Saw this during the Stanley Cup Finals, but have been ruminating on it a bit.

Now, I'm not the world's biggest feminist, and I'm certain my perspective has changed with the birth of daughters, but I found myself wondering: aren't we above this?

I mean, the sexual tie-in is just so weak. It's like

"ok, here's our product, now let's spend a bunch of time and money getting you to fantasize about hot women."

Am I getting too old and jaded here? Too cynical?

At least it's not a new perspective for me, as I blogged here.

If you are buying advertising, how do you know you are getting "a good deal?"

There's no market clearinghouse for advertising a la Nasdaq that allows you to see what the prices are across the web.

Well, my friend Amar Goel just pinged me with the launch of his new service, an AdPrice Index to help answer that question. 

An interesting addition to the transparent Web...

(Add me to your RSS reader)

At least one part of the ad inventory that MS has purchased on Facebook seems to be directed at existing MS employees on Facebook.

Good for them.

In building a community of passionate evangelists/advocates, one of the best (if not the best) place to start is with your existing employees.

So, I see the ad on my FB homepage and click on over to the Microspotting site which then offers me the chance to connect to the Workin' It At Microsoft fan page, which I do.

And become a Fan.

And now, whoever is in charge of this effort (big kudos to you, btw), has a group of 672 people (some are employees, other potential employees) who WANT to have a tighter relationship

This is also a great example of the power of advertising within a social network. Since I've previously identified myself as a Microsoft employee and become part of the MS network, it is ridiculously easy to target an ad to me.

Comes back to the idea of the megaphone. Empower those already interested with more info so they can go out and "spread the gospel."

It's been said by Seth and Andy, "Do something worth talking about..." (Part 2 is: 'make it easy for people to tell their friends.")

Now this is Creative and Amazing Advertising! (thanks to my Aunt Susan for the forward)

I saw this ad and thought, "how offensive to women, it implies they can be bought." (For more on my perspetive, see the end of misogyny in advertising)

My wife's reaction: "the only way a man can become valued to a woman is through the purchase of a diamond. How shallow."

Either way, another lesson in how your intentions (my hunch is these weren't the feelings the advertisers wanted to elicit) can be misinterpreted.

Of course, I did notice it and it did get a reaction (good), but it didn't want to make either of us buy (not good).

Thougths?

Much of the blogosphere has been lit up with Facebook's new ad platform.

It's pretty impressive. It's an automated, scaleable Raving Fan Strategy that can lead directly to sales.

The other night, I made a car reservation on Hotwire and as I checked out, got a message that said basically, "would it be ok if we mentioned that Jeremy got a great deal on Hotwire on your Facebook news feed?"

Whoa!

And just like that, everyone knows what I did.

I should have taken a screen shot. Very impressive.

I'm not recommending that you go out and parody convenience stores to build buzz for your events, but I am asking you to think: What can we do that is consistent with our product or service that will get people talking?

This is a great story and a great business story.

With DVR's, it's old news that people don't watch commercials anymore. Product placement was the next evolution and as I watched the Apprentice lat night, (yes, I still do), the bulk of the storyline centered on Renuzit's Super Odor Neutralizer.

So, here's what's interesting...

On Tuesday night, I left a pot on the stove for too long (while I was down in my 'man cave') and the house was filled with smoke (the detectors went off and everything).

For 24 hours, we were trying to rid the house of the smell. Opened windows, lit scented candles, boiled cinnamon, washed some blankets and the works.

On Wed. night, I watched the show, but despite the fact that I was consumed with the idea of getting the smoky smell out of my house, I didn't put it all together.

Then, on Thurs. AM, it clicks...hey, this product can solve my current problem (if it does what it claims to do).

As luck would have it, my neighbor calls and asks if there's anything we need from the store. Usually, I hand the phone to my wife, but this time, I said:

"Yes, I need Renuzit's Super Odor Neutralizer, if you can find it."

And then I said, "and if you can't, don't get me anything."

A couple of questions have since popped into my mind.

1. let's say I saw the Apprentice Renuzit episode 1 week ago, would I still remember the product name or its benefits when the problem arose this week?
2. why did I say to my neighbor "this is the only one I want." ( i think it's because I want to see if it actually works the way they claimed on the Apprentice commercial w/in a show format)

Suffice it to say, if it had been a regular commercial during a different show, I NEVER would have seen it.

And, weird enough, I slowed down the DVR playback to actually watch a real Renuzit commercial during the Apprentice, just to see how they presented it.

I couldn't tell you any other product that was advertised during a commercial of that show, but I

1. saw the episode telling a story about Renuzit
2. had the brand reinforced by willingly watching the commercial
3. have a pressing problem that this product may solve
4. am insisting on trying it (since my other methods aren't working fully)

Just a strange series of events that make me think about how I am influenced by advertisers in a DVR/Internet world.

(update: my neighbor couldn't find the product at CVS. We're going to try Costco and Shoppers)

(2nd update: my wife went to Costco. No luck. Not so good on the demand fulfillment side,huh?)

I love the game and I love the ads, but what really stood out at me during yesterday's game was the now-famous Doritos ad that was developed (allegedly) for $12.

All I could think about was some big ad exec on Madison Ave. thinking "oh man, this is NOT good" as he thinks about his million dollar business going down the tube (pun somewhat intended).