Monday, February 27, 2006
Must Buy Wheaties... Must Buy Wheaties...
NEWS.COM -- For years, fake ads have appeared during sporting events. By fake I mean they really weren't there. Watching a baseball game, you might see a banner on an infield wall for a product or service, but if you were at the game, you wouldn't see that banner, because it wasn't there, added by a computer as the game was being broadcast. The potential was there to even show different ads to different markets.
Now that same technology is being utilized to insert products into prime-time shows. Before, you'd have to get your advertising lined up in advance so that the box of Wheaties was sitting on the counter when the show was filmed. Now the technology is allowing them to insert products into shows at the last minute, even replacing them with different products later when the show goes into re-runs. Apparently as a "CSI:" and "How I Met Your Mother" viewer, I've been subjected to this already and don't even realize it. Was it an episode of CSI: or driving a rental that may me appreciate the Chevy Trailblazer? Now I might never know. More...
Now that same technology is being utilized to insert products into prime-time shows. Before, you'd have to get your advertising lined up in advance so that the box of Wheaties was sitting on the counter when the show was filmed. Now the technology is allowing them to insert products into shows at the last minute, even replacing them with different products later when the show goes into re-runs. Apparently as a "CSI:" and "How I Met Your Mother" viewer, I've been subjected to this already and don't even realize it. Was it an episode of CSI: or driving a rental that may me appreciate the Chevy Trailblazer? Now I might never know. More...
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Uninformed Racism
MSNBC.COM -- Here is an excellent article from Newsweek about why blocking the ports deal is just short-sighted, racist and just basically ill-informed.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Good ad: Acura
I know, we all hate advertising. I thought this one was pretty clever. I didn't see any of the beginning stuff because I open a lot of windows at once from a newsletter and then go back and read them, but I liked how at the end of this Acura ad, it mostly just sits, there, but moves ever so slightly if you put your mouse over it. It was enough to catch my attention. (This, of course, is a limited time deal so if you're reading my archives later, I expect that it probably won't still work.)
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Goodbye Kiefer, Hello Tom
In college, I was pretty regularly described as resembling a "young Kiefer Sutherland." With today's addition, I feel the look is now really much more like Tom Arnold. I'm told it's distinguished, but... glasses? I do realize it was entirely inevitable, I was the only one in my family who didn't have them. And the only reason I have them now is that I didn't think it was fair that Lori could spot freeway onramp signs so much sooner than I. So, with my job about to end, I decided to take advantage of my vision plan and have my eyes checked. The news wasn't too bad, 20/25. But the doctor said that he could fit me for some glasses to help me, I'd be ok without them, but I could get them to have on hand for driving at night. But let me tell you... I feel like I've been ripped off all this time. I really haven't had any of the side-effects since I've been wearing them and I don't want to take them off. Everything is so much crisper. Whites are whiter, text that I thought was perfectly clear is now amazingly clear and cruzzy (a word I made up)) when viewed without them. I thought stuff looked good, but then I put these on and it's like I have superpowers. And this isn't even full-strength.
Oh, and I was mentioning my job coming to an end soon. You probably also noticed the oh-so-common white earphones. They plug into the new 60 gig iPod video which was a gift from my bosses.
Alternative title #1: Old and Hip (nixed after I realized that you'd automatically think of the word "replacement")
Alternative title #2: Fogeys 2 (would require you to be a regular reader to my blog to understand)
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Unsavvy
I think I've written on this topic before, complaining about the Bush administration's continued failure to show any sort of savvy whatsoever. Over the weekend, I've come across just a few more examples.
First, when Vice President Cheney accidentally shot the lawyer during the quail hunt, it's reported that for hours afterwards he sat alone on a bench outside the place where he was staying, sitting there alone, speaking to no one, just feeling horrible. Call me unsympathetic, but that would have been a perfect photo opp. Perhaps even in silhouette, the second-most powerful man in the world alone, crushed by a mistake he made, truly upset, hurting. Instead, all we hear is that someone's been shot and later Cheney refusing to even appear sympathetic, just being his usual surrly jerky self. Which is to the media's delight, posting old stock photos of him receiving a gun from the NRA.
Second, this whole port thing. Everyone is up in arms because an Arab company purchased the European country that was operating five or six major ports. It seems incredibly racist to be worried about this new company because they're Arab. Why were we not concerned when a European company operated the ports? I think that posturing now is too little, too late. Those ports should have never been out of U.S. control. But more troubling to many is that the new arrangements have already received the blessings of the Bush administration without those who would be affected even really realizing what was happening.
Third, Katrina. I think enough's been said here. It wasn't bad enough that it was really poorly handled, but then no attempts were made at all to actually convey what was occuring.
These just point again and again to the Bush administration's inability to realize that if you don't actually bother to be pro-active in your media image, you'll only be reactive and you never look as good when you're on the defensive. By then, the story's already been told, the bad light has already been cast and you're only being given the opportunity to explain why you screwed up/didn't think/etc., even if that's not what really happened.
This is the same thing I've railed against here in this job to no avail. If you're not savvy, you're always going to be back against the wall trying to defend against someone elses' version of the truth, even if it's not true at all.
First, when Vice President Cheney accidentally shot the lawyer during the quail hunt, it's reported that for hours afterwards he sat alone on a bench outside the place where he was staying, sitting there alone, speaking to no one, just feeling horrible. Call me unsympathetic, but that would have been a perfect photo opp. Perhaps even in silhouette, the second-most powerful man in the world alone, crushed by a mistake he made, truly upset, hurting. Instead, all we hear is that someone's been shot and later Cheney refusing to even appear sympathetic, just being his usual surrly jerky self. Which is to the media's delight, posting old stock photos of him receiving a gun from the NRA.
Second, this whole port thing. Everyone is up in arms because an Arab company purchased the European country that was operating five or six major ports. It seems incredibly racist to be worried about this new company because they're Arab. Why were we not concerned when a European company operated the ports? I think that posturing now is too little, too late. Those ports should have never been out of U.S. control. But more troubling to many is that the new arrangements have already received the blessings of the Bush administration without those who would be affected even really realizing what was happening.
Third, Katrina. I think enough's been said here. It wasn't bad enough that it was really poorly handled, but then no attempts were made at all to actually convey what was occuring.
These just point again and again to the Bush administration's inability to realize that if you don't actually bother to be pro-active in your media image, you'll only be reactive and you never look as good when you're on the defensive. By then, the story's already been told, the bad light has already been cast and you're only being given the opportunity to explain why you screwed up/didn't think/etc., even if that's not what really happened.
This is the same thing I've railed against here in this job to no avail. If you're not savvy, you're always going to be back against the wall trying to defend against someone elses' version of the truth, even if it's not true at all.
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