AdHurl: October 2006 Archives

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Oct31	Now McDonalds is in the fake blog business. George Parker October 31, 2006 Know More: PR Steve Hall over at AdRants has a funny piece on how people… In this case McDonald’s… Never seem to learn from fiascos like the Edelman screw up with the fake Wal-Mart blog. Seems like McDonalds has two professionally written scams out there… mcdmillionwinner.com which no longer exists as someone pulled the plug after they were exposed. But the other, 4railroads.com is still up and is supposed to be written by some dufus called, Stanley Smith, Mall Security Guard, Joliet. As his profile says… “I am a simple guy. I like riding my bike, reading a good book, surfing the net and playing monopoly. And I have yet to complete one of my quests in life, winning the McDonald's Monopoly Game grand prize.” Yeah right Stanley. It’s people like that – Multi-million dollar behemoths – That should know better. Hey Stanley. What they don't tell you is that they pay the prize in Monopoly money! Posted at 5:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct31	Acne-encrusted teenage video freaks need not apply! George Parker October 31, 2006 What I love about all the claptrap concerning viral, buzz, word-of-mouth, hip-hop, gangsta and every other form of new media bs we keep hearing about is that even though it's all about the viewer taking control… It rarely seems to... Continue Reading Posted at 2:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct30	MySpace - YouTube - Lite. George Parker October 30, 2006 Now it begins… It would seem that some of my dire predictions about MySpace and YouTube might be starting to happen. What am I talking about? First today’s news that YouTube has started purging copyrighted material, including tons of stuff... Continue Reading Posted at 7:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	POTUS does “The Google.” George Parker October 30, 2006 In a recent interview with CNBC, President Bush says “One of the things I've used on The Google is to pull up maps. It's very interesting to see that." "I forgot the name of the program, but you get the... Continue Reading Posted at 4:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Great PR screw-ups of the Twentieth Century. George Parker October 30, 2006 After Edelman’s Wal-Mart blog screw up I thought it would be pretty hard to improve on that level of dumbness, but guess what? Nikon just topped it. Apparently they held an international painting contest for children. Winners would receive a... Continue Reading Posted at 9:10 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct28	Just 'cos I'm in Boise doesn't mean I'm a dufus! George Parker October 28, 2006 So, living in Boise, Idaho, I get my internet service from Qwest/MSN the local telco, and I have to admit, overall it’s pretty damn good service. Particularly when you call for tech help. I have never had to wait more... Continue Reading Posted at 4:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct27	All I want for Christmas! George Parker October 27, 2006 Just in case you don’t have anything to play all those spooky ring tones on, why not treat yourself to the new Bang & Olufsen “Serene” cell phone. It doesn’t actually do anything different from most other cell phones out... Continue Reading Posted at 8:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hello... Hello... Is anyone there? George Parker October 27, 2006 Rory has a niece piece over at BrandWeek (also available on his site at shorttakesblog.brandweek.com) entitled MORE ANNOYANCE FROM CELL PHONE PROVIDERS: He seems to be as annoyed about the proliferation of stupid ring tones on cell phones as I... Continue Reading Posted at 7:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct26	To Google or not to Google. That is the question! George Parker October 26, 2006 Just in case you were wondering about the correct usage of the word “Google,” worry no more as it has now been spelled out on Google’s own blog… Usage: 'Google' as noun referring to, well, us. Example: "I just love... Continue Reading Posted at 11:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct25	Paris Hilton... Shilling for Hilton? George Parker October 25, 2006 Interesting to read in today’s AdAge that Hilton Hotels is engaged in a massive image remake covering nine different brands operating 3,000 hotels in 65 countries, with the marketing focus being the “guest experience” rather than the physical plant. I... Continue Reading Posted at 11:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Product placement goes South... Way South! George Parker October 25, 2006 I must say, I was a bit stunned today to read that in a first-of-its-kind alliance between a major Hollywood movie studio and a pharmaceutical leviathon, Warner Bros., release of the animated ' family flick "Happy Feet" which is apparently... Continue Reading Posted at 10:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct24	The American Magazine Conference. Otherwise known as "La vie en rose!" George Parker October 24, 2006 Today’s AdAge Daily News devotes nearly all its coverage to the American Magazine Conference at the Biltmore Resort, Phoenix. (Why do they always have these “Working Conferences” in plush resorts?) Here are a few of the headlines… MPO President defends... Continue Reading Posted at 8:50 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct23	At Ford, staying employed is job one! George Parker October 23, 2006 With the news today that WPP Group is naming George Rogers president and CEO of Team Detroit, a joint venture of six WPP shops in Detroit, all of which work on Ford, you have to wonder what Sir Martin is... Continue