The Age  spruiks new ING product.  Someone in ING’s marketing department was getting high fives at the water cooler for scoring this free goal on the front page of yesterday’s Age Business section:

So just in case that press release wasn’t clear enough: If you’re a surfboard shaper, ING will take care of you. — Jane Nethercote

When you see a brand, what do you think? New-media and marketing strategist Noah Brier’s genius new site Brand Tags asks visitors to play a game of word association to sum up their impressions of major brands in one word or phrase — and then the site graphically displays the cumulative wisdom of crowds on a results page that puts the most common responses in giant type and lesser responses in proportionately diminishing point sizes. The predominant brand values of ” American Idol ,” according to Brand Tags: Annoying/Boring/Cheesy/Crap/Fake/Gay/Lame/Simon/Stupid. — AdAge

Obama challenges Murdochisation In a speech Sunday, Barack Obama said he would pursue a vigorous antitrust policy if he becomes U.S. president and singled out the media industry as one area where government regulators would need to be watchful as consolidation increases. His statement signals a key opening for media and democracy reformers and the movement they have spawned in this last decade–a movement The Nation has been centrally involved in ever since we launched our National-Entertainment series (complete with glossy centerfolds) in 1996. Working with this movement, an Obama Administration could effectively challenge the destructive and concentrated attack by corporate media consolidation on the integrity of our democracy. — The Nation

Last night’s TV ratings
The Winners: Seven News was tops with 1.614 million, with the new David Attenborough at 7.30pm on Nine next with 1.486 million. It was all about tigers. Today Tonight was 3rd with 1.473 million and Border Security was next for Seven with 1.457 million viewers from 7.30pm to 8pm. Nine News was next with 1.421 million and Sea Patrol was 6th with 1.382 million. The repeat of Two And A Half Men rose to average 1.312 million at 7pm for Nine. Seven’s Surf Patrol averaged 1.267 million at 8pm, Desperate Housewives was a touch down at 1.261 million at 8.30pm for Seven and the 7pm ABC News averaged 1.245 million people. A Current Affair was 11th with 1.230 million, Home and Away was a weak 12th with 1.205 million (and third overall) and CSI New York won the 9.30pm slot for Nine with 1.043 million. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Great Debate on Ten at 8.30pm: 989,000.

The Losers: Big Brother Big Mouth at 9.30pm on Ten: 617,000 viewers. A distant fourth. Going live to the BB house would get more viewers, or a Law and Order repeat. BB itself, 960,000 and How To Look Good Naked straight after at 8pm, 875,000. Not stunning, or satisfactory. Ten’s cold mid-winter BB ratings nightmare goes on.

News & CA: Seven News and Today Tonight both won nationally but lost Melbourne to Nine. Seven News beat Nine in Sydney by 150,000 viewers and Nine News beat Seven in Melbourne by 97,000. The 7pm ABC News finished second in Sydney in front of Nine and second in Melbourne in front of Seven. The 7.30 Report averaged 885,000, Four Corners, 787,000, Media Watch, 707,000. Lateline, 370,000, Lateline Business , 173,000. Ten News, 877,000; the late News/Sports Tonight , 335,000. Nine’s Nightline , 200,000. SBS News, 214,000, the 9.30pm late edition, 132,000. 7am Sunrise, 372,000; 7am Today, 312,000. Only 60,000 between the two shows as Today slowly grinds the difference down.

The Stats: Nine won with a share of 29.9% (28.3% last week) from Seven with 27.4% (29.0%), Ten in third with 19.5% (20.1%), the ABC with 17.4% (unchanged) and SBS with 5.8% (5.3%). Seven won Sydney and Nine won Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Nine leads the week 29.8% to 26.7%. In regional markets another win to Nine through WIN/NBN with 33.6% from Prime/7Qld with 27.3%, Southern Cross (Ten) on 17.0%, the ABC on 15.3% and SBS on 6.8%. Seven won 18 to 49 and 25 to 54 and under 55’s frpom 6pm to midnight.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: A solid effort for Nine last night as Ten again had another miserable prime time performance. Not a program with a million or more viewers. How To Look Good Naked is looking increasingly threadbare and The Melbourne Comedy Festival Great Debate was OK but no great shakes. The three programs all did OK in the target younger demos for Ten, but not as well as Ten would want. Big Brother Big Mouth at 9.30pm is a debacle and should be canned. Tonight its should be better for Ten: A fresh Simpsons at 7.30pm and fresh NCIS at 8.30pm offset by a Simpsons repeat at 8pm and repeat NCIS at 10.30pm. Seven has All Saints. Nine has 20 to 1, Gordon Ramsay and Ladette to Lady. Star Portraits is on the ABC at 8pm.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports