AdCast: Episode VII

Tonight's broadcast was live from the historic Don Vicente Inn in Tampa's Ybor City, in conjunction with the annual Ad 2 Media and Merchandise Auction. Beautiful place—many thanks to the management for setting everything up for us.

First we brought on Vinny Tafuro and Jeff Morrow to get us up to speed on all things Ad 2. The Media Auction taking place around us was of course a big topic, as was our current public service client, Suncoast Voices for Children. The auction is a great event, both for the bidders, who get a huge deal on all kinds of advertising products and services, and for our public service client, as all the funds go to help toward our efforts to help them shine. Find out more about the event, and why SV4C was this year's clear choice for public service.

Next we brought on Sharon Rose, artist and owner of a place called the Mermaid's Slipper. Sharon told us about her work, and her busy little shop right in Ybor City. Wait, how can a mermaid wear a slipper? We may or may not have found out... have a look at the segment to find out.

So what's the "business" with Ybor City? If anything, Tom Keating would know. We had Tom, member of the city's Chamber of Commerce, on the show next. He had great things to say about Ybor's future, and why it's going to be pulling more young professionals into its gates.

Wait, what's the deal with this place? Next we had a member of the Don Vicente's staff on to tell us more about the historic Inn, from the historic past to the changes of today.

Next we had our first non-human guest on the show. Thanks to the folks from Gaspar's Grotto for bringing a famous feline on with them—the bar's resident cat came on to tangle our wires a bit. We learned about the history of this great bar and grille in the middle of 7th Avenue.

Candace Cusseaux and Erin Richey both play a big part in Emerge, one of our fellow big-time Tampa young professional groups. Emerge is huge, actually, and their annual event Emergence is arguably even bigger. They came on to tell us all about its history, and what to expect this time around.

Saint Petersburg is honored to be host to the Salvador Dali Museum, possibly the most extensive collection of the artist's work in the world. James Raulerson is a member of Zodiac, their own young professionals organization, and he came on to tell us all about a big event in their near future. It's called "Cover Me," and it's a silent art auction that benefits the museum. Artists will present works inspired by Dali and their favorite classic album covers, along with DJs and martinis—sounds like an awesome event.

What more appropriate segment to talk about in a place called Don Vicente than the Hispanic market? Jess and I went over the do's and don't's of talking to the fastest-growing portion of the United States population in this month's Advertising Insight.

Thanks to the Don Vicente Inn and all of our wonderful guests, and a big thanks to Tampa Digital Studios for all the special effort that went into our first on-location broadcast. And finally, thanks to you for being our loyal viewers and fans — until next time, make good choices.

28th Annual Merchandise & Media Auction

28th Annual Merchandise & Media Auction
Don Vicente de Ybor, Historic Inn

Wednesday, April, 25, 2007 (6-10p)
Watch ADCAST Live from 6:30-7:30p

FREE Cigar w/RSVP (Register Here)

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to expand your business or build your customer base, you won't want to miss the 28th Annual Merchandise & Media Auction hosted by Ad 2 Tampa Bay.

The auction is guaranteed to be a steal! Join us as we auction off donated media and merchandise to Tampa Bay business owners at cut-rate prices. This is your chance to receive steep discounts on print, production, outdoor, photography and much more.
Hosted by the Don Vicente de Ybor, Historic Inn - 1915 Republica de Cuba, Tampa, FL 33605.
Silent auction begins promptly at 6:00 p.m. Live auction at 7:30 p.m. RSVP's requested but not required.

AdCast: Episode VI

AdCast is a firm believer in efficiency, and tonight's show was a testament to that. We "minimized our guest pool" while "maximizing their impact"... Alright, so what actually happened was, we had some people cancel. It happens. But the guests we did have on were very cool.

• Vinny Tafuro gave us the four-one-one on Ad2 events past and future. A big mention was for the Media Auction taking place at the Don Vicente Inn this year. Sounds like it will be an awesome event... and guess what? AdCast is going on location and broadcasting live from the auction!

• Scott Lope from Big Cat Rescue came on the show. He didn't bring any ligers, but he did explain why it's a bad idea to take cats like that around to show to the public (and a much worse idea to actually try to raise them in your home!)

• Jason Aughey and Blake Guthrie form the Tampa Bay Sports Commission had a great conversation with us about the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament that took place here this month. It was pretty amazing to hear about the depth of preparation that goes into bringing an event like that to the city (7 years!!) and about all the other great events we have coming to Tampa Bay — like the Super Bowl AGAIN in a couple years.

