When Citizen Culture shifted from print to digital distribution a few months ago, Jonathon Feit, its editor-in-chief and founder, knew he had one major hurdle to clear before going about the usual business of circulation. He had to sell the concept of an "electronic magazine" to a tech-skeptical business. "I got a lot of, 'Is it online or is it print?' If I told people that it was both, I got the over-the-phone version of a blank stare," he recalls. "Agencies and advertisers love what some of the new technologies can do, but they're not sure what to make of …

When it wanted to generate buzz for the PSP, Sony hired graffiti artists to sketch pictures of kids partaking in ordinary childhood activities -- licking a Popsicle, skateboarding, and playing with a jack-in-the-box. But the mega-brand ended up looking more like the class bully when it became the target of backlash over the legal, commissioned work. The ads bore no branding, but upon closer inspection, consumers in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles noticed that the skateboard, Popsicle, and jack-in-the-box were, in fact, PSP consoles. Though the ads were legal, many consumers complained that they too closely …

Property owners devastated by Hurricane Katrina and frustrated by convoluted New Orleans politics, take note: A new name might help. The Naming Rights Association has offered to work free for Katrina victims to lease their property's naming rights. Owners get a cash infusion, while companies that lease the rights earn good will, says Walter McGiveny, the association's executive director, who adds, "This gives anybody in New Orleans the chance to capitalize on their building." McGiveny says he's willing to consider public parks, even residential buildings (though renters are off-limits). McGiveny hopes to raise "a couple hundred million …

Talk about a viral ad campaign. Video game publisher Majesco created "Infected" exclusively for the Sony PSP, with a premise that revolves around killing zombies in New York City on Christmas Eve. When a player challenges an opponent to combat and wins three times, the winner's avatar character becomes a villain in the loser's machine, thereby infecting the person's PSP until the character is killed off. Looking to spread the word about the new game, The Concept Farm created an online and outdoor campaign that fully embodied the game's object. Since a winner's avatar could infect PSPs all over …

Two teenagers share a bench, a smoke, and a cell phone as I swing open the doors to my local icon of suburbia: Woodfield Shopping Center in Schaumburg, Ill. Nearly 27 million people walk through the doors of this suburban Chicago mega-mall every year. Today, it looks as if a few thousand have joined me for an afternoon shopping spree. Everyone's in a hurry, but no one seems to know where they are going. A woman in 3-inch heels drags her kids to the food court while trying to close a business deal on her cell. A teenager in …

By now, subscribers of Media magazine are receiving copies of their March issue, and if I'm right, some of them are probably scratching their heads wondering why the pages are all out of order. In fact, some of the stories within those pages may seem to be out of order. Well, they are. But they are on purpose. The issue is devoted to the theme of nonlinear media, and in an effort to prove the medium is truly the message, we've tried to design an issue that might be considered nonlinear. And it's not just the design of the printed …

Those of us decrepit enough to have grown up with vinyl records and cassette recorders should have recognized that the 2005 sales figures for the music industry represent something akin to full circle for the music business. Back in the day, when I was still struggling with the trials of containing teenage hormones and living with older siblings and parents who just didn't get it, the music industry thrived. How? By selling large numbers of singles at a reasonable price to an audience that waited each week to hear which band or heartthrob would top the charts. It was all …

Companies that use event sponsorships as part of their marketing and media mix now have a better way of proving their return on investment than simply counting the number of attendees. Marketing Management Analytics, Inc. (MMA), and Copernicus Marketing and Consulting Research, both Aegis Group units, recently launched the MMA/Copernicus Sponsorship Evaluation Service to help gauge the impact of sponsorship investments. The service focuses on sales-based ROI, brand equity, and customer equity. It also breaks down ROI by sponsorship component, including event exposure, supporting media, and promotions. "We can measure [media] spend, brand awareness, supportive behavior, …