Where do media end and brands begin? Or, where do brands end and...aw, forget it

Jeff Jarvis asks the question, "Who needs media?" today and goes on to say that... "This is an advertiser’s wet dream: to create media so you don’t have to buy time or space on it. Bacardi is launching a 24-hour music channel. B-Live - a 24-hour, online music station - is planned as a long-term project that will eventually enable listeners to supply content. The service is the latest example of a brand attempting to bypass more traditional forms of advertising and appeal to consumers directly…." Commenting, Dominik says: "Audi, the German car manufacturer, launched (its) own TV channel in the UK last fall. And Bayer Health Care has invented a so-called “online-novela” to promote its version of Viagra. It’s in German, so anyone who knows (German) may want to check it out: Here you go." All of the foregoing offer further evidence that there are tons of advertising dollars looking for homes. Problem is, the keepers of those budgets continue to wonder where the best neighborhoods are. Best bet: know enough about who you're targeting to minimize waste. If you're Bacardi, the music bet sounds like a good one.