• Advertising Insight. You know, the one where Jessica and I blab on about the greatest new thing in advertising. This month... Blogs! (How appropriate... wait, writing "blogs" IN a blog? Am I the only one that fears the world may implode?) We discussed some mistakes made by advertisers over the years in their attempts to harness the medium to suit their needs.

• Calendar Update. I don't usually mention the calendar update, though I'm not quite sure why. This is a segment where Vinny Tafuro comes on and we go through all the industry events for the next month or so. It's a light topic, plus I'm usually coming off my Advertising Insight high (Insight is a drug - write that down) so I'm the goofball that gets all the dates wrong.

So there. SIX big shows down. That's got to be close to a "Season." It's been a ton of fun up to now. Thanks once again to the guys at Tampa Digital Studios for really putting their all into the show (It shows!) and to La Casa Dolce for their provisions of delicious sandwiches, gelato, and sorbet in the greenroom.

Catch us next month at the Don Vicente!

AAF Government Report

AAF Government Report
March 7, 2007

Contents:

• Sen. Rockefeller to Reintroduce Bill Extending FCC Authority
• National Medical Association Supports DTC Advertising
• "Do Not Mail" Bills Gain Traction in State Legislatures
• Boston Considering Increasing Guerrilla Marketing Restrictions
  

Sen. Rockefeller to Reintroduce Bill Extending FCC Authority
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., has announced he plans to reintroduce a bill that would extend Federal Communications Commission authority of indecent programming to include cable and satellite content. The bill Rockefeller introduced in 2005 would have also required networks to double the amount of required children's programming content and given greater control to local affiliates to reject offensive content. Rockefeller indicated that he will also seek to give the FCC the authority to regulate violent content on television, as the FCC requested in a letter to Congress last month.

National Medical Association Supports DTC Advertising
The National Medical Association (NMA) released the results of a survey indicating that their member physicians support direct-to-consumer advertising as a means of educating patients and enhancing the doctor-patient dialogue. The NMA, which represents over 30,000 African-American physicians, reported that the percentage of doctors who agree that prescription drug advertisements are beneficial to consumers jumped from 42 percent in 2001 to 65 percent today. Eighty percent of surveyed doctors cited advertising as a key reason patients learned about treatment options. The group recommended improvements to DTC advertising campaigns, including a call to provide information to doctors prior to advertising to consumers. Many of their suggestions have been adopted by the pharmaceutical industry.

"Do Not Mail" Bills Gain Traction in State Legislatures
Legislation creating "do not mail" registries has been introduced in at least 12 states this year. The bills would prohibit marketers from sending commercial mail to anyone who files an opt-out request with the state, in manner similar to the National Do Not Call Registry. Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New York, Texas, Vermont and Washington have introduced bills so far. While the popularity of these bills is rising with state legislatures, no hearings discussing the negative implications of the bills have taken place.

Boston Considering Increasing Guerrilla Marketing Restrictions
The Boston City Council is considering increased marketing restrictions following two high-profile guerrilla marketing campaigns that wrecked havoc on the city in the past few months. City Council President Maureen Feeney said she will discuss increasing fines for unsanctioned marketing campaigns and further regulating such marketing. The City Council plans to hear from marketers as well as public officials before deciding whether any action should be taken.

AAF Government Report

Jeff Perlman, Executive Vice President – Government Affairs
Clark Rector Jr., Senior Vice President – State Government Affairs
Robert Kohlmeyer, Coordinator, Government Affairs
AAF Government Report
March 1, 2007

Contents:

• Tobacco Bill Clears Senate HELP Committee
• House Commerce Chairman Expresses Digital Television Transition Concerns
• FCC Commissioner Tate Calls for Increased Media Ownership Diversity
• Missouri Senate Bill Aims to Ban Sexually Oriented Billboards
• Maryland Bill Would Tax Advertising-Related Services

Advertising Ban Legislation Introduced in Tennessee
Tobacco Bill Clears Senate HELP CommitteeThe Senate Help, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has given its approval to legislation that would drastically alter tobacco advertising regulation. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (S. 625), introduced by HELP Committee Chairman Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., contains several provisions opposed by advertisers. The bill proposes additional warning labels on tobacco advertising, limiting most magazine and store ads to black-and-white text and prohibiting outdoor ads within 1,000 feet of schools or playgrounds. The AAF sent a letter to Sen. Kennedy expressing opposition to the marketing provisions of the bill, arguing that it is unconstitutional to censor nondeceptive advertising for legal products directed at appropriate audiences. A copy of the letter is available here (pdf).

