Voices » Stephanie Clifford

Put Ad on Web. Count Clicks. Revise.

Stephanie Clifford — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:01:59 +0000

By Stephanie Clifford, Reporter, New York Times

On a recent Thursday, Darren Herman, the president of Varick Media Management, was sequestered in his SoHo office. He wasn’t scrutinizing a television ad or images from a photo shoot. He was combing through graphs and Excel spreadsheets.

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For Wired, a Revival Lacks Ads

Stephanie Clifford — Tue, 19 May 2009 07:16:14 +0000

By Stephanie Clifford, Reporter, New York Times

Chris Anderson, the editor in chief of Wired, believes in logic the way Tina Brown believes in buzz. He rarely approves a story idea unless the writer backs up the thesis with data.

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Video Prank at Domino’s Taints Brand

Stephanie Clifford — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:01:58 +0000

By Stephanie Clifford, Advertising and Marketing Reporter, New York Times

When two Domino’s Pizza employees filmed a prank in the restaurant’s kitchen, they decided to post it online. In a few days, thanks to the power of social media, they ended up with felony charges, more than a million disgusted viewers, and a major company facing a public relations crisis.

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Web Marketing That Hopes to Learn What Attracts a Click

Stephanie Clifford — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:00:24 +0000

By Stephanie Clifford, Staff Writer, The New York Times

Online advertisers are not lacking in choices: They can display their ads in any color, on any site, with any message, to any audience, with any image. Now, a new breed of companies is trying to tackle all of those options and determine what ad works for a specific audience. They are creating hundreds of versions of clients’ online ads, changing elements like color, type font, message, and image to see what combination draws clicks on a particular site or from a specific audience.

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An Online Game so Mysterious its Famous Sponsor is Hidden

Stephanie Clifford — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:02:33 +0000

By Stephanie Clifford, Staff Writer, The New York Times

Not known for its dark marketing, McDonald’s is more a try-our-new-salad, get-your-Shrek-action-figure, look-at-our-dollar-menu sort of place. For that reason, gamers were surprised to learn that McDonald’s was the sponsor of an enigmatic Olympic-themed online game called The Lost Ring, introduced last month. Nothing about the game was branded McDonald’s, and the game’s Web sites–mysterious and hip, like “Lost” mixed with “The Blair Witch Project”–were a far cry from the golden arches.

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