Everyone has a view on how
SBUX can improve. Will it bite?

Ad Networks and Analytics:

• TargetSpot added eight stations to its lineup, including FoxNews Radio.
• aCerno is a new network of e-commerce sites that targets ads based on past purchasing behavior. The ads are served based on what the person is expected to buy next.

Agencies and Execs:

• Richard Kirshenbaum of kirshenbaum+bond is launching a talk show on Plum.tv called Creative Lunch. It is targeted to people in the Hamptons, Aspen and other plush areas and will feature guests like Martha Stewart.
• The Tribune Co. brought in Randy Michaels, a veteran of Clear Channel Radio, as CEO of its interactive and broadcasting division. He will head the company's video strategy.
• TAKKLE.com has named Sean Mahoney its VP of ad sales.
• Meebo has made CNET's Carter Brokaw its Chief Revenue Officer. He will oversee ad sales and monetization.
• John Potter was named VP of interactive revenue development at the Radio Advertising Bureau.
• Agency execs at the International Advertising Association's 41st annual World Congress stressed the importance of engaging audiences with creative marketing.
• Ad shop Naked got profiled because of its approach to finding the best solution for clients' advertising needs, regardless of media.
• Austin's T3, The Think Tank, was commended on its baby-friendly office policy.
• According to RiseSmart, the demand for senior marketing talent is growing. Nearly 150,000 senior marketing jobs, most at over six figures, are available, the company says.

Campaigns of Note:

• 100,000 suggestions were made on Starbucks' My Starbucks Idea suggestion box the first week it went live. Pitches include automating orders of drinks, improving the seating, and improvements to the My Starbucks Idea website itself.
• McDonald's stores in three states are offering free iced coffees to people who use mobile coupons from Cellfire, part of a test of that technology.
• Johnson & Johnson is running a multi-faceted online campaign including widgets, avatars and more to promote stress-reducing skincare products.

Cross Media:

• The BBC has formed an ad sales division, tasked with North American sales on both BBC America and BBC.com, the first such unit for the broadcaster.

Online Content:

• Wal-Mart insists music through its online download store be DRM-free. It pulled tunes from Warner Music Group and Sony BMG over disagreements about it.
• Wal-Mart will be the exclusive online outlet for a new album from "Summer of '69" rocker Bryan Adams.
• Switched has joined Engadget's network, bringing Engadget's site total up to eight.
• Yahoo will create a new co-branded channel for sports and lifestyle publisher GrindTV's coverage of surfing, motocross and other extreme sports.
• AOL has reorganized its tech blog portfolio under one umbrella, like a move to more efficiently sell advertisers the reach of the combined sites.
• MySpaceTV signed a deal with ShineReveille that gives the latter rights to international distribution, home video re-purposing of the site's online shows and even related merchandising.

Search:

• Yahoo has cast lots with both AOL and Google. It probably won't save it from acquisition by Microsoft, which is now in talks with News Corp. to up the bid.
• Competitive search engines are launching in Russia.

Social Networks:

• MySpace launched a Latino version geared to the US Spanish-speaking audience. A handful of media partners are providing content for that group.
• Facebook's new native chat feature could take a lot of users away from AOL's AIM software, dealing yet another blow to the beleaguered company.