• EdBlog: The Sweet Science
• Gold: Digitas
• Silver: AKQA
• Small Agency: Campfire
• Creative: Deutsch
• More Magazine Stories...

• Editor's Letter: Hail to the Biggest ...
• Agency of the Year: MPG
• Executive: Nigel Morris
• Holding Company: GroupM
• Media Supplier: Meredith
• More Magazine Stories...

News Hotline

• Pro Sports Solve Social Media Puzzle
  by Karl Greenberg Yesterday, 10:31 AM

  The challenge of social media for major league sports is how to engage fans without disengaging them from the game by interrupting those all-important moments of play. After all, sports are probably the last redoubt against time-shifting. The moment is everything in sports. ...

• Mazda Drives Into Truffula Valley
  by Karl Greenberg Yesterday, 10:24 AM

  Mazda North American Operations is partnering with Universal Pictures for a promo centering on the 3D version of "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax." The automaker will associate with the film, which opens March 2, to tout its Skyactiv technology, which boosts fuel economy. ...

• CMOs Becoming 'Marketing CEO Super-Species'
  by Karlene Lukovitz Yesterday, 8:16 PM

  Based on in-depth interviews with 30 "game-changing" lead marketers at companies spanning a broad cross-section of U.S. businesses, CMOs are stepping up to the plate in the face of the unprecedented changes and challenges facing their companies to evolve well beyond their traditional roles, reports CMG. ...

• Consumers Forgoing Pay-TV For Internet Services
  by Aaron Baar Yesterday, 8:06 PM

  According to The NPD Group, video-on-demand revenues from pay-TV services hit $1.3 billion last year, with 15% of consumers age 13 or older having used the services at least once in the 12-month period between August 2010 and August 2011. ...

• Cabela's Expands; Rolls Out Smaller-Store Format
  by Sarah Mahoney Yesterday, 7:29 PM

  Just in time for spring turkey season, outdoor outfitter Cabela's is unveiling expansion plans, including a new retail concept called Cabela's Outpost. The first store with the new format is expected to open this fall in Union Gap, Wash., near Yakima. The new stores are smaller, about 40,000 ...

• Google Under Fire For Tracking Safari Users
  by Wendy Davis Feb 17, 2012, 5:50 PM

  Google could face Federal Trade Commission sanctions for dropping tracking cookies on Safari users after explicitly telling them that Safari blocked cookies, legal experts predict. ...

• Viggle Acquires Loyalize To Engage Live TV Viewers On Mobile
  by Laurie Sullivan Feb 17, 2012, 4:23 PM

  TV brands and broadcasters that want more attention from consumers must get them to interact with the content as it airs. So Viggle, a company supporting mobile loyalty rewards programs, acquired tech-company Loyalize, which enables brands to engage with live TV audiences on mobile devices. ...

• Non-Turner Customers Pay To Stream NCAA Basketball Tourney
  by Wayne Friedman Feb 17, 2012, 4:18 PM

  TV advertising dollars aren't enough when it comes to streaming games of the high-profile NCAA College Basketball Tournament online. For those not getting already getting Turner Broadcasting's array of cable networks, including TNT and TBS via cable, satellite, and telco providers, consumers will have to pay a $3.99 ...

• Oprah Winfrey's Sweetheart Deal With Discovery
  by Phyllis Fine Feb 17, 2012, 3:42 PM

  Hmm, is the Discovery deal with OWN weighted too heavily in Oprah Winfrey's favor? That's what David Lieberman's analysis of Discovery's annual report seems to suggest. Consider these facts:"Discovery has already contributed $312M to the venture, far more than its original $189M commitment," writes Lieberman. "And although Discovery ...

• No Joke -- Cable Channel For Dogs Debuts
  by Phyllis Fine Feb 17, 2012, 3:42 PM

  A cable channel that carefully avoids loud noises and, of course, that doggy nemesis -- cats? Yep, it's DogTV, featuring three-to-five minute programs designed to entertain stay-at-home pups, now available only in San Diego via Time Warner and Cox. The network is currently free but will eventually charge ...

• NBC Wants Viewers To 'Awake" Weeks Before Show's Official Premiere

  The pilot episode of "Awake," set officially for a March 1 premiere, is now available on some Web sites and cable on-demand systems -- a stategy NBC also used for launching "Smash," whose pilot ratings were quite strong.  Using the show as another test case of nontraditional premieres ...

