Digital shop enjoys slaughtering magazines

Carrot Creative, a digital shop in Brooklyn, is using Halloween to celebrate the media industry's woes. It posted this photo on Twitter, showing "digital" stabbing to death magazines like Domino, PC Magazine and Blender. Granted, I doubt we'll find many mourners for Cookie. I'm completely biased considering my job, but the glee with which digital people welcome the supposed demise of "traditional" media is perturbing. Yes, the industry is going through a wrenching transition and paying a heavy price for a business model that should have been transformed many years ago. That's meant lots of layoffs and even magazines and newspapers with storied histories shutting altogether. It's a sad picture. I'm not suggesting we hold a candlelight vigil for Condé Nast or get the government to bail out newspapers. Still, it can't hurt to keep the giddiness in check just a bit.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on October 30, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (14)
Filed under Digital, Halloween, Magazines, Morrissey

Cheer cleans up with big Dictionary.com ad

On Thursday, Dictionary.com's homepage boasted a giant clickable ad for Cheer. The key word is G-I-A-N-T. Basically, the whole screen was an ad. Visitors had no problem spelling B-R-I-G-H-T-E-R and W-A-S-H, which appeared prominently in the ad copy, along with twin bottles of the detergent. The site's query window was quite secondary. TechCrunch bemoaned the ad's ugliness, and it's gone as of Friday morning, so maybe that had an effect. (Cheer does promise to remove unsightly stains, after all.) But there's a broader question here. Are visitors to Dictionary.com a good target audience for the product? Perhaps so, if they accidentally click on the ad, get whisked away to Cheer's Web site, pound their fists on the table in frustration and end up spilling coffee on their pants. Maybe it's a better ad for Wisk.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on August 14, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Dictionary.com, Digital, Gianatasio

Comment wars are ugly, but they can be fun

There's been plenty of hand-wringing about the nastiness of comments, particularly anonymous ones, made on ad-industry Web sites. Some feel they make the ad world look silly, juvenile and petty. Ah, but they can also be fun. Check out the battle royale that erupted on AgencySpy in response to an anonymous piece on the best digital shops. This kind of thing is great link/comment bait, but things took an interesting turn when Craig Elimeliah of Freedom and Partners lambasted Firstborn Interactive as being on the decline. That didn't sit well with Michael Ferdman, Elimeliah's former boss at Firstborn. He promised to take the gloves off, and boy did he ever. "Maybe as your boss says you should stop 'jerking off' and actually get down to some work," Ferdman wrote. "Speaking of work ... do you ever actually work or just blog, tweet and pretend to be important all day?" Ouch. Elimeliah answers back, and his new boss joins in, along with cameos by Big Spaceship CEO Michael Lebowitz and Barbarian Group COO Rick Webb. It's a pretty ugly public spat, but the comment critics can't blame anonymity for the bad behavior.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on May 4, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (13)
Filed under Comments, Digital, Morrissey

Who needs reporters at these conferences?

I didn't go to the Interactive Advertising Bureau's Ecosystem 2.0 conference, being held this week in Orlando, Fla. Thanks to Twitter, I guess I didn't need to. Among those handling the play-by-play: Campfire "chief narratologist" Steve Wax, Federated Media CEO John Battelle, SocialMedia CEO Seth Goldstein and The Rubicon Project director of strategic publisher acquisition Josh Wexler. Most of the chatter is the humdrum stuff common to all live-Tweeted conferences: speaker quotes without context. Underneath are some juicier tidbits—relatively speaking. This is an industry conference in Orlando, after all.
  • Google's sales pitch: "Why is Google allowed a sales pitch on Google products rather than the future of advertising?" (Wexler)
  • IAB needs heat: "It's friggin' cold in here." (Battelle)
  • Time to move on: "[Yahoo exec] Joanne Bradford says Subservient Chicken was an unimportant stunt—and touts a Nissan concert." (Wax)
  • Facebook has a long way to go: "I wonder what their ad products would look like if zuck/fbook and @ev / twitter spent a year at an ad agency or cpg company." (Goldstein)

