How companies can make the most of user-generated content

he success of online participatory media—video-sharing sites and corporate wikis alike—depends on the quality contributions of a small core of enthusiasts.

McKinsey Quarterly, August 31, 2007 — Technologies that foster online collaboration and participation—for example, blogs that solicit customer feedback and wikis that allow employees to work together on documents—are gaining traction throughout the corporate world.1 Few companies, however, have a clear understanding of what inspires users to contribute to such sites. Executives might start by looking to the world of online video sharing, another fast-growing test bed for participation. McKinsey research conducted in Germany finds that motives such as a desire for fame and a feeling of identification with a community encourage collaboration and participation.

Mending a Bruised Image

New York Times, August 30, 2007 — In one spot, a father sits on the sofa with his young children, reading to them from a large book while a daughter nestles her head on his neck.

In another, a man talks on the telephone to his mother — telling her “I love you” — then tells the camera that she encouraged him to play football as a child to keep him out of trouble.

In a third, a man describes his goal of going to law school and talks about how hard he worked as a student at Notre Dame.

The latest Hallmark campaign? No, the National Football League.

Concerned by growing uneasiness among fans and marketers about athletes gone wild, the league is embarking on an effort to burnish its brand image by accentuating the positive aspects of the on- and off-field lives of its... continue reading

8 Of 10 Americans Know About Blogs; Half Visit Them Regularly

Marketing Daily, August 29, 2007 — IT'S GETTING TO THE POINT where everybody knows what a blog is.

According to an exclusive Marketing Daily study, eight out of 10 Americans know what "blog" means, and almost half have visited the blogosphere--some as often as daily.

Business Blogging Still Rare

Few firms willing to enter blogosphere.

eMarketer, August 29, 2007 — Only 5% of UK corporations use blogs on a regular basis, according to the WebTrends-commissioned "Marketing in the Dark" report, conducted by Loudhouse Research in January 2007. WebTrends contrasted this finding with the 85% of marketers who thought an effective Web presence was important in achieving sales and marketing objectives.

From Cheap Stand-In to Shelf Star†

Food Retailers Put Spotlight On Store-Brand Products, To Dismay of Sara Lee, Kraft

Wall Street Journal, August 29, 2007 — When Zarlacht Atiqzoy, a Dallas mother of two, went grocery shopping at a Target supercenter recently, she was surprised to find a bottle of dipping oil flavored with pomegranates and apricots. The oil, from a brand called Archer Farms, "sounded so good and was so unusual that I didn't mind paying the $7, which isn't cheap," she says. She was even more surprised when she turned over the bottle and learned the oil was actually made by Target Corp. "I didn't expect Target to be so creative," she says.

Chips, Dip and Nintendo Wii†

Consumers of All Ages Are Throwing Video-Game Parties, and Advertisers Want in on the Fun

Advertising Age, August 28, 2007 — Just after Christmas last year, Evite staffers began to notice Nintendo's Wii video-game system popping up in search queries, idea forums and party themes. In fact, they were seeing more than 100 Wii parties a month. So in March, the online-party-invite specialist launched dedicated Wii party-planning pages. This month, it added invitations including actual Wii avatars, games and themes.

What's a Smart Way to Advertise on Social Networks?†

Initiative's Joshua Sarpen Did a Study to Find Out

Advertising Age, August 28, 2007 — With millions of consumers logging on each day, social networks may seem like a no-brainer way for marketers to reach consumers. But some are still wary of a medium that doesn't have metrics to back it up, said Joshua Sarpen, manager of Initiative Insight and Futures.

At 30,000 Feet, Finding a Captive Audience for Advertising

New York Times, August 27, 2007 — “Please return your seatbacks and tray tables to their upright and locked position — and start reading the advertisement that is staring you in the face.” O.K., you won’t actually hear that last part as the flight attendants prepare an aircraft for landing. But as airlines look for new sources of revenue to offset rising fuel costs, more carriers are turning planes into marketing vehicles, installing advertising in hard-to-miss places.

