Archive for December 5th, 2006
Monday night, NBC Nightly News aired just one minute and thirty seconds of commercials for the entire newscast, sponsored solely by Philips. The rest of the time was filled with extra coverage. And imagine that, viewers loved it. “Brilliant! That is what news is all about. NEWS, not commercials about every pharmaceutical or car maker,” writes Leon from New York. “If there was a way to pay for not watching the very uncreative commercials, I WILL DO IT.” NBC had said that it’s considering an offer from another advertiser to do the same.
December 5th, 2006
In a major shakeup, Yahoo COO Dan Rosensweig and media chief Lloyd Braun are leaving the company. CFO Susan Decker will now oversee revenue generation, including ad sales. Yahoo has fallen further behind Google in search advertising, and its stock has dropped steadily over the past few months. And recently, Yahoo SVP Brad Garlinghouse sent out a memo, which was picked up in the Wall Street Journal, that detailed how the company lacked “a focused, cohesive vision.” Dubbed “The Peanut Butter Manifesto,” it described how Yahoo “lacked decisiveness” in trying to spread itself too thin across too many products and initiatives. Says CEO Terry Semel today in a blog post, “Simply put, we’re aligning our business around two key customer groups — our audience and our advertisers and publishers — supported by innovative technology.”
December 5th, 2006
The much-anticipated ad for Halo 3 aired in Monday Night football. Mmmm, shields.
December 5th, 2006
That question and many more are answered on a new Flash microsite on CNN.com that takes users behind the scenes of Anderson Cooper 360. An animated Cooper walks on the screen and describes each feature as you click. And don’t forget to download some of those AC 360 instant messaging icons. Grab…
December 5th, 2006
A study by BrandIntel reveals that the NBC series Heroes (one of my faves) is the most discussed show on the internet, with a 25.4 percent share. Next up is ABC’s Ugly Betty at 14.1 percent, NBC’s Studio 60 with 10.2 percent, CBS’ Jericho at 6.1 percent and CBS’ Shark at 5.8 percent. The cast member with the most negative buzz? Studio 60’s Amanda Peet, with many adults not finding her role believable.
December 5th, 2006
Last week MSNBC surpassed CNN in primetime in the 25-54 demographic for three nights. And on Friday, MSNBC beat CNN in the demo for the total day. “Is it an aberration, or is it a trend?” asks TVNewser. “One thing’s for sure: it’s a morale booster for MSNBC.”
December 5th, 2006
For those of you keeping track, Weblogs Inc. founder and former Netscape chief Jason Calacanis has announced that he’s joining Sequoia Capital as an “Entrepreneur in Action.” Explains TechCrunch, “Entrepreneurs who take this kind of job generally roll out their own new startup within a few months. Look for more news from Calacanis in the near future.”
December 5th, 2006
Those of us in the Northwest and the Bay Area are captivated by the story of a San Francisco family on a road trip that ended up getting stuck in the snow on a back road in Oregon. James Kim, an editor at CNET, is still missing. His wife and two young children were found yesterday after over a week in the wilderness (she kept the kids alive by breast feeding.) Kim took off on snowshoes on Saturday, and an intense search is underway to find him. Meanwhile, some are speculating that Kim used an online mapping service to take Bear Camp Road, which is a shortcut during the summer but treacherous during the winter months. Google Maps shows the road as a preferred route, while Yahoo offers a highway as the suggested route. Fascinating.
December 5th, 2006
D.C.
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Redmond, WA
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Nashville, TN
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Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP Group, the world’s largest ad buyer, said his team has come up with a word that illustrates the caution that surrounds working with Google: “frienemy,” or a cross between friend and enemy. “On the friendly side, they want to work with our top 50 clients,” he said. “(But) they’ve hired people to make ads.”
December 5th, 2006
