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June 29, 2008 - July 5, 2008

July 4, 2008

Wacky (or Wonky) Ad for "The Wackness"

Can't figure out whether this is an ad serving problem, or an issue with Firefox 3.0. But every time I visit a page in the film section of The Village Voice, two ads for current film "The Wackness" display.

Well, make that 2 1/2 ads. An upside-down, partial ad also appears, spilling down into the lower frame of the browser.

If it's an ad serving issue, it's easy to straighten out. But if the new version of Firefox, which is setting download records, is messing with ad serving, the industry is going to have to sit up and take notice.

Anyone else out there getting wacky, wonky ads on their new Firefox browser?

Posted by Rebecca Lieb at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 3, 2008

Google Ordered to Hand Over YouTube User Info, But Not Ad Records

A federal judge yesterday ordered Google to hand over to Viacom information about YouTube users' viewing habits.

U.S. District Judge Louis L. Stanton's order set off a firestorm among privacy advocates, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The group contends the disclosure of the information would violate a federal privacy law and could potentially expose private information about YouTube users.

"The Court's erroneous ruling is a set-back to privacy rights, and will allow Viacom to see what you are watching on YouTube," Kurt Opsahl, EFF senior staff attorney, wrote on the EFF blog.

Viacom filed suit against Google's YouTube in March 2007, claiming the online video sharing Web site had failed to sufficiently stop users from posting and watching copyrighted material. The judge's order came Wednesday in response to that lawsuit, according to published reports.

Google was ordered to release: a user's log-in ID, the video ID, and the IP address that locates computers on the Internet, though doesn't necessarily identify them by owner.

While Viacom also asked for records involving advertising transactions for Google's AdWords and AdSense programs, the judge rejected that request. Viacom reportedly had sought an electronic index that shows how data in a database are organized by listing the database’s fields and tables, though not its underlying data.

Viacom had contended this information would have shown that Google could or should have known that its advertising revenues were associated with the pirated videos.

Google also will not be required to disclose its computer source code for the YouTube.com search function and the Google.com search engine.

Google doesn't disclose how much revenue it generates from advertising or branded video on YouTube. But Forbes estimates it at $200 million this year and $350 million in 2009.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Google, Microsoft and Yahoo Collaborate for IAB U.K. Search Help Site

The Interactive Advertising Bureau U.K. has launched its dedicated Search Help Centre, offering advice to marketers on best practices, policy and legal regulation regarding search marketing.

Content for the site is supplied by Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, alongside a panel of agencies and advertisers from the IAB U.K.'s Search Council.

The free resource is intended to provide regularly updated information on issues surrounding trademarks, copyright, invalid clicks, click fraud, user privacy, and intellectual property. It will also include help and advice for advertisers on how to go about hiring a search agency.

Intellectual property will form a key focus for the center. An IAB U.K. release issued today read, "Protecting intellectual property is a growing area of concern because it has become extremely valuable, therefore marketers need to understand what campaign property they own and how to protect it.”

Jack Wallington, chair of the IAB Search Council told me, “For advertisers this is important because they may not be aware of the increasing value of [intellectual property] in search marketing and how to handle and protect it. For agencies it will become a larger issue because they need to decide exactly what they are willing to share with each other and their clients – what is and isn’t competitive information for instance.”

He added that the IAB now recommends making intellectual property a key consideration when starting a relationship with an agency.

The Help Centre resource goes live today.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 2, 2008

Hulu and YouTube, Together at ClickZ’s Video Ad Forum

Can't decide whether to advertise on Google's YouTube or NBC and Fox's Hulu? Edgy vs. mainstream? Eminem's "Sing For The Moment," or "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps?"

Want to learn about the latest innovations in online and interactive video creative for advertising and marketing?

Probe these questions and more with the nation's leading interactive video experts at the ClickZ Online Video Advertising Forum on July 22 in New York City.

Come to see:

*YouTube's Brian Cusack, Hulu's Kevin McGurn, and others debate best practices for targeting and buying online video media.

*Creative leaders from Deep Focus, Digitas, and Organic review video ad formats.

*What's new in video ad creative from the likes of AKQA, Campfire, EVB San Francisco, and IQ Interactive.

And there's more. Hear from online video ad experts at Carat, Geary Interactive, Starcom USA, Enlighten, Ogilvy, MediaVest/Publicis Media Groupe, Denuo, idfive, Saatchi & Saatchi New York, and others.

Register here.

On the fence? Check out the full agenda here.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Charlene Li to Leave Forrester

Forrester just lost some serious mojo in the all-important digital ad space. Charlene Li, among the most recognized analysts covering digital technology and a special advocate for social media marketing, just announced on her blog that she'd soon move on from the firm to spend more time with her family and consider her next move. July 18th will be her last day on the job.

Along with fellow analyst Jeff Bernoff, Li penned the recent book Groundswell (tagline: "winning in a world transformed by social technologies"), which is currently ranked #6 on Amazon's business books list. She's been frequently interviewed and quoted by reporters here at ClickZ, and we wish her the best.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 3:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Quote of the Day: Filling Ballmer's "Internet hole"

"Yahoo executives were unimpressed with Mr. Ballmer's vision. If anything, they regarded the Yahoo pursuit as a crude solution to quell his obsession with Google. They would later refer to Mr. Ballmer's plan as 'filling his Internet hole.'"

-From The Journal's detailed report on the ins and outs of Microsoft's negotiations with Yahoo. Most recently, Microsoft has approached media giants including News Corp and Time Warner to join it in a new offer that would likely result in the breakup of Yahoo. The story suggests those discussions have so far come to naught.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 1, 2008

McCain Taking Cue from Clinton Camp?

