FREE ADVERTISING FOR SANTORINI BY DESIGNER TOMMY BAHAMA

If you live in the states, you might have seen the gorgeous new print campaign now running in various glossy magazines from Tommy Bahama. Shot on the island of Santorini, the campaign constitutes free advertising for the island as well as Greece.

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NIELSEN ACQUIRES IAG TO BUILD UP ANALYTICAL EXPERTISE

To gain more insight into consumer engagement on all platforms, including the Internet, the Nielsen Co. announced plans to acquire IAG Research.

While Nielsen measures what consumers view, IAG measures the effectiveness of the advertising and program engagement. IAG's clients include major advertisers, advertising agencies, Internet providers, content providers, and telecommunications services. The combined entity will measure online and TV audiences, among other platforms.

Nielsen's strengths are "in the quantitative area of media measurement in terms of how many people are watching and what they are watching," said Nielsen Co. spokesman Gary Holmes. "IAG has important expertise in how engaged they [the audience] are in the program, how effective commercials are, and Nielsen feels that it would like to build up the analytical part of its business. IAG, with its expertise, seemed like a perfect fit."

The acquisition offers data and resources to IAG as well. IAG will get access to an enormous amount of data that Nielsen produces every day in media behavior and consumption. They'll be able to combine data with their analytical information to come up with important insights in understanding what consumers are doing."

In the past year, the methodologies of Nielsen and other panel-based research firms have been called into question by the Interactive Advertising Bureau. p>For Nielsen, IAG's qualitative research adds another component it can offer advertisers and content owners.
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WE LOVE OUR CELL PHONES

IEMR's 1Q08 Mobile phone forecast for Greece predicts:

-- In 2010, Greece will be the second most highly penetrated market in the world after Italy. The wireless penetration level will increase from our projected 141.1% in 2007 to 154.7% in 2010.

-- The number of total subscribers in Greece will increase from 15.6 million in 2007 to 17.1 million in 2010.

-- The two largest operators in Greece will continue to be Vodafone Panafon and Cosmote.

Television networks grab the opportunity for mobile TV!

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FREE ADVERTISING FOR SANTORINI BY DESIGNER TOMMY BAHAMA

If you live in the states, you might have seen the gorgeous new print campaign now running in various glossy magazines from Tommy Bahama. Shot on the island of Santorini, the campaign constitutes free advertising for the island as well as Greece.

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ANISTON'S TRIP TO CRETE

Jennifer Aniston is reportedly looking to reconnect with her Greek heritage. The actress is said to be brushing up on her Greek language skills for an upcoming trip to Crete this summer. While talking about her roots, she was quoted as saying... "There's a warmth to my family and to Greeks in general."

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CULTURAL TOURISIM BOOST

With the upcooming opening of the new Acropolis Museum, Greece tour operators are predicting an increase in "cultural tourism." Operators are banking that visitors will want to combine cultural activities as well as the sunshine.

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SURFING THE WEB

A new analysis of online consumer data shows that large Web companies are learning more about people than ever from what they search for and do on the Internet, gathering clues about the tastes and preferences of a typical user several hundred times a month.

These companies use that information to predict what content and advertisements people most likely want to see. They can charge steep prices for carefully tailored ads because of their high response rates.

Privacy advocates have previously sounded alarms about the practices of Internet companies and provided vague estimates about the volume of data they collect.

The Web companies are, in effect, taking the trail of crumbs people leave behind as they move around the Internet, and then analyzing them to anticipate people’s next steps. So anybody who searches for information on such disparate topics as iron supplements, airlines, hotels and soft drinks may see ads for those products and services later on.

Consumers have not complained to any great extent about data collection online. But privacy experts say that is because the collection is invisible to them. Unlike Facebook’s Beacon program, which stirred controversy last year when it broadcast its members’ purchases to their online friends, most companies do not flash a notice on the screen when they collect data about visitors to their sites.

When you start to get into the details, it’s scarier than you might suspect -- You're recording preferences, hopes, worries and fears.

But executives from the largest Web companies say that privacy fears are misplaced, and that they have policies in place to protect consumers’ names and other personal information from advertisers. Moreover, they say, the data is a boon to consumers, because it makes the ads they see more relevant.

These companies often connect consumer data to unique codes identifying their computers, rather than their names.

During the Internet’s short life, most people have used a yardstick from traditional media to measure success: audience size. Like magazines and newspapers, Web sites are most often ranked based on how many people visit them and how long they are there.

But on the Internet, advertisers are increasingly choosing where to place their ads based on how much sites know about Web surfers.

Web companies once could monitor the actions of consumers only on their own sites. But over the last couple of years, the Internet giants have spread their reach by acting as intermediaries that place ads on thousands of Web sites, and now can follow people’s activities on far more sites.
Large Web companies like Microsoft and Yahoo have also acquired a number of companies in the last year that have rich consumer data.

Web companies also can collect more data as people spend more time online. The number of searches that American Web users enter each month has nearly doubled since summer of 2006, to 14.6 billion searches in January.
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MAGAZINE EMBEDS GLOW-IN-THE-DARK AD ON COVER

It’s not embedded Swarovski crystals or shameless Nike plugs, but Vice—the irreverent free glossy with 14 international editions based in New York—has figured out a new way to sneak an advertiser’s product onto its cover: glow-in-the-dark ink.

