January 4, 2006

Not Since Dewey Beat Truman

The horrible snafu in many morning papers today reported that all but one of the trapped miners was alive.

Go to the web or turn on any broadcast media, and you found out that - in fact - all but one had died.

In media terms, it glaringly demonstrated the plight of newspapers trying to stay relevant in terms of being current. Personally, I see that as a lost battle; the great value of newspapers can and should be in the depth of their reporting and the intelligence of their opinion pieces. What has traditionally been the 'back of the paper' now needs to take center stage.

Unfortunately, some papers are facing their economic woes by cutting costs and reducing the quality of their product...which only makes them even less relevant.

Can You Hear Me Now?

New York Magazine recently highlighted some of the non-traditional ways advertisers can reach their targets. They included sidewalk chalking ($150 to $350 per image per day), mobile billboard trucks ($5,000 per 50-hour week), subway cars ($44,000 to cover 25% of a train's interior ad spaces), digital subway-entrance ads ($274,000 for six ten-second spots every minute on each of the city's 80 digital displays), and naming rights to the new Jets-Giants stadium (at least a $12 million one-time cost).

These are just tip-of-the-iceberg alternative media vehicles. Wanna get real creative, check out things with our media director Michelle Evans. The endless ideas astound and envigorate me.

Super Luxury on Its Way

Sally Horchow's article on shopping in Las Vegas talks about all the wall-to-wall luxury (multiple Vuitton stores, Gucci stores, Prada stores, etc.). Trend spotters say that super luxury will really break out this year.

After all, if the masses are basking in what we have all come to think of as "luxury," then the bar needs to be raised higher.

And it will be.

Look for even more expensive fashion, travel, and resort products and services, as well as much higher-end cars, watches and other 'toys.'

I heard a couple in Italy saying how fortunate they were to have found a room in a particular luxury hotel for only $2,500. Were they kidding? No.

The high end is getting much, much higher. A real opportunity for luxury marketers.