The emergence of the Internet and the entire e-commerce industry that has sprouted from it has changed the business environment entirely. Apart from having the ability to procure goods and services from anywhere in the world, consumers have become more empowered, they can purchase with more convenience, they are able to find better deals, and they are able to better customize their orders according to their needs.

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We’ve noted before that bad advertising is holding back the development of Internet television.

Advertisers aren’t sure where to advertise on the Internet, how to advertise in new media or how to measure their success, and they’re spending their money on old media as a result, even though they know traditional advertising is becoming less effective.

Incredibly, for every $1 advertisers spend on ads in Internet video, they spend $100 on TV ads.

This is despite the facts that:

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A new distribution deal inked by National Lampoon with YouTube, the giant video portal, says a few things about the state of the multi-media entertainment company.

As with any company, survival hinges on the ability for National Lampoon to grow with the times. This means establishing new distribution channels.

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According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), every month in the United States some 100,000 pounds of CDs become outdated, useless or unwanted. Every year, more than 5.5 million software packages go to landfills and incinerators.

CDs and DVDs are made from materials including polycarbonate plastic, petroleum-based lacquer and paints, aluminum and other metals. These materials release chemicals that contribute to environmental and health problems as well as global warming, both when they are produced and when they are destroyed.

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Do you ever get the creepy feeling that advertisers know how to put a lump in your throat, inspire subconscious brand loyalty, or make your mouth water? Just wait: It could get worse.

An emerging technique called neuromarketing that uses brain scans to measure human response to promotional messages is starting to catch on in Europe—and soon ads may become even more effective at prompting you to pull out your wallet.

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If you visited the news site Digg.com on Tuesday afternoon, you likely spotted quirky news stories chosen by the site’s largely 18- to 24-year-old male audience.

But an audience of search marketers examining Digg at a conference the same day saw something else: a goldmine of lucrative Web traffic.

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When the Academy Awards roll around in February, it’s a safe bet that the teen comedy Superbad and the horror flick Resident Evil: Extinction won’t be in the running for best picture.

But they do represent milestones of a different sort for their distributor, Sony.

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