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Microsoft (MSFT), Sephora, NASCAR and Comcast (CMCSA) are using Twitter as a component in sweepstakes promotions to boost buzz about their brands. Adweek 11/22/09
Complaints over ads from competitors filed with the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, the industry’s main self-regulatory program for national ads, will set a record in 2009. Combatants include Pantene vs Dove, Science Diet vs. Iams, AT&T(ATT) vs. Verizon Wireless (VZ) and Campbell Soup vs. Progresso. New York Times 11/22/09
Mega media brand Oprah Winfrey is ending her talk show in 2011 after 25 years on the air to launch OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. Adweek 11/20/09
eBay (EBAY) will sponsor free wireless Internet on Delta (DAL) flights during the holiday travel period Nov. 24 through Nov. 30 to promote eBay’s “Holideals.” Clickz 11/18/09
Intel (INTC) hopes to strengthen the connection between it’s brand and consumers through a new website they’ve launched called LifeScoop. The site is designed to appeal to consumers interested in technology “but aren’t hard-core geeks.” Brandweek 11/14/09
Hundreds of “older, poorly perfoming” Holiday Inn hotels in North America could lose the right to call themselves a Holiday Inn if the franchisees don’t meet franchisor Intercontinental Hotel Group's (IHG) quality specs and undertake extensive renovations. Wall Street Journal 11/13/09. Requires subscription.
McDonald’s Corp. (MCD) plans to open about 1,000 new restaurants, remodel 2,300 existing ones around the world next year, and is experimenting with new technology to prepare for a global economic recovery. Wall Street Journal 11/13/09. Requires subscription.
The American Family Association is calling on consumers to boycott Gap Inc. (GPS) and its brands, which include Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic, this holiday season because the retailer's ads downplay the word "Christmas." Brandweek 11/13/09
Burger King franchisees are suing the company, alleging that Burger King Corp (BKC). doesn't have the right to set "maximum prices" for certain menu items. The lawsuit was spurred by the double-cheeseburger promotion that franchisees fought against saying it causes them to lose money. Advertising Age 11/12/09
Miracle Whip bought every ad slot on The Colbert Report on November 12th, and announced the buy “in newspapers warning Colbert that his commercial breaks would expose his viewers to “hardcore Miracle Whip attitude.” The Miracle Whip ad roadblock was in response to a parody of a Miracle Whip ad that Colbert ran on his show in October. MediaFreak 11/12/09
Ashley Furniture sponsors live-streamed birth on MomsLikeMe.com, a one-year-old site owned by newspaper publisher Gannett. The company had a featured banner running during event which was seen by 3,600 people watching the live stream, and an additional 148,600 unique visitors who downloaded the video during the next 72 hours. ClickZ Network 11/11/09
Breaking with other airline sites, Continental Airlines (CAL) plans to sell advertising on their website, saying their 10 million monthly unique users are in a trip-planning frame of mind, creating “an extremely conducive atmosphere for advertisers."Brandweek 11/11/09
A North Carolina Hardee’s franchisee, which owns nearly 350 Hardee’s restaurants, has refused to run TV ads for the fast-food chain’s new Biscuit Holes. The ad depicts customers being asked to decide between “a-holes” and b-holes in a taste test.
Here’s a new spot for Baskin Robbins that AdFreak says tests the limits of your sanity with its manic repetition of "ice cream and cake" something like 16 times in the :15 spot. Okay, so it made me laugh, (which may say something about my sanity or lack thereof.) But is it effective? You be the judge.
When making purchasing decisions, 37% of American adults find television commercials more helpful than other types of advertising, according to a new Harris Poll.
17% say newspaper ads are most useful, and 14% say the same about internet search ads. Radio (3%) and internet banner ads (1%) were mentioned by the fewest people. 28% say no ads help them choose what products and services to buy. Source: The Harris Poll via The Daily Stat from Harvard Business Publishing
Despite some anecdotal reports of a surge in drinking accompanying the economic recession, the percentage of U.S. adults who consume alcohol is fairly steady at 64%, and there has been little change in self-reported drinking volume. Gallup 6/29/09
A Nielsen report on the “myths and realities of teen media trends debunks the notion that American teens are “too busy texting, Twittering or LOL-ing to be engaged with traditional media." One example: Teens are watching “more TV than ever, up 6% over the past five years in the U.S.” Free download of research available: How Teens Use Media June 2009.
“Twenty-two percent of Americans have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in banks, down from 32% who said the same at this time last year.” Gallup 6/24/09. This may provide an opportunity for small banks say some marketing experts.
