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MEDIA ANALYSIS
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"BROKEBACK
MOUNTAIN's"
Place
In
Gay
Community
History
|| Commentary ||
Covered Mountain
The author of Covering: The Hidden Assault on our Civil Rights sees the gay rights movement as a history of weakening demands for assimilation. So where does Brokeback fit in?
By Kenji Yoshino
An Advocate.com exclusive posted, January 31, 2006
Brokeback Mountain continues to bring gay life out of the closet as never before, as suggested by its commercial success (over $42 million at the box office) and critical plaudits (four Golden Globes and eight Oscar nominations). On the other hand, the movie continues to accede to various demands to conform to straight norms. In walking that tightrope, the movie reflects where we are in the unfolding saga of gay rights.
The history of gay rights can be retold as a history of increasingly weakening demands for assimilation: the demand to convert, the demand to pass, and the demand to cover. Through the middle decades of the 20th century, gays were routinely pressured to convert to heterosexuality—whether through lobotomies, electroshock therapy, or psychoanalysis.
As the gay rights movement gained traction, the demand to convert gradually shifted in emphasis toward the demand to pass. Gays would be left alone as long as they remained in the closet. This shift is exemplified by the military’s 1993 movement from categorically excluding gays to its current “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, under which gays can serve as long as they remain in the closet.
Today, we are seeing another shift. Gays are increasingly allowed to be open about their homosexuality as long as they “cover”—sociologist Erving Goffman’s word for how individuals “tone down” known stigmatized traits. In some sectors of American society, it’s all right to be openly gay as long as you don’t “flaunt” your sexuality, by, for instance, holding hands with a same-sex partner, engaging in gay activism, or behaving in gender-atypical ways.
Brokeback Mountain, which spans two decades beginning in 1963, depicts cowboys trapped in the first two generations of gay history. The emotionally frozen Ennis can never fully embrace his love for Jack because he has been subjected to a particularly terrifying form of conversion therapy. When he was 9, his father took him to see a man who had been beaten to death for having “ranched up” with another man. The heterosexual imperative reflected in that murder drives both Ennis and Jack to marry women. But Jack believes a different life is possible—he tries to persuade Ennis that they can inhabit a closet built for two. The tragedy of the film is that Jack is too far ahead of his time—it is the less courageous Ennis who survives.
From a gay perspective, the film is bearable to watch only from the vantage of the present day. Of course, gay hate crimes continue—Wyoming, where Brokeback is set, is also where 21-year-old Matthew Shepherd was murdered in 1998. But if Jack and Ennis were alive today, they would have had a shot at living a different story, as the warm reception accorded the film suggests.
At the same time, the significant opposition to the film shows the distance gays have yet to travel. Conservative critics have denounced the film as “homosexual propaganda,” a “commercial for gay marriage,” or the “rape of the Marlboro man.” A theater in Utah went so far as to pull the film from distribution.
Like many openly gay individuals today, the film has responded to this opposition by covering. Even the film’s most ardent advocates have “de-gayed” it to make it more palatable to the mainstream. Focus Features, which released Brokeback, published ads that feature Ennis and Jack with their on-screen wives rather than with each other. Adulatory commentators have insisted that the film is a love story that transcends its gay particulars with such ferocity that they implicitly concede those particulars are deeply shameful. And of course, much of the film’s appeal is that Jack and Ennis are real cowboys—so straight-acting they evade the gay stereotype.
Gays will not achieve full equality until a film does not need to cover in these ways to have mainstream appeal. But perhaps the concessions made by the film only make Brokeback more poignant. They testify to the difficulty of moving beyond the covering demand toward full liberation. We should not expect love that was for so long unspeakable to break its silence without a quaver.
Kenji Yoshino is professor of law and deputy dean for intellectual life at Yale Law School. He specializes in antidiscrimination law and constitutional law. His book, Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights, was published by Random House on January 17. |
SUPER
BOWL
XL
Review
by:
Brian
Lowry
www.Variety.com
Although
the
game
itself
was
a
hard-hitting,
blue-collar
affair,
the
aptly
named
Super
Bowl
XL
was
certainly
awash
in
glitz
and
excess,
never
more
so
than
during
the
bloated
pregame
festivities.