Coke's Got Many Digital Pushes, but One Goal: Brand Experience†

Soda Maker's Interactive Chief on How to Deliver Compelling Ideas to Wide Range of Global Markets

Advertising Age, August 27, 2007 — NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Coca-Cola Co.'s new chief marketing officer, Joe Tripodi, will have a new global interactive chief to turn to when he starts. While her title is new, Carol Kruse knows her way around the beverage giant, having managed Coke's online advertising, customer-relationship marketing, and online and gaming marketing over the past six years.

Print and Digital Need Not Compete

The Web is effective, but some find it intrusive.

eMarketer, August 27, 2007 — The printed word still holds a strong pull for many consumers, according to Deloitte & Touche's "State of the Media Democracy" study, conducted by the Harrison Group in March 2007. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they would rather read the printed version of a magazine even if they could get the same information online.

Survey: To Reach College Students, Brands Need to Use Internet

Marketing Charts, August 27, 2007 — As college students prepare to invade campuses, marketers can best reach and build relationships with this demo of up-and-coming consumers via the internet, which students prefer to both TV and radio, according to a recent Burst Media study of college students

U.S. Weakly: American Brands Take Hits†

Gfk Roper Study Shows Coke and Other Giants Losing Likability Abroad

Advertising Age, August 27, 2007 — Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Colgate-Palmolive and Kodak are among blue-chip U.S. brands taking a beating when it comes to how liked they are around the world, according to a study by GfK Roper Consulting, in part because of their country of origin. Attitudes toward Americans and their culture are increasingly negative, said Jennifer James, senior consultant at Roper. "Our foreign policy has contributed."

Colleges Perfect for Word of Mouth

Young adults seek friends' recommendations.

eMarketer, August 23, 2007 — College students, like many young people, are strongly influenced by word of mouth and look to their friends for advice. With the rise of social networking, blogs and viral video, this group has many new user-generated sources for information about products and services.

Bloggers Key Marketing Aid For Wizarding World Theme Park

MediaPost Publications, August 22, 2007 — UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT IS INVITING opinions from fans and bloggers when deciding the taste of butterbeer sold at Hog's Head tavern and chocolate frogs from Honeydukes--delicacies whisked from the pages of J.K. Rowling's best-selling Harry Potter novels and into a high-tech theme park scheduled to open in Florida by 2010.

Catching the European Mobile Market

European mobile customers may speak many different languages, but marketers everywhere are getting the message.

eMarketer, August 22, 2007 — "The European mobile market starts with two big advantages: a widespread, high-speed infrastructure and handset manufacturers that are among the best in the world," says John du Pre Gauntt, eMarketer Senior Analyst and author of the new report, Mobile Europe. "So it's no wonder that European mobile consumers are accustomed to switching easily between voice and data services."

Google Aims to Make YouTube Profitable With Ads

New York Times, August 22, 2007 — Ever since Google bought YouTube last November, it has avoided cluttering the site and the video clips themselves with ads, for fear of alienating its audience. The strategy helped cement YouTube’s position as the largest video Web site but didn’t do much to justify YouTube’s $1.65 billion price tag.

IBM Consumer Study: Internet Rivals Declining TV as Primary Media Source

Marketing Charts, August 22, 2007 — Audiences have more control and are increasingly savvier about filtering marketing messages, with serious repercussions for marketers, ad agencies, broadcasters, publishers and cable companies, according to a new IBM survey of consumer digital media and entertainment habits.

A School for Cat-Loving Consumers†

Meow Mix Acatemy Puts New Yorkers in Touch With Their Feline Side

Advertising Age, August 21, 2007 — Rain may have dampened on The Meow Mix Acatemy's official first day of school, but new students were eager to learn about how to think more like their feline friends. From Aug. 21 to Aug. 25, cat lovers and pet parents will have the chance to learn about the "true feelings" of their cats with a series of seminars hosted by Del Monte's Meow Mix.

Taiwan's top companies try to burst brand barrier†

Financial Times, August 21, 2007 — When Taiwanese smart-phone maker HTC launched its first own-brand phone in Asia this summer, it had professionals running the show: a dance theatre troupe was hired to perform the story of HTC's rapid rise from a tiny contract manufacturing outfit in 1997 to the world market leader for Windows-based smart- phones today. But the company unwittingly gave a demonstration of just how big a leap it was taking in building its own brand. When the troupe led chief executive Peter Chou on to the stage, he looked slightly awkward - an engineer among dancers.

