The hunt for ad dollars: AOL will launch 12 new websites to seduce advertisers and play catch up

"We want to be sure we are appealing to as many consumers as we can'' -Bill Wilson, executive vice president of programming BY SDH On the web, it’s all about the advertising dollars and media companies will stop at nothing get their chunk of it. Some companies in the past have went as far as plastering their websites with a whole new skin reflecting the advertiser's brand. Well AOL isn't going that far but they are planning on launching 12 new websites in an effort to attract more advertisers. It’s another one of those things where big media companies toss a bunch of cards in the air and hope they all land face up. AOL, an online pioneer created in 1985, is trying to catch up with newer competitors by offering free e-mail and Web security, a plan pushed by Time Warner Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Bewkes since 2006. An increase in visitors and advertising hasn't made up for declines at the unit's Internet dial-up business, leading to a 32 percent drop in AOL's fourth-quarter revenue. AOL to Start 12 New Web Sites to Attract Advertisers [Bloomberg]

Hearst Magazines Digital Media enters deal that will allow advertisers to spam you more effectively

BY SDH Hearst Magazines Digital Media (HMDM) hot boy Chuck "Chuck Digital" Cordray is squeezing any and everything he can out of any corner to grow HMDM and to keep the boss lady (Cathy "No Web Regrets" Black) happy. Cordray's latest join up is with Nokia in a deal that will increase HMDM's mobile advertising share. The deal calls for HMDM giving it's advertisers a whole new vehicle to spam you via your Nokia phone by way of Nokia's global Media Network, a premium advertising network with people who love to buy shit. While putting the deal together Cordray and the folks at Nokia made sure to eliminate any and all hassles for users. This means no downloads or any other pain in the butt enablers. All you have to do is browse. "We are pleased to have top-quality anchor publishers like Hearst as part of the Nokia Media Network," said Vice President and Head of Nokia Interactive Mike Baker. "The addition of the many well-known Hearst properties, including Cosmopolitan, Esquire, and Good Housekeeping, will provide advertisers with a valuable opportunity to reach their target audience on the Nokia Media Network." Hearst Magazines Digital Media Teams Up With Nokia to Offer Mobile Advertising Solutions Through the Nokia Media Network [MW]

In addition to being a resource for a weekend lay and being infested with outed and closeted pedophiles, social networking sites are just one big ad

BY SDH Are you one of those who hardly visit your page on Myspace or Facebook, not because you don't have the time, but you don't have the patience to deal with all the ads being thrown at you? Well join the club of thousands of social networkians who feel that they are being pimped. Chris Heritage a 27 year old from Florida had no interest in being part of any social networking site, (at least not as himself), but his buddies who are members of Facebook.com persuaded him to set up a page so they can contact each other online. We really don't know why anyone would sign up on a social networking site to network with people they see everyday but anyway. To his surprise, Chris found that Facebook was just one big advertising cesspool. Chris was so traumatized by all the ads, he quit that bitch back in November and now shares his experience and thoughts via blog which he pays $6 a month for on an "AD FREE" website. OK Chris, not for nothing, you could have launched a blog for free without the pain in the ass ads.

Rupert Murdoch wants to celebrate but not everyone is in the mood for celebrating

-YOSH Rupert Murdoch and his News Corpians are so happy that they finally got the keys to Dow Jones, they plan to celebrate via a $2 million ad campaign set to go live tomorrow touting the company's accomplishments. The company bought up ad space in major newspapers but not all of them want to share in Murdoch's joy. The Financial Times and the China Daily - have so far declined to run the in your face ads,but that won't stop News Corp from sharing their joy. News Corp. official said it was the first time the company has done branded advertising. Spanning three pages and playing off Dow Jones' motto, the headline is "Free People, Free Markets, Free Thinking," and trumpets Murdoch's convention-challenging accomplishments over several decades. Those include the launches of the Sun tabloid and BSkyB satellite broadcasting in England, the creation of Fox television (and The Simpsons) in the United States, the Fox News Channel, and the purchase of MySpace two years ago. "It's the first time we've given the company a narrative that expresses how we've gone against convention in providing greater choice and diversity in entertainment and information to consumers around the world," said a company insider. What better way to rub your accomplishments in the face of your competitors but taking out ads in the very papers your fellow media CEOs probably read. WE LOVE IT! Murdoch ad squelched by FT, Chinese daily [Fortune]