All
told,
though,
the
year's
most-discussed
advertising
showcase
provided
more
fizzle
than
sizzle,
with
a
glut
of
surreal
spots
that
suggest
pot
smoking
is
alive
and
well
on
Madison
Ave.
As
for
the
movie
contingent,
it,
too,
was
a
mixed
bag,
with
some
blurbs
edited
in
such
rat-a-tat
fashion
as
to
offer
little
insight
regarding
what
the
films
in
question
are
about.
The
U.S.'
unofficial
holiday
of
TV,
commercialism
and
gluttony
has
long
since
stopped
being
about
football,
which
was
just
as
well,
since
Pittsburgh's
21-10
victory
over
Seattle
was
competitive
but
devoid
of
many
memorable
plays.
The
Steelers,
in
fact,
didn't
even
make
a
first
down
until
the
second
quarter.
Those
expecting
fireworks
from
the
ads,
however,
would
have
been
equally
disappointed,
with
the
dominant
beer
contingent
from
Budweiser
(Bud
Light,
Budweiser,
Michelob
Ultra)
mostly
a
hit-miss
proposition,
with
perhaps
the
biggest
hit
being
a
guy
wiping
out
a
girl
in a
flag
football
game.
Diet
Pepsi's
spots
were
also
pretty
ho-hum,
with
Jay
MohrJay
Mohr
as
the
soda's
agent
delivering
more
plop
than
fizz.
As
usual,
movie
marketers
anted
up
for
several
of
the
$2.5-million
spots,
including
a
few
previews
for
summer
blockbusters
such
as
Disney's
"Pirates
of
the
Caribbean""Pirates
of
the
Caribbean"
sequel.
Nevertheless,
there's
reason
to
question
whether
studios
are
truly
getting
their
money's
worth
in
this
forum,
inasmuch
as
they
can't
conjure
up
the
kind
of
distinctive
creative
that's
tailored
to
the
event.
In
an
ill-conceived
attempt
to
spruce
up
the
usual
clips,
"Disney's
The
Shaggy
Dog"
featured
narration
by
ESPN
host
Chris
Berman,
who
had
pretty
well
worn
out
his
welcome
during
the
pregame
hijinks.
Warner
Bros.'
marketing
team
generally
had
a
good
day,
with
compelling
teasers
for
"Poseidon"
and
"V
for
Vendetta,"
but
was
less
successful
in
its
approach
to
the
Bruce
WillisBruce
Willis
starrer
"16
Blocks."
"Blocks,"
New
Line's
"Running
Scared,"
Magnolia's
"The
World's
Fastest
Indian"
and
Paramount's
"Mission:
Impossible
3"
all
sped
by
in
such
fleeting
glimpses
that
the
impossible
mission
was
in
gaining
any
sense
of
them.
If
there
was
an
MVPMVP
(Most
Valuable
Plug),
give
the
nod
to
FedEx
for
its
lavishly
produced
30-second
gem
in
which
cavemen
tried
to
get
a
package
past
an
assortment
of
prehistoric
threats.
On
the
other
end
of
the
spectrum,
Burger
King's
extended
Whopper
musical
and
Hummer's
birth
of a
gas-guzzler
spots
were
prime
examples
of
inflated
marketing
budgets
in
search
of
some
beef.
ABC
also
used
the
occasion
to
trumpet
a
number
of
its
upcoming
and
existing
shows,
including
a
tawdry
"exclusive"
interview
on
"Good
Morning
America"
with
the
parents
of a
possible
suspect
(is
that
obscure
enough
for
you?)
in
the
case
of
missing
teen
Natalee
Holloway.
If
this
is
the
image
ABC
News
wishes
to
convey
on
the
day
of
its
premier
showcase,
that
speaks
volumes
about
the
disheartening
direction
in
which
network
news
is
heading.
By
far,
ABC's
best
inhouse
spots
featured
Shaquille
O'Neal,
Hugh
Hefner
and
other
unusual
suspects
chattering
about
"Desperate
Housewives,"
along
with
a
clever
"Addicted
to
'Lost'"
musical
montage.
Parent
Disney
also
chipped
in
with
a
smart
bit
in
which
players
rehearsed
for
their
"I'm
going
to
Disney
World"
moment.