Are Search Ads a Waste of Money?†

Adweek, August 20, 2007 — New research by Microsoft suggests a big chunk of search ad spending is wasted because advertisers pay top dollar for high ad placements clicked by consumers who are en route to their sites anyway. Listings tied to such "branded" keywords, typically a company's name or products, eat up about half of search budgets, Atlas estimates.

Class of 2011 Brandishes Connections, Consumer Clout

Marketing Charts, August 20, 2007 — The class of 2011 is heading back to campuses wielding more connections, concern and consumer clout than any class before them, according to a new study released by Alloy Media + Marketing, writes MediaBuyerPlanner. The 7th Annual Alloy College Explorer, conducted by Harris Interactive, finds that the class of 2011 (the largest college class in history) has evolved in three key areas: communication modality, purchase behavior, and concern over world issues.

In Mobile Advertising, Users Expect Something in Return

MarketingVox, August 20, 2007 — Despite growing opportunities for mobile advertising, ads on mobile internet and TV services are deemed "irritating" by consumers, according to a new study by Universal McCann.

Recent reports also suggest the world's 2 billion mobile users are turned off by tactics simply imported onto their phones from the desktop and TV. The solution to this problem may lie in offering a different value proposition to users in exchange for perceived "intrusions."

Is Wal-Mart a Brand Killer?

Brandchannel.com, August 20, 2007 — Love it or hate it, there is simply no other retailer quite like Wal-Mart. Read the brandchannel debate about the Wal-Mart brand and you’ll see what we mean.

Mags Write Up Plans to Leverage Video†

As Ad Bucks Head to Web, Essence, Others Create Original Programming

Advertising Age, August 20, 2007 — Reality TV is usually the province of big TV networks such as Fox, CBS, MTV and Bravo. Now a periodical is trying to make a name for itself in the genre as well — and in the process, show that it can be a player beyond paper and ink.

The High Price of Rapid Growth†

Expansion Is Great but If Brand Value Suffers, CMOs Must Be the Ones to Hit the Brakes

Advertising Age, August 20, 2007 — Internet-based auto-insurance dealer Esurance has been on a growth roll: 40% from 2005 to 2006 and 70% each of the three previous years. Credit smart marketing, mixing online and smart TV spots with a stylized cartoon character — Erin Esurance, they call her. And this year? The company is deliberately slowing down. Why? Killer brand is great. Killer brand and hot growth are better. But growth can outpace a company's ability to maintain the experience consumers expect from a company or product.

Why Web Video is the New 30-Second Spot†

Medium Delivers More Depth--for Half the Price

Advertising Age, August 20, 2007 — Christine Arnholt felt a bit woozy. And anything that conjures up symptoms of seasickness is not a good thing in cruise marketing, noted the VP-marketing services for Carnival. But as she leaned in for a first-person video view of a waterslide trip down churning rapids at funshipisland.com, it just felt so, well, real.

Now, the Clicking Is to Watch the Ads, Not Skip Them

New York Times, August 17, 2007 — FOR generations, advertising interrupted the entertainment that Americans wanted to read, hear or watch. Now, in a turnabout, advertising is increasingly being presented as entertainment — and surprisingly, the idea of all ads, all the time, is gaining some favor.

Some Advice for Targeting College-Age Consumers†

Alloy: Ultra-Relevant Messaging and Word-of-Mouth Key to Grabbing Demo's Attention

Advertising Age, August 17, 2007 — In 2007, the number of college students aged 18 to 30 will be the largest in history, and the importance of understanding that generation's media habits, purchase behavior and thoughts on social and political issues is at an all-time high as well.

New ad tactics can weather economic woes: BBDO

Reuters, August 16, 2007 — Companies worried about a U.S. economic slowdown should think twice before cutting their marketing budgets, particularly when it comes to money earmarked for more unconventional types of advertising.

WOM: Teens Speak Another Language, Face Time Is Crucial

Marketing Daily, August 15, 2007 — WHEN IT COMES TO BUILDING positive brand word-of-mouth (WOM) among teenagers, the action isn't all on the Internet. In fact, almost two-thirds of information and opinions about products and services is exchanged face-to-face, according to a new study by the Keller Fay Group marketing research firm.