Aggregated media news

-MEDIA WIRE DAILY Do you own a start up web venture that's doing respectable business or getting respectable traffic or both? Do you want to cash out and become an instant millionaire? Then get your shit together, because Disney is going on a shopping spree for a bunch of websites like yours and they want to do it over the next 24 months [TechCrunch] The New York Times can't afford to keep on staff and they can't afford to hire any either [NYO] LinkedIn and Wall Street Journal? Now that's more like it [VB] Ad revenue is down at Ebony magazine. Three ad execs got canned and one of them was shocked when the axe fell in the middle of his forehead. [Folio]

CondeNet's Sarah Chubb is making it work

-YOSH We always said it and we will continue to say it. Conde Nast has the most clear cut web strategy compared to other major magazine publishers. They built a separate business with Conde Net and so far it's paying off well enough to make Conde Net Prexy Sarah Chubb keep her job for about 7 years now. Now the company will announce a deal to distribute videos from its various Web sites, which cover topics such as food and travel, via YouTube. In other words they are launching a Youtube channel. But with almost all parts oiled and running together, Chubb still has some hurdles to hop over. In a Q&A with the Wall Street Journal Chubb explains how she managed to grow revenue by 81% and how the new Youtube deal will work. By some measures, CondéNet's partnerships appear to be paying off. Traffic to its Web sites increased 16% in October to 9.4 million unique U.S. visitors from the same period last year, according to comScore Media Metrix. Year to date, revenue at CondéNet is up 81.8% versus the same period last year. (That number includes revenue from Wired.com and Flip.com -- neither of which figured in last year's figures. Stripping out those two sites, CondéNet revenue is up about 49% year to date versus the same period last year.) That comes amid a strong year for Web advertising in general -- online ad revenues for the first nine months of 2007 were up about 26%, to $15.2 billion, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Oh yeah Sarah, assuming you're currently wearing your hair long, just an FYI, we like you with shorter hair. Is CondéNet's Web Approach Paying Off? [WSJ.com]

Jeff Zucker and company sneaking ads into your favorite NBC shows

-MARTY Jeff Zucker and company is going all out for their advertisers ensuring they get their paid for air time. In the November 15 episode of NBC's "30 Rock," Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey, in their roles as Jack Donaghy and Liz Lemon, sang the praises of Verizon Wireless before Fey looked right into the camera and asked, "Can we have our money now?" Creative we think as long as every other line or even a whole show isn't pushing a product or service. Can you imagine a whole episode of "The Office" about the staff ordering supplies from Staples, or ordering new computers from Dell. It could work but it would have to be cleverly written. The scene in question featured Jack saying, "These Verizon Wireless phones are just so popular. I accidentally grabbed one belonging to an acquaintance." Liz responded, "Well, sure that Verizon Wireless service is just unbeatable. If I saw a phone like that on TV, I would be like, 'Where is my nearest retailer so I can get one?"' She then broke the fourth wall and addressed the camera with the plea for cash. "30 Rock" rolls ads into story lines [Reuters]