• 'New Yorker' Editor Would Prefer Complete Digital Paywall

  "If New Yorker editor David Remnick... had his way, each issue would be behind an online paywall," begins this post, an introduction to a 30-minute video of Remnick's Q&A with Kara Swisher. Check it out if you're interested in hearing Remnick's measured, insightful views on a wide range ...

• Tips To Qualify For Google Enhanced Sitelinks

  Google recently announced the rollout of enhanced Sitelinks -- which the search engine claims produces 30% higher click-though rates than paid-search ads without. Sean Quadlin tells us the enhancement allows Sitelinks to show ads that are already in accounts closely related to links. He explains that the feature ...

• 'Idol' Loses Reins On Ratings, Bested By "Bang'

  Fox's"American Idol" has now landed back at its beginnings -- seeing ratings it hasn't seen since it started up 10 years ago. CBS' "Big Bang Theory" continues to best "Idol" in its common half hour -- 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ...

• MPG Taps Warren As EVP, Client Services

  MPG has hired Joe Warren as executive vice president of client services, a new position. Warren joins the Havas-owned media shop from crosstown rival MediaVest, a unit of Publicis Groupe. ...

• Google+ Boosts Brand Connections With Consumers

  Although no Facebook, Google+ is emerging as a great way for brands to connect directly with consumers. In the last month alone, Google+ fans -- i.e., the number of users in "circles" -- of the world's top 100 brands grew from 222,000 to 3,100,000. The relative explosion -- ...

• Baidu Sees Future In Mobile, Social

  In China, the country’s top search engine, Baidu, said it plans to begin monetizing its mobile search traffic and social media platforms, this year. Not unlike strategies being pursued by certain American Web giants, Baidu says the effort will help boost growth beyond the PC. Putting the move ...

• Demand Media Beats Q4 Expectations

  Despite recent concerns over traffic growth and related costs, Demand Media beat Wall Street expectations for the fourth quarter of 2011. In a conference call with analysts, CEO Richard Rosenblatt acknowledged it was a “turbulent year,” reports AllThingsD. For the quarter, the online media company said it earned ...

• Pinwheel Pioneers 'Flickr For Places'

  We’re learning more about the latest venture from Caterina Fake, co-founder of Flickr and Hunch. Named Pinwheel, the forthcoming service appears to be a way for users to leave virtual notes, annotations, tips and photos for fellow users and friends at real world locations and places. While Pinwheel ...

• Radio Holds Steady For 2011

  The tentative recovery in radio advertising sputtered to a standstill in the fourth quarter of 2011, with total ad revenues declining 2% to $4.5 billion, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau. But thanks to the earlier quarterly increases, the radio industry still saw an overall increase in full-year ...

• Publicis, Dentsu Sever Strategic Alliance

  Paris-based ad agency holding company Publicis Groupe and Dentsu, the Japanese advertising group, have terminated their nearly decade-long strategic allianve. Publicis Groupe paid $850 million cash to buy back 18 million shares, representing 9.3% of its outstanding stock that was held by Dentsu. ...

• Knology Passes Retrans Charges To Cable Customers

  Top-15 cable operator Knology said it would begin charging customers extra to make up for rising costs to carry local broadcast stations. Callling it an industry practice, the company said the fee will begin in March. ...

• 'Made In America' Is Back

  Blue-collar workers are getting their SAG cards, as workers -- especially those working on U.S.-made products  -- are again becoming a favorite subject in national ads. “We continue to see very heavy emotional response to anything that would leverage against the bad economy,”  Robert Passikoff, president of Brand ...

• Booming Interest In Pinterest

  Pintrest, the digital vision board for social photo sharing, is hot. ComScore found that Pinterest just hit 11.7 million unique monthly U.S. visitors, who spend an average of 98 minutes a month on the site, compared to 2.5 hours on Tumblr, and 7 hours on Facebook.  Pinterest has ...

• DOT Limits Guidelines On Dashboards

  While automakers are thinking of ways to make cars more like rolling social-media nodes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants automakers to simplify dashboards, not make them more complex.  Their goal is limiting the amount of time when drivers take their eyes off the road and ...

