is radio the new TV?

Thanks to wonders of The Worldwide Internet, radio listening is on the rise, and as TV audiences continue to dwindle, I wonder if at some point we'll hit ratios of listeners vs. viewers we haven't seen since 1959.

Part of what accounts for radio's comeback is podcasting, which allows you to tune into discussions that mine whatever esoteric subject you're interested in. If you're reading this blog (hey, thanks, btw) you're no doubt interested in advertising, and two podcasts devoted to this subject stand out.

You may already know about the excellent Beancast, a weekly roundtable discussion hosted by Bob Knorpp. Now, two friends of Beancast have launched Adverve, a less formal podcast devoted to deconstructing the industry. Bill Green (of Make the Logo Bigger) and Angela Natividad (of Adrants) launched the first episode in October exploring a subject rarely spoken of in polite company: Racism in Advertising. Guest speaker Hadji Williams (whom you may know from Racialicious) had so many interesting things to say on the matter, the show was promptly downloaded almost 2000 times. (You can grab it in its entirety here and here .) Bill and Angela have pledged to explore all the "isms" in the business, and I was glad to be tapped for their recent show on ageism. What's next? Possibilities abound: Sexism. Plagiarism. Narcissm. And (paging Don Draper) alcoholism. Angela suggests renaming the series "Adverve Intervention." Ear buds and a sidecar, please.

hitting gold in las vegas

Congrats to those who took home the gold last night. Against all odds: Grand Prize was for Pharma. In spite of this (or maybe inspired by it) CLIO announced it will be launching a new award for Healthcare. In recognition of the difficulty of competing in a category which requires half an ad to be written by lawyers. Submission process opens in July and winners to be honored at a ceremony in New York in October. (Sort of like an industry Special Olympics?)

2009 Grand CLIO Award for Print:
• CLM BBDO, Boulogne-Billancourt, Pharmaceuticals, Dissolve Your Problems “Bear, Paparazzi, Magician, Prison” for Alka-Seltzer (Grand CLIO Winner in Print)

Gold CLIO Awards for Print:
• Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, London, Corporate/Institutional, “Inner Child” for Museum of Childhood
• AlmapBBDO, São Paulo, Automotive, Volkswagen Customized Trucks “Volkswagen Customized Trucks - Beer Box, Volkswagen Customized Trucks - Fruit Box, Volkswagen Customized Trucks - Milk Box, Volkswagen Customized Trucks - Egg Box” for Volkswagen Trucks
• BBDO Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Automotive, Two Worlds “Bushman & Eskimo, Husky & Camel, Mountain Goat & Crocodile” for Jeep
• Clemenger BBDO, Wellington, Public Service, Crashed Beds “Bridge, Tree, Creek” for Driver Fatigue
• Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, Martinez, Health Care Services, “Children – Tree” for Hospital Alemán - Kinder Plan
• Leo Burnett & Arc Worldwide Thailand, Bangkok, Home Furnishings/Appliances, “Chicken, Fish, Lobster” for WMF
• McCann Erickson, Madrid, Public Service, “Woman Shoe” for Greenpeace
• Miami Ad School Europe (Student - Sandra Nicolas), Hamburg, Student, Inspired By Life “Porridge, Brother, Aunt” for IKEA
• Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide, Petaling Jaya, Public Service, “Stop” for Guinness
• TBWA\PARIS, Boulogne-Billancourt, Household Products, Mir Black “Mir Black - Spider, Mir Black – Arms” for Henkel
• TBWA\PARIS, Boulogne-Billancourt, Household Products, Mir Laine “Mir Laine 1, Mir Laine 2, Mir Laine 3, Mir Laine 4” for Henkel

Gold CLIO Awards for Direct Mail:
• Lowe Limited, Bangkok, Dimensional, “Torture Test” for Breeze Excel Washing Detergent
• Philipp und Keuntje GmbH, Hamburg, Collateral, “Balloon” for Chubb Nord-Alarm Security Systems Company

Gold CLIO Awards for Radio:
• DDB Chicago, Chicago, Beverages/Alcoholic, Real Men of Genius “Mr. Rain Delay Tarp Roller Outer, Mr. Golf Quiet Sign Holder, Mr. Football End Zone Painter, Mr. Football First Down Marker” for Anheuser-Busch
• Grey, Melbourne, Public Service, Pictures of You “Anne, George, Martin” for Anti-Speed Message
• Grey South Africa, Sandton, Public Service, “Shark Attack” for Shark Life
• Grupo Gallegos, Long Beach, Media, Subtitles “Epic, Robinson, Horror” for Comcast CableLatino
• Network BBDO, Johannesburg, Travel/Tourism, Plain Insanity “Ferret, Dancer, Dog” for Virgin Atlantic Airlines - Upper Class Suites
• Saatchi & Saatchi, New York, Business Equipment/Services, Compression Radio “Soap Opera Romance, Eating Candy, Calling Tech Support” for StuffIt Deluxe

Gold CLIO Awards for Poster:
• Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, London, Corporate/Institutional, “Inner Child” for Museum of Childhood
• BBDO Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Automotive, Two Worlds “Bushman & Eskimo, Husky & Camel, Mountain Goat & Crocodile” for Jeep
• Big Ant International, New York, Public Service, “What Goes Around Comes Around” for Global Coalition for Peace
• Contract Advertising India Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, Public Service, “Family Name” for Aadhar Association
• Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, Martinez, Health Care Services, Children “Tree, Cookie, Stairs” for Hospital Alemán - Kinder Plan
• KNARF (Students - Annie Chiu, Anna Echiverri), New York, Student, “Subway Bench” for Victoria’s Secret

Gold CLIO Awards for Billboard:
• DDB London, London, Media, “Global Downturn” for Financial Times
• Leo Burnett Canada, Toronto, Beverages/Alcoholic, “Share Our Billboard Campaign” for James Ready

Gold CLIO Awards for Strategic Communications/Public Relations (new category this year for "innovative use of any form of unpaid publicity and messaging that drives credibility, awareness, reputation, and relationships between a company or organization and its consumers or constituents"):

• Edelman, Chicago, Consumer, “FilterForGood: Better Water, Less Waste” for Brita
• Ketchum, San Francisco, Consumer, “Haagen-Dazs loves Honey Bees: Let's Lick This Problem” for Haagen-Dazs