• Is the Bad Economy Good for Radio?
    Maybe the marketing oxymoron "innovative radio" is losing its joke power. After more than a decade of declining market share and incursions from both the Web and satellite providers, traditional over-the-air broadcast radio may finally have a recession strategy: working with the future instead of trying to ignore it.
  • Game Changer
    Microsoft never made a secret of its ambitions to turn the Xbox 360 game console into a connected media server, but the latest upgrades and partnerships squarely target set-top box and VOD markets. The "New Xbox Experience" (NXE), released in mid-November, is the most significant upgrade to the console's dashboard and infrastructure since its launch two years ago.
  • Home Showroom away from Home Showroom
    Someone spilled beer on your new boots, nacho cheese is dripping onto your shirt and the floor is getting stickier by the minute. What is a concertgoer to do?
  • Swimming in Cash
    Forget the year of the rat - 2008 was, unequivocally, the year of Michael Phelps. The darling of last year's Summer Olympics graced year-end covers of Sports Illustrated and GQ, claiming the titles of both sportsman of the year (the first swimmer to receive the nod) and man of the year. Beyond the chest-baring glamour shots, having won a record-breaking eight gold medals is just the gift that keeps on giving, for both Phelps and all the brands who want his mug to adorn their ads.
  • Deep Fried Fetish
    When Keith Sweat sings about McNuggets he croons, "You know that you're the one I want;" then, breathlessly, "You're the one I need." He whispers to the McNuggets that it's their 25th anniversary and that he still dreams of them every night. Oh yes, McNuggets, Keith is going to make sweet, sweet love to you. Listen closely and you can hear him sliding across the satin sheets with dipping sauce all over his face.
  • Mobile Opportunity Knocks - for Print?
    In a nomadic world, go where the consumers are - and that's everywhere. And, if any medium is in a position to capitalize on mobile, it's magazines. They're a lifestyle-focused medium with tons of content that can be repackaged specifically for mobile.
  • The Xbox Channel
    Forget MSNBC. Microsoft's latest TV ambitions are all about Xbox. Suddenly, Microsoft's gaming platform - known for interactive hits such as Halo - is beginning to look and smell like a linear, nearly old-school cable TV channel. The latest additions to the hardware platform, Xbox Live Marketplace and the software company's resell agreement with Netflix, now routinely offer fare similar to multichannel TV. The Incredible Hulk, Fred Claus and many others sit comfortably next to Master Chief.
  • The New Next: Best Foot Forward
    Some brands only make use of one or two of the four key elements of marketing today: the idea of engagement, the tools provided by new media, the authenticity of word-of-mouth, and the power of offering people purchasing options that are both savvy and socially responsible.
  • Media Metrics: Go Forth and Multiply
    There's no longer a question of going with old vs. new media, but rather how they can be used together to improve ROI. Investment in digital marketing, search marketing and social media has moved from the "garage band days," if you will, to a significant line item in marketing budgets.
  • Productivity: The Paradox of Thrift
    Since the meltdown on Wall Street, the media has maintained a deathwatch. It's not helping, and it's incorrect. You've heard it all before: The economy is a mess. Consumers are beset by falling home prices, debt, tightening credit and rising food prices. The gains realized during the dot-com and housing booms have evaporated. Credit markets remain frozen shut. Consumer spending has plummeted. New home sales, orders for durable goods and foreign trade (both exports and imports) are bottoming out, while claims for unemployment benefits skyrocket.
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