Monthly Archives: August 2006

Scott G recently watched a lot of car commercials. He was not amused.

The VW Jetta television commercials from Crispin Porter + Bogusky are shocking, effective, and eerily beautiful. But as Phil Hatten points out to Scott G, the sound designer has undercut their message (or VW has a product defect).

eBay announced this week that they will be discontinuing the eBay Keywords program at the end of September. The program allowed eBay sellers to bid for keywords for text ad placements.

Political advertising sucks. Not only does it reduce complex issues to the level of a schoolyard taunt, there are few boundaries to constrain the worst offenders in the game. And the game appears to be called "Who Tells Lies the Fastest." With anger and sadness, Scott G looks at some of the dreck we endure prior to every election.

BOONTON, NJ -- The $2 trillion ecosystem of hospitals, physicians, pharmaceutical companies, and insurance providers will be spending nearly $43 billion on telecommunications services over the next five years, with wireless services used by hospitals and physicians showing the fastest growth, says a new market research study released by the Insight Research Corporation.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn.-- Looking to provide unique ways for youth marketers to reach college students, Campus Media Group has expanded its offerings to include advertising in downloadable textbooks. CMG, which develops and executes media and marketing strategies on college campuses, has partnered with St. Paul, MN-based Freeload Press Inc., which publishes e-textbooks.

IRONTON, Ohio -- Undiscovered Radio Network, Inc. (www.undiscoveredradionetwork.com) has developed 'Undiscovered' a new syndicated broadcast radio program to provide an innovative and long awaited mainstream vehicle for independent artists. The two hour show is set to debut the first weekend of September and features independent rock and alternative artists that have gained local or regional popularity but don't have the resources to tap into mainstream broadcasting.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Send2Press(R), a leading targeted newswire service, announced today it will again offer its PR Partner Program to qualified ad agencies, PR pros, and marketing companies. The program, last offered in 2003, allows appropriate advertising firms to offer Send2Press news distribution and Internet marketing services and receive a partner discount, without having to meet volume requirements or pay a start-up fee.

NEW YORK, NY -- M.A.D.E. Planet has launched its Web site to provide services to the arts and entertainment industry through social networking, and visual and audio forums. M.A.D.E. symbolizes the ultimate medium for music, art, design and entertainment.

There is something to be said for setting the bar too low: all subsequent efforts will look better. Scott G gives a mercifully brief examination of a recent train wreck from something calling itself agency.com.