Popular Author and Podcaster Scott Sigler has proven social media can create commercial success.
His recently released hardcover fiction book, Contagious recently made the New York Times Bestseller list, coming in at #33 – the result of a group of advocates (or junkies as Sigler calls them) rushing out to buy the book in a semi […]
Something a bit different from Radical Cross Stich:
I’ve been working QR Codes in cross stitch as a way of exploring non-corporate alternatives to this potentially very interesting and useful communication medium.
The piece designed for The Streets of Melbourne is designed to make a very clear statement on the irony of a privately owned and operated […]
A report from the Online Publishers Association found that sites with original content outperformed the rest of the Web (i.e. ad networks, portals) .
FINDINGS:
— Since the first report in July, aided brand awareness scores on OPA member sites have increased 38%, while scores on ad networks have declined 19%.
— Similarly, brand favorability scores for OPA member sites have risen 27%, while ad networks, portals and MarketNorms have dropped 29%, 17% and 6% respectively.
— The new data also shows that younger audiences (18-34 year olds) are estimated to be about twice as likely (106% better, on average) to form favorable opinions about advertised brands on OPA member sites than on portals and MarketNorms (83% better). And the same trend holds true for affluent audiences, where OPA member sites are estimated to be 94% more effective at impacting brand favorability than MarketNorms, and 118% more effective at impacting brand awareness.
So, now you know where to spend your money online. Kinda.
More: “The Next Boomers: UK Study Reveals Their Secrets“
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
A campaign for a prescription nasal spray that claims to help men overcome premature ejaculation and and erectile dysfunction will be pulled from 196 billboards in the U.K. because of a law against advertising prescription drugs on billboards.
The ads, which you can see above, also contain the word “SEX” in huge letters. And that foul, nasty, unthinkable word is what began the issues for Titan advertising, the agency responsible for despicably allowing such work to be shown. The horror! Apparently, an insane number of complaints have been logged, and the only way the Advertising Standards Authority could get them down was to remind the company that, oh, it’s illegal to tell people about prescription drugs (“to advertise directly to the general public”, that is).
The Guardian can be thanked for this story, and the following quote comes courtesy of a Titan rep., “We do believe that our position is legally defensible but we take a common sense approach to these issues and would rather focus on providing the help that can change the lives of the hundreds of thousands of men suffering from these issues, rather than on responding to continued debate through the media.”
Simply lovely how the Brits handle these issues. Cheers!
More: “Porno Porno Porno Canada Porno Dick“
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Today’s announcement of the results from the Madison Avenue Project weren’t all that surprising. One reader noted that the only surprise he though could come from the results would be that “everything is OK.” But as we found out, everything is not OK, and pretty soon Cyrus Mehri (the palest guy in the pic) will have built the biggest class action lawsuit to ever hit the ad industry — one that could potentially the big guys down a peg or $XX million.
The study found that over all, blacks are underpaid, under-hired an under-utilized in such staggering frequency that not filing a class action lawsuit at this point would be like America not sticking a bayonet up Germany’s ass in WW2. It’s gotta be done. Heads must roll, everything must change.
And we haven’t even started talking about, you know, all the other ethnic minorities that are fundamentally shafted by advertising.
Mehri said in no uncertain terms today that he is building a class action suit. It was also mentioned that in order for change to come about, people need to stand up and share their stories, basically to feed Mehri’s growing fire. At long last, justice will be served Mehri will make more money.
Regardless of what anyone thinks of these findings, Mehri’s background is the most important thing to pay attention to. With huge, noteworthy cases against Coke, Ford, Morgan Stanley and others under his nice leather belt, agencies will take heed to:
A. Get their collective diversity programs in order, if they haven’t already.
B. Find out who they’ve screwed in the past, and make nice.
C. Put their heads between their legs, grip their shins, and hope their aortas don’t explode upon impact.
More: “The Results Of Mehri’s Findings & The Impending Lawsuit For Blacks In The Ad Industry“
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The ad agencies brought this on themselves. AdAge’s Ken Wheaton called it in his July 2008 editorial, “Agencies Have Funny Way of Showing ‘Commitment’ to Diversity”. Back then, when agencies failed to show up for The New York City Commission on Human Rights meeting, he said lawyers would come a knockin’ and so they have. Lawyer Cyrus Mehri’s presentation on the Madison Avenue Project on diversity in advertising has been released. You can download it here.
