President Obama is expected to propose offering to trim the amount of payroll taxes employers pay. Here are five things business owners can expect if it passes. 
09/11/2011
Casual Mobile Advergames - For Cats!
Puss In Boots, boot up your tablet - Friskies has released not one but three Games for Cats advergames playable in any tablet browser thanks to the magic of HTML5/CSS3. The games don't scale down to the phone screen size, though, so smaller cats are out of luck. The games are Cat Fishing, Tasty Treasures Hunt, and Party Mix-Up. Cats like.
Now waiting for a study on the advergames's effect on feline brand recognition.
Sofa-Shaped Popcorn Bags Sell Sofas
Sofa-shaped popcorn bags promote a sofa event at a department store in Brazil to the tune of a 17% increase in sofa sales, according to Ogilvy Brasil, the agency behind the stunt. Don't think I've seen popcorn bags used as an ad medium before. Very nice.
09/10/2011
The Fast Show returns, on the internet
Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson and friends follow Alan Partridge to the web, thanks to lager brand sponsorship
They say the old jokes are the best. Literally, it seems, when it comes to the internet and mid-90s comedies, with The Fast Show the latest much-loved but long-departed show to be revived on the web.
The series created by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson will follow Alan Partridge and Vic and Bob back on to our (computer) screens having been recommissioned not by a broadcaster, but a brand of lager.
The idea that the internet is a natural home for comedy is hardly new ? but the drift of established comedy talent online, away from established broadcasters, is a more recent phenomenon. "We are in an industry that looks for constant refreshment ? not only are the shows changed every few years, but so are the channel controllers and commissioners," said Henry Normal, managing director of Baby Cow, the production company he set up with Steve Coogan.
Alan Partridge's Mid-Morning Matters was watched by more than 3 million people on the web last year. Creating new episodes for well-loved characters ? the Fast Show will feature all of the original cast save Mark Williams, including Caroline Aherne and Simon Day ? makes business sense for the brand paying for the comedy, with exclusive content perceived as having benefits that sponsored or badged branding cannot bring.
Fosters, which commissioned The Fast Show, Vic and Bob and Alan Partridge, sees comedy as an increasingly boom area, with comedians filling stadiums in the manner of music stars.
"I definitely see us commissioning more and more comedy," said Gayle Harrison, marketing manager for the lager brand. Normal, too, sees brands commissioning comedy content as a likely area for expansion. "It's a massive growth area. Absolutely massive," he said. "There's also a big growth of it in the US as well."
The brands' typically hands-off approach to commissioning ? Fosters says it will not let the shows bring the brand into disrepute, but otherwise demands no editorial control ? is appealing to comedians, as is the freedom to broadcast shorter sketches.
"Vic and Bob were very clever to do a sketch a day," said Normal. "It was a very different aesthetic."
Broadcasters, however, are unlikely to find themselves cut out of the comedy process altogether. As long as there are jokes, there will always be comedians who want to be on TV.
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Here Are This Week's Winners And Losers In Sports
It was a topsy-turvy week in the world of sports.
One of the best players in the NFL learned he may have a career-ending injury. One college football team set the NCAA record for Wackiest Uniforms Worn In A Game. And one sport, our beloved football, triumphantly returned to television sets across the nation.
LOSER: Peyton Manning
Peyton had yet another neck surgery this week in a last-ditch effort to correct a potentially career-ending injury.
This news hurts his Colts teammates, Indy fans, and Manning fantasy owners, but more than anything it's just sad news a guy who could have his legendary career cut short.
LOSER: Plaxico Burress
Plax followed in LeBron's footsteps by committing one of the cardinal sins for athletes — patronizing the lives of fans.
Here's what he told Men's Journal about fans who were happy he went to jail:
"What are you doing now? You still mad at your job? You still angry about your life? 'Cause I’m back living my life and enjoying my family while you’re still doing the same thing."
LOSER: Rex Ryan
Always contemptuous, Ryan stepped over the line this week by threatening Cowboys fans.
In an interview Ryan warned Dallas fans that they ought not wear their Cowboys gear at MetLife Stadium.
Yes, it was said in some degree of jest, but still, you can't say stuff like that given all the tragedies at sporting events this summer.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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See Also:
- FIXING COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Coaches Across The Country Tell Us How It Can Be Done
- How Erin Andrews Became ESPN's Biggest Star
- Kevin Durant Is The Latest NBA Player To Get A Ridiculously Huge Tattoo
CreditLoan.com Cashes In On Rapture
Media Decoder Blog: Disney Names Consumer Products Chief
The company is revising its approach to mass-market retailers by creating one point-of-contact for its various divisions.
