Marketing magazine's doing a terrific job of covering the Canadian Marketing Association's second annual Marketing Week.

The trade mag reports that during viral video expert Kevin Nalty's keynote address, he "illustrated the cost-effectiveness of YouTube for marketers by referring to a recent effort for the TV recording system Tivo. The campaign generated one million views. Of those one million views, how many of those views needed to turn into sales for the campaign to break even, he asked the audience. The answer: 0.0035%.

Read More >> Simon Houpt chats with General Electric CMO Beth Comstock. In Created, he praises a brilliant promotion by Cossette for IronKore, "a new fitness centre emphasizing strength training." In Noted, Houpt brings us Erik Proulx, an out-of-work copywriter who turned being downsized into a chance to reinvent himself. And in Quoted, he reports on Harry Rosen's less-than-stellar foray into social networking.

Read More >> Immunity boaster
Bad news: breakfast cereals apparently don't cure cancer. Under pressure from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Kellogg is pledging to remove big, bold claims from boxes of Rice Krispies and Cocoa Krispies that the cereals help boost immunity. Parents and public health professionals said consumers could be misled into thinking the cereals could help fight H1N1. Last spring, Kellogg's had to pull ads that claimed Frosted Mini-Wheats improved the attentiveness of children by 20 per cent. Hey parents, do you know what really improves kids' health? Not feeding them sugary crap for breakfast.

Read More >> Because it's still Friday, something frosty. As in cold and refreshing.

In a piece that appeared on AdAge.com earlier this week, the trade mag summarizes findings from a new study by Mindset Media.

The research firm, which specializes in psychographics, "interviewed more than 2,600 people online in August and September and found specific personalities and mind-sets 'popped' for more than half a dozen branded beer choices."

Read More >> Because it's Friday, something fun.

"A good definition of copywriting is any form of writing designed to persuade you to do something (usually involving parting with money). The most common advice is to keep it brief, remember your target audience and have a clear 'ask.'"

So says author Ken Habarta on the blog of British freelance team Asbury & Asbury. Habarta published the post in support of his new book, Bank Notes, a "collection of actual demand notes used in unarmed bank robberies."

Not surprisingly, Habarta thinks bank robbers are natural copywriters.

Read More >> In an article that ran Tuesday, Adweek reported that Toronto-based-company Cookie Jar Entertainment has just launched Jaroo, a site with 50 TV shows aimed directly at kids.

"Like Hulu, the Web site features TV shows that can be watched for free. Each 22-minute episode contains up to 90 seconds of commercials that cannot be skipped," the trade mag writes.

Read More >> Embracing the future or just jumping on the bandwagon?

Ad Age reports that PepsiCo's Mountain Dew "will hand off marketing duties, at least temporarily, for a $100 million-plus business to several potentially unknown players selected by consumers."

It's a brassy move. Essentially, the brand plans to crowdsource the decision about who provides creative and production for three new line extensions: Distortion, Whiteout and Typhoon.

"Digital advertising and point-of-sale materials could also become a part of the mix," Ad Age notes. "Once the flavors and advertising break in April 2010, consumers will vote to determine which flavor will become a permanent part of the...line-up."

So will it work?

Read More >> Strategy has just published Canada's first augmented-reality magazine cover to celebrate its 20th annual Agency of the Year awards.

"The cover, created by Toronto agency Secret Location, pictures a glyph which triggers a set of three 3D animated images when set in front of a webcam, enabling what is essentially three magazine covers in one," Media in Canada's Carey Toane writes. "The three images are graphic representations of this year's AOY, Media AOY and B!G award winners and the campaigns that earned them those titles."



Read More >> Simon Houpt looks at the challenges health organizations face as they try to craft appropriate messages for H1N1-related ads. In Created, he brings us Environmental Defence and Forest Ethics' new campaign, "launching something called Moms Against Climate Change to raise awareness of the upcoming Copenhagen conference." In Noted, Houpt wonders whether winery Yellow Tail "$2-million bet" is "the largest ad buy the domestic market has ever seen. (The entire annual wine industry marketing spend in Canada is somewhere in the neighbourhood of $10-million.)" And in Quoted, he reports on a keynote speech delivered by Peter Aceto, president and CEO of ING Direct Canada, during the Canadian Marketing Association's direct marketing conference that was held last week.

Read More >> Ahh, Richard Branson, we never tire of your antics. We see from a press release on our desk that you're about to bring us National Fearless Day (Nov. 19), when Canadians will be urged to throw off their inhibitions and do something crazy: ski naked, take a luge run, make a naughty home movie. We're told it's tied to your new "Fearless" campaign for Virgin Mobile, but it makes us uncomfortable. You see, when we think of you, Sir Richard, we think of Virgin Air. And the notion of a fearless airline pilot makes us, well, fearful.

Read More >> The Globe and Mail's annual sales conference, held Oct. 7 and 8 at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, afforded us the opportunity to hear from industry experts and some of our key advertisers.

Their insights and perspectives are worth sharing. We captured them on video for your enjoyment! Click the link below to view the first of three sessions - Nancy Evans, Senior VP of Environics, who was presenting about Canada's changing demographics and the importance of the Boomer segment over the coming decades.


Read More >> Because it's Friday, and almost Halloween, something fun.

Cartoonist and graphic novelist Chris Ware's crisply drawn illustration depicts trick-or-treaters whose faces glow in the reflected light of an open door. Meanwhile, chaperoning parents' faces also glow--but in the reflected lights of their mobile phones.

Read More >>