I think it's a tell of a struggling medium when it advertises the fact you can advertise with them. I imagine their advertising revenue can't be too successful if they have no ads to place in that media space. You see it all the time on websites with banner ads suggesting one could "advertise here". It's also pretty popular on the inside of trains. And I realised today, that radio has been doing it for a while with a pretty heavy push lately. Is this the sign of a dying medium, or at least a profitable one? And how long until we see a major television networks running similar ads?...

One of the issues in not watching television, as my favourite co worker Stan points out, is that you miss ads. Which is fucking awesome for the most part except that people often talk about them. On more than one occasion I've been caught out where friends have turned to me as the one studying advertising and I've not had a clue as to what they're talking about.Ads, it would seem, remain a popular conversation topic. Music is another, which despite the fact I don't listen to radio, strangely hasn't affected me. The biggest issue that I am suffering from, is news. With the massive decrease in the consumption of traditional media, myself and many of my friends tend to be less informed about news and current affairs.And the only real reason this has become an issue is because it's a popular conversation topic among peers that I can't always join in on. But other than that, is this a big deal?For the most part, news programs have become commercial, vested interest vehicles of entertainment anyway. And as tragic as it was, is the death of four teenagers in a car accident really something that I should be concerned about?Instead, democratically, the most important and the most interesting news finds its way to me. This means I receive a lot less unimportant news, yet the big stories, like an natural disaster leaving many in need of aid, are made aware to me through platforms like Twitter. The jet skiing squirrel does not (I use Digg for that).Overlooking the fact I work (using the word lightly) in advertising, is it an issue that the next generation will be less informed about many of the ultimately pointless day to day news?...

I am your stereotypical Gen Y. Admittedly I'm probably a little more tech savvy and geekier than most but this is how I consume my media. I do not read the newspaper. In fact I hardly even read newspaper websites. Instead I read blogs about topics I'm interested in. Some of it is news, but some is also entertainment, therefore removing my need for a newspaper at all. I use RSS to pull everything I want into one area. It doesn't waste my time with articles I don't read and most importantly it's free and for the most without interrupting ads. I do not listen to the radio. My iPhone has all my music on it. All of which I downloaded illegally and doesn't cost me a cent. It's as commercial free as Triple J, except all music I love. Through iTunes I download podcasts about news, marketing, comedy and my favourite, Hamish and Andy. Each day they are automatically downloaded and synced to my iPhone. My set up even allows me to listen to my iPhone through the car speakers. I do not watch television. What I don't watch on YouTube or what isn't a web series, I download. Again, illegally and again free. 2 minutes after a show has aired in the US it's sitting on my computer, ready to watch how I want and when I want. I sit my bed with my notebook or I watch on the train with my iPhone. I pause it when I want and most importantly, I watch without commercials. If you're still using these channels to advertise to Gen Y, you're an idiot. And if you're producing media based on these business models, you're fucked....

One of my marketing hates is when a campaign, usually a television spot, advertises an industry and not a specific product.Most advertising fails to integrate the content with the brand. Throwing a logo at the end of a commercial rarely does anything. Same with making the logo bigger. This spot promotes online casinos, not Ladbrokes Casino. This joke of a campaign advertises instant noodles, not Fantastic Noodles.But when you see an Apple iPod commercial, you know it. They aren't advertising any MP3 Player, they are advertising iPods.Same with Coke and Pepsi do it well too. Schweppes has done it well here and I think Solo has pulled it off here too. In all four cases, they promote their specific product and brand, not the soft drink industry.Yet so many campaigns don't. A waste of money and one of the many reasons the television spot should ensure their will is all in order before a long and painful death....

If you haven't seen Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, it's too late. And that's the reason you will buy it from iTunes or on DVD. During the Writer's Guild of America Strike, writer and director Joss Whedon developed this mini series. It was to be low budget and circumvent the issues of the strike but professionally done. Three weeks ago the first fifteen minutes were uploaded. A week later the next fifteen and last week the concluding fifteen were aired. It was free to view with no advertising or sponsorship on the website what so ever. On Sunday night it was taken down where it is now exclusively on iTunes (for a price) and soon to be on DVD. The buzz it generated was amazing. There are no statistics on the website hits, but the Facebook fan page has more than 43,000 fans. And in under a month, that is more than remarkable. I know I'll be buying it on DVD (apparently the Audio Commentary will be a musical in itself). You should too. Much like the music industry and soon to be the publishing industry, the middle man was cut out. And while they haven't made a cent yet, I expect the profits will be high. Is this the future of television?...