Selling Television Sets by Turning Up the Glamour

Brands are trying to break away from their reliance on 30-second television spots, which some marketers fear have lost their effectiveness.

New York Times, August 14, 2007 — WHILE audiences might have to wait until autumn to see “My Blueberry Nights,” the first English-language feature from the Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai, they can catch a shorter film from Mr. Wong while shopping for fashionable clothing or jewelry in Paris.

The five-minute film is actually an advertisement for a new television from Philips Electronics, a high-end flat-screen model called Aurea.

Successful Social Marketers Give 'Em Somethin' To Talk About

MediaPost Publications, August 14, 2007 — BRAND MARKETERS FACE A CONUNDRUM. They know there are scads of consumers online talking about their products, but much of the commentary is merely noise. What they're looking for are the consumers who are real advocates for their brands, even though these types rarely blog.

Toyota's Club Scion Gives Socializers A Lift At There.com

MediaPost Publications, August 14, 2007 — TOYOTA'S SCION DIVISION HAS ENTERED a second Second Life. Actually, a fourth. Toyota's Gen Y car division has this year created a presence on Whyville.com, Gaia.com, Second Life, and now, There.com. For the latter, the company--with help from Makena Technologies, which hosts There.com--has just launched Club Scion, a social club doubling as vehicle exploration.

Why Deere Is Weeding Out Dealers Even as Farms Boom†

Some Veteran Retailers Feel Betrayed By Shift; 'We Are Not a Family'

Wall Street Journal, August 14, 2007 — For more than a century, Deere & Co. has relied on dealers to sell its iconic John Deere tractors and other farm equipment. Deere dealers like to brag that they "bleed green," the company's trademark color.

But even as the farm boom helps Deere harvest record profits, dozens of North American dealerships are getting sent out to pasture, including some that have passed through families for generations. Chief Executive Robert Lane says times have changed. In an age when tractors use satellites to track the location of every seed, he says, dealers must match the sophistication and size of agribusiness customers.

Caterpillar: Big trucks, big sales, big attitude

Big Yellow is thriving. But there are big headaches too, and competition is getting tougher. So Caterpillar is revamping its operations. The big risk: Will the wheels fall off?

FORTUNE, August 13, 2007 — Bugs. From the rim of the vast open pit, the trucks, bulldozers and road scrapers far below look like scuttling yellow insects. Descend the dirt ramps that spiral a third of a mile down to the floor of the pit, though, and those bugs are transformed into Caterpillars - as in the ubiquitous machines that are as much a feature of the mining landscape as muck.

E-mail overtakes print for marketing offerings†

Financial Times, August 13, 2007 — The volume of marketing offers sent by e-mail has overtaken print direct mail in the UK for the first time as com-panies exploit the low cost and other benefits of electronic campaigns.

Fine-Tuning A Brand's Signature Sound

Companies turn an ear toward improving the rings and pings in their products

BusinessWeek, August 13, 2007 — When Derrick M. Kuzak became Ford Motor Co.'s (F ) global chief for product development in 2005, he didn't like what he was hearing. It wasn't hostile car reviews that bothered Kuzak. It was the insipid gong chimes that greeted a potential buyer when the door of a Ford was opened as well as the rickety sound produced when it was shut.

How "Green" Is That Water?

A close look at one company's claims of "carbon neutrality" points to problems for the industry

BusinessWeek, August 13, 2007 — Bottled water is under fire. Environmental groups recently have pointed out that a flourishing industry that sells its product with "green" images of snowcapped mountains and pristine spring lakes in fact contributes substantially to global warming. Making, filling, and shipping billions of plastic bottles generates huge amounts of carbon dioxide emissions: 8.4 million tons last year in the U.S. alone, equivalent to 2.2 million cars on the road, according to the Pacific Institute, a research group in Oakland, Calif. Separately, some major brands have come in for criticism because the water they sell is equivalent to what comes out of most taps.

Just Ahead: The Web As A Virtual World

Imagine being able to have a digital replica of yourself stroll from one site to another

BusinessWeek, August 13, 2007 — When Google Earth launched in 2005, users were exhilarated to type in their home address, see the earth as if they were floating in space, and then swoop down to view a satellite image of their house or apartment. These days users have moved on to upgrading Google Earth with their own photographs and three-dimensional digital replicas of buildings. But one day they'll be able to alight on a Google Earth street and meet someone else there--and even have a conversation.

