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.

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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.

Cars Really Do Make The man

Proving once more that the kind of car a man drives can exert great influence over the women with whom he is able to fraternize, this Mazda viral, seeded by London's DMC and created by Quiet Storm, shows Mazda wielding great power over Aston Martin and Porsche. Well, until you realize what the woman was actually looking for.

The film clip was written and directed by Cat and Jo at Quiet Storm - which just signed Lee and Dan, the controversial creative duo of VW Suicide Bomber fame. The clip's music was created through Quiet Storm in conjunction with music producer Pete Diggens, using lyrics written by the directors Cat and Jo.

Publicity Stunt Ends in Death

An un-named Norwegian clothing brand apparently hired a man to parachute off the Eiffel Tower for a publicity stunt. Unfortunately, the man's parachute somehow got caught and he plunged to his death. We're quite confident in saying this wasn't quite the publicity for which the marketer was hoping. AP news reports "the man, 31, entered the tower with a hidden parachute and a helmet that had a small video camera attached to it, an official at Paris' police headquarters said on condition of anonymity."

Abercrombie T-Shirts Promote Drinking. Not Really

While Abercrombie & Fitch will explain it away as some sort of reverse psychology, others think the new alcohol themed t-shirts promote underage drinking. With slogans like "Sotally Tober," "If you can read this, you need another cocktail" and "Bad girls chug. Good girls drink quickly," there's no hiding the message. However, no kid is going to wear a shirt that says, "Gee, drinking is really bad. You shouldn't do it." At least these shirts might spark discussion about drinking and older folks ought to realize most kids aren't stupid enough to think A & F would promote drinking any more than they would promote Nazism.

Upfront Gets Mocked For Book Promotion

While we passed this off as just another method to promote his book, Life After the 30-Second Spot, we have to admit this video, created by Joe Jaffe, about the television upfront is insightful and humorous pointing out the absurdity of the entire sell/buy dance agency buyers and networks sales rep perform each year. Give it a look. Have a laugh. Then get back to all those upfront meetings and parties you have scheduled this week.

HP Introduces Harajuku Style Camera

HP has capitalized on the popularity of Gwen Stefani's fixation with Japanese Harajuku culture (fad?) and the Harajuku-styled girls that follow her around everywhere she goes by offering the special edition Photosmart R607 Harajuku Lovers Digital Camera by Gwen Stefani. It's the usual Americanization of a micro-culture that some say isn't even a culture at all. Tian has more on the whole Harajuku thing here.

Peugot Ad Sets Guy Free

This visually interesting ad, which mixes live action with animation, for the Peugeot 1007 follows a guy through his day as he bypasses life's obstacles such as an over crowded elevator, a long newsstand line, a rain storm, and a traffic jam. All to show how powerfully enabling a little car like the Peugeot 1007 can be.