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on February 25, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (4)
Filed under Conferences, Digital, IAB, Morrissey

These classic preloaders are worth the wait

Visit most campaign microsites, especially with a slow Internet connection, and you'll be greeted with the inevitable "Loading" message. Over time, agencies have gotten creative with asking users to be patient while they get their tech bells and whistles in order so they can wow them with hard-core engagement. Digital shop Big Spaceship has decided to honor the art of the preloader with a new site called Pretty Loaded that collects the best of the best. It's an "infinite loader" of preloaders that preload other preloaders. If you really want to geek out, follow prettyloaded on Twitter.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on January 13, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Big Spaceship, Digital, Morrissey

Amid downturn, WPP brass poke each other

We all deal with economic catastrophe in our own ways. For WPP's top echelon of executives, it means enjoying a little Wii and Facebook. A new BusinessWeek story recounts a meeting in Athens, Greece, in October where WPP's board discussed—wait for it—how the company could prepare itself for digital media. The Internet is big, who knew? (Agency Spy, for one, is incensed about this.) A top priority for these execs: getting Facebook accounts. In this endeavor, WPP's titans of advertising got help from none other than Mark Zuckerberg himself. BusinessWeek reports that 63-year-old WPP CEO Martin Sorrell has already lost interest in the site, but others have been liking it. "The directors had fun, but the exercise was meant to help them fully grasp the phenomenon of social networks and how they may affect the ad business," according to BusinessWeek. Ah, but there's more. Apparently, WPP's top 3,000 managers get training courses on things like Twitter. I don't begrudge anyone for trying to make money, but training ad people on Twitter? I tried to find Sir Martin on Facebook to write on his wall. Alas, I can't seem to locate him.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on January 7, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Digital, Facebook, Martin Sorrell, Morrissey, Wii, WPP

JC Penney earns own spot in the doghouse

JC Penney this week rolled out just what the world needs: another Flash microsite for the holidays. I have to look at so many microsites that my expectations are never high. Still, some do stand out—the ones that make me wonder why anyone in their right mind would spend time there. "Beware of the Doghouse" is one of those sites. First, upon arriving at the site, it tells me my browser isn't good enough. You know what, JC Penney, it is. Next, there's an intro video to sit through—nearly five minutes of painful setup to the site's "idea." Which is: Men are doofuses—shocking that advertising would portray them that way—and get women dumb holiday gifts, even vacuum cleaners. They are then banished to a mythical doghouse until they buy their way out. Get it? Hey, it worked for Kobe. JC Penney employs an eye-rolling user-generated approach by letting visitors put men in the doghouse. (There's a techie twist with one of the earliest uses of Facebook Connect, which lets visitors check if their friends are in the doghouse. None of mine are, it seems.) How to get out? Diamonds! Men simply need to buy their ladies the three-stone ring, journey pendant or diamond studs—from JC Penney, conveniently enough. Saatchi & Saatchi and Razorfish boldly take credit for this.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on December 5, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (11)
Filed under Digital, JC Penney, Razorfish, Saatchi & Saatchi

AKQA turns in its agency membership card

If you haven't seen it, three of the digital ad world's best and brightest got serious ink in The New York Times Magazine on Sunday, even if it was under the regrettable headline "Multiscreen Mad Men." Ben Palmer of The Barbarian Group, Rob Rasmussen of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (and previously R/GA), and Lars Bastholm of AKQA held forth in a pretty interesting, if basic, discussion of how companies will reach consumers in digital media. One thing that stood out for me was when Lars (at left, with other AKQA execs, in the photo) explained how AKQA looks at its business. "At my company," he said, "we're starting to redefine ourselves from being an ad agency to being an entertainment and technology company." Really? When Adweek named AKQA its Digital Agency of the Year last year, nobody quibbled. I keep getting press releases saying it's the "digital agency of record" for clients like Coke, Xbox and McDonald's. Still, maybe the whole agency thing is very yesterday. Lars told me his real point was that "what constitutes an agency has never been more in flux." Maybe so, but what's so bad about being an agency?