Given
the
location,
some
critics
questioned
booking
the
Rolling
Stones
instead
of a
Motown
act
for
the
halftime
show,
but
the
band
delivered
a
top-notch,
breast-free
set,
with
Mick
Jagger
even
joking
that
the
closing
number,
"Satisfaction,"
is
"one
we
could
have
done
at
Super
Bowl
I."
Score
one
for
the
old
guys.
Historians
will
also
note
that
Internet
outfits
-- a
major
part
of
the
Super
Bowl
experience
just
a
few
years
ago
--
were
mostly
a
non-factor.
Other
than
the
tired
chimp
antics
of
CareerBuilder,
the
Web's
presence
boiled
down
to a
boring
Overstock.com
spot
and
a
blurbblurb
for
GoDaddy
that
not
only
referenced
last
year's
ad
featuring
a
buxom
woman
but
still
left
me
mystified
as
to
what
it
is,
exactly,
that
they
do.
Then
again,
it
was
that
kind
of
day.
"What
do
you
know?
A
game
is
about
to
break
out,"
play-by-play
man
Al
Michaels
quipped
before
kickoff.
Sorry,
Al,
but
the
game
was
all
around
you,
even
if
the
"XL"
only
applied
to
the
volume.
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Pre-Super Bowl
articles posted below from ADVERTISING AGE,
a widely read industry magazine also available
online.
SUPER BOWL ADVERTISERS
FINALLY NOTICE WOMEN
January
31, 2006
By:
Stephanie Thompson
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) --
Normally the domain of
pizza, auto, razor and beer
advertising often punctuated
with bawdy jokes, the Super
Bowl seems to finally be
getting in touch with its
feminine side.
|
Unilever is running
Super Bowl ads from
its widely-acclaimed
'Real Beauty' Dove
campaign that
celebrates regular
women.
Last Year's Super
Bowl:
WHY DO SUPER BOWL
ADVERTISERS IGNORE
WOMEN?
40% of the Audience
Was Female but Ads
Skewed Heavily Male
|
Unilever, for one, is using
it as a platform to run its
Dove “Real Beauty” spots and
Anheuser-Busch is on record
as saying it plans to take
female beer drinkers into
account while it’s selecting
big-game spots this year.
Moreover, about half the 89
million viewers expected to
tune in are women.
'Half their market'
The change can’t come fast
enough for the Marketing to
Moms Coalition, which said
80% of female Super Bowl
fans feel advertisers
haven’t targeted them in the
past. Maria Bailey, CEO of
BSM Media and a member of
the coalition, said its
recent survey of 256 moms is
intended to show marketers
that “if they are spending
millions of dollars on Super
Bowl ads and not making them
relevant to women, they’re
missing half their market.”
ESPN Research, in fact,
shows last year’s Super Bowl
audience was 56% male and
44% female, 40% of whom had
kids 18 and under in the
house. Judging from the
broader category span in
this year’s game, which
includes everything from
antibacterial soaps and
Aleve to nuts and life
insurance, “media people are
starting to see that [the
Super Bowl] is a media
vehicle that transcends just
men,” said Ed Erhardt,
president-ad sales and
customer marketing for ESPN
and ABC Sports.
Mr. Erhardt said that, “As
the property continues to be
seen as a social event,
advertisers are clearly
using it to reach a wide
variety of audiences,”
especially, he said, as the
game offers an increasingly
rare opportunity to send out
a “big message in a big
environment.”
Not what is expected
Unilever chose to run its
“Real Beauty” campaign on
the Bowl not just because of
that mass audience, but also
because it reasoned the spot
would stand out in
testosterone-filled
commercial pods. Philippe
Harousseau, North American
marketing director for Dove,
the push for women’s
self-esteem is “not what
most people will be
expecting on Super Bowl
Sunday.”
That surprise factor also
was a motivator for Estee
Lauder Co.’s Aveda. Although
not an advertiser in the
game itself, Aveda will
sample its new refillable
compact and makeup as well
as shampoo and body products
at events surrounding the
Super Bowl in Detroit. The
effort will be among the
first in a series of
strategic sports tie-ins for
Aveda over the next five
years, many of which will
include the promotion of
recycling at sports venues.
The reason, according to
Chris Molinari, VP-global
communications for Aveda
(herself an avid sports fan)
is that “sports have a
universal appeal and women
are getting more and more
interested because it
combines the best of
entertainment, health,
fitness and wellness.” Not
to mention the first-mover
advantage: “When you’re hit
in an unusual venue with a
product, it’s more
memorable. Certainly people
would take note more of a
compact than a cap giveaway
at a sporting event.”
Recognizing female
viewers
Even longtime Super Bowl
advertisers and those for
whom sports have been a
mainstay seem to be
increasingly recognizing
female viewers -- and
consumers -- this year.
Anheuser-Busch VP-brand
management Marlene Coulis
has been vocal in her desire
to turn her back on past
Super Bowl ads that have
been called sexist by the
National Organization for
Women, and instead try to
appeal to women who make up
20% of its beer drinkers.
Car marketers, too, may be
realizing Super Bowl is more
than just a venue for tough
trucks. Cadillac, for
example, will launch its
redone Escalade SUV with
creative featuring it on a
model’s runway.
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DIVERSITY
OUTREACH EFFORTS
TOYOTA TO USE AD
FROM HISPANIC AGENCY
FOR SUPER BOWL
Conill Gets the Nod
for Camry Spot as
Saatchi Stays on the
Sideline
January 19, 2006
By
Jean Halliday
DETROIT (AdAge.com) --
Toyota Motor Sales USA's
Toyota Division is
taking an unusual step
by using a TV commercial
from its Hispanic shop,
Conill Advertising, Los
Angeles, for its
appearance as a Super
Bowl advertiser.
|
The Conill ad is
believed to be
the first
Hispanic spot to
appear in the
Super Bowl.
|
First time
The ad is believed to be
the first time a
Hispanic spot will
appear in the Super
Bowl, although in
previous years
commercials by Anheuser
Busch's Hispanic shops
have come close to
breaking into the
rotation.
The spot, for a new
hybrid engine of the
next-generation Camry,
is in English, but one
character, the father,
speaks with a Spanish
accent. The execution
compares the gas-battery
engine to the father's
ability to switch
between two languages.
Use of bilingual ads is
growing, on both English
and Spanish-language TV,
but Conill brings a rare
relevance to the
concept. After the
father explains how the
hybrid switches between
gas and electric power,
the son sees the
parallel to his own
family's experience and
says, "Like you, with
English and Spanish!"
The father tells his son
why he speaks two
languages and why he
bought a hybrid. He
says, "I'm always
thinking of your
future."
Aggressive Hispanic
advertising
Toyota is becoming one
of the most aggressive
marketers to Hispanics.
For the first 11 months
of 2005, Toyota's
Hispanic ad spend grew
by 41.6% to $57 million,
according to TNS Media
Intelligence, earning
the company a slot among
the top 10 Hispanic
marketers. The
commerical is part of
Toyota's "Moving
Forward" campaign.
The ad will appear in
the game's first
quarter. The Super Bowl
is on Feb. 5 and will be
shown on Walt Disney
Co.'s ABC.
Publicis Groupe's
Saatchi & Saatchi Los
Angeles, is Toyota's
longtime general-market
agency.
Toyota said 7% of all
Super Bowl viewers are
Hispanic; 25% of all
Hispanics 18 years old
and older watch the
game. Of those, 62% are
male and 50% are younger
than 35, which the
automaker said is its
key target. Toyota said
the Toyota brand is No.
1 with Hispanics, with
Camry the third
best-selling car to that
audience.
In 2005, Camry was the
country's best-selling
car for the
fourth-straight year.
The marketer said it
sold 431,703 units, up
1.4% from 2004. The 2007
model will be launched
in March, and the hybrid
version will be
available a few months
later.
|
|
Who's Bought Ads
for Super Bowl Sunday?
 |
|
Marketer |
Buy |
Creative |
Agency |
|
American Home Health |
One 30-second spot in the
second pod of the second
half |
The creative is humorous,
using people in biosuits to
illustrate the strength of
its PS line of home
antibacterial soaps and
disinfectants. |
Ronin Advertising Group,
Coconut Grove, Fla. |
|
Ameriquest Mortgage Co. |
Two 30-second spots |
No
details at this time |
DDB, Los Angeles |
|
Anheuser-Busch |
10
spots throughout the game |
No
details at this time |
Various agencies |
|
Bayer |
One 30-second spot in the
first quarter |
Spot will focus on Aleve
brand |
Energy BBDO, Chicago |
|
Buena Vista Pictures |
One spot, length unknown |
Will promote the 'Shaggy
Dog' remake starring Tim
Allen |
In-house |
|
Burger King |
One 60-second spot after
kickoff |
One of a new series of ads
with the King going head to
helmet with NFL players |
Crispin Porter & Bogusky,
Miami |
|
Cadillac |
One 60-second spot, 2nd
Quarter |
The creative features the
redone Escalade SUV making
an appearance on a
fashion-model runway. |
Leo Burnett, Detroit |
|
Career Builder.com
|
Two 30-second spots |
Expect another humorous spot
as the monkeys are back for
another year. |
Cramer Krasselt, Chicago |
|
Dove |
One 30-second spot |
The spot is a continuation
of the marketer's series of
'Real Beauty' ads that
emphasize the importance of
female self-esteem.