• How Diapers.com Profiles Customers

  Collecting such data as location-based info and product choice of an initial purchase, the predictive analytics at Quidsi, the parent company of Diapers.com, can calculate precisely just how much people will spend over the course of their tenure as Diapers.com customers. The company's business is built upon ...

• Chattanooga Could Get Its Own Typeface

  Four designers want to make Chattanooga, Tenn. the poster child for municipal branding in America, with Chatype, a a fresh typeface inspired by both the city’s industrial past and its arts-minded future. They hope to raise $10,000 on Kickstarter to fund the project. (With two weeks left in ...

• Barclays Launches Mobile App

  Barclays Bank has unleashed Pingit, an iOS, Android and BlackBerry app that allows people to send up to £300 ($470) each day to family and friends (or as the wags at Engadget put it, technically-aware muggers.) Users just have to come up with a five-digit code that will ...

• RFI Ads Up Engagement For Interactive TV

  As Canoe Ventures looks to build network and advertiser interest in its request-for-information interactive TV product, new data shows about 20% of adults in a key demo took advantage of the offering in a test. That click-through rate via a remote control is an average for ads tested ...

• Google Gobbles Up HP Patents

  Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman made a prediction at the company's global partner summit this week that puts Google's Android operating system in line to become a closed OS because of its relationship with Motorola. Bill Slawski points to 97 HP patents recently assigned to Google, one originally co-invented ...

• Why Twitter Defaults To HTTPS

  HTTPS has become the default for all users in an effort to keep content encrypted when being sent over unsecured Internet connections, such as public Wi-Fi networks. The company announced the change earlier this week. For those who don't want it on, there are directions on how to ...

• Google's Screenwise, Bing's Rewards Roll In Data

  With the launch of Google's Screenwise research, Kevin Lee ponders whether the search giant will launch its own research panel business. Perhaps not for profit, but to support decisions the company makes when launching campaigns and products. Lee presents numerious scenarios and describes Bing's program Rewards that the ...

• Branded Content with iPad Wings: Q&A With Red Bull Media

  Several years ago, Red Bull formed its own independent content and production company -- Red Bull Media House, which acts and operates like any traditional media company. It also offers its own iPad magazine in the free and lushly tricked-out Red Bulletin. We asked the company's Managing Director ...

• Paywall Goes Up On Mobile March Madness

  Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA have unveiled a new tiered pricing and access model for this year's on-demand March Madness offering. Now dubbed NCAA March Madness Live, full access to all 2012 NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Championship games from March 7 to the April 2 ...

• Publicis Buys Back From Dentsu, Holding Companies Continue JVs

  Paris-based Publicis Groupe this morning said it bought back 18 million of its own shares from Tokyo-based Dentsu, marking an end to a 10-year strategic equity relationship between the two agency holding companies that began when Publicis acquired Bcom3 -- which Dentsu owned a minority stake in -- ...

• Twitter Offers SMBs Self-Serve Ads With Help From American Express

  Twitter will roll out its self-service ad platform to small and mid-size businesses in March through a partnership with American Express. Cardmembers and merchants can register to use the platform and receive $100 in advertising credit to put toward bidding on promoted tweets and promoted accounts. ...

• At The ANA: Social TV Is 'New Media'

  People are no longer just watching television programs. They are talking about them online, often on branded social-media campaigns from program sponsors. Still, defining "social TV" could almost seem a Hobson's choice between a redundancy and an oxymoron. ...

• Shoot: Cameras Giving Way To Smartphones

  People are using their smartphones to take pictures more and more, but they're still looking toward single-use devices (such as digital SLRs and point-and-shoot cameras) to get the quality photographs they desire to preserve memories. ...

• Arby's Rebounds With Engaging Multiscreen Ad Strategy

  Last year Arby's launched a new campaign as the "Good Mood Food" chain, to promote awareness that its comfort food was also wholesome and fresh. Its ads were a viral hit, prompting the company to develop a user-generated "casting call" contest for new ads. The cross-platform campaign, also ...

• FTC: Apps For Kids Fall Short On Privacy

  Developers of childrens' apps often fail to adequately tell parents what data the apps collect, according to a Federal Trade Commission staff report. The report, described by the FTC as "a warning call to industry," faults app developers, as well as the iTunes and Android marketplaces and in-app ...

• TV Dominates Multiscreen World

  TV remains the tent pole of the multiscreen environment, accounting for most of the viewing and ad dollars placed against video content, says ANA group Executive Vice President Bill Duggan. Other screens are essential but supplemental. ...

