Teens Go for Gadgets, Games, Websites

Marketers who want to reach teens should take advantage of their penchant for entertainment devices and websites about gadgets and gaming, and should attempt to reach them through in-game advertising and advergaming, writes eMarketer (via MarketingVox). Particularly, gaming offers the best opportunity, with the vast majority of U.S. and Canadian consumers age 12-21 owning some sort of gaming device - and three of four playing online and offline games on their PCs, according to Forrester Research. Over two-thirds own PCs, DVD players, mobile phones or other handheld devices.

Motorola Launches Digital Radio Via Handsets

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Motorola will launch Motorola iRadio, a subscription music service that moves from home to car to wireless headphones, all powered by a mobile handset, the company announced today. Initially, iRadio will have 435 commercial-free channels. The service also has features that let listeners identify and purchase the music they like. And, according to Motorola, the sound is of higher quality than satellite radio. When a call is received on the phone, the music is automatically paused.

Infiniti Primes 30-Minute Unbranded Commercial

Luxury carmaker Infiniti is ready to roll with a 30-minute original program that features five black artists talking about design - without any commercial breaks or once mentioning Infiniti, Adweek reports. After 25 minutes the program, which premieres Feb. 9 on BET, segues into images of Infiniti’s various models. Since it’s not a hard sell, the program won’t be labeled as “paid programming.”

It’s a new approach to TV advertising that differs from the paid placement approach taken by auto makers such as General Motors (The Apprentice), Ford (24), Nissan (Desperate Housewives), and Toyota (The Contender).

Researchers Want Liquor Ads Limited

The first national study of liquor advertising and its effects on youth, conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut and Ohio State University, recommends that limiting liquor advertising should be part of a national strategy to reduce underage drinking, the Hartford Courant reports. The study found that young people who see more ads for alcoholic beverages tend to drink more, but alcohol producers have long argued that advertising has no influence on liquor consumption by young people.

Specifically, the analysis shows that for underage drinkers, exposure to one more ad than the average for youth was correlated with a one percent increase in drinking, and that an additional dollar spent per capita on alcohol advertising in a local market was correlated with a three percent increase in underage alcohol consumption as well.

Jeff Becker, president of The Beer Institute said the study fails to establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship between advertising and youth drinking.

Number of Hispanic Radio Stations Climbs to Fifth Place

Nine Spanish-formatted commercial radio stations were added in December, raising the total commercial stations targeting the Hispanic community to 690 and moving the category from sixth to fifth place in the ranks of 22 format categories tracked monthly by the Billboard/M Street Format Monitor, Billboard Radio Monitor reports.

Smart Signs & Your Radio Create Custom Ads

Smart Sign Media is working with Simon Brand Ventures to provide outdoor digital signs to many of Simon Malls’ 300 shopping centers across the U.S. that will change depending on what station is playing on radios in passing cars, MediaPost reports (via Radio Ink).

Founder: No, Wikipedia Won’t Run Ads… Probably

Contradicting last week’s news report in Times Online, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales said he was misquoted and has no plans to introduce advertising on the Wikipedia site, writes ClickZ. “There are no plans of any kind, no announcement, no change in stance,” he told ClickZ (via MarketingVox). “What I said is something I’ve been saying for five years. We don’t believe we need advertising in order to survive. My view currently is that we’re much better off without the advertising. It’s better for our mission. It’s better for our fundraising.”

HD TV Ads Off To Quick Start in 2006

High Definition TV ads are standing out from the competition, HD Beat reports (via AD Jab), with the new AT&T ad, part of its recently launched mega-campaign, the first HD spot to run in 2006, starting just before midnight. HD ads have been spotted during the college bowl games and more are expected during the Super Bowl.

MapChart Takes Off, Adds B-to-B and eCommerce

MapChart GmbH, a company that allows marketing professionals to visualize their customers on a business map in a way that includes turnover, scoring, and value, has announced that it has reached a customer base of 300 users in its first year. Now, the company plans to present its services for the B-to-B sector, as well, particularly for small and medium-sized companies.

City News Posts Last Story

City News, the wire service that covered Chicago’s news for more than 100 years, posted its last story on Sunday, Reuters reports. Staffers filled the Billy Goat Tavern, a popular bar with journalists, to wait for the final bulletin to appear. Nearby, a banner hung bearing the wire service’s motto: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.”