John McCain wants you to "Invest in Victory." According to information gathered by Media Trust, the McCain camp is running ads with a call-to-action reminiscent of the ones Clinton relied on during her run for the presidency. Ads spotted on sites based in swing states including New Hampshire and North Carolina, among other sites, urge supporters to "Invest in Victory, Donate $25."

Display ads from Hillary Clinton's shuttered campaign were almost entirely fundraising-based, suggesting people "Donate $5" or "Donate $50."

Until recently, John McCain for President hasn't taken a blatant fundraising approach in online display ads; rather, the campaign has pushed for people to sign petitions against pork-barrel spending, or sign up to join the campaign. (Using those sign-ups, he then hits up those registrants for donations. Barack Obama's campaign has taken a similar tack.

Check out our Campaign '08 display ad galleries:
Clinton ad gallery
McCain ad gallery
Obama ad gallery

Posted by Kate Kaye at 5:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

AOL, Microsoft, WPP: Top Wheeler Dealers

Marketing executives working with digital media vendors might need a scorecard handy to track who owns who these days.

AOL, Microsoft, and WPP each acquired five marketing, advertising, or digital media companies during the first six months of 2008, according to a report on mergers and acquisitions released today by investment bankers Petsky Prunier.

According to Petsky Prunier's research, the companies making the most acquisitions -- and some of their purchases -- include:

AOL: Bebo, a social networking site; Goowy Media, a widget development platform, and Perfiliate Technologies, an affiliate network.

Microsoft: Farecast.com, an online travel search engine, and Rapt, advertisement management software.

WPP Group: Integrated Media Measurement, which has a media measurement system that links media exposure to consumer action, and Yankelovich, a consumer research company.

Aegis Group: AdWatch, a Russian Internet advertising agency, and Globlet, a Thailand search marketing agency.

Havas Advertising: Kadium, a San Francisco digital ad agency, and Shake, a promotion marketing agency based in Chatham, NJ.

A look at the marketing, advertising, and digital media sectors shows the most money was exchanged for digital media companies. There were 78 transactions involving digital media companies totaling $6.3 billion, the firm reported.

Of those deals involving digital media companies, more than one-half involved user-generated or social media businesses. Those deals included AOL's acquisition of Bebo and Goowy Media, and Buzznet's purchase of Idolator.

In all, the Wall Street firm identified 398 deals valued at $19.7 billion involved marketing, advertising, and digital media companies for the first half of this year. Compared to the same period in 2007, the number of deals was up this year by 21 percent but the total transaction dollar volume was down by 26 percent. It said the drop in the value of transactions was due to two factors: this year's soft economy and two large deals last year with Microsoft's acquisition of aQuantive and Google's purchase of DoubleClick for $3.1 billion. (The Google-DoubleClick deal closed earlier this year, but was included by Petsky Prunier in the 2007 tally.)

As expected, no mention of the deal that didn't happen: Microsoft-Yahoo.

Or who's next.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 4:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Google and Seth MacFarlane: YouTube-Plus, Banner Ad Band-Aid or What?

Google's deal to distribute a new series from "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane on its AdSense network is nothing new. The company has pushed YouTube videos with text and overlay ads to AdSense publisher partners since at least last October, and as far back as a year ago had a specific deal with MTV networks to distribute MTVN video clips and in-stream video ads to some sites.

The MacFarlane link-up is the same. The videos live on a YouTube brand channel, not inside the ad units. But it's still noteworthy for three specific reasons.

First is the big name talent involved. Seth MacFarlane is super bankable and his “Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy" is a good get for YouTube.

Second, the sponsorships Google and its partner Media Rights Council are trying to sell alongside the clips will be a cut above what it's tried before. Whereas last Fall Google was focused on text, pre-roll and display units, it's now moving into closer pairings of advertiser and content. Google has stated very clearly that it plans to treat advertising in "Cavalcade" as branded entertainment. (Those are Google's own words, though I would argue they shouldn't apply in situations where advertiser content is hitched up to pure unbranded content. When the two are connected, that's traditional advertising, even if the ads happen to be really good. Branded entertainment is standalone.)

Lastly, Google may be trying -- in its oblique way -- to apply a salve to the world's chronic and worsening case of banner blindness. Industry-reported click-through rates, brand impact research from Dynamic Logic, and eye tracking studies from Pew and others have all found the effectiveness of display advertising is in decline. Some are speculating that by moving to distribute quality video content in ad space, Google could help re-sensitize Internet users to banner ads.

I agree with that up to a point. Yet there's only so much Google can do given its low ranking on the display ad totem pole. While ComScore pinpoints it as the third largest ad network in terms of reach, behind Yahoo and Platform A, the vast majority of Google's inventory is text ads. Even so, it's nice to see an ad network operator do something -- anything! -- to aid the humble banner, which continues to be favored by marginal advertisers and neglected by blue chips.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 1:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Redrum Returns!

Y'all have been asking for it, but it just didn't seem right to throw another Redrum Tuesday with co-foundress Dana Todd in Left Coast exile.

Problem solved. Dana's back in New York (it's her Newsforce roadshow), so we're doing it again. Our next Redrum is on Tuesday, July 8, 5:30 – 8:00 pm ET at the usual place, Nolita House ( 47 E. Houston, between Mulberry & Mott).

Newbie? Here are the rules:

You show up.
You buy your own drinks.
You talk with other people who work in interactive marketing.

Here are the other rules:

No schwag.
No speeches.
Yes, you can bring a friend.
Please don't RSVP.
No, there isn't a guest or mailing list you can get on.

We're busy. You are, too. This is our hyper-informal, non-structured, friendly way of getting together with our colleagues and meeting new friends at a safe remove from the world of trade shows in hotel ballrooms.

Hope you can make it if you're in NYC next Tuesday!

Posted by Rebecca Lieb at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

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