NBC Making a Clean Start in a House of Mixed Media

After it bought the Web site iVillage.com last year, NBC Universal bragged that it had landed a digital darling. But few people are boasting about iVillage now.

New York Times, August 13, 2007 — After it bought the Web site iVillage.com last year for $600 million, NBC Universal bragged that it had landed a digital darling. The women-focused Internet business was a perfect fit with the “Today” show, executives said, and would turbo-charge their online efforts.

Nike Setting the Pace in Interactive-TV†

'Quick Is Deadly' Effort to Include 20 Minutes of Content for Dish Network Subscribers

Advertising Age, August 13, 2007 — Nike is charging past the rest of the country's marketers in the interactive-TV race, launching the most ambitious push in that medium to date. The footwear-and-apparel behemoth said last week that the new "Quick Is Deadly" campaign for its Zoom training-shoe line would include more than 20 minutes of interactive content accessible to Dish Network subscribers with DVRs.

Online Video: Seeing the Whole Picture

Video images are flooding across the Internet.

eMarketer, August 13, 2007 — No longer an unknown quantity or merely a sidekick to television, the online video medium is fast becoming a formidable viewing factor.

eMarketer projects that the number of online video viewers in the US alone will rise from 114 million in 2006 to 183 million in 2011.

Overview: Cross-Media Measurement Takes Off

MediaPost Publications, August 13, 2007 — MEDIA RESEARCH FIRMS ARE PUSHING a number of initiatives to provide media planners with integrated measurements of multiple media. By painting a broader picture of media consumption--which includes different kinds of content delivery--media researchers hope to help their clients to chart the behavior of American consumers, who are proving to be increasingly elusive and fast-moving targets. Several major players--Nielsen, ABC and TNS--are recording key data that will assist present and future ad buys.

Scion Drives Into There.com

MediaPost Publications, August 10, 2007 — TOYOTA'S SCION HAS PARTNERED WITH Makena Technologies, parent company of the virtual world There.com, to launch Club Scion--an in-world branded nightclub cum hangout spot.

Blockbuster Acquires Movielink

Blockbuster hopes to offer video downloading services by acquiring Movielink, and is also acquiring rights to show the films of Warner Brothers, M.G.M. and Paramount

New York Times, August 9, 2007 — The video rental chain Blockbuster said yesterday that it had acquired the Internet movie provider Movielink to offer video downloading services to customers.

Blockbuster is also acquiring rights to show the films of Movie- link’s owners, which include Warner Brothers Studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Paramount Pictures, it said. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Coldwell Banker First To Market Real Home Virtually--Really

MediaPost Publications, August 9, 2007 — COLDWELL BANKER REAL ESTATE HAS become the first national real estate company to market a real home in virtual reality.

The company is the latest corporate name to develop a parallel shopping process in Second Life, the digital archipelago developed by Linden Labs.

Second Life's Real-World Problems

Time, August 9, 2007 — Reality is catching up with Second Life, the much hyped 3-D website that lets users create alter egos called avatars who can walk, chat, fly, have sex and buy and sell virtual stuff for real money. The ballyhoo surrounding this online community has led multinational brands from Reebok to Toyota to establish beachheads on Second Life to interact with consumers and be a part of the next wave in social networking.

Starwood Hotels Unveils Preferred Guest Web Site

MediaPost Publications, August 9, 2007 — STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS HAS rolled out a newly revamped consumer loyalty Web site designed by Firstborn Multimedia.

In addition to providing the requisite property info and booking functionality all on one page, the new site at www.SPG.com aims to create a highly customized experience for Starwood Preferred Guests through the "My SPG" portal.

Bar Patrons' Ad Recall (Surprisingly) Good†

Ecast, Zoom Media Hope to Serve Up Even More

Advertising Age, August 8, 2007 — -- Here's one thing you might not expect to accompany a hangover: ad recall. A recent Arbitron study of bars and nightclubs found the average brand recall was 43% for an ad on the Ecast platform, an out-of-home ad-serving network available on 10,000 digital jukeboxes across the country.

