Archive for January 14th, 2008

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Not to sound like a broken record, but it seems like yet another awards show may be scratched by the Writers Guild of America’s strike, now in its 12th week.

Several top recording artists who also have Screen Actors Guild cards — performers such as Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent and Queen Latifah, for example — are being lobbied by the WGA to not attend the Grammy Awards telecast or present awards, in order to show solidarity with the writers, who are on strike to receive better compensation for material distributed online.

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I get that American Idol is the biggest thing on television besides the Super Bowl, but do people really get that excited about who’s going to sponsor the show? Apparently someone does because FOX announced today, with great fanfare and a ticker-tape parade with Ryan Seacrest as Grand Marshall decked out in a blue and white sequined tux complete with top hat and a monkey on his shoulder, that Ford, Coca-Cola and AT&T would be the official sponsors of Idol this year.

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Online video sites have more than doubled their traffic since the Hollywood writers strike began at the end of October, according to Nielson Online. With so many popular TV programs off the air, U.S. consumers have sought out alternatives like YouTube, whose traffic has spiked 18 percent in the last two months.

Newer video sites have also found success. Startup Crackle said its audience doubled from 1.2 million at the end of October to 2.4 million in November and December. “That is greater growth than you would normally see in such a short period, and the strike could be a possible factor,” said Nielsen analyst Alex Burmaster.

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Want to find people who just bought a snowblower? How about a hunter who enjoys off-roading, happens to be in the market for a pickup and is leaning toward a Chevy? What about the people others turn to for recommendations about electronics? Perhaps you’d like to speak to a couple million pragmatists?

For better or worse, all those are becoming possible, thanks to a new crop of entrants into the red-hot behavioral targeting space. The success of behavioral ad pioneers like Tacoda, Revenue Science and BlueLithium has led others to pile on. Although each takes a different approach, the newcomers promise to gather new forms of data to make digital advertising more personal and comprehensive, even at the risk of raising a privacy backlash.

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TOMORROW, WHEN YOU GO TO work, try something different.  Don’t give a damn how many people see your advertising. Really.  Tomorrow make it a point not to worry whether three thousand or three million viewers end up seeing your television commercials.

Instead, go to work tomorrow worrying about something even more important.  Rather than how many see your commercials, worry about how much time they spend with them.

From the limited amount of time that each consumer has to dedicate to advertising on any particular day, how much of their time did your commercials earn?

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The Writers Guild of America has reached an interim agreement with MRC, the independent film, television and digital studio that works with TV talents Seth MacFarlane, Larry David, Ricky Gervais and Gordon Ramsey among others.

“This is an exciting agreement that will open up opportunities for writers, especially in new media,” said Patric Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America, West.

MRC co-CEOs Asif Satchu and Modi Wiczyk issued a statement which said, “MRC operates from two basis concepts and this agreement is a natural extension of that ethos: We treat talent as our partners and we maximize distribution across all digital, film and television platforms.”
The WGA has previously did similar deals with Worldwide Pants, United Artists and The Weinstein Company.

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Not so much about product placement, but take a look at some of the cars being showcased at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show and tell me they don’t look like they’re out of a movie set in the future.

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NEW YORK Audi’s first Super Bowl spot since 1991 will use one of the themes, if not scenes, from the classic movie The Godfather. The spot will run during the first quarter of the Super Bowl.

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The 65th Golden Globe Awards were held last night, but the usual hoopla of worshipping celebrities was reduced down to a few flash bulbs. The awards show, normally one of Hollywood’s hottest nights and a pre-cursor to the Oscars, was whittled down to a mere press conference as the writers strike continues to interfere with Tinseltown’s day-to-day operations.

While the red carpet was nowhere to be seen and stars stayed at home, awards were still announced during the speedy 30-minute event. Cable channel AMC, which got its start replaying old classic movies, parlayed its first major original programming hit into two awards, including best drama and best dramatic actor for lead Jon Hamm.

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NEW YORK — Interactive entertainment company Ludia and FremantleMedia Enterprises announced a multiyear deal to create an online gaming experience based on “American Idol” that also will incorporate social networking and online community components.

The “Idol” gaming experience is slated to coincide with the show’s 2009 season and will be available on AmericanIdol.com and Ludia’s other major online destination partners, the companies said. It will be a virtual re-creation of the “Idol” experience online. FremantleMedia Enterprises, licensor for “Idol”, and Ludia declined to provide any further details.

“We are pleased to be working with Ludia to deliver one-of-a-kind games for one of the most important entertainment brands in the world,” said Jason Turner, director, interactive, FremantleMedia Enterprises. “This game will offer an online destination to the millions of ‘American Idol’ fans out there of all ages, enabling them to actively participate in their own personal Idol experience.”

Ludia also is developing video games based on Fremantle’s “The Price Is Right” across all major gaming platforms.

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