House Commerce Chairman Expresses Digital Television Transition ConcernsHouse Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., has expressed concerns about the ability of the Federal Communications Commission to oversee the logistics of distributing digital-to-analog converter boxes to consumers receiving over-the-air television broadcasts. As part of the digital television transition legislation signed into law last year, the government plans to distribute converter boxes to all Americans without cable or satellite television subscriptions before the digital transition is completed, which is scheduled for February 17, 2009. Dingell said he thought the target date might not be realistic and warned that consumers might not be quick adopters of converter boxes, especially if they are too expensive.

FCC Commissioner Tate Calls for Increased Media Ownership DiversityFederal Communications Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate announced that one of her goals as a commissioner is to encourage Congress, the FCC and the media industry to increase media ownership diversity. In an address to the Media Institute, Tate suggested several ideas that might increase the participation of minorities and women in media. Among these proposals is a plan to establish a tax break for companies that advertise on minority-owned stations, as introduced in a bill (H.R. 600) this year by Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill. A similar tax break existed until it was repealed by Congress in 1995.

Missouri Senate Bill Aims to Ban Sexually Oriented BillboardsA Missouri state senator has reintroduced legislation attempting to ban outdoor advertising of sexually oriented businesses. The bill, introduced by Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Lee's Summit, was originally passed in 2004, but was deemed unconstitutional by a federal appeals court. In its original version, the legislation prohibited adult-oriented businesses from using outdoor signs and billboards to advertise any products, including advertising for innocuous products. The modified bill is more narrowly tailored toward limiting the advertising of sexually oriented businesses but still raises serious First Amendment concerns. Some senators criticized the bill, saying that because the bill was already struck down in court, it was a waste of time and money to vote on the bill again.

Maryland Bill Would Tax Advertising-Related ServicesLawmakers in the Maryland House of Delegates have introduced legislation to extend the sales tax to numerous services, including advertising-related services such as public relations, business consulting, art services, photographic services and direct mail services. The bill (House Bill 448) currently has no Senate companion. It is scheduled for a hearing in the Ways and Means Committee on March 14. Jim Astrachan of the Advertising Association of Baltimore will be among advertising industry representatives testifying in opposition to the tax. A copy of an alert sent to Maryland ad club members is available here.

Advertising Ban Legislation Introduced in Tennessee
New legislation introduced in the Tennessee state senate would fine broadcast and cable stations up to $50,000 if they air advertisements for obscene matter. Sen. Doug Jackson, D-Dickson, named his bill "Girls Gone Wild Be Gone" after seeing a television commercial for adult videos. The Federal Communications Commission has jurisdiction over broadcast television regulation. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., introduced a bill in 2005 that would have expanded FCC authority over indecency regulation to include cable and satellite programming, in addition to broadcast television, but the bill was never considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

AdCast: Episode V

This was the Murphy's Law edition of AdCast. That's right — everything that could go wrong... did — but in true Ad 2 Tampa Bay style, we came out on top. Okay, it really wasn't bad, we just had some technical difficulties that took us by surprise. But the ensuing comedy was great.

• Vinny Tafuro and Jeff Morrow did the monthly update of Ad2's business, including the release of our first quarterly industry calendar, the "AdGenda"

• Bill Hogan and another guest from the Tampa Bay Rough Riders, a prominent Gasparilla Krewe, told us about the killer parade they're throwing in Ybor on St. Patrick's Day.

• Our first attempt at "taking a caller" with a phone interview went less than spectacularly. In the end, we were unable to connect with Gil Sanchez of HYPE, but we had planned to discuss HYPE Week, an upcoming event of theirs.

• Another fun Advertising Insight segment. In fact, another Super Bowl Ad Insight. This time we talked about how things had gone with the commercials we were preparing for in our previous show, and a few that took us by surprise.

Kudos to the team at Tampa Digital Studios for a great job setting up, a valiant effort toward putting together that first live call (we'll get it next time!), and of course for letting us put on the show. Further thanks to La Casa Dolce for being our greenroom sponsor — delicious sandwiches and gelato? Are you kidding me? It's just too good to be true...

February Meeting Recap

Our January meeting was held on Monday the 8th and featured Ginger Reichl, Owner of Pinstripe Marketing and former manager of TD Agency, the internal advertising agency for Tech Data in Clearwater.

Ginger spoke to the group about comparatively about internal agency/marketing departments and independent agencies. The topic was a great follow up on last months program about the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's completely internal marketing department.