TV's continued effectiveness attracts increased media spending. (Read in Variety.com)

"There's pressure from the shareholders or other constituencies to get greater growth, and because of that, everybody wants to say that they're leaving no stone unturned." Read the entire article.

From an interesting panel discussion at the LocationWorld conference entitled "The New Age of Customer Exploration."

Twenty years ago today our Momentum team embarked on the U.S. leg of the Olympic Torch Relay heading to Atlanta. 73 people on the road for 84 days traversing 43 states and creating a bubble of red for Coca-Cola that surrounded the torch. Quite a feat.

Still ranks as one of the best experiential marketing programs ever. Anniversary kudos to the team that made it happen.

Adjectives and adverbs seem inadequate to describe Prince's contributions to and impact on music, art and culture. Perhaps the scene captured in this picture can do it.

When the best ever, impromptu jam session at the SNL 40 after–party needed a closer, Jimmy Fallon called on Prince. Mind you, this was after Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Elvis Costello and other musical A–listers had joined the performance.

The song choice was perfect and it was the exclamation point on an extra special night: Let's Go Crazy.

As the old lyric goes, "if there's a rock 'n roll heaven, I know they have a helluva band." Thanks for making all of us dance and smile, Prince.

Doris Roberts graced the original series, "The 4 to 9ers" with her presence in its second season. She added her special sparkle to the show and the chance she took on it helped further validate the show in the entertainment community.

Thanks, Doris, we will miss you.

Virtuoso performance by David Gilmour at Radio City Music Hall. Existential questions explored with spectacular musical depth. All supplemented by great visual storytelling, both old and new.

I hope the next performance dates are not too many years down the road because I always wish to be here.

Great to see Inside Out win the Oscar for Animated Feature. It is great entertainment with a very instructive perspective.

Kudos to all the talented folks at Disney and Pixar who brought it to life. Our Subway collaboration with the movie during its theatrical debut was mutually beneficial.

Should be some good after parties in Hollywood tonight but I doubt they will top the best after party ever: the one at the Plaza for the SNL 40th Anniversary.

The impromptu jam included from left, Jim Belushi, Paul McCartney, ring leader Jimmy Fallon, Taylor Swift, Paul Allen and Dan Ackroyd, here doing a Blues Brothers number as I recall.

What a night… and early morning.

Congrats to Russell on his second consecutive All Star MVP award. Great accomplishment given all the assembled talent.

His career continues on the great arc we discussed back in January of 2014 when we worked together on some Subway marketing programs.

Although I know a few Swifties, I probably would not qualify as one. However, we followed her remarkable career closely while I was at Subway and, ultimately, we worked with her during the launch of her album, 1989.

It was great to see Taylor win a Grammy for 1989 and see her continued growth as an artist.

While everyone talks about the price and creativity of Super Bowl ads, positioning receives minimal attention.

First and last positions in commercial pods are more valuable because of higher attention levels and often command a price premium.

But when is it best to run during the game? Although there have been many great games recently, a good way to hedge the media risk of a blowout is to run in the first half. I have always preferred the late stages of the second quarter. Viewership is high before halftime and can, in some cases, exceed even the end of the game.

UPDATE15 Feb 2016

The Most Prime Location

After reviewing the minute–by–minute ratings of the Super Bowl, it turns out that the two–minute warning prior to halftime was one of the best places to be. In fact it had six million more viewers than the two–minute warning at the end of the game.

The biggest audience of all was during halftime right about the time Beyoncé was featured. That buttresses the long–held belief amongst the major sports that the casual fan drives the biggest audiences.

Answer: Maroon 5! They played the NBC party in Indanapolis in 2012 and the NetJets party in San Francisco in 2016. And they rocked out both times.

Four years ago, Cam said to me that he wanted to be playing in the Super Bowl and not just watching it. Well done, Cam. You are doing just that. Tune out the chatter and do your thing on Sunday.

Rest in peace to the multifaceted artist who inspired many through his lyrics and his culture–defining persona. His lyrics from the song Changes were the inspiration for my commencement column to my Notre Dame classmates. Click to view. (PDF)

UPDATE16 Feb 2016

Major Tom… Just For One Day

Lady Gaga's tribute to David Bowie was terrific. It was 6 minutes of songs, costumes, characters and choreography that captured the many changes across Bowie's artistic journey. I loved the choice of Ch–ch–ch–Changes being in the second slot because something needs to be established before change can happen. And concluding with Heroes was perfect.

Only other inclusion I would have suggested is something from StationtoStation. But that is a minor quibble.

Bravo, Lady Gaga.