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Absolutely confusing?
Court to rule
Edgy UK radio station Absolute Radio may be seeing an uptick in audience ratings after its rebranding last year but the fun – or not - is moving to High Court chambers.
The Absolut Company – producer and marketer of the vodka brand – raised concerns last October about confusion. That would be brand confusion. For some reason, yet undetermined, the story got a re-run this week (August 19) courtesy of Stockholm English language news website The Local. Vin & Sprit (V&S), owner of The Absolut Company, is based in Stockholm. V&S – and the Absolut brand – are major world-wide advertisers.
“We can confirm that we have filed a complaint at the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division in London,” said Absolut Company spokesperson Paula Eriksson in an email to ftm (August 20). “This was done last year. The reason for the complaint is that we see a risk for confusion.”
Absolut – the vodka company – has a set of concerns. Brand confusion is one. The other is advertising confusion. “Consumers may perceive (Absolute Radio) as undue advertising to young people who are not of legal drinking age, which goes against the efforts of Absolut vodka as a responsible spirits brand,” said Ms Eriksson.
The response from Absolute Radio last year was, essentially, “BS.” Their focus was then, and likely still is, whether or not UK radio listeners would confuse a radio brand with a vodka brand. UK radio stations are forbidden from advertising distilled spirits.
Absolute Radio rebranded from Virgin Radio in September 2008. The broadcasters new owners didn't want to pay for a tired brand name. (See story here)
The High Court is expected to render a decision next year. (JMH)
Walking the walk
thelondonpaper to close
James – The Younger – Murdoch announced (August 20) the end of thelondonpaper, News International’s free paper in London. Let’s face it; Family Murdoch is walking the walk. They hate free anything. The Elder recently said he’d be charging soon for access to other UK newspaper websites. (See that story here)
I think about free newspapers every morning as I take Geneva public transport (TPG) to the gym and then to ftm world headquarters. Everybody – I mean everybody – picks up 20 Minutes to read on the bus. Geneva is, obviously, not London but both cities have had thriving newspaper cultures.
thelondonpaper is – has been – one hell of a newspaper. Announcing the demise, James was dutifully respectful of the work that’s gone into producing it. But, business is business.
Perhaps I’m naïve but I always wonder why – witnessing the number of people using free papers – a clever marketing person hasn’t figured out how to better monitize them. (JMH)
French internet users seduced
More friends, less passion
Nearly 16 million internet users in France have signed up to at least one social network website. “Users are increasing likely to be seduced by these community sites,” says French media research institute Médiamétrie (August 18). Nearly one-fourth connect every day. (See Médiamétrie release here – in French)
The study - l'Observatoire des Usages Internet (OUI) – makes a couple of interesting observations about evolving usage of social networking sites. While these sites remain the domain of young people, that’s changing. Internet users over age 35 make up an increasing share of social networking site users.
Almost three-quarters (74.7%) sign up to stay in touch with friends, rising quite significantly from the 2008 survey (58.7%). Almost the same percentage (73.6%) use social networking sites to find old acquaintances. About half (53.1%) joined a social network because somebody invited them.
What has slipped, according to the study, is the percentage of people who join social networking sites “to share their passions and their interests.” (JMH)
Media Playground
find the sandbox
It’s time – past time – for a trip to the sandbox. We are so serious. Just look at any recent photo of your favorite media mogul.
Vienna’s community radio station Orange 94.0 is hosting just such a media ‘sandbox’ called Broadcast Media Sculptures. The project – which runs from August 24th through 28th – explores “artistic experimentation of new old and new media,” said the station’s release, “even utopian tendencies for the future.” It’s part of the broader Media Playgrounds initiative sponsored, in part, by the European Commission.
An enduring dilemma for ‘old’ media is a lack of experimentation. Commercial broadcasters rarely see the value and most public broadcasters are, oh, so serious. That leaves that sandbox to community – almost always not-for-profit – broadcasters. Of course, everybody in new media still lives in the sandbox.
Orange 94.0 is one of the better known community broadcasters and a major supporter of Austrian arts communities. The station celebrates its 11th anniversary this week. (JMH)
What is PR? Very big!
Where's the swag?
There are days when press releases - email and otherwise - fall like a blizzard. PR firms seem to represent every company, organization and government agency. Those without PR agencies have their own PR person or staff. The message must get out, yes?
UK PR agency pr2go determined that "76% of the people we've spoken to have not understood what PR is," said its presser. (Read it here) PR is more than a variation on tele-marketing and email spam.
Public relations (aka PR) is no longer simply press release factories and woozzie cocktail parties. Several watchers of spending in the communications and entertainment realm have suggested one of many shifts is toward PR and away from traditional advertising. With websites crying for search friendly content PR agencies are hiring legions of journalists to crank out copy for and about everything.
And, you know what? It works. A good PR person can open doors. I would, however, like to see more swag. (JMH)
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