And now this morning's worth mentioning media business news

NBC Universal's new interactive ad service... yup another one NBC Universal agreed to start offering interactive advertising services and subscribe to a ratings service from TiVo Inc, the companies said on Tuesday. The agreement covers GE's 14 networks -- including NBC, Telemundo and Bravo -- as well as its 10 NBC-owned TV stations. MediaNews taps Topix to play mediator U.S. newspaper publisher MediaNews Group Inc has enlisted Topix.com to run the online forums and comments sections that people use to discuss articles they read in its papers, Topix said on Tuesday. 2008 may bring harm to some media segments The U.S. media industry is on the brink of a second downturn in a decade, one that could accelerate the divisions between fast-growing targeted advertising and traditional formats aimed at mass audiences. The Middle East continues to slowly take over America As if Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal owning a huge chunk of Citi Group wasn't enough, now Dubai International Capital LLC, the $13 billion fund manager whose investors include the emirate's ruler, bought shares in Sony Corp. in its first investment in a Japanese company. What next?

AOLer randy falco buys one more company to make him feel like AOL is competing strongly with google

AOL, the embattled Internet unit of TimeWarner is about to drop $340 million to buy yet another online ad firm to beef up it's competitive ability with Google. AOL CEO Randy Falco will land a company that makes money off of the Google ad model and gain 100 employees that he will eventually fire in the new year to cover the $340 million price tag. Falco is really serious about building AOL into an advertising mall or something like that. What will happen if and when advertising isn't the Internet cash whore it is today? The deal, which adds 100 employees, marks the last big acquisition AOL plans as part of a restructuring to transform itself into a one-stop online advertising shop, AOL Chief Executive Randy Falco told Reuters in an interview. "I expect it to begin to add to growth in 2008," he said, referring to AOL's online advertising growth, which is a big concern among investors. Ad growth slipped to 16 percent in the second quarter and 13 percent in the third quarter, from 40 percent levels earlier. Wonder if Falco will last the full run of the Bewkes Administration? -YOSH AOL to buy Quigo as last big advertising deal [Reuters]

Morning Wire: Someone told MTV and AOL that you care that much about music lyrics, and more in this morning's not so worthy media news

MTV and AOL wants to help you learn your favorite song by providing a new song lyric search service. where do they come up with this shit? [NYP] CNN in second life [NYP] Advertisers will do anything for attention, they are now turning their scopes on people with physical or mental disability via a website called disaboom.com. Soon they will find a way to communicate with your dog. [NYT] Tribune Co and Gannett Co Inc team up all in the name of revenue [Reuters] Martha Stewart living, continues to take Yahoo's left overs [Reuters]

What else will fall at New York Times Co?

-LENN HINDSMANN New York Times’ numbers are in and shareholders can't be happy. Advertising continues to be the source of many revenue declines in the newspaper business as advertisers continue to spend more money online. ARTHUR "Pinch" Sulzberger and company may want to shore up the company's digital business even more by the time Q4 comes around to offset any print ad pot holes. That’s what saved the folks at Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones. First-quarter net income was $23.9 million, or 17 cents a share, compared with $32.4 million, or 22 cents a share, in the same quarter a year earlier. Excluding special items, profit from continuing operations was 25 cents a share, unchanged from a year earlier.Analysts, on average, had expected the company to earn 18 cents a share on revenue of $785.2 million, according to Reuters Estimates. New York Times Co. quarterly profit, revenue fall [Reuters]

