Wal-Mart Sells $199 Ubuntu Linux Computer
October 31, 2007
Linux, the free operating system that’s a perpetual underdog in the desktop market, will get another chance this holiday season at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
The variant of Linux on the gPC is called gOS and is derived from the popular Ubuntu variant.
This is great news, it’s roughly 100 dollars less expensive than a Vista box, because no one has to pay Microsoft. Cool Beans!
Related Posts:
Digitas Launches Blank Page Marketing Campaign for Miller Brewing
October 31, 2007
We don’t even know where to start.
The all flash site is a virtual blank page in Google. It’s unspiderable content violates Google Guidelines.
Use a text browser such as Lynx to examine your site, because most search engine spiders see your site much as Lynx would. If fancy features such as JavaScript, cookies, session IDs, frames, DHTML, or Flash keep you from seeing all of your site in a text browser, then search engine spiders may have trouble crawling your site.
We ourselves were confused with the lack of rhyme or reason with it’s flash navigation.  Taking us several seconds to understand how to even enter the site.
We actually had trouble finding the site in the first place due to the fact that it didn’t rank well in Google for the keywords we thought it reasonable to find it under until we found a news article that told us the proper URL to find it under, sparks.com
After visiting the site and finally entering it’s age check process, we then found a ‘wild’ entrance scrolling in random directions.
We initally laughed because generally speaking, our job is to correct sites like this (meaning that the client, in this case Miller Brewing would hire us to fix this site so it actually is visible to Google).
As it stands now this is exactly what Google can view from the site.
As you can tell, not much at all.
In short, from an SEO standpoint the site requires extreme amounts of work to get it to comply with Google Guidelines.  From a marketing standpoint, we can’t figure if it will work or not… mostly because people appear to be having a hard time finding the site in the first place (as we did).
In short, sites like these generally are the reason firms like Yooter InterActive Marketing exist.
Related Posts:
Google’s Stock just hit the roof - over $700 a share
October 31, 2007
Google’s Stock just Hit the roof over $700 a share.
Some say this is madness. Â Other say it’s just a reflection of how technologically backwards the other media companies are.
The point is that Google is a media company.
Is it a bubble? We don’t know.  We do know however that it’s a reality that most Advertising Agencies need to address.   They are still allocating nearly all their resources to print and TV.. lack any internal SEO skillset (but they try to bill for it) but the reality on the ground isn’t showing what their resources are allocated towards.
Related Posts:
Adage : there are only 10 interactive firms worth purchasing
October 31, 2007
A week after detailing the 20 hottest digital ad agency prospects, another AdAge piece now estimates that there are only about 10 unspecified shops currently worth the consideration of private equity firms.
And within that group, the banker tells AdAge that every other broker and PE firm has called all 10 of those guys at least three times.
Forbes Magazine had some additional commentary however it’s worth noting that if a banker wants an SEO firm (generally speaking the SEO firms have been growing faster than even the Interactive firms), the pickings are even smaller. Only about 5 agencies out there that would qualify as larger. (Trust us, we got calls right and left regarding it).
Funny thing is the list is specified, it’s on Google.
One of the Owners of an SEO firm listed noted that he was offered a P/E of 65 just as recently as last week.
“It’s madness, the interactive firms think their services are in demand.. have one of them sit in my chair for a few minutes.. half those guys outsource their SEO to us.” the CEO said.
Related Posts:
Google has overtaken Britain’s top commercial channel
October 30, 2007
This should send shivers down the broadcast industry:Â
Google’s headline advertising revenues surpassed ITV1’s in the third quarter as the search engine demonstrated it could generate more money from sponsored links than 30-second commercials in Coronation Street.
An analysis for The Times shows that Google generated £327 million in advertising between July and September, compared with an estimated £317 million for all of ITV1 across the UK during the same three-month period.
That is the first quarter in which Google has overtaken Britain’s top commercial channel and came despite ITV1 reaping an advertising boost from the Rugby World Cup.
Think about it, What was just stated is that Google is now not the ‘upcoming player’ ..  upcoming players have less revenue… what just happened is today it’s noted that a search engine blew out the largest broadcast player in the UK.
