Selling and Advertising Articles

The Funeral: Your Last Chance to Be a Big Spender.
Consider Paul Firnstein, a retired advertising executive who moved to Ashland, Ore., from upstate New York in the early 1990s. Members of his small synagogue lacked access to the simple coffins required by Jewish law. So Mr. Firnstein, a carpenter, set about making them himself in kits that families could assemble themselves. Word spread about his business, Ark Wood Caskets, first locally and then, with Internet advertising, nationwide. His coffin kits sell for $599, and fit into a slender cardboard box.

“You can stand the box up in the garage, or put it under the pool table for when the time comes,” he says.

Mr. Firnstein also says he is fielding more calls from families interested in natural burials. Adherents of the movement wrap bodies in simple shrouds or in biodegradable coffins and bury them in woodland cemeteries.more

CMP Susquehanna Revenues Fall In “08.
In the 10-K, Radio Holdings cited the ‘decrease in demand for advertising due to the impact of the current economic recession’ for the revenue falloff. The company said the decline was partly offset by $2.8 million in added political revenue in 2008 and added, ‘Management is focused on preserving our operating income and cash flows from operations by reducing our variable costs in an effort to keep pace with the current downturn in demand for advertising.’

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Tech mutual funds performing well as niche firms defy market fall.
‘In advertising, Google continues to take a larger piece of the advertising pie, even when advertising has been contracting on a whole,’ Jacob said.

In normal times, such companies might enjoy revenue growth of as much as 30 percent per year. ‘Now, even in a declining economy, they can still grow in the double-digits,’ Jacob said. ‘Maybe it”s just half the rate they”re accustomed to, but the fact that they are still growing in this economy is why you are seeing so much investor interest in tech.’

Another enticement for tech investors is the stash of cash that many tech companies are now holding. Eventually, Jacob said, many tech firms will resume buying back their own shares, which should drive tech share prices up further.

A big hurdle for tech companies is their corporate clients” reluctance to spend cash amid the credit crunch.more

Salinas natives return to area as partners in love and business.
Van Horn had started his own advertising/design business and, because he had quite a few clients in Salinas, he said the move back made sense. Also, with both their families and so many friends still in the area, Haas concurred that it was easy for them to come ‘home.’

Settling in a house along River Road, the newlyweds hope to grow Lure Ad and Design, their advertising firm, as quickly as possible. Asked about the unusual name and logo that features a jumping fish, Van Horn explained that not only do they enjoy outdoor activities but their mission is to help their clients ‘catch the consumer”s attention.’

Working now as a team, Haas says their backgrounds are complementary. While she focuses on the media and advertising aspects of the business, her husband handles the design and publishing chores.more

France”s TF1 in talks to buy TV assets from AB.
Paolini would not comment on first quarter advertising sales trends at TF1, telling Reuters: ‘You can well imagine that in the current climate, advertising revenue cannot be good’.

TF1 has so far given no guidance for 2009 advertising revenue at its flagship TF1 channel which last year fell 4.1 percent.

In February, TF1 predicted that consolidated revenue would fall by 9 percent in 2009 as a global economic crisis weighed on advertising spending and household consumption. Continued…

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UK ADVERTISING FIRST FROM GUARDIAN UNLIMITED.
In a UK media first, Guardian Unlimited is launching new in-house built technology that allows the new IAB advertising format MPU slots to disappear when not in use.

A traditional large rectangle MPU advertisement slot appears in the middle of an article and would be filled with a house advert on pages that weren”t served with a campaign. However, Guardian Unlimited”s new technology allows the article simply to close up and the advertisement slot to disappear.

The technology enables advertisers to reach consumers in an impactful, stand-out manner without causing irritation or over familiarity to users. The technology launches this week with a campaign for Ford on Guardian Unlimited Football. The MPU advertisements appear in the center of articles. Other advertising on the page disappears, creating a premium advertising environment.more

Over 10000 ravers attend "420 Festival" in Redlands.
Jeff Ryan Dillard, owner and CEO of Motive Media, said Sunday that the company starts advertising its events six or seven months in advance, and when he first started throwing the parties at Pharaoh”s, he wasn”t required to have an age limit.

In February, when Bueermann requested the events be restricted to people 18 and older, the advertising for Saturday”s event had already been designed and printed.

‘We had some kids turned away,’ Dillard said. ‘We will be issuing refunds to those kids, 100 percent.’

Dillard said Motive Events” future in Redlands is in doubt. Motive Events has electronic dance events scheduled for May 30 and June 13, he said.

‘It”s up in the air if we”re going to do them at Pharaoh”s,’ Dillard said.

‘We feel like we”re not wanted there.more

Enlighten yourself in the world of advertising.
The advertising scenario of the mid 1990s, when I was first exposed to this world after my graduation from College of Art (Delhi), was substantially different from the current one. We came out of college dreaming of big campaigns and big agencies, and remunerations were never a priority. We just wanted to do some good work with big names such as JWT, Leo Burnett and Mudra.

But now, the focus is changing. Today, when youngsters step out of college, they are much more exposed and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities, thanks to the massive reach of the Internet and other media.

They have realistic goals in their minds and are willing to experiment more with the type of work they want to do and the industry they want to be in. The digital revolution has also substantially affected the current scenario with new avenues for aspirants and people taking the digital leap.more

When worlds collide: Celebrities in games.
If they”re not in our games, they”re advertising them. Celebrity advertising is definitely on the up. Blizzard uses celebrities such as Mr T to promote its World Of Warcraft series, while its partner Activision has started to use famous faces to recreate the Risky Business underwear scene for Guitar Hero: World Tour .

Nintendo has also produced a series of celebrity-soaked adverts, with the likes of Ronan Keating, Girls Aloud and Louise Redknapp all showing their appreciation for Professor Layton and Wii Fit among others.

Celebrities and video game advertising isn”t a completely new-fangled idea though. Anarchic comedian Rik Mayall was once the face of Nintendo in the UK. And who could possibly forget his hilarious Street Fighter II and Mario All-Stars adverts?

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Manager says it”s time to buy at the bottom.
That equates to potential for solid increases in cable advertising. ‘You”re buying a viewer who”s somewhat aligned with what you”re trying to sell, and you”re getting to air that message at what we think is a very attractive value to that end consumer,’ he said. Discovery Communications offers what Scheuer views as the only pure play for taking advantage of that potential for cable advertising growth. Other companies like Disney, Viacom and Time Warner all offer programming, but they have a lot of other businesses in their mix as well. Discovery Communications has a ‘nice blend of offensive and defensive characteristics,’ Scheuer said. About half the company”s revenue is from affiliate fees that are paid by TV operators, and the other half is from cable advertising, he said. The company also has some interesting opportunities on the horizon, including a 50-50 joint venture that will rebrand its Discovery Health Channel as the Oprah Channel, Scheuer said.more