Reading Posted at 10:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct22	Hey Mr Wal-Mart. Can I park my... Oooops sorry, your RV in your car park. George Parker October 22, 2006 With all the hoo-ha about the faux Wal-Mart blog that Edleman should be ashamed of themselves for foisting upon the American public on behalf of a client, I decided to see if the site is still up… And, yes it... Continue Reading Posted at 3:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct21	"Face Time" with HP's new TV campaign. George Parker October 21, 2006 One of the things I like most about the new HP notebook TV campaign is the fact that even though they use personalities, they don’t shove them in your face… And they never show the personalities face either. The people... Continue Reading Posted at 5:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct20	NBC News... Oooargah... Oooargah... Dive... Dive!!! George Parker October 20, 2006 Remember my post of yesterday about the pathetic state of Network TV news, and NBC news in particular? Well, surprise, surprise, they are about to lay off 600 or 700 employees from the news service! To which I have to... Continue Reading Posted at 6:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	And now the YouTube cut of the thousand knives begins! George Parker October 20, 2006 It was announced today that YouTube will cut 30,000 illegal clips from its website after Japanese media companies said their copyright was being infringed. The Japan Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers found 29,549 music video, movie and... Continue Reading Posted at 5:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct19	And now the news. Well, some news. Actually, hardly any news! George Parker October 19, 2006 It’s bad enough that all the major network’s evening newscasts are less than fifty percent news and fifty percent magazine pieces, usually of a medical nature. And you can take it as a given that the thirty minute program has... Continue Reading Posted at 6:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Now the Google/YouTube deal begins to make sense! George Parker October 19, 2006 When Google said it was acquiring YouTube, a number of folks said the company wasa asking for trouble by aligning itself with someone with so many unadressed copyeight issues. But Google didn't seem to view YouTube as a potential liability, and now... Continue Reading Posted at 2:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The end of the 30' TV spot... Again! George Parker October 19, 2006 There’s a very interesting article in The Hollywood Reporter about how we are going to see the first viable new-media successor to broadcast and cable television with the combination of Google's search expertise and YouTube's stranglehold on Internet video. The... Continue Reading Posted at 11:14 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct18	Bury me under third base at Yankee stadium! George Parker October 18, 2006 I really have no idea where Rory over at BrandWeek comes up with these items, but he’s just posted a lulu about Major League Baseball arranging a deal with a company called Eternal Image to market a line of caskets and cremation... Continue Reading Posted at 10:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct17	If only we could convince Paris Hilton to eat canned spinach! George Parker October 17, 2006 With the news today that Walt Disney will limit licensing for most of its cartoon characters to food products low in fat and sugar, I have to wonder if this will really have that much effect on the so-called childhood-obesity... Continue Reading Posted at 10:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Pardon me while I speak rubbish! George Parker October 17, 2006 Reading the comments of Rance Crain in today’s AdAge about the recent ANA conference, I was reminded of one of my favorite books… “Why business people speak like idiots.” Rance was reporting on how Russ Klein of Burger King said... Continue Reading Posted at 10:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct16	The CEO who creates the most layoffs wins! George Parker October 16, 2006 Having done so much Hi-Tech work in the past I always keep an eye on what’s going on in Silicon Valley. So, I wasn’t surprised to read that in spite of 28 losing quarters… That’s right 28 LOSING QUARTERS… Which... Continue Reading Posted at 5:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct15	Beam me up Christies! George Parker October 15, 2006 I know that any time of the day or night, some local TV channel is showing a Star Trek episode, but it was nothing more than amazing to read that an unnamed trekkie has coughed up £308,000 for a model... Continue Reading Posted at 10:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	MySpace Music Melt-Down! George Parker October 15, 2006 As MySpace continues to grow, it also continues to attract con-men who have developed a phishing attack targeting music fans that highlights the evolving use of social engineering techniques in money-making spam emails. Junk emails have been spammed out to... Continue Reading Posted at 10:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct14	Lies, damn lies, and media studies! George Parker October 14, 2006 So I posted a few days ago about how the demographics for Social Networking sites were shifting to a much more mature audience. Now there’s a study just out showing that site traffic dropped in September as teens and college... Continue Reading Posted at 9:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The begining of the end for Madison Avenue? George Parker October 14, 2006 What with all the fuss about Consumer Generated Content (CGC) It’s interesting