Viacom Did Find One Cool Way to Leverage That Kanye West Moment

On September 22, 2009

Viacom Did Find One Cool Way to Leverage That Kanye West Moment

I'm posting right now from a panel at Mediapost's OMMA Global Conference, where someone just pointed out a way that Viacom, did, in fact, leverage Kanye West's, um, "interruption" at the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this month. Not surprisingly, it's an old-media example, but it'll do: MTV sister network Comedy Central ran an episode from earlier this year which skewered Kanye West -- and ran it over and over for two hours. The episode, "Fish Sticks," contains some not-safe-for-work language (shocker!), but to briefly recap, (yes, there is actually an entire Wikipedia entry devoted to this episode), here it is: In the episode, Jimmy writes a joke that becomes a national sensation, and Cartman tries to steal the credit....
On September 22, 2009

Cadbury Warms to Kraft Bid, Pushes for Deadline

Cadbury chairman Roger Carr recently called Kraft an "unattractive," "low-growth conglomerate," but CEO Todd Stitzer apparently has a much better view of the company. "I would never say there's not some strategic sense in these businesses coming together," Stitzer told the Wall Street Journal. Kraft recently announced a surprise $16.7 billion bid for the British chocolate and confectionery company, which Cadbury rejected. But the bid has not been made official yet, and Cadbury now wants the U.K. Panel on Takeovers and Mergers to set a deadline for Kraft to either make a formal offer or back off (or, as Marketplace so eloquently put it, to "put up or shut up"). The takeover panel has the authority to do this, but...
On September 22, 2009

FDA’s Web 2.0 Hearing Recalls Its Unintentionally Hilarious Panel From 1996: “What Is the Internet?”

Give the FDA some credit: In its recent notice that it intends to look into providing guidance for drug marketers on using Web 2.0 and social media, it listed its historic failings as one of the reasons guidance was needed. It also linked readers to a goofy-in-hindsight panel it hosted in 1996 -- in which Big Pharma was introduced to Netscape Navigator! -- the last time the FDA went near the topic.
On September 22, 2009

Yahoo Alters Search Experience

Some small business owners could, if you woke them up from a sound sleep in the middle of the night, immediately tell you their site's ranking for different terms on Google, Yahoo, and Bing.  But today, even people who aren't that obsessive might want to check in with one engine, since Yahoo's revised its search experience.

This is more of a look-and-feel adjustment than a straight-up rankings change; if you used to be number one for "ornamental pooper scoopers," anyone who searches for that term should still see your site at the topmost center spot.

read more

On September 22, 2009

Industry Gets Ready for Soda Tax Debate

There's been a lot of buzz lately about a possible soda tax. A report in the New England Journal of Medicine came out in favor of a one cent tax on every ounce of sugary drink. Thirty-three states already have taxes on sweetened soft drinks, and previous studies have found that the effect on obesity is negligible, but the new study says it's because the taxes aren't high enough. The New York Times recently ran a piece favoring soda taxes, and President Barack Obama said in an interview with Men's Health that it was "an idea that we should be exploring." "There's no doubt that our kids drink way too much soda. And every study that's been done about obesity...
On September 22, 2009

What the World’s Industrial Powers Can Learn from Pittsburgh

All eyes will be on Pittsburgh this week as the city hosts the G20 conference. According to the Economist, the attending foreign ministers might learn a few things from Pittsburgh's "transformation," as they too preside over cities struggling to make the switch away from manufacturing.
On September 22, 2009

Holding Back Online? 5 Ways to Share Your Story with Confidence

This blogging and social media thing is easy, right? Set yourself up with a free blog, have something you want to post about and off you go. Tweet about it, hook into Facebook and you’re flying. As easy as baking candy. Whether you’re blogging about your career, your relationships or your candy-baking business, what most [...]
On September 22, 2009

EU Court Sides With Google Over Luxury Brand Marks

A European Union court adviser said Tuesday that Google does not violate luxury goods makers' trademarks when it sells brand names as search keywords that trigger its lucrative advertisements. The adviser's legal opinion will now be studied by judges at the European Court of Justice, which has been asked to tell a French appeals court how to apply EU law in a dispute between Google and several French luxury goods companies.
On September 22, 2009

Delta’s SkyClub Promotion Slightly Misses the Mark

The Delta and Northwest merger has introduced a lot of changes for the airlines' customers, and that can always be unsettling. Now it seems that Delta is trying to be proactive regarding its SkyClub airport clubs by actively courting fliers to try it out. It's a smart way to do things, but I think the execution could use some help.
Next Page
Previous Page