Billboard Bands? Perhaps the most questionable ad vehicle in our opinion

-LENNOX HINDSMANN "Premier Entertainment Marketer sees Benefit in Wristbands as a New Non-Traditional Media Platform" OK but what if no one sees it due to the likely fact that it is hidden under your long sleeve shirt? How many times have you walked up to a stranger and say "Can I see your wristband?" Hell sometimes you even forget that you're wearing one of those Lance Armstrong cancer bands. Well according to a press release which hit our inbox earlier today, major cable networks like HBO are jumping on this new 'Non-Traditional Media Platform" to market the new season of “Entourage”. Ok so you place a bunch of these wrist bands at a party promoting “Entourage”. After they go on, that’s it. Are the bands a reminder for the individuals wearing them? Now that we're finished hating, the full press release is after the click. CONTINUE.... Billboard Bands Strikes Ad Deal with HBO’s “Entourage” Premier Entertainment Marketer sees Benefit in Wristbands as a New Non-Traditional Media Platform ( South Norwalk-- April 11, 2007) Where do entertainment marketers go when they want to reach the jet-setting crowd? Clubbing. In a campaign designed to reach trendsetting urban professionals, HBO has chosen Billboard Bands as a key media vehicle to reach their youthful targets, in a campaign for the new season of its signature series, “Entourage.” Billboard Bands is the exclusive provider of over one million branded wristbands per month to a network of over 170 trendy hot spots in the top DMA’s. “As an advertising platform our wristbands provide a unique and unexpected opportunity to target young, upwardly mobile adults 21 – 34,” states Fred Epstien, Billboard Bands co-founder and chairman. “Our exclusive network of nightclubs is the first to offer marketers the opportunity to use wristbands as a platform for creative advertising and promotion on a national scale, and at many of America ’s hottest and most talked-about nightspots.” HBO recently employed the Billboard Bands wristbands to promote the upcoming 4th season of their smash hit “Entourage.” Branded wristbands featuring the premier of “Entourage” were distributed at the top clubs throughout Los Angeles , the setting for the series. “We were looking for a fresh marketing vehicle to pinpoint the target 21-34 viewer in their key markets, states Chris Spadiccini of HBO Marketing. “The Billboard Bands club network provided us with just the approach we were looking for, in an environment that perfectly compliments the show’s spirit, good time theme and characters.” The smash series draws on the experiences of Hollywood industry insiders to illustrate both the heady excesses of today's celebrity lifestyle, as well as the difficulty of finding love and success in the fast track of show biz. HBO joins a growing roster of advertisers who have selected Billboard Bands including, Sirius Radio, GFH Boards and The Global Fund, an international public/private partnership dedicated to the prevention and treatment of malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. “Whether an advertiser is interested in a national program in the top 20 markets, or a more targeted approach, we tailor our programs to meet the individual objective of each campaign.” says Epstien. “Billboard Bands provides flexibility and scale in addition to promotional overlays customized by market and by advertiser.”

Off Beat: Continuing our obsession with the Germans this morning, it turns out they have a sick sense of humor just like us Americans

-SDH **An Off Beat post is something we go through sporadically where we read something that we have to comment on because of the level of stupidity or we just feel like sharing our thoughts about it. It’s usually never associated with what we usually cover but never the less it has some tie in with the media industry, most of the time. Trespassing over at Nerve.com's Scanner Blog, we came asscross a post about a German ad for a Job fair. The guys at Scanner attempted to explain what they think the ad means, but couldn't quite put their fingers on it. Us on the other hand, we clearly know what it means. Its how most of us feel about our bosses! German Advertising, Ass You Like It [Scanner Blog]

Will Google end up disappointing Microsoft?

-SHOMARI HINES Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy online ad -server DoubleClick, stepping up it's efforts to cash in on the booming Internet ad market. However Microsoft may have some competition in that running from rival Google. John Battelle believes the guys at Google are up to something and could swoop in and do a Ross levinsohn on Microsoft. Could a battle between Google and Microsoft lead to DoubleClick upping their asking price or will one of them bow out quietly if they feel its not worth a fight? It's a strange fact of life that Web "frienemy" (yes, we love that word) Google, doesn't accept third-party ad tags. Given the news that competitor Microsoft is considering a bid for the ad-server DoubleClick, which serves graphical CPMs for a huge portion of the ad world, rumors have surfaced that Google is planning to build its own third-party ad server for graphical ads. GoogleClick [John Battelle's Searchblog]

