• by December 12, 2003

THE GREAT OUTDOORS (GREATER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK) -- The hot new medium, according to the top management at the Aegis Group, isn't the Internet, nor interactive TV, or even wireless communications. The really hot medium, said the team, in a report delivered to Wall Street this week, is outdoor. That's right, the parent of ultra hot media shop Carat, thinks outdoor is emerging as the global media play, largely because of the proliferation and fragmentation of electronic and print media. As part of his presentation at the UBS Media Week conference in New York this week, Aegis chief Douglas Flynn made a compelling case for outdoor media, noting that outdoor continues to grow ahead of most other media and that it already is a $20 billion global advertising medium. So while other shops are setting new-fangled media units, one of Aegis' new pride and joys is Posterscope, a global outdoor media planning and buying unit that is now operational on four continents, with a capability in 11 countries. And Aegis is not the only media group to be keen on the great outdoors. MediaCom research honcho Tony Jarvis has long maintained that the advances taking place in electronic audience measurement of outdoor media will give the medium the necessary street cred, as well as the components to do true reach and frequency planning for outdoor. Based on what happened when similar measurement systems were introduced in the U.K., Jarvis is on record predicting that outdoor could capture as much as 10 percent of U.S. advertising budgets by 2010 as a result of electronic measurement services being introduced by Nielsen and Arbitron.

NOT EXACTLY VIZIBLE - The Riff is always eager to see Aegis' Flynn make presentations States-side, because it's one of the rare opportunities we have to learn about the seemingly secretive media network Vizeum. The new network, a sister to Aegis' Carat unit, already is operating in 17 countries, has a staff of 455 and is handling more than $1.5 billion in media billings. Not a bad start. One reason for Vizeum's low visibility on these shores is that it's still largely a European phenomenon, though it does have an office in Beijing. But what surprised us about the current positioning of the new media network brand is its self-appointed mission: to become the new "challenger brand." The Riff always thought that's what Carat was supposed to be.

OH, WHAT A TANGLED WEB HE MAY WEAVE - Some people still believe a Web property, the company's ill-advised acquisition of Infoseek, nearly destroyed Walt Disney Co. Now a disgruntled stakeholder wants to use the web to save the embattled mouse house. Roy Disney, the nephew of founder Walt, has launched www.savedisney.com, but the Riff thinks the real URL is www.dumpeisner.com. Roy, who recently stepped down from the Disney board, has been waging a so far unsuccessful campaign to oust Disney chief Michael Eisner, whom he says has scuttled much of the company's "magic." In a letter posted on savedisney.com, Roy asks for support "as we embark on this extremely important mission to restore the magic and wonder" to the company. Roy doesn't say exactly how he plans to do that, what kind of support he needs, and who he actually wants it from, but we don't think he should hold his breath waiting for the company's shareholders to sprinkle some fairy dust and clap their hands in belief. In this post-Sarbanes-Oxley era, they tend to believe more in things like earnings and cash flow.

JUMPING SHIPS AND DIVING FROM BOARDS -- Even as nephews are jumping from the Disney board, the Riff wonders what brave soul would actually accept a seat on beleaguered Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's. Bradley Singer answered our question yesterday, agreeing to fill the seat vacated when Dalra Moore stepped down. In truth, Singer seems better suited for the position. As CFO of American Tower Corp., a company that builds transmission and relay towers for the wireless communications industry, Singer is familiar with the financial complexities of the media and communications industry and during his tenure there helped manage the company through an especially volatile period. That's great, but what how well versed is he in legal matters?