'Call to Action' Advertising

KenRadio, September 15, 2008 — The combination of mobile TV and the inherently cellular back channel are creating a new category of advertising known as "Call to Action" advertising. Call to Action advertising was virtually non-existent in 2007, but the specialty advertising market will grow to $419 million in worldwide advertising revenue by 2012, according to research by MultiMedia Intelligence.

Gap Widens in Online Advertising†

Rivals Struggle to Catch Up to Google As Buyers Favor Search Ads Over Display

Wall Street Journal, September 4, 2008 — Spending on Internet advertising is climbing at a healthy clip — rising 20% in the U.S. in the second quarter — and growth forecasts are strong despite the weak economy. But that growth isn't being enjoyed by everyone.

TV's Future Looks Like Web's Present†

Forrester says targeted ads and a portal-like menu of options are coming to your set

Adweek, August 27, 2008 — TV advertising is poised to change dramatically over the next decade, embracing the kind of targeting and user control already common on the Web, according to a new report by Forrester Research. Forrester lays out a decade-long evolution that will ultimately result in most programming delivered on-demand with targeted ad messages based on location and behavior, along with community functions.

Marketers Reducing Ad Budgets in Tough Economic Times

Marketing Charts, August 26, 2008 — Marketers from a cross-section of categories and industries are feeling the pinch of budget belt-tightening - over half (53%) expect ad budgets to be reduced over the next six month, for example - according to a survey from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). Moreover, early 9 in 10 (87%) of the 100 people surveyed are already being challenged with identifying cost savings or reductions with current marketing and advertising efforts, the study found.

United Airlines Goes Too Far†

Garfield's Ad Review: Lush Animation Won't Make Anyone Rhapsodize About Flying

Advertising Age, August 25, 2008 — When there is a notable air disaster, by terms of the airlines' media contracts, airline advertising typically goes dark. This is for obvious reasons. No marketer wants to spend money reminding the audience of, for example, sudden fiery death.

There is a valuable lesson in that. At certain moments, advertising — no matter how cunningly crafted — is incapable of sending its intended message. At certain moments, it is capable only of triggering associations with the larger story in the public mind.

The Ad Changes With the Shopper In Front of It†

Some Digital Screens Could Adjust Messages Based on Features

Wall Street Journal, August 21, 2008 — Ad targeting is coming to a store near you.

In the latest effort to tailor ads to specific consumers, marketers are starting to personalize in-store promotions based on products the consumer recently picked off a shelf or purchased — and in the near future, based on what the shopper looks like.

Toyota's New Ads Accentuate The Positive

Marketing Daily, August 12, 2008 — Toyota has launched a new TV, print and online campaign that promotes the brand as the future of green, safe and humane mobility.

Press a Button and Your Worries Are Gone

New York Times, July 21, 2008 — Staples’ Easy Button is the star of the company’s new back-to-school advertising campaign, which uses humor to directly address its customers’ financial worries.

The button, a concept invented by Staples’ advertising agency, McCann Erickson, for the 2005 Super Bowl, is the centerpiece of three new 15-second spots that begin running in select markets, primarily in the southern United States, on Monday; ads will be introduced nationally Sunday.

TV Screen Remains Most Seen, Nielsen's First '3 Screen' Data Shows Web, Mobile Gaining Too

MediaPost Publications, July 8, 2008 — A day after officially announcing plans to provide so-called "total audience measurement index" or TAMI ratings, for NBC Universal's coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, Nielsen Co. today released the first comparable audience estimates across three "screens:" TV, the Internet and mobile devices, and the findings indicate that the new video platforms do not appear to be cutting into television's action.

Calling on NBA Fans†

How T-Mobile's user-gen contest took the brand's 60-second Super Bowl spot into overtime

Adweek, June 30, 2008 — It could have been the same old Super Bowl story. A creative team toils for months, and a client spends millions, on 30-seconds of big-game glory. Then, faster than the MVP can say "Disneyland," the applause fades, the spot is relegated to routine rotation and, ultimately, assumes its final resting place on the agency reel.