What if you were the brand manager of Charlie Sheen? How would you handle his current status? At the moment, some would say there isn't anything to handle because the situation is so fluid.» 0 Comments
Who has the better shot of getting to "number one" in his respective business -- Rex Ryan and the New York Jets, or Joe Uva and Univision? Both the head coach of the NFL team and the CEO of the biggest Spanish-language TV group are so confident in their upcoming elevation to the top that they needed to tell the press and others about it.» 0 Comments
Reward your entertainment brand -- even if it might not be the best? That's what music marketing executive Steve Stoute was really talking about. Is Esperanza Spalding a better "new artist" than Justin Bieber? And -- a few years ago, in another Grammys category -- was rock-jazz band Steely Dan better than Detroit's own Eminem? Stoute doesn't think stuff like this is right -- and he took out a big ad in the New York Times to say so.» 0 Comments
The future viability of TV stations hinges on their coverage of local news. That makes Fox Television Stations' alleged filing of fraudulent FCC documents for New York's WWOR-TV a head-scratcher.» 0 Comments
The question of whether or not to offer product placement is often on the minds of 10 p.m. network show producers. Maybe they also think about how theatrical movies handle this issue -- especially when it comes to fictional versions of public figures.» 0 Comments
There are other media events where consumers actually want the news cycle to slow down -- if not stop entirely for a period. The recent Grammy Awards were another in a string of events where fans looked for a more languid approach.» 0 Comments
Worried if Nike has ESPN's announcers in its pocket? I'm not too concerned -- though viewers might be. Seems all of ESPN's "College GameDay" crew -- Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit -- have deals with Nike for doing speaking engagements on the brand's behalf, and wearing footwear not seen on-air. This is nothing new. A number of network sports personalities, including others at ESPN, have marketing deals.» 0 Comments
Loads of free content exists on the Internet -- some professionally produced, and some not. Either way, big owners of media want to make money off it.» 0 Comments
Headline in The New York Times: "Does Loneliness Reduce the Benefits of Exercise?" Does this also apply to another form of recreation? That is, what if loneliness reduces the benefits of television?» 0 Comments
So here's the lowdown on Super Bowl ads: advertising creatives have essentially thrown their hands in the air. The ads used to be about monkeys doing tricks, men getting their private parts batted around, or talking infants engaged in wise-cracking. This year added the imagery of women and babies getting dinged -- all in the name of fun, apparently. Have creatives run out of ideas and resorted to doing stuff that is too edgy and not terribly entertaining?» 0 Comments
Wayne Friedman is West Coast Editor of MediaPost.