DF Marketing

Learn about "Media Snackers"

2007-11-27T17:08:00.000-08:00

According to the website at http://www.mediasnackers.com are the kids who have grown up getting their information quickly and via multiple channels. From what I can tell, the company behind this website offers training and consultation services to other companies who want to learn how to market themselves to the type of people who like to "munch" on their media.

Say Good Bye to the Commercial-Free Tivo

2007-11-27T15:53:00.001-08:00

In an episode of "The Simpsons" this weekend, Marge fell in love with her new TIVO machine the moment that she found out that it allowed her to skip past the commercials. It looks like NBC made a deal with TIVO that will put viewer's commercial skipping days to an end.

From AdAge:

As part of the agreement, NBC Universal's 14 TV networks and 10 NBC-owned and -operated TV stations will be able to sell TiVo's interactive "tags," or onscreen icons viewers can click to see longer-form commercials, in combination with other NBC products. NBC Universal also will subscribe to TiVo's StopWatch commercial-ratings service, which gathers second-by-second information on how TiVo viewers watch programs. Under the partnership, TiVo and NBC Universal will work together to develop additional advertising products and will share revenue where appropriate. (Full Story)

So, in addition to changing the way that they deliver their commercials, NBC will be able track viewers' TV watching habits?

The Prize Inside . . . Your Phone

2007-11-26T19:35:00.000-08:00

The good news is that this will prove that big companies like Coca-Cola actually listen to their consumers. The bad news is that they have finally figured out a way to invade our cell phones and other mobile devices.

The story is that companies will offer free utilities that we can use on our phones. Of course, whenever we use those little programs they hope that we will think of them. And then buy their stuff.

This really isn't such a new concept. After all, free toys have been coming inside cereal boxes for years. Before that, it was the prize in your Cracker Jack's box. Happy Meals are just a hamburger, fries, and a "free" toy at McDonald's. Hollywood studios will often offer "free" downloads such as screensavers, desktop wallpapers, and sound bites which double as an opportunity for us to advertise their movie for free. I currently have a "Bee Movie" wallpaper on my computer desktop which looks pretty but also reminds everyone who walks into my movie about a certain animated movie in which Jerry Seinfeld played a bee.

So, this sounds like just more of the same from our friendly neighborhood companies. Let's just hope that they don't take things too far and add a little extra to our free utilities. After all, you can't exactly put a camera in every cracker jack but you can record where people go using the GPS features on their phones, or perhaps what numbers they dialed.

But, then, this can't possibly happen can it? I mean, if it did it would be just like the problems we've had our computers. It is ironic that five years ago the programs that we got from advertisers were considered to be "free."

Now, we call it spyware.