Amidst Cacaphony of Naysayers, Apple TV Debuts–(Wired) In this article, the detractors line up deterents to Apple TV, which may hit stores this week: You still need a set-top box. Consumers must hook it up themselves. Downloading shows from iTunes doesn’t offer hi-def. Others have tried it. CIQ: It looks cool. It’s from Apple. Their hallmark is making setup easy for the consumer. They own the hardware and the distribution channel. Any questions?

Do Not Call, Or Mail Either–(Ad Age) A dozen states are queuing up legislation to enact “do not mail” lists similar to the do-not-call lists. CIQ: (1) This will be a boon to email, where the practice of gaining permission has history and is becoming ingrained in the way marketers do business. (2) The tide against unwanted advertising is rising. It calls for us to develop new methods of content delivery and advertising that people accept. See today’s article.

Agency Goes Direct to Web TV— (Media Post) In a move that seems to skip over production companies and studios, talent Agency William Morris has struck a deal with tech company Narrowstep with the intention of programming television channels for the internet. CIQ: In the area of video, audio and text, agencies have access to the source of content. As publishers (studios, book publishers, record labels) fall farther and farther behind in the tech revolution, and with the Internet providing a nearly ubiquitous delivery channel, they risk agencies partnering with content producers to leave them out altogether.

Slammed by SPAM and locked-down email clients, email open rates have been declining for years. And many marketers have been turning against email as sexier technologies like MySpace and YouTube get all the ink.

I just returned from speaking at the Marketing Sherpa Email Summit, where I am happy to report, email is alive and well.

•  Most marketers say that emailing to their house lists is the #1 most effective marketing tool.
• CPG marketer Vitabath successfully used email to launch online sales and grow them 500% in one year.
• CPG marketer Nutra Made has an email list 2 million strong that drives measurable traffic into their retailers.
• Publishers report real data on the utility of email in driving traffic to ad-supported sites.

Too many of us remember vividly when email regularly got 70% open rates. We react like spoiled children to our 15-20% open rates and 5% conversion rates. We also remember– those of us who were emailing our readers/customers 7 years ago– when our email landed in the inbox surrounded by no other newsletters. Now we despair over clutter in the inbox. I think we all need to calm down and recognize that email is effective and it’s here to stay. Walking the tradeshow floor at the Sherpa Summit, I saw half a dozen companies whose sole mission in life is to decrease SPAM by certifying email. And there were another half a dozen dedicated to increasing deliverability. The CIQ conclusing: Email is a #1 tool for marketers and #1 platform for publishers.

 

WSJ Ad Revenue Down 10%–(WSJ) The year-over-year decline in ad revenue is attributed to the shift in media consumption from print to digital. CIQ: Fortunately the WSJ has long experience with its online product. We wonder if they will find it necessary to make the online product free.

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Advertise– (Business Week) Skyrider and MediaDefender are startups based on the following premise: Every time you try to shut down a peer-to-peer file sharing endeavor, a new one springs up. Therefore, these companies are developing technologies to stream advertising into P2P file-sharing activities. CIQ: The technology responds to P2P searches, delivering copyrighted content that is ad sponsored. We think this is a great way to monetize this seemingly uncontrollable space.

RSS 2.0— A new company, Divvio, Inc. is “developing a service that automatically finds audio, video, and, eventually, text, on your favorite subjects. Then it weaves these clips together to create personalized multimedia channels that are updated each time you sign on.” CIQ: We think this kind of smart, multimedia “push search” is great idea. We would like to see choose-your-own-advertiser technology wrapped into it.

Unilever As Content Producer–(Ad Age) Unilever Exec says brands have to think digitally. The company administers digital IQ tests to its brand people. It also continues aggressively in the content-development space, with upcoming Dove webisodes produced by Penny Marshal. CIQ: Interesting that a brand, not tranditional content producer, is the one to recognize and fill the gap in online video content: Almost none of it appeals to women.

Order & Organization Begins in Online Video Space— (NYT) An internet startup, Next New Networks, with execs from MTV and Nickelodeon, will launch niche-type video websites on topics like home improvement, fashion, comic books, and cartoons. CIQ: We believe this kind of niche content with short-form video is the future.

Kids Cheat on MyPenguin–(Chicago Tribune) This site is a Second Life for kids where they get a virtual penguin and igloo. They waddle around, chat with other penguins and play games, which earns them virtual cash to fit out their igloo and dress their penguin. Now they can download cheats to get cash more quickly. CIQ: A similar story on Wired discusses they way people can artificially boost stories to the top of aggregation sites like Digg.com. Looks like click-fraud for the UCG world.

 

Marketers: Blogs Need Packaging–(Ad Age) Marketers are lured by the idea of blogs. They’re hot, and seem to inspire passion among consumers. But the content is uneven, and the platform hard to control. CIQ: Interesting that there are now media companies who are guiding blog buys for marketers.

Print Philly Inquirer Digest Mimics Web Site—(NYT) In an effort to deliver news on the run, the Philadelphia Inquirer and sibling publication Daily News have come up with a short, color print digest that looks a lot like their web sites. CQI: Would this be better as an email newsletter?

New Survey: TV Networks Don’t Understand Digital–(Ad Week) According to the 360i report, networks use digital media to promote shows, but do not integrate these marketing efforts. Nor do they integrate the various content efforts that support shows. With the result that “fans of network shows get lost when shifting from various channels,” like blogs and fan sites. CIQ: The current owners and producers of content are some of the most behind in online skills. They must hire it or acquire it, then make cultural shifts to integrate it.