to read that the NFL is getting into the act when it will run a commercial during Super Bowl XLI that has been conceived by a fan. The... Continue Reading Posted at 7:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct13	How much is that Intel in the window? George Parker October 13, 2006 Big time chip maker Intel is into Guerilla marketing in a somewhat unusual fashion for the launch of their dual-core processor. They asked world-renowned virtual builder Versu Richelieu to create a new masterpiece in the Second Life virtual landscape using... Continue Reading Posted at 10:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hey, you guys at YouTube, can you get your "u" out of our tube? George Parker October 13, 2006 From the “Hey, this is funny department.” News just in that Google's acquisition of online video sharing site YouTube.com has resulted in massive traffic on uTube.com, which happens to be "The number one supplier of used Tube & Pipe equipment... Continue Reading Posted at 9:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct12	When MySpace gets in YourFace... Watch out! George Parker October 12, 2006 I’ve posted before about social networking sites in general and MySpace in particular, questioning if the “Wizened of Oz’s” $650 million investment will pay off if he continues to flood it with Fox promos, driving away the original audience. But... Continue Reading Posted at 9:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Coca Cola just came up with a way to let you bloat and lose weight at the same time! George Parker October 12, 2006 What I love about the news of Coca Cola’s new drink, Enviga, is the claim that if you drink three cans you could lose an average of 106 calories. Wow!!! This is the promise Coca-Cola is making in regards to... Continue Reading Posted at 7:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	When it comes to Saw III, bad taste never dies! George Parker October 12, 2006 What will probably be the years sickest movie is about to get the worlds sickest advertising. Lionsgate Films plans to splatter 1,000 promotional posters for the film Saw III with the actual blood of Tobin Bell, who plays the movie's... Continue Reading Posted at 10:11 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	ABC's "World Geriatric News!" George Parker October 12, 2006 Interesting to read the comments of Charles Gibson of ABC's "World News" that all the pharmaceutical advertising--analgesics, dentures, direct-to-consumer drugs—that runs during his newscast is turning away younger viewers. So he wants the network to start running younger-skewing ads. The... Continue Reading Posted at 9:44 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct11	BBD&O repeats itself adnauseum! George Parker October 11, 2006 Why am I not surprised to read that Pizza Hut has green-lighted creative concepts from longtime agency BBDO following presentations this week by BBDO and Ogilvy & Mather. It would seem that the New York shops presented on Monday to... Continue Reading Posted at 9:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	In case you come back as a dog... Read this. George Parker October 11, 2006 As a follow on to my post about Jimmy Dean’s Sausage, pancake and chocolate chip fiasco, Rory over at BrandWeek has a post about the latest thing for dogs, Pedigree Ice Cream Sandwich Treats for Dogs. This ridiculous product from... Continue Reading Posted at 3:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct10	Redefining Creativity at a dollar a minute! George Parker October 10, 2006 I am at a constant loss to understand how AdAge can continue to promote their outrageously expensive conferences and seminars which ask participants to shell out hundreds of bucks for a few hours of sitting through boiler-plate presentations from so-called... Continue Reading Posted at 11:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ray Noorda. May he rest in peace. George Parker October 10, 2006 Indulge me a little on this… But with the news today that Ray Noorda recently died, I was reminded of the days I worked on the Novell account. He was the guy who almost single handedly created Novell and was... Continue Reading Posted at 10:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Swallow this $75 million account before your bones turn to chalk! George Parker October 10, 2006 The news today that Euro RSCG has landed advertising duties on osteoporosis drug Boniva after a review in which the incumbent, Saatchi & Saatchi did not participate brought to mind how important pharmaceutical accounts are to BDA’s. Boniva had a... Continue Reading Posted at 10:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Carly Fiorina... Let them eat leaks! George Parker October 10, 2006 The Carly Fiorina bandwagon rolls on. Now she is suggesting she may have been fired because she intended to begin a process of revamping the firm's board in the wake of boardroom media leaks during her time at the helm.... Continue Reading Posted at 5:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 9	How do you measure viewership when you don't know where the viewers are? George Parker October 9, 2006 With the advent of TV programming being available on all kinds of devices other than TV’s, how do you measure viewership? Not through Nielson if the viewer is watching “24” or “CSI” on an iPod, or streamed over the Internet.... Continue Reading Posted at 9:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	ABC takes stalking viral! George Parker October 9, 2006 Put this one in the “weird” column. Apparently ABC is employing actors as part of a viral campaign that's promoting its recently launched show Six Degrees. Presentable looking young people are