Lil' Wayne and Katie Couric? Say It Ain't So!!

This whole thing is so uncomfortable and yet pretty amazing that a journalist like Katie Couric would give Lil' Wayne the time of day. Granted, it's for a Grammy's Special piece for said award showing airing next week and he's performing at. Make of this what you will. I don't know if I was more surprised to be led in with a pre- roll Olay ad (in front of Lil'Wayne?) or Lil' Wayne calling himself a journalist and Katie Couric not laughing in his face.  I'm a big Weezy fan so I'm with it.


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Best Google Street View Ever

Thanks to FilmDrunk for digging this up.  So many jokes to be made at these guys expense.  It's like World of Warcraft meets Lord of The Rings meets two potential virgins living in their parents basement in Pennsylvania.

Chrysler Just Pissed Me Off

Chrysler got $4 billion in emergency aid from the U.S. government and has said it will seek another $3 billion in government loans. And yesterday it agreed to form an alliance with Italy’s Fiat as it looks for the road out of the woods. (The Fiat deal fine print reportedly makes it conditional on Chrysler’s getting that extra U.S. loan).

Now, Chrysler plans to help underwrite the fourth installment of the “Terminator” movie series, “Terminator Salvation,” where it will place its vehicles in cameo roles. The film is scheduled for release later this year. Financial terms of the sponsorship deal were not disclosed.

“This spring, Terminator 4 comes out and we will be one of the sponsors,” Chrysler director of media Susan Thomson said in a presentation at the Automotive News World Congress. “We have a following with the Terminator movies and we are going to continue with that.”

So, Chrysler= timeless battle between humans and machines? Is the goal here to convince consumers that a Chrysler minivan will help you and your family escape evil drones from putting the human race in the books under extinction?

I'm sorry; I'm in advertising and I think it must continue in order for our economy to stabilize and reinvigorate consumer confidence. But is this really the best way? How about advertising deals that bring savings to beleaguered Americans looking for an opportunity to save money on what could be a realistic necessity? I believe in continued spending and non- slashed marketing budgets. Especially for the automakers who are the spine of our economy, but this seems a brash spending play when a more strategic long term plan could do wonders.

Blackberry App Store Slated For Spring Launch

Research In Motion announced today that they’ve sent notice to their developers to begin submitting applications for their upcoming application storefront. “Bring us your innovative genius,” said RIM in a statement to their current stable of developers. Obviously endless comparisons to the Apple App Store are set to begin now in a battle of nerdy aka genius developers fighting for code supremacy. I enjoy sitting back and picking a side without actually knowing a single technical spec for how these apps get built. Off to the nerdery for a debate on whose SDK is more applicable to the [enter engineering jargon here] My vote is that Apple continues to dominate. Anyone have a contrary belief?

Heineken And The Walk In Fridge

A Nintendo Follow Up Piece

Folks may have been renting Xbox 360 titles like mad last year, but that didn’t do much for console sales. The research company NPD Group announced sales figures for the Wii and DS earlier today and the numbers are astonishing.

Despite the current economic conditions, Americans purchased 10.17 million Wiis in the year 2008. Not only is this a huge sales figure, but it’s also the first time Americans have purchased 10 million units of a game console in a single year. The handheld DS came very close to the 10 million mark with 9.95 million units sold. Last year Nintendo moved 8.52 million DS portables. Of all game consoles sold in America, the Wii accounted for 55 percent sold while the DS took up a whopping 72 percent.

NPD data released for December and all of 2008 also included the following:

* The industry’s top 4 selling games of 2008 were: Wii Play™ at No. 1, Mario Kart™ Wii at No. 2, Wii Fit™ at No.3, and Super Smash Brothers™ Brawl, at No. 4.
* Industry annual revenues jumped 19% in 2008 over 2007, and Nintendo products were responsible for 99% of those additional retail dollars.
* Nintendo DS set another industry record for system sales in any month, with 3.04 million units sold in December.
* Wii broke its own monthly record, set in December 2007, by selling 2.14 million units last month.
* In December, Nintendo titles filled 20 of the top 30 spots on the best-seller list. Six games made for Nintendo systems placed in the top 10, including Wii Music™ for Wii (No. 9), which has now sold 865,000 units following its launch in October 2008, and Mario Kart DS for the Nintendo DS (No. 7), which has sold a total of 4.3 million units 38 months after launch.
* Activision’s Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock and Guitar Hero® World Tour, and MTV Games/EA’s* Rock Band Special Edition Bundle all sold more units on Nintendo platforms than any other platforms in 2008.
* More 3rd party units were sold for Wii than any other home consoles in December for the 2nd consecutive month.
* For the year, more than 132 million games were sold in America for play on Nintendo systems.

(courtesy CrunchGear)

Kobe Bryant Is Selling Ankle Insurance

As a die hard Laker fan, I could talk for hours about the love- hate relationship I've had with Kobe Bryant over the last decade. I could also go on about how I think he has put out some of the uglier shoes over his career, dating back to his horrid adidas sneakers in his early career.

