I remember when people used to make April Fool’s day a big deal, setting up big stunts to trick people. While there are a whole slew of advertisers using the day to play practical jokes today, see the latest in this Adweek article, what was the best use of April Fool’s day by an advertiser throughout the years? Here is a video on some of the more famous stunts over the decades. Will you let this day go by without a hoax? As for me and my agency, I’m planning on a no fools day.

If your brand is interested in reaching the coastal communities of San Diego, you might consider Carlsbad Magazine and Encinitas Magazine. Both bimonthlies have a circulation of 20,000+ and Carlsbad magazine goes into most hotel rooms in San Diego. We close the May/June issue of Carlsbad Magazine on April 15. Give me a shout-out if you are interested.

So, what movies are up for an Oscar and do you still have time to watch all of them? Sure, why not? How many other shows or movies have you binged? Anyway, this is sort of a distraction from talking about placing ads in the show, but, hey, you need to do your research, right?

When will the Oscars be airing? The ABC network will feature the 2024 Academy Awards on March 10 at 7 p.m. EST and 4 p.m. PST.  That gives you nine days and a few hours to get all the viewing in.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences show will also be streamed on abc.com and through services like Roku, AppleTV and Amazon Fire TV.  In addition, some streaming options are Hulu, YouTube TV, and Fubo TV.  

The red carpet preshow will air at 6:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. PST and will run for 30-minutes.

Jimmy Kimmel will once again host the show. It will be the fourth time he has presented it. The only other hosts who have held that position for four years are Whoopi Goldberg and Jack Lemmon. Topping them in length of appearances are Johnny Carson with five, Billy Crystal with nine and Bob Hope with 19.

As always, if you want to place ads in and around the show, you’ll need to contact us because there are just too many variables to list any prices. So, you’re going to press the issue are you? Well, anyone can do a google search, and find a cost of $1.85 million but that’s for national and if you find it on the web, what kind of accuracy is that? Of course, this searching on web makes everyone these days have to be their own little sleuths to make sure what is being fed to them is real or false.

Anyway, the only way to really get a good cost is to do your research or have someone else who knows a few things do it for you. So, this goes back to that diversion of making sure you’ve watched all the movies before the big day.

Which movies should you have watched or be watching? Most of them can be viewed on streaming channels. (Source: USA Today)

°Oppenheimer 

°Barbie

°Killers of the Flower Moon 

°Poor Things 

°The Holdovers 

°American Fiction 

°Past Lives 

°Anatomy of a Fall 

°Maestro

°The Zone of Interest

If you haven’t seen the news reports about Sunday’s 58th Super Bowl game, Nielsen is proving that Television isn’t dead, there are just more ways to view programming. The Super Bowl aired on CBS, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite and Univision along with streaming platforms on Paramount+ and NFL digital. All across TV channels, the report is that Nielsen recorded 123.7 million viewers of the big game. It is being said that it is the most-watched television program in history. Most of the viewers, 120.3 million, came from the CBS broadcast. Read more on the ESPN report.

To top it off, a favorite Super Bowl commercial of mine that I posted about on LinkedIn (if we’re not connected there please give me a request) has ranked, on some sites, as the number one, or at least in the top ten according to the USA Today ad meter.

Please consider being a part of the March/April Carlsbad Magazine Flower Field’s issue. It closes this week, so there is still time to get in. It will have bonus distribution on racks at the Flower Fields. This is in addition to their regular 25,000 circulation that goes to residents, in hotel rooms and around the Carlsbad area.

I’m excited to announce that I am representing ad sales for Carlsbad Magazine and Encinitas Magazine. 

Right now is a great time to become an advertiser. These magazines reach the Carlsbad and Encinitas resident communities as well as tourists staying at the hotels in the area. The March/April issue of Carlsbad Magazine will have bonus distribution at the Ranunculus Flower Fields, where visitors can pick them up from racks.

Be a part of the Spring issue by becoming an advertiser today. But hurry because the deadline is February 15. We can’t wait to meet you.

Contact Janene at 858-759-2779 or email [email protected]

For many years I would take the week between Christmas and New Years to study what goals had been achieved the year prior and what plans would be made for the next year. A lot of times, I would use a template from the previous year, and the successes as a basis.

Then, things started to change. The strategies I had used to plan in previous years weren’t working, and somehow even the small goals I had made weren’t being met. I started to pivot, that lovely word that came out of the Covid crisis, and found new solutions and talents that had yet to be activated.

Growth years aren’t always seen right away. A lot of people use the analogy of roots being formed underground before something shoots up out of the soil. These years can be taxing. Since you aren’t seeing the fruit yet, you have to continue to plow the land in hopes for a future harvest. It’s hard work to do the waiting, but building strong roots can help a tree live a long time. I would guess, the same could be said about building a strong foundation for business.

I found a list of templates here on Indeed.com that might help with your planning efforts. Good luck and don’t be afraid to pivot, if you need to.

This new product evolved after time spent in Colorado researching business opportunities. It was made with the idea that eating at home and grocery shopping is not only more healthy but can be fun to search grocery mailers and discover new places. You can keep track of the money spent on food.

The book is called Food…Organizer. It’s made to keep track of expenses on dining out, grocery shopping and grocery lists. It also has a section to write down new places to explore, because when you’re on a budget you still need to find ways to have fun. It is set-up to be used yearly with monthly and overall goals in mind.

It’s the right size to keep in a purse or carry-on bag so you always have it close by. 

Here’s a link to purchase a copy, and/or share it with a friend or business you think might be interested.  Now go have some fun, whatever your budget.

The first Federal Labor Day holiday was in September in the late 1880’s. According to the US Department of Labor, it was started as a way to “celebrate the social and economic achievements of the American Worker.” Enjoy your day off.

I thought I’d supply some updates on how McCann Erickson is still shinning in 2023. Not surprisingly, they are still gaining accolades. At this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, they earned 55 Lions in 18 categories. They even received a Titanium Lion which, “honours provocative, boundary-busting, envy-inspiring work that marks a new direction for the industry, 176 entries were received and the Jury chose to award 3 Titanium Lions…”

Watch Where to Settle here, which was an award winner for McCann Poland.

Now their name is shortened to McCann (McCann.com) and they have multiple offices in many locations so you’ll find a lot of websites for them. Established in 1930, the group has offices in 120 countries and is based in New York.

McCann‘s Famous Alma Mater: Thomas Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), Neil Reagan (Ronald Reagan’s brother), and many other notable people who created books, films, TV shows, action figures and more. See list at Wikipedia.