Advertising Age - The Media Guy

What Does Black Friday Even Mean Anymore?

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:51:15 -0500

What does "Black Friday" circa 2009 mean anyway? It's always been a weird marketing construct -- as if consumers ever really cared that the day after Thanksgiving is the chance for retailers to clear the red ink from their ledgers and go into the black (though who knows how realistic that expectation is this year). And while the supposed joy of frenzied bargain-hunting still gets celebrated in the media (shots of bustling mall scenes will surely open local newscasts across the country Friday evening), the darker possibilities, like last year's gruesome Walmart stampede remain an unsettling subtext. ,

Who Can Explain the Billion-Dollar 'Twilight' Economy? This Guy

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:01:30 -0500

Hollywood wasn't exactly blindsided by the weekend box office take of Summit Entertainment's "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" -- everybody expected it to do big business -- but the numbers are still rather astonishing. For this latest edition of Dumenco's Media People, I've turned to a keen observer of the teen entertainment market to help make sense of the "Twilight" phenomenon and the demographic that powers it: Matthew Rettenmund, founder and editor in chief of Popstar!

Vampires Attack Oprah and Sarah Palin! Run For Your Lives!

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:28:35 -0500

What a surreal, epic week in mass media. On Monday, Sarah Palin appeared on "Oprah," then on Thursday Oprah announced she's quitting her talk show. But for all the media buzz about Sarah Palin (and her new book) this week, she's nothing compared to the latest installment of the "Twilight" franchise, "New Moon" (which opened today).

What Do Murdoch's Customers Think About His Pay-Wall Plans and Google-bashing?

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:14:07 -0500

What do Rupert Murdoch's customers think of his stated intentions to erect pay walls at his newspapers around the world and possibly even block his publications from being indexed by Google?

Instead of Tweeting About Twitter, Why Not Tweet About Your Smartphone?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:11:10 -0500

In case you've had your fill of people using Twitter to tweet their thoughts about Twitter itself, how about people using their smartphones to tweet about ... their smartphones? This week's Trendrr chart tracks Twitter buzz surrounding the iPhone, Blackberry, the Palm Pre, Google's Android operating system and Verizon's Droid.

Gawker Destroyed Nikki Finke. So Why Doesn't It Matter?

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Never Mind Virginia or Jersey. What Does Twitter Think About Brand Obama?

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:25:46 -0500

This week was all about political branding -- and the effect that a certain national political brand may or may not have had on certain local political brands. What did the Twitterati have to say about President Obama, Jon Corzine, and Bob McDonnell?

Life After the Pay Wall: Ignorance Ain't Bliss After All

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Imagine, dear reader, you are in the future -- say, 2012 -- and living in a world where news is no longer free ...

Top 10 Lessons to Learn From NBC's Failing Leno Strategy

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

With apologies to David "Top 10" Letterman ... here's some lessons you can take away from NBC's Jay Leno experiment.

Twitter, Baby, Tell Me How You REALLY Feel

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:52:45 -0400

The folks at Trendrr -- the social-media tracking service -- just introduced something called Twitter sentiment analysis. The idea is that, by mapping certain words against the feelings they are typically meant to convey, you can get a sense of not only how many people are tweeting about a certain subject, but how they generally feel about it. Let's see how the Twitterati feel about Jay Leno.

Citizen Journalism? Um, How About Crowdsourcing Journalism With Actual Journalists?

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:26:24 -0400

Mother Jones, the nonprofit magazine of investigative reporting, has been around since 1976, but lately it's been getting plenty of fresh attention. Partly because it's a proven model for nonprofit journalism (the magazine gets support from subscribers, donors, advertisers and foundations) in a moment when old monopoly-driven for-profit business models for journalism, particularly at newspapers, are crumbling. But also because editorially, the magazine has been on a hot streak.

Balloon Boy, Kanye West and Lady Gaga Walk Into a Bar ...

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:27:59 -0400

Balloon Boy, Kanye West and Lady Gaga Walk into a bar. Bartender says, "Hey, wait a second -- how old is that kid? You can't bring a kid in here!" Lady Gaga says nothing and just tries to keep a poker face, but you can tell she's pissed that the kid is getting all the attention. Kanye West says, "Yo Bartender, Imma let you finish, but ..." -- but then the bartender, fumbling with his cellphone, says, "Actually, hold that thought, I've gotta get a TwitPic of this!" First, though, he starts to tweet "Balloon Boy, Kanye West and La" -- but before he can finish, I grab the phone out of his hands and smash it to the ground while screaming, "Stop it!! For the love of God, just STOP IT!!"

I Blame Twitter for the Fact That I Totally Hate Kittens

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

It used to be that only certain types of hacks -- politicians and celebrities, mostly -- were expected, obligated, to communicate primarily in soundbites. Now tens of millions of us do it as a matter of course; it's become second nature. And we're also expected to always be consuming other people's soundbites, too.

Are Washington Post Reporters Sexist? Racist? Atheist?

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Yes, it's time once again for Media Guy's Quarterly(-ish) Media Studies Pop Quiz. All books and papers off your desk -- now!

Watching Consumers Who Are Watching Themselves Get Watched

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:56:28 -0400

You've probably read a bit about a new study/survey released this week titled "Americans Reject Tailored Advertising and Three Activities That Enable It." (Attention Marketers: The long version of the title is "Contrary to What Marketers Say, Americans Reject Tailored Advertising and Three Activities That Enable It.") It was the result of a collaboration between researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Berkeley; you can download a PDF (for free) here. Thus this week's Trendrr chart (or chart set, actually), which takes a look at online buzz -- among both mainstream media and blogs -- about the issue.

