CIQ Headlines for February 13, 2007

CIQ Headlines

Hollywood Needs More Than Content–(Hollywood Reporter) “Strapped by their inefficient response to a bustling marketplace, it is incumbent upon the powers that be at News Corp. and Disney to brainstorm new business propositions that can provide more constant revenue in a marketplace where peer sharing and piracy run rampant. No one is yet meeting that formidable challenge.” CIQ: Hollywood needs a kind of expertise that they don’t seem to have.

Print: “Reports of My Death Greatly Exaggerated”–(Center for Media Research) The US numbers are indeed flat. But if you take in the global picture, global newspaper circulation was up 9.95 percent over five years and 2.36 percent over twelve months. CIQ: Not surprising, as the US leads in digital penetration, and that’s what’s driving print’s decline. 

Time & TV Guide Strike Deal for Video— (Media Post) They are tapping Brightcove as their video partner. CIQ: The Hollywood Reporter article above notes that, ironically, print sites are beating TV sites at the online video game.

Retailers–Missed Opportunity of Mammoth Size

CIQ Trends

Last Thursday I did a radio interview for a streaming site geared to the retail industry. And I was reminded of one of the Great Unanswered Questions of the Internet: Why are retailers so slow to catch on online opportunities?

This question is over 10 years old for me. And it has a direct relation to media, advertising and online content.

Like almost everyone, I grocery shop. A lot. Like at least 3 times a week. And I don’t think I’m unusual. Many people go more than I do. I am lucky enough to live in Manhattan, where I can avail myself of Fresh Direct. But there’s other stuff I forget. Or maybe I’m just in the mood for something else. And in my wallet, I have five frequent shopper cards that are falling out all over the place. All the time.

So it’s not as if these stores don’t have data on me. But I never get email from them. Never, ever, ever, not once, nada, nil, nothing. Yes, I get email from Target. But only since I started to shop them online. In the 5 or so previous years I only went to a brick-and-mortar store, I never got an email.

Why, God, why is this touch point missed entirely? There are so many marketers in my inbox I don’t want to hear from. Please, Mr. Food Emporium, could you send me an email once in a while telling me that you’ve got a special shipment of strawberries? I’d really like it. Oh, and, I’m sure there are about 47 brick-and-mortar stores in our zip code that would pay you for co-registrations. And I would like to hear from them too– especially that wonderful stationary store down the block. I really want to know when they are having a sale. Not to mention the local theater group. You could ask me for my email at checkout. That’s how you got me to sign up for that stupid card that’s always falling out of my purse.

In an age where Ford is so desperate to find a new way to reach consumers that they have 104– yes that’s one-hundred-and-four— branded-entertainment projects teed up in Hollywood, it seems just silly that there is such a huge gap in what is a great advertising platform. Oh, Mr. Food Emporium, betcha Ford might be interested in co-marketing to your email list as well.

CIQ Headlines for February 12, 2007

CIQ Headlines

Ford Increases Branded Entertainment Push— (Media Post) Branded entertainment manager says there are 104 projects in the works. CIQ: This is evidence of corporations struggling to find a new advertising model. But it’s easier to insert cars into movies, than, say, post-its.

Advertising Is Killing Itself– (NYT Magazine) From yesterday’s magazine, the writer cites the ad for Rolodexes on the bottom of the gray bins at airline security as evidence of oversaturation. CIQ: Some new thinking about advertising is needed as dozens of new content models spring up like mushrooms. Current thinking seems to be, “the more, the more.”

One in Five Go from Bowl to Site–(Media Post) And this, despite the fact that most thought the Superbowl commercials were really not that great. CIQ: Perhaps here we have the thread of a new ad strategy. Find ways to capture attention, then engage truly interested consumers online.

CIQ Headlines for February 9, 2007

CIQ Headlines

Joost Model Counters YouTube–(Financial Times) Brought to you by the peer-to-peer founders of Kaza, Joost founders “have bravely ignored the totems of the internet-video boom. Chief among these fashions is letting users upload anything they want.” The idea instead is allowing people to watch TV shows online interrupted by advertising. CIQ:Everything old is new again.

MySpace Is Biggest Money Maker For Fox Interactive— (eMarketer) MySpace ad revenues were $190 million in 2006 and rose to $525 million in 2007. CIQ: The ad-supported content model. Any questions?

iMedia Summit Free For All:(Click Z) Times chief wonders if print will be around in 5 years. Murdoch expects internet revenues to grow from 1 percent to 10 percent of total in 3-5 years. CIQ: How people do talk over a luxurious free lunch!

CIQ Headlines for February 8, 2007

CIQ Headlines

5 Trends in Online Content–(Marketing Sherpa) Sherpa reports from a poll of online media and content companies. Trends include search, paid avertising, and community. CIQ: It’s unclear how content providers will take advantage of the growing popularity of online video.

Newspaper Site Visits Grow 22% in 2006–(BtoB) That puts the total audience at over 56 million for online newspapers. CIQ: Traditional publishers must think fast about how to make this audience as profitable as its offline one, which is going away.

Commodizing Creative— (NYT) Don’t call the ad agency. Use one of these technology tools to make or customize your ad. CIQ: We think this has huge implications for the delevelopment of content, not just advertising.