Big Town v. Bean Town (Traffic Light Division)

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a new series that will examine the good, the bad, and the ugly in the everlasting Boston/New York Bakeoff.

From Politico’s Capital Playbook:

VIDEO OF DAY — driver’s dream come true: Taxi driver Noah Forman hits 100 consecutive green lights. WATCH THE VIDEO: http://goo.gl/ninwBc via Gothamist’s Ben Yakas

Here’s the Gothamist piece. And here’s the video:

 

 

Contrast that with Boston, whose traffic lights were apparently timed by Joe Cocker.

Bakeoff winner: NY, no contest.

 

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The Allman Brothers’ Knee-Buckling ‘Mountain Jam’ at Cincinnati’s Ludlow Garage

As the hardpining staff recently noted, we missed out – for reasons we’d rather not revisit – on the Allman Brothers’ 1970 performance at Cincinnati’s Ludlow Garage.

Regardless, we’ve been obsessively listening to the tracks that – Thank Duane! – were recorded that night, especially the monumental “Mountain Jam.” Donovan had no idea what he was starting when he recorded his original ditty three years earlier.

But here’s how the Allmans finished it:

 

 

 

 

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Fallon Gone (Native Advertising Edition)

Since its NBC debut 60 years ago, The Tonight Show has featured more plugs than Joe Biden’s head. But the recent introduction of GE’s Fallonvention showcase represents a new low for the late night icon.

From Digiday:

GE takes a deep dive into native advertising

Last month, Jimmy Fallon had a group of teen inventors come on “The Tonight Show” to show off their gadgets. Anne, 16, Screen Shot 2014-04-02 at 1.31.15 AMshowed off her flashlight powered bythe heat of the human hand. Jonathan, 13, created something called an “iHead,” which is essentially headgear with your iPhone attached to it via suction cup.

This young-inventors showcase is called “Fallonvention,” or rather “GE’s Fallonvention,” and it will be a reoccurring segment on the late night talk show featuring young inventors and their creations, along with Fallon’s own funny inventions and commentary. This is what branded TV looks like. And it is part of GE’s latest big push into the industry’s buzzed-about ad format: native advertising.

According to GE’s executive director of global brand marketing, Linda Boff, “[g]reat content can come from a lot of different places, but funnily enough, it seems to be traditional media can get a little more attention when it comes to native.”

Funnily enough?

Here’s the “great content” GE and Jimmy Fallon are providing viewers . . .

Read the rest at Sneak Adtack.

 

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Quote o’ the Day (William Tecumseh Sherman Edition)

From Geoffrey Norman’s sparkling piece Grant Takes Charge in the current edition of The Weekly Standard.

“The American press is a shame and a reproach to a civilized people. When a man is too lazy to work and too cowardly to steal, he becomes an editor and manufactures public opinion.”

– William Tecumseh Sherman to his brother, Senator John Sherman, about a newspaper report that Grant “ought to be court-martialed and shot” for the carnage (25,000 casualties counting both sides) at the Battle of Shiloh

Ouch.

But oddly relevant.

 

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The Brookline Spa Is Back!

The hardworking staff, which has lived a block away from the Brookline Spa for 25 years, remembers when it resembled a front for, we don’t know, maybe a bookie joint – there was some stale bread, a few canned goods, not much else.

It looked like this:

 

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Then last fall it shut down for renovations.

Six months later the Spa is back. And better than ever (which wasn’t all that hard – but why get technical about it).

New look:

 

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New menu here. Facebook page here. Twitter feed here.

The hardmunching staff looks forward to eating there soon.

Like this weekend.

 

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The Sneak in Review: What’s Brewing in StealthWorld

Once around the park, James, and don’t spare the sources!

Native formats will take over digital channels this year, according to J.P. Morgan analysts. That means ads in sheep’s clothing will dominate the digital flock.

So let’s call the roll of some not-so-good shepherds.