'There's Not Going to Be Room for Press Release Journalism Anymore'

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:27:14 -0400

It's been a great month for Sharon Waxman and The Wrap, the entertainment-industry news site she launched in January. The Wrap announced a content partnership with Microsoft's MSN -- with stories from The Wrap getting distribution throughout Microsoft's various entertainment destination properties -- which should significantly boost traffic to Waxman's site. Waxman, who serves as the site's editor in chief, intends to continue to expand beyond trade reports with entertainment news that appeals to a wider, non-pro audience. For this latest edition of Dumenco's Media People -- a continuing series of conversations with media grandees -- I had tea with Sharon Waxman in Manhattan during one of her recent business trips to the city, and she shared her thoughts on being a print journalist turned web entrepreneur.

Do We Still Buy the Myth of the Can-Do Celebrity CEO?

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Last week, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman officially launched her campaign for governor of California, hoping to clinch the Republican nomination. And a rash of bad news about her former company followed.

All the Fashion Coverage That's Fit to Tweet

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:38:39 -0400

Before the September fashion glossies slip entirely from newsstands, and as the memory of Fashion Week begins to fade, a quick look at where leading fashion titles stand in the Twittersphere.

Twitter: A Vampire That Can Legally Suck the Life Out of You

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Oh, those clever birds at Twitter. When the microblogging service announced recent changes to its terms of service, its executives knew exactly how to spin the news.

Never Mind Leno. Oprah Beats Letterman, Who Beats Fallon, Who Beats...

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:52:48 -0400

Thanks to the debut of his (critically panned) prime-time talk show this week, Jay Leno has been dominating all sorts of mind share, from mainstream media to social media. As you'd expect, he spiked big as a Twitter topic: On Tuesday, there were 56,549 tweets that referenced him (though by Thursday he'd fallen back down to Earth, with just 6,792 tweets). But I was more curious about the TV talk-show host Twitter-buzz landscape before Leno crashed prime time.

Are Gays Helping Make Your Brand Hot (or Not)?

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:48:51 -0400

What's that, you say? Vanity Fair isn't quite gay enough for you? That despite the magazine's well-tuned sense of glamour and camp, despite Graydon Carter himself (that hair! his precious restaurants!), VF is still somehow too ... straight? Well, then there's Aaron Hicklin's Out. For this latest installment of Dumenco's Media People -- a continuing series of conversations with media grandees -- I interviewed Hicklin as he was working on the annual Out 100 (a very Vanity Fair-style photographic portfolio of "men and women who made 2009 a year to remember") and getting ready to host a party tonight in New York City to fete Out's September cover girl, pop provocateur Lady Gaga.

Jobs for Journalists? Yes! New Beats That Need Warm Bodies

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

As autumn approaches (it begins next Tuesday in North America and much of Europe), a moment of silence, please, for one of the most poignant media moments of the summer: the birth of the "hate beat."

The Beatles: Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero 5 vs. ... Courtney Love?

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:51:50 -0400

This week's Trendrr chart takes a look at Twitter buzz surrounding the current epic battle of the video games: "Guitar Hero 5," released on Sept. 1, and "The Beatles: Rock Band," released this past Wednesday. And yes, Courtney Love gets into the mix too.

How Much Would YOU Pay to Read Still More About Sicko Garrido?

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

A kidnapper-rapist sicko has me thinking lately about the literal value of news.

Snow Leopard Attacks Twitter! (Meanwhile, Microsoft Mauls Itself)

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:30:43 -0400

Snow Leopard is the nickname for the latest version of Apple's operating system for the Mac. Keep in mind that, despite all the media coverage, the vast majority of computer users don't have a practical reason to pay attention to Snow Leopard, since Macs remain such a tiny segment of the overall computer market. Still, since Snow Leopard's release on Aug. 28, Twitterers haven't been able to stop tweeting about it.

Mark Zuckerberg: The Post-Content King as Future of Media

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Call Sam Zell the last of the great media wannabes. As for Murdoch and Redstone and the other fading content kings, it's increasingly clear that no one will ever replace them.

Could Twitter Destroy Hollywood's Marketing Magic?

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:31:40 -0400

Did you see Michael Sragow's article "Twitter Effect rattles Hollywood" in the Baltimore Sun? Sragow's thesis is neatly laid out in the first paragraph: "Although word of mouth could always make or break a movie, it usually took days to affect the box office. But the rise of social networking tools such as Twitter might be narrowing that time frame to hours. And that has Hollywood on edge." Now keep in mind that, as Sragow goes on to note, "Movietickets.com recently ran a home-page poll in which 88% of the voting sample said Twitter had no effect on them."

YouTube's Back-Catalog Amateur Content KILLS Pro Content

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:16:12 -0400

This week's chart takes a deep dive into YouTube data to compare recent daily views for five videos -- and the stats are scary not only for purveyors of pro content but for the bean counters at YouTube's parent company, Google.

And Then There's This Article: 7 Truths About Viral Culture

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:02:20 -0400

There's something a little heartbreaking about the very existence of "And Then There's This: How Stories Live and Die in Viral Culture," by Bill Wasik. After all, it's a meditation on living, breathing virality that resides between the hard, dead covers of a book. For this latest installment of Dumenco's Media People -- an ongoing series of conversations with media grandees -- I took Bill Wasik out for tea recently in New York City, near the headquarters of Harper's Magazine, where he's a senior editor, to attempt some ... interactivity with the living, breathing social-media observer and mischief maker.

Revealed: Twitter Is a Tambourine? Plus, How to Save YouTube

sdumenco@adage.com(Simon Dumenco) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400

This week I've decided to share the wealth by highlighting a small handful of gratifying, entertaining responses to this column.