Archive for June 3rd, 2007
NBC has released new internal research on two topics: “triangulated” TV-web ad campaigns and DVR commercial skipping. The first involves combining 1) a TV ad that points to an advertiser’s site 2) an online ad on the TV site and 3) search engine optimization of the advertiser’s site. According to the research, viewer ad recall of this triangulated ad campaign is 50 percent higher than average, and those customers are also 20 percent more likely to buy what was advertised. NBC also has some new research that claims “that households without DVRs skip more TV commercials than those with DVRs.” The study shows the drop in TV ad effectiveness in homes with DVRs is less than 3 percent, while non-DVR households had a drop of 7 percent.
Now, consider the source of the study. NBC wants advertisers to buy cross-platform campaigns as well as believe that DVRs are making old-fashioned commercials even MORE valuable. I’m all for the former, but I question the latter.
June 3rd, 2007
With Rupert Murdoch meeting with the Bancroft family today, the issue that’s most likely to dominate the discussion is editorial independence. Some family members are concerned with Murdoch’s conservative bent and reputation of meddling with newsrooms. While Murdoch says he’s willing to accede some editorial controls, he’s against any efforts by the family to control an editorial oversight board. Reports the WSJ today:
Such a board should comprise “people with absolutely no business connections to me nor the family,” Mr. Murdoch said, adding that the family “can’t sell [Dow Jones] and keep it” by joining a newly created board. “I can’t put down $5 billion of my shareholders’ money and not be able to run the business,” Mr. Murdoch said.
He stressed that he has “no plans to change anything” on the editorial or news sides of the paper.
The meeting is at noon ET. (WSJ sub. required.)
June 3rd, 2007
CNN’s coverage of the Democrats’ debate in New Hampshire has some good features online. CNN has opened up Pipeline (soon to be free anyway) and you have a four different choices. My favorite is pictured below - “Pipe 3,” the real-time viewer response meter of what each candidate is saying (although a guide as to what each of those lines represents would be helpful, I get the idea). Least useful (and most awkward) is “Pipe 2,” the double box with Arianna Huffington and Michael Murphy, who are offering such insight as “That was a good answer,” and “Good challenge!” “Pipe 1″ has the debate itself, with an alternate camera angle coming on “Pipe 4.”
Update: Hearst-Argyle’s digital EP Michael Gay points out in comments that the “Real Time Response” is WMUR’s technology, based at the station, powered by New Hampshire voters. The yellow line is indendent voters, red is Democrats, white is all viewers, pink is women and blue is men. You can see video excerpts here. Michael says that the “Real Time Response” stream was viewed by more people than the actual debate stream itself (which makes sense when you consider the debate was on TV.)
June 3rd, 2007
If you’re like me, every so often you’ll notice some unexplainable up’s and down’s of search result rankings in Google. The company is extremely tight-lipped about its search methology — and the tweaks it makes from time to time — but a NY Times reporter was granted unprecedented access to try to shed a little light on the matter.
June 3rd, 2007
UPDATE: CompUSA has sent a $300 gift certificate to Terry. Read more.
Many of us swap CompUSA service horror stories, but here’s an especially horrifying one. My AR&D partner Terry Heaton purchased a digital camera for $269 at a CompUSA liquidation sale. Terry bought the camera for his step-daughter amid a $3,500 purchase. One problem: they sold him an empty box. There was no camera inside. When Terry went to a nearby CompUSA, the manager there told him that, since a liquidation company technically sold him the camera, CompUSA wouldn’t give him a refund. So, Terry wrote a note to Roman Ross, CompUSA president and CEO. Ross passed it along to a staffer who had the nerve to blame Terry: “The return policy for all merchandise, as printed on your receipt and posted throughout the store, clearly stated ALL SALES FINAL…. if the camera you purchased was a clearance item, you should have inspected its content prior to purchase.” And there you have it. Terry is to blame for not inspecting the box to make sure he wasn’t being defrauded. All sales of empty boxes are, apparently, final. It doesn’t matter the technicality - in CompUSA’s name, on a CompUSA receipt, $269 was stolen from Terry and CompUSA won’t give it back. It’s not just “buyer beware,” it’s “don’t be a buyer.”
Update from Cory: This story has been linked all over the place and is getting tons of traffic. CompUSA, you listening yet?
June 3rd, 2007
TechCrunch points us to the sale of collaborative calendar site, RSSCalendar. The company is taking the step of auctioning itself off via eBay. Write the company’s owners on the eBay page: “We are selling RSSCalendar due to time contraints (sic) with another business.” Starting bid is $50,000. Shipping is free.
June 3rd, 2007
Amp’d Mobile has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to statement released by the company. In the release, Amp’d writes: “As a result of our rapid growth, our back-end infrastructure was unable to keep up with customer demand. We are taking this step as a necessary and responsible action to sustain and strengthen our momentum in the market place.” Engadget isn’t buying the, well, strange excuse: “…since when does growth and consumer interest in an MVNO’s service equal business-rattling financial problems?” 24/7 Wall Street writes: “That may be the oddest excuse for a Chapter 11 filing ever spoken.” Amp’d has 200,000 subscribers and MocoNews points out that the company owes creditors $100 million.
June 3rd, 2007
