Advertising

More Ads, Less Journalism

by Sheldon Rampton — August 24, 2004 - 11:00pm

"Continuing a twenty-year trend that has seen advertising expenses skyrocket as traditional political party organizing has fallen by the wayside, the total for political ads this election year is estimated by most industry analysts at over $1.5 billion, $400 million of which will be spent by the presidential campaigns," report Sakura Saunders and Ben Clarke. "Over the last 24 years, broadcast TV advertising alone has increased from $90 million to over a $1 billion. At roughly the same pace that advertising revenue has grown, broadcast TV coverage of substantive electoral issues has dwindled.

Main Source: 
Corpwatch, August 25, 2004

Total Ad Saturation

by Diane Farsetta — August 8, 2004 - 11:00pm

The Democratic 527 group America Coming Together "is deploying thousands of supporters with PalmOne hand-helds to battleground states to play electronic ads individually for voters." The 15 state, $125 million get-out-the-vote effort's "canvassers were already using 2,000 Palms to track voters. ... [An] advertising consultant ...

Main Source: 
Advertising Age, August 9, 2004

Media Is Sell

by Diane Farsetta — August 5, 2004 - 11:00pm

"Remember how the broadcast networks explained that they would cover only three hours of each of the four-day Democratic and Republican conventions because they are nothing more than infomercials?" asks Lisa de Moraes. Well, ABC and CBS will run "infomercials for products in which the networks have a financial interest" on their Friday newsmagazines. ABC will feature Victoria Gotti, of "Growing Up Gotti" on A&E, owned in part by ABC.

Main Source: 
Washington Post, August 6, 2004

US Army Needs A Few Good Ideas

by Laura Miller — July 25, 2004 - 11:00pm

The U.S. Army's $200 million advertising account is in review. According to the trade journal Advertising Age, the five-year-old "Army of One" tagline may be "out of touch" with the reality of war. The Army will use its ad campaign as its most public face as it tries to recruit 80,000 new soldiers next year. But the Army has to be "careful," Evan Wright, a Rolling Stone journalist and author of Generation Kill. Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America and the New Face of American War, told Advertising Age.

Main Source: 
Advertising Age, July 26, 2004

Ad Infinitum

by Sheldon Rampton — July 10, 2004 - 2:39am

If you're interested in reliving the TV advertisements from previous presidential elections, the American Museum of the Moving Image has put together an archive featuring every ad from every election since TV first infected politics in 1952. Our favorite is "Failure," a 1968 ad by candidate Richard Nixon.

Main Source: 
http://livingroomcandidate.movingimage.us/index.php

Revenge of the Teletubbies

by Diane Farsetta — July 7, 2004 - 11:00pm

"When a beautiful girl walks up to you, and she's wearing the TV commercial on her chest, you just can't get away from it," enthused Adam Hollander, head of The Brand Marketers and creator of T-Shirt TV. The shirts contain speakers and 11-inch TV screens, which can show video ads, flash animation or slides.

Main Source: 
Christian Science Monitor, July 8, 2004

Auto Exemption

by Sheldon Rampton — June 24, 2004 - 11:00pm

"A new series of whimsical public service announcements from the Environmental Protection Agency are lampooning the notion that cars can be made more energy efficient while the ads encourage conservation at home," reports Danny Hakim. The ads depict a wacky home inventor trying to make his car more fuel-efficient by adding a sail and "a helium tank with a bulbous hose ...

Main Source: 
New York Times, June 25, 2004

What Advertisers Want

by Diane Farsetta — June 13, 2004 - 11:00pm

In its "first large-scale change since 2001," Fox News is launching a major redesign of its website. Fox News vice-president of national ad sales Roger Domal said, "In addition to just freshening up the site and making it easier to navigate ... it's a reaction to what advertisers want." Fox News hopes the site "will enable it to become a significant competitor in the online news space. This month, the site doubled its advertising sales staff in New York and San Francisco ...

Main Source: 
Wall Street Journal, June 14, 2004

An Unfair Trade: Jobs for Ads

by Diane Farsetta — May 13, 2004 - 11:00pm

At least four governors "have pulled out of an agreement... that would bar giving preferences to local businesses or restricting outsourcing." U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick asked the governors "to comply with procurement provisions in pending bilateral and regional trade agreements... to give the U.S.

Main Source: 
Wall Street Journal, May 14, 2004

Yet Another Mission Impossible

by Diane Farsetta — May 12, 2004 - 11:00pm

"Few would debate that the U.S.-led coalition needs some potent PR in Iraq," writes Clayton Collins.

Main Source: 
Christian Science Monitor, May 13, 2004
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