USA Today

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 9:11am on Monday, February 8th, 2010

Doritos Fan-Created Super Bowl Ad Scores No. 2 on USA Today Ad Meter and $600,000 Prize

Plano, Texas, February 8, 2010 -- Doritos tortilla chips today announced that its consumer-created Doritos commercial, "Underdog," which aired for the first time nationally during yesterday's Super Bowl XLIV broadcast, placed second in USA Today's annual consumer-ranked Super Bowl Ad Meter. This is the fourth year in a row a consumer-created Doritos ad has ranked in the top five and the first time Doritos aired four ads during the Super Bowl. Now, Doritos is paying the talented creator a $600,000 prize for proving that when given the opportunity, amateurs truly can compete with the pros.

Nationwide consumer votes put "Casket," "House Rules," "Snack Attack Samurai" and "Underdog" in the Super Bowl spotlight, from six finalist ads in the fourth annual Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" program.

For taking the No. 2 spot, Joshua Svoboda, creator of "Underdog" will receive $600,000.

Last year, two unemployed brothers from Batesville, Indiana received $1 million from the Doritos brand for trumping the Madison Avenue-made commercials and ranking number one in the USA Today Ad Meter with their homemade Doritos commercial that they created for less than $2,000. It was a bold move that changed the brothers' lives forever and kick-started their now-thriving careers in film and television.

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 4:09pm on Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

New USATODAY.com Offers Cleaner Look, Easy Navigation, Faster Speeds and New Advertising Opportunities

"MCLEAN, Va., January 5, 2010 -- USA TODAY announces a newly designed home page for USATODAY.com. Launched in 1995, this is the first major redesign for the news and information site since 2007, when USATODAY.com launched the concept of network journalism, becoming the first major newspaper website to allow user commenting and community engagement.

The new USATODAY.com offers a cleaner and simpler navigation and experience, making it easier for users to find the content they are looking for. There is also a noticeable increase in performance with the new page loading 25 to 35% faster, giving users the news they need as quickly as possible."

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 6:42am on Monday, December 28th, 2009

Cable & Internet Became Major TV Players In The Last Decade, USA Today reported on December 28, 2009:

"At the broadcast networks, which saw their overall numbers drop by around 8 million viewers, it was 10 years of ratings decline. Yet if those viewers were lost to broadcast, they were found by cable — and what those viewers found was an ever-expanding range of choice.

But don't cry for broadcast yet. They may be smaller fish, but they're still by far the biggest in the electronic pond.

And the upside to smaller ratings: Lower expectations allow shows to thrive that would never have survived back when every series had to be a blockbuster."

The full story:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-12-28-decadeTV28_CV_N.htm

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 11:24am on Friday, December 4th, 2009

USA Today Travel Editor Bids Adieu, Quickly, On Her Blog, December 4, 2009:

"I’ve been laid off from my dream job, and I’m not going to lie. It sucks. I enjoyed almost everything about my immediate world there.

Increasingly, things have become more interesting outside the newsroom bubble. I’d go to conferences and meet people who were making it just fine on their own.

These freelancers-slash-entrepreneurs are my role models, as I join their ranks.

So to the managers who made this decision, in less than 140 characters I tell you: Good luck steering the Titanic. And thanks for the head start. Now I’m really going to run."

The full story:
http://caroundtheworld.com/2009/12/03/goodbye/