“A lot of dudes drink diet soda. It’s one of those things that gets ingrained in you super early, possibly environmentally, like whether you’re a dog or cat person. You either like artificial sweeteners or you don’t. This is an ad campaign meant to arouse ire, much like the California Milk Processor Board’s recent sexist ad campaign, because any press is press. And here I am writing about it. Are you going to try Dr. Pepper Ten? Has anyone ever caved in to being emasculated by a soda? Is this really any dumber than “7UP Yours,” which was 7UP’s campaign for six fucking years (they couldn’t make it seven?), or recent NY to LA transplant Papaya King’s insulting billboards? Is the whole concept of diet soda inherently ridiculous?”

– About Dr Pepper Ten’s Bold New Slogan: “Not For Women” – Hollywood Prospectus Blog

Yesterday at BB King’s, smack in the middle of Times Square, a few “thinkers and makers” got together to discuss ‘Making Things vs. Saying Things.’ We say a lot of things in advertising—in fact, saying things is often half the battle. Let’s not discount the magic of saying things, it’s those initial things that we say that get us to the point of being able to make something. Well, at least, that’s how it works in advertising.

The short: With the iPhone 5 being released in October, purveyors of Flash technology, Adobe, announced that they are releasing a new Adobe Flash Media Server along with Adobe Flash Access for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users.

Why it matters: Publishers and developers will say it’s about time. Lack of Flash on portable devices has made developers find new options to create apps and content for mobile. Now with Flash being developed and released for iOS, users will be able to access Flash content on their mobile devices—making it easier for brands to port their content from desktop to mobile.

The short: The election season has officially started and Twitter is becoming one of the many platforms used by candidates to reach potential voters with their message. Candidates can use
Twitter’s Promoted Tweets to reach a wider audience, but to comply with FEC regulations, these tweets must contain disclaimers about being a paid political advertisement.

Why it matters: There’s no denying that Twitter has hit the big time and become a mainstream communications channel. Twitter is doing more to work with brands and other advertisers to create custom tailored products to meet the unique needs of every promotion. With ads that are fully integrated into the Twitter ecosystem, messages can get amplified to larger audiences than ever, while connected with users in a familiar, approachable way.

The short: Three of the biggest advertising trade organizations—ANA, IAB and 4As partnering with some of the most powerful brands in the world to create new standards for how digital advertising is measured, bought and sold. The campaign, called 3MS (short for Making Measurement Make Sense), was launched in response to the industry need for metrics that actually capture ad effectiveness. Google, Coca-Cola, AT&T, ESPN and the New York Times are among the names lending cachet in the campaign, which plans to run trials in Q1 of 2012.

Why it matters: By creating a widely accepted currency for online effectiveness-a la Nielsen for TV-this concerted effort will finally allow brands to understand and act on the rate of return in digital beyond mere clickthrough rates. Armed with these metrics, brands will be able to see what works and doesn’t, allowing them to allocate their marketing budgets more strategically; optimize ad campaigns based on performance; and compare value in relation to other media. A review and redefinition of mobile and social media measurement are also part of 3MS’ long-term plan.

The short: The newly created Rally Commerce is working to improve upon the market of daily deals by allowing retailers to integrate with their online properties. The service offers a secure SaaS (software as a service) commerce platform that gives retailers the ability to create deals, take advantage of social distribution and work cohesively with their Facebook, mobile and standalone sites.

Why it matters: Rally Commerce provides a new approach to daily deals not only because of its focus on eRetail but also by giving brands the opportunity to glean comprehensive analytics from
their transactions and followers. With online retailers representing a $200 billion market, this new platform is working to put more control and power in the hands of brands, allowing them to better hone their deals to the interests of consumers.