with real-time reporting, and the metrics can be tied to the reporting interface for rich media online and in-game ad performance metrics providing a cross-platform solution for the efficient management of mobile marketing campaigns.The Rich Media Mobile technology detects the type of media a user's mobile phone can play, and then offers the advertiser's content in the appropriate format.

Currently, Unicast Rich Media Mobile is compatible with many devices across the major U.S. wireless carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

MediaPost Publications - Unicast Partners With AdMob To Power Mobile Web Pages - 03/03/2008

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In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

Why 2009 will be nothing like 1999. Whereas the former decade was held captive by fads with a decidedly dot com flair, this decade is proving itself to be the real birth of the media convergence. And when TV finally goes digital on Feb 17, 2009, we'll see the beginnings of social television - in which communities of people who love certain programs will bond together beyond the watercooler.

In other words, a normal social behavior will be amplified exponentially by digital social connections via the Net.

In the survey of 71 marketing professionals in the U.S., Canada, France and the U.K., not even one respondent saw social media as a passing fad.

In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

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MediaPost Publications - YouTube Likely To Launch Live Video Service This Year - 03/03/2008

So, I can already watch YouTube on my Apple TV without a Mac or PC. When YouTube has “live” real-time video then it’s like TV on my Apple TV, right?

YOUTUBE IS REPORTEDLY PLANNING TO launch a live video service before the end of the year. Industry blogs TechCrunch and NewTeeVee reported late last week that YouTube co-founder Steve Chen admitted as much during a conversation with Pop17 videoblogger Sarah Meyers.

MediaPost Publications - YouTube Likely To Launch Live Video Service This Year - 03/03/2008

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In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

Why 2009 will be nothing like 1999. Whereas the former decade was held captive by fads with a decidedly dot com flair, this decade is proving itself to be the real birth of the media convergence. And when TV finally goes digital on Feb 17, 2009, we'll see the beginnings of social television - in which communities of people who love certain programs will bond together beyond the watercooler.

In other words, a normal social behavior will be amplified exponentially by digital social connections via the Net.

In the survey of 71 marketing professionals in the U.S., Canada, France and the U.K., not even one respondent saw social media as a passing fad.

In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

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In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

Why 2009 will be nothing like 1999. Whereas the former decade was held captive by fads with a decidedly dot com flair, this decade is proving itself to be the real birth of the media convergence. And when TV finally goes digital on Feb 17, 2009, we'll see the beginnings of social television - in which communities of people who love certain programs will bond together beyond the watercooler.

In other words, a normal social behavior will be amplified exponentially by digital social connections via the Net.

In the survey of 71 marketing professionals in the U.S., Canada, France and the U.K., not even one respondent saw social media as a passing fad.

In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

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Building a Brand with Widgets

The cards were stacked against A&E Television Network as it tried to generate positive buzz about its new series, Parking Wars. For one, it's a reality show about meter readers. Two, the show doesn't feature celebrities. "We thought if we could find a clever way of increasing consumer interaction with the concept behind the show that we would increase curiosity in the show itself," says Lori Peterzell, A&E's vice-president for consumer marketing.So A&E hired area/code, a multimedia game developer, to build an online game based on Parking Wars. Played on the social network Facebook, the game has users park virtual cars on friends' profile pages, or "streets," while slapping tickets on cars parked on their own page and avoiding tickets themselves.

Building a Brand with Widgets

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iMedia Connection: 3 reasons to ditch your microsites

Sean X Cummings, the director of marketing at Ask.com and a former colleague, has captured all the reasons (and more!) why I dislike microsites. I prefer to see marketers sincerely invest in their primary brand websites.

I do not even know where to start with my rant on microsites. They are the bane of the online space, produced by those who do not comprehend the implications of launching them and do not understand the underbelly that they leave behind. They are expensive, they use up agency resources, they become orphans almost overnight, and they are only useful in providing traditional agencies with fodder for winning more business.

iMedia Connection: 3 reasons to ditch your microsites

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Obama's Web marketing triumph - Mar. 3, 2008

Can we ... or should we ... try to predict advertising's near future based on how media are used in presidential campaigns? I say, definitively, yes. Do we remember the "Daisy" commercial from the 1964 campaign? It is singularly credited with launching the great "creative revolution" in advertising. Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63h_v6uf0Ao.

Then please take a few minutes to read this article in Fortune. And you'll begin to see that today's creative revolution is epitomized by the Barack Obama campaign's use of interactive media. It is brilliant.

Why does Barack Obama appear to be outmaneuvering Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary? Part of the reason is his campaign's mastery of the Internet, says Rishad Tobaccowala, chief innovation officer of the media buying division of Publicis, the French advertising giant. (Tobaccowala also runs his own start-up company inside Publicis called Denuo, Latin for "anew.")It's his job to ponder the changing media industry and help his clients stay one step ahead. He uses Obama's come-from-behind primary and caucus victories against a brand name like Clinton as a cautionary case study for his market-leading clients.