Did that sink in yet?Â
TV < Internet
 Was that phrased right? No? Let me try this.
Money made from Broadcast < Money made online
Did that work? No?
Traditional Ad Agency < InterActive Agency
How about that?
Related Posts:
The Master Chief might be sipping a Pepsi if Ad Agencies have their way
October 29, 2007
�
Several Advertising Agencies are trying to offer ‘free video games’ — with a catch.
Just like in movies, there are to be paid placements of products.
Like Halo 3 ? Next time you play the Master Chief might be sipping a Pepsi. Playing some Grand Theft Auto, the billboards might be offering you Nike Sneakers. This has been done before, what hasn’t is that the games they are trying to push would be paid for by Pepsi, Nike and a whole host of other companies. The games they are trying to get are not cheap games, they are full fledged commerical versions of already popular games.
How do we know about this?� Well because we were asked to join in on the fun. Of course we declined,� � spamming kids with ads for Pepsi isn’t exactly our cup of tea. The ‘Free Game’ program is slated to be announced in 2008 when they get all their advertisers in a row and signed on.
There will be two versions of the same game, one with ads and one without. You buy the ad-free version you play for free the ad filled version.
Mechanically this is how it will work. Each time you play the game offline, a default set of ads show up. If you play online, it ‘calls home’ and displays whatever ad is there for the moment.
You could even play multiplayer with ads-free and ads versions, the diffrence is one of them will have ‘game ads’ and the other one will have whatever billboards the creater wanted for look and feel.
The Entire Concept sends shivers down our spine… hence why we are not part of the group… in fact we were offended enough to out them on Tribble Ad Agency.
Related Posts:
Official Apple iPod Touch Ad (Created by a Student) - Ad Agency shivers
October 29, 2007
In an unusual move, Apple will be airing a new television ad that started as a student project, according to The New York Times. The new iPod touch ad will began airing on Sunday.
This states much, like a random student can make a ‘just as good if not better’ quality ad than a high priced advertising agency.
We applaud this move by Apple. We have been stating for years that the overall Business Model of Advertising Agencies are wrong. They are rewarded for crap products. Literally.
If they design a site that doesn’t rank in Google, they then get to charge for additional PPC management fees. In some cases, that is the intention. In other cases, it’s not the intention, but lack of skill set within your agency.
Related Posts:
MSN’s Waterboarding Ad - Someone needs a new Ad Agency
October 28, 2007
I think someone at Microsoft’s MSN advertising agency needs a dictionary.
Waterboarding is not Wakeboarding
Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water behind a boat
Waterboarding is a form of torture which consists of immobilizing an individual and pouring water over his or her face to simulate drowning. Waterboarding has been used to obtain information, coerce confessions, and also to punish, and/or intimidate. It elicits the gag reflex, and can make the subject believe his or her death is imminent
This was the ad that was rotated on YouTube.
We were able to duplicate this at least once.
Microsoft must be going political with their ads, because this is totally off the wall… or an honest mistake.
Related Posts:
Hi Res Picture of a former NFL Stadium of the Pottsville Maroons
October 26, 2007
Believe it or not, this photo is where a 1925 NFL football championship was held. Don’t believe us? Then Read this about the Pottsville Maroons
You can also click on the image to get the full picture.
Related Posts:
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell : The NFL doesn’t have any “cojones.”
October 26, 2007
In the candid letter Rendell calls the NFL owners “cowardly barons” and suggests that the vast majority of owners lack “cojones.”
The NFL eventually is going to need a better advertising agency to counter, because this Pottsville Maroons story is reaching crisis management levels.  The NFL has refused to notice that a huge movement has taken place to right a wrong that happened in 1925
One thing is for sure, this issue isn’t going away. Since ESPN went militant on them for giving a team the shaft.
Related Posts:
Recognized by Advertising Age Magazine as top Power 150 news outlet for Advertising and Marketing.
Recognized and listed in Google News. Don't stress, we're Satire
Ad Agency Advertising
