Topics for the 9/6/09 Show

Here are the proposed topics for this week's episode of The BeanCast, and as usual we'd love to hear your thoughts and questions.

You have two ways to get in touch: 1) Send an "@" reply or DM on Twitter to @thebeancast, or 2) send an email to beancast@gmail.com

Please keep your comments succinct. Wordy comments need to be interpreted and I may not capture the essence of what you are asking. That's why I encourage the Tweet option to help keep the question or thought targeted.

This week's panel will be C.C. Chapman (Campfire), Steve Hall (AdRants), Angela Natividad (Freelance Journalist) and John Wall (Marketing Over Coffee).

TOPICS

A Tale Of Fake Ads and Real Outrage: DDB/Brasil Time. Why such an uproar over whether the ad was a fake or not? Aren't fake ads produced all the time? Why are we just getting upset now? Is this really about the subject matter of the ad? What's the more egregious offense here: the subject matter of the ad or the accusation that the ad is a fake? Are Americans and particularly New Yorkers being too sensitive about this? How is the rest of the world responding? Despite the controversy, was the ad good work? Did it communicate the needs to client well? Was it powerful? How about the handling of the scandal -- what did DDB do right and what did they do wrong? How about the WWF response -- should the US organization have dug deeper before responding or was immediate disavowal acceptable? What about the joint apology from DDB and WWF -- does that mean both are complicit? Does it make the ad not a fake? Why did the fact that a TV commercial was made make everyone even angrier when it was the same concept? What about the fact that this ad one a Merit award in the One Show - if the ad is real, is there really a controversy? If the ad is a fake does this impact the decision to name DDB agency of the year at Cannes? What about the One Show response to all this -- is the right move or a day late, dollar short when people have complained about the fake ad problem for years?

Honda Gets Faced on Facebook: A huge story with auto marketers this week, that was virtually untouched by the ad press. (Thanks to Chris Baccus for bringing it to our attention.) Honda launched a Facebook effort soliciting thoughts and opinions on their new crosstour (a new breed of SUV that some are calling now a "SUC" for sport utility coupe). The results as one blog described it were "ungood." It was compared with the Skittles efforts where people started grandstanding and going way off topic and downright nasty. Before we go into further detail, is this a sign that social media efforts are laden with risk or that this particular effort was poorly conceived? What about Honda's behavior in all of this -- should they have removed certain unauthorized comments by Honda associates? Does removing comments ever help, since the comments live on elsewhere? Was their response to the controversy handled well? Was it wise for them to pull the Facebook page down for "maintenance?" What pitfalls do we learn from Honda's experience and what would you counsel others to avoid in future efforts?

What Happens To Skype Now?: Obviously at The BeanCast are very concerned about Skype, since we depend on it for doing this show. But the bigger questions is, Will Skype now grow as a telecommunications company or a social network? What are the ad possibilities if they go the social network route? Will people ever see this service as more than just cheap calling? Ebay still holds a stake and is lending part of the funds to make the sale happen -- if they haven't benefited yet, what are they hoping to get by holding on like this?

The Playstation Reality...Commercial: Game blogs were buzzing that Sony was launching one of those reality-contest-show-type things, called The Tester. The premise is gamers compete each week to become a game tester at Sony. It's got great buzz and everyone 20-something out there wants into. My questions is, when does sponsored entertainment go too far and just become a long-form commercial? Why are gamers so willing to buy into this concept when clearly they are being asked to shill for PlayStation products, and only their products, for free? Is Sony onto something here? Could other companies launch a similar effort and succeed? What does Sony have going for them? Will this help them or create more skepticism to their efforts down the road?

Media Bartering is Back: Interesting story in Ad Age this week about the art of bartering coming back to media. Is this only a sign of the bad economy or do we think interest will continue? What advantages does it hold for companies? Is really more about desperation than strategic advantage? How is it different today than in the past?