Back to Main

April 2009

April 30, 2009

Growth Potential in Political Space, Says Talking Point's Rinaldo

After taking over Yahoo's political ad sales during the '08 campaign season, Diane Rinaldo has since moved on to run ad sales for Talking Points Memo. I met her briefly while at lunch with an old online political ad friend the other day, and got the chance to chat with her this afternoon about what she's up to at TPM.

Rinaldo is based here in NYC, but she told me she gets down to D.C. quite often, as many of her clients and prospective clients are around the beltway area. Since she's been selling to political advertisers, she said D.C. agencies are "very welcoming" and "very receptive."

A visit to TPM now will tell you a lot of the site's ads come through networks, but Rinaldo is working to change that. In addition to selling standard ad units, TPM - a liberal political blog stalwart -- is offering sponsorships and custom ads. The ball is just getting rolling on that stuff - "I've been here barely two months," she reminded me.

Overall, though, I heard from Rinaldo what I've heard from several other online political ad folks lately: political advertisers are finally starting to pay attention to digital media in recent months, spurred mainly by the success of the Obama campaign's digital efforts.

"Definitely in the political space there's tremendous growth potential," she said. "With Obama's success...a lot of people are -- whether its nonprofits, organizations, unions, etc. -- are doing probably more in digital than in the past years."

Posted by Kate Kaye at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Quote of the Day: Display Ad Prices Keep Falling

Thought display ad prices had hit bottom? Think again, says Dave Morgan. In a Twitter post this morning, the digital ad pioneer and founder of TV startup Simulmedia says April may have seen ad rates fall to their lowest level in recent history.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 29, 2009

Google's New Chrome Ads: Trippy

Of the 11 short films Google commissioned to promote its Chrome browser, more than half appear to have been conceived in an opium dream. Below are a three of the more out-there videos, so you can judge for yourself.

Only one, You and Your Browser, is cute in the way I associate with Google's past animated ads. Not that I'm critical. Overall I think the effort is a fun way to build buzz for a product that hasn't been talked about as much as the company might have liked.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 5:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Modavox Back at it -- This Time Yahoo's in Crosshairs

About 2 years after relative unknown Modavox slapped a patent suit on Tacoda, the firm is back. This time it's after Yahoo. The online broadcasting media production firm-turned-software provider has sent Yahoo a cease and desist letter.

Addressed to Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz, it states that Modavox believes Yahoo-owned Blue Lithium is infringing on two of its patents.

Modavox is committed to enforcing its patent rights to achieve just and adequate compensation for its patented technology. We have been authorized, therefore, to inform you that Modavox is willing to grant a license under the patents to achieve a business resolution of this issue. In the absence of a achieving a licensing relationship, however, please understand that if Yahoo does not cease and desist from its apparent infringement of the claims of the above-identified patents appropriate action will be taken by Modavox. Further, Yahoo's continuation of this deployment may also expose it to treble damages under the patent act.

Modavox gives Yahoo until May 18 to "confirm that Yahoo will not continue to employ Blue Lithium's technology across its ad platform." It's either that, or pay up for a license, says Modavox's lawyers.

So, in other words, now that BL's technology is integrated with Yahoo's APT platform (whatever has become of that), Yahoo has been asked to stop using it.

In its current austerity, will Yahoo shut up Modavox by cutting a check, or get its legal team on the case?

Has anyone heard anything about