Nudes Still No-Go For iPhone but Booze Apps No Problem

Since Apple has decided, wrongly, to play moral gate-keeper over the App Store, banning any iPhone App they deem “inappropriate” for a score of muddy reasons, I think it is fair to ask why they are banning nude women but happily allowing booze brands like Absolut to promote drinking through sponsored applications.

Absolute’s new iPhone App, “Drinkspiration” is free to all and simply requires that the downloader click a box promising that they are over the age of 17.  Now, let’s forget about how worthless this is as an effective age barrier, how about the fact that the legal drinking age in the US is 21?

In truth, I don’t think Apple should ban this App, or any other App for that matter.  Instead, I am trying to make the point that Apple has opened itself up to a world of criticism now from all  sides.  If they ban the App they are unwanted gatekeepers and if they allow it then they are aiding in the corruption of America’s youth.

Maybe Apple will someday relinquish their role and let adults decide what they want to see in the App store but until then I hope Apple gets nothing but grief for every decision, pro or con, they make in regards to Application approval.

Dunkin’ Donuts Hires Shaggy Buskers in New York City

Walking to work today I came across a rather unusual site.  On the corner of 8th Ave and 50th St., just outside the C/E subway stop, there were two scruffy guys playing guitar and singing.  In front of them, they had a guitar case open in hopes of donations.

Now the weird, part.  As I drew closer I saw a professionally printed poster inset into the inside of the guitar case cover:

Yup.  It appears that Dunkin’ Donuts is not only using these guys to advertise their watery coffee and artery-clogging pastries but they are also discouraging anyone from donating to the arts.

Way to go, Dunkin’ Donuts.  That’s the spirit!

Pre-Roll Ads Can Be An Effective Compromise

I just went to check out the weather for today and ended up, of course, at Weather.com.  There I decided to watch the actual video weathercast for NYC.  After clicking the link I was made to watch a 15-second ad for Pedigree dog food. And you know what, it wasn’t that big a deal.  In fact, it seemed like a perfectly fair trade-off since I was getting the video for free.

Now, had it been a longer ad, that would have been a different story.  I am always dismayed when a video provider tries to slap a 30-second spot in front of a 90-second video.  That is not a fair exchange.

Where people are eager to fast-forward through 2-minute TV ad breaks, it doesn’t seem worth the effort when it is just a 15-second spot.  There is a good lesson in here for all the advertisers out there.

Captain Alpha Male Brings His A-Game to Web Video

Slowly but steadily, the quality of original web series is increasing.  Perhaps surprisingly this, so far, has less to do with the major networks getting involved than it does with some very experienced individuals taking matters into their own hands.

The desire to “just do it” instead of trying to work through the endless process of a traditional TV development process is leading lots of pros to do the modern day equivelant of putting a show on in the barn using curtains for the costumes.

One recent entry into the field is the extremely slick-looking “Captain Alpha Male,” launching sometime this summer:

As TubeFilter reports:

The show comes courtesy of co-creators Jay Lutsky (Captain Alpha Male himself), Ric Serena, and Dan Greenberger, all comrades-in-arms with network television writing, directing, and producing experience with giants like CBS.

So, the quality is not surprising.

What is a bit surprising is that this was done completely without outside financing or sponsorship:

We, the cast and crew have full time jobs so it was truly a labor of love. Everyone worked for deferred payments on nights and weekends and some day, night or weekend we really, really hope to pay everyone! We are looking for sponsors to keep the series going. But right now the show is self financed by Dan and I so it is also a labor of debt.

So, the big question will be whether or not this team can not only produce a great looking web series but if they can accomplish the far more difficult task of finding and keeping a significant audience.  With no sponsorship already on board the marketing aspects of the show are likely to be severely under-financed and under-served.

While it is true that a great web video can go “viral” it is not the case for episodic content.

Since the sponsors will now only come on board if the first six episodes show a huge viewership I fear that this will be another labor of love unfairly buried by a lack of exposure.  When sponsors don’t jump in early, it is extremely hard to continue production beyond that first, volunteer season.

Should Google Fear Ad Blocker for Chrome?

Firefox users have long enjoyed the option of eliminating a large amount of web advertising, especially banner ads, using an extension called AdBlocker.

Now comes word that Google’s new web browser, Chrome, will also give users the option of an ad-blocking extension but not thanks to Google.  The extension is called AdSweep:

Yes, this extension has been around for a couple of months, but extensions aren’t yet officially supported by Chrome and there’s no easy way to install it. This will change, as Google has recently opened up an API for third party developers, with plans to start officially supporting extensions soon.  LINK

Since Google makes, as far as I can tell, nearly all of it’s money via advertising, should it be a big concern that people will easily be able to block out the most common sorts of ads online?

Well, people can skip through TV commercials with DVR but many still end up watching them anyhow.  While people can block online ads, it is likely most will not do so.  If they do, the change will likely force advertisers on the web to do much more integrated marketing approaches that are tougher to “block.”

Much has been made over the slow failing of banner ads and one has to wonder if the combination of lower click-throughs and more blocking will not only change the way advertisers reach consumers online but force a radical rethink for Google’s business plan.

Agency Nil Works For What It’s Worth

A recent graduate from an advertising program found zero paying jobs for offer at the established firms so he has started his own, Agency Nil.

The question is, what does a recent college grad do to find clients willing to give him a chance?

Agency Nil will work without a set price, with the understanding that agencies or clients pay what they think it’s worth upon completion—no strings attached. For clients, that takes the risk out of the equation, theoretically, allowing Agency Nil to operate somewhere between intern and full-fledged freelancer.  LINK

While this might sound insanely risky, it’s not like the guy was passing up some wonderfully secure opportunity elsewhere.  Not only that, but if he is any good at all he will probably be able to make a living.  Not only that, but he won’t have to fight with others for promotions, favors or raises, not to mention battle creative differences.