slipping handwritten notes to people in public places, inviting... Continue Reading Posted at 8:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	GoogleTube is a done deal! George Parker October 9, 2006 So the YouTube/Google deal is done, even though it flies in the face of the dire warnings of Mark Cuban… “Would Google be crazy to buy YouTube? No doubt about it. Moronic would be the understatement of a lifetime." and... Continue Reading Posted at 4:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 8	Google goes Gargantuan! George Parker October 8, 2006 If BDA’s (Big Dumb Agencies) didn’t have enough to worry about, last weeks news that Google plans to get even deeper into mainstream advertising should give them a few sleepless nights. Google is now lining up ads for nearly 100... Continue Reading Posted at 10:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gary Elliot does it right! George Parker October 8, 2006 Interesting to read in yesterday’s AdAge about my old friend Gary Elliott, HP's VP-brand marketing, addressing HP's corporate spy scandal at the Association of National Advertisers' annual conference and acknowledging HP still doesn't know how the issue will affect its... Continue Reading Posted at 9:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	YouTube gets serious. George Parker October 8, 2006 In an interesting example of how video sharing can be used for something more worthwhile than miming pop lyrics, it would seem that detectives in Manchester, who are trying to catch the killers of murdered schoolboy Jessie James have posted... Continue Reading Posted at 9:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 7	Who let the cows out? George Parker October 7, 2006 With the news that PC marketer Gateway has returned its $42 million media account to Initiative media buying group leaving Aegis' Carat to return to the Interpublic Group of Cos. media agency, which held the account through 2003. I have... Continue Reading Posted at 2:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 6	Last social networking site left standing wins! George Parker October 6, 2006 A study out today shows social networking sites maturing and become more popular, visitor age profiles are also on the rise. More than 50 percent of all MySpace users are now over the age of 35. Looks like us old... Continue Reading Posted at 3:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Google swallows YouTube to create YouGoogleTube! George Parker October 6, 2006 So, Google is about to cough up $1.6 billion for YouTube! Apart from the fact that this will make every one of YouTube’s 25 staff members a millionaire, and 29 year old founder Chad Hurley a billionaire, I still have... Continue Reading Posted at 3:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 5	Why men are dumber than women. George Parker October 5, 2006 With the growing use of embedded advertising in games, such as Adidas’s new tagline “It Takes 5IVE” in Electronic Arts “NBA Live 07” aimed strictly at the young male consumer, it’s interesting to read in a recent BBC feature that... Continue Reading Posted at 10:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 4	Sony goes in review 'cos they can! George Parker October 4, 2006 AdWeek reports that four agencies are awaiting the test results of creative presentations they made to Sony within the last two weeks. These include, Berlin Cameron United, Young & Rubicam and DraftFCB, all in New York, and Publicis’s Fallon in... Continue Reading Posted at 4:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The ins-and-outs of the agency business! George Parker October 4, 2006 I was amused to read in yesterday’s New York Times that the London ad scene is all atwitter with the news that new legal rules are coming into force that will require ad agencies taking on a new account to... Continue Reading Posted at 7:27 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 3	The "Fat Food" to die for! George Parker October 3, 2006 OK. When it comes to new product launches, I really want to know how this one is going to go in the marketplace. Jimmy Dean, the sausage company has just created the ultimate in junk food. It certainly beats Beats... Continue Reading Posted at 9:59 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 2	Gnomes beat Clowns every time! George Parker October 2, 2006 So I just got my Interim Report for the half year from WPP. Yes, I am a shareholder. Not because I bought the FIVE shares I have, but because I was awarded them a few years ago when I won... Continue Reading Posted at 5:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Down the tube with YouTube! George Parker October 2, 2006 I know I go on a bit about “New Media,” particularly when I see multi-billionaires shelling out multi-billions for things like MySpace, then commencing to destroy what it was that made them attractive in the first place. That’s why I... Continue Reading Posted at 3:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 1	WPP goes show biz! George Parker October 1, 2006 Britain’s obsession with pop music and pop music stars took a turn for the worse with the announcement that WPP Group and Universal Music are to unveil a 50-50 joint venture that will team up client brands of the conglomerate... Continue Reading Posted at 5:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Chrysler... Stupid is as stupid does! George Parker October 1, 2006 Having just got back from New Mexico, I’m catching up on last week’s news. Consequently, I was amused to read about Chrysler Group's plans to increase its advertising spending dramatically while posting a loss of $1.5 billion in the third... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