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on November 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (6)
Filed under AKQA, Digital, Morrissey

Tweens take a shine to virtual advertising

Virtual Worlds News commissioned a report from Dubit Research on the virtual habits of 7- to 12-year-olds, and discovered some interesting implications for advertisers. Of 600 tweens surveyed, 73 percent said they belonged to a virtual world, with 43 percent palling around at Disney's Club Penguin and 27 percent hanging at Habbo Hotel. The proliferation numbers are similar to those reported by the under-12 demographic in Nielsen's summer survey (PDF link) of 40,000 British Internet users under 23—though Stardoll was leading that survey, followed by Club Penguin. More important, the Dubit study included ad questions, noting that 45 percent of kids playing in virtual worlds noticed advertisements and sponsorships. Of those who noticed, their reaction was surprisingly positive. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most positive feelings, 70 percent rated virtual brand presence either a 4 (just under 30 percent) or a 5 (just over 40 percent). Ah, impressionable youth! The mounting influence of virtual worlds on tweens was one of the reasons CosmoGirl cited in calling it quits (and keeping their Web site up). But do virtual brand experiences equal offline sales? Disney's Club Penguin hopes so. Its new line of toys is coming out next week, and each one comes with a code coin to unlock special items online. Despite the threat of online predators around every corner, the steady march of virtual branding to tweens waddles on.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Published on October 20, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Cullers, Digital, Youth

Make a baby with the Volkswagen Routan

Crispin Porter + Bogusky's bizarre campaign for the Volkswagen Routan posits that women are having babies in order to have an excuse to buy the vehicle. It's a nonsensical and probably offensive outing, if only because it stars Brooke Shields and that stupid talking Beetle with the worst German accent on TV since Hogan's Heroes was canceled. On the plus side, there's a Web-based Babymaker 3000 game, and I made a baby with—who else?—Jessica Alba! I uploaded her picture, but instead of using one of myself, I drafted David Duchovny. We look alike in a vague way that only I've ever been able to see. (Dim lighting is key.) Besides, Dave D's a sex addict, so I figure he won't mind if I get him a little more action. Whoa, the kid doesn't look half bad! Now, if only Jessie would return my calls.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on October 8, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4)
Filed under Automotive, Crispin Porter, Digital, Gianatasio, Volkswagen

Schematic's CEO is a true renaissance man

Schematic CEO Trevor Kaufman is clearly not easily scared. After all, he sold his interactive shop to WPP to go to work for Sir Martin. So, it only figures that he's coming down from the adrenaline rush of Advertising Week by traveling to Nepal to execute what would be the first skydive over Mt. Everest. He's one of 34 adventurers attempting the feat, which calls for a minute-long freefall, followed by a 10-minute parachute float to a landing at 12,000-odd feet. Impressive. Ah, but there's more. Kaufman recently revealed himself as quite the clothes horse in The Wall Street Journal, knowledgably holding court on the art of "CEO casual" and button strategy. Be sure to watch the video about how he uses clothes to communicate messages to his clients and employees.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Published on October 2, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Digital, Morrissey, Schematic

Get Moore for less with free film download

Michael Moore has announced that his next film, Slacker Uprising, will be released as a free online download through Brave New Films. The film documents Moore's 62-city tour during the 2004 election where he urged young voters to vote Democratic (view the trailer here). According to the press release, this is the first major film to be released this way. Go film! Way to catch up to the music industry and the publishing industry! Speaking of publishing, Moore was recently in the news for saying that people need to stop reading books (including, much to his publisher's irritation, Moore's own book) and instead use whatever time they have to focus on the election. Apparently, Moore does feel it's OK for people to spend their free time watching his free movie. You can hit up SlackerUprising.com on Sept. 23 for the download, or you can buy the DVD if you feel a little guilty about them giving away the $2 million film for free. Photo from Erik R. Bishoff's Flickr page. 