The magazine’s Canadian edition is running an ad for BMW 1 Series—visible only in the dark—on the cover of its latest issue. The ad appears on the magazine’s entire print run—some 55,000 copies.

And that's not all -- Trackable ink is here -- So big brother will know if you're reading your favorite magazine on the couch or on your toliet seat.

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THE GROWING POWER OF GREEK BLOGGERS

The first study ever conducted on the Greek blogosphere by Panteion University sheds the light on the growing power and influence these blogs have on the general public. While only 30% of Greece is connected to the internet (with an even smaller portion of those being 'bloggers'), there are currently 40,000 Greek blogs with a readership that is reaching 500,000.

According to the study, a typical Greek blogger is:

Male, employed, 30 years old, lives in Athens and has a university education. He follows traditional news sources (the press, radio and television) for less then an hour a day. An Internet user for eight years, he is online for more than four hours a day, using a broadband connection.

Some other interesting numbers about the Greek blogosphere:

- Greek blogs get updated once or twice a week or less, with bloggers spending less than five hours a week on them.- Most bloggers 'blog' because they like writing and want to influence other people.

- Only 8% of Greek blogs get more than 250 hits a day, with 55% getting less than 100 hits a day and the remaining being read by close family and friends of the blogger.

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DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL IN GREECE

The Huffington Post has a good (if somewhat lengthy) article on Dimitri Eipedes, the founder of the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival in Greece. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the festival--now one of the most significant doc festivals in Europe. The festival attracts l000 documentary entries from all over the world--not to mention 65,000 spectators.

The article draws attention to one particularly interesting documentary film shown at the festival:

"The wildest documentary: "Surfwise" (view trailer). A good Jewish doctor, head of the American Medical Association for California, after two divorces and plenty of financial success, decides to drop it all and become a surfer on the beach. His idea: modern society, its money, mores and education system, is inhuman and unhealthy, while he himself is full of health, both charismatic and self-assured. He takes off for Mexico and, what is most incredible, convinces a woman to join his dream and to raise nine children together, each with his or her own tiny surf board, all sleeping together in one small caravan. "They were free as puppies," notes the proud Dad. The children eat gruel for breakfast and then hit the waves."

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MEDIA LANSCAPE

Broadcast-network TV's place in the media landscape is changing, and consumers can probably expect less scripted fare, and more shows aimed at reaching broad swaths of audience.

Event programming will continue to be the backbone of broadcast network TV, which advertisers continue to rely on to reach large groups of audience to launch movies and introduce new products to the marketplace. Broadcast networks need to be careful to avoid going too niche, which is really the strength of cable networks in the USA (here in Greece, NOVA).

With more consumers able to get entertainment and information online, TV networks are finding that distribution of content over their own air simply is not enough. They must also attract audiences via the web and digital devices such as cellphones and iPods.

Big broadcast networks, like MEGA and STAR will have to cut back on the number of hours of scripted programming they produce. It is harder today to put on a full day of great scripted programming. The costs are prohibitive.

In the future, you're still going to see the great scripted programming, but you're not going to see a full day seven days a week.
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WHAT'S ALL THE HULA?

Will Hulu do hoops around iTunes?

In Greece there’s a strong opportunity for the RIGHT player(s). NOVA is for sale, and, in the right hands this COULD be the opportunity that could change television in Greece as we know it.

Below, a look at where TV is heading.

News Corp. and NBC Universal have made Hulu.com, (online video-sharing site) available to the general public.

The oddly-named site represents the two media companies' quest to capture some of the consumer attention that has gone to other video-sharing sites, most notably Google's YouTube.

Hulu features clips and full-length episodes of well-known programs including "House" and "Chuck," as well as some movies. Hulu has a potential lure for advertisers who like online video, but are more comfortable with professionally produced content as opposed to the grainy, edgy and wacky material that makes it to YouTube and other sites of its kind.

The media market is shifting drastically and we need to join the game. TV on your computer is here to stay.

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PICASSO'S ARTWORK DISTURBS PARENTS

School children in Thessaloniki were temporarily banned from visiting the exhibition of Picasso's 'Suite 347' prints at the city's Telloglio Arts Centre this week.

The collection of erotic prints by Pablo Picasso has sparked a dispute in Salonika after parents and school headmasters called into question whether they were suitable for minors.

The decision was rescinded when it was found that the offending prints were not being shown to schoolchildren visiting the exhibition.

With all the naked Greek statues...what could be so offensive?
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HEALTH MINISTRY TO START MARKETING CAMPAIGN TO SLIM DOWN OUR CHILDREN

The statistics don't lie. There's a growing epidemic of overweight children in Greece and its not getting better.

- 54 % of children between the ages of 6 and 11 are overweight
- 40 % of children between the ages of 12 and 17 are overweight
- Fast food consumption has increased nearly 1,000% (staggering!) since 2000.

Result: Over half of Greece's youth overweight.

Greece's Health Ministry is beginning a marketing campaign, including television advertisements, that will also involve high-profile athletes visiting schools, to encourage youngsters to adopt a healthier lifestyle involving more exercise.

