Groovin’ NBA Ad

As a both huge music fan and a dedicated basketball fan, I love this recent NBA commercial:


The athletes’ expressions are a perfect mimicry of musicians’ emotive facial contortions. A good use of Sam and Dave’s classic tune, too.

F*** This!

This is a creative and effective take on the PSA (that’s public service announcement, for those of you not familiar with the media biz lingo).

They managed to get more of a diversity of celebs to participate, not just the usual crew of lefty do-gooders (although most of them are represented here, too).

Who, indeed?!

Some potent questions!

What do you think? Do you think this work is endorsing or criticizing the ideals of the United States? How and why?

Find a little more context and some further thought-provoking queries about this piece of art by Barbara Kruger here.

The Google View on the Future of News

... It’s not necessarily what you think.

This article by James Fallows in the June issue of The Atlantic offers a very interesting and surprisingly upbeat view of the future prospects for serious journalism. It explores potential paths through the current business challenges facing the news industry and sheds light on how technology can enhance substantial coverage and context, rather than undermine it in favor of dumbed-down, superficial content. It’s a very lengthy (it is The Atlantic, after all) but insightful and worthwhile read.

Merely Survive, or Thrive?

A recent PBS Mediashift report (read it here) provides an interesting overview of an ongoing exploration by Ourblook.com of the future of journalism as seen by a variety of industry veterans and thought-leaders – all nicely packaged in 12 short, digestible quotes. It covers a wide range of topics, from the evolution of the advertising model, digital opportunities and pitfalls, to citizen journalism and what audio and video can and can’t add to more traditional text-based reporting. A worthwhile read for those of us navigating our way through this “difficult and exciting time” in journalism.

Our Branded World

Though most of us don’t think about it much, we all inherently know how powerful brands are in Western culture. A case in point is the “branded ABC’s” (shown below). At a glance, I can readily identify 25 out of the 26 brand-associated “letters.” Can you guess them all?

What is a brand really? In most cases, it not only represents certain qualities of a particular product (or line of products), if effectively infused in the public consciousness, it also represents certain affinities and aspirations of those who buy and use the product.

Whether we recognize it or not, even the less consumer-oriented among us have brand loyalties – in cars, gasoline, clothing, toiletries, laundry detergent, sports equipment, etc. Think about what brands you like … and why? How much of it has to do with pervasive and effective advertising vs. genuine utility and your satisfaction with the product(s). How much of it is habit without any real rationale? To what degree is it simply a matter of convenience?

Although I’d have to say my brand allegiance is tenuous in most cases, a few of my favorites that come readily to mind are: Apple, C.F. Martin, Dalwhinnie, Ecco, Ipswich Beer, Guinness Stout, Old Spice, Skagen, Scotch Tape, Starbucks, Staples, Tom’s of Maine, Volkswagen. There are a few other brands that I would’ve included on this list, but deterioration in product quality over time eventually led to their falling out of favor. Brand allegiance, after all, only goes so far.

Chronicles of Demise

In yet another sign of the accelerating death of print media of all sorts, Nielsen Business Media today announced the closure of the 125-year-old magazine of the publishing industry, Editor and Publisher, as well as the venerable book industry periodical Kirkus Reviews. Frankly, as a veteran editorial executive, I don’t think Editor and Publisher has been a very well-executed or particularly forward-looking publication for quite some time (especially compared to Folio: magazine and other newer media industry newsletters and websites). But it is, nevertheless, another marker in the cathartic transformation affecting all media – and especially print media – today.

The simplistic argument about the snowballing death ride of print always falls back on citing the Internet as the cause. This is only partially true. It is less about the Internet per se, than it is about the increased diffusion of advertising dollars across all the various media buying options today. Some of those dollars are, indeed, going to the Internet, but the reality is that less advertising dollars overall are being spread among more outlets. And while Internet advertising is increasing, and print advertising has been falling dramatically, the added digital revenue doesn’t come close to making up even a fraction of the lost print revenue. So those with their tills open for business in both arenas are still losing out, and those trailblazers whose focus is wholly (or even primarily) in the digital realm (whether web, email, mobile, whatever) are squeaking by at best. And for most of those clinging to a solely print-based model, well, the numbers speak (quite loudly) for themselves. That business model is dead and gone for the vast majority of publishers.

Alan Mutter’s recent post in his always perceptive blog, Reflections of a Newsosaur, puts the daunting realities facing the newspaper end of the industry in stark perspective – complete with bar graphs illustrating the decline that started well before the current economic malaise. Mutter sums it up succinctly in noting that the newspaper industry (not exclusively print, but clearly primarily print-dependent) has lost almost half of its annual revenue in just the last four years.

On the brighter side, at least one media company is bullish on print media, or at least one sector of it: The 28-year-old privately held Bloomberg media company has been aggressively making its first forays into the acquisition market, most notably with the recent purchase of

Business Week magazine. Clearly, Bloomberg execs believe in the future profitability of business and financial reporting, so they’re gobbling up the bargains to be had in the current market.

There are plenty of pundits today who contend that the only print businesses that will survive the current sea change are those delivering very specialized business or financial information and those serving small niches of enthusiasts who are passionate about very specific topics. Anyone care to sign up for a charter subscription to Tennis Ball Can Collector’s Illustrated?

Video Mag ... Literally!

I’ve been scratching my head over this one since seeing mention of it on AdAge.com yesterday. CBS and Pepsi have teamed up to create a video ad in select issues of the upcoming Sept. 18 issue of Entertainment Weekly. Yes, an embedded video ad in print! This takes those annoying greeting cards with the sound chips to another level entirely. While I get the novelty factor – and the hoped for accompanying buzz – I can’t help but wonder why we (people and businesses) insist on forcing square pegs into round holes.

You’ve got to find some humor in watching the media industry stumble its way into the digital future like a drunken Frankenstein: First, creating web-based digital editions that lamely mimic print magazines with print-page design and virtual turning pages, etc. – (Do media execs really think that’s the best way to present content on the web or mobile devices? Do they really misunderstand the medium that much, or do they simply have that low of an opinion of their print readers’ ability to adapt to the digital domain?) – and now, creating ads that pretend to be TV on the printed page.

It’s an interesting experiment, no doubt, but to what end? Does anyone really think there’s a commercially viable future (or purpose beyond the buzz of precedent) in delivering video on a paper page?

In a related note, while I give points to CBS for its creativity in “placing” its marketing messages (as detailed toward the end of the AdAge article), I’m also kind of repulsed. It’s bad enough that we’re now smothered in advertising messages every which way we cast our eyes, do we really need to see ads for the latest TV shows on the shells of our eggs? Where does the madness stop?