That's how a Friday email from Woot.com began. I know this because I received the email. It seems, brands are turning the Gawker into a consumer engagement opportunity. An hour later, I got another email. Continue reading...

Every day here, without fail, Google makes news somewhere around the world.

So it's perhaps no surprise that the search giant is stepping up to help the news media, where so many organizations are now cash-strapped and challenged by ad revenue losses caused by search engines such as Google, with its recent announcement of a $5 million donation to boost digital innovation in journalism.

That whopping act of generosity isn't going directly to media organizations. Instead, it's being directed to non-profits helping spur media innovation on digital platforms — $2 million to the Knight Foundation and $3 million for international news efforts.

Google stated that the shift from “working with news organizations to develop better products for users,” to incentivizing grass roots innovation is because "journalism is fundamental to a functioning democracy" — a statement that resonated during the U.S. elections this week.Continue reading...

Newsweek writer Howard Fineman recently announced he's moving to the Huffington Post, which wasn't a huge surprise given that it's under new ownership.

But the news that New York Times economics reporter Peter Goodman is joining HuffPo of his own volition indicates a seachange is indeed afoot for mainstream media brands, and certainly an indicator of the fundamental and far-reaching effects of social media on the news industry.

Goodman told the Washington Post, "For me it's a chance to write with a point of view. It's sort of the age of the columnist. With the dysfunctional political system, old conventional notions of fairness make it hard to tell readers directly what's going on. This is a chance for me to explore solutions in my economic reporting."Continue reading...

In 1982, USA Today debuted with a radical new idea for a national American newspaper. Published by Gannett, which publishes over 80 other daily newspapers, it immediately stood out in the US press by launching with a blend of shorter stories and splashy color graphics that set the tone for a punchier, more visual modern-day newspaper.

Now, reeling from a downturn in revenue and readership, USA Today is hoping it can survive as a largely digital enterprise.

The newspaper yesterday announced a radical restructuring that organizes its newsroom into "content rings" and focuses less on print and more on content production for digital platforms, such as the Web, the iPad, and mobile phones. The streamlining also, unfortunately, comes with layoffs.

Editor John Hillkirk commented to the Associated Press, "We have to go where the audience is. If people are hitting the iPad like crazy, or the iPhone or other mobile devices, we've got to be there with the content they want, when they want it."Continue reading...

Ladies and gentlemen, start your headlines, because the Old Spice Guy backlash is on!

Old Spice's Viral Ads Got Attention, Not Sales

Old Spice Body Wash Sales Down Despite Recent Online Video Marketing Blitz?

My Ad's Gone Viral; Now Where are the Sales?

Did the Hilarious Old Spice Commercials Hurt Old Spice Sales?

The Old Spice Guy Didn't Actually Help Old Spice. Here's Why

Old Spice Ad Wins Fans, Not Sales

Those are just a few of the headlines from media organizations getting out ahead of the curve on the Old Spice Guy backlash. They're reacting to the fact that Old Spice sales are down 7%, even though its popularity is at an all-time high, the voracious news cycle demands someone declare Old Spice's popular ads a failure. They are all wrong.Continue reading...

The above amateur video from Monroe, Ohio, is more than an 11-second clip of a giant Jesus statue at Solid Rock church in flames after being struck by lightning. It's now being treated on a par with professional media brands' news as part of YouTube's video feed for the latest breaking news videos.

When YouTube launched CitizenTube in 2008, it marked Google's support of citizen journalism and crowdsourcing via video. Now that it's the second biggest search engine (after its parent) and users are turning to it for news and information, YouTube is shifting CitizenTube from a citizen portal to a news source, mixing amateur and professional video clips.

Any user can upload news footage and flag it for inclusion on Twitter (by alerting @citizentube), as Steve Grove, YouTube's head of news and politics, notes on the site's blog.Continue reading...

It’s official, Newsweek is for sale—and not just at the newsstand, but the whole operation.

The current affairs weekly magazine has been struggling for some time, and in the past year it has tried to reduce costs through employee buyouts, and boost readership through a redesign and a new editorial focus, along with a reduction in its rate base, all to no avail.

Its ad sales were down 20% in the first quarter and 26% overall last year. Its owner of almost 50 years, The Washington Post, today announced that the ailing title no longer fits within its holdings, which also includes Kaplan tests and a cable operator.

"Despite heroic efforts on the part of Newsweek's management and staff, we expect it to still lose money in 2010. We are exploring all options to fix that problem. Newsweek is a lively, important magazine and website, and in the current climate, it might be a better fit elsewhere," chairman Donald Graham said in a statement published on the Newsweek.com home page.

The sale of the venerable brand is a harbinger of the generally besieged print media industry, as readers continue to jump ship to the web and mobile, and ad sales remain lethargic.

Newsweek also faces a branding dilemma: are the words "news" and "week" an anachronism in this age of always-on, streaming news on the Web?Continue reading...

Golf pundits are speculating that Tiger Woods’ plan to return to competitive golf at the Masters Tournament early next month will be a strategic master stroke for the career – and the brand – of the world’s greatest living golfer.

What could be better, they reason, than for the "Shamed One" to work back into an indomitable competitive groove by starting at the major tournament that he already has won four times, where he knows every blade of grass on the course?

But if you’re one of the famously staid club officials at Augusta National, the host for the ultimate platform in golf gentility, you may be forgiven if you see disaster ahead. The question is whether the media and fan firestorm that surely will accompany Tiger’s return will overwhelm Augusta – or vice versa. Continue reading...