Diversity on Madison Ave

-Neil Yoshida AdAge spoke with two black ad execs both from BBDO recently to find out how both of them got in the ad game and what challenges they faced in the predominantly white industry. For Doug Alligood a 73 year old BBDO vet who started at the company in 1963, it was looking through his dad's magazine's and noticing that nobody looked like his family that made him want to make a change. For Erika Emeruwa, the 27 year old tripped and fell into the ad game. Both BBDO Worldwide executives are passionate about advertising and work with top marketers from DaimlerChrysler to Federal Express, PepsiCola and Target. Both hail from Middle America -- Mr. Alligood, the son of a handyman-craftsman, grew up in St. Louis, while Ms. Emeruwa, the daughter of an accountant and a media consultant, was raised just outside Cleveland. Both built a career on storied Madison Ave. And both are blacks in a predominantly white industry, committed to attracting more minorities into the businesses and believe that retention is a crucial element in building a more diverse industry. Being Black on Mad Ave: Young and Old Sound Off [AdAge]

Media Trucks seeking willing and able advertisers

-Shomari Hines Mobile ad company Media Trucks wants to lock in advertisers for new routes where they know thousands of eyes will be. These new routes would be perfect for companies like ESPN and CBS to name a couple, oh yeah and porn companies too being that the majority if eyes on these new routes are male. Mobile advertising company, Media Trucks, today announced new advertising routes for baseball games at Wrigley Field and US Cellular field for the 2007 Major League Baseball season in Chicago.“Wrigley Field and the surrounding Wrigleyville area is arguably the top sports destination in the USA,” said Media Trucks President, Doug Miles. “Clients from all over the country utilize our unique, backlit mobile advertising vehicles to appeal to this market.” Media Trucks Mobile Billboards Establishes Advertising Routes for 2007 Baseball Season in Chicago [Newswire Today]

Ad budgets. All the numbers make us dizzy

Its no secret that the advertising game is a big game played by all. But its the numbers that are mind bending, at least for us. Some company's ad budgets are more than some people's net worth , however some are being chopped down. Companies will stop at nothing to get the word out on their brands, and some if not all are realizing that the best way to attract eyeballs is via the web. TNS Media Intelligence breaks it down for us and shows us how ad spending online increased in 2006. the Internet picked up share of U.S. ad spending during 2006, according to new estimates released this morning by TNS Media Intelligence. What might not have been expected, is that the nation's largest advertisers eroded their share of U.S. ad spending. And the two trends may be related. While total ad dollars in the media tracked by TNS rose 4.1% to $149.6 billion in 2006, ad spending by the ten largest national advertisers actually fell 2.8% to $18.727 billion. See a more detailed break down after the click CONTINUED... Top Advertisers Slash Spending, Internet Continues To Build Share Of U.S. Ad Budgets [MDN]

Truth in Advertising online dating edition

-Shomari Hines One of our favorite blogs called funkybrownchick isn't really media focused but it does touch on some stuff that some of us deal with daily and the media industry can actually learn from it. For example, the post we're posting about is something Madison Ave and their clients can take points from. You should look like your fucking photo!!!! I mean it. You know, the whole point of PHOTOGRAPHY is that it captures your image, a picture of you. And by "YOU", I mean YOU **TODAY** -- not you 8 years ago. Sheesh! One of the really hard things about online dating is that you never really know *who* the person on the other side of your computer screen is. Anyone can represent themselves to be anything online (... just ask the 24 year-old dropout who posed as an online editor for Wikipedia). Truth in advertising. As you probably already know, the fed's "Truth in Advertising" regulations stipulate that: -Advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive -Advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims -Advertisements cannot be unfair. Truth in Advertising [FBC]

Annoying cliché answers from digital execs to Adage's What's the Biggest Trend or Challenge in Digital Media?

