Religious holiday's originis too wild to tame into commercialism
Slate Mar 23, 08 8:00 AM CDT
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Christmas’ religious meaning is lost in a sea of advertising, parties, and major retail dollars, but Easter has resisted becoming a “consumerist nightmare”—and that’s because its Christian origins demand serious thought, writes James Martin in Slate . While “the Christmas story is easily reduced to pablum,” Easter’s story of crucifixion and resurrection is “relentlessly disconcerting,” Martin observes.
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Spears cover story raises eyebrows among loyal readers
Advertising Age Mar 12, 08 4:59 PM CDT
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Loyal Atlantic subscribers are in for a shock: Britney Spears graces the April cover. Though the magazine has showcased Marilyn Monroe and Humphrey Bogart, the prime real estate granted to the pop-tart has some questioning the effect dropping advertising and newsstand sales are having on the venerable journal's direction—and how such changes affect other magazines on the remake.
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German firm pushes screen-back billboards at universities
Der Spiegel Mar 12, 08 2:00 PM CDT
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A German company has a solution for university students who spend their time in cafés and need extra cash for coffee: laptop advertisements, Der Spiegel reports. Just slap a sticker on the back of your screen and you could earn $320 for a few months of public studying. Berlin-based Smaboo has 1,200 students hawking its clients' products in 30 German cities.
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Downturn worse than expected by Rupe, who won't fight for Yahoo
Reuters Mar 11, 08 4:35 AM CDT
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The last month has made media boss Rupert Murdoch "a lot more pessimistic" about the outlook for the US economy, Reuters reports. Ad revenue is below expectations at his TV stations and newspapers and he expects "a temporary downturn for a year or so" at Dow Jones, the News Corp. boss told a media conference yesterday. It's the strongest public statement yet among top media leaders concerning fears about a pending advertising recession.
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Company says it's part of a plan to reduce accidental ad traffic
MarketWatch Mar 11, 08 1:52 AM CDT
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Google's share price took a big hit after quarterly results released last week showed the number of paid-for-clicks on advertising flattening out, but the company says the fall is actually good news, MarketWatch reports. Google bosses say the drop is all part of their plan to improve the quality of service by reducing the number of unintentional clicks.
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OPINION
The Nike of the field draws praise from marketing experts
Salon Mar 3, 08 3:40 PM CST
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Hillary Clinton is the sturdy candidate resembling Microsoft, John McCain evokes Hummer, and Mike Huckabee’s the Applebee’s of the field, but only Barack Obama "has the secret sauce that Brand America needs to regain its appeal." media consultant Jeff Yang writes in Salon. Yang is part of a team studying the "brand's" international standing, and he shares some insights.
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Candidates trade Texas ads playing on experience ahead of vital vote
Chicago Tribune Mar 1, 08 7:28 AM CST
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Barack Obama threw Hillary Clinton's "red phone" ad right back at her yesterday—with a twist, the Chicago Tribune reports. Clinton's ad showed sleeping children, with a voice intoning that it's 3am, and a phone is ringing the White House. “Who do you want answering the phone?” Barack's rejoinder, with almost identical imagery: “When that call gets answered, shouldn’t the president be the one—the only one—who had the judgment and courage to oppose the Iraq war from the start?”
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Jocular tie-in to Will Ferrell character to revamp brand
Los Angeles Times Feb 27, 08 12:10 PM CST
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In its latest move to shed its image as a '70s relic, Old Spice has hired a '70s relic as its spokesman: the Afro-ed, headband-sporting basketball player Jackie Moon. Old Spice hopes Moon, a Will Ferrell character starring in the upcoming Semi-Pro , will attract the coveted young male demographic with humor, the LA Times reports.
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Owners put trade paper on block to focus on alternative media
Los Angeles Times Feb 22, 08 12:39 PM CST
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Hollywood trade paper Variety is on the auction block, the Los Angeles Times reports. Anglo-Dutch owner Reed Elsevier is selling a publishing operation that produces the 103-year-old Variety and hundreds of other titles, including Publisher's Weekly . The sale is part of Reed Elsevier's strategy to ditch advertising-dependent publications to focus on subscription-based offerings and information services less vulnerable to downswings.
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Peacock plans to stagger show introductions throughout the year
New York Times Feb 20, 08 4:37 PM CST
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NBC appears to have followed through on pledges to use the writers' strike as a springboard to changing the television industry, ditching traditional fall debuts of new shows for staggered introductions throughout the year. The move is designed so the network can keep things fresh, and work more closely with advertisers, the New York Times reports.
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With alcohol abuse on the rise, president pushes for even more regulation
Christian Science Monitor Feb 20, 08 10:03 AM CST
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The president of Brazil is pushing for stricter alcohol regulations following the release of two studies showing more Brazilians are abusing alcohol and at an earlier age, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The government has already temporarily banned the sale of alcohol on federal highways, and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants Congress to limit daytime alcohol advertising on TV and radio.
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Iconic campaign dumped after high-end vodkas steal brand's thunder
Advertising Age Feb 19, 08 10:55 AM CST
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Absolut is selling a lot more vodka now that it's dumped one of the world's best-known ad campaigns, Advertising Age reports. The Swedish brand and its arty ads featuring the iconic bottle had been a big hit since entering the US market in 1979, but sales were flat before the launch of the "Absolut World" campaign last year. Now global shipments have spiked 9%.
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