Archive for July, 2008
New York Magazine Buys MenuPages Site
Monday, July 14th, 2008
New York Media, the magazine?s publisher, bought MenuPages.com for an undisclosed price, and will maintain it as a stand-alone Web site.
Media Talk: Big-Time Cable News to Small-Town Paper
Monday, July 14th, 2008
Roger Ailes, the chairman of Fox News, liked his local newspaper so much he decided to buy it.
Advertising: Product Placements Acquire a Life of Their Own on Shows
Monday, July 14th, 2008
Product placements woven into the plots of popular shows are a growing concern to the Federal Communications Commission and consumer groups.
Disney Taps Into Blu-ray?s Interactive Technology
Monday, July 14th, 2008
The Walt Disney Company, along with the broader entertainment industry, is counting on ?Sleeping Beauty? to help awaken interest in Blu-ray DVDs.
The Media Equation: Obama Girls Get Their 15 Minutes
Monday, July 14th, 2008
Senator Barack Obama finds himself on the tightrope that all politicians walk when trotting out their families.
Media Talk: Chihuahuas in Headdresses? I Cringe, You Cringe
Monday, July 14th, 2008
People are making videos of their strong reactions to the trailer for Disney?s ?Beverly Hills Chihuahua.?
Back-to-School Shopping Ads Take Cues From Hollywood
Monday, July 14th, 2008
The saying that you cannot tell the players without a scorecard is being refreshed for the back-to-school shopping season.
To Reach Mothers, Wal-Mart Signs Deal With an NBC Unit
Monday, July 14th, 2008
Forget about support groups, posses and circles of friends. The first advertising deal for a new unit of NBC Universal, signed with Wal-Mart Stores, is all about the ?momtourage.?
A Comic Book Superhero Is Headed to Small Screens
Monday, July 14th, 2008
The animated adventures of the comic book superhero Invincible will soon be available on iTunes, mobile phones, the television channel MTV2 and more.
Advertising in Europe Softens, and More Goes to the Internet
Monday, July 14th, 2008
European advertising executives are worried that European marketers will slash ad budgets, as many of their counterparts have already done in America.
SERP Position: It Ain’t Horseshoes
Sunday, July 13th, 2008
Close enough may get you points in horseshoes, but it doesn't cut it in search. More than 90 percent of all search referrals are from results on the first page. If your website doesn't rank for relevant terms on page one, you might as well be invisible.
SearchDay: Creative Messaging in a Direct Response World
Sunday, July 13th, 2008
Today's search engine marketing news and opinion: Creative Messaging in a Direct Response World; SEO Basics: Effective Iterative Keyword Research in 2008; Local Advertisers Shifting Dollars to Internet; and more.
In India, Magazines That Translate Well
Sunday, July 13th, 2008
An explosion of Western magazines has hit newsstands in India in the past year, pitching a familiar mix of gossip, relationship advice and expensive goodies.
Video Games: Anticipating What?s New at Video-Game Trade Show
Sunday, July 13th, 2008
Thoughts on the state of some of the industry?s giants and what to look for at the annual E3 show.
3-D Movie in the Top 5 at Weekend Box Office
Sunday, July 13th, 2008
?Journey to the Center of the Earth? sold a modest $20.6 million in tickets at North American theaters over the weekend, placing third among the five highest-grossing films for the period.
At Sun Valley, a Party for Those Who Move the Moguls
Sunday, July 13th, 2008
In Idaho, the pilots and flight crews who cater to media chieftains, technology pioneers, Hollywood studio executives are treated to a party of their own.
ESPN, Now a Behemoth, Still at Home in Tiny Bristol
Sunday, July 13th, 2008
ESPN has been a good native son to Bristol. The behemoth doesn?t shy away from the fact that it is based in a place decidedly less glamorous than Los Angeles or New York.
Guardian Buys Publisher of PaidContent Web Site
Saturday, July 12th, 2008
Guardian News and Media, the publisher of two British newspapers, purchased the homegrown media company ContentNext for a reported $30 million.
F.C.C. Chairman Favors Penalty on Comcast
Friday, July 11th, 2008
The move stems from a complaint that Comcast had blocked Internet traffic among users of a certain type of software that allowed them to exchange large amounts of data.
Leaders of Actors? Union Call Offer Unacceptable
Friday, July 11th, 2008
Leaders of the Screen Actors Guild declined a final offer for a new labor contract and an alliance of Hollywood production companies demanded a vote by the union?s members.
Advertising: Olympic Sponsors to Benefit Under a Tougher Stance in China
Friday, July 11th, 2008
The Chinese government will begin restricting advertising space in Beijing, giving preference to the official sponsors of the Olympic Games.
In Deepening Ad Decline, Sales Fall 8% at Magazines
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
Magazine ad sales fell more than 8 percent in the second quarter, with the steepest drops in ads for vehicles and for computers and related equipment.
Architect Supports Changes to Times Tower
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
Renzo Piano said he supported plans by officials of The New York Times to alter the facade of the newspaper?s year-old building, which he designed, to prevent people from scaling the tower.
SearchDay: Can Google Predict the Next President?
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
Today's search engine marketing news and opinion: Can Google Predict the Next President?; Link Building Ideas for Local Auto Dealers; Yahoo Plans Reorg: More Centralization; and more.