-Neil Yoshida Its like they read their answers from a notebook or something. Why can't digital media types give a straight answer without over thinking and going into big worded drawn out answers? AdAge dropped a question for some digital media executives and some of the answers were just so scripted and detoured before getting to the point. Matt Freeman, CEO, Tribal DDB Worldwide "The most important challenge in digital media for 2007 is that the industry is diversifying faster than it is growing. The exploding diversity of digital media channels, platforms, properties, behaviors and requirements -- expounded by the geographical expansion and idiosyncrasies -- has widened the gap between what marketers can afford to embrace and what consumers are consuming. What's the Biggest Trend or Challenge in Digital Media? [Adage]

If you spent $100 million on marketing, and only generated $18 million, the books are being cooked our your t-shirts just suck

-Neil Yoshida Rocker/Activist Bono and company is said to have spent about $100 Million to market the hell out of (RED) but to date the wide spread marketing campaign which included bandwagonist celebrities has only generated $18 million. Guess celebs don't have the selling power they used to back in the day huh? Anyway some folks involved remain positive that we will still go out and buy our (RED) t-shirts. "Red has done as much as we could have hoped for in the short time it has been up and running," he said, adding: "The launch cost of this kind of campaign is going to be hugely frontloaded. It's a very costly exercise." Julie Cordua, VP-marketing at Red and a former Motorola marketing exec and director-buzz marketing at Helio, said the outlay by the program's partners must be understood within the context of the campaign's goal: sustainability. "It's not a charity program of them writing a one-time check. It has to make good business sense for the company so the money will continue to flow to the Global Fund over time." She added that since many of Red's partners haven't closed their books yet on 2006, more funds likely will be added to the $18 million. Costly Red Campaign Reaps Meager $18 Million [AdAge]

Eugene Morris: In order for marketers to understand black folks, they have to walk in our shoes

-Shomari Hines Yesterday in Vegas the 4A's Media Conference kicked off with the whose is who in advertising saying their piece on ad practices and ways to better understand minority consumers. However the one that stood out more to us was Eugene Morris, head of E. Morris Communications who basically said advertisers and ad agencies need to do more to understand the African American consumer. He stopped short of saying they should move in with a black family to see how they live. Hmm a white ad exec from DDB moving in with a black family? This is some MTV reality TV shit right here. E. Morris Communications founder Eugene Morris was the moderator for the session labeled "The Business Case for Diversity." But given the vast clear out of the hall as soon as this panel got going, MediaWorks was left to wonder who was left to hear the case. Still, it is an issue the industry better start figuring out, and Morris was quick to tell those in the room they better get a better plan than their current one -- getting multicultural representation within mainstream ad agencies by stealing from African-American and Hispanic shops. "One, that is not going to help the industry, and two, that is not going to help me," he said, because it leaves the industry with no net increase of staffers who aren't white. Day One of the 4A's Media Conference [Adage]

Morning Wire: And now this morning's worthy media news aggregation

-Shomari Hines Marketers tuning their pitch Marketers are increasingly focused on the effectiveness of their pitches, trying to figure out the return on investment for ad spending. Now Hoy-less, Tribune to target latinos via TV Public broadcasting will target an underserved audience with the Spanish-language network V-me TV, which launches March 5. Britain's Trader Media Group could snatch $2.54 billion Apax, Blackstone Group and Candover Investments Plc were understood to be in discussions with the privately held company about Trader Media Group, which publishes the Auto Trader advertising guide, the FT said, quoting people close to the situation. Is EMI looking to derail yet another Warner bid? Britain's EMI Group Plc. is in talks with a number of private equity firms including One Equity Partners, a unit of JPMorgan Chase and Co., over potential alternatives to a takeover approach from Warner Music Group. Just sit tight and get taken over man jeez. Motown wants nothing to do with Dream Girls label Rainbow Records Bowing to pressure from Motown, makers of the Oscar-nominated film "Dreamgirls" said in ads on Wednesday that the musical was a work of fiction and apologized for any confusion with the legendary record label. Image: Getty Images