Highlights from the brief include:
– “Black college graduates working in advertising earn $.80 for every dollar earned by their equally-qualified White counterparts. Blacks would need to be paid 25% more to earn what Whites earn with the same qualifications. This racial pay gap is more than twice as large in advertising as in the overall labor market.”
– “Data from the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission estimate the expected representation of African Americans at 9.6% of advertising managers and professionals. The current 5.3% representation reaches only 55% of that benchmark, and eliminating this shortfall would require hiring or promoting 7,200 additional Black advertising professionals and managers.”
– “African Americans are often excluded from “general market” agencies and find work only in agencies specializing in “ethnic markets.”
– “About 16% of large establishments in the industry employ no Black managers or professionals, a rate 60% higher than in the overall labor market.”
– “Blacks are only 62% as likely as their White counterparts to work in advertising agencies’ powerful “creative” and “client contact” functions and only 10% as likely to hold a position paying $100,000 or more per year. Such occupational segregation currently affects 3,500 (40%) Black professionals and managers employed in the industry.”
I’m just gonna come out and say this – this report is merely highlighting what many Blacks have known for a long time. If you aren’t a minority, maybe this all seems like a big pain in the ass, folks whining. I ask you this though – how can any of us object to righting the inequality of unequal pay? Just that. That one point. How can we let that stand at the bare minimum? And when I say that, I mean for women and other shades of brown as well. It’s the 21st century. Lets get this shit together and stop embarrassing ourselves as an industry, alright?
Matt will have more reporting regarding his findings from the press conference later today.
More: Catch Larry Seabrook In Action: “I Even Had To Come Out At Ogilvy And Mather And Protest!”
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
Below is live coverage from the Roger Smith Hotel in New York, where attorney Cyrus Mehri is presenting information on the Madison Avenue Project on diversity in advertising. Feel free to ask questions, comment, etc.
More: “Lawsuit Alert: Advertising Is About To Be Black, White And Bruised All Over“
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
In what may be the ad-world’s most counter-intuitive (or sadistically genius) move, CP+B magnate Alex Bogusky launched his new book, The 9-inch Diet, this week. He even got a write up in the Post. Snazzy!
The book focuses on…wait for it…portion control. Bogusky says the “idea” to write it spawned when he realized his 12-inch dinner plates wouldn’t fit into the cupboards of a 1940s cabin he bought (possibly with the money he got for making Americans fat by way of Burger King and Domino’s?). Apparently, the average dinner plate was 8.5 inches in diameter back in the day. Today, they’re much bigger — and we are all fatasses because of it. Damn you, Bed Bath & Beyond!
Bla bla it’s for sale on Amazon. Now on to the WTF part.
What the fuck is this your damage, man? We’re all for entrepreneurship, creativity, and all that — to be sure. And of course Adweek named CP+B agency of the year, snarf snarf, so we’re not out to malign Bogus(ky) — but for reals this is some grade A poop.
Let’s take a moment to discuss the issue. Burger King, weight loss, meat cologne, portion control. Domino’s pizza, tiny plates, nasty grease-covered cheese slop, book on how not to get fat from aforementioned nasty grease-covered cheese slop. If I was Louis Black, I’d call up Jon Stewart and insist he let me rant for 3 minutes.
Nothing we can imagine demonstrates so perfectly everything that is wrong with advertising than the CP+B machine. Their work is all at once amazing and appalling. It’s like IcyHot on testicles — one second it’s great, and the next you’re running around screaming about the inhumanity of it all.