From MediaPost:

AOL, MillerCoors Sign Native Ad Pact, ‘Brew Pub’ Aimed At Male Millennials

Forget banners, pre-rolls or anything that looks like “advertising.” Brands want ownership of “editorial” content — and with big bucks at stake, publishers are playing along.miller-lite-1881

Take the new native ad pact between AOL and brewing giant MillerCoors, which is worth about $5 million, according to industry sources . . .

AOL has agreed to produce about 350 pieces of original content — including 100 videos — before the end of the year. At Miller’s request, each piece will appeal to male millennials, and plug Miller Lite, Coors Lite, Blue Moon, or Redd’s Apple Ale.

The so-called Brew Pub Newsroom will “span AOL properties including Huffington Post, Huff Post Live and the male-focused Mandatory.com.”

Because stealth marketing is mandatory, of course.

But it’s not just fake newsrooms that are trafficking in this sleight-of-ad. It’s real ones too . . .

Read the rest at Sneak Adtack.

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The NYT Has Officially Lost Its Mind

(Tip o’ the Pixel to the Missus)

Yesterday’s New York Times Styles Section totally jumped the shark with this piece about “cosmetic dermatologist” to the stars, Dr. Fredric Brandt.

The Man Behind the Face

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The work of Dr. Fredric Brandt, the cosmetic dermatologist, may be seen wherever the rich and famous gather, as well as when he looks in the mirror

Seriously? When he looks in the mirror? This guy could be the first husband of the Bride of Wildenstein.

Nut graf:

Among those occupying a certain bandwidth of the population, Dr. Brandt is the designated magician responsible for keeping faces both well known and otherwise in states of extraordinary preservation. At his art-filled Midtown office, the 64-year-old physician acts as the syringe-wielding wizard responsible for using techniques like his signature Y lifts — in which fillers are injected below the cheekbones — to hold back time for any number of supermodels, trophy wives, celebrities and industrial titans of either sex.

The Nip ‘n’ Tuck All Stars:

 

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Even worse:

 

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To be fair, the Times piece does raise an eyebrow here and there about Brand Brandt. But over all, it’s a flat out advertorial for the celeb cutter.

Ouch.

 

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Our ‘Beat the Press Party’ Bakeoff (Boston’s Tragic Fire Edition)

The Great Boston MediaWatch Dogfight proceeded apace last week, with the media hall monitors grading news coverage of Tuesday’s horrific Back Bay inferno that left two Boston firefighters dead and over a dozen injured.

From the Boston Herald’s Press Party (starting at 1:05):

 

 

To recap: On the Wayne’s World webcast, it was All Platitudes, All the Time.

Crosstown at WGBH’s Beat the Press (guest-hosted by blast-from-the-past Ron Sanders),  a whole nother discussion took place – whether airing someone’s final comments from first responder scanners was “gratuitously insensitive” or “provided crucial context to an emergency.”

 

 

That conversation, it seems to us, was more valuable than the Press Party mushathon.

Then again, we could be wrong. We often are.

 

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Weird Ad o’ the Day

From Friday’s New York Times, an exceedingly odd ad (in two parts):

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Huh?

Here’s what the Googletron offers up about the late Elena Gomez and etc. Given that Page 1 is pretty much devoted to legal dustups in the family, we’re guessing she might not be as sorely missed as the ad says.

Regardless, any additional information most welcome.

 

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Ask Dr. Ads: Truth in Advertising? Really? What Are We, Oxymorons?

DrAdsforProfileWell the Doc opened up the old mailbag today and here’s what poured out.

Dear Dr. Ads,

So there I was, minding my own business and reading the Sunday New York Times, when I came across this full-page ad from an outfit called – honest! – Truth in Advertising.

 

Screen Shot 2014-03-27 at 12.36.22 AM

 

Seriously? Truth in advertising? This has to be, like, Jimmy Fallon, right?

– David L

Dear DL,

First off, here’s the ad’s body copy for the body-copy impaired . . .

Read the rest at Ask Dr. Ads.

 

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