The re-coming of Stringham

Young & Rubicam may soon see a familiar face around the office if talks go smoothly. Peter Stringham, the adman-cum-financial-services executive who on Feb. 12 left his post as chief marketing officer at HSBC holdings, will soon return to his former company. Mr. Stringham is in talks with WPP Group to become CEO of Young & Rubicam Brands, according to sources familiar with the situation. Mr. Stringham announced his intention to leave HSBC last October. Prior to joining HSBC he ran Young & Rubicam's North American operations. He left in late 2000, after the company was purchased by WPP. Mr. Stringham knows WPP's agencies, including JWT and MindShare, and the executives who run them -- in April 2004 he appointed many of those shops to handle HSBC's $600 million global marketing account. Peter Stringham Set to Return to Y&R Brands [AdAge]

Do you Bluefly? Online retailer turns it up a notch with controversial-esque ad campaign

The Folks at Bluefly.com seem to be serious about pushing sales to high levels this year and to prove it, they pulled all stops on their new ad campaign which is sure to get some ultra conservative under wears in a bunch.

Headline Screenshot: We thought this reached the status of fact like over a year ago

We were under the impression that media companies were already spending the bulk of their ad/marketing budgets attracting eyeballs via new media vehicles such as, the Internet, video games, mobile, blah blah blah blah! Guess we were wrong or something. Nearly 90 percent of all companies polled in a new study will use part of their marketing budgets to advertise in video games, virtual communities or other new media.The survey by the American Advertising Federation underscores the shift in advertising spending away from television, magazines and, particularly, newspapers, which have suffered badly from declining circulation as more media choices have become available. Concluding that "traditionally staid media categories are in need of innovation if they are to remain competitive," the study found that 73 percent of the executives interviewed planned to spend up to one-fifth of their budgets on new media. Most advertisers now spending on new media: survey [Reuters]

Whether you want to hear it or not, Bob Garfield tells us why Snicker's 'BrokeBack Mountain' moment was one of Super Bowl's big ad blunders

Wanted to hear/watch someone tell you what they thought about the ads that premiered during yesterday's Super Bowl? Well Ad Age's Bob Garfield shares his opinion with you and we have to admit, we agree with the Bobster on a lot of the things he pointed out. We have to say we've seen better ad days in the past. One of the biggest advertising blunders of Super Bowl XLI was a Snicker's ad featuring a discomforting "'Brokeback Mountain' moment," according to Advertising Age ad critic Bob Garfield. While he found this year's overall flock of game commercials to be unusually good as effective advertising, he holds no punches in pointing out the worst and the most amateurish of the lot. VIDEO: Bob Garfield Reviews the Super Bowl Commercials [AdAge]

Will the 30 greatest change after Super Bowl Sunday?

