Comments on: in-flight newstainment is paid-for advertising

By: Elisa Camahort

Elisa Camahort — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:30:44 +0000

I got the same email on BlogHer’s behalf. Any time I get something asking me for money, but quoting a tight deadline…I get wary.

By: Greg Scott

Greg Scott — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:40:14 +0000

I just finished reading all of your writings. You have quite a body of work. I was very impressed with your insights in group dynamics, clusters, communities, etc. Your life style priorities and values groupings was particularly well articulated.
I have been working for some time researching and developing a Dodgeball type proximity social network project and your perspective has been very helpful.
Thanks,
GS

By: leahpeah

leahpeah — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 12:11:40 +0000

i noticed this advertising on planes for the first time this past weekend. i was on 5 planes in 3 days and 4 of them had commercials for pepsi etc. not just before the movie but also on the drop-down tray table top. i get SO tired of being accosted with ads. i was appalled to see them on TVs at the checkout at the grocery stores and now mad that they seem to be invading every spare corner of free space. i’d like to be able to read my book in peace on the plane and not have to consciously refrain from letting my eye get pulled from the page to the ad. grrr. (missed you this year at blogher. xo)

By: Kevin Dugan

Kevin Dugan — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 06:01:43 +0000

Danah – Unfortunately PR people have been thwarting requests from “So-Called Media You Should Avoid” for some time now.

More here on TV versions of the pay for play pitch:
http://tinyurl.com/ynlk9s

By: Will Warner

Will Warner — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 22:08:17 +0000

Gross indeed. And an imperative reason to bring your own entertainment, paper or digital, serious or light.

I think the analysis someone meant is Slate Magazine’s “Where the Wings Have No Shame,” slate.com/id/2164517 . I remember reading it and thinking that there is a grain of an insight there, buried in the thick, heavy padding that suggests the author was trapped on a plane with absolutely nothing around worth reading or writing about and a deadline looming in the very near future.

By: Jay Livingston

Jay Livingston — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 05:46:18 +0000

Look again in the seat compartment. Skymall is where it’s at. Someone, some bored traveler whose name and place of publication I have unfortunately forgotten, did an analysis of Skymall for what it tells us about the worlds of air travelers. Not you and me of course, but all those other frequent flyers.

By: Jake Lockley

Jake Lockley — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 13:01:37 +0000

You just described every technology and entertainment conference/expo I have ever heard of or attended except they charge attendees and exhibitors for the privilege of being part of the event.

Tim O’Reilly is notorious for creating them. And let’s not forget about pop-culture conferences like Comic-Con. The reality is none of them are worth it as any useful information is distilled into the media as the conference happens or in the weeks that follow by attendees or their creators so they can be seen as someone who knows something you don’t know. In the end, we are all tools for marketing in the information age. You of all people should know that. Most of it targets the youth culture who has yet to wise up and realize they are being exploited.

I may be biased as I work in entertainment and technology and we tend to get exposed to more of this than most.

By: Laura Moncur

Laura Moncur — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 03:35:29 +0000

You can turn those TVs off. The flight attendant showed me how when she saw me try to take the magazine and hang it in front of the TV.

Video iPod is a lifesaver on long flights.

By: Sam Jackson

Sam Jackson — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 23:50:50 +0000

Yikes–what about the laptop of yours? No DVDs, etc? Books?

By: Seth Schoen

Seth Schoen — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 18:24:25 +0000

I recently got an extremely similar solicitation to appear in a “talk radio” “advertorial” “to air worldwide on Northwest Airlines during December 2007″. (Notice that it’s a different month and different airline.) The solicitation I received has the same mailing address but a different producer name and phone number. Instead of reaching 4.2 million people on 29,000 American flights, I’m told I can reach 700,000 on 2,800 Northwest flights. (Looks like more people watch advertorials per flight on Northwest than on American?)

My solicitation offers the same sorts of services “for only $2,995 (normally $5,500)”. Sounds like you’re being offered a better deal per prospective viewer — I’d have to pay 0.43 cents per viewer, while you’d have to pay only 0.10 cents apiece! Instead of being produced by inflightradioshows.com, it’s produced by inflightinterviews.com (but at the same mailing address).