Eugene David<br>...The One-Minute Pundit

Posted 5:01 PM by Gene

If it's Sunday it must be Big Double-A-Scribble Time:

1. People keep saying the age of throwing money down the sports toilet is at an end. Why? CEOs still apply the scissors to the big bucks come Super Bowl time; Mickey D is busy building a fiscal bonfire in Vancouver; plenty of companies will still prove they can keep up with the CEO Joneses. Who is to say this isn't a cyclical thing? We doubt it otherwise for a sudden jolt in the economy would surely bring the ad prima-donnas back. It would be sensible if these morons whittled down the ad wastage in sport; but business is NOT sensible.

2. Or to put it another way, if WE weren't shelling out zillions for a sixty at the Bowl would people complain?

3. "We all know what 2009 brought to most people, and 2010 is still challenging. But as viewers and advertisers we attempt to be optimistic, and I think that can translate to a new schedule," said Jon Stimmel, senior VP-group client director for Publicis' MediaVest.

TRANSLATION: Besides, there are other things to waste our customers' hard-earned money on, and we intend to waste it.

4. Overall, Michael Niemira, director-research at the International Council of Shopping Centers, said he expects the vacancy rate could actually rise in the coming year. He said store closings are likely to moderate but store openings may be weaker, given that companies were faced with making those plans in the depths of the recession. The ICSC says 4,763 stores closed in 2009, much fewer than the roughly 6,913 closures in 2008 and on par with 2006 and 2007 closure rates.

TRANSLATION: Too many stores still chase too few customers.

5. And SUMNERs and their bean counters are spending even more time with focus groups, meaning their excretions will only get worse regardless of what cri-TICS say.