• by Liz Tascio , February 8, 2006

Incisive critique. Intelligent discussion. Snarky jokes. The occasional photo of Jennifer Love Hewitt in white panties. When it comes to talking about media, some bloggers manage to get your attention.

And once you're hooked, you'll find media professionals and observers challenging and complementing traditional writing about ads and marketing, or taking their subjects on directly. The best blogs offer a filter -- for quality and quantity -- and a unique insight, says Joseph Jaffe, author of Life After the 30-Second Spot. He's also the blogger behind the oft-linked jaffejuice.com.

Bloggers take on giants like the Washington Post or The New York Times. They initiate conversations about marketing theory that skip from blog to blog. Some blogs offer video and audio. "There's plenty of room for people to innovate," says Steve Rubel, a marketing strategist and public relations pro who authors the blog micropersuasion.com.

Here, we round up a few of the best advertising and media blogs.

>> Adrants.com. Written by marketing expert Steve Hall, this blog ranks as one of the superpowers, lauded by Forbes, Advertising Age, and the Wall Street Journal. Hall sets the tone with a kitschy martini glass in the banner and cheeky posts, and offers brief, savvy hits on innovative campaigns, industry news and research, and a little dish. You always feel like you've learned something, and that it was fun. Hall also collects weird marketing arcana -- like the fact that Clark, Texas, changed its name to "Dish" in exchange for free cable.

>> Adjab.com. Prolific and diverse writers infuse this site with a streak of dry humor. The bloggers read a lot, summarize interesting articles, and point you to the source material. They post an eminently practical daily digest, "AdAge in 60 seconds." Writers weigh in on newsy topics and occasionally point out novelties just to share a giggle. The site tracks its most frequent bloggers and contributors and most-commented-on posts, so you can quickly see what ads or trends are getting attention, why, and from whom. You can also see the Hanes ad that pictures the aforementioned actress in white underwear, with comments.

>> Adverblog.com. This Amsterdam-based blog jolts its New York-centric audience into awareness of international trends, innovations, and oddities. Martina Zavagno focuses on European campaigns that catch her eye: interactive, print, TV, guerrilla, mobile, and outdoor. She doesn't always display a deep insider's knowledge, but she's an insightful observer and an eclectic collector. It's worth checking this blog for all the ads we're not seeing in the States, such as one raunchy, funny TV spot that equates wearing a certain condom with turning into a bucking bronco. She has also compiled an impressive list of links, including blogs by advertising agencies.

>> Adpulp.com. Edited (and mostly written) by "poet, critic, and storyteller" David Burn, Adpulp is a smart, thorough, flexible blog. It also helps you navigate the dense jungle of media journalism. Burn delivers engaging insights while skillfully pointing readers to more coverage of the news, relevant content on other blogs, and comments by experts.

>> Freshglue.com. Don't overlook Sioux Falls, S.D. This occasional but thoughtful blog comes from a marketing agency there: the Breukelman Kubista Group. It references Marc Babej, a Media columnist who also pens beingreasonable.com, and Seth Godin of sethgodin.com. Bloggers here are confident enough to step into a dispute between Babej and Godin over the persuasive power of fact versus emotion, and whimsical enough to point readers to an article about Sioux Falls cage fighting. Just half a dozen posts a month -- it's dwindled since its launch in May 2005 -- but worth reading for some fresh perspective.