Super Bowl Sunday's isn't all about the game. We all look forward to the desperate but sometimes funny attempts by major corporations to convince us to buy their products via multi-million dollar 30 second commercials jam packed with celebrities and special effects. Some we will never forget because of how unique and cutting edge they were. When Super Bowl XLI kicks off this Sunday in Miami, millions of Americans will huddle together to watch the Chicago Bears battle the Indianapolis Colts in a riveting climax to this year’s football season – but another important battle will take place as well: The battle to be named 2007’s top Super Bowl commercial. At an estimated cost of $2.6 million to air a 30-second commercial, the financial stakes are steep and the competition is cutthroat. To celebrate this seminal day in television advertising, “The Billion Dollar Man”™ Bob Circosta – the most prolific TV salesman in American history and the only man to have sold over 75,000 different products on live television, earning over one billion dollars in personal product sales – has announced his list of the 30 greatest commercials to ever air in conjunction with the Super Bowl, on the basis of impact, sales, and viewer memorability. The 30 Greatest Commercials in Super Bowl History! According to Bob Circosta after the click MORE... Bob Circosta’s Top 30 Super Bowl Commercials of All Time 30. Monster.com: “When I Grow Up” (1999) 29. Pepsi: “Security Camera Catches Coke Employee Stealing Pepsi” (1996) 28. Doritos: “Laundromat” (1998) 27. Budweiser: “Salute to American Soldiers” (2006) 26. Xerox: “Monks” (1977) 25. Pepsi: “Cindy Crawford” (1992) 24. Budweiser: “What Are You Doing?” (2002) 23. Lipton: “Bo Jackson” (1994) 22. Budweiser: “Whassup?” (2001) 21. Disney: “I’m Going to Disneyworld !” (1987) 20. Pepsi: “Michael J. Fox in Apartment 10G ” (1987) 19. Master Lock: “Marksman” (1974) 18. Mountain Dew: “Cheetah” (2000) 17. Nissan Maxima: “Pigeons” (1997) 16. Federal Express: “Caveman Sticks” (2006) 15. Pepsi: “Diner” (1995) 14. Budweiser: “Clydesdales Play Football” (1996) 13. Electronic Data Systems: “Herding Cats” (2000) 12. Noxzema: “Joe Namath & Farrah Fawcett” (1973) 11. Budweiser: “Spuds MacKenzie” (1987) 10. Tabasco : “Mosquito” (1998) 9. Pepsi: “Michael Jackson’s Choice of a New Generation” (1984) 8. Nike: “Hare Jordan ” (1992) 7. Reebok: “Terry Tate, Office Linebacker” (2003) 6. Budweiser: “Frogs” (1995) 5. McDonald’s: “Showdown between Larry Bird and Michael Jordan” (1993) 4. Coca-Cola: “Mean Joe Greene’s Jersey ” (1980) 3. E*Trade: “Monkey” (2000) 2. Budweiser: “Bud Bowl” (1989) 1. Apple Computer: “1984” (1984)

Cue up sound of CBS cash register!.... Ka-Ching, Ka-Ching, Ka-Ching!!

CBS may very well sell off all available ad spots for the up coming CBS broadcast Super Bowl and we can only imagine the smile on Les "Love Boat" Moonves's tanned face. After Super Bowl sales seemed to get off to a slow start, CBS said it's close to selling out ad time with still two weeks to go until the big game. The network had lined up 25 advertisers as of yesterday and expects to have a few more deals in place before the end of the day, according to JoAnn Ross, CBS's ad sales chief. CBS is asking $2.6 million for a single 30-second spot, although that is at the high end. Advertisers pay less if they buy more than one spot or accept a slot later in the game when many viewers have tuned out. CBS NEARS AD GOAL FOR SUPER BOWL [NYP]

Morning Wire: And now this morning's worthy media news

$2.6 Million for 30 seconds to convince us to buy your shit Les Moonves has big dollar signs in his eyes with the Superbowl coming up. Advertisers are lined up at black rock to pay $2.6 Million for 30 second spot during the game to sell their products to football fans. As of this week, CBS has sold about 80 percent of the available advertising time. I'm not a hero, no seriously, no please stop Wesley Autrey who stupidly but bravely risked his life to save a stranger on the subway tracks makes it clear that he does not consider himself a hero. However Mr. Autrey is sure enjoying the perks, gifts and press that comes with not being a hero isn't he? Giant magazine sells for dwarfish sum Wow we never knew a magazine could sell for $270,000. Well at least former Dame Dash Victim Smokey Fontain gets a piece of the mag and the CEO title. But dam CEO of a $270,000 magazine? How serious of a roll is this? Hopefully it will still be around when Radar goes print again.

Newspaper Program's Sweet for Google

Google's newspaper ad sales program is being inhaled by so many, naturally the Internet giant is looking to expand it. During initial testing with 100 advertisers and 66 newspapers, the volume of ad sales tripled Google's expectations, according to a story first appearing Wednesday in The Washington Post. That report echoed comments made earlier this month, at the UBS global media conference, by James Conaghan, the Newspaper Association of America vice president for business analysis and research. Conaghan told analysts and media at the conference that Google had sold in three weeks all inventory it expected to sell in the program's first three months. Google Extends Newspaper Program [OMD]