• There's about to be an advertising show down between K-Y and Zestra, both of which make products to help with female sexual arousal. Zestra is a small brand but it's hoping that the wealth of clinical research it has done will help it compete.
• A bunch of middle-aged or outright old and rich white guys, all of whom preside over professional sports leagues, talk branding and other issues.
• I don't think "prepare" is the right word. I actually think TV stations are salivating over the estimated $1 billion that's about to be dropped on the upcoming Presidential campaign. One way they could handle the overflow of candidates looking for ad time is to divert some of them to the web.

• Microsoft is on the cusp of launching a $500 million campaign for the debut of its Vista operating system. That buys a lot of TV spots and banner ads but, ironically, only about a dozen copies of the software itself.
• With all the stories that have been printed lately about how Crispin Porter & Bogusky and how its work hasn't actually helped its clients, it's not that surprising to see a story like this that reminds us how wonderful and creative they are.
  
• Marketers are questioning just who the glamorous productions that are the upfront presentations are actually meant for. Networks could start to rein in how extravagant their shows are in the future under pressure that these are more shows than they are business meetings.

So many dumb moments in business, so little time. But Business 2.0 mag has their picks for the 101 dumbest of 2006.

Wal-Mart is #1, for hiring a big firm to create their "Candidate Wal-Mart" campaign. #2 is Northwest Airlines, for giving their employees a "How To Save Money" booklet after laying them off. #3 is the contest McDonald's held in Japan, with the winners getting free mp3 players with a virus on them. The rest of the top 10 are GM, Kazakhstan, Steve Wynn, The New York Times, Spirit Air, Porter County, and Comcast.

There are 101 in all, so grab a hot beverage and get comfortable. You can't see the entire list on one page, which is a little annoying, but there is a handy scroll function at the bottom.

• Mediaedge:cia has been picked by Federated Department Stores as their new agency of record. The change came after the complete lack of review and will include national planning and buying for Macy's.
• The drastically reduced print spending by major auto companies is at least one factor - albeit likely a big one - in Time's decision to cut almost 300 staffers. The decreased ad revenue was just too big a hit for the publisher to take.
  
• It should be as no surprise to anyone who's seen the spots that Orville "Deadenbacher" is creeping consumers way the heck out. A reanimated dead guy who wears as iPod while he's microwaving popcorn...yeah...it's creepy.

Introductory Note: Rounding up all of the goodness that is the world of television cross-promotion.

Continue reading Cross Promotion Junction: 1/19/06

• Over 11 hours of airtime has been devoted just to the commercials.
• 221 different advertisers have bought spots.
• Over 1,400 spots have aired.
• $1.72 billion has been spent by advertisers just on buying the spots. That doesn't include production costs.
• Just the top five advertisers have spent $613.4 million.
• The cost of a spot has quadrupled in that time. That means it was roughly $500,000 or so for a spot in 1987.

• Yet another prediction for 2007. This one comes from TNS Media Intelligence, who forecasts only a 2.6 percent rise in ad spending this year. Keep in mind, though, that TNS does not include keyword search buying in their calculations. The firm also says inflation is being held down by expanding inventory.
  
• Kevin Rose and Jay Adelson of Digg get a big wet sloppy blow job in this interview about Digg competitors, the Diggnation podcast and their new company Revision3. And what's with the "AdAge Digital rang up the duo..." line? Yeah, it was spur of the moment and they both were around with press-ready quotes. Mmmm-hmmm.
• Google keeps chugging along despite the efforts of all sorts of competition. And their competitors are spending a whole lot more (Google spends practically nothing) on marketing their products but have little market share strength to show for it.
• Despite hopes that it would go away, the issue of hiring minorities is likely going to stick around in 2007. Renewed vigor in the Democratic party and other factors are going to take the issue to a more national level.

• Time Inc. decided to get started early on the layoffs they had planned for January. They gave pink slips to 27 mid-level staffers in the consumer marketing department.
  
• Ford has an $80 million push lined up for their Edge CUV. One of the biggest aspects of the campaign will be a MSN-hosted microsite that will list get-togethers for adults. Microsoft has guaranteed Ford a certain amount of traffic to the site but that number hasn't been disclosed.
  
• Target has signed Grupo Gallegos for a new interactive project. The Hispanic agency had previously been in the running to do some work for Wal-Mart.
  

• Procter & Gamble says they will not cut marketing budgets haphazardly in order to meet goals for profit margins. Instead they'll simply focus on making sure they're getting the best ROI for their dollar, which is sort of smart.
• Dove is asking its customers to submit their own ads for possible airing during the next Academy Awards broadcast. Specifically, they're looking for 30-second spots about their Dove Cream Oil Body Wash that are submitted to DoveCreamOil.com.
• Following a disappointing ad performance in 2006, Primedia is considering selling off its Channel One educational broadcasting network. They've reportedly been talking to companies such as Disney and others about taking over the station, which is sent to classrooms around the country.

1. Internet prices are lower than TV and allow you to get more for you dollar. So while online spending is increasing, it's not that surprising that things are taking a short breather in terms of raw numbers.
   
2. There are more TV channels than ever and more being added all the time. That means more inventory is available at a higher price.
3. TV just plain costs more and they're not afraid to raise prices because they're TV and have that kind of clout.