Marc Cuban: "There are few rules in business that are simpler and easier to
understand than 'DONT (sic) RIP OFF YOUR CUSTOMERS'. Why is it that TV
stations and networks and I need to include radio as well, have no
problem running commercials that are blatant hustles of one sort or
another?" A bit further on: "How stupid can you be to run these commercials ? Do you not realize
that its not a commercial for the product, its a commercial to reduce
the value of the brand of your station or network?"
Well, it is a small, very small, step up from the ubiquitous Corona beer. But, unless Pacifico can do something to get past Corona's "coolness," I do not see it being a major player. I can remember when surfers back in the 60s took up with the beer, especially the girls, who liked the clear bottle and light color of the beer. Back then, the workers at the Corona plants would not pay to drink Corona - it was not considered "real" beer by the German-influenced brewers and beer drinkers. Now, even the Mexicans drink it. However, even if you are with a bunch of them and are asked which Mexican beer you like best, the responses to Negra Modelo bring strong nods of approval and comments that Negra Modelo is a real beer. I haven't checked the prices on either in a long while, though, but will when I go down next week. Of course, if you wanat the real good Mexican beer, you'll have to go to one of the cities where micro breweries operate. Tijuana Beer's unfiltered dark beer, Brava, is really good. The ad campaign is scheduled to start Monday, Jan. 29, according to Brand Week. (Link)
Reversing a policy they have had for years, regular French TV (non-satellite, non-cable) will be allowed to air advertising, according to TV Watch.
AdJab brings us this bit indicating the booze industry's self-imposed restrictions on TV advertising may be so much BS. Of course the booze industry spinners will deny this till they are blue in the face because they cannot risk those numbers being true. So, here they are again, deny, deny, deny. Just like the tobacco industry denials that ended up being so much BS.
and try to wrap your mind around "The Decomposition of the Television Set." This piece (via Hee-Haw Marketing), played in the Madison Avenue Journal and is a piece of work. The author, Paul McEnany, takes a look at the demise of the 30-second commercial and gets into interactive television where, he says, "No one ever thought a consumer could click on a piece of clothing an
actor is wearing in a video clip, and have it on his or her doorstep
the next morning. Or further, search for a knock-off that looks similar
to the one in the video, and have that the next day." Not an article for those bound up in their own paradigm because this will bang it around a bit.
Okay, you have heard about product placement and how it is used in TV and film to get advertising exposure while being part of the scene. Now comes "reverse product placement" courtesy of Wendy's. Their new TV spots for the National football League games are context "sensitive." What you hear and see will vary by what is going on in the game. So here we have content placed in the commercial. The New York Times' article (via MediaBuyerPlanner) says, ". . . technology companies are working with consumer brand companies to move away from the one-message-fits-all approach."
Check out the Orson Wells riff that happened in Belgium where a TV station aired an Orwellian program about the country's Dutch-speaking northern sector leaving the country to become its own. The entire country was/is in an uproar about the program because it was so believable. Media Daily News.
While I do not see an end to TV clutter anytime soon, it looks like some of the big national news shows may see a more profitable role on single sponsorships. This practice would result in both fewer ads and more time for news and that is why you watch the news, isn't it? TV Watch reports that next week's NBC's "The Nightly News with Brian Williams" will have a single sponsor - Philips Electronics, for the entire week. Philips has done the same before.
Seems that $2 billion was spent on political television advertising, according to Wayne Friedman at Media Daily News. Two billion dollars to make you sick and tired this past election season.
These folks are out of control and you and I are idiots for tolerating it. Tell you what, why not vote against the biggest spenders in each election - against the candidate that spent the most, against the side of an issue that spent the most and so on. Sooner or later the political morons would come to realize that people do not like this bombardment and, hopefully, trim their sails. We should have a list of each issue, each candidate available 48 hours in advance and just vote against the big spenders.