« September 2006 | Main | November 2006 »

Oct31	Now McDonalds is in the fake blog business. George Parker October 31, 2006 Know More: PR Steve Hall over at AdRants has a funny piece on how people… In this case McDonald’s… Never seem to learn from fiascos like the Edelman screw up with the fake Wal-Mart blog. Seems like McDonalds has two professionally written scams out there… mcdmillionwinner.com which no longer exists as someone pulled the plug after they were exposed. But the other, 4railroads.com is still up and is supposed to be written by some dufus called, Stanley Smith, Mall Security Guard, Joliet. As his profile says… “I am a simple guy. I like riding my bike, reading a good book, surfing the net and playing monopoly. And I have yet to complete one of my quests in life, winning the McDonald's Monopoly Game grand prize.” Yeah right Stanley. It’s people like that – Multi-million dollar behemoths – That should know better. Hey Stanley. What they don't tell you is that they pay the prize in Monopoly money! Posted at 5:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct31	Acne-encrusted teenage video freaks need not apply! George Parker October 31, 2006 What I love about all the claptrap concerning viral, buzz, word-of-mouth, hip-hop, gangsta and every other form of new media bs we keep hearing about is that even though it's all about the viewer taking control… It rarely seems to... Continue Reading Posted at 2:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct30	MySpace - YouTube - Lite. George Parker October 30, 2006 Now it begins… It would seem that some of my dire predictions about MySpace and YouTube might be starting to happen. What am I talking about? First today’s news that YouTube has started purging copyrighted material, including tons of stuff... Continue Reading Posted at 7:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	POTUS does “The Google.” George Parker October 30, 2006 In a recent interview with CNBC, President Bush says “One of the things I've used on The Google is to pull up maps. It's very interesting to see that." "I forgot the name of the program, but you get the... Continue Reading Posted at 4:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Great PR screw-ups of the Twentieth Century. George Parker October 30, 2006 After Edelman’s Wal-Mart blog screw up I thought it would be pretty hard to improve on that level of dumbness, but guess what? Nikon just topped it. Apparently they held an international painting contest for children. Winners would receive a... Continue Reading Posted at 9:10 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct28	Just 'cos I'm in Boise doesn't mean I'm a dufus! George Parker October 28, 2006 So, living in Boise, Idaho, I get my internet service from Qwest/MSN the local telco, and I have to admit, overall it’s pretty damn good service. Particularly when you call for tech help. I have never had to wait more... Continue Reading Posted at 4:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct27	All I want for Christmas! George Parker October 27, 2006 Just in case you don’t have anything to play all those spooky ring tones on, why not treat yourself to the new Bang & Olufsen “Serene” cell phone. It doesn’t actually do anything different from most other cell phones out... Continue Reading Posted at 8:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hello... Hello... Is anyone there? George Parker October 27, 2006 Rory has a niece piece over at BrandWeek (also available on his site at shorttakesblog.brandweek.com) entitled MORE ANNOYANCE FROM CELL PHONE PROVIDERS: He seems to be as annoyed about the proliferation of stupid ring tones on cell phones as I... Continue Reading Posted at 7:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct26	To Google or not to Google. That is the question! George Parker October 26, 2006 Just in case you were wondering about the correct usage of the word “Google,” worry no more as it has now been spelled out on Google’s own blog… Usage: 'Google' as noun referring to, well, us. Example: "I just love... Continue Reading Posted at 11:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct25	Paris Hilton... Shilling for Hilton? George Parker October 25, 2006 Interesting to read in today’s AdAge that Hilton Hotels is engaged in a massive image remake covering nine different brands operating 3,000 hotels in 65 countries, with the marketing focus being the “guest experience” rather than the physical plant. I... Continue Reading Posted at 11:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Product placement goes South... Way South! George Parker October 25, 2006 I must say, I was a bit stunned today to read that in a first-of-its-kind alliance between a major Hollywood movie studio and a pharmaceutical leviathon, Warner Bros., release of the animated ' family flick "Happy Feet" which is apparently... Continue Reading Posted at 10:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct24	The American Magazine Conference. Otherwise known as "La vie en rose!" George Parker October 24, 2006 Today’s AdAge Daily News devotes nearly all its coverage to the American Magazine Conference at the Biltmore Resort, Phoenix. (Why do they always have these “Working Conferences” in plush resorts?) Here are a few of the headlines… MPO President defends... Continue Reading Posted at 8:50 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct23	At Ford, staying employed is job one! George Parker October 23, 2006 With the news today that WPP Group is naming George Rogers president and CEO of Team Detroit, a joint venture of six WPP shops in Detroit, all of which work on Ford, you have to wonder what Sir Martin is... Continue Reading Posted at 10:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct22	Hey Mr Wal-Mart. Can I park my... Oooops sorry, your RV in your car park. George Parker October 22, 2006 With all the hoo-ha about the faux Wal-Mart blog that Edleman should be ashamed of themselves for foisting upon the American public on behalf of a client, I decided to see if the site is still up… And, yes it... Continue Reading Posted at 3:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct21	"Face Time" with HP's new TV campaign. George Parker October 21, 2006 One of the things I like most about the new HP notebook TV campaign is the fact that even though they use personalities, they don’t shove them in your face… And they never show the personalities face either. The people... Continue Reading Posted at 5:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct20	NBC News... Oooargah... Oooargah... Dive... Dive!!! George Parker October 20, 2006 Remember my post of yesterday about the pathetic state of Network TV news, and NBC news in particular? Well, surprise, surprise, they are about to lay off 600 or 700 employees from the news service! To which I have to... Continue Reading Posted at 6:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	And now the YouTube cut of the thousand knives begins! George Parker October 20, 2006 It was announced today that YouTube will cut 30,000 illegal clips from its website after Japanese media companies said their copyright was being infringed. The Japan Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers found 29,549 music video, movie and... Continue Reading Posted at 5:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct19	And now the news. Well, some news. Actually, hardly any news! George Parker October 19, 2006 It’s bad enough that all the major network’s evening newscasts are less than fifty percent news and fifty percent magazine pieces, usually of a medical nature. And you can take it as a given that the thirty minute program has... Continue Reading Posted at 6:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Now the Google/YouTube deal begins to make sense! George Parker October 19, 2006 When Google said it was acquiring YouTube, a number of folks said the company wasa asking for trouble by aligning itself with someone with so many unadressed copyeight issues. But Google didn't seem to view YouTube as a potential liability, and now... Continue Reading Posted at 2:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The end of the 30' TV spot... Again! George Parker October 19, 2006 There’s a very interesting article in The Hollywood Reporter about how we are going to see the first viable new-media successor to broadcast and cable television with the combination of Google's search expertise and YouTube's stranglehold on Internet video. The... Continue Reading Posted at 11:14 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct18	Bury me under third base at Yankee stadium! George Parker October 18, 2006 I really have no idea where Rory over at BrandWeek comes up with these items, but he’s just posted a lulu about Major League Baseball arranging a deal with a company called Eternal Image to market a line of caskets and cremation... Continue Reading Posted at 10:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct17	If only we could convince Paris Hilton to eat canned spinach! George Parker October 17, 2006 With the news today that Walt Disney will limit licensing for most of its cartoon characters to food products low in fat and sugar, I have to wonder if this will really have that much effect on the so-called childhood-obesity... Continue Reading Posted at 10:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Pardon me while I speak rubbish! George Parker October 17, 2006 Reading the comments of Rance Crain in today’s AdAge about the recent ANA conference, I was reminded of one of my favorite books… “Why business people speak like idiots.” Rance was reporting on how Russ Klein of Burger King said... Continue Reading Posted at 10:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct16	The CEO who creates the most layoffs wins! George Parker October 16, 2006 Having done so much Hi-Tech work in the past I always keep an eye on what’s going on in Silicon Valley. So, I wasn’t surprised to read that in spite of 28 losing quarters… That’s right 28 LOSING QUARTERS… Which... Continue Reading Posted at 5:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct15	Beam me up Christies! George Parker October 15, 2006 I know that any time of the day or night, some local TV channel is showing a Star Trek episode, but it was nothing more than amazing to read that an unnamed trekkie has coughed up £308,000 for a model... Continue Reading Posted at 10:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	MySpace Music Melt-Down! George Parker October 15, 2006 As MySpace continues to grow, it also continues to attract con-men who have developed a phishing attack targeting music fans that highlights the evolving use of social engineering techniques in money-making spam emails. Junk emails have been spammed out to... Continue Reading Posted at 10:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct14	Lies, damn lies, and media studies! George Parker October 14, 2006 So I posted a few days ago about how the demographics for Social Networking sites were shifting to a much more mature audience. Now there’s a study just out showing that site traffic dropped in September as teens and college... Continue Reading Posted at 9:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The begining of the end for Madison Avenue? George Parker October 14, 2006 What with all the fuss about Consumer Generated Content (CGC) It’s interesting to read that the NFL is getting into the