|
Ogilvy & Mather, London |
|
Degree |
One 30-second spot |
Entitled 'Stunt City,' the
spot shows men involved in a
series of unlikely stunts as
they go about their
work-a-day lives.
|
Lowe Worldwide, New York |
|
Emerald |
One 30-second spot in fourth
quarter |
The humorous spot builds on
the word-game approach
Emerald took last year using
the letters 'e' and 'n'. It
focuses on a druid and a
machete enthusiast.
|
Goodby Silverstein &
Partners, San Francisco |
|
ESPN |
One 60-second spot |
The spot will launch Mobile
ESPN, the network's
mobile-phone service that
delivers ESPN-branded sports
content. |
Arnold, Boston |
|
FedEx |
Details unknown |
No
details at this time |
BBDO, New York |
|
Ford Motor Co. |
One 30-second spot, second
quarter |
A
backpacking Kermit the Frog
shows off the fuel-efficient
Escape Hybrid SUV.
|
JWT, Detroit |
|
General Motors Corp.'s
Cadillac |
One 60-second spot in the
second quarter |
The company declined to
provide details but is
expected by many to
advertise its redone
Escalade SUV, which the
marketer said would be
awarded to the game's Most
Valuable Player as part of
Cadillac's Super Bowl
sponsorship. |
Agency not known |
|
Gillette/Procter & Gamble
Co. |
One 30- and one 60-second
spot |
Uses computer animation and
photography shot on location
in the Mojave Desert
reprising Gillette's
long-running 'The Best a Man
Can Get' theme. Related
teaser ads are running in
the days before the Bowl. |
BBDO, New York |
|
MasterCard
|
30-second, fourth quarter |
Creative details unknown.
Also doing a 30-second
pregame spot |
McCann-Erickson, New York |
|
Motorola |
Details unknown |
Details unknown |
Unknown |
|
Nationwide Insurance |
One 30-second spot in second
break of the third quarter |
Romance novel icon Fabio
stars in a new spot in the
marketer's "Life Comes at
You Fast" branding campaign. |
TM
Advertising, Irving, Texas |
|
New Line Cinema |
One Spot, length unknown |
Spot will promote 'Running
Scared,' an action thriller
with Paul Walker. |
In-house |
|
Pepsi-Cola Co. |
Two 30-second and one
60-second spots |
Diet Pepsi commercials
include one featuring Sean
(P. Diddy) Combs singing a
new song, 'Brown and
Bubbly.' Another, called
'Stunt can,' puts the drink
shoulder to shoulder with
Jackie Chan in an action
film. Both are by DDB, New
York. Another 30-second spot
by BBDO, New York, continues
the antics of the Mis-Takes
improve group. |
DDB, New York and BBDO, New
York |
|
Pizza Hut |
Ten 30-second spots in
pre-kickoff pod |
The pizza chain is launching
its new Cheesy Bites Pizza
with a spot featuring
Jessical Simpson and the
Muppets singing 'These Bits
Are Made for Poppin'.' |
BBDO, New York |
|
Sprint |
Two 30-second spots, one in
second quarter and one in
the third, plus sponsorship
of the halftime show
featuring the Rolling Stones |
Agency is testing four
humorous spots; one was
created by a special effects
master that worked on 'The
Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe.' |
TBWA/Chiat/Day, New York |
|
Toyota |
One 30-second spot, first
quarter |
A
Hispanic spot for the new
hybrid-engine Camry
featuring a father and son
who compare the hybrid car
to their own hybrid
English/Spanish language
habits. |
Conill, Los Angeles |
|
Unilever |
Details unknown |
Details unknown at this time |
Agency unknown |
|
Warner Bros. |
Three 30-second spots |
Will promote three films --
'Poseidon,' the remake of
'Poseidon Adventure'; 'V for
Vendetta,' with Natalie
Portman; and '16 Blocks,'
starring Bruce Willis and
Mos Def. |
In-house |
|
Suggestion: Students
studying advertising, put in your notes the list of
ad agencies above. You might want to contact them
later about internships and job opportunities.
