Do you want TV, er, fries with that? (McDonald’s is launching an in-store channel that will feature local news, movie trailers, music news, personal interest stories, and more. With families congregating around TVs even at dinner time, we suppose it was only a matter of time that fast food shops slapped TVs on the walls, but we’re nostalgic for the days of dinner table conversation, which used to be more likely at restaurants…) (LA Times)
Hispanic Millennials — dubbed ‘Fusionistas’ — are a diverse group (including many young Hispanics born in the U.S. who think of themselves simultaneously at 100% Hispanic and 100% American, as well as young Hispanic immigrants who came to the U.S. to find work. For marketers targeting this group, a consistent message — and even the same cast of characters — across English- and Spanish-language advertising is important because they follow media in both languages. Young Hispanics are also a key TV demographic; they’ll comprise 65% of 18-29-year-old viewers by 2015, according to a new study from Viacom) (Ad Age) (MediaPost)
Every time Facebook makes changes to its site (there’s a media flurry about how people, particularly media savvy Millennials, are going to abandon it for Google+. And while they do get annoyed at the changes — who doesn’t? — they’re not exactly fleeing the site. Despite the headline topping this article, only 14% of teens expect to spend less time on Facebook or leave the site altogether. Our own research at Ypulse mirror these stats. What’s more, most students (56%) think Facebook is better than Google+, compared to 29% who think Google+ is the better network) (ReadWriteWeb)
The American Academy of Pediatrics released findings and a statement (on media and children under age 2. Younger than that, kids can’t quite grasp TV media, even infant targeted or educational shows. AAP suggests limiting TV time for very young kids and reminding parents that it’s okay for their child to play alone while they cook dinner or are otherwise occupied, which is when they usually sit kids in front of the TV) (YouTube — shout out to Scott Traylor at 360Kid for the link)
Vending machines are cool?! (They are according to Gen Yers… And why not? These days vending machines can do everything from bake you a pizza to gift a Pepsi to a friend, and you can even use your phone to pay. Plus, many Millennials are more comfortable interacting with technology than with people) (CNBC) (Gothamist)
File under “Sites To Watch”: (Vdio is a project from the founders of Skype and Joost that appears to have Netflix and Hulu in its sites. A sister site to Rdio, a music site growing in popularity both in the U.S. and in the UK, Vdio might just stand a chance to compete with the big boys because it’s securing some big titles in movies and TV. And with Netflix’s recent stumbles and Hulu’s on-again-off-again sale, it’s a good time for Vdio to make a splash) (Giga Om)
Smartypants released its annual list of kids’ favorite brands (and the usual suspects top the list: Wii, Oreo, McDonald’s, M&Ms, and Doritos. A little further down the list, iPod Touch leapfrogged the regular iPod, as kids continue to get better technology through hand-me-downs from parents and older siblings)