| In The News |
Wal-Mart's Soon-To-Be ex-Agency Goes for
Humor
In what will likely be its last ad campaign for Wal-Mart after a 32-year relationship, agency
Bernstein-Rein of Kansas City, Mo., today is rolling out a holiday push for the retailer. The ads employ a new tack for the retailer. ?They?re
self-contained episodes, like mini-sitcoms, and?in a first for Wal-Mart?use humor,? Steve Bernstein, the agency?s COO, said in a written statement.
MORE ?
Getting Paid To Watch TV? Sort of
Members of frequent-flyer clubs for Continental, Delta, Northwest and US Airways airlines can
earn miles by simply watching online ads on e-Miles. The Dallas-based advertising channel goes live today and consumers will be invited by their
carriers' loyalty clubs to earn 20 to 30 miles for every minute they spend interacting with advertisements. MORE ?
Nike to 'Own' ESPN Telecast
For the first time in the show's history, ESPN's SportsCenter will be "taken over" today,
with all commercial pods featuring original content created for Nike by independent Wieden + Kennedy, according to the agency. MORE ?
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| Short Takes |
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: With the holiday season looming, innkeepers nationwide are gearing up for a crush of business. But just to make sure you know
they?re out there, the good folks at Hotels.com commissioned a survey to see how potential guests felt about staying at a hotel versus bunking with
relatives. Naturally, the survey found, if they had their druthers, most would rather stay at a hotel. But what was surprising was what most said
they missed when not staying at a hotel. The No. 1 preference was those little soaps, shampoos and conditioners in the bathroom, cited by 10%
of those asked. Net access, room service and a fitness center ranked high as well, but also making the list were a mini bar and in-room safe, both
curiously cited as important by 2% of the respondents. Which, if nothing else, will make you glad those people aren?t staying at your house
this Christmas. A SAFE? Sheesh.
ANYONE REMEMBER BOOKS? You have to feel a little bad for John Wiley & Sons, publishers of the venerable Webster?s New World College Dictionary. Who
besides us geeky editorial-types actually flips open pages of a book to look up words? So, in order to let everyone know that its new edition
is available for purchase, Webster?s announced the winner of its 2006 Word-of-the-Year contest. It?s ?Crackberry,? which ?sums up the ubiquitous
thumbing of keypads on handheld devices throughout the country. And it does double duty, denoting both the device and the user,? they said in a
release (Speaking of geeks?). Other contenders for Word-of-the-Year honors were ?netroots, a grassroots movement on the Internet that is
employed in political and business marketing;? ?neuroeconomics, an emerging field studying the emotions activated in financial decisions;? and
?carbon footprint, the effect one's daily activities?like washing clothes or driving to work?have on the environment.? Geek. Geek. Geek. Anyone else
see a pattern emerging here?
AMERICANS LAZY? NO WAY! Just when you thought you?d seen it all (See yesterday?s Short Takes about the car that parks itself), along comes someone to
raise the bar. Case in point today comes from faithful reader Maria P., who directs us to the ?Electronic Home Improvement & Automation Superstore
SmartHome,? a Web site devoted to gadgets. Today they?re featuring a ?TV Messenger With Remote? which is touted as follows: ?Caller ID Info Shows Up
Automatically On the Top of Your TV Screen When the Phone Rings!? Because, really, who wants to reach WAAAAY over there for the phone when Deal or
No Deal is on? See it for yourself HERE. We?ve said it
before and we?ll say it again: Ya can?t make this stuff up.
ANOTHER WAY TO TELL IF YOU HAVE TOO MUCH MONEY: And we quote, directly from the release: ?iSkin today announced the availability of its new line of
iPod protectors for the second generation iPod nano. ?Inspired by the very product it protects,? is the company's approach to the design and
execution of the new iSkin.? In short, they?re selling little sleeves you slip over your iPod nano to?what? Make it look better? Nooooo; it?s a
protector. As in, ?The iSkin's shock absorbing silicone layer with an anti-dust coating helps to protect against surface damage and gives the
iPod nano a firm secure grip. It also effectively helps to prevent dirt, grime or moisture from reaching the surface of the iPod nano or its
clickwheel.? They?re sold in three-packs for thirty bucks. Or, you could do like we do, and slip the nano into your shirt pocket, and save yourself
thirty. Your call.
Well, if nothing else, we?ve given you some ideas for this year?s gift-giving season. Now we need something from you: Please forward this e-mail
to a friend, and ask them to go to Brandweek.com and sign up for their own FREE Daily Insider newsletter. Let?s keep the boss happy, eh?
Thanks.
Rory J. Thompson, Editor
rthompson@brandweek.com
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For Yvette Parker, going to Super Suppers once a month to assemble several meals for her family is more efficient, economical and fun than going
grocery shopping or to a restaurant.
MORE?
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Yahoo! Sports' division head sees new promise in leveraging and expanding the brand
MORE?
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