Always be thinking about & planning for YOUR future!
----------------------------------------
What makes people
go to the movies now?
MCOM 72
Assignment 1/26/02
|
MCOM 72 Students - Be prepared to
answer questions about this
commentary and offer your views
during
class discussion. Always feel free
to do more online research on any
assignment. |
MAJOR MEDIA MOVE
Disney to Acquire
Pixar for $7.4B in
Stock
By GARY
GENTILE,
AP
Business
Writer
January
25, 2006
The Walt
Disney Co.'s
purchase of
Pixar
Animation
Studios Inc.
allows
Disney to
inject new
creative
life into
its
animation
efforts,
while Pixar
can end its
public run
at the top
of its game.
However, it
remains to
be seen
whether the
$7.4 billion
price tag is
justified —
not to
mention the
fate of
Pixar's
unique
corporate
culture once
ensconced in
a massive
media
conglomerate.
Executives
from both
companies
said
preserving
Pixar as a
separate
entity was a
top
priority,
even as
Disney hopes
some of
Pixar's
creative
power rubs
off on its
own
animation
efforts.
"I think
this is
great for
Disney, not
only to have
Pixar be
part of the
company, but
to have
Pixar
influence
the
company,"
Disney Chief
Executive
Robert A.
Iger told
The
Associated
Press in an
interview
Tuesday
after the
deal was
announced.
"It's also
possible
we'll look
at Pixar and
see not only
how well
it's run but
how well it
lives and
seek to
overlay that
influence on
some of our
other
businesses."
Disney is
buying
longtime
partner
Pixar for
$7.4 billion
in stock.
The deal
will put
Pixar CEO
Steve Jobs
in a
powerful new
role at
Disney and
makes the
billionaire
its largest
individual
shareholder,
with a stake
of about 7
percent.
Jobs, who
owns more
than half of
Pixar's
shares and
heads Apple
Computer
Inc., will
become a
Disney
director.
Disney has
co-financed
and
distributed
Pixar's
animated
films for
the past 12
years,
splitting
the profits.
That deal
expires in
June after
Pixar
delivers
"Cars" and
it had once
appeared the
companies
would not
renew it
amid
friction
between Jobs
and former
Disney CEO
Michael
Eisner.
But the
talks
revived
under Iger,
who became
Disney CEO
last
October.
Disney, the
theme park
owner that
also has the
ABC and ESPN
TV networks,
and Pixar
had talked
for months
about a new
relationship.
Key to
spreading
Pixar's
influence
will be
Pixar
President Ed
Catmull, who
will serve
as president
of the new
combined
Pixar and
Disney
animation
studios, and
Pixar
Executive
Vice
President
John
Lasseter,
who becomes
become chief
creative
officer of
the
animation
studios and
principal
creative
adviser at
Walt Disney
Imagineering,
which
designs and
builds the
company's
theme parks.
Lasseter has
been
compared to
Walt Disney
by many,
including
Eisner.
Lasseter
began his
career as a
Disney
animator and
is the
creative
force behind
Pixar's
films.
"Just having
someone
there who
has enormous
influence
and who has
enormous
respect in
that
position
will
influence
how films
are done at
Disney from
here on
out," said
John
Canemaker,
head of the
film
animation
program at
New York
University's
Tisch School
of the Arts.
One
immediate
sign of
Lasseter's
influence is
that plans
for Disney
to make the
long rumored
sequel "Toy
Story 3" on
its own have
been
scrapped. If
the film is
made, it
will be done
by Lasseter
and the
other
creators of
the original
film, the
companies
said.
The deal may
make
creative
sense, but
the company
could face a
hurdle
convincing
investors it
makes
financial
sense.