• Mobile Site Investments, Search Growing

  Nearly half of the travel industry's annual paid search campaign impressions occur between May and August. With that in mind, investments in mobile, local sites and campaigns can create opportunities not only for companies, but consumers on the go. Brands like Starwood Hotels & Resorts tap mobile to ...

• Opera Acquires Mobile Theory, 4th Screen

  Pushing further into mobile advertising, Opera Software is acquiring a pair of mobile ad networks: U.S.-based Mobile Theory and 4th Screen Advertising in the U.K. for $10 million total. The deals follow two years after Opera, best known for its Web browsers, bought mobile ad network AdMarvel. ...

• Samsung's Social Media Campaign Personalizes Olympics

  Samsung, a global Olympic sponsor for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, is launching a multiplatform social media campaign designed to personalize the Olympic experience for viewers. The program is being implemented through Facebook Connect and will be promoted on online and traditional media. ...

• SMG Serves Video With Daily Meal

  In January 2011, Spanfeller Media Group proudly launched a pretty, new food site, The Daily Meal. Over a year later, SMG is finishing what it started, and adding the platform's missing ingredient: video. The video platform debuted this week with over 300 originally produced segments, including discussions with ...

• Super Bowl Brands: Major Buzz Shifts Since Game

  Doritos, Chevrolet, Bud Light and Budweiser have seen the largest boosts in buzz/positive consumer perceptions from their Super Bowl ads in the days since the game, reports YouGov's BrandIndex. ...

• Mag Bag: 'Domino' Returns With Special Edition

  The passing of "Domino" was mourned by hip young interior design fans when it closed in 2009 -- but they'll have a brief chance to relive old times, thanks to a special edition of the defunct magazine, "Domino Quick Fixes," which will hit newsstands April 17. A second ...

• DirecTV Gains In Revenue, Subscribers

  DirectTV grew healthy U.S. revenues -- but with a smaller number of new subscribers -- during the fourth quarter 2011. For the year, DirecTV ended with a 3% gain to 19.89 million U.S. subscribers. NFL Sunday Ticket sales helped boost subscriber costs. ...

• Does Lady Mary Tweet? Social Media & 'Downton Abbey'

  Social media -- from paid tweets to an active presence on Facebook and Twitter, to live online chats with actors -- has definitely fueled "Downton Abbey'"s success in the U.S., as this case history makes clear.  Key to the success, according to Kevin Dando, Director of Digital Marketing ...

• Fox News' Move To The Middle

  Fox News has shifted gears slightly to the middle by "distancing itself from the tea party cheerleading that characterized the first two years of President Barack Obama’s presidency," writes Keach Hagey. This "course correction" is prompted partly by some rating dips (though Fox maintains its clear No. 1 ...

• 'Bon Appetit' Launches Tablet Edition

  Bon Appétit’s  tablet edition, debuting with its March issue, "breaks down recipes into step-by-step instructions that are accompanied by video, photos, tips, and slideshows," writes Felicia Pride. Print subscribers have free access, while digital rates include $19.99 for a year's subscription. ...

• Philadelphia Papers Cut 37 Edit Positions

  Philadelphia Media Network newspapers Inquirer and Daily News -- along with Philly.com -- will eliminate 37 editorial positions, first through buyous and then layoffs if necessary. The company is being sold, and it appears that publisher Greg Osberg has interfered with editors'/reporters' coverage of this sale, writes ...

• AMC Primed For Sale?

  With AMC "in the process of reaching a ratings peak," according to one analyst -- due to the success of, among others, "Walking Dead" and the imminent return of critical darling "Mad Men" -- now could be the perfect time for a sale of AMC Networks, "

• Discovery Posts 9% Gains In '11 Revs

  Discovery Communications has posted more double-digit gains in advertising revenue -- this time in the fourth quarter of 2011, as part of an overall healthy financial gains for the period. Overall 2011 results were equally positive -- up 9% to $1.3 billion. ...

• Apple Giving Twitter Another Boost

  Twitter is expected to benefit greatly from the upcoming release of Apple’s latest operating system, Mountain Lion. “Twitter, Flickr and Vimeo are some of the third-party services that will offered as part of [the system’s] new ‘share sheet’ that allows you to share links, photos and videos directly from ...