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Radio-enabled Cellphones: A Lifeline for Communities or the

Industry?
Published on April 13, 2011
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A NAB panel discussion on “Radio-Ready Cellphones: Benefitting Consumers and Broadcasters,”

reminded attendees that broadcast radio is a lifeline—a way to get information to many people

inexpensively and quickly, especially in an emergency. Emmis Communications CEO Jeffrey Smulyan

noted: “On March 11, millions of Japanese lost some or all of their cell service” during the aftermath of

the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, Smulyan said. Brian Josef, assistant vice president of

regulatory affairs for CTIA – The Wireless Association, disputed the assertion that cell networks

routinely become overloaded and fail. So, indeed among other benefits for radio-enabled cell phones,

the panel discussed how an FM chip in devices would allow radio to provide couponing from a phone,

an economic “lifeline” for radio, for example. “Near a point-of-purchase we can provide a call to

action. We think it’s a game-changer for [radio] and a benefit to wireless services, said Smulyan. The

reporting by Radio World’s Leslie Stimson is available here.

Rival UK Newspapers Band Together for Advertising

Campaigns
Published on April 07, 2011
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 The UK’s biggest national newspapers are joining forces to offer brands a collective advertising

package that will facilitate ads sales in their own and their rivals’ titles. The new strategy is being

tested around the Wimbledon tennis tournament. The package guarantees brands positioning

alongside Wimbledon editorial across a broad reach of titles, from tabloid to broadsheet. Major

newspapers such as The Sun, Daily Mail, The Independent, The Guardian, Daily Mirror, The Times,

Daily Telegraph and all their sister and Sunday titles are involved, writes marketingweek.co.uk.
 The consumer magazine business continued its modest recovery in the first quarter of this

year, according to the latest figures from the Publishers Information Bureau. Total ad pages

increased 2.5% from 34,885 in the first three months of 2010 to 35,755 during the same period of

2011. Total rate-card revenue increased 6.1% from $4 billion to $4.3 billion. This marks the fourth

consecutive quarter to see both ad pages and revenue increase since the industry turned a corner in

the second quarter of 2010. Read the story from mediapost.com here.
Company Paints Homes Like Billboards, Pays Mortgage
Published on April 11, 2011
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“We’re looking for houses to paint. In fact, paint is an understatement. We’re looking for homes to

turn into billboards. In exchange, we’ll pay your mortgage every month for as long as your house

remains painted . Here are a few things we’re looking for. You must own your home. It cannot be

rented or leased. We’ll paint the entire outside of the house, minus the roof, the windows and any

awnings…” This from mobile advertisers Adzookie.com. Adzookie launched the offer on its website last

week—and received more than 1,000 applications before the day’s end. The home billboard scheme

has a budget of $100,000 for the entire program, reports CNN Money.

Arby’s “Flash Mob” Sings in Rain in Times Square

Published on April 08, 2011
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April showers brought karaoke power to Times Square earlier this week, as a 125-person “flash mob”

conducted a karaoke sing-along to Arby’s Restaurant Group’s new digital ad. The video for Arby’s. It’s

Good Mood Food, complete with lyrics and a bouncing roast beef sandwich to indicate pacing, was

broadcast on the jumbotron in Times Square at 47th Street and Broadway. The group performed Gene

Kelly’s dance in Singing in the Rain and helped spread a good mood to passersby, according to a

company statement. The video is here.