This is not enough. Television adversements should be geared to adults and not children. The media companies need to refuse airing junk food advertising during children’s programming and viewing times.
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DIRTY MONEY

It’s time to air your dirty laundry

It’s much easier to steal the inside scoop then it is to work for it. Just as it is much easier to sleep to the top.

An employee of “Telia Kai Pavla” was handing over their top stories to Vassia Loi, host of "TV Weekend" before Desi Kouvelogianni had gone to air. Now, Desi has no TV home.

Sham on you Vassia. Slap, slap to the hand. Now, I have to ask…was this for sexual favors? Hmmm.
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GREEK TV NETWORKS SHOULD GREENLIGHT ECO-CONTENT

The amount of green in eco-friendly programming is growing in the US, and even networks whose stock in trade is irreverence are trying to do well by doing good.

With the environment becoming a bigger issue to consumers—and businesses trying to court them—television networks are creating more green programming and campaigns.

Advertisers are well aware of that growing appetite.

US networks are rushing to respond.

GreeK TV is several steps behind.

NBC last week said its “The More You know” campaign will feature a commitment to environmental awareness and the network is seeking sponsors for that effort.

Last week, Planet Green said it will air a daily show featuring former Food Network fixture Emeril Lagasse cooking with fresh and organic ingredients. The show will be shot inside Whole Food Markets stores; the retailer is a production partner on the show, providing promotion as well as locations.

Eco-lifestyle programming is really a new genre of TV.

My experience tells me that the content needs to be very relevant to people with an interest in being more green.

But there are pitfalls to jumping on the green bandwagon.

If the eco-efforts are real and substantive, the viewers will take that away from the association with the program. Conversely, if the client is in the program just because it’s cool to be green, the viewer will realize that as well.
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INFORMATION ON THE MOVE

Put down your frappe television promotion executives and get to work! Here's a nice opportunity for a tie-in promotion. Do I have to spell it out?! Sorry, not my job.

The City of Athens Mobile Information Booth is ready to hit the city's neighborhoods and document the problems and concerns of citizens, as well as inform them on municipal works.The booth, a van actually, is equipped with full electronic equipment including screens and projectors'. Starting in April and lasting until June; the booth will travel to all seven of the City Districts and inform citizens on the City's new Greenery Charter and the school competition "Regeneration of my Neighborhood".

The traveling booth was sponsored and built by the Greek company Saracakis.

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COME TO THE GREEK ISLANDS

FUNNY VIDEOS

http://www.greekfriends.com.au/story/title/Why_To_Come_To_The_Greek_Islands-1
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A NEW RATING SYSTEM FOR TV SHOWS

Audience beyond TV, and appeal beyond ratings

TV ratings have been the gospel for the broadcasting and ad industries for nearly 60 years. They are the yardstick by which our business has determined success or failure.

However, as we begin to turn our attention to this year's upfront market, the question we find ourselves asking is, Do TV ratings still stand up as a reliable and usable measure that advertisers, agencies and broadcasters need to make the right investment decisions? In a multiplatform, digital media world where engagement is as important as headcount, it's time to think about a different currency.

TV just isn't TV anymore

We must go beyond TV ratings to evaluate a show's true market value in terms of total audience size, value of PR and buzz, and program appeal.

They say that TV isn't what it used to be, and that certainly rings true. Networks in the US have expanded their content beyond telecast into multiplatforms that reflect the widening berth of TV's landscape.

We buy shows, not ratings

In Europe, advertisers buy ratings. In the U.S., they buy shows. TV buying in Europe has largely become a commodity, a mechanism to deliver an audience for advertising messages. A marketing director rarely questions the programs they are in, just the ratings, the reach and cost per thousand. Media auditors regularly track media buyers on prices paid and level of discount. Where the U.S. differs from its European counterparts is that here, TV is rightfully more than just a ratings number. Each program also includes sponsorship, integration and promotional opportunities as important parts of the buying consideration. This is not the case in Europe, because in many TV markets, the regulations restricting branded entertainment, sponsorship and product placement are so draconian that you are limited to literally buying the audience that is in the commercial break.

For U.S. advertisers and networks, quality does count and has a value. The show is a brand in its own right, and it is worth something for a marketer's brands to be associated with. Research shows that advertising effectiveness in high quality programming on average delivers 44% higher ad recall than in low quality shows.

Over the decades, 20-30 ratings gave way to 2-3 ratings that reflected growing industry competition and consumers splintered by choice. Mass marketing (and similarly, mass ratings) has given way to more targeted and sophisticated approaches.

Engagement: our staple currency

Despite TV CPMs increasing year after year, advertising recall of TV commercials has been in steady decline. In some estimates, TV advertising is eight times less efficient in the '00s as it was in the '60s. Engagement is of equal importance to TV ratings. We know from analysis of the market that program appeal and engagement are more likely to drive greater ad awareness and response. Yet TV ratings alone fail to address this need.

Research needs to broaden to address the current landscape. We should rank network and cable program size across broadcast TV, web, online video and mobile; its value in terms of PR and word-of-mouth buzz; and audience appeal.

For example, while reality programs have their share of criticism, it was found that a show whose viewers have a stake in the show or its contestants enjoys a more engaged and regular audience. The high viewer involvement in shows like "Heroes," "The Office" and "30 Rock" helped them to gain a much higher ranking than the TV ratings alone justified.