Despite a drop of 28% in November sales at stores open at least a year versus 2007, Abercrombie & Fitch says they’re protecting the brand’s appeal as a casual-but-elite lifestyle brand for young adults by refusing to offer steep discounts during the holiday season. Los Angeles Times 12/13/08
Massachusetts-based toy retailer KB Toys Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and plans to close its 460 stores. Atlanta Business Chronicle 12/12/08
Dell (DELL) plans to charge new computer purchasers an annual or monthly fee for tech support agents based in North America. Some argue the practice accedes to customer prejudice against non-Americans, others that the support should be offered for free but Dell sees it as a way to fight globalization and still make a profit. Los Angeles Times 12/11/08
Apple (AAPL) is number one on BusinessWeek’s first annual list of “The World’s Most Influential Companies. “Apple has gained a cultlike following because it somehow manages to breathe new life into every category it touches,” says BusinessWeek. Apple, as well as other companies on the list, “have devised winning strategies in their industries and are the ones with game-changing ideas, the greatest impact on consumers, and the bold tactics rivals emulate.” Also making the list: Google (GOOG), Monsanto (MON), News Corp. (NWS), Toyota (TM), Unilever (UL) and Wal-Mart (WMT). BusinessWeek 12/11/08
Michelin Footwear has launched a website (www.michelinfootwear.com) for commercial industry professionals, featuring over 20 styles of boots and shoes, many with soles inspired by Michelin's high-performance tire tread designs. Michelin boots offer waterproof, protective toe and metatarsal support; electrical hazard protection; resistance to punctures, chemicals, heat and abrasion. Michelin Footwear was created in 2005 to leverage the company's technical expertise in managing contact with the ground in comfort and safety. Michelin Footwear 12/11/08 Photo: www.michelinfootwear.com
Nickelodeon will launch "The Big Green Help Global Challenge" on December 14th, a multiplayer kids' online game with a goal of igniting real-world action for environmental change. Kids are asked to virtually pledge volunteer hours in the "Global Challenge" that they can translate into actionable steps in their homes, communities and schools. The game is part of Nickelodeon's on-going global pro-social initiative, The Big Green Help, which aims to make energy-saving and earth-friendly activities a part of kids' everyday lives. Nickelodeon 12/11/2008 (www.nick.com/biggreenhelp)
“Four Bucks is Dumb,” and “Large is the New Grande” proclaims a 140 billboard campaign promoting McDonald’s (MCD) coffee in high traffic locations throughout western Washington state---including within site of Starbucks (SBUX) headquarters. The campaign supports the launch of McDonald’s espresso in the Seattle area and is not expected to be expanded nationwide. SeattlePI.com 12/10/08
Office Depot (ODP) plans to close 112 underperforming stores and 33 distribution facilities in North America. Atlanta Business Chronicle 12/10/08
Kid-focused Chuck E. Cheese pizza parlors across the country are the scenes of an unusually high number of calls to the police for disorderly conduct and battery by adults. Some local law enforcement officials even say the number of disruptions at their local Chuck E. Cheese restaurant are higher than many nearby restaurants and bars. Alcohol and the “mama-bear instinct” – parents rushing to protect their young---is blamed for many of the incidents. Wall Street Journal 12/9/08. May require subscription.
So says Nielsen, based on findings which compared video and TV usage across the ‘three screens’ – television, internet and mobile devices.
As of May 2008, the average American watched 127 hours, 15 minutes of TV per month a 4% increase from May, 2007, while also spending 9% more time on the Internet (26 hours, 26 minutes per month.)
A small but growing number of Internet and mobile phone users are watching video online (2 hrs, 19 min per month) and on their cell phones (3 hrs, 15 min per month.) And the short-term effect of DVRs has been minimal; although ‘timeshifted’ TV viewing has increased, the average user spends 5 hours 50 minutes on timeshifted TV per month, up from 3 hours 44 minutes from last year, representing less than 5% of total viewing.
One of the most interesting findings was that “while the number of mobile video users is relatively small at about 4 million, the video usage these early adopters report is impressive, perhaps due to 'always available' mobile devices. It is an early indicator of how this technology is becoming more commonplace among mobile users.”
Time Spent in Hours: Minutes per Month - May 2008
K2-11
T12-17
A18-24
A25-34
A35-44
A45-54
A55-64
A65+
On Traditional TV*
87:00
89:09
103:27
118:59
124:01
145:03
159:59
177:50
Watching Timeshifted TV*
4:16
3:36
3:55
9:28
8:13
6:46
5:49
2:57
Using the Internet**
4:58
12:01
12:18
29:00
38:47
33:52
34:44
26:01
Watching Video Online**
1:30
1:45
3:41
3:22
2:48
2:03
1:33
1:12
Mobile Video Subscribers Watching Video on a Mobile Phone^
* TV includes live viewing plus any playback viewing; Timeshifted TV is playback primarily on a DVR but including playback on services like Start Over as well as playback from a DVD recorder. ** Internet figures are from home and work. Hours:minutes are based on the universe of persons who watch online video. ^ Survey results reported in April 2008, this is a Q1 2008 estimate of only those mobile subscribers that subscribe to and use video on their mobile phone, over the past 30 days. ^^ Nielsen Mobile’s survey reports mobile video usage for those users 13 and older. Thus, 12-17 is T13-17 for all mobile data. ° A65+ base size too small to report mobile video hours:minutes
Duplication is a media term that describes the number or percentage of users that two more more mediums have in common.
It's important to understand the level of 'overlap' between two or more mediums to get an accurate count of the number of unique visitors, readers, viewers or listeners that are actually reached.
During 2007, the average U.S. home regularly watched just 16 channels per week despite an average of 186 channels they received via cable or satellite. I wonder how long consumers will continue to pay for channels they don't watch?
In terms of programming, variety shows were the most popular, followed by situation comedies and a “catch-all category” that includes “reality shows sports, animation and quiz shows…” Source: MediaWeek
Travel, hotel and other ‘supplier’ websites are increasing their share of hotel bookings by 3% at the expense of online travel agencies such as Expedia and Orbitz. A recent comScore study found that consumers are not only booking on hotel sites, but are increasingly choosing economy over premium brands. As a result, marketers are opting to spend more advertising $ on economy brands and fewer on premium brands. Source: ComScore
Michelin Footwear has launched a website (
So says Nielsen, based on findings which compared video and TV usage across the ‘three screens’ – television, internet and mobile devices. 
Duplication is a media term that describes the number or percentage of users that two more more mediums have in common. 
During 2007, the average U.S. home regularly