Yeah, sure, fine, the book isn’t a CP+B work. But puh lease, Bogus is the front man — who else, even at 45, looks like a 27 year-old and runs his agency with so much panache? Audacious flagrance?
Dude, you can’t tell America to eat this whopper, drink that Sprite, gnaw that pizza and then give them the book to help them lose the 50 pounds they just crammed into their Dungarees. You’re like the Reagan administration during and after the Contra ordeal — selling guns, then dropping relief supplies from a plane 36,000 feet up.
Well, apparently you can do that. And you did. But, that doesn’t mean you should. Riding your mountain bike all day probably makes you tired, but for reals — how do you sleep at night?
Via Denver Egotist
More: “The Ten Worst Ads Of 2008: CP+B, Saatchi, KB+P And More“
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You know how it seems like the biggest asshole in your office is also high up on the ladder? Forget talent. If you’re a prick, it seems like you’re bound for the big bucks and your name on the door. Well, it turns out that the old adage is true. Nice guys do finish last. Researcher Guido Heineck has recently taken a look at the correlation between personality traits and income in Britain.
It seems that being agreeable is directly related to lower earnings no matter what gender you are. Go figure. And if you’re neurotic and a woman? You’re doubly screwed. Naturally. See the rest of the results here.
More: “The True, But Lunatic Ravings Of A Mad Man”
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
In a letter posted on the Apple Web site, Steve Jobs announced that his health is keeping him from his usual duties at Apple — including the upcoming MacWorld thingy (which starts tomorrow).
Jobs’ health decline has seemingly gone hand in hand with Apple’s slow stock decline. But until now, no public information existed as to the cause of his ailment. Jobs cleared things up in the letter, stating that a rare hormone imbalance is to blame. Apparently, the problem is causing him to lose weight — but he should be able to gain it back in a few months time.
As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.
Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause — a hormone imbalance that has been “robbing” me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.
The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I’ve already begun treatment. But, just like I didn’t lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple’s CEO during my recovery.
So, will this finding help stave off Apple’s stock woes? It certainly shouldn’t. Keep building those iPhone apps, y’all. Oh, and raise your hand via poll if you’re excited about MacWorld.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
The New York Times has shown grace throughout its run as America’s most properest newspaper, but never was it more classy and honorable than today, in a story announcing that the most horrific of sacrifices has been made to offset its economic woes: the sale and placement of front page display ads. Oh, the horror blah of it all.
As we read the story, we recalled how the Times had recently re-mortgaged their fancy new midtown behemoth building, oh and laid off a bunch of staff. Here’s how it went: Layoffs, remortgage, display ads. You stay classy, Times decision makers!
First of all, it’s no joke that printing news on paper each and every day is really expensive. And yes, there’s something to be said for holding on to the standards that have set your rag apart from the riffraff for the better part of a century. But standards don’t mean squat when they come at the cost of the very people who make the damn thing possible. Right?
The ad space, which went into use today, is “two-and-a-half inches high, lies horizontally across the bottom of the front page, below the news articles and a brief summary of some articles in the paper.” Oh, and it’s below the fold. For those of you not familiar with news jargon, that means…below the fold.
Traditionally, content placed below the fold is considered less important. Well, compared to whatever is above the fold at least. Of the BTF placement, one tweeter noted, “background noise…when they put it above the fold, lets talk.” And as the article notes, the front page doesn’t cost much more than other highly coveted spaces throughout the paper.
All this proves is that when times are tough, we do what’s needed to make ends meet. The practice of survival is ever changing — but when it comes to the New York Times, well, they had it coming.
More: “Man Scales NYT Buillding To Post Ad“
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
The LA Times reported today about the first-ever sign spinning contest between a bunch of those guys you see standing outside strip malls in the summer heat holding flat signs for Quizno’s or whatever. If you haven’t seen one of these sign-spinners doing their thing, take an extra moment the next time you pass one to revel in the acrobatics.
