Ownership of TV Sets Falls in U.S. (NY Times)
As more consumers go online to fulfill their entertainment needs, television ownership drops for the first time in twenty years.

FTC enforcement of its new blogger guidelines has involved typically high-profile actions against Anne Taylor LOFT (FTC ultimately taking no action) and Reverb Communications (for allegedly deceptive postings of positive reviews on iTunes for games produced by Reverb clients).

While premature to draw any broad conclusions on the enforcement environment for the new rules, a philosophical problem with the FTC’s new blogger framework is its willful ignorance of the advertising underpinnings of traditional media.

So, for example, while established newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post depend for their credibility on perceived soundness of the journalistic “church-state” divide, readers are almost never proactively alerted to major advertising support from common story subjects in business and politics.  Disclosure more typically comes from investment or ownership relationships, in the form of “full disclosure” statements like that from Ezra Klein when reporting about Facebook (“Disclosure: Washington Post Co. Chairman Donald E. Graham is on Facebook’s board, and The Post markets itself on Facebook.”).  Not, though, from advertising relationships, even major advertisers.

At least not with newspapers.  PBS’ Newshour, NPR and other public news broadcasts commonly disclose underwriting relationships involving story subjects.  However, the same cannot be said of commercial television news broadcasts unless they involve investment or ownership relationships.

Since the underwriting structure of public broadcasting is substantively no different than the advertising relationships of newspapers, commercial television and most media websites, editorial disclosure of the financial support – of any kind – of such media outlets seems equally appropriate.

Citizen Media Law Project, in its coverage of Anne Taylor action, notes that the FTC guidelines limit disclosure to cases where the sponsorship relationship is not “reasonably expected by the audience”.

Put in the context of audience reasonable expectation, this seems rather generously written for the benefit of old-line media, which has relied for generations on the presumption of credibility by its readership much more so than disclosure.

Why then, shouldn’t bloggers be afforded the same benefit of the doubt that newspaper publishers have been given for generations?  Yes, there will always be egregious cases of paid-for “earned media” such as the Reverb case with iTunes.  But it used to be that time and dedicated readership was the ultimate arbiter of media influence.

This all begs the question of why the expectation of the relationship – rather than actual influence – is the measuring stick.

On one hand, online ads are vulnerable to the tyranny of choice. The metrics can be overwhelming, the jargon can be off-putting and success can be mistaken for failure. Moreover, unlike traditional ad buys, online campaigns demand continuous monitoring and fine-tuning.

On the other hand, if you’re tired of one-off shots in the dark—where your one-page spread for life insurance runs opposite to an article on video games, or your spot for an SUV runs in the middle of a segment on high gas prices—then online ads may be right for your organization. Here’s why:

1. Cost. Online ads are cheap—cheaper than their print and broadcast counterparts. Rather than pay for exposure, you pay only when your ad is actually clicked on.

2. Targeting. Online ads allow you to reach niche demographics. Rather than throwing your ad in front of a general audience, you can narrowly tailor your target search criteria.

3. Flexibility. Online ads can be changed on the fly. Rather than getting one chance to craft the perfect ad, you can optimize your creative as conditions warrant for maximum performance.

4. Measurement. Online ads come with reams of statistics. Rather than rely on word of mouth or voluntary disclosure to ascertain your ad’s success, you can get the unfiltered data first hand.

Okay, I’m sold, you say, but where do I begin? Which programs should I use? Since the Web’s sweet spot in its customizability, I tend to prefer do-it-yourself (DIY) platforms over fixed buys. Of the various DIY options, here are the two I consider to be the best (runners-up include LinkedIn and MySpace):

1. Google. As you might conjecture, Google offers not only the biggest audience but also the Internet’s most sophisticated ad program. Its ability to track “conversions”—that is, how many people who click on your ads go on to execute a desired action, like clicking a “donate” or “subscribe” button—is priceless.

The difficulty, however, lies in the learning curve to master Google’s algorithm, which penalizes ads whose copy does not painstakingly correspond with both the text of the Web page it is linked to and the search phrases for which it is configured to display. Compounding these challenges are decisions on whether to display your ads wherever Google ads appear or just on Google.com, and how much to bid on each search term. Happily, Google’s help files are excellent, and the company offers a toll-free phone number where staffers will answer your questions patiently and proficiently. In fact, given two weeks’ notice, Google will optimize your campaign for free.

Conclusion: Google ads can be as frustrating for beginners as it is potent for experts. If you’re willing to invest the time and have a place for advertising in your long-range plans, then go for it—you might just be the next Eric Frenchman.

2. Facebook. While some have criticized Facebook ads as a “failure” and lackluster, they offer unparalleled microtargeting in ways that would make Karl Rove salivate, and they couldn’t be easier to create, change, or evaluate. Want to reach single women in Seattle who are older than 21 and work at Microsoft? Go ahead—there are 160 of them on Facebook, and your ads will only appear in front of this demographic, thus ensuring that not a single set of eyeballs goes to waste.

The downside: Facebookers are predominantly young. Of the socnet’s 35.8 million users in the United States, 14.7 million are 21 or younger, and 27 million are 30 or younger.

Conclusion: For its simplicity and deep data, Facebook is both a beginner’s tool and a marketer’s dream.

To borrow a line from Tom Friedman, the Internet has flattened the field of advertising, pulling back the curtain on this one-time specialty and allowing us Web flacks to add another quiver to our advocacy arrow. We should do so not because the quiver is newfangled, but because it’s effective.

The Future of Your Newspaper (Mental Floss)
Print media has been having a difficult time surviving with more and more people getting their news online. However, this new technology could provide newspapers a new portable outlet.

Advertising Without Radio or Television, Only Word of Mouth (Word of Mouth Marketing)
Don’t think advertising without TV, radio or print will work for you organization? Here is an example of how word of mouth marketing can be used to execute a successful campaign.

Financial Meltdown: Don’t Cry for K Street (National Journal)
With the financial system in ruins from this week’s fallout, the nation’s economic system will definitely be changing. The National Journal examines how lobbyists may have a lot of influence in the reshaping of economic regulations and policy.