CPGs to Increase Online Spending 37%–(eMarketer) While CPGs have cut every other category in 2007, online is growing. They are seeing performance and realizing consumers are looking for healthy food choices online. CIQ: CPGs traditionally have been slow to the party, with J&J and P&G as notable exceptions. More internal and agency expertise is necessary for CPGs to successfully navigate the online space.

DoubleClick-Google Impact on Banners–(Business Week) This editorial writer notes that, “when we ran banner ads our search campaigns performed better and when we didn’t run banners our search yields declined.” The Google-DoubleClick merger may breath life back into the lowly banner ad. CIQ: We wonder when Google will make the leap to showing images/banners alongside search results.

Ruling: Buying Competition’s Trademarks in Paid Search Is Okay–(CNet) The ruling involved Zales jewelry stores and a competitor. The court reaffirmed that buying a competitor’s trademarks as keywords is ok. But using the trademark in the text link or any other display ad is not. CIQ: We wonder how many CPG brands words are being purchased by smaller, savvier competitors– CPGs being unsophisticated players in search.

Create Your Own Wiki–(WSJ) A review of a new product, Wetpaint, that allows average users to create wikis. It also is easier for contributers to figure out how to post. CIQ: Further democratization of publishing. Lots of spaces could use wikis. Especially travel.

Agency to Buy Real Media? –(NY Post) Ad agency WPP is sniffing around to buy 24/7 Real Media. CIQ: Interesting and perplexing that an agency would buy an ad-broker/ad-server company. Another “cats sleeping with dogs” example from the front lines of changing media.

Industry Cited for Measurement Errors— (Mediaweek) The IAB said that huge discrepancies between audited traffic, Nielsen/NetRatings & comScore’s traffic were “unacceptable.” CIQ: Web measurement has been trouble for years. It’s the pink elephant in the room. Cheers for the IAB for its public stance on the matter.

Crackberry Withdrawl–(NYT) Five million of the 8 million Blackberry users were left without service for 10 hours yesterday. Said one of the affected, “I quit smoking 28 years ago, and that was easier than being without my BlackBerry.” RIM, maker of the device, did not disclose the cause of the problem. But speculation is that the recently added 2 million users over the last year has stressed the system. CIQ: With all the hype about YouTube and MySpace it’s interesting we don’t hear about Berrys so much until there is an outage. A 33% growth in 1 year, devoted, even addicted users who joke about 12-step programs: The Berry proves a simple device that allow for a basic connection is still the “killer app.” 

Video Engagement is Over 4 Minutes–(Media Post) In this study produced by a provider of rich-media technology, users engaged with rich banners whose content could be 10 minutes long for a full 4.6 minutes on average. CIQ: We have long been curious about the “ideal length” of new forms of internet content. Our guess is 5-7 minutes. Nice to know it’s supported by this data point.

The Net Impact On Local TV–(CNet) Is online video a threat to local TV? Some cited in this article are refreshingly platform-agnostic. “It’s silly to focus on which formats or mediums are better,” said Diane Sutter, CEO of MyTv, Boston. “We should be focusing on enhancing viewer experience using broadcast, Internet, podcasts and whatever else we can.” CIQ: Right on. Click on an audio file at the New York Times and it says, “from New York Times radio.” Those who stay wedded to a delivery mechanism will suffer in the shifting media environment.

Yesterday, I saw a New York City bus carrying a full-length ad for Continental Airlines. It had a description of the new flat-bed seats business class travelers can enjoy on long-haul trips. The slogan, “Work Hard. Fly Right.”
 
Having just returned from Europe myself, I thought: Most Europeans, and certainly Mediterraneans, would think the ad firm was soon to be fired. You’re advertising beds and working hard in the same sentence?

It’s repeated often: Americans live to work. work to live. Nothing makes that more evident than the Blackberry outage yesterday. In one of our headline articles from the New York Times, untethered Berry users talked about feelings of relief and freedom, and compared it to that sense many business travelers describe of getting on  a plane: Despite the grime, cramped quarters, and crankiness of airline travel, at last!—a respite from constant connection. One can even read a book.

Corporate trainers, meeting leaders, and life-partners all describe the same thing: You think you have the attention of the ones around you. And then they dip their heads and surreptitiously thumb out an email. I have taught ninth grade. And I have also run large-scale corporate meetings. Guys (and it is mostly guys), you’ve got a lot to learn from the 14-year-olds. They are much better at note-passing than you are. You’re not fooling any one. And P.S.—It’s rude.

Interesting, though, the alignment with Europe that the Berry reveals. I, myself, described earlier in the week that Americans are on the Internet, and Europeans are pecking out text messages on cell phones. And yet, with the popularity of the Berry, we look very much like them—thumbing away. Though, perhaps more typical of culture this side of the pond, the Berry is a work device, the cell phone personal.

Women Leaving Computer Science–(NYT) The number of women studying computer science reached its peak in 1985 at 38%, but dropped to 28% by 2003. What’s up? From the point of view of this article, it’s about marketing. It’s the lack of promotion of comp-sci as a creative and interesting field, not just a boring life of code. CIQ: We could wax on for hours. Instead two points: (1) There is a hostile environment created by fellow– and we mean ‘fellow‘– students and professors toward women students. (2) The interactive space faces a dire need for technically proficient people who are also great communicators, a role that can be well filled by women.

American Airlines Launches Lavender Site for Women –(NYT) As long as we’re on a roll, this story: Among the advice offered to women business travelers: Bring a little black dress to wear with heels. Comments one woman road warrior, “There are so many things that are infuriating about this lip-service nonsense that I can’t begin to list them all.” CIQ: Though we are practically speechless, we will, nevertheless try: We and many women aver that gender-equity progress is rapidly eroding in business. And we are met with, to put it mildly, skepticism. Leaving aside years of confidential internal corporate emails we are privy to, the two above stories in our view leave thinking people with few questions.

Agencies Walk Away from Fickle Clients–(WSJ) While many of the “chummy” long-term relationships between client and agency didn’t work, the new model doesn’t seem to be much better. Clients casting about for the latest and greatest are putting more and more accounts into review. A review can cost an agency $200,000 to $1,000,000. CIQ: Agency-shifting is not just about seeking digital competency as some other articles have suggested. We think long-term vendor-client relationships are much better for business. However, in the current buy-it-own-it-flip-it environment of American business, we wonder how much anyone values “long term.”