It makes sense the networks are leveraging the opportunity presented when consumers increasingly access and interact with the content in different places. This is creating a new economy for TV. There's no question that digital platforms are increasingly valuable to advertisers. So too is the interest and appeal that a program generates.

In Greece, TV executives need to push for a far better rating system. Research needs to encompass much more.
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TO BLOG OR NOT

Bloggers and traditional media outlets in Greece have been buzzing over the past couple of weeks after it was revealed that press-gr.blogspot.com, one of the most popular Greek blogs, was acting as a vehicle for Internet blackmailers. According to reports, numerous Greek statesmen, clergy, media stars and businessmen have allegedly been blackmailed by anonymous users/commenter's on the gossip site. Right!!! This seemed like a good accusation by the social elite to find out who is behind the successful blog that threatens to expose their own corruption.

Blackmail is a felony in Greece so a court order was granted to find out the site's anonymous owners. The trail led authorities to a newspaper editor from Greece who denied any wrong doing.

The uproar now is that legislation is being drafted to outlaw anonymous blogs or commentary. This from a country that tried to outlaw video games a while back. Absurd! I was under the impression that .com blogs could not be regulated with Greek legislation. Let's see what happens.

It is obvious that the Greek political system is not comfortable with the idea of people blogging around uncontrolled. The Greek political system is not comfortable with the idea of freedom of expression, too -- I suppose there is lots of corruption and hypocrisy that the elite doesn't want exposed.
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WHEN JOURNALIST AREN'T HAPPY, THE NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY ISN'T HAPPY

Earlier this month, Kiyoshi Martinez started an experimental Web site that gives journalists a chance to vent their feelings about their profession and their work lives. And have they ever. AngryJournalist.com is a simple yet powerful concept: a gripe board where journalists are asked to say what's making them angry today. It's the modern-day equivalent of the anonymous suggestion box in the company lunchroom.

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CALLING ALL SINGLE GREEK BACHELORS

Want a chance to meet a Greek girl and be on reality television at the same time? The next The Bachelorette Series on ABC will feature Greek American DeAnna Pappas (a former contestant on the show The Bachelor) as she will now be given the opportunity to find herself a bachelor out of a group of contestants that will compete for her attention and love.The great thing is there is a chance for single men out there to enter the competition! The show is looking for "attractive, single men who are looking to settle down." Get your brothers, cousins, nephews or anyone who you would think would want to submit their information to ABC; or nominate someone who you think would be good for the show.

Email ABC at chase@kasstinginc.com and submit the following:
Name, age, phone number, email address, job, the reason that they would be good for the show/ are looking for love and a current photo.

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GREEK SCULPTOR'S DESIGN WINS EUROPEAN CONTEST FOR COMMEMORATIVE COIN

In honor of the 10 year anniversary of the beginning of the circulation of the euro, the EU will unveil a new 2 Euro coin. This is only the second time that a commemorative coin has been minted. Greek sculptor George Stamatopoulos's drawing of a primitive stick figure blending into the euro symbol was chosen by 41 percent of the 140,000 Europeans who cast votes. He beat out four other designs; all of which can be viewed on the site below. The new coin will be circulated to all of the 15 nations that use the Euro starting January of 2009. Euro Design Contest
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QUEEN DIVA HAS LOST HER THRONE

The Diva Out of Work

Did the diva make ANT1 or did ANT1 make the diva? The answer is obvious. With a little help from Minos, we can all go pretty far.

The diva rose through the ranks of ANT1. She just happened to be at the right place at the right time…on a yacht that sailed the Mediterranean Sea. Oops, that’s the wrong story. Nevertheless, the same opportunity that led to her rise is what eventually led to her fall.

The Tactics of a Diva
Scream! Scream at everyone! Scream at anything! Keep people an arm distance away, so they won’t figure out how stupid you truly are.

Use melodrama behind the scenes, so that management will sympathize with you.

When success hits, claim it. When failure hits, blame it on the others.

Keep the smarter people suppressed and their ideas hidden -- this way no one will discover their true talents and you can maintain your throne.

Destroy all creative ideas before anyone gets wind of them.

Use the ANT1 brand to create personal equity and gain respect from actors, directors, and producers.

Promote yourself over all others -- after all you are the Queen.

Call your personal photographer to tell him which social events you will attend, so he will mysteriously show up and take photos and then publish them in the media.

Do not allow anyone to get close to you because they’ll soon discover your lack of talent.

These tactics may have worked at ANT1 but other networks will not put up with a diva gone mad. Bye, bye STAR. ALPHA watch out! Or are we back to ANT1 again? Now, that would be a big mistake for ANT1!!!
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KALOMIRA GOES TO EUROVISION

"Secret Combination" is the name of the song that Kalomira will sing and represent Greece with in the upcoming Eurovision competition in Belgrade; beating out her two other competitors Kostas Martakis, who had the song "Always and Forever" and Chrispa with the song "A Chance to Love."

The decision was made by both the general public and judges. Greek viewer accounted for 60 per cent of the voting, while the judges had the other 40%. Kalomira received a total of 56% of the vote, Kostas Martakis 32% and Chrispa in third with 12%.
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SO YOU SPEAK GREEK?!

