Bizzy’s Business Briefs (100405)
Online ads way up
Internet advertising soars in the US
Online advertising revenues in the first half of this year soared to a new high of around $5.8 billion in the US – up 26 per cent over the first half of 2004, according to figures released yesterday by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
Revenue for the second quarter of 2005 totalled $2.985bn, representing a 26 per cent increase over the same period in 2004, and a 6.6 per cent increase on revenues earned in the first quarter of 2005.
I’d like to know if there is information on where ads are being placed, especially traditional media vs. new media outlets.
Do you recognize these Hollywood flops (the dumb business moves, that is)?
It is indeed an entertaining list of doozies. Though I did not recognize a few of them, my nominees for worst are (as numbered at site):
4. Lew Wasserman’s 7 year litigation aimed at blocking the VCR (which then turned out to by Hollywood’s cash cow)
5. MGM’s failure to include international distribution rights–the crown jewel– in its purchase of United Artists.
6. Warner’s fire sale of MTV and Nickelodeon to Viacom to satisfy a dissident shareholder.
7. Fox giving half of Titanic, , the most successful movie in history, to Paramount in return for Paramount merely paying the budget overage ( $60 million.)
9. Fox giving away Star War’s toy licensing rights to manufacturers to publicize the original episode.
11. Miramax’s passing on the chance to make The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
A Sobering Look at Something That Shouldn’t Be Happening (US Kids Avoiding IT Careers)
You need to read the whole thing to get a real sense of the bitterness out there. Here are the key paragraphs.
After five years making IT an unstable and downwardly-mobile occupation, high-level business executives have no business looking hurt and betrayed when young people don’t want to work for them, If you kick a dog regularly for five years, you shouldn’t be surprised if he shies away when you reach out your hand to him, even if this time you’re offering him a cookie.
….. ow, not all young people make career choices on long-term economic grounds. Some will choose jobs based on what’s fun or glamorous. Some are looking to get rich. But many young people look for jobs that will provide a good living over the long term, and those young people are not choosing IT today. Can we really blame them?
Kids today know the world doesn’t owe them a living. That’s why they’re looking for jobs that maximize their chances of earning a living. If businesses want more kids to go into IT — if they want retain the technology core competence needed to remain competitive — they need to make IT a more stable and lucrative job choice.