Advertising: WPP Group Seeks to Buy Taylor Nelson Sofres
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
The move by WPP pushed GfK, the preferred merger partner of Taylor Nelson Sofres, to scramble to put together a higher bid for the British market research company.
Bits: Ad-Targeting Companies and Critics Prepare for Senate Scrutiny
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
The Senate Commerce Committee was to hold a hearing Wednesday to look at the policy issues raised by advertising that is targeted to the online behavior of Internet users.
Interpublic Tries Once Again to Group Media Operations
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
The move is another sign of the growing importance of deciding where marketers place advertising, how much they pay and how they apportion ads between traditional and digital media.
Redstone Says No to Anointing His Daughter
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
In an interview, Sumner M. Redstone, chairman of Viacom and CBS, said that his daughter was no longer the company?s heir apparent.
Bloomberg L.P. Consolidates in a Revamping of Divisions
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008
Bloomberg announced a revamping intended to play up its growing assets in television, radio and Internet content.
Bits: Great Photo on Flickr? Getty Images Might Pay You for It
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008
In a partnership with Flickr, Getty Images will comb through the photo-sharing site to find images that can be marketed and licensed, sharing the licensing fees with the photographers.
Many Movie Theaters Decide to Leave the Bat Signal on Till Dawn
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008
Fans of ?The Dark Knight? have bought so many late-night tickets for the July 18 opening, some theaters are scheduling 6 a.m. screenings.
WPP Group Seeks to Buy Taylor Nelson Sofres
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008
WPP Group, the advertising and marketing company, said it had made a hostile bid for the British market research company Taylor Nelson Sofres.
Ex-Prosecutor?s Book Accuses Bush of Murder
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008
Vincent Bugliosi has written three No. 1 best sellers, but his latest entry on the best-seller list ? a polemic with a provocative title ? has largely been ignored by the press.
Aftra Votes for Deal With Hollywood Producers
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists dealt a blow to the efforts of another actors? union.
Some Press for More Notice of Transition in TV
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008
Officials say last-minute demand for digital converter boxes could be so overwhelming that millions of people -- many of them elderly, low-income or disabled -- will lose service.
Nickelback Signs Up With Live Nation
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008
By signing the Canadian rock band, Live Nation took another step toward expanding its role at the center of the music industry.
Advertising: Ad Spending Forecast Lowered Again
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
A leading forecaster of advertising spending has again cut his prediction for growth this year amid weakness in the U.S. economy and difficulties among media like newspapers and radio.
Fox Network Adds Journal Columnist
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
The Wall Street Journal?s personal technology columnist Walt Mossberg will contribute regularly to its corporate sibling the Fox Business Network.
The Media Equation: When Fox News Is the Story
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
At Fox News, media relations is a kind of rolling opposition research operation intended to keep reporters in line.
Washington Post Signals Shift With a New Editor
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
The choice of Marcus W. Brauchli as the new top editor of The Washington Post represents a generational change.
Advertising: Whichever Screen, People Are Watching
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
The time spent in front of the television screen and in front of the computer screen continues to increase, a report found.
Energetic Rabbits, Melt-Proof Candies and Other Advertising Coups
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
The new exhibition on advertising at the Science, Industry and Business Library wants to give a twist to the ?Mad Men? series.
SearchDay: SEO Issues with Global Expansion
Monday, July 7th, 2008
Today's search engine marketing news and opinion: SEO Issues with Global Expansion; Domain Strategies for Search Engine Optimization; Yahoo! Mobile Expands Partnerships in Asian/Pacific Region; and more.
SearchDay: Google Mobile Advertising on the Content Network
Monday, July 7th, 2008
Today's search engine marketing news and opinion: Google Mobile Advertising on the Content Network; SEO Baseline: U.S. Presidential Election 2008; Agency Leadership -- Imparting Your Vision; and more.
Gap Widens Between Morning TV Competitors
Monday, July 7th, 2008
Since the start of the year NBC?s ?Today? is up about 3 percent, leading ABC?s ?Good Morning America,? which is down 6 percent, by about 1.2 million viewers a week.
Late-Period Limbaugh
Monday, July 7th, 2008
Bush is wildly unpopular. McCain is nobody?s idea of a movement guy. Conservatism is cracking up. What?s the king of talk radio to do?
It?s American Brandstand: Marketers Underwrite Performers
Monday, July 7th, 2008
Procter & Gamble, the consumer goods giant, is part of a wave of companies getting into the music business to promote their own products.
Advertising: New Efforts to Make Long Commercial Breaks Sizzle
Monday, July 7th, 2008
For the 2008-9 television season, the networks are betting on unconventional content meant to entice viewers to pay attention during the commercial breaks.
Weather Channel Is Sold to NBC and Equity Firms
Monday, July 7th, 2008
An investor group led by NBC Universal and two private equity firms clinched a deal to pay about $3.5 billion for the channel.
Media Talk: Tracking the Olympics Audience Across the NBC Media Universe
Monday, July 7th, 2008
To provide advertisers a portrait of its Olympics viewership, NBC will be relying on TAMI, an amalgam of existing yardsticks.