act when it will run a commercial during Super Bowl XLI that has been conceived by a fan. The... Continue Reading Posted at 7:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct13	How much is that Intel in the window? George Parker October 13, 2006 Big time chip maker Intel is into Guerilla marketing in a somewhat unusual fashion for the launch of their dual-core processor. They asked world-renowned virtual builder Versu Richelieu to create a new masterpiece in the Second Life virtual landscape using... Continue Reading Posted at 10:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hey, you guys at YouTube, can you get your "u" out of our tube? George Parker October 13, 2006 From the “Hey, this is funny department.” News just in that Google's acquisition of online video sharing site YouTube.com has resulted in massive traffic on uTube.com, which happens to be "The number one supplier of used Tube & Pipe equipment... Continue Reading Posted at 9:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct12	When MySpace gets in YourFace... Watch out! George Parker October 12, 2006 I’ve posted before about social networking sites in general and MySpace in particular, questioning if the “Wizened of Oz’s” $650 million investment will pay off if he continues to flood it with Fox promos, driving away the original audience. But... Continue Reading Posted at 9:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Coca Cola just came up with a way to let you bloat and lose weight at the same time! George Parker October 12, 2006 What I love about the news of Coca Cola’s new drink, Enviga, is the claim that if you drink three cans you could lose an average of 106 calories. Wow!!! This is the promise Coca-Cola is making in regards to... Continue Reading Posted at 7:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	When it comes to Saw III, bad taste never dies! George Parker October 12, 2006 What will probably be the years sickest movie is about to get the worlds sickest advertising. Lionsgate Films plans to splatter 1,000 promotional posters for the film Saw III with the actual blood of Tobin Bell, who plays the movie's... Continue Reading Posted at 10:11 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	ABC's "World Geriatric News!" George Parker October 12, 2006 Interesting to read the comments of Charles Gibson of ABC's "World News" that all the pharmaceutical advertising--analgesics, dentures, direct-to-consumer drugs—that runs during his newscast is turning away younger viewers. So he wants the network to start running younger-skewing ads. The... Continue Reading Posted at 9:44 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct11	BBD&O repeats itself adnauseum! George Parker October 11, 2006 Why am I not surprised to read that Pizza Hut has green-lighted creative concepts from longtime agency BBDO following presentations this week by BBDO and Ogilvy & Mather. It would seem that the New York shops presented on Monday to... Continue Reading Posted at 9:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	In case you come back as a dog... Read this. George Parker October 11, 2006 As a follow on to my post about Jimmy Dean’s Sausage, pancake and chocolate chip fiasco, Rory over at BrandWeek has a post about the latest thing for dogs, Pedigree Ice Cream Sandwich Treats for Dogs. This ridiculous product from... Continue Reading Posted at 3:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct10	Redefining Creativity at a dollar a minute! George Parker October 10, 2006 I am at a constant loss to understand how AdAge can continue to promote their outrageously expensive conferences and seminars which ask participants to shell out hundreds of bucks for a few hours of sitting through boiler-plate presentations from so-called... Continue Reading Posted at 11:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ray Noorda. May he rest in peace. George Parker October 10, 2006 Indulge me a little on this… But with the news today that Ray Noorda recently died, I was reminded of the days I worked on the Novell account. He was the guy who almost single handedly created Novell and was... Continue Reading Posted at 10:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Swallow this $75 million account before your bones turn to chalk! George Parker October 10, 2006 The news today that Euro RSCG has landed advertising duties on osteoporosis drug Boniva after a review in which the incumbent, Saatchi & Saatchi did not participate brought to mind how important pharmaceutical accounts are to BDA’s. Boniva had a... Continue Reading Posted at 10:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Carly Fiorina... Let them eat leaks! George Parker October 10, 2006 The Carly Fiorina bandwagon rolls on. Now she is suggesting she may have been fired because she intended to begin a process of revamping the firm's board in the wake of boardroom media leaks during her time at the helm.... Continue Reading Posted at 5:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 9	How do you measure viewership when you don't know where the viewers are? George Parker October 9, 2006 With the advent of TV programming being available on all kinds of devices other than TV’s, how do you measure viewership? Not through Nielson if the viewer is watching “24” or “CSI” on an iPod, or streamed over the Internet.... Continue Reading Posted at 9:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	ABC takes stalking viral! George Parker October 9, 2006 Put this one in the “weird” column. Apparently ABC is employing actors as part of a viral campaign that's promoting its recently launched show Six Degrees. Presentable looking young people are slipping handwritten notes to people in public