Last week's clip from "So You Think You Can Dance" New York edition. Eleni gives it to the judges, Bravo Eleni!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8310495478102932692#37m05s
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A FILM FESTIVAL WITH AN "ECO-FRIENDLY" MINDSET

There is a unique film festival coming to Pireaus. The 7th Ecocinema International Film Festival, taking place between 21-27 February (at the Atticon and Cineak cinemas), aims to raise the public's environmental awareness, as well as its participation to a global dialogue.

In its 7 days of screenings, Ecocinema will present recent cinematographic productions and thematic tributes focusing on sociopolitical and environmental issues.

To see the list of films and schedules please click below: EcoCinema

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THE iFLOP

Steve Jobs tried to design --and dictate--the future of television. Here's how he failed. Steve Jobs, the Silicon Valley Svengali who gave the world geek chic in the form of the iPod, iTunes and the iPhone, looked ready to do it yet again last summer when he offered the first glimpse of Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people )'s iTV. The slender, elegant gray box would revolutionize television, he proclaimed, and let sofa spuds grab all sorts of video (TV shows, movies, Web clips) from all sorts of sources (cable, satellite, the Internet) and zap it to their TV sets. The details were sketchy, but--coming from Steve Jobs--iTV promised to tie it all together in a simple, sexy, fun package. "This is the missing piece," Jobs told his disciples, gesturing to a device the size of a textbook. "Here it is."

His timing was impeccable. When the product debuted in late March, the cost of delivering TV shows over the Internet had plunged, and the Web was brimming with video of ever greater variety and quality. The major TV networks were adding online downloads of such hits as NBC's Heroes, and Hollywood's titanic studios had begun talks to rent movies online through Apple's iTunes service.

Six months later iTV is a flat-out iFlop. Renamed Apple TV upon launch, the ballyhooed box has sold perhaps 250,000 units--far behind the 1 million sold for the iPhone, which was priced twice as high and has been on the market less than half as long. Apple, which declined to let FORBES interview Jobs and other execs for this story, provides detailed sales data for the iPod and other digital wonders but won't reveal any numbers for Apple TV; apparently the truth is too humiliating.

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THE INTERNET. THE TV.

Millions of people love watching Internet video on their PCs. So why can't the technology industry figure out how to get them to watch Internet video on their television sets?

It isn't for lack of trying. For several years, Silicon Valley has bombarded the market with gadgets that let you tune into online video in your living room. Plug one of these set-top boxes into your TV, and you can download a selection of movies and TV shows, or perhaps browse video sites like YouTube.

It seems like a no-brainer: Consumers get a greater breadth of on-demand content than cable offers, and in the comfort of their living room or bedroom, the industry argues. WSJ's Nick Wingfield reviews some of the gadgets that are bringing TV shows, movies and a broad range of other video from the Internet to the living room.

Yet consumers aren't buying. Internet video players like Apple Inc.'s Apple TV and Akimbo Systems Inc.'s Akimbo Player haven't managed to reach an audience beyond the early-adopter crowd. And multipurpose devices that let you watch Internet video -- such as TiVo Inc.'s digital video recorders -- haven't found a mass market either, analysts say.

What's the holdup? Generally speaking, the video players are just too complicated to hook up, too expensive and too limited in what they can do. There are skeptics, too, who think Internet video players are trying to solve a problem that simply doesn't exist -- especially as cable companies enhance on-demand video services.

The issue with these next-generation set-top boxes is they're hard to use, hard to install and the return on investment isn't particularly large because the content is available elsewhere.

Still, tech companies can't stay away from the idea, because of the booming popularity of Internet video. In August, Internet users in the U.S. viewed 9.13 billion online videos, up 26% from 7.24 billion in January, estimates research firm comScore Inc.

Users watched more than a quarter of those videos on Google Inc.'s YouTube, but online video from traditional entertainment companies is exploding, too. Over the past two years, broadcasters have begun streaming nearly all of their most popular shows free with advertisements on their Web sites. (A stream doesn't allow users to keep a permanent copy of the show.) NBC alone says it streamed 50 million shows from its site during October.

The solution is to blend the boxes (one set-top box) and keep it simple. Content must be accessed through both wired and wireless delivery infrastructures. The focus should be on HD programming

Key Assumptions:

TV must be the center of the consumer video experience, and today's service must be redefined
Access to broadcast content is critical for success
On demand, high def is in, linear, standard def is out
Open access to robust wireless networks will be prevalent
Advertising will be key value driver in the future
Price of storage is going to virtually zero;

The video entertainment service of the future -- one box, a TV, and many service providers (telcos, ISPs, portal etc.) which want, need, or aspire to be in the video business.

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GREEK FILM FESTIVALS SPREADING AROUND THE WORLD

Greek Films are Coming to a Theater Near You!

Greek film festivals will be held for the first time this year in Atlanta, United States and also Tampere, Finland. This comes on the heels of the Edingburgh Greek Festival in Scotland which was held a few weeks ago, and before a series of Greek Film Festivals that are about to kick off around the world. There has been a huge push by the Greek Film Center and local Greek Consulate offices around the world to push these film festivals.

For a list of upcoming Greek Film Festivals in 2008 please click on our handy link below: Greek Film Festivals 2008
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MARKETERS LOSING CONFIDENCE IN TV ADS

Traditional TV advertising has lost its power, and marketers/advertisers are eager to find alternatives.

