Does IP TV threaten cable

Is Internet Protocal (internet ) TV like HULU, Itunes, YouTube,  and TV.com threatening the cable subscription model?  Are companies like COX in trouble?
(see the 3 minute video)

The wars of the grocers

In the UK Supermarkets have hiked their ad spends in a bid to woo value-conscious shoppers. Media Week discovers how the recession has created a retail price war fought through deal-based advertising.  It’s always interesting to see how they do it “across the pond.”
(read more)

Study Shows TV’s Impact on Purchasing Behavior

When asked what media boosted awareness, 43% of those questioned said television. Television was named by 40% for increasing interest and 35% for increasing purchase consideration. Television made 33% want to purchase, 32% visit a Web site or store and 26% ultimately make a purchase.
(read more)
(Download the presentation)

Radio Offers Attractive Space For Ads

Radio ads are cheap to produce and buying airtime is inexpensive, too. You can blanket the airwaves with a slogan or jingle. –Warren Berger
Warren Berger’s forthcoming book is Glimmer: How Design Can Transform Your Life and Maybe Even the World.
(listen to Waren Berger on NPR)

Become More User Friendly

As consumers, we all set a level of expectation of how long something should take. In some cases, our expectation is altered. The expected time for an oil change is a great example. The quick-oil change industry — using words such as “express,” “quick,” and “jiffy” — has raised customer expectations on how convenient an [...]

This week’s creative

Here are more creative spots to enjoy.  
(see the video)

Can Brand Loyalty Be Bought?

The classic brand loyalty program offers a combination of rewards and recognition. The bottom-line objective of the program, however, is retention—to ensure that a customer continues to purchase a product or service and remains loyal to that particular brand. First airlines, and then hotels, used loyalty programs to offer incentives to frequent travelers, but today [...]

Empty boxes

(Chicago Tribune) Drive down any main shopping drag, and odds are you will encounter an increasingly common symbol of the historic retail downturn: the vacant big-box store.
Towns across the country are littered with thousands of these empty giants that not long ago signified the future of retail. These faceless hulks aren’t abandoned in forgotten outposts [...]

Teens, Too, Are Tightening Budgets

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — In a recession, one group can usually be counted on to keep spending: teens. Their parents often pick up the tab for necessities, leaving them free to spend the income they earn from part-time jobs and birthday money from grandma on themselves. But in this downturn, a rather surprising phenomenon is [...]

Create Your Own Economic Stimulus

Expansion talk in this wacky economic climate? You bet. Now more than ever, the time is ripe for intrepid entrepreneurs to take their business to the next level. Here’s what you need to know to deal with assorted growing pains and develop a strong, achievable expansion plan.
(read more)