Agency Spy

If you don’t know what Digg is then stop reading right now. We can’t save you. For everyone else, ex-advertising agency employee Gabrielle Union (if you know what agency she worked for please email us at agencyspy at mediabistro dot com) has created a Digg for the ladies. The site is called sk*rt and while it includes a world/business section just like Digg, additions that are more female-centric have made an appearance: fashion, parenting, mind/body/spirit.

Popular posts today include:
Gwyneth Paltrow W Magazine Cover: Before & After Retouching;
What Is USDA Certified Organic and Can We Trust The Label?;
Russia’s Secret Billionaire City

We had 10 of our female friends try it out today. Our totally unscientific results show that Read the rest of this entry »

A recent survey by InfoSurv found that 74% of internet users say they wouldn’t mind viewing ads in return for free content, and 83% say they would like a company who did so even more. Record labels and advertisers may just find a legit use for P2P and file-sharing networks after all.

Media Defender and their CEO Randy Saaf are one of the few companies actively taking on P2P networks. While the company does engage in seeding false files on networks like BTJunkie or Limewire, the Artist Direct subsidiary is also forging a new business - integrating advertising message into those digital files. A few days ago, hotshot New York Post reporter Peter Lauria reported that Sprint paid to have its logo embedded on copies of tracks from the hip-hop artist “Plies.” These files were then released on P2P networks. Anyone who downloaded the track not only has the free song, but the Sprint logo will forever more be displayed alongside Plies’ name and the song title on whatever platform the track is played on.

Get in now. Like now.

More: See All Articles Tagged Get In Now

You know that whole data matrix code thing that everyone in Asia is ga-ga over? You know… Consumers snap and scan these bar codes on them mobile phones yielding a variety of results based on your campaign? Brand Republic has an article about it today and the Times did something about a month ago. We recently went to a conference hosted by PSFK and met a bunch of Korean telecommunications executives who were horrified the codes weren’t more prevalent Stateside. They even had them on their business cards!

So, in lieu of all the news about the impending extinction of agencies we’re wondering when one of you US firm is going to get the hint, call the experts at area/code (who did that amazing Soprano’s campaign) and get busy. Someone’s got to be first. Don’t be scared. It’s a proven winner overseas.

More: Creative Directors Get Trashed
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Project Red Stripe, the secret web development that the Economist magazine has been working on for the past four months is ready to be launched. Called Lughenjo (a Tuvetan word meaning gift) the project has been dubbed “a Yahoo answers for good.”

“In a nutshell, NGOs, charities and other organisations - as well as entrepreneurs active in developing countries - will be able to post tasks on Lughenjo asking for help in solving problems,” wrote Tom Shelley on the developers blog. “Qualified individuals can then provide such help by donating their knowledge and skills. By connecting these two groups Lughenjo will create a marketplace for good and a new channel for skills and knowledge transfer.

The site is funded through advertising dollars. If you’re a brand that would appeal to CEOs, post-Docs, NGO employees or you just want to highlight your corporate responsibility programs, Lughenjo might be for you. Alternatively, if your clients are brands, which can help these individuals move forward (software, literature) or who want “elegant” exposure in the third world, Lughenjo might be a great way to get the job done, while supporting a good work.

Bravo to The Economist, by the way.

Got a product or service with a target demo of teenagers? Listen up. Free 411 is blowing up and like fast. The service allows phone users to bypass the charges associated with calling directory assistance and get the info they need for free. Well, sort of. Users have to listen to a short ad before being connected to an operator. Program 1.800.373.3411 into your phone just like thousands of teenagers have across the country and think about what client could use this kind of placement.

Peter Rojas, founder of the number one blog on the internet, Engadget, is gearing up to launch his next big endeavor, RCRD LBL. Everyone hold tight. The site is set to redefine the way advertisers participate in our current digital download culture and the basic idea of a real world record label. Paired with hot music label Downtown Records, (home of Gnarls Barkely, Art Brut, Eagles Of Death Metal) is a:

“music company for the digital generation. RCRD LBL is a network of advertiser-supported niche online record labels offering free exclusive content from top emerging and marquee artists to an audience of highly desirable and market-savvy influencers and consumers.”

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