William Rice, president of the Web Marketing Association, stated, “Sometimes great ads just don’t see the light of day. It may be the client thought the concept too risky, of the budget got cut, or the work was done on spec, but the ad is really creatively outstanding. The IAC Awards provides an opportunity to show the world your expertise in these ads, even when it was not used commercially. It’s also a great marketing opportunity for the winners to promote their work to senior management, customers and prospects.”

The 2012 IAC Awards are open to all organizations and individuals (advertising and interactive agencies, corporate marketing departments, etc.) involved in the process of developing internet advertising. The deadline for entry is January 31, 2012, and winners will be judged on creativity, innovation, impact, design, copywriting and use of the medium.

In 2011, among other winners, Doremus won Best of Show Ads the client did not pick, Epic Media Group (Creative by Epic) won Best Health Care Ads the client did not pick, CBS Radio Detroit won Best Hotel and Lodging Ads the client did not pick, Cessna Aircraft Company won Best Other Ads the client did not pick, CBS Radio Detroit won Best Restaurant Ads the client did not pick, and Doremus won Best Technology Ads the client did not pick.

Rubicon CEO Frank Addante had no time for fun and booze — he was too busy on the West Coast working on the integration of the FAN team. However, there plenty of other gushing Rubicon executives, as well as representatives from clients such Yahoo and IAC, slurping up the excitement of the moment. Everyone occasionally took a moment from inhaling the atmosphere to enjoy a cocktail….

But Whedon bypassed the networks — cable and broadcast — for one of his most creative efforts, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” a three-part musical comedy starring Neil Patrick Harris as a wannabe evil genius. The show was released in three hilarious installments on the web, thus highlighting the potential for highly original and well-produced content introduced on the Internet.

Former NBC executive Ben Silverman is not blind to the potential here, hence why his new studio Electus has signed a distribution deal with Yahoo! to produce content — shows, he says — in collaboration with advertisers.

In an interview with The New York Times, Silverman was vague about the kind of programming he intends to develop for Yahoo, but noted the potential for “episodic storytelling.” He boasted that he’s working with actors like Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and America Ferrara and said he’s “tapping into the A-list storytelling engine.”

We’re talking “Lost” brought to you by Coca-Cola (somehow I doubt an airline would sponsor that show) and exclusively on Yahoo!.

Silverman has a rep for being the executive producer of such television hits as “The Office,” “Ugly Betty” and  “The Biggest Loser.” After a two-year stint at NBC, where he failed to deliver the network from the ratings slump it has experienced since the expiration of monster hits “Friends” and “The West Wing,” Silverman jumped the network ship in 2009 for the open fields of Internet content, partnering with Barry Diller and IAC/InterActiveCorp to form Electus.

This would be an interesting new gateway for brands, especially as advertisers bemoan the lack of original video content online. Brands have been sponsoring online videos for some time — I particularly enjoy “The Onion Sport Network’s” Sweat Room brought to you by Coke Zero — but this is a creative leap. Online video is ripe for highly original content — rather than the glut of cheaply produced how-to content.

What better way to lure advertisers away from TV than by high-quality, Internet-based content that they get to help create?

The two-year-old Buzzwire helps mobile carriers and content producers publish video and Internet radio on mobile devices. It worked on Verizon Wireless’s m.vcast service, which lets users view and share videos on their cellphones, and also counts as clients AT&T Inc. and Alltel Corp., which has now been acquired by Verizon.

David Rosenblatt, Google’s head of display advertising, former DoubleClick CEO, SA 100 member, and Yahoo CEO candidate is joining IAC’s board. This shouldn’t affect his Yahoo CEO candidacy positively or negatively.

Christie Hefner, CEO of Playboy Enterprises, is leaving the family business, stepping down as chairman today and as CEO Jan. 31, 2009. She will leave the board when a new CEO is found. Effective immediately, board member Jerome Kern becomes interim non-executive chairman of the board.