Traditional TV ads have become less effective during the last two years. Given that belief, it's no surprise that close to half of marketers already have experimented with other ad formats that work with digital video recorders or video-on-demand programs.

Branded entertainment is the key to TV advertising in the coming year, such as ads in online TV shows. Emerging technologies continue to lure marketers looking to experiment in other formats. Also as more TV households use DVRs, agencies will most definitley cut spending on TV advertising.

With the proliferation of new media, media agencies in the US have stepped up their game to help clients deal with the changes. Two years ago, just under half the agencies reported they were ill-equipped to address changes in TV advertising, whereas only 28% did so this year. But it is the creative agencies that are falling behind, according to marketers: 47% of them said their agency was ill-equipped to deal with the changes, a mere 8% improvement from two years ago.

In order to deal with change, the industry will gear up to explore new ad formats and forms of video commercials. TV as we know it is a thing of the past. This is an opportunity for a progressive leader in the Greek marketplace. Hello, is there anyone out there?
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WIDE ANGLE

BIG PERSONALITIES

"Cafe me tin Katerina" You gotta love Katerina Zarifi. She definately steals the show. Hush now before the girl loses her job! Eleni watch out...the claws are out.

Hristina Lambiri, a woman who doesn't hide behind her finger. You go girl. More "Super Star" and less Super Sex personalities would be much appreciated. Pleassse, no more
s e x!

"Kitao Brosta" with Rania Thraskia, a woman with a sweet face and sweet pounds. Hopefully, it's real and not all saccharin.
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APOLLO THE LIZARD-SLAYER

Cleveland Museum of Art has acquired an antiquity from an unclear source for an undisclosed amount of money and things are starting to get a bit fishy...A bronze sculpture - Apollo the Lizard-slayer - possibly by Praxiteles, Ancient Greece's most treasured sculptor is under wraps in the museum's storage during it's renovations.

The gaps in the sculpture's ownership history is questionable... Greece claims it was said to have been fished up in the 1990s between Greece and Italy and probably sold illegally until it was acquired by the museum in 2004.

This sculpture missed its chance to be displayed in the Louvre last year with a number of other Praxitele's works as well as be compared to other works of Apollo the lizard-slayer as the Louvre retracted its loan request for this exhibit.

Shouldn't antiquities belong to the countries from which they come from and not to the highest bidder?
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REMEMBERING A MASTER

"Even an ugly face has a side that has beauty in it, and my purpose is to find it and make it into a photograph." - Dinos Diamantopoulos

Greece lost one of her artists earlier this month when Dinos Diamantopoulos passed away at the age of 55. He was one of the greatest photographers in fashion and celebrity. Dinos perfected the art of retouching his photographs --never the persona. He had a keen eye for beauty and breathing life into each photograph. For thirty years he built his portfolio on photographing portraits of Greek models, politicians and entertainers and the fashion world. His photos defined perfect, timeless beauty.

Above, a photo of Dora Bakogianni from his latest black and white collection.

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COMMENT TO: IS YOUR DEGREE WORTH ANYTHING?

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

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IS YOUR DEGREE WORTH ANYTHING?

AN AMERICAN EDUCATION IN MASS MEDIA: A LOOK AT THREE AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES IN ATHENS (NYC, DEREE, UIndy)

NEW YORK COLLEGE EDUCATIONAL GROUP -- FORMERLY KNOWN AS NEW YORK COLLEGE
What is New York College Group? Has anyone in NY heard of this college? NO! There is a prestigious institution named, New York University, but this university has no relation to New York College Group. Well, I did some investigating. There is no college in the United States called New York College. So, let me try and clarify the confusion -- New York College Group Athens offers degrees from various countries -- one being the United States. The degree they offer from the US is from an institution called, Empire State College, which is part of the State University of NY (SUNY) system. It's a SUNY college for ADULTS. It's for returning students, around thirty-five years of age. Warning: Recent high school graduates go elsewhere. So, why the name New York College Group when they offer degrees from other countries and not just NY? You got me. I certainly wouldn't pay top euro to study at an institution that doesn't know how to market itself correctly. This educational group has no campus and no real facilities for the students.
WEBSITE: No bios of instructors for the undergraduate communications program were listed (listed were instructors for the graduate program). Acting head of department only.
ACCREDITATION (Empire State College): Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
TUITION: Around 6,080 EUR per year to complete your degree in four years.

THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF GREECE: DEREE
This is the only university out of the three that has a campus. If you're going to pay top euro for a degree you might as well go somewhere that has facilities for the students that are up to par with the US standards. Also, Deree offers scholorships, grants and reduced tuition to students who excel academically. On the other hand, when I see a course listed as "Brand Building in Advertising" that concerns me. Branding and advertising are not the same thing. If you're offering a degree in communication -- you have to know the difference.
WEBSITE: No bios of instructors were listed. Head of the department unknown.
ACCREDITATION: New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
TUITION: Around 7,000 EUR per year to complete your degree in four years.

The American College of Greece is a "not for profit" institution. This means they do not advertise. It should be noted that an advertised university isn't necessarily better -- it's just better known.

UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS
This university appears to have a broader program of the three, however, the calliber of education is my big concern. This instituion has no campus. The Department Chair/Assistant Professor -- Graduated with a PhD in 1999 and has worked at the university since 2002. Where is the work experience? No work experience, I might as well just read a book!
WEBSITE: Faculty PhDs listed. No bios of instructors were listed.
ACCREDITATION: Academic Quality Improvement Program and Higher Learning Commission.
TUITION: Around 6,000 EUR per year to complete your degree in four years.

All three programs lack hands on experience in television and radio production -- Most courses are based on theory. In the US, if they offer a mass media program, they offer the production facilities. Here, they find it too costly to invest in on campus production facilities and prefer to pocket the money. Nevertheless, they could develop internships with mass media organizations, so that students can work and earn credits towards graduation. Currently, the courses offered by these universities focus on advertising, public relations and journalism, so you're not getting a true mass media education. In addition, I have to question how much work/teaching experience these instructors really have.

Obviously, there are more qualified professors in the US to teach in American institutions and competition for these teaching positions is fierce, therefore, you're getting a level of expertise from your educators, whereas in Greece, there are limited educators with the right credentials -- hence you are not getting the same level of education. Afterall, America is the leading mass media market. It's been around the longest. It should be noted that some of the above aformentioned universities hire their own students right out of college, with no work or teaching experience. And if you notice, many of the educators in Greece are called instructors and not professors. There is a big difference.

After interviewing students from these universities I learned:

Students who studied in both the US and in Athens stated -- "the course work in Greece is much easier -- and it's much easier to get a better grade. "

"A student who had received a failing grade from an instructor -- mysteriously passed the course without retaking it."

"Student complaints offten go unresolved with the local institutions in Athens."

"In fear of retaliation from the local administrators, we are often afraid to take the matter of concern to the home university or the board of directors in the US."

So, there you have it -- If you want a mass media degree that's worth something -- I'd recommend studying abroad.

If you must study in Greece, I would recommend Deree -- for their on-campus facilities and reputation/accredidation. It's worth the extra cost. Second choice is the University of Indianapolis for their broad course selection (that's if these courses are offered every semester). Lastly, Empire. I would prefer to go to a university that doesn't promote themselves as adults (thirty-five years of age). What does this mean exactly? Is someone straight out of high school not an adult?

I have to wonder...what are these institutions teaching our children? But then agan...it's only business, right? Who cares about the level of education. Money talks! Bullshit educates!
antweaver

ABSOLUT GREECE

Absolut Vodka has had a strong presence in Greece for many years --grabbing substantial market share of the Greek drinking public. Greece ranked 7th in the world in terms of the number of cases imported for 2007. 10.7 million cases were sold worldwide in 2007, and below are the top 8 markets. In comparison to the other countries, which have much larger populations, Greece's per capita import of the vodka is substantially higher than its counterparts. Anybody surprised?

Absolutely fabulous advertising by Absolut Vodka! This shows how a strong brand can compete against our traditional Ouzo. Coming soon: Vodkaries serving mezedes!
antweaver

Top 8 Markets:

1. U.S. - 5.0 mil cases
2. Canada - 377,000 mil cases
3. Spain - 343,000 mil cases
4. UK - 324,000 mil cases
5. Germany - 319,000 mil cases
6. Mexico - 313,000 mil cases
7. Greece - 265,000 mil cases
8. Poland - 262,000 mil cases

WHAT IF THERE WAS AN eBAY FOR NEWS?

Imagine a place where journalists could pitch stories as soon as they hit 'save.' Where editors could snap them up just as quickly for printing in tomorrow's paper. Imagine a reporting network built on trust, where both editors and journalists could accrete bodies of work tagged with endorsements and feedback. Is an eBay of news viable? And ultimately, will it deliver news to readers more quickly and more cheaply?

A pair of young entrepreneurs -- she's a graduating Berkeley journalism school student and he's a former engineer for Amazon -- have combined expertises to create one such vehicle: Reporterist.com.

antweaver

IS REALITY DEAD?

All reality shows should have a visceral reaction for the viewer. You need to feel something. Stirring debate is a critical piece of the genre's makeup and success.

But this tried-and-true strategy may not work anymore. As a genre itself, it's just much more familiar now. And, as with anything, its power to shock lessens over time.

The press and the population are becoming a bit inured to the kind of attention-grabbing gimmickry of reality shows. But people aren't completely numb to it, yet. YET.

antweaver

MOBILE ADS

Pssst, hey you! There’s a cheap latte waiting at the coffee shop on the corner! Cellphone advertising is almost here.

Location-based ads are of great interest to advertisers who have seen shoppers eschew traditional forms of mass-market advertising on television and in newspapers and magazines.

Communications companies abroad, including those in Singapore and Japan, have only recently begun to test whether customers are receptive to getting ads based on their location. But there is a growing belief among advertisers and marketers that Americans will embrace this type of advertising, as long as it is useful and not intrusive.

Consumers are savvy enough to expect advertising. They are accepting of it, but they want it to be relevant. If they are getting something they are interested in, that is great. But if they are sending ads that are not relevant, people won’t want it. The key is to add value.

antweaver

PAY UP, SO I'LL SHUT UP!

Love isn’t so rosy behind the scenes

An extremely successfully showbiz couple is making payments to a singer (that’s what she calls herself), so that she won’t spill the beans about the husband’s cheating affair.

