How far would you go to get free gas? Would you be willing to wrap your car with someone else’s marketing message in exchange for free gas? Such claims may sound too good to be true, but Websites such as gettingfreegas.com, paidride.com, and eyeearn.com are paying you for advertising on your car, and even on yourself.
A recent Nielsen report pointed out that Americans are watching more TV than ever before in their homes: 127 hours and 15 minutes per month. Unfortunately, that time is being spent over more and more choices. The report points out that two-thirds of American homes now receive digital cable or satellite signals for an average choice of 160 channels. The study also shows that 25 percent of homes now have DVR capabilities that enable consumers to time-shift programming and/or to skip over advertisements.
I’ve been a reader of author Michael Porter’s strategic thinking output since his noted article in the Harvard Business Review in 1979 (pdf: How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy). Since that time, Porter has penned numerous seminal articles and books on strategic thinking.
I’ve wondered how his pre-Web thinking would stand up in a world where business strategy has been monumentally affected by the Internet. He answers that question in this Harvard Business Review interview on YouTube:
A recently released study (see YouTube summary above) conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau in partnership with Carat Insight, compared the ability of different types of media to create brand engagement. The results surprised a lot of people in the marketing industry. The leader was the Web with 40 percent brand engagement. Publicity and television came in second and third with 31 percent and 19 percent respectively.
There is one word that is guaranteed to generate excitement in mobile development communities right now - Android. Google’s venture into the mobile SDK realm was eagerly anticipated, and its release, paired with a development challenge, didn’t disappoint. Now however, as the freshness wears off and serious development begins to become more commonplace, Android’s first real shortcoming becomes clear. Unit Testing…
Radio Fargo-Moorhead (RFM) took over several radio properties previously owned by Clear Channel, and planned to launch a new country station going head-to-head with the market leader.