The merger of Google and Doubleclick has been approved by the regulators in the United States. There is an old Russian proverb that states that “an even an unloaded gun fires in the end.” The merger creates an enterprise that could, if it so desired create an effective monopoly in online advertising in this country [...]
On Demand- Bribery and corruption January 4, 2010Google is a very smart company. Their lobby runs seamlessly from Madison Avenue to Pennsylvania Avenue. The picture to the left shows they will stop at nothing. The way to a media buyer’s heart is through his dog and, on behalf of Alfie and myself’ we say thanks to the Googlers for this splendid coat and [...]
- 2010 – new decade, new rules January 1, 2010Somewhere in the ancient scrolls of American media and telecommunications two truths are written: 1. cable companies shall not pay broadcasters to carry their signal 2. manufacturers of mobile devices will sign exclusive distribution agreements with phone networks By the end of the first full week of the decade we will know if Fox will have forced Time [...]
- Interruption, avoidance, compulsion? November 17, 2009We all know the challenges presented by the decline of the interruptive advertising model and the threat of ad avoidance enabled by complex technology like the DVR and the simpler notion of having better things to do. One of the more surprising resolutions to the issue may be inherent in a patent applied for by Apple [...]
- Lights go out on Beckham November 14, 2009I was charmed by this. Beckham and the LA Galaxy defeat the Houston Dynamo 2-0 but only after an incident that caused some consternation for the sponsor of the stadium. According to ESPN… “Play was suspended twice after the stadium lights went out because of power dips, a release from the Home Depot Center said. The [...]
- Two degrees of separation November 12, 2009The separation of audience from context is a much discussed if unresolved argument. The general thesis of the ‘pork bellies versus diamonds’ debate is either that context amplifies the value of messaging or that audience is everything and the cost and targeting advantages more than offset the specifics of contextual relevance. The seller communit […]
- Bada Bing November 12, 2009Samsung has announced the launch of its own smartphone software and developer platform. They have named it BADA which, as you all know is the Korean word for ocean. Now we can only hope that they integrate Microsoft’s search platform for the corporate naming event of the year. Posted in Random thoughts Tagged: bada, bing, microsoft, [...]
- Mega Bite November 9, 2009This image is a promotion for Windows 7 in Tokyo. No comment required Posted in The world we work in
- The Digital Shelf November 8, 2009It is perfectly obvious that the only marketing activity that influences the sale of detergent is the number of facings in the store. The shopper goes to the store, they are arrested by the display and they buy. As a consequence the entire marketing budget should be expended on securing that shelf space. Given this quite [...]
- Social Service October 27, 2009It has often been said that one of the distinguishing features of the web is that it is both a channel to market and a marketing channel. The stand out brands and corporations in web marketing know this and realized that what they did online had to add genuine customer value through any or all [...]
- Bent out of shape – part 2 October 16, 2009My reader has been active. He has sent any number of interesting Twitter analytics pieces to illuminate the distribution curve question. This one is of particular interest. http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/05/twitter-data-analysis-an-investors-perspective/ Among the more revealing stats is that only 1 in 4 registered users tweets in any given month and that […]
- Bribery and corruption January 4, 2010
