AMC will not use the return of “Mad Men� this summer as a lead-in to help launch new series “Rubicon.� Don Draper’s next moves on “Men� will debut July 25 and run Sundays at 10 p.m. “Rubicon,� which focuses on a government analyst uncovering a conspiracy, will premiere Aug. 1 and run in the 9 p.m. pre-"Men" hour – rather than the other way around. “Mad Men� is entering its fourth season -- and AMC apparently didn't want to risk moving the hit from its established 10 p.m.

Fast Company continues its coverage of Ford and the carmaker’s efforts to incorporate smartphone technology into the driving experience. Discussing Ford’s in-car Sync system, it explains: “The idea is that when you connect up a Sync-compatible smartphone, running the right kinds of apps, to your Sync-enabled car, you’ll be able to merely utter a few words of command to get the app to bend to your will.â€� The new Sync AppLink service only works with BlackBerry and Android phones at the moment, but iPhone -- and even iPad -- compatibility could come later this year. One lucky app that …

At the MediaPost Email Insider Summit, an NBC executive said research shows a slew of people used mobile devices to supplement their TV watching of the Olympic Games in February. Hayle Chun, a digital media specialist in the sports and Olympics business, said nearly half of people accessing NBC's mobile content did so while watching TV. They may have been too lazy to reach for the computer, but they also apparently used a handheld device to access biographies of athletes, country profiles, perhaps explanations of curling, as well as videos. Much of that could have been prompted by the …

As it turns out, Google isn’t the only hugely successful company capable of bad ideas. Indeed, Facebook is pulling the plug on Lite just seven months after releasing the service to the world. Hyped as a potential Twitter-killer, Facebook Lite was a simplified version of the site, which was supposedly “optimized for people with slow connections,â€� notes All Facebook. “But apparently not enough people were using it.â€� Regarding the service, Facebook said: “We’re no longer supporting it, but learned a lot from the test of a slimmed-down site.â€� The question remains as to why Facebook would act so fast …

For all its moral and social failings, realists credit porn with driving the broad adoption of new technology, including the Internet itself. Having none of it, Apple CEO Steve Jobs isn’t budging on his staunch opposition to X-Rated media on the iPhone, the iPad, or any device under his control. “We do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone,â€� Jobs writes in a letter obtained by TechCrunch. “Folks who want porn can buy and [sic] Android phone.â€� And, while TechCrunch admits to not authenticating the letter, it notes that Jobs has drawn connections between …

Email marketers often don't test new ideas or approaches because they are afraid they may not do it well, or that they won't be able to read the results accurately. Chris Marriott, VP, Global Agency Services for Acxiom, shared some commonly held false notions that he urged marketers to avoid. He spoke as part of a panel at the Email Insider Summit Monday morning. Never assume, he said, that: -All eyeballs are created equal -The last click should get all the credit (There are many activities that are valuable which don't drive specific conversions, like thanking renewing …

Our opening keynote speaker this morning leaned over to me at breakfast and said, "Who puts the database guy as the opener?!" The good news is that we got to listen to Ted Wham, VP, Database Marketing of Orbitz. He's talented, experienced, fabulously geeky and passionate about using data intelligently to improve the customer experience. Ted generously walked us through how the Orbitz business works and some of the unique challenges of being an online travel agency, like the fact that they don't own the inventory and do not control pricing (or know it in advance). Despite the huge …

Six Flags Media Networks, part of the Six Flags amusement park company, has unveiled a new digital out-of-home media division that will be selling packages including an array of place-based digital media. Six Flags' parks reach 25-million visitors annually. As part of this expansion, Six Flags Media Networks is adding “Menu Board TV,� a new network of 220 digital menu boards in its busiest in-park restaurant venues, and has hired media veteran Adam Oliveri as vice president of the new division. The digital media menu boards initially were tested on a limited basis in 2009.

Under Armour marketing analyst Kris Zimmerman just mentioned at the MediaPost Email Insider Summit that the 3,000-person company has two copywriters. The writers do all communications for the company from in-store to email. That can bring a conistent tone, but a lot of work.

Amber-Marie Jacquez, a marketing communications manager at CareCredit, just unleashed a seemingly new marketing acronym: WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?). Email readers care first and last what the message can do for them. They ask WIIFM? And that's something email marketers need to keep in mind. “If they don’t feel it’s relevant, it’s done,� she said at MediaPost’s Email Insider Summit. “They’re not going to read my email.� CareCredit is a health care financing business that’s part of GE Money.