Archive for February 4th, 2008

As Bob detailed earlier, it looks like there may be an end in sight to the three-month old writers strike. In fact, Variety reports that now it’s just a matter of crossing the T’s, dotting the I’s, and voting on the new contract. As for the rest of this season and next? TV executives had slated February 15th as the “Do or Die” date. If a deal could not be made by that date, this season was pretty much done and pilot season for next year was at risk as well. But now it looks like this thing may be over by the end of this week.

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When Venom was finally revealed back in 2006, there were some apprehensions, but for the most part, anticipation was huge for the third Spider-Man movie. Then it came out, and even the die-hard fans seemed to be at least somewhat disappointed. What really sucks in these situations is when over-all disappointment tarnishes good bits. I imagine that Marvel is thinking the same thing. According to IESB, Eddie Brock and Venom are going to get their own film.

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MTV and Verizon have teamed up to provide exclusive on-demand full episodes of MTV’s new series, Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew, on Verizon FiOS TV, the companies announced Monday. The episodes will be available free-of-charge 24 hours after the MTV premiere on Feb. 7 at 10 p.m. ET.

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“Never purchase beauty products in a hardware store.” This advice comes from a lady who knows her makeup – Miss Piggy. The expert on accessories for the epidermis talks about the importance of skin and personal care products in her book, Miss Piggy’s Guide to Life. Ok, so maybe she isn’t a real expert – or even real, at that – but she has it right about the products. Whether you are covering blemishes, treating dry lips, enhancing one feature or another, or simply treating yourself, the right product can make all the difference – and you aren’t going to find it at the hardware store.
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Sunday’s marquee match-up proved obligingly competitive — but enough about Coke vs. Pepsi. America’s national celebration of advertising gluttony for once couldn’t overshadow the game, as the New York Giants improbably triumphed in a low-scoring, down-to-the-wire Super Bowl, while many major advertisers squandered the year’s grandest showcase with spots ranging from overly esoteric to “Why bother?” All told, the advertising did precious little to keep viewers awake, much less inspire them to rush to watch encores on MySpace.
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NEW YORK - Very preliminary findings from 49 of the nation’s biggest markets showed that ratings for this year’s Super Bowl, with the New York Giants’ thrilling win over the New England Patriots, were up 6 percent over last year’s big game, according to Nielsen Media Research on Monday.

Experts say those numbers indicate the game has a strong shot at being the most-watched Super Bowl of all time, and the second most-watched broadcast ever.

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When determining where to spend their TV ad dollars to get the most bang for their buck, advertisers have gone from considering just pure TV ratings to also looking at
viewer-engagement data and even monitoring online buzz to determine the hottest shows for marketing their products. Now they’ve begun to consider viewers’ emotional attachment to brands and match those warm-and-fuzzy feelings to particular TV shows.

The concept is the brainchild of NewMediaMetrics, whose clients include Procter & Gamble, Kraft, Coke, Visa, General Motors, Capital One and American Express, along with networks including ABC, NBC, Fox, Turner and Discovery.

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With all the media attention Britney Spears is getting these days, something like this simply waited to happen…

Few nights ago, police were called to her mansion after she got into a heated argument with her “manager”. Pictures were taken of an iPhone text conversation between Britney Spears’ manager and her paparazzo boyfriend. Not exactly the product placement Apple’s looking for.

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Actor Jason Bateman has confirmed plans are underway for a movie version of cancelled TV sitcom Arrested Development. A rumored meeting between the star and series creator Mitch Hurwitz late last year fuelled speculation a big-screen adaptation of the cult show was in the pipeline. And now the Juno star has confirmed the cast has received calls from executives asking if they would be interested in reviving their roles once the ongoing Hollywood writers strike is over. He tells E! News, “I can confirm that a round of sniffing has started. Any talk is targeting a post-strike situation, of course. I think, as always, that it’s a question of whether the people with the money are willing to give our leader, Mitch Hurwitz, what he deserves for his participation. And I can speak for the cast when I say our fingers are crossed.”

DETROIT Chrysler did not buy into the national TV advertising platform on Fox on Super Bowl Sunday. But the carmaker said today it would still take advantage of the massive number of consumers who will watch the game Feb. 3 by launching its “New Day Celebration” campaign as part of Dealer Advertising Association local buys in 55 markets.

The effort, via BBDO, Detroit, is part of Chrysler’s strategy to plant its brand flag during four key events this month: Super Bowl XLII, Super Tuesday (Feb. 5), the 50th running of the Daytona 500 (Feb. 17) and the Academy Awards (Feb. 24).

Chrysler will run an animated umbrella spot, “Listen to You,” and eight product-specific spots that will highlight a dozen vehicles, including the Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Caliber, Dodge Avenger and the Jeep Commander.

The plan also includes exclusive sponsorship of the new NBC Nightly News Online for all of February, and Super Tuesday buys around NBC’s Meet the Press and MSNBC’s Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough. Chrysler will also buy local time in the 22 states holding Super Tuesday primaries. Support includes online ads on AOL, Yahoo!, MSN and Google.

Media spend was not disclosed.
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