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June 28, 2009 - July 4, 2009

July 2, 2009

SEIU Attacks Governator in Google Surge

There's something that seems especially appropriate about a Google surge campaign focused on the Governator. Starting yesterday and running through Sunday, two union groups are blasting Caleeefohrnians in Sacramento County with ads pushing for state citizens to contact their representatives to push for "common sense solutions to close a $24 billion state budget deficit."

The ad calls Arnie a "corporate special interest doormat" and suggests he should "be a hero for California families."

If you're not familiar with the surge tactic, a.k.a. the Google Network Blast, there's lots more on it here and here.

The Service Employees International Union and the California School Employees want to make sure when state legislators finally pass a now-overdue budget, that schools, healthcare and other services are not cut. The ads link to www.commonsense4ca.org.

Sacramento is, of course, the state capital, and apparently the unions are hoping to hit state legislators with the ads as the budget crisis drags on. Still, one may wonder why they'd expect to reach lawmakers over the Fourth of July weekend. If they were real Americans wouldn't they be heading to their home districts to BBQ and watch fireworks with their families this weekend?

I kid about the 'real American' thing, but c'mon, how many of these people are going to be in Sacramento over the long weekend?

Well, I just got off the phone with an SEIU spokesperson who tells me the target is not only legislators and citizens, put "opinion leaders" living there. That means Sacramento-based media.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 1, 2009

Microsoft Pushes Bing in a Big Way

Microsoft is investing big ad dollars in big splashy display ads for Bing.

In case you didn't notice, Microsoft is the latest advertiser to use a pushdown ad -- a new unit introduced by the Online Publishers Association. The Bing ad appeared on wsj.com today and nytimes.com yesterday and June 8. A similar ad also ran on Msnbc, according to a Microsoft spokesman.

What's more, Microsoft is using creative from the campaign in other placements -- including including interstitials, homepage and channel roadblocks -- on Huffington Post, Slate, and Federated Media, the spokesman said.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Bud Light Sponsors ESPN Online Game

Sporting events and beer go together pretty well. Now ubiquitous sports sponsor Bud Light will sponsor part of ESPN's re-launched casual games destination. In addition to baseball, basketball, air hockey, and bowling games, ESPN Arcade offers a game in which players decipher differences between two seemingly identical photos (like the photo-based game you may have played in your local bar, but in this case, the photo subjects keep their clothes on.)

Bud Light will add its branding to the "ESPN Zoom" game, available both online and in the free mobile app.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

June 30, 2009

Can This Online Ad Be Trusted?

If you want to convince someone to share her Social Security number, mother's maiden name, and a credit card number, will these smiley and frowny faces do the trick?

Experian, a reputable credit scoring service, apparently thinks so.

Experian's ConsumerInfo.com ad, as seen on AOL.com, before activating animation:

Experian's ConsumerInfo.com ad after activating animation:

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 4:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Mercedes to Run on NYTimes, WashPost Tomorrow

Mercedes is set to launch its oversized Online Publisher Association standard ads on NYTimes.com and WashingtonPost.com tomorrow. E-Class ads will run on the New York Times and Washington Post homepages for one day only. And, in addition to those placements, the OPA units will be seen September 15 on Reuters.com and September 22 on WSJ.com.

The OPA announced today that Brands from Frito-Lay to Mercedes-Benz will use the organization's new ad formats, devised in part to help publishers better monetize their content through premium ad placements. (Check out a recent ad for Garnier using a new OPA format.)

Bank of America, Frito-Lay, Mercedes-Benz, hospital Cleveland Clinic, and insurance provider CNA are among brands that have used or plan to use the formats. The units do things like expand briefly before collapsing back to a smaller size, or moving up and down as the user scrolls.

In promoting its Mercedes-Benz 2010 E-Class vehicles, the automaker has employed various rich media formats to exude the brand's high-tech features. "We're tying that association with our vehicle and expressing the latest technology as well," Mercedes-Benz USA Digital Media Specialist Beth Lange told me earlier today. Razorfish Seattle developed the digital campaign, which also includes 3-D units.

The question is how are the OPA ads any different from any other rich media ad unit? According to Lange, the standardization is a key factor. Publishers, she explained, "were very concerned about the user experience and not being intrusive, and they wanted a standardized format." Although other large rich media units have been available in the past, she continued, they "may not correlate to a good user experience."

Of course, premium ads in premium placements on premium sites cost money. "When you go for these more high profile placements," said Lange, "there always is a higher premium than a standard run-of-site. I think if you can obtain a good user experience and a stronger position its worth paying for."

Posted by Kate Kaye at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 29, 2009

Twitter, YouTube Tributes Commemorate TV Pitchman Billy Mays

Fans of Billy Mays are rallying on Twitter and YouTube to pay tribute to the TV pitchman for OxiClean, Kaboom, and OrangeGlo.

Mays, 50, died unexpectedly this weekend.

Some are wearing blue and encouraging others to do. (#wearblue4billy)

Other tributes are popping up on YouTube, including this rap song and video and photo montage.

The pitchman's son, Billy Mays III, a.k.a., @YoungBillyMays, also reached out to supporters on Twitter, asking people to send in photos for a collage and thanking well wishers for their tweets. "Just want you all to know that I've read EVERY single reply and they've greatly helped me get through this day. Thank you," he wrote.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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