Ubiquitous Marketing

Ubiquitous Marketing is the personal weblog of Keith O’Brien, editor-in-chief of PRWeek. All opinions and work represent that of Keith O’Brien and not of his employer. Topics covered include marketing, PR, advertising, journalism, culture (both mainstream and alternative), and their inevitable confluence.

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Entries from May 2008

Will Snow fall early?

April 30th, 2006 · 4 Comments

A former colleague of mine and I were discussing the inevitable jumps from journalism to public relations we detail frequently at PRWeek. I had asked, aloud, why people never returned to journalism from PR.
She said, in her opinion, it did not happen because PR profs incur too much of a paper trail of advocating positions, [...]

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Tags: Media · Politics

Pressing questions…

April 30th, 2006 · No Comments

When will the first director or actress get discovered from a YouTube.com video?
Are alleged plagiarists and other fact/fiction hybrids merely the collateral damage of a society that writes who knows how many words a year? Or is it a scourge that must be more attentively addressed?
Link
Among attendees at the black tie event: Morgan Fairchild, quarterback [...]

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Tags: Media · New comms tools · Politics · Ubiquitous · Weblogs

Hello Mr. Seal, are you asleep?

April 29th, 2006 · 1 Comment

PRAGUE: Ah, Europe… Home of a singular currency (though, not the Czech Republic. Not yet) and a singular dedication to shocking passive television viewers through graphic advertisements.
Anyone who has spent time in the UK (also not on the Euro - faulty premise alert!) has seen the country’s approach to drunk driving warnings (try a lad [...]

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Tags: Advertising

Bush league

April 29th, 2006 · No Comments

PRAGUE: Thanks to spotty internet access, I’ve been able to reconnect with the American sporting world (two years ago that wouldn’t have even mattered to me, but that’s another story).
So, to anyone following the NFL draft from the states, it was old news that the Houston Texans decided to eschew selecting USC All-World Reggie [...]

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Tags: Sports

A rare spot of media criticism

April 28th, 2006 · 2 Comments

In Europe, there has been but one news story (save for the recent IAEA-Iran developments): the nearly bloodless concession of the Nepalese King Gyanendra to return the country back to democratic rule. The BBC and CNN International have detailed every breaking moment like its an election, and, it’s hard to see why not.
Indeed, all [...]

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Tags: Media

Benign Corporate Patronage

April 27th, 2006 · 1 Comment

In this business (of blogging), you’re nobody unless you
assert some sort of theorem or movement with a (hopefully) catchy slogan. My contribution
is the concept of Benign Corporate Patronage (BCN).
In the art world, it is not rare for socialites and gadflies
to become patrons of the arts, by donating lavish funds to art, ballet, or
opera institutions, [...]

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Tags: Benign Corporate Patronage · Music

In Austria, Dirk is king

April 25th, 2006 · 1 Comment

In a small Eastern European town, where I am currently, many of the creature comforts one expects in the USA are readily available. Save for two important ones: ESPN and wireless internet.
While I have not been able to keep completely abreast of the NBA Playoffs, I can report that, in Austria (admittedly not Eastern [...]

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Tags: Sports

Now that is tireless

April 23rd, 2006 · No Comments

The USA Today recently ran an interesting piece on television shows using blogs to extend goodwill to fans online. And, as expected, these blogs run the gamut from funny to phoned-in.
The award for most dedication in this nascent field goes to Jenna Fischer, the actress who plays reserved receptionist Pam Beesley on The Office, [...]

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Tags: 18-35 marketing · Film · Ubiquitous · Weblogs

What goes online?

April 20th, 2006 · 1 Comment

This(free) PRWeek column, about mixtapes, hip-hop, Rough Trade, Pandora, and Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop, that’s what.
UPDATE… link is now live.
Tags: PRWeek What Goes Online mixtape culture, Rough Trade Can’t Stop Won’t Stop

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Tags: 18-35 marketing · Music · Technology · Weblogs · Word-of-mouth

Who needs spokespeople?

April 20th, 2006 · No Comments

How deliciously 2.0!
The rumor that AOL was starting up a MySpace.com competitor has lingered since Jon Fine wrote a column in January on that very subject. Allegedly the service is closer to launch, and the rumors started up again, beginning at  David Winer’s blog.
Jason Calacanis*, now an AOL employee, linked to Winer’s postulation, with a [...]

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Tags: Media · Product debuts · Technology · Weblogs