But today, I want to praise him for fully stepping into his role as the most marketable basketball player of the modern era (enter Lebron James argument, which I could make too but for the sake of this post I needed to take a side). 

Nike has always been the king of viral vids starring their greatest athletes, and NotMyBrokenAnkles.com is just the latest installment of their creativity.

For a walk down memory lane, check out Kobe leaping over an Aston Martin an then a snake filled pool.

Nike Turns Internet Trash Talking Into A Commercial

Nike has done a great job of listening to their fans who are constantly talking shit to each other over the Internet, and harnessed that buzz into a television commercial. Here we see fans getting a chance to vent about the greatest, and potentially most disliked player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Here We Go Again; Mobile Marketing Under Fire For Privacy Concern

This is like last year's battle against ISP targeting, and 2006's battle against behavioral targeting all over again... While the argument doesn't surprise me at all because there isn't adequate user- notice when mobile companies are collecting data, it does still surprise me when consumers complain about data collection in general.  These people do know that their credit card reveals twice as much personal info right?

Two advocacy groups are asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether mobile marketers are violating users' privacy.
In the 52-page complaint to be filed today, the Center for Digital Democracy and U.S. Public Interest Research Group allege that emerging mobile marketing shops deploy the same "unfair and deceptive" behavioral targeting strategies as older Web marketers.

"Mobile devices, which know our location and other intimate details of our lives, are being turned into portable behavioral tracking and targeting tools that consumers unwittingly take with them wherever they go," the complaint alleges.

The groups are asking the FTC to probe how nascent mobile ad companies deploy techniques like behavioral targeting (or serving ads to people based on their online activity) and geo-targeting (serving ads based on people's physical location). The complaint also asks the FTC to order mobile ad companies to notify consumers about how their data is used, and seek explicit consent to its collection.

The complaint mentions a host of mobile marketing companies, and specifically singles out three--mobile software developer Bango, local online advertiser MarchEx, and mobile ad network AdMob--for allegedly gathering data without adequate notice to consumers.

Currently, marketers that send text ads to users first seek people's opt-in permission--which is a requirement under federal Can-Spam regulations. But marketers also are increasingly exploring search ads and banner ads, which are not subject to Can-Spam.

In addition, some companies are now tracking visitors to mobile Web sites. For instance, Ringleader Digital recently unveiled a "media stamp" that creates and stores profiles about cell users based on the mobile sites they visit. The company, which collects information based on characteristics of the device, says it can gather enough data this way to create unique, "anonymous" stamps for every mobile phone user.

Although the mobile industry is still young, the advocates argue that the FTC should get involved before practices become entrenched. "It is especially critical that FTC act now," states the complaint, "as an even more interactive Mobile 2.0 environment looms on the horizon."

As with PC-based behavioral targeting, mobile marketing companies do not typically collect names, phone numbers, email addresses or other so-called personally identifiable information.

But advocates say the information gathered is so detailed that it poses a threat to privacy. "They don't need to know a name to know that Mobile User 'X' likes to search for fast food, bought a new car recently, and went on the mobile phone looking for a lower-interest credit card," said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy.

Mobile is also seen as well-suited for targeting because the devices are more personal than computers. While family members or office colleagues might share a computer, they rarely--if ever--share cell phones. What's more, the potential to pinpoint cell phone users via geo-location data raises an additional layer of concerns.

"Although the new location-based services may be useful to consumers, they also represent an entirely new advertising medium, one with potentially grave privacy implications," the complaint alleges.

But some observers say geo-location targeting is still a long way off. "There's no valuable data for us to use," said Eric Bader, a partner in the mobile marketing company BrandInHand. "No carrier or handset maker or software provider related to global positioning can tell me that you are currently on the New Jersey Turnpike near Exit 13."

While the mobile ad market is small for now, accounting for only around $878 million last year, revenues are expected to swell to $6.5 billion by 2012, according to research company eMarketer.

It's also drawing the attention of major Web companies. Just last week, in a much anticipated move, Microsoft announced a five-year mobile search deal with Verizon Wireless. While the companies didn't release financials, The Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft and Verizon will share ad revenue, with Microsoft committing to pay Verizon between $550 million and $650 million over the life of the agreement.

In 2006, the same groups behind this complaint filed papers with the FTC that sparked an ongoing investigation into online behavioral targeting.

Gatorade's "G" Campaign; Yes or No?

A great article by Bob Garfield for AdAge about the new "G" commercials and campaign by Gatorade.  Created by the new agency of record, TBWA Los Angeles, the "G" commercials have been stirring some questions as to the brand direction and integrity now that "Is It In You?" has seemingly faded away.