Bikers Hog Web As Harley Video Ads Go Live From Sturgis

MediaPost Publications, August 8, 2007 — A LARGE PORTION OF THE avid motorcycle community--some 450,000 strong--is in the Black Hills of South Dakota this week attending the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Thousands of other bikers and fans who couldn't make the rally in person are flocking online for unprecedented live video coverage--via Harley-Davidson banner ads and a downloadable Google Gadget.

This marks the first time a Google Gadget has included live video, while the display ads arguably represent the greatest use ever of live video in a banner ad--offering 10 hours of coverage each day.

Google Aids Account Planning†

Is Google a planning tool?

Adweek, August 8, 2007 — That was the contention of Penry Price, Google's director of North American sales, who spoke here yesterday at the American Association of Advertising Agencies' Planning Conference. "We're focusing on being more relevant," he said. "But our core business is really connecting people to what they care about and connecting marketers to people they care about."

Media Usage per Person Drops for First Time in a Decade†

Consumers Are More Efficient With Their Time, Thanks to Growing Web Use

Advertising Age, August 8, 2007 — Media outlets may be increasing rapidly each day but consumption is another story. For the first time since 1997, U.S. consumers spent less time using media in 2006 compared to the previous year. Media usage per person declined 0.5% to 3,530 hours. This drop is mainly attributed to changing consumer behaviors and advances in the digital space, according to data by Veronis Suhler Stevenson.

Nationwide Tryvertising Parties

Springwise Newsletter, August 8, 2007 — While promoting goods and services through friendly get-togethers is nothing new, House Party has given the concept a radical makeover. A far cry from your mother's Tupperware gatherings, House Party combines in-person tryvertising with rich media sharing to link thousands of parties where consumers convene with friends, family, co-workers and neighbours to test products and share their experiences. www.houseparty.com

TimesSelect On The Brink, Reports Say

MediaPost Publications, August 8, 2007 — THE DAYS ARE NUMBERED FOR TimesSelect, The New York Times' much-contested subscription service, according to press reports Tuesday. Its demise would spell victory for proponents of free, ad-supported online content--not to mention scores of readers set to regain free access to prized Times columnists like Maureen Dowd and Frank Rich, along with other presently walled-off content.

British Grocer Tesco Comes to America

NPR, August 7, 2007 — The giant British retailer Tesco plans to open several dozen grocery stores in California, Arizona, and Nevada this fall. If successful, the stores could be the beginning of a nationwide rollout.

Internet Ad Spending Set To Overtake All Other Media By 2011: VSS

MediaPost Publications, August 7, 2007 — SPENDING ON INTERNET ADVERTISING WILL reach $61.98 billion, and will surpass newspapers to become the nation's leading ad medium in 2011, projects private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson in its 21st Communications Industry Forecast released today.

Pepsi Wakes Up NYC Commuters†

Provides Diet Max Shots -- and Whack-A-Yawn -- at Grand Central

Advertising Age, August 7, 2007 — Feeling sleepy this Monday, or maybe by midweek you just get rundown in your stuffy cubicle? Pepsi hopes to cure your yawns, as you've probably seen in its latest ads for Diet Pepsi Max.

But an ad is one thing, so Pepsi set up shop at Grand Central's Vanderbilt Hall with its newest soft drink to see if it could rouse sleepy-eyed New Yorkers and out-of-towners last week.

Best Global Brands

How five names in this year's rankings staged their turnarounds

BusinessWeek, August 6, 2007 — Reviving even a storied brand isn't easy once consumers have a negative perception of it...Still, it's possible to stage a brand comeback. Several such stories emerged in this year's ranking.

Can the Washington Post survive?

Newspapers are dying. At the Washington Post Co., CEO Donald Graham is banking on the Internet to save serious journalism. If he can't figure this out, nobody can.

FORTUNE, August 6, 2007 — Barry Svrluga, a 36-year-old baseball writer for The Washington Post, was on his way to the barber when an e-mail pinged his BlackBerry telling him that the Washington Nationals had sent two struggling pitchers to the minor leagues. Svrluga detoured to Starbucks, wrote a 572-word commentary on his laptop and posted it to his blog, Nationals Journal at washingtonpost.com. After his haircut he swung by the Post's newsroom to do a live question-and-answer session online with fans. That night, after filing a story for the newspaper, which he calls the "$0.35 edition" in his blog, Svrluga recorded a ten-minute podcast for the Web site, with sound bites from team officials and players.