Under the
deal, Disney
said it will
issue 2.3
shares for
each share
of Pixar
stock. At
Tuesday's
closing
price of
$25.99 for
Disney,
Pixar
shareholders
would get
stock worth
$59.78, a 4
percent
premium over
Pixar's
closing
price of
$57.57. The
deal was
announced
after the
markets
closed for
the day.
Disney said
the deal
would lower
earnings
over the
next two
years, but
that Pixar
will help
increase
earnings by
2008.
"It's
something
Disney had
to do," said
Harold
Vogel, a
media
analyst with
Vogel
Capital
Management
in New York.
"It's good
for both
companies."
The
companies
still need
to reveal
what Pixar's
next films
will be and
provide more
detail on
how the
combined
entity will
function,
said Richard
Greenfield,
an analyst
at Pali
Research.
"The
question
remains
whether the
price/value
relationship
is going to
bear fruit
for Disney,"
Greenfield
said
Tuesday.
Pixar has
served as
Disney's de
facto
animation
unit for a
decade. Two
Pixar
movies,
"Finding
Nemo" and
"The
Incredibles,"
have won
Academy
Awards for
best
animated
feature
film, and
Pixar films
have been a
financial
windfall for
Disney,
which
receives 60
percent of
the profits.
By contrast,
Disney's own
animation
unit has
struggled,
producing
some modest
successes,
such as
2002's "Lilo
& Stitch,"
and many
flops,
including
"Treasure
Planet" and
"Home on the
Range."
Pixar also
benefits
from the
deal by
cashing in
at the top
of its game,
before it
produces the
inevitable
box office
disappointment,
Vogel said.
"Eventually,
we know that
after six
huge hits,
there would
be a film
that would
come along
that would
be less good
than what
they had,"
Vogel said.
"This was a
good time to
broaden the
horizon and
the canvas.
I think
Steve Jobs
is very
smart about
knowing when
to hold them
and when to
fold."
With Jobs,
Disney also
tightens its
link with
Apple
Computer,
the
innovative
technology
company
behind music
and video
iPods.
And Jobs is
likely to
press Iger
to further
his plans to
marry films,
TV shows,
video games
and other
content to
computers,
iPods,
handheld
game
consoles and
even cell
phones.
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World Journalists Challenged By Religious
Leader
Have courage to tell truth, Pope tells world media
January 24, 2006
VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict, in the first formal message to the media of his pontificate, has
said the media cannot be self-serving or profit-driven but must be accountable for the common
good and promote human values.
''Authentic communication demands principled courage and resolve,'' the Pope said yesterday
in the message for the Roman Catholic Church's annual World Day of Communications set
for May 28.
''It requires a determination of those working in the media not to wilt under the weight of so much information nor even to be content with partial or provisional truths,'' the Pope said.
''Instead it necessitates both seeking and transmitting what is the ultimate foundation and meaning of human, personal and social existence,'' he said.
''In this way the media can contribute constructively to the propagation of all that is good and true.'' In the message issued on the feast of St Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists, Pope Benedict said the media had to avoid oversimplifying things and undervaluing cultural differences
and religious beliefs.
''These are distortions that occur when the media industry becomes self-serving or solely profit-driven, losing the sense of accountability to the common good,'' he said.
He said the media was always obliged to report events accurately, fully explain matters of public concern, and give fair representation to diverse points of view.
''The need to uphold and support marriage and family life is of particular importance, precisely because it pertains to the foundation of every culture and society,'' he said.
The Pope also said the media should help rather than hinder parents in bringing up their
children.
''Do not our hearts cry out, most especially, when our young people are subjected to debased or false expressions of love which ridicule the God-given dignity of every human person and
undermine family interests?'' he said.
Contemporary media shapes popular culture, but it must not manipulate, especially the young,
and instead pursue the desire to form and serve, he said.
''In this way they protect rather than erode the fabric of a civil society worthy of the human
person,'' he added.
Several days after his election in April, the new Pope stressed the importance of the role of the media by granting journalists who had converged on Rome to cover his election the first audience
for non-clergy of his pontificate.
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TROJAN
PLANS PRIME-TIME CONDOM ADS
New CEO Wants Health-Oriented
TV Creative to 'Shock' Non-Condom Users
May 10, 2005 By
Jack Neff
'Trying to shock' consumers
“It’s a very eye-catching campaign that will hopefully
...
change people’s perceptions about the health risks
they’re taking on unprotected sex,”
he said. “We’re
trying to shock them and shake their confidence in that
fact that they
don’t think they’re taking risks.”