Personally, I love the commercials.  Yes, I had to see it twice to figure out who and what it was for.  But I love the collection of stars pressing the product, and I think Lil' Wayne is the perfect fit to wax poetic about the strength and heart of what an athlete is.  Below is one of the samples.  

Do you like it or not?

Inside the NIKEiD Bootroom

A great find from a great man,  the Rumba.  Step inside Nike's custom boot making facility and see the making of Cesc's Tiempos, Ronaldo's Mercurials and Rooney's T90's.

The Weirdest iPhone Apps Out There

Yahoo Games put together a great list of some of the strangest iPhone apps to date. Check out the noise makers and oddball games that are in the app store.

My personal favorite, the "Drunk Dialer:"
Do you enjoy a drink or two? Do you also have a contact list full of your exes? You need this application. It prevents you from making those oh-so-embarrassing boozy, late-night calls to former partners you'd rather forget, by replacing the phone's dial pad with one that requires you to hold the phone still to use. If you're swaying, you're out of luck. If you're prone to late-night SMSing instead, though, you're on your own.

Wii Sports Is Best-Selling Game Ever

Well, that didn't take long. According to game-tracking website VGChartz, sales of Nintendo's pop-culture phenom Wii Sports have surpassed those of legendary platformer Super Mario Bros., making the breakout Wii title the best-selling video game of all time. And it only took two years and two months to do it.

The data is based on cumulative worldwide sales figures ending the week of December 27, 2008, which indicate that lifetime sales of Wii Sports have exceeded Mario's staggering 40.24 million units.

Shocked? Don't be. Unlike most video games that can be bought at retail, Wii Sports comes bundled with the Wii hardware in every territory other than Japan and Korea. In other words, if you bought a Wii, you bought Wii Sports whether you liked it or not (chances are, you liked it). With over 45 million Wiis sold worldwide to date, it's only logical that Wii Sports would start smashing records sooner or later.

And before you brand Wii Sports a false champion due to being bundled with hardware, consider that Super Mario Bros. was also sold as a bundle with the original Nintendo Entertainment System during its mid-80's heyday. Plus, Wii Sports has been a major hit even in non-bundled form, topping Wii sales charts in Japan at over 3.2 million copies sold in 2008 alone.
A new version of the game, Wii Sports: Resort, is due out later this year.

Hilarious Lebron James Commercial

I guess this has been out for a few weeks, but I just saw it last night for the first time and laughed out loud.

Pepsi and Beckham End Partnership After 10 Years

Courtesy of AdAge...

After 10 years, Pepsi won't be bending it with David Beckham anymore. The soft-drink behemoth and the celebrity soccer star agreed to part this week, a decision both sides described as mutual in statements.

But Pepsi's decision to walk away from Mr. Beckham, coming as it does on the heels of a disappointing, injury-riddled second season with Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy, raises questions over whether Mr. Beckham's marketability is fading along with his footwork.
The soccer celebrity -- who is married to former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham -- signed a much ballyhooed deal with MLS in 2007 that could be worth up to $250 million over five years.

Shortly after that deal was signed, Mr. Beckham split with one of his largest sponsors, Gillette. Reports on the cause of the split differed: Some said Mr. Beckham wanted more control over his image than Gillette would allow. Others said the move to the U.S., where soccer is a minor sport, made Mr. Beckham less useful to Gillette because it lowered his profile in Europe and Asia, where the brand used him most.

Adidas, Motorola deals
Mr. Beckham still has global deals with Adidas and Motorola, but his pact with the struggling handset-maker expires in June.

In a statement responding to questions, Motorola, which recently featured Mr. Beckham as part of its RAZR2 phone campaign in Asia, said it was "very pleased" with him and his global appeal. The company declined to comment about its interest in renewing Mr. Beckham's deal or whether talks were already in progress.

While the actual cause of Mr. Beckham's splits with Pepsi and Gillette is unknown, it's worth noting that he's among the most expensive sports endorsers in the world, which may make it more difficult for marketers to fit him in tightening budgets. His expired Gillette contract, for instance, reportedly paid him upwards of $10 million over a three-year period, and a fourth-year option declined by Gillette would have been for at least $5 million more. Given the performance of his team and the relative obscurity of the league in the U.S., it may not be as cost effective as it once was for marketers like Gillette owner Procter & Gamble and Pepsi to link up with Mr. Beckham when a strong player in a higher-profile league may come a lot cheaper.

Mr. Beckham's split with Pepsi comes after reports during the summer that he was weighing launching his own line of bottled waters.

'Nothing but good memories'
In a statement, Mr. Beckham said: "I have nothing but good memories of my 10-year association with Pepsi. Along the journey, I've played a gladiator, a cowboy and a surfer, and worked alongside Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez as well as some of the biggest names in world football. I hope everyone who has seen the work Pepsi and I have done together enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed making it and, who knows, there may yet be another chapter in this long relationship."

Pepsi said: "We wish David well with the many projects he is pursuing and look forward to the possibility of partnering together with him again someday."