Microsoft, which broke TV ads for its new Surface tablet on Monday night, wanted to keep the identity of the creative behind the campaign a secret, reports Cotton Delo. The reason for the secrecy wasn’t exactly made clear, with Microsoft just saying that usual agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky wasn’t involved. But apparently nobody told director Jon Chu about Microsoft’s secrecy, because Chu went and tweeted about his involvement, a development first unearthed by Peter Kafka in All Things D (although he spelled Jon’s first name wrong!).  Kafka also noted that all this secrecy about the creative “should generate …

To help homeowners around the country facing foreclosure, a California firm called Brainiacs from Mars is offering to turn their houses into outdoor ads.  The first ads have been for the marketing firm itself, but mastermind Romeo Mendoza says 40,000 applications have come in and the firm hopes to paint 3,000 homes across the country and another 100 internationally. A “well-known travel site and Hollywood movie studio” are said to have expressed interest as advertisers, with a paint brand interested in donating supplies. While Erin Ailworth’s article focuses on distressed homeowners in the Boston area, it should be noted that …

Rodale, publisher of health and fitness-oriented mags and books,  is moving directly into ecommerce with the spring launch of Rodale's, which, unlike efforts by other mag publishers, will be its own separate operation selling "luxury home and beauty products that are also sustainable," writes Lucia Moses. "Most publishers don’t have the expertise on staff to be retailers; Rodale hired 10 people who are dedicated to the site, which is overseen by Anthony Astarita, a former Barnes & Noble exec who was hired last year as gm of digital and brand development."

More of Hollywood's "marketing mavens" should be participating in the New York Comic Con, which last week hosted 115,000 attendees -- a turnout that "surprised and overwhelmed many entertainment reps who were visiting NYCC for the first time," writes Marc Graser. The event, now in its sixth year, has been oveshadowed by the San Diego Comic Con, but "those who recognize the power of NYCC's growing audience are being handsomely rewarded, such as AMC the last two years with 'Walking Dead,'" according to Graser.

The FCC will now allow cable operators to encrypt their basic services "to fight theft and reduce service calls," writes Todd Shields. Encryption was always permitted for satellite services or other cable competitors, but was formerly a cable no-no "so customers wouldn’t need to rent a set-top box to view local stations," according to Shields. Encryption will also allow companies like Comcast to "start and stop service remotely, which customers prefer to scheduling an appointment with a technician." Yes indeed!

If you're wondering what you missed if you avoided last week's Association of National Advertisers conference, you may rest easy after reading Stuart Elliott's round-up. He reports no earth-shattering or particularly newsy events, beyond the meet's record attendance. Still, you might want to check out his discussion of Allstate's case history presentation on its amusing "Mayhem" campaign, along with a "jargon watch" noting the use of odd words like “choiceful" and “consumer decision journey."

More evidence that TV watching has become less of a lean-back experience: according to a Pew Research Center survey, 32% of under-40 American viewers "used digital devices while watching the [first presidential] debate and the same number followed public reaction live online," writes Jeff Sonderman. And 51% of the under-40 crowd "got at least some coverage online or through social media." Adds Sonderman, "This phenomenon creates a huge demand for news organizations to provide live second-screen coverage."

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's pub Whole Living is now for sale, with bids "due this weekend," according to anonymous sources cited by Keith Kelly. Purchased in 2004 when it was called Body + Soul as part of the company's effort to add "non-Martha titles" right after the domestic diva's prison sentencing, the mag suffered an operating loss of around $2 million a year ago "after corporate overhead was stripped" on revenue of $20 million, adds Kelly. Kelly's report on the New York Post site also offers interesting intel on further cutbacks at Condé Nast, and news on "Carine …

Time Inc.'s This Old House magazine has relaunched its website with a focus on video assets from its sister TV show, which has run nationally on PBS since 1980. "The brand is now undertaking a Hulu-like experience," with "the complete television show... now... available free and on-demand" on the site, writes TJ Raphael.  “We’ve created an archive and have started with 10 years," the mag's editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk, tells Raphael. "We have the potential for about 34 years of This Old House—hundreds and hundreds of hours of video programming we can put up." State Farm is  "the …

The people have spoken on why, as of Sept. 24, the "Today" show "had lost 961,000 viewers (-18%) from the year ago period, and it’s down -29% in the key adult news demo," writes Chris Ariens. The answer, via two viewer polls, ranges from "the format, to story selection, to the host changes, especially the hiring and firing of Ann Curry."  Here's one articulate viewer response: “I was fed up with the lack of actual news reporting, and more intense focus on silly, irrelevant things like women’s fashion or the newest celebrity’s recipe for a dinner I could never find …