Waiting for the Funny: TomTom Squanders Python Genius by Steve Smith

It is hard for me to imagine a situation where a little John Cleese is not in order. Ex-Monty Pythoner Cleese was not only one of the driving forces of that troupe's best writing, but in the dozen or so episodes of Fawlty Towers, he and former wife Connie Booth created one of the high points of TV comedy. When Cleese sends his towering frame into managed chaos, when his splayed limbs belie his inner frantic state, there is simply nothing like him to behold. When his writing is on target, it layers absurdity onto absurdity at a merciless pace ...Read the whole story

  • Upfront: Trad TV Dollars Pivot Into Digital Channels by Wayne Friedman

    Some high-priced cable networks forced some traditional TV dollars in the hands of big digital video players this upfront period. Donnie Williams, executive vice president and chief digital officer for Horizon Media, says some clients shifted 8% to 13% more dollars into premium digital platforms during the upfront. ...Read the whole story

  • automotive Jeep Grand Cherokee Effort Touts Luxury, Capability by Karl Greenberg

    The campaign, via AOR Southland, Mich.-based GlobalHue, sets the stage with a four-page insert in Monday's USA Today spotlighting the list of third-party endorsements and awards the vehicle has won over the year since it launched. Jeep, which says the vehicle is its most-awarded SUV ever, is citing the 30 or more such kudos in the piece. ...Read the whole story

  • Ad Nets Hungry For Premium Video Inventory by Erik Sass

    Accusations that display ad networks have commoditized display ad inventory and driven prices down are not an issue with second-generation networks dealing in video ad inventory. But this raises problems -- especially when it comes to persuading publishers to make premium inventory available through networks -- and persuading advertisers to buy it there. ...Read the whole story

  • Media Buyers To Wall St.: We're More Cautious, Focused On ROI by Joe Mandese

    The outlook for the U.S. ad economy has grown "incrementally cautious," according to an informal survey of some big media buyers released this morning by the equity research team at Deutsche Bank. The survey of more than a dozen buyers representing over $5 billion in U.S. advertising budgets, mirrors the sentiment of some recent downgrades in the major agency holding companies' advertising outlooks, and is attributed mainly to the uncertainty surrounding the macro economy, as well as some micro factors such as media price inflation, and the trend toward so-called "ROI" media, such as search, and online display advertising. ...Read the whole story

  • OTT Video Causes Bandwidth Challenge For IPTV by Wayne Friedman

    So-called "Over The Top" Internet-driven video services are causing bandwidth problems for telcos and IPTV services. The growing OTT service will total $32 billion in revs over the next five years. ...Read the whole story

  • restaurants El Pollo Loco: 'Feel The Mexcellence' by Aaron Baar

    Beginning this month, the Costa Mesa, Calif. company's "Feel the Mexcellence" campaign showcases the restaurant's passion for flavor, preparation and in-store experience. Television commercials in the campaign show off the chain's signature citrus-marinated grilled chicken and other handmade items. ...Read the whole story

  • financial services American Family Insurance Focuses On 'Dream' by Tanya Irwin

    The effort, from Ogilvy & Mather, includes TV, radio, print, online, digital, out-of-home, branded content, search, events, social and multicultural. TV breaks July 18 on high profile network and cable shows with print ads breaking in the fall. ...Read the whole story

  • Gamer Creates Business To Tap $13 Billion Virtual Goods Market by Laurie Sullivan

    Live Gamer will launch Live Gamer Media to complement its ecommerce unit to support advertising for brands and publishers. The new business unit combines two companies that LiveGamer recently acquired: video game ad network GamerDNA, and engagement advertising platform BrandPort. ...Read the whole story

  • Dentsu Cuts Exclusive Skype Deal, First Step In Japan by Joe Mandese

    Dentsu this morning unveiled a deal with Skype making it the exclusive display advertising partner in Japan for the Internet-based voice and video communications platform. The Tokyo-based agency holding company said the deal covers all display campaigns running on Skype in Japan that are not "multinational," or "multi-regional in nature." Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Dentsu said it would begin selling Skype's digital display inventory, which will appear in the "Home" tab of Skype for Windows. ...Read the whole story

10 Video And Social Marketing Tips For Video Game Executives by David Murdico

Online video and social media marketing seem to be obvious choices for those tasked with marketing new video game titles, but I'm consistently surprised at how those strategies are misused, underused or used not at all. Following are ways that video game marketing directors, brand managers and social media managers can help launch titles using video and social media marketing: ...More

  • Is Online Video About To Enter An Era Of Exclusivity? by Ashkan Karbasfrooshan

    Content is a woman, distribution is a man. In the online video arena, I've cut hundreds of deals with distribution companies. By and large, distribution companies never make any promises, have no-strings-attached offerings, make no commitments, rarely seek exclusivity -- and when they do, it's usually too good to be true. Content owners, meanwhile, enter distribution deals with expectations, believe the promises they hear, expect a commitment, and want a guarantee. ...More