Local business owners take note: for about $15 an hour you can hire one of these guys to entertain passersby, while at the same time pointing them toward your store. You’ll save money on a billboard and help a college kid buy beer — so naturally this advertising option is a win win.
The company that claims to have pioneered the trend is called Arrow Advertising, which was started…wait for it…by guys who used to stand on corners doing the same job as a sign post.
Click continued to see another spinning clip.
More: “R/GA Knows It’s All About Your Space“
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
I have Palestinian friends. As an American, this fact places me squarely in the minority. It gives me a touchstone that the average citizen in this country doesn’t have. The average American doesn’t hear firsthand accounts of how frightening, humiliating and miserable life in the West Bank and Gaza can be. Perhaps that’s why the average American is rarely outraged by media coverage of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. Let me make one thing clear – by average I don’t mean people of average intelligence or average cultural sensitivity. I don’t mean it as a pejorative. I mean only that most Americans have no contact with those on the Palestinian side of the conflict. When considering media, therefore, most Americans don’t perceive the slant. Watching CNN coverage of the siege with my mother yesterday, I noticed that her face didn’t indicate any anger. I saw sympathy, helplessness – natural responses to a human tragedy on the other side of the globe – but no anger. “Mom,” I demanded, gesturing wildly towards the TV, “do those look like Hamas militants to you?” The CNN anchor was dispassionately describing Israel’s target as Hamas over images of bloodied women and children on stretchers. But for my mother, as for most Americans, the disconnect didn’t seem to register.
I’m not going to argue for the existence of a vast Zionist mechanism conspiring to shape our collective understanding of the conflict. I don’t think we need to elevate the discussion in such alarmist terms to make the point that when it comes to the issue of Israel and Palestine, the mainstream narrative is biased. Consider the opening sentence of today’s New York Times editorial: Israel has the right to defend itself. Who could possibly argue that it doesn’t? The ethically inviolable right to self-defense is a constant refrain – offered time and time again as justification for Israeli military action as well as its unwavering US support. It is also the premise upon which most Western media coverage seems to be built. That Israel is defending itself is a relatively unchallenged assumption in the mainstream narrative. And because it is seen as the defender, Israel cannot logically be perceived as the aggressor.
But consider this fact – the Gaza strip is one of the most densely populated urban tracts in the world – 1.4 million people occupy an area roughly twice the size of Washington D.C. Its borders – land and sea – as well as its airspace, are controlled by Israel. Life in Gaza, as a Palestinian acquaintance related, is like living in an overcrowded prison. “For the news to say that Israel is “targeting” Hamas inside Gaza,” he explained “is like saying they are targeting a particular fish in a barrel full of them.” That it would be impossible for Israel to target individuals without killing scores of innocent civilians is as well-known to the Israeli military as it is to the terrorized citizens of Gaza. But the average American doesn’t know. And they’re certainly not going to get any hints from the mainstream media. “According to Western media, Palestinian civilians are killed only when they’re sheltering militants,” says my acquaintance. “We’re not sheltering anyone. They are among us because we are all trapped here. There is simply nowhere else to be.”
Where does defense stop and aggression begin? Where is the line between proportionate retaliation and collective punishment? These are questions for the media, mainstream and otherwise, to be aggressively exploring as they relate to this conflict. If the last eight years have taught us anything, its that when the media fails to be a vigilant, objective seeker of truth, dangerous disinformation is disseminated quickly and widely. Here, as it has so often in the past, I fear the media isn’t giving us the full story…and we’re not paying enough attention to ask. What do you think?
Electronics maker LG is sponsoring London’s fireworks display this year, helping the city ring in the new year by whoring up the deomonstration with LG’s brand colors, red and white.
The electronics maker told the Wall Street Journal that they hope to attach their brand to the optimistic feeling that’s associated with the new year. Good luck avoiding the hangover.
LG will be handing out hats and other paraphernalia before the display begins, and wants people to associate the logo colors with the fireworks colors. Per the article, there won’t be any exploding LG logo madness — just the colors.
