Deft Agency » Industry News

TV Network Upfronts Make No Sense

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:43:02 +0000

I suppose everyone knows this already but in a time where everything is getting more transparent TV networks are still managing to pull one over on advertisers. And according to Jim Edwards in this article at BNET, advertisers don’t care. He makes a pretty strong case for advertisers getting *more* screwed than ever in these deals as audiences fragment and go online. I guess if it were me I’d try to squeeze as much out of the dying beast as possible too.

Yahoo Acquires Associated Content

admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 12:41:31 +0000

Yahoo has bought content mill and page view generator Associated Content. Yahoo’s new property specializes in cranking out content about hot topics determined algorithmically using 350,000+ contributors. This kind of low-cost content (and often low-quality) is turning up more and more around in search engines as publishers attempt to eek a margin out of their sites.

Yahoo has been successful at getting premium ad rates for content created by professional journalists in the past so this acquisition is a big endorsement for the new school of wide and shallow journalism.

AOL Rebrands To Stave Off Implosion

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:24:56 +0000

Amid announcements of mass layoffs (around a third!), AOL revealed that it’s now “Aol.” to you, punk.

Arigato, running man.

Skip Button added to YouTube Pre-Roll Advertising

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:09:44 +0000

The problem of making money on Internet video isn’t any closer to being solved but Google just took one step towards a better user experience on its YouTube website by adding a skip button to pre-roll advertising. The company says is wants to learn which ads users decide to skip as a measure of quality. It would make sense that this development is a step towards performance based pricing.

Kellogg’s Cocoa Krispies Box Regulated by USA Today

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:23:35 +0000

So this ridiculous Cocoa Krispies Box implies that eating sugary cereal will protect your kids from H1N1 aka Swine Flu. Obviously this is a dubious claim but the fact is, of course, that H1N1, while scary, is a only a minor threat to the well-being of America’s youths.

This fact did not deter USA Today from publishing an article resulting in Kellogg’s removing the claim from their box. Perhaps a compelling argument for self-regulation?

I’m reminded of this cartoon by xkcd which serves as proof that marketers will always find a way to irritate me via cereal boxes.

Nonprofit News in Texas

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:39:35 +0000

The Texas Tribune, a non-profit news website, launched this week. It’s hard not to be cynical about the future of a such an organization while traditional journalism is struggling to define its raison d’etre to the YouTube generation. It’s made especially difficult for the Tribune after it gets called out by the Austin Chronicle for paying its top 5 employees a total of more than $800,000 per year, a hefty sum for a nonprofit startup.

Mesothelioma a Big Earner for Google

admin — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:46:38 +0000

According to this report from AdGooroo, Google charges $99.44 per click on ads accompanying search results for the keyword “mesothelioma”. Yikes! I guess all the ambulance chasers have finally made it online. Mesothelioma, it turns out, is cancer caused from exposure to asbestos.

The Beancast – Marketing Advertising Podcast

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:44:56 +0000

I just discovered The Beancast which is a really quality marketing podcast. The latest episode covers the new FTC endorsement rules, Twitter premium accounts and Facebook gifts among other things and features as guests, Åsk Wäppling of Adland.tv, Ken Wheaton of AdAge.com and Alan Wolk of Toad Stool Consultants.

Ralph Lauren Is Old And Doesn’t Understand

admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:44:53 +0000

Ralph Lauren has turned an advertising blunder into a PR crisis. The designer sent a cease-and-desist to two blogs, Boing Boing and Photoshop Disasters, regarding the insane advertisement above.

Of course the blogosphere has latched on to the debacle increasing the embarassment.

Sony Comes Out Against Unauthorized Nazi PS3 Ad

admin — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:18:57 +0000

The ad above was apparently created expressly to fool judging panels. Agencies creating potentially harmful ads about clients to get accolades from peers is a best counter-productive and at worst self-destructive.

Here’s what BBDO Chile, the responsible party, had to say about it:

This creative design did not involve and was never approved by Sony Computer Entertainment or Sony. This ‘mock campaign’ was developed by BBDO Chile staff and was submitted to various creative competitions/festivals without prior notification or approval from SCE/Sony, and it is not representative of the views or advertising policies of SCE/Sony. BBDO Chile apologizes for using this creative concept without authorization or prior approval, and for its misrepresentation of the PlayStation brand.

(Via .)