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.

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — POD Digital Promotions has developed and patented the POD advertising system as the ultimate formula for successful target-market penetration - digital advertising. The system’s integration of visual and print media gives advertisers an edge through a unique approach that combines creativity, experience, and technology.

NEW YORK, NY — The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) this week announced that they are forming an industry-wide Click Measurement Working Group to create a set of Click Measurement Guidelines. These Guidelines, a joint effort with the Media Rating Council (MRC), will provide the detailed definition of a “click” and the standard against which clicks are measured and counted including the identification of invalid clicks and/or fraudulent clicks.

COLUMN: Some ad campaigns don’t work. Like the recent mistake of putting an American Idol winner in a retail automotive ad. Scott G comments on Ford’s chopping of Taylor Hicks.

The ad campaign for “Lady in the Water” was a noble attempt at marketing a movie using wit, taste and style. But as Scott G notes, the low turnout for the film’s opening weekend may make things a little less subtle in the future.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Everyone can appreciate a good T-shirt and most people like to stay informed regarding the news and current events. Subscribing to T-post is a lot like having a subscription to a magazine, but instead of receiving magazines in your mailbox - you receive T-shirts. The topics in focus vary from politics to bank heists to a glow-in-the-dark pig.