Too bad this idea sucks. Look, we’re all about getting the name out there, and we understand why LG and London thought this was a good idea — yay, we need money and you have money so let’s team up…it’ll totally work. Wrongo, dudes. New Year’s is about restarting — and intermingling a brand with that idea is naive, at best. An LG rep told WSJ they don’t want to be crass or crude, but they left that thought behind by going ahead with this plan.
This holiday of holidays is meant to renew the spirit, and even though the spirit is helped along by champagne and other imbibements (made-up word), it doesn’t need some whorey city to slut itself out. Just this once, can’t we just keep our money grubbing hands in our pockets?
More: “Pepsi’s New Year’s Campaign is Unlevened“
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
Well, since most of you are still on vacation, we thought it wouldn’t hurt to inject a bit of new media into your lives. This morning, I had the pleasure of joining TVNewser.com’s Steve Krakauer on his daily blog radio show, Morning Media Menu. Steve is an Editor at TVNewser, which is part of the mediabistro family. Take a listen via the player above.
We cover a few interesting points — namely, a story in today’s NYT about how advertising dollars are still strong for network television (Personally, I think TV is going the way of the newspaper, but that’s just me). Check it out, and let us know what you think.
More: “No ‘Recession Specials’ in TV Ad Space“
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
AdAge is reporting today about the projected ad spending drop we’re currently wading in, and notes that we’re probably in the middle of a three year slump. Well how about that. Read about it here if somehow you missed that we’re in a downturn. Darn you, cyclical capitalist economy!
More: “Ogilvy’s Recession Plan“
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
The Wall Street Journal reported today that upcoming superhero flick, Watchmen is copyrighted by 20th Century Fox — a fact that would under most circumstances not be newsworthy — oh, except that Warner Bros. is the company that actually produced the thing. What’s this hiccup going to mean for WB’s profits?
Not sure if you know this, but in the movies, it’s all about how much money a movie can make. Much of the revenue movies make comes from post-theater distribution: DVDs, Netflix/Blockbuster rentals, et cetera. So when 20th Century Fox claimed it owned a copyright on Watchmen, a judge agreed, meaning WB will have to share some portion of its winnings.
We bet Fox is happy they decided to pass on the film a decade ago — who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch? For WB, it’s probably going to be an expensive bath since the project is based on one of the all-time best-selling graphic novels. How did Harvey Weinstein not get in on this?
Aforementioned judge will make a more detailed ruling in the nearish future about what portion of the take will go to Fox. Hollywood may be recession proof, but you know some legal aid just got his ass fired.
More: “Ad Spend Going From TV To Movies? Is That Really The Best Plan?“
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
Tough economic times got you down? Wish you could go back to the days when advertising wasn’t so volatile? Well, you can’t — but a new beverage promises to help you feel calm about whatever you’re dealing with, without giving you one of those pesky hangover things. ViB (pronounced “vibe” — and no, this doesn’t have anything to do with the Virginia Institute for the Blind) is the latest in canned bullshit technology, and as far as we can tell, it makes you feel like you’ve just smoked a certain green herb. Copiously.
“Hopelessness. Anxiety. Burnout. These are concepts everyone can empathize with in these uncertain times. Happiness is taken for granted, as is the relaxation that’s a byproduct of stress-relief. Stress is not just a problem — it’s the problem. Everyone longs for an escape from their problems; a vacation; a place where they can go to be happy; a place from where they return and share their happiness with everyone around them. ViB is your vacation in a bottle.”
David Ibsen over at “5 Blogs Before Lunch” turned us on to this fascinating new product, which can be purchased at 7-Elevens and Albertson’s. We’ll stick to headache inducing beverages of another sort for now, but let us know if you think ViB is the right product to fill the under-represented calming-beverage market. Look out Chamomile.