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Published on September 10, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Cullers, Digital, Political ads

Zippo's banners too hot for neighboring ads

These Zippo banners by Brunner are hot. Ha-ha-ha! I don't get it. Anyway, Brunner created fake banners to place above Zippo lighters, and had the actors in them react to the heat of the flame below. See the ads in action here, here and here. A woman in one starts stripping—because sex sells, baby! Sorry, I just watched Mad Men, and I can't stop talking like that. Still, it fits, because Zippo would've been big in the early '60s. Did JFK light his cigars with one? Let's just say he did. The guys in two other Zippo banners keep their clothes on—because it's a man's world, baby! Sorry, I've been doing that all day. My officemates are so sick of it. Who cares—I'm on fire, baby! No, really, they just set my shoes on fire. Thanks for ruining my day, Zippo.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 3, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Brunner, Digital, Gianatasio, Zippo

BofA's college videos not like actual college

Bank of America has introduced Morris on Campus, a series of online videos and tips targeting college kids who are opening their first bank accounts. To my way of thinking, Morris lacks any real credibility. First off, he's supposed to be an upperclassman, but he's sober in all the vignettes. (Even his super-sized spring-break beverage is labeled "non-alcoholic.") Plus, he drones on about how college students should manage their money but never touches on the key skill: how to shake down their parents for every last dime. What a nerd. He must go to Emerson. Oh, there's a $25,000 prize for submitting the best college financial tip. Here's mine: If you win, use the 25 large to pay down your student loans. Those things can hound you for life. Oddly, that's a subject Morris never gets around to. Which leaves just one more thing to say: Beanpot '09: Revenge of the BU Terriers, baby! Woo-hoo!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 2, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Bank of America, Digital, Finance, Gianatasio, Web video

Search bot goes on Internet-wide rampage

Cuil, the half-assed search engine unleashed this summer to nearly unanimous disapproval, has apparently been crashing Web sites across the globe in its overzealous attempt to index online material and compete with Google. According to TechCrunch, the Web nerds are up in arms. One whines annoyingly: "I've had to restrict traffic to the site down to 2 packets per second, while discarding the rest, or otherwise it makes the site unusable." Hey, brainiac, that's why you make the big IT bucks. It seems Cuil's indexing bot is to blame. This reinforces my theory, unchanged by mood-stabilizing drugs and a recent ligament-tearing foray into yoga, that robots will destroy us all. Actually, the "death-bot" could have its uses. They should sic that thing on Google and kuil the competition.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 2, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Cuil, Digital, Gianatasio, Google, Search

Gently remind them about the colonoscopy

I like novelty e-cards as much as the next guy. They are, in fact, my preferred method of communicating with my creditors. Health group Regence offers a whole bunch. The point is to send them to friends and family to remind them, in a gentle, e-card-y way, that it's time for a checkup. There's quite an assortment: "How's the cholesterol?" "It's colonoscopy time," "Quit smoking support," "Shape up puffy." Now, I'll admit that I've let myself go. I subsist mainly on jelly donuts and discount lattes. But did I really need all of these e-cards, sent to me repeatedly, and in such rapid succession that my inbox crawled inside the hard-drive looking for a place to die? I suspect it was Fred, the guy who works in the cube next to mine, who sent them. He's been chuckling all day. I'd send him an Health eCard suggesting a lobotomy, but that's not one of the choices. TIME FOR A LOBOTOMY, FRED! Oh wait, I just typed that in all caps, like I was yelling—but I didn't really yell, so he couldn't have heard me. It's going to be one of those days. Via Post Advertising.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on August 18, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Digital, Gianatasio, Health