Category

So this month we’ve all read the slew of social media experts at advertising and marketing agencies blog, tweet and publish their 2012 predictions — and last year saw its share of both the perceptive (the embrace of mobile) and the preposterous (Google+ immediately dethroning Facebook). To keep my comments in the first camp, let…

As interactive media transforms and consumer influences continue to shift, 2012 is expected to be the year that online advertising will surpass print. A study released by eMarketer this month predicts that online advertising will grow 23.3% to $39.5 billion in 2012. The study forecasts that advertisers will spend $33.8 billion on magazine and newspaper advertisements,…

Advertising, the black sheep of the entertainment industry will have its day. Often, Advertising is seen as an annoyance….even an intrusion. However, there is one golden day for advertisers. One day of the year when advertisements are revered, even anticipated and desired. That glorious day is Super Bowl Sunday. According to Forbes.com many ad agencies…

The recent bankruptcy filing by Hostess Brands — manufacturers of America’s iconic Twinkie snack cake (a delectable combination of sugar, enriched flour, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, polysorbate 60 and yellow dye No. 5), — is a bittersweet moment for me. This staple of my early years in San Diego fueled me through after-school activities, college…

Yesterday, Google posted on its Inside Search blog that they will be enforcing a new algorithm called the “page layout algorithm”. It is no secret that many content websites makes their money off of marketing ads on their pages. It’s simple, advertisers pay to have their ads on your website on a CPM model and…

According to "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding," the most frequently violated law of branding is consistency. "Markets may change, but brands shouldn't. They may be bent slightly or given a new slant, but their essential characteristics (once those characteristics are firmly planted in the mind) should never be changed." Lack of consistency is certainly…

In the latest YouTube sensation “Riley on Marketing”, a 5-year-old going on 50 explains her point of view on gender marketing. In this pint sized but right-on rant, Riley expresses her frustration with the toy industry, marketers, and society’s perpetuation of gender stereotypes. Walking the girl’s aisle of the toy store with her father, Dennis…

Glögg is what my Nordic relatives call mulled wine—it’s the Norwegian beverage of Christmas and is associated with all the warmth and goodness of the season.  Made with red wine, sugar, spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and bitter orange, Glögg is served hot and generally accompanied by raisons, blanched almonds and Ginger Snaps.…

Product placement has had a presence in media for decades. Early radio shows in the 1930's and 40's, such as The Campbell Playhouse and Ford Theater, integrated products right into their program titles. Recently, documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock covered the controversial practice in his new film, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. Here…

The first amendment sometimes is lost in translation. Or rather found in a variety of translations. Some argue that this country was founded on the principle of free speech and that censorship should be illegal. Others argue that in some cases we may need more censorship as they do not wish to be subjected to…