As more and more companies try to make “viral videos” a part of their marketing budget YouTube gets flooded with more and more uninteresting viral video failures. A&E successfully managed to buck this trend with a bunch of gold pants in a new promo for Hammertime starring, you guessed it, MC Hammer. This is what Imrprov Everywhere would look like if trained dancers showed up to their events instead of nerdy New Yorkers.
Digg has plans to roll out a new ad format that they are calling “Social Ads.” The new format looks very similar to regular user submitted stories and can be voted up or down by users. The move comes at a time when many voices in the online advertising industry are talking about the abysmal performance of display advertising, especially on social websites.
Google has been been rewarding their advertisers based on performance for some time with their Quality Score. Facebook introduced ads that look largely identical to user generated content but it hasn’t been enough to make the site profitable.
It will be interesting to see how users react to the new ad formats, no doubt those who run social websites will be watching the experiment closely and with great hope.
Hulu is has succeeded to inspire at least one advertiser to try brand-building on the fledgling online TV platform. Pepsi produced 15 second retro commercials to promote their new retro Throwback drink which they are running against TV shows from 70′s and 80′s on Hulu.
I expect this is a very exciting vote of confidence for the people at Hulu. When I watch their programming I notice a large percentage of their ad slots filled with PSA’s.
This 3d model superimposed in your webcam video is a neat trick. Jack Links Beef Jerkey is using it to bring Sasquatch to your iPhone (or printer) with Living Sasquatch. I’m not sure how it sells beef jerky but I am sure that tons of flash developers at agencies of all sizes are selling it to clients right now.
General Mills has launched a new website, MyBlogSpark, that helps them distribute free products and coupons to bloggers who frequently run giveaways for their audiences. MyBlogSpark currently has more than 900 bloggers, more than 80% of which are mothers.
Bloggers are seen by some as wildcards, amateur journalists with no formal code of ethics or editorial integrity. General Mills is asking members of MyBlogSpark to consult with the site before posting negative reviews. From the site: “If you feel you cannot write a positive post regarding the product or service, please contact the MyBlogSpark team before posting any content.”
Even if its approach is somewhat flawed, General Mills is ahead of the curve for a company of its size. MyBlogSpark is an interesting experiment to watch, and if it works, one to copy.
In the vein of the YouTube Warioland Shake ad Honda has a new ad for the Insight that unexpectedly uses the the entire page ascanvas instead of the standard video window.
It’s so obvious you might miss it happening before your eyes. After years of gloom and doom forecasts for the newspaper business it’s finally go time. The Rocky Mountain News and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer have stopped printing. The New York Times is cutting jobs, slashing pay, freezing dividends and selling off assets.
Now that the new crop of local sites like EveryBlock, Outside.in, Placeblogger, Examiner and Patch have begun replacing your hometown rag we put out of our minds the matter of when and consider how well.
Sprint, the #3 U.S. wireless provider, is trying to make data their game by addressing spam filters, Youtube, Twitter and dubbing their network the “Now Network”. This execution is great, the accompanying campaign website is great, can the Goodby Silverstein & Partners advertising initiative move the needle? We’re betting that the Palm Pre is going to be the real deal maker.
Trent Reznor has always been very progressive when it comes to embracing new technology. From hosting fan-made remixes on his official fan site to the brand new Nine Inch Nails iPhone app. The app provides an optimized interface for the official nin.com website, including audio, video and localized discussions based on your geographic location (think concerts).
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Americans continue to shun carbonated soft drinks, leading to the fourth consecutive year of sales volume declines in the category. Consumers are drinking the same amount of soft drinks they did more than a decade ago.
(Via Advertising Age – News.)
Agency Layoffs