Busy, busy but always interested in the mother’s milk of media

I plan to track advertising flows more carefully in the weeks ahead as I get the sense that dollar flows may slacken after years of robust growth. I think all the big trends continue — the shift from old to new and from mass to online – although against a backdrop of an overall lessening of activity.

Briefly then . . .  MediaPost reports that “Google on Tuesday, announced the availability of AdSense for Mobile, a program that contextually targets ads to mobile Web site content.” Hmnnn. Probably a big deal for the cell phone giants who control access to those networks but mere chump change for small media producers. On the other hand, given the proliferation of cell phones, at least there are a lot of potential chumps on the receiving end of thse messages.

Also from MediaPost, a quick but informative article on how magazine empires, notably Hearst (my ultimate corporate parent) are working “to bolster (their) online health offerings through acquisitions. ” The takeaway here for mini media producers — smart money says Americans are focused on health. What a huge target for media makers of all sizes. Can nimble info startups beat the big shots to this trend?

Here’s a disruptive event in the making.  Advertising Age reports how Gilette, a big subsiary of consumer products and ad-innovative Proctor & Gamble, has tapped a novel source of ad-creation talent through “OpenAd.net, a Slovenian-based online marketplace where ad and design ideas from about 9,000 creatives worldwide are bought and sold.” Get out your globe to find Slovenia (hint: think  western fringes of former Soviet empire). What a wild idea! An advertising idea smackdown on a global scale. Ouch! There go the margins on creative work.

More later . . .