Obama's Web marketing triumph - Mar. 3, 2008

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The Coming Ad Revolution - WSJ.com

Esther Dyson can kick your ass before breakfast. We should take heed of what she predicts in this WSJ opinion piece. Remain skeptical only inasmuch as reason mandates. Change is in the air. It's going to take big brains to figure out how to sort this out.

While the big news in the online world focuses on Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, a more profound revolution is taking place on the online social networks: The discussion about privacy is changing as users take control over their own online data. While they spread their Web presence, these users are not looking for privacy, but for recognition as individuals -- whether by friends or vendors. This will eventually change the whole world of advertising.

The Coming Ad Revolution - WSJ.com

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CBS Outernet Expands to Pharmacies

CBS Outernet is expanding its portfolio of digital media networks at retailers to pharmacy locations, CBS announced Wednesday. Through a partnership with Lifeclinic International, which operates freestanding, automated vital signs monitoring stations in more than 25,000 pharmacies, CBS will manage, program health-related content and sell advertising for a network of digital video screens in and around the pharmacy.

CBS Outernet Expands to Pharmacies

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MediaPost Publications - Convenience Stores Gets Digital Network - 02/28/2008

THE BURGEONING DIGITAL OUT-OF-HOME MARKET is getting yet another new player with the creation by Transworld Media of a new digital network serving over 1,200 independent convenience stores. The network includes convenience stores in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Chicago.Some 100 stores in the Dallas area have already had the equipment installed by Real Digital Media, which created the technology. The rest slated to receive the digital displays on an aggressive schedule over 2008.Advertisers can buy 15-second, 30-second and one-minute slots through media agencies and third parties, including SeeSaw Networks, which operates its own national network of digital signage and has entered into a strategic partnership with Transworld.

MediaPost Publications - Convenience Stores Gets Digital Network - 02/28/2008

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Apple is the #2 Music Retailer in the US

iTunes Now Number Two Music Retailer in the US
Apple today announced that iTunes is now the number two music retailer in the US, trailing only Wal-Mart.* The iTunes Store — now with over 50 million customers — has sold over four billion songs. In fact, it sold an incredible 20 million songs on Christmas Day 2007 alone. And with over six million songs from all of the major and thousands of independent labels, it offers the world’s largest music catalog. *Based on the latest data from the NPD Group. [Feb 26, 2008]

Apple - Hot News

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Makes Me Want To Say, ITYS

The term “convergence” may sound retro, a notion tossed around in the 1990s that never really came to pass. But don’t be fooled.Today, the bulk of video consumed online is snackable video—bite-sized entertainment—rather than a complete meal of full TV episodes or full-length movies.

The most popular online video content, watched by 40% or more of the US online video audience, consists of short pieces of five minutes or less: news clips, jokes, movie trailers, music videos, clips from TV shows and entertainment news.

Online Video: A Changing Picture - eMarketer

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Is TV Time Caught in the Web? - eMarketer

Wow. This is happening faster than even I thought it would. Gee, I'm surprised but not surprised by this report.

"The time spent using the Internet will continue to increase at the expense of television and, to a lesser extent, print media," said Karsten Weide, program director at IDC. "This suggests that advertising budgets will continue to be shifted out of television, newspapers, and magazines into Internet advertising."

Is TV Time Caught in the Web? - eMarketer

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MediaPost Publications - Nielsen Funds Most Ambitious Ethnographic Study Ever, Will Benchmark How People Actually Use Media - 02/25/2008

I have been describing the need for a new media anthropology for the past year or so. Advertisers and agencies need to feel confident about exactly how people are using media. There is a great deal of complexity in all of this; and agency people are infamously allergic to complexity. We're going to have to get over that. Prediction: Agencies will embrace complexity and drive value for clients by absorbing media complexity and translating it into effective integrated marketing communications. (Or go home!)

IN WHAT IS LIKELY THE most ambitious ethnographic study ever observing how people actually consume media, Nielsen Media Research is funding a highly regarded academic research group with $3.5 million to follow hundreds of people around to see how they use both traditional and emerging video platforms inside and outside their homes.

MediaPost Publications - Nielsen Funds Most Ambitious Ethnographic Study Ever, Will Benchmark How People Actually Use Media - 02/25/2008

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TV ads losing steam, marketers say

The Hollywood Reporter

Traditional television advertising has become less effective in the past two years, according to 62% of marketers, and a majority are trying new ad formats and new video platforms, according to a study by the Association of National Advertisers and Forrester Research.The complete survey results will be revealed during the ANA's TV & Everything Video Forum on Feb. 28 in New York.

TV ads losing steam, marketers say

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MediaPost Publications - Millions Unprepared For 2009 Digital TV Switch - 02/18/2008

Follow me here ... If younger people are less prepared for the digital TV switchover, then they will turn more readily to the Internet for more of their entertainment needs. Of course, they already are. The recent writer's strike moved that needed as well.

