The Best and Worst Ads of the Year

Great article from Stuart Elliott in the NY Times

Best and Worst Ads: A Year the News Eclipsed Commercial Breaks
By STUART ELLIOTT

December 29, 2008

Queen Elizabeth II described 1992 as “an annus horribilis” for her and the royal family. This annus may have not been that horribilis for Madison Avenue, but it came pretty close.

The biggest problem was that most advertising was overtaken by events as the year wore on. The best-laid marketing plans of mice and men - or “Mad Men” with mice - proved no match for a historic presidential race and an enormous financial crisis. Read more

Try Escaping Google!

If you are a New Yorker, check out the Times Square/Grand Central Shuttle and try escaping Google.

To add to the fun, just today my buddy Stephanie Frasco,  introduced to Google Voice and Video Chat which is embedded into the Gmail application…I’m addicted!

That said, I read a fascinating article by David Carr in yesterday’s (Monday 11/24) NY Times entitled “Google Seduces with Utility”

Google Seduces With Utility
By DAVID CARR

Not long ago, someone invited me out to the Googleplex, the nickname for Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

The fact is, I already live there. And it’s starting to worry me. Read more

NY Times: YouTube Pales Next to Hulu’s Spiffy Multiplex

For those of you who weren’t aware, our December guest speaker, NBC Universal Chief Technology Officer, George Kliavkoff is our guest speaker. George is the architect behind Hulu, website that offers free, advertiser supported streaming video of TV shows and movies from NBC, FOX and many other networks and studios.

I found the following article from today NY Times “Technology” section of special interest
YouTube Pales Next to Hulu’s Spiffy Multiplex
By Saul Hansell

There are deals for show and deals for business. So far, YouTube’s arrangements to host professional video content are more for show, to signal it intends to be serious in that market eventually. Read more

George Kliavkoff Breakfast Update!

Many of you are aware that the Chief Digital Officer at NBC Universal, George Kliavkoff, will be speaking with Limor Schafman at our Holiday Breakfast on December 17th. I have also received emails from a number of you who mentioned that earlier this week George Announced he will be leaving NBC Universal at the end of this year. Fear not…George will be joining us and it will be a great way to kick off the holiday season! Read more

Paul Krugman: Let’s Get Fiscal

Long Island native, Paul Robin Krugman is an American economist, columnist, author and intellectual. He is a professor of economics and international affairs at Princeton University, and a columnist for The New York Times.

This past week, Krugman won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences “for his analysis of trade patterns and location of economic activity”. He was interviewed this morning on the radio about this current economic mess and while it was upsetting it was also eye opening.

The Dow is surging! No, it’s plunging! No, it’s surging! No, it’s… Let’s Get Fiscal
by Paul Klugman, New York Times OpEd, October 17, 2008

While the manic-depressive stock market is dominating the headlines, the more important story is the grim news coming in about the real economy. It’s now clear that rescuing the banks is just the beginning: the nonfinancial economy is also in desperate need of help.

And to provide that help, we’re going to have to put some prejudices aside. It’s politically fashionable to rant against government spending and demand fiscal responsibility. But right now, increased government spending is just what the doctor ordered, and concerns about the budget deficit should be put on hold.

Before I get there, let’s talk about the economic situation. Read more

Cloud Computing: What is it and what does it mean to you?

I owe alot to Shelly Palmer. Not only has he been a good friend, colleague, our first NY:MIEG speaker (ever!)  and advisor for many years but his MediaBytes has become a regular stop for information about everything media. In this mornings report Shelly talked about the notion of “Cloud Computing” and it got me to thinking…I sort of know what it is, have heard the term for the past few years but now it seems to be popping up everywhere. And now that the Grand High Exhalted Mystic Ruler of All Things Media is pontificating about it I decided its time to do a bit of reading myself…basically look for the simplest and most understandable definition of the term “Cloud Computing” Read more