Do you recall when the furore when Facebook Beacon came out last year, and all the stuff Forrester put out about "Fansumers" or whatever (ah, the joy of persistence ). Anyway, someone made the graphic point that if you are talking with your mates in a bar, the last thing you want to see is some wally dressed in a Coke outfit barging into your conversation saying "hey, what you guys talking about - can we be friends" etc etc. Anyway, looks like that penny is sinking in - Ad Age reports P&G man Ted McConnell, general manager-interactive marketing and...
Third party presidential candidate Ralph Nader isn't getting much television exposure, but he could be drawing as much as 3 percent of the national vote according to the most recent CBS News/New York Times survey of likely voters. Could it be that alternative media, including online video shows might be helping his cause? Wouldn't it be ironic if the Obama Girl herself is helping Nader? Recently Barely Political, an online political humor site, produced two videos featuring the Obama Girl, Amber Lee Ettinger, and the 74-year old consumer advocate turned inveterate candidate. Ben Relles, the show's producer, tells Beet.TV...
AT&T's service agreement runs to 8,000 words — about twice the length of a Wired magazine feature. But it still doesn't list all the details. You'll have to hit the Web for AT&T's 2,500-page guidebook. California state regulators blame themselves for loosening rules in hopes of increasing competition. I went through the Los Angeles Times's summary (written by former San Francisco Chronicle consumer advocate David Lazarus) and pulled out the two lines you need to read: "You also agree to pay for all charges for services provided under this agreement even if such calls were not authorized by you." Regulators...
The boom in online ad networks, those automated brokers of discount banners patronized by websites desperate for quick cash, is at long last turning to bust. And the shakeout couldn't have started with a more deserving company. Amid lawsuits and layoffs, Heavy.com has seen two-thirds of its once-15-strong salesforce leave, a source familiar with the company tells us. Meanwhile, the company is trying to sell its Heavy.com, a video destination targeted at young men, so far without success. The plan is to focus on its porn-friendly Husky ad network. Who's to blame? Recently hired "grownups," says our source. Heavy has...
Filed under: Dinner, On the BlogsI'm beginning to realize that I'm something of an excessive grocery shopper. I have a particularly hard time being restrained in my food purchases this time of year, when the farmers markets are in full bloom and everything is so perfect and appealing. I do manage to use just about everything I buy during weeks that are free of social engagements, but when I have planned dinners out with friends or a weekend away, I find that my gorgeous kale turns to slime in my produce drawer. I'm heading out of town on Friday afternoon...
Satellite Radio providers XM and Sirius passed the final regulatory hurdle to merge the two companies and subscription services with a ruling by the US Federal Communications Commission late Friday. The merger was originally proposed over a year and a half ago as other entertainment devices for cars gained in popularity, and capital expenditures by the two companies for satellites, terrestrial repeaters, and content had far exceeded any potential return. Many people in rural areas (where radio can be spotty) and those that drive long distances (truck drivers among them) applauded the decision, while others including some broadcasters, consumer...