Like most reporters at the Post, Svrluga has become platform-agnostic,... continue reading

Disney Hit Proves YouTube Isn't Only Way to Target Teens†

Net Turns to Libraries, Little League to Push 'HSM2'

Advertising Age, August 6, 2007 — Facebook? Forget it.

MySpace? YouTube? Um, like, nuh-uh! Or as Sharpay Evans would say, "Toodles!"

Kids may spend most every waking hour online, but when it came to marketing the sequel to "High School Musical," Disney Channel had little choice but to go decidedly old-school.

Fad Marketing's Balancing Act

In Japan, Pepsi's limited edition flavors can be huge hits—and then it kills them

BusinessWeek, August 6, 2007 — Only a lucky few ever got to try Pepsi's Ice Cucumber soda. The pale green drink began appearing on shelves at Japanese convenience stores in early June. Within days, clips of people swigging the stuff were showing up on YouTube (GOOG ), and bloggers were debating whether the taste was more melon than cucumber. A couple of weeks later, all 4.8million bottles of Ice Cucumber had sold out. But instead of ratcheting up production, Pepsi brand managers in Japan did the unthinkable: They discontinued the drink.

It’s an Ad, Ad, Ad, Ad World

Hoping to deliver personalized messages to consumers, advertising giant Publicis is pursuing an ambitious global digital ad strategy.

New York Times, August 6, 2007 — It is only a matter of time until nearly all advertisements around the world are digital.

Or so says David W. Kenny, the chairman and chief executive of Digitas, the advertising agency in Boston that was acquired by the Groupe">Publicis Groupe for $1.3 billion six months ago.

Now Mr. Kenny is reshaping the digital advertising strategy for the entire Publicis worldwide conglomerate

Lovin' it: McBranding hooks preschoolers, study finds

Reuters, August 6, 2007 — Preschoolers preferred the taste of burgers and fries when they came in McDonald's wrappers over the same food in plain wrapping, U.S. researchers said, suggesting fast-food marketing reaches the very young.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Overwhelmingly, kids chose the one that they perceived was from McDonald's," said obesity prevention expert Dr. Thomas Robinson of the Stanford University School of Medicine, whose work appears in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Who Has the Top Blog? Find Out at Adage.com†

Power 150 Ranking System Now Part of Ad Age

Advertising Age, August 6, 2007 — On Monday Ad Age will introduce its readers to the Power 150, a comprehensive, real-time ranking of more than 360 blogs about media and marketing.

The Power 150 is the creation of PR executive and keen blogger Todd Andrlik. He used three objective measures — algorithmic metrics based on Google PageRank, Bloglines subscriptions, and Technorati ranking — as well as one qualitative measure, to create a dynamic system that scores the blogs.

Why Unilever Lost the Laundry War†

P&G Has Been More Aggressive Than All Rivals in a Category It Really Cares About

Advertising Age, August 6, 2007 — In a 1999 interview with Advertising Age, then-P&G President A.G. Lafley shook his head at an admission by then-Unilever Co-Chairman Niall FitzGerald in a magazine article that at one point he and other Unilever executives hadn't been in a laundry room for years.

"That would never happen here," Mr. Lafley said.

In the end, that was the story of how one of the most fabled marketing battles of the past century was won — and lost. P&G had its head, literally and figuratively, in the laundry room. Unilever didn't.

Will Virgin America Enjoy Much of a Honeymoon?†

Wall Street Journal, August 6, 2007 — When Virgin America Inc.'s planes take off this week, the upstart discount airline founded by British billionaire Sir Richard Branson will be well-funded, have a fleet of brand-new planes filled with creature comforts and face the same uncertain flying world as the rest of its competitors.

Creating A New Yahoo

San Francisco Chronicle, August 5, 2007 — A cavalcade of Yahoo Inc. employees showcased Internet products they had built over the previous 48 hours to hundreds of colleagues crammed into a meeting room during this year's "Hack Day," hoping that their ideas would someday make the big time.