CINCINNATI (Adage.com) -- Church & Dwight Co. plans
to get ads for Trojan condoms on prime-time TV within a
month, moving beyond the late-night stable where the
brand long has been confined in the U.S.
But CEO James Craigie today dialed back some of his
ambitions from February, when he told analysts the
brand’s new campaign would be appropriate for “all day
parts.” In a conference call today he said he expects
ads in the new health-oriented campaign to air after
9 p.m. and said the company remains in discussions with
networks. Prime-time hours are between 8 p.m. and 10
p.m.
Network TV response
Spokespeople for broadcast networks could not
immediately reach executives for comment, but the CBS
and ABC networks said in February they were considering
running the new Trojan ads in times other than
late-night.
A spokeswoman for Fox said she was uncertain whether
the network has reviewed the ads yet but noted that the
network doesn't have programming after 10 p.m. and that
condom ads of any kind would not run during American
Idol. But she said the network does consider condom
ads on a case-by-case basis.
The push for prime-time is one of a host of changes
Mr. Craigie, named CEO last year, has brought to Church
& Dwight advertising, including naming Publicis Groupe’s
Kaplan Thaler Groupe, New York, as creative agency for
Trojan in March.
Media buying and planning
Church & Dwight also named WPP Group’s Maxus, New York,
as planning and buying agency in April, after
dispatching longtime media shop R.J. Palmer, an
independent, and briefly naming Frontier Communications,
a spin-off of Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Universal
McCann, to the $80 million account.
Consumers in qualitative testing have been “extremely
positive” about the new Trojan ads, which now are in
quantitative copy testing, Mr. Craigie said.
The Trojan effort is one of six new campaigns Church
& Dwight is breaking this quarter, including campaigns
for new products in the Nair, Arm & Hammer and Mentadent
brands and a relaunch of Arrid deodorant. Mr. Craigie
said the company would step up its marketing spending
starting next quarter, though he did not specify by how
much, as he said Maxus is conducting an extensive
planning review to maximize return on investment for
each of
the company’s brands.
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14% of Users Interrupt
Sex
To Answer Ringing Wireless Devices
BBDO (Adertising
Agency) RELEASES CELL PHONES AND SEX ACTS REPORT
April 11, 2005
SAN FRANCISCO (AdAge.com) -- Fourteen percent of the world's
cell phone users report that they have stopped in the middle of
a sex act to answer a ringing wireless device.
Cell phone interruptus
The highest percentage was found in Germany and Spain, where 22%
of users interrupted sex to answer their cell phones; the lowest
was in Italy, where only 7% reported doing so. In the U.S., 15%
say they practice cell phone interruptus.
The findings are from a new global study, "Wireless Works:
Exploring New Brand Connections," from Omnicom Group's BBDO
Worldwide and Proximity Worldwide that surveyed more than 3,000
mobile phone owners. Proximity is BBDO's direct-marketing
network.
Consumer interaction
The purpose of the study was to "better understand how consumers
interact with their phone," according to a BBDO spokesman.
The findings arrive as the wireless industry is aggressively
ramping up its effort to promote the cell phone as a content-
and advertising-delivering device to potentially rival that of
TV or the Internet. Cynics, however, question whether most
consumers will want to watch programming and ads on a screen
hardly larger than the face of a wristwatch. Wireless content
evangelists rebut that the emotional connection between
individual consumers and their cell phones is an extraordinary
one.
The new study suggests that may be true, at least for part of
the population.
'Can't bear to miss a call'
"People can't bear to miss a call," said Christine Hannis, head
of communications for BBDO Europe. "Everybody thinks the next
call can be something really exciting. And getting so many calls
proves social success. It fulfills a fundamental insecurity."
In some ways, the mobile phone's attachment to ego might even
give automobiles a run for the money. Almost half of all
respondents think a cell phone says as much about a person as a
car. In the U.S., less than one-third of the audience feels this
way; however, in China, the proportion is 70%.
All day long
The survey also found that 78% of respondents have their cell
phones in reach 16 or more hours per day. In Russia, 89% have
their phone on for long hours, while 75% keep their phone on
most of the day in the U.S.
More than half of the respondents, 52%, said they used a
mobile phone to flirt.
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