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May 11, 2012 | Lon Keller: I Want ALL of my HDTV

When creating commercials or other content for broadcast television, production companies need to adhere to certain standards. These standards have been driven from two primary sources: the Federal Communications Commission and the owners of the broadcast outlets.

For many years, the technical process of creating commercials or other content for broadcast television was fairly straightforward. There were no widescreen plasma or LCD screens. All television sets contained a cathode ray tube, which beamed an image onto a phosphorescent screen.  The size of the image, measured in scan lines, was 720 x 486, a 4:3 aspect ratio. All television cameras and video tape recorders captured 4:3 images. Producers, photographers and editors practiced their craft inside the confines of that 4:3 image and all networks and local stations broadcast an analog standard definition signal.

January 30, 2012 | Ron Lee: Bankers, don’t get your Facebook page shut down

Pity a bank marketing staff. Already saddled with restrictions, disclosures and regulations, marketers now need to pay very close attention to Facebook’s rules when running an online bank promotion, lest it run afoul of Facebook’s terms of service.

May 03, 2011 | Paul Bourdeaux: More Regarding Twitter and the TCPA

In my previous blog, I highlighted what is, in my opinion, a frivolous lawsuit filed against Twitter for an alleged violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).  With this blog, I hope to offer a better explanation of why I consider it to be frivolous.

April 30, 2011 | Paul Bourdeaux: Twitter, the TCPA, and Ridiculous Lawsuits

I have blogged several times about the importance of the TCPA in SMS marketing. And while I fully support the consumer protection that the TCPA offers, there is always someone, or in this case two someones, who try to take advantage of the system. On April 28th, two California residents filed a class action lawsuit against Twitter, alleging that the Social Network violated the TCPA when it sent them a confirmation SMS in response to a SMS request the men made to stop the SMS subscription. Confused yet?

February 28, 2011 | Ron Lee: Banks testing removal of “free” from free checking accounts

Some of the nations biggest banks are quietly testing new checking products and service-fee structures that portend a huge overhaul of basic checking accounts – changes that could quickly slice the “free” out of “free checking.” Find out what’s happening and if you should be concerned.

January 30, 2011 | Dean Froslie: Why Most Customers Don’t Read Your Privacy Policy

Customers rarely read privacy policies, and they blindly agree to the terms of service when they download an app or complete a transaction. Most policies are long and tedious – and now we have some stats to prove it.

August 12, 2010 | Paul Bourdeaux: Why We SHOULDN’T Be Upset By Verizon And Google’s Net Neutrality Statement

Verizon and Google made headlines this week when they announced a joint policy proposal regarding Net Neutrality. While the statement itself largely follows the idealized view of Net Neutrality, there is one part that has a lot of people upset.  But they shouldn’t be…

May 20, 2010 | Paul Bourdeaux: The Dangers of Do-It-Yourself SMS Marketing

A colleague recently contacted me inquiring about some SMS marketing messages they had been receiving lately.  As far as they knew, they had not signed up for any SMS marketing, and the text message didn’t identify any way to opt out of the campaign.  As I explained to my colleauge, it sounded to me like this was the work of a Do-It-Yourself SMS Marketer…

May 11, 2010 | Paul Bourdeaux: AT&T has exclusive rights to iPhone until 2012

Are you waiting for the much rumored Verizon iPhone?  Well, you better get used to waiting.  Because according to Engadget, Apple has confirmed in court documents that AT&T has exclusive rights to the iPhone until 2012.

April 28, 2010 | Sarah Longfors: Is a Forward to a Friend Considered Spam?

In an effort to expand their customer lists, many businesses are including a suggestion to forward marketing emails to others using a “Forward to a Friend” option within their emails. This is an excellent way to share information with others who may be interested in receiving promotions or newsletters, and, after all, word-of-mouth or power of suggestion is a great way to reach potential customers. The question is: are these considered spam?

April 09, 2010 | Paul Bourdeaux: SMS and the TCPA - Another Court Ruling

Yet another court ruling has affirmed that SMS messages fall under the protection of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The Unites States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois’ Eastern Division has found that a Twentieth Century Fox SMS campaign violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act in 1995 when it sent unsolicited SMS messages to customers to promote the DVD release of its movie “Robots.”

April 08, 2010 | Paul Bourdeaux: Federal Court Ruling threatens Net Neutrality and Mobile Web

This week’s a federal appeals court ruled in favor of Comcast against the Federal Communications Commission. The decision, which says in part that the FCC has no authority to impose restrictions on Comcast and their ability to control their network, delivered a huge blow to proponents of Net Neutrality.