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The site is spearheading a new ad model in which advertising sponsors will help members fulfill “their stupidest wish ever.” The concept is still in development, but it’s seen as key to the growth of the site and its parent IAC/InterActiveCorp., which plans to spin off four of its businesses so it can focus on interactive advertising and media, Reuters reports.

Banner ads no longer cut the mustard, CollegeHumor co-founder Ricky Van Veen told Reuters, explaining his site’s new approach to integrating advertisements with a user’s overall experience.

“Now advertisers won’t even talk to you unless you have a great topline idea, something cool,” Van Veen told Reuters. “They use the banners and the rest of the stuff to support the deal.”

CollegeHumor is currently offering a paid summer job for a comedy writer wannabe – sponsored by Virgin Mobile.

Lars Albright, VP of Business Development at Quattro Wireless stated “Since its launch, iPhone mobile web traffic continues to grow and we have seen a 323% increase in monthly iPhone pageviews on the Quattro Network from September 2007 to January 2008. To capitalize on this wave of mobile Web enthusiasm, CollegeHumor has tailored its content specifically for iPhone users, guaranteeing that consumers have access to the same content, in the absolute highest possible quality, anytime, anywhere.”

Jon Feldman, Director of Business Development and Marketing for CollegeHumor.com added “The iPhone has set in motion a unique surge in mobile Web surfing, and we wanted to provide a fun, engaging mobile experience that those who use this popular device can really enjoy. We also wanted to ensure that we could incorporate mobile-specific ads effectively into the iPhone site and Quattro’s solution has enabled us to do that easily.”

iPhone-specific ads on the CollegeHumor.com mobile site will be integrated into the content in a way that ensures visibility and encourages interaction as opposed to the current iPhone sites that require users to pinch-and-scroll to view a specific ad.

Sources told both papers that layoffs could number hundreds of employees, but further inquiries by ADOTAS has learned that may be an exageration. The drop appears to be reflective of the current economic fears of a recession and the declining confidence in Yahoo’s future ability to compete with Google. The drop is also fueling a lot of interesting speculation in the blog world about how Yahoo is now irrationally undervalued and become a serious acquisition target. Many comments have reflected that during the last downturn Yahoo was one of the sole survivors of an economic recession.

After hitting a one-year high of $34.08 in October, the stock has hit a new one-year low today. This morning, YHOO opened at $19.26. So far today the stock has hit a low of $19.26 and a high of $21.03.

Many are speculating that Microsoft or other less dominant firms like IAC could possibly make a play for Yahoo and that would drive up the stock to more favorable levels. Yahoo claims that the layoffs and other departures by key executives is apart of a needed restructuring that will provide future growth to compete. At the moment the market doesn’t seem interested in the future, only today.

Scott Garell, who is CEO of IAC Consumer Applications & Portals, will take on the role of president of Ask.com. Lanzone will be going to Venture-capital firm Redpoint Ventures.

The IAC is restructuring with the intention of making Ask the flagship brand, the report continues. Owner Barry Diller announced that the company will be spinning off four business including Ticketmaster, HSN home shopping network and a grouping of financial businesses. More management changes are anticipated in the next few weeks according to a source knowing the IAC’s plans.

Ask.com was acquired by the IAC for $1.85 billion in July of 2005.

The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. CNN Money does continue to say though, that IAC CEO Barry Diller did estimate that the deal is worth about $3.5 billion in revenue in a conference call.

Shares of both companies have increased. Google climbs six cents to $664.48, and IAC up 1.5% to $29.80.

One of the founders of the Fox television network, Diller hopes to translate his TV success onto the Web while staying true to his roots. “I never left … it’s just different kinds of programming. None of us can fool ourselves, everything will be in digital form,” he said in his address at this week’s McGraw-Hill Media Summit in New York.

Currently, the IAC is working on an Internet comedy site “23/6″, and more recently purchased popular destination CollegeHumor.com

“We’re just going to keep rolling them out,” Diller states regarding the company’s continual investments.