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May 19, 2008

May 19, 2008

RecycleBank's Ad Model: What's Not to Love?

RecycleBank may not only be the greenest advertising model out there -- and everyone's jumping onto that band wagon these day -- but one of the most common sense new plays to come down the pike in years.

The program encourages and rewards consumer recycling, saves municipalities money, and creates value for advertisers in the process. Here's how founder and CEO Ron Gonen explains it.

Families are given a free curbside recycling bin equipped with an ID tag. When the bin is picked up by a truck retrofitted with a device to read the tag, the family is allocated points based on the amount they recycle. They can log in online to check the level of their points, then redeem them for coupons from participating advertisers -- Coke was first to sign on. Other local merchants such as Kraft, Petco, Staples and Dunkin' Donuts are also participating in the company's Wilmington, DE pilot program. Basically, these advertisers are rewarding highly loyal consumers who are doing good, and who are feeling pretty good about themselves in the bargain.

Coupons are snail-mailed to consumers, providing advertisers with yet another messaging opportunity. Yes, the company's fully aware a paper-based reward might not be the greenest thing on earth, but in order to get city government on board, they're compelled to offer that option.

RecycleBank makes its money not only from ad revenues, but also from the municipalities that sign onto its program and see significant savings as a result. Disposing of waste costs more than recycling, apparently.

How can you not love a program that's equal measures of smart, green, and win-win?

Posted by Rebecca Lieb at 8:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Media Buyers Take Aim

Intergi created "Media Buyer's Revenge, a first-person shooter that understands why your heart pounds every time the phone rings, and every time Outlook alerts you to new e-mail.

Of course, while the game is played from the perspective of a media buyer, and has sales people in the crosshairs, Intergi itself wants you media buyers to advertise on game sites on its network. But happy shooting!

Posted by Enid Burns at 6:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Digital Vet to Helm WPP's In Vitro Agency for Dell

WPP poached the president of Digitas Boston to head up the new integrated global agency it's launching for Dell. Torrence Boone takes over the holding company's so-called Project Da Vinci, a made-from-scratch agency confection that will consolidate Dell's worldwide creative and marketing strategy account.

The 38-year-old CEO will be based in the new firm's New York headquarters and report directly to WPP Chief Martin Sorrell.

Sorrell said in a statement that Boone's seven-year background creating integrated ad programs at Digitas, and before that at Avenue A, made him the perfect candidate for the job. "His deep experience across multiple marketing disciplines and his reputation as a developer of innovative marketing programs make him uniquely qualified to lead Project Da Vinci as we focus on reinventing the approach for integrated marketing services," Sorrell said.

The agency will go after non-Dell accounts as well, of course. Sorrell: "We believe that Project Da Vinci will provide a template for other clients with similar desires."

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 5:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

24/7 Real Media, 368 Days Later

What's life for David Moore, chief executive of 24/7 Real Media, one year
and two years to the day after WPP agreed to acquire the company? (If you're
counting days, 2008 was a Leap Year.)

When 24/7 was a stand alone publicly-held company -- before the WPP
acquisition -- Moore estimates he spent about 35 to 40 percent of his time
on activities related to investor relations.

Now, he says he devotes the extra time collaborating with his WPP
colleagues and meeting with clients. When I met with him today in NYC,
he had just returned from a quick trip to Korea where had played golf with a
client. (OK, so he's suffers from a little jet lag today, but nothing that caffeine can't fix.)

Last year at this time, Real Media generated 50 percent of its quarterly
revenue from its search solution, 36 percent from its media operations, and
8 percent from its technology solutions.

Since the acquisition, 24/7's search consultancy was moved to WPP's GroupM
subsidiary, while the 24/7 unit licenses its search technology to GroupM and
Dentsu.

While Moore said he cannot divulge specific revenue projections, he
anticipates 24/7's media operations business will see healthy growth. While
it currently has clients in the U.K. and France, Moore has his eye on
expanding to at least five to 10 other European markets in the next three to
five years. It also sees opportunities for growth in Asia and Australia.

What does he think of the latest reports that Microsoft wants to acquire a
part of Yahoo's business? Microsoft, he points out, is one of WPP's top 10
clients. Plus, Nicolle Pangis, 24/7's VP, product manager, pointed out
that WPP last week announced plans to develop a trading platform that will
link to Yahoo's ad exchange, and integrate targeting technology from 24/7
Real Media.

And has any of DoubleClick's customers defected to 24/7 after the Google
acquisition? Moore said he hasn't seen anyone jump ship -- but isn't
surprised because technology contracts typically last three years unless
they include a change of ownership clause.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Jennewein Looks Forward to Post-Union-Trib Opportunities

I just got off the phone with Chris Jennewein, until recently VP of Internet operations at Union-Tribune Publishing Co., where he led Web projects like its SignOn San Diego-associated radio site. Chris and two close colleagues at the paper's Internet operation, Ron James and Jim Drummond, were laid off around a week ago.

Jennewein stressed he left "amicably" and "appreciates the opportunities I've had to develop innovative online products" for the newspaper firm. He said the company is "consolidating print and Internet operations."

He said he sees the change as "a chance to explore opportunities in online news and Internet media," noting his next gig could be at a more established company or a startup. Or, he may start something on his own. "It's only been a week," he reminded me.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Microsoft Memo: We'll Win in Display

Most analysts and investors still believe Microsoft's bid for Yahoo was strictly a search play. Display ads -- if they figured into the strategy at all -- were mere garnish to the main dish. Microsoft needs to compete harder with Google, and Google's power is contingent on its search market share. End of story, right?

Not exactly. In a memo to staff, Microsoft Platforms & Services President Kevin Johnson, identified the company's top ad-related priorities ahead of its Advance08 advertising conference this week. Among those priorities: "Win in display advertising."

"We have an advantage in tools, agency assets/relationships and a team laser-focused on capturing the display ad platform opportunity. As we build from a position of strength, we will increase engineering resources to drive even more innovation," Kevin wrote.

It's an area where Microsoft needs to show it means business. After all, the company has no fewer than five display platforms, including the MSN Network, DrivePM (courtesy of aQuantive), MSN Direct Response, AdECN, and high-profile individual relationships with sites like Digg, Facebook and WSJ Digital. Yet it has not yet consolidated those offerings into a unified platform offering, the way Yahoo, through AMP, and AOL, through Platform A, have both begun to do with their sprawling display ad holdings.

ClickZ will be on the floor at Microsoft's Advance08 event tomorrow and Wednesday, so check back with us for insights on how Microsoft plans to position its ad platforms and services in the wake of the Yahoo deal implosion.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Scripps Interactive Prez: "Customers Are On YouTube" (Quote of the Day)

“We want to be where the customers are, and they are on YouTube. More specifically, it’s a way for customers to snack on your brand in between full episodes... We will use that ability to snack as a brand builder and marketing play for our linear and nonlinear products.”

-Deanna Brown, president of the interactive group at Scripps Networks, commenting on the company's new distribution deal with YouTube. Bush’s Baked Beans is the current advertiser on 200 videos from Scripps’ HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network and Fine Living networks that are running on YouTube.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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