places, inviting... Continue Reading Posted at 8:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	GoogleTube is a done deal! George Parker October 9, 2006 So the YouTube/Google deal is done, even though it flies in the face of the dire warnings of Mark Cuban… “Would Google be crazy to buy YouTube? No doubt about it. Moronic would be the understatement of a lifetime." and... Continue Reading Posted at 4:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 8	Google goes Gargantuan! George Parker October 8, 2006 If BDA’s (Big Dumb Agencies) didn’t have enough to worry about, last weeks news that Google plans to get even deeper into mainstream advertising should give them a few sleepless nights. Google is now lining up ads for nearly 100... Continue Reading Posted at 10:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gary Elliot does it right! George Parker October 8, 2006 Interesting to read in yesterday’s AdAge about my old friend Gary Elliott, HP's VP-brand marketing, addressing HP's corporate spy scandal at the Association of National Advertisers' annual conference and acknowledging HP still doesn't know how the issue will affect its... Continue Reading Posted at 9:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	YouTube gets serious. George Parker October 8, 2006 In an interesting example of how video sharing can be used for something more worthwhile than miming pop lyrics, it would seem that detectives in Manchester, who are trying to catch the killers of murdered schoolboy Jessie James have posted... Continue Reading Posted at 9:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 7	Who let the cows out? George Parker October 7, 2006 With the news that PC marketer Gateway has returned its $42 million media account to Initiative media buying group leaving Aegis' Carat to return to the Interpublic Group of Cos. media agency, which held the account through 2003. I have... Continue Reading Posted at 2:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 6	Last social networking site left standing wins! George Parker October 6, 2006 A study out today shows social networking sites maturing and become more popular, visitor age profiles are also on the rise. More than 50 percent of all MySpace users are now over the age of 35. Looks like us old... Continue Reading Posted at 3:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Google swallows YouTube to create YouGoogleTube! George Parker October 6, 2006 So, Google is about to cough up $1.6 billion for YouTube! Apart from the fact that this will make every one of YouTube’s 25 staff members a millionaire, and 29 year old founder Chad Hurley a billionaire, I still have... Continue Reading Posted at 3:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 5	Why men are dumber than women. George Parker October 5, 2006 With the growing use of embedded advertising in games, such as Adidas’s new tagline “It Takes 5IVE” in Electronic Arts “NBA Live 07” aimed strictly at the young male consumer, it’s interesting to read in a recent BBC feature that... Continue Reading Posted at 10:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 4	Sony goes in review 'cos they can! George Parker October 4, 2006 AdWeek reports that four agencies are awaiting the test results of creative presentations they made to Sony within the last two weeks. These include, Berlin Cameron United, Young & Rubicam and DraftFCB, all in New York, and Publicis’s Fallon in... Continue Reading Posted at 4:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The ins-and-outs of the agency business! George Parker October 4, 2006 I was amused to read in yesterday’s New York Times that the London ad scene is all atwitter with the news that new legal rules are coming into force that will require ad agencies taking on a new account to... Continue Reading Posted at 7:27 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 3	The "Fat Food" to die for! George Parker October 3, 2006 OK. When it comes to new product launches, I really want to know how this one is going to go in the marketplace. Jimmy Dean, the sausage company has just created the ultimate in junk food. It certainly beats Beats... Continue Reading Posted at 9:59 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 2	Gnomes beat Clowns every time! George Parker October 2, 2006 So I just got my Interim Report for the half year from WPP. Yes, I am a shareholder. Not because I bought the FIVE shares I have, but because I was awarded them a few years ago when I won... Continue Reading Posted at 5:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Down the tube with YouTube! George Parker October 2, 2006 I know I go on a bit about “New Media,” particularly when I see multi-billionaires shelling out multi-billions for things like MySpace, then commencing to destroy what it was that made them attractive in the first place. That’s why I... Continue Reading Posted at 3:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 1	WPP goes show biz! George Parker October 1, 2006 Britain’s obsession with pop music and pop music stars took a turn for the worse with the announcement that WPP Group and Universal Music are to unveil a 50-50 joint venture that will team up client brands of the conglomerate... Continue Reading Posted at 5:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Chrysler... Stupid is as stupid does! George Parker October 1, 2006 Having just got back from New Mexico, I’m catching up on last week’s news. Consequently, I was amused to read about Chrysler Group's plans to increase its advertising spending dramatically while posting a loss of $1.5 billion in the third... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

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