Audi Promotes A4 With Unknown Element

To support the launch of it's overpriced Volkswagen Jetta...uh...we mean Audi A4, the car manufacturer has dumped 40 percent of its online marketing budget into a viral clip that involves the rare, fictitious element, VdT, and how it is the secret element inside every Audi. We're always reassured when we have no idea how are cars are made. Unfortunately, the virus hasn't made it to Adrants headquarters.

RSS For Mobile Phones Introduced

Is that a Podcast in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? Further insuring the cell phone's position is the center of the universe, FreeRange Communications today introduced FreeNews, an RSS news and weblog reader for mobile devices, phones and PDAs. With FreeNews, people can get feeds of Web information—such as news, sports, weather, stock quotes, or company news—directly on their phones.

more »

News Flash! Radar Magazine Re-Launches

While you have no doubt already read about this 3,000 times over at Gawker, we thought we cover it here for completeness. So, here goes. Radar, the Mahr Roshan's snarkomag, which failed after two issues a year ago, has relaunched. Yes, it's back. That's it. End of story. Oh, if you really must have details, Gawker breaks the first issue down here.

BBC Billboard Crashes

As outdoor advertising gets more and more sophisticated using fancy digital technology, it was only matter of time before one of these fancy boards crashed. Captured by flickr member Kris Cohen, this BBC billboard is suffering under the weight of its Microsoft/Shockwave powered technology. We're sure Microsoft and Macromedia are playing the blame game on each other as they try to explain the mishap BBC.

Google Debuts AdSense for RSS Feeds

Google Tuesday released into beta testing "AdSense for Feeds," a version of its program for publishers that allows Web site owners to place AdSense units into their RSS or Atom feeds, which will display the ads of advertisers that have purchased keywords via Google's AdWords system. The RSS ad units represent an additional distribution channel for Google's keyword advertising network, which was previously confined to ads placed on subscribed publishers' Web sites. In late April, Google rolled out a pilot program to test RSS ads, debuting the ad units on several sites, including Longhornblogs.com, a site devoted to information about the upcoming version of Microsoft Windows, code-named Longhorn.

more »

Buzz Marketing Myths Cloud Practice

Writing in MarketingProfs, Author Emanuel Rosen offers insightful, experiential buzz marketing tips and five common misconceptions. Rosnen debunks the myths that buzz automatically spreads, that good products create their own buzz, that additional marketing is not needed, that evangelists are the only key to proliferation of buzz and that buzz only works online.

Buzz marketing. Viral marketing, Word of mouth. Call it what you will, it's not the panacea of marketing. It's one element and it's not new. It's just wearing fancy, new clothes.

New York Times Online Defends Pay Model

Speaking at the two day "Syndicate: Content Syndication Trends" conference Tuesday at the New York Marriott Marquis, New York Times SVP of Digital Operations Martin Nisenholtz defended the company's decision to partially charge for access to the paper's online content. Of interest to Bloggers, an important distribution network the any company's online content, Nisenholtz said the Times was considering a revenue share arrangement that would allow bloggers access to the content behind the $49, 95 annual barrier.

Reacting to the many negative comments from audience members during the Q & A, Nisenholtz responded, "People think nothing of ordering a $25 martini at the hotel bar but pay fifty bucks for archived material at the Times? Oh my God!" He also told the audience he does not think all content should be free even though it might take the paper's columnists out of the many "conversations" that occur once bloggers start linking to content.