Demographically, older Americans ages 55 and up are more ready than younger TV viewers. Among viewers age 35 and under, 12.3% are not ready for digital conversion. For viewers 35-54, the percentage is 9.6%. Only 9.4% of viewers 55 and older aren't ready for the digital change to occur next February.

MediaPost Publications - Millions Unprepared For 2009 Digital TV Switch - 02/18/2008

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Sorry, Boys, This Is Our Domain - New York Times

Research shows that among the youngest Internet users, the primary creators of Web content (blogs, graphics, photographs, Web sites) are not misfits resembling the Lone Gunmen of “The X Files.” On the contrary, the cyberpioneers of the moment are digitally effusive teenage girls.

Sorry, Boys, This Is Our Domain - New York Times

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Companies Can Make Money With Widget Ads - GigaOM

Selling advertising on entertainment-focused widgets such as Scrabulous or Zombies is about as easy as spinning straw into gold, yet there are plenty of people trying. And there are ways of generating revenue through specially focused widgets designed solely to sell rather than toss sheep. Brand and comparison advertising done through ad-focused widgets is emerging as a viable way of using the ubiquitous applications. Widgets’ interactive features, their ability to be virally distributed and potentially be placed on a target’s own page makes the creations appealing to advertisers.

Companies Can Make Money With Widget Ads - GigaOM

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Digital TV Countdown Made Easy

Bose Newsletter -- February 2008

On February 17, 2009, analog television signals—the mode of TV delivery since the 1940s—will be completely replaced by digital. Here are the basics behind this monumental change, and what it means for TV viewers.

The Evidence Keeps Mounting ...

IF EYEBALLS ARE GLUED TO any tube, it's more and more likely to
be YouTube rather than the Boob Tube across the room.

Tech and media consultancy IDC, which has published a study on consumer online behavior, reports that the Internet is where
people spend the most time browsing--32.7 hours per week.

Results are based on a sample of 992 U.S. residents 15 years of age or
older, who frequently use the Internet, including quotas by gender, age group, ethnicity, region, and income.

The firm says people spend 70.6 hours per week on average with all
media. They spend 16.4 hours glued to television and 3.9 hours with
newspapers and magazines.

Karsten Weide, the study's program director of digital media and
entertainment, confirms what the ad media market has been doing for the
past few years, as broadband Internet access has mostly supplanted
narrower conduits making the Web a video medium. "This suggests that
advertising budgets will continue to be shifted out of television,
newspapers, and magazines into Internet advertising."

Full article here.

Who Says Women Don't Use The Net?!?!

More than 1 million copies of Suze Orman's "Women & Money" were downloaded after the announcement last week on Winfrey's television show that the e-book edition would be available for free on her Web site, http://www.oprah.com , for a period of 33 hours.

- Associated Press News

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TURNHERE: internet video

TurnHere is a full-service Internet video solutions provider. We provide video production and distribution services, produce high quality low-cost Internet videos and develop and execute plans to distribute those videos across the Internet to the right audience.

TURNHERE: internet video

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Contextually-Placed Video Ads ... Finally!

This is exceptionally important - all video advertising needs to reach the right eyeballs at the right time. But how can the network have the "intelligence" to dynamically place "spots" in adjacent locations to "content" YOU are viewing/reading/watching? Google's got an answer.

MediaPost Publications - Google Expands AdSense For Video, Sets Deals With Tremor, YouMe, Others - 02/21/2008

AdSense program has focused mainly on enabling Web publishers to serve text-only ads. The video beta version, enables publishers to serve targeted, contextually-relevant video graphical ads and text overlays, and is seen as an alternative to the pre-roll an post-roll advertising clips that have become the industry's default standard advertising format.

Here It Comes ...

Are we really surprised by this? Let's be clear - TV advertising is not going to go away. There is no "end of advertising as we know it." There is a serious re-calibration (of sorts) going on RIGHT NOW. We're in the midst of a shift in our own business model. This is what it was like to be in the recording industry back in 1999 or 2000. We have the opportunity to seriously embrace "new digital platforms" and get a jump on MONETIZING our work; or we risk losing the financial footing we've grown to take for granted.

MediaPost Publications - TV Advertising Hit By Digital Competition - 02/21/2008

A recent survey by the Association of National Advertisers and Forrester Research says 62% of marketers believe TV is less effective since 2006. Not surprisingly, many TV marketers are interested in exploring new digital platforms for video commercials.

Sprint expected to undercut rivals' call plans - Yahoo! News

Finally, there's some movement in the US mobile phone marketplace. Consumers will benefit from falling prices for plans. And though "Wall Street is worried" (see below) the European and Asian mobile phone markets show us a way forward. Consumers pay less for having a handset and service while the telecoms make lots of money selling in lots of interactive services.

Wall Street is worried about a looming price war, even though Tuesday's new plans were not seen in and of themselves to have a big impact on service revenue as only about 5 to 10 percent of consumers now pay more than $100-a-month for calls.

Sprint expected to undercut rivals' call plans - Yahoo! News

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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™

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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