It is a simple, put your money where your mouth is, situation and it’s hard to see how he can lose.

If he actually succeeds in any significant way the model could become a real threat to established agencies.  Why should a company fork over hundreds of thousands of dollars and hope an agency does a good job when it could wait and see what one driven individual can come up with and pay whatever they think that is worth.

Pepsi Goes Old School with Clever Hulu Ad Campaign

I have mentioned in the past that I am baffled by the poor use of the ad space offered via Hulu.

Unlike standard TV ads, ads of Hulu simply cannot be skipped. That alone makes them valuable.  Combine that with what is reportedly very cheap time and I am left wondering why I see so many spots filled with PSA’s and Feed-The-Children pleas.

Now Pepsi is trying a very clever approach to some selective media buys on Hulu:

The 15-second ads promote “Pepsi Throwback,” a beverage launched in April to tap into the nostalgia market. It features packaging reminiscent of ’70s designs — and uses real sugar like the soft-drink recipe did 40 years ago.

Pepsi is running the commercials, beginning today, with vintage fare on Hulu like Hill Street Blues, Battlestar Galactica and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. LINK

This is such a smart use of what I am sure is the cheapest ad time available on Hulu and is a great example of using the power of the digital age to enhance a retro message.

Check out the ads:

Will the Web Adopt TV-Like Advertising?

The death of the banner ad, or at least its rapidly waning value, is becoming an accepted fact. While there has been some success with mega-banners, animated banners, pop-up banners and site-takeover banners, the level of engagement and number of click-throughs just doesn’t seem to be high enough to generate the necessary interest, and thus investment, from the advertising world.

Video ads (aka TV commercials) are the next clear market, now that the majority of web users are on highspeed connections.  While there have long been video ads placed before and after (pre-roll/post-roll) existing video content, what we are now seeing is video ad being incorporated in various ways into sites that are predominately text/image based – think blogs, etc.

We saw one strong example of this with the Seth MacFarlane / Burger King partnership that led to the Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy – short cartoons that ran in the sidebars on sites but only if they were clicked on.

The issue, up to now, has been a question of “interruptive advertising” versus “passive advertising.”  While some sites have experimented with full-page ads that load between existing pages there is now an attempt to bring something very close to traditional TV advertising to the web by combining video ads (aka TV commercials) with the full-page ads:

This summer Payne’s company, ShortTail Media, will initiate a beta test of what it’s calling the Digital 30 (D30), a full-page, deliberately intrusive placement built to showcase traditional 15- and 30-second TV spots. But unlike most Web video ads, the D30 loads between Web pages much like an interstitial.

Basically, what would happen is that when you click to go to a new page within a site, instead of going directly to that next page, you would first be shown an un-skippable video ad of likely 15-30 seconds.  Once the ad ended you would be sent on to you desired page.

On the one hand, this sounds like a terrible idea but at the same time, if it is used judiciously (i.e. perhaps a user only gets one ad every ten clicks) it doesn’t sound like a completely unfair trade for free content.  Hulu-users have clearly demostrated that they will put up with a certain amount of advertising as long the content is free.  I’m pretty sure people would feel the same way about their access to popular websites.

At the end of the day, the services and content of the internet are just not free.  Either the end user pays or advertisers pay.

LINK

Hulu Boosts Pirates By Blocking VPN Access

Saw that Hulu has implemented a block on overseas users who were accessing the site via an anonymous proxy server called HotSpot Shield.  The point of the VPN is to block the user’s IP address so that Hulu doesn’t know they are trying to access the content from outside of the US.

Currently, due to a slew of misguided and ill-conceived rules and regulations, Hulu will not provide its content outside of the US and is clearly willing to go to some lengths to keep out those dirty foreigners.

Of course, these are just regular people who really really want to see the content Hulu provides.  They aren’t trying to bypass the advertising or trying to download the content so that they can make it into DVDs to sell on the street.  They’re just fans.

By blocking their access, Hulu (and the studios providing most of their content) simple force those outside the US to use “pirate” services – either P2P bittorrent sites or streaming sites – that are easily accessible. Sites like Megavideo, Supernovatube and Ninjavideo.

Basically, by continuing to believe that they can somehow artificially limit and control where their content is consumed, Hulu (et. al.) are giving a big boost to “pirates” while simultaneously losing viewers who could help drive up the price of ads.

And of course, those who still want to watch the programming on Hulu but can’t access it will probably just go somewhere else — torrent indexes and streaming sites like Megavideo, Supernovatube and, my personal favorite, Ninjavideo.

Chuck Fans Go Subway To Save Show

A few weeks ago there was what appeared to be some mild uproar about an especially blatant product placement in an episode of NBC’s “Chuck,” in which not only were Subway subs featured, but someone on the show actually spoke the brand’s current tagline.

Many asked if this was going to far and if it was a sign of TV being destroyed by advertising.  They wondered if fans would stand for it!

Turns out, not only will fans stand for it, but if it will save their show from being canceled they’ll embrace it:

Chuck diehards are organizing a campaign to buy Subway sandwiches on the night of the show’s season finale next week in an attempt to influence NBC via one of the show’s main sponsors.

Got that? Fans clearly don’t mind product placement done reasonably well and anyone who blames a show’s failure on branded content elements should probably look at the writers and directors before blaming the products.

This weird “church and state” notion of original content and advertising is out-dated and instead of fighting the integration, the smart people are out there looking at how to maximize value of content to both the viewer and the brand sponsor.

LINK