It's that time of year again, when publications everywhere start doing lists. The Ten Best, the Ten Worst, the Ten Whatever, all of them attempting to shed light and offer perspective (along with a few laughs) on the ups and downs of another year in adverting, marketing and media. Here's one from CMO Magazine that touches on a discipline that more and more advertisers are turning to as part of their marketing strategy: public relations. In this collection, Collateral Damage blogger Constantine von Hoffman shares her list of "The 10 Best Press Release Quotes," pointing out that each one is …

Philips Electronics NV, after stumbling in its initial efforts to enter the videogame market, is staging a comeback based primarily on a new system of special effects that make the gaming experience all-encompassing. The company has developed new, special devices that connect parts of a room like lights, fans, heaters, furniture and sound-and-video systems and synchronize them with specially tailored games. The new devices are expected to be introduced next year on Philips's new amBX system. However, plans are still at an early stage and one major factor--pricing--isn't clear yet. It's likely, though, that gamers will have to pay extra …

Mark Schweitzer is a busy man these days. As CMO of Sprint Nextel, the 46-year-old oversees everything from market research to sponsorships to national marketing strategy. And Sprint is pretty busy in all three areas these days. Specifically, the company will run two very expensive TV spots on the Super Bowl and will sponsor the game's halftime show featuring the Rolling Stones. That comes on the heels of the massive sponsorship deal Sprint cut in August with the National Football League. Schweitzer is also dealing with Sprint's role--thorough its mobile devices--as advertising vehicles. In a Q&A interview, Schweitzer discusses the …

All marketers know the potential dangers of using celebrities in their advertising. They also know the benefits. Virgin Mobile is no exception, and now the marketer is taking a chance on scandal-ridden supermodel Kate Moss. Virgin is bound to garner more than its share of attention from using Moss, but whether it will benefit the company remains to be seen. Moss recently emerged from a 30-day rehab program in Arizona not long after a British tabloid ran photos of her taking cocaine in a London recording studio. In the Virgin spot, Moss pokes fun at the contretemps. It shows her …

Motel 6 is going high-tech in a new marketing effort in which the chain will stream its message in a podcast. In it, spokesperson Tom Bodett counts down the top six reasons to stay at a motel instead of staying with relatives during the holidays. One reason Bodett cites is, "you, not Grandma's poor circulation, control the temperature." Podcasts are downloadable audio recordings consumers can listen to on a home computer, an iPod or other MP3 player. Eric Studer, senior vice president-marketing services for Motel 6, said, "The podcast format allows consumers an expanded focus on topics or personalities that …

British Airways, looking for new and faster ways to communicate with its customers, says it will start using SMS technology for marketing and customer services. With SMS (Short Message Service), mobile telephone users can receive short text messages on their cell phones. The airline says it initially wants to use SMS to deliver passenger disruption notifications, cargo logistics, and staff communications. In the long term, however, BA says it plans to use the technology as an instantaneous way to keep its customers updated about services and flights. The system was tested throughout 2005 when BA began asking customers for their …

Sony Corp.'s Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group has a new marketing boss. She is Valerie Van Galder, who has been serving as president of Sony's boutique label TriStar Pictures, where she enjoyed numerous successes, including films like "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," "Underworld," "Resident Evil: Apocalypse," "Boogeyman" and "You Got Served." She replaces Geoffrey Ammer, the film marketing head who resigned last week after a string of disappointing openings including "Rent," "Zathura" and "The Legend of Zorro," and outright bombs like "Stealth," "Bewitched" and "XXX: State of the Union." Van Galder will start working on a list of high-profile films …

How bad does an ad have to be before the marketer behind it renounces it? Pretty bad, as Boeing and Bell Helicopter Textron realized about the print ad they ran in the Sept. 24 issue of The National Journal. "It descends from the heavens," the copy boasted about the V-22 Osprey aircraft, which is pictured lowering troops into a mosque. "Ironically, it unleashes hell." In its first-ever list of the "Best & Worst Marketing Ideas of 2005," Brandweek magazine points out: "So indisputably tasteless was this bit of braggadocio that Boeing immediately renounced its own message as 'offensive' and apologized …

Airline passengers are a marketer's dream: an audience so captive they are literally strapped in and starved for entertainment. And most of them have a decent amount of disposable income. Marketers have long known the benefits of targeting this group, but it hasn't been easy. For one thing, many airlines have been reluctant to cut deals, fearing it may jeopardize their own brand. But that is changing in an era when airline are fighting off bankruptcy and looking desperately for ways to cut operating costs. As a result, the door is opening a bit wider for marketers. One company taking …

Google's anticipated new deal with AOL is expected to open new vistas for advertisers who want to place their logos and brand-oriented graphics on Google's search engine, something they were not previously allowed to do. Also, the opportunity will not be limited to advertisers from AOL , whose talks with Google prompted the change in policy, according to two unidentified executives close to the companies' negotiations. The executives said that at AOL's request, Google would begin to test various forms of graphical ads, and that it would make the same formats available to other advertisers. Graphical advertisements, like the common …