It all started when the male paid the singer for sexual favors using a check that was given to him by his best man. Stupid!

Now the singer wants payments to keep her mouth shut or she’ll expose the story to the media.

It’s much easier to dish out other people’s dirty laundry than to face your own dirt. Hypocrits!!!
Medicine-tongue

THE MYTH OF TALENT

Conventional wisdom says that it is not enough to dream -- You need talent.

In other words, you either have it or you don’t. And buying into this dead end myth about ourselves is where it goes wrong for many people.

Talent is a set of skills you develop over time through desire. Eleni Menegaki is a perfect example -- Her on-air skills have improved drastically throughout the years.
Unfortunately, talent alone is not enough....

Even when natural ability is discovered and nurtured, it is only good for one thing – altering the length of your learning curve.

So why do we so easily buy into the limiting mythical idea about talent being nothing but a birthright? Fear. The first word most of us learn is no. And from an early age we are programmed to get our rewards by performing as close to flawlessly as possible. So to avoid rejection we absolve ourselves of being responsible for our own creativity by agreeing with the myth.

One other reason we are frozen by the myth of talent is the talented people themselves. The highly talented do not get our attention until their skill level is so high that no trace can be found of the beginner they once were. Their highly evolved skills do seem to come out of nowhere like a magical byproduct of the birthright we have been told about.

So, for all of us untalented people there's still hope.
antweaver

GREEK AD CAMPAIGN?

ABC knows the way

While networks are seeking ways to accommodate commercials, advertisers are finding ways to slip in their brand messages directly into programming. ABC Family's Greek solves this dilemma by becoming the grounds of a multiplatform ad campaign.

Greek is a teen drama that follows the story of Rusty (Jacob Zachar), a college freshman who aspires to join a fraternity to leave his geeky high school reputation behind. The cast also includes Spencer Grammer (Casey Cartwright), Scott M. Foster (Cappie), Jake McDorman (Evan Chambers) and Paul James (Calvin Owens) among others.

Two week's ago, Greek featured the band Dollyrots perform its song “Because I'm Awesome” at a student hangout, and then caught an instant replay of the song in a Kohl's commercial as part of an ad buy estimated at just under $1 million.

Although the idea sparked from the retailer and its ad agency, McCann-Erickson, the network has been cooking up integration deals for several years now, according to ABC Family executive vice president of ad sales, Laura Nathanson.

“We were out all year saying we were open to doing these creative integrations where they made sense,” she said. “And we took the show Greek out well before it was on the air, saying we had this really interesting show, what its production timeline was and that we were really looking for the right kind of partner.”

Kohl's and its agency were among those who jumped on board. Kohl's, who decided to launch a new campaign using the Dollyrots to project a more trendy and youthful image, collaborated with the network so that the band will actually be featured and not just talked about on the show.

Earlier this season, Greek featured another integration, in which some characters went to see the movie Hot Rod and declared it amusing. The scene was the result of team up with Paramount Pictures.

antweaver

EUROVISION SONGS LEAKED ON INTERNET

Two songs that were to be released at the time of a press conference by Greek national broadcaster, ERT on Wednesday of this week have leaked on the internet. The songs are the national final entries from Kalomoira and Kostas Martakis. The songs were leaked on a Eurovision message board this morning and the links were quickly picked up by a Greek website.

antweaver

Kalomira Interview

CITY BOOK BAZAAR

Athens' Book Bazaar is is set to open today --it's 13th consecutive year. Located at Klafthmonos Square in downtown Athens, the event is organised by the Association of Book Publishers, and under the aegis of the City of Athens' Cultural Organisation.

antweaver

STORYTELLING AS A BRANDING TOOL

What a Difference a Story Makes

Companies need to understand the logic of storytelling in order to build an emotional bond with the people they communicate with: their consumer and their employees.

As such, storytelling is as relevant for internal branding and towards stakeholders, as it is toward the end consumer. Most simply, storytelling and branding come out of the same starting point: emotion and values. A strong brand builds on clearly defined values, while a good story communicates those values in a language easily understood by all of us.

All good stories have a message, conflict, plot and characters. Storytelling as a branding tool is not about telling stories just for the sake of it. Storytelling is about communicating messages that reflect positively on the company brand.

First, you must develop a clearly defined message. Without it, there is no reason to tell stories – at least not with a strategic purpose. Among storytellers – screenwriters as well as authors – the central message, or premise of the story, is an ideological or moral statement that works as a central theme throughout the story. It’s important to stick to one message per story. A story with more than one central message runs the risk of becoming messy and unclear.

Too much harmony and not enough conflict makes for a story that is about exciting as watching paint dry. Conflict is the driving force of a good story. No conflict, no story. Conflict forces us to act. As a rule of thumb, a good story always centers on the struggle to attain, defend, or regain harmony. As storytellers, we get our message across through conflict and its resolution. When the Ugly Duckling becomes a beautiful swan and is finally accepted into the flock of swans, the conflict is resolved.

In storytelling, conflict is not negative. It is a fundamental premise on which the narrator can communicate his perception of right and wrong. In a classical fairy-tale the conflict is often permanently resolved. The greater the conflict the more dramatic the story will be, however, conflict should not go over the top that it becomes confusing.

antweaver