Google Hires Ad Agency Liaison to Find New Ways to Advertise Products

Google Inc. is now seeking to extend its brand awareness through advertising and has hired a well-known Madison Avenue executive to work with ad agencies on new ways Google products can be used in advertising. They have teamed up with Andy Berndt, co-president of WPP Group PLC's Ogilvy & Mather to be managing director of Google's newly formed Creative Lab unit. This unit's goal is to look for more creative ways Google products can used in marketing pitches. However, this new development has some on Madison Ave weary of the fact that Google may get into the creative services market and becoming the ad agencies largest competitor. On Google's side, a spokeswoman clearly stated that they are "not moving in the ad agency business" and that Google would not work with ad agencies directly. Many feel that this move is a step in the right direction for Google as they continue to grow their company and expand their services.

Google Inc now plans to launch a new digital ad format that lets marketers distribute ads that resemble mini websites through the network of sites where ads are sold. This service has been dubbed Google Gadget Ads, which include video, games, news updates, and images. For example, Six Flags has recently used Google's new ad format to promote its theme parks by creating a game called Sky-Drifter. Users can play the game where the Six Flags ad appeared or click on the ad to take them to the Six Flags website, or even add the game to their personal web sites. Advertisers can use this service to target their ads according to the web site, context, geography, or demographic.

Yahoo Avatars: A Miss With America's College Students?

Until this assignment was given to us, I had never heard of Avatars as a feature of Yahoo Messenger. I only heard about Yahoo's messenger service when my dad asked me to install it to communicate with him when he was living in Singapore. Since I did not hear about these features from my peers or from advertising, nor do I know anyone who uses Yahoo messenger, I think Yahoo has not been very effective in reaching this target market. However, another may be their market choice. Perhaps the US market is not where this feature can grow in popularity. There is Yahoo avatar's for Yahoo Asia with many different looks for the characters; from a stylish boy with his motorbike in Taipei to a older business man from Dubai, the characters had many options. I believe maybe Yahoo is making the right choice by choosing to expand features on this particular segment of the market. I think the US market and the culture is different as far as technology than Asia and that especially applies to the youth of both markets. If Yahoo were to try and re-introduce the avatar feature to American college students, Facebook should be involved. Facebook has now opened it's doors to many outside applications, and having an extension through a Facebook application for Yahoo Messenger or Avatars might motivate the college student audience to try it.

-Jane Brownfield

Evolve Already!

You've seen them on television and splashed all over Internet media. The commercial of the girl at the bar talking to a pig. Surrounding her are more pigs, all approaching or conversing with attractive girls. It seems as though the trendy bar has been converted into a pig trough where all the local derelicts come out to play. But one pig stands out from the rest, one pig outshines all the other swine. And why you might ask, why does he outshine the others? Because, he's got a condom.



It seemed like I'd been waiting forever for a condom ad to really rip men a new one in terms of personal responsibility. In previous years condom companies advertised couples romping in various locations and making off-color cheeky jokes that neither made us pay attention, or they deterred us from condom purchasing. But now Trojan had something else up their sleeves. The marketing team must have been thinking "Hmmm, what can we say that's going to make our consumers say to themselves 'Ouch, let me take another look at myself and make some necessary changes'. " I think the ads themselves are brilliant. I know much of popular media has given them flack for their positioning in mainstream, prime-time television. However, I feel that the move to place them directly in front of the consumer was excellent. All the ad was simplistic in it's concept: Guy gets out condom, guy gets girl, it was a great one in its simplicity. Basic men can understand the ad. And even if they don't remember or care about it, it makes an impression on everyone else.


I think that the idea for the ad was great in theory and execution. I've thought about it a total of, well, many times since it aired. That's what makes the ad so groundbreaking. Men are finally being made to take responsibility for "wrapping it up" and being safe. I'm happy the change has been made. Hopefully men can use this a s a reference point from now on-- don't let me the jerk who gets you pregnant or gives you HPV.

How awful would it be if a month down the line you had to tell someone, "Hi, sorry about the baby and all" ? And all she had to reply with was "yeah, well you're a pig."


^ ^
WRAP IT UP! (00)


--Corey Fitzgerald

My Avatar or My Twin?

No no, I'm not serious. But I did create an avatar forever ago. It was when I had long hair, really tan skin from running outside all the time, and a very slender face. Yahoo did an alright job with making my attributes as true to me as possible, but I wonder, what about all the different ethnic diversities that the US has to offer? If there are so many different races and types of people out there, why are we trying to create generic cartoon images of ourselves that aren't representational, nor are they functional?


Come on yahoo! Give us something else to work with.


What is your opinion, dear reader, about our manifestation through inanimate cartoons? Should it accepted as popular trend, or shunned as just a silly attempt at World Wide Web genericide?

--Corey Fitzgerald