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Thursday, July 12, 2007

Nike News

Nike would not give small networks the time of day....correct me if I'm wrong but they do not advertise at a regional and local level-it is all national (for the most part). I imagine that stores like Foot Locker or Dick's Sporting Goods spends a lot of co-op dollars, thus Nike can stay away from all this regional advertising which is critical from other industries and organizations....it is always fun to watch and monitor a company when staffing changes have been made.

Nike Picks New Marketing Chief
July 11, 2007
By Joan Voight and Andew McMains


SAN FRANCISCO Nike has hired Ken Dice as U.S. vp of marketing, a post that has been vacant for six months, according to sources.

A Nike representative confirmed that Dice was joining the company but declined to disclose his title. Dice will oversee advertising, retail marketing, public relations and overall brand positioning, sources said. He had been evp of marketing at Discovery Networks since 2003, and before that he served as svp of consumer marketing at Sony Electronics. Dice will move from Maryland to take the new position in Nike's Portland, Ore., headquarters, per sources.

Full Story from Adweek

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Nokia, DIY mobile TV startup...

Nokia invests in DIY mobile TV startup kyte.tv
Jul 3, 2007 8:00 AM


Nokia Growth Partners, Nokia’s private equity and venture capital management arm, recently invested in kyte.tv, a startup company that enables users to create and broadcast interactive TV channels on their mobile phones, as well as the Internet.

Full Story

Ripple: Rolling Strong!

Ripple has got the right idea and I like the hyper local aspect that can be applied to selling spots on their network.

Ripple TV Gets Funding, Jack-in-the-Box Venues

by Erik Sass
Ripple TV, A NEW PLACE-BASED video advertising network targeting local advertisers, is rapidly expanding its footprint. Today, the company announced a new round of funding as well as a major new retail partnership with Jack-in-the-Box, the popular fast-food chain. The company is also planning to provide free Wi-Fi access to all venues that install its video displays.

The second round of funding, to the tune of $10 million, was led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson and included first-round investor Trinity Ventures. Concurrent with the new funding, John Fisher--co-founder of DFJ--is also joining the Ripple board.

The Jack-in-the-Box deal stands to increase Ripple's distribution network with up to 2,000 new retail locations around the country. Ripple plans to install its video displays in the majority of JIB locations over the next few months. The company has already established video displays at 500 locations throughout Southern California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii; company reps say the number is growing by double digits every week.


Full Story

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Are Cable Operators a Fair Match for Verizon's FiOS TV?

Verizon is becoming more and more aggressive from every angle. Just today I spoke with a bluetooth marketing firm and my IT Director mentions Verizon, Bluetooth and Spam all in 1/2 of a sentence. Okay-so adding or attempting to add 77k TV households is legal and for heavens sake they are providing a service that will soon either be adapted to or become the next wave of TV....here's the article...


Verizon Files Application to Add 77,000 TV Households In Competition with Local Cable
New State Franchise Law's Five-Day Provision Simplifies Expansion of Service to Hundreds of Thousands of Households in 2008

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -Verizon today applied to offer a real choice for TV services soon to 77,000 more households in the Tampa area. The application was filed under Florida's new cable TV franchise law and strengthens Verizon's coverage for its FiOS services to nearly 2 million households in the Tampa Bay region.

This initial application will add the cities of Tarpon Springs and Sarasota as well as portions of Pinellas County to Verizon's franchised municipalities and counties in Florida, which now numbers 16 communities. The law also features a unique provision for expanding into other calling areas, referred to as wire centers, in the future. As Verizon expands its fiber network and begins to provide service to customers, it can add these new areas to its franchise application simply by filing an amendment within five days of providing initial service in the area.


Full Story