More: “Red Bull Gives You… uh… Cola?“
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The story immediately below this post talks about Cesario Migliozzi‘s plan to create an eight-way ad for the upcoming Superbowl. Yesterday, AdWeek published NBC’s statements on the issue, which noted that the deal was “dead” and “and there is no way” is was going to happen. The agency is now asking NBC (via lawyer) to retract those comments, calling them “defamatory.”
“At this time we are demanding a full retraction of these statements by NBC,” states the letter.
A source close to the matter told AgencySpy that as of Monday, all signs were go for the co-branded plan (recall, eight brands would buy-in to a $3 million spot during the SUperbowl) — and that almost overnight, arrangements that were made with NBC had completely dissolved. Leading up to yesterday’s news that NBC was not playing ball, we’re told network sales reps. were more than intrigued by the opportunity and the creative strategy CM was employing to sell their ad space.
“(The agency’s plans) were basically protecting (NBC’s) rate card,” said a source familiar with the matter, referring to the plan to charge each contributor $395,000. The spy went on to say that NBC was even offering kick-off time slots, space that’s highly sought after.
Reasons for NBC’s decision to pull out of the deal (and negate it as a possibility) are speculative at best. But if we were spending $3 million and found out we could have bought placement for um, 10 percent of that cost, we’d be pissed at NBC. Just sayin’.
The statements at issue are as follows: “Furthermore, an NBC rep said it was never in the cards,” and “‘It’s dead,’ reinforced an NBC rep, who insisted that the agency was never upfront about the exact plan until it went public yesterday.”
In a letter to NBC, CM’s lawyer writes, “These statements are untrue and desperate attempts to quell complaints from your existing advertisers to the detriment of my client. My client has been very forthcoming about its intent to co-brand the advertisements…”
According to the letter, Michael Migliozzi, who is the CM staffer that was dealing with NBC’s LA office, left a voice mail with Seth Winter at NBC, explaining his intent. That was “on or about” Dec. 15. Corbin Snelleman of NBC Sports and Olympic Sales Los Angeles returned the call, at which time he and Mr. Migliozzi apparently had “open and frank” conversations about the co-branded plan.
“For (NBC) to turn around is bullshit,” said our source.
Following the aforementioned conversations, CM issue a press release on Dec. 19th, last Friday, further detailing their plans. But by late evening the following night, the whole thing had basically disintegrated. AgencySpy is told that at least six brands were “firmly committed,” and a handful of others were being considered. Word from our source is that those negotiations have likely fallen through, meaning lost revenue for CM.
As best as anyone can tell, the groundwork was laid for this plan to succeed. But NBC’s reversal suggests greater concerns are at play — or at least that the network has taken issue with CM’s plan to dice up the ad space, so to speak. Maybe they didn’t want to start a trend, or as we mentioned earlier, fears of how clients would react may have been at play. Whatever the case, Cesario Migliozzi feels they were defamed.
Click continued to see the cease and desist we received.
We’ll have more for you on this matter as it happens.
More: “NBC Sacks 8-way Superbowl Ad“
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
NBC representatives say the eight-way superbowl ad deal with Los Angeles-based ad shop Cesario Migliozzi will not happen, according to Adweek. The so-called spot would cost each advertiser an estimated $395,000 — covering the $3 million for NBC’s ad space and an additional $160,000 for creative.
But, what would an 8-way-ad look like, anyway? We surmise the difficulty in executing such a feat was part of NBC’s decision to deny. Seth Winter, senior vp sports and Olympics sales at NBC said, “We’ve not given them permission, and there is no way we are going to.”
To us, this is another example of how TV advertising is a ginormous waste of money. Yeah, it’s the superbowl, but dropping $395,000 to share ad space with seven brands — each with its own message — well let’s just say we wouldn’t envy the agency charged with making all of them happy. And doing it on budget.
Inevitably, at least one of the clients would be of the type that was stretching his budget to be part of the project — and his concern for how his money was being spent would be the wrench that ruined it all. Kudos to NBC for stopping this before it got started. Though, we would love to see the train wreck.
More: “Truth of Michelin Ads Called into Question“
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
