by John Gaffney on May 31, 12:00 AM
Boy Book Riffs: They’re multiplying like boy bands. Boy books – you know Maxim, Controversy, Razor, FHM – are the hot area right now. And with a hot area you need to be concerned that the area doesn’t stray into the overcooked zone.
by John Gaffney on May 30, 12:00 AM
Sir Riffs: I doubt Sir Martin Sorrell has a lot of time on his hands. As worldwide head of the WPP Group, I doubt he has any time on his hands. So why did he use an interview with The Wall Street Journal to bemoan the current economic state of advertising? Here’s part of what he said:
by John Gaffney on May 29, 12:00 AM
Smoking Riffs. No. Non-Smoking Riffs: Now this is an argument worth having. Are anti-smoking campaigns effective? Are the softballs launched by the tobacco industry more or less effective than the shockers put up by the American Legacy Foundation?
by John Gaffney on May 28, 12:00 AM
It's no surprise to me that Americans are taking in more news. How could they not? As reported in yesterday’s McPheters & Co. survey, Americans say they are watching about as much TV news programming -- 2.4 hours per day -- in May 2002 as they did in October 2001, just after the Sept. 11 attacks.
by John Gaffney on May 27, 12:00 AM
One of the best media and marketing case studies in history never had a chance this year. Memorial Day was supposed to be Michael Jordan’s weekend. The weekend that he jump shot his underdog Washington Wizards into playoff glory and in the process took Nike, Gatorade and his other sponsors into sports marketing heaven.
by John Gaffney on May 23, 12:00 AM
Unless your head is still clearing from watching the SpongeBob SquarePants marathon on Nickelodeon, you’re probably aware that there is a video game trade show called E3 (Electronic Expo) in Los Angeles.
by John Gaffney on May 22, 12:00 AM
Editor and Publisher has just named its top 10 newspapers of the year, and guess what? Having a great accompanying website has nothing to do with excellence. The site is loaded with turnaround stories. Tales of newspapers that looked at declining readership and revenue and made changes to reverse their fortune.
by John Gaffney on May 21, 12:00 AM
When the airline industry was struck at its financial heart in September, the government was quick to lend a hand (read: money). Which was the right thing to do. Now the feds need to apply the same leniency and commerce-encouraging attitude to the advertising industry as well.
by John Gaffney on May 20, 12:00 AM
I believe the death of the network news program is greatly exaggerated. It has changed considerably, both in its content and the audience it delivers. But dead? No.
by John Gaffney on May 17, 12:00 AM
Why is radio able to post a one percent revenue increase for Q1 when newspapers, magazines and TV are still in the doldrums?