When Creating Brands, Dress Rehearsals Help

New York Times, August 5, 2007 — CAN the selection of a showerhead make or break a hotel brand? Some hotel executives seem to think so.

Starwood is one of several hospitality companies developing hotel brands or rebranding old ones. Since 2005, some 31 brands have been announced, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, more than at anytime since 1988-89, when 27 were introduced. And with this increased competition, identifying market segments and customer preferences has become essential to creating customer loyalty — which is where the showerhead, among other details, becomes crucial.

Design It Before You Buy It†

Online 3-D Tool Lets Consumers Tinker With the Product

Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2007 — Companies are always asking consumers to tell them what they want. Now consumers can show them.

That is the idea, at least, behind a new online marketing tool developed by French software maker Dassault Systemes SA and French advertising company Publicis SA. The new so-called 3dswym tool allows consumers to help companies that make everything from yogurt to cars to design their latest products.

Disney Acquires Web Site for Children

Aiming to solidify its position in online entertainment, the company acquired Club Penguin in a deal that could total $700 million.

New York Times, August 2, 2007 — Racing to solidify its dominant position in children’s entertainment on the Internet, the Walt Disney Company said Wednesday that it had acquired a subscription Web site aimed at preteenagers, Club Penguin, in a deal that could total $700 million.

Do 'Green' Appliances Live Up to Their Billing?†

Energy-Efficient Devices Flood Market, but Some Owners Find Results Fall Short of Promises

Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2007 — Jeanine Van Voorhees wanted to do her part for the environment when she bought a $1,000 energy-saving washing machine. But her clothes came out covered in cat hair and her whites were dingy. She resorted to washing some loads twice.

"I curse that machine every time," says Ms. Van Voorhees, a retired nurse practitioner from North Tonawanda, N.Y.

Amid concerns about energy consumption, Americans are increasingly encouraged to buy energy-efficient appliances. But while some of the latest products can offer significant energy and water savings, they can be double the price — or have kinks that can result in clothes and dishes needing to be washed twice.

Whole Foods' Pickle: Will Consumers See It As A Big Green Meanie?

MediaPost Publications, August 2, 2007 — WHERE ARE THE SCREENWRITERS WHEN you need them? Stage left, you've got the Federal Trade Commission insisting that Whole Foods Markets' bid to acquire Wild Oats is part of its plan for the "systematic destruction" of its competition. Stage right, you've got investors calling for the head of CEO John Mackey--primarily for anonymous postings he made on Internet stock groups over an eight-year period. (Kind of makes you feel better about occasionally shutting the door to your office to play Spider Solitaire, doesn't it?)

"Female Fever"

Trendwatching, August 1, 2007 — Women. The Mega Niche. The under-served market of all markets. And so on. Just consider the fact that women, who comprise just over 50% of the US population, make over 80% of the consumer purchasing decisions (and in case you're wondering, consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of US GNP). Consulting firm A.T. Kearney estimates that women determine 80 percent of consumption, purchase 60 percent of all cars and own 40 percent of all stocks. No wonder some companies have FEMALE FEVER these days. Oh, and there are more numbers and insights galore on Trendsight, Rethink Pink, Marketing To Women Online and BlogHer.

A Global View of Social Networking

KenRadio, August 1, 2007 — A new study focusing on the expansion of social networking across the globe, revealing that several major social networking sites have experienced dramatic growth during the past year, according to comScore. Social networking behemoth MySpace.com attracted more than 114 million global visitors age 15 and older in June 2007, representing a 72% increase versus year ago. Facebook.com experienced even stronger growth during that same time frame, jumping 270% to 52.2 million visitors. Bebo.com (up 172% to 18.2 million visitors) and Tagged.com (up 774% to 13.2 million visitors) also increased by orders of magnitude.

Vera Wang Set to Dress Up Kohl's†

Is It Too Upscale for Stores, Not Enough for Designer? A Leaf From 'Wizard of Oz'

Wall Street Journal, August 1, 2007 — Kohl's this week marks its first big push into the high-fashion arena by unveiling an advertising campaign for its new "Simply Vera Vera Wang" line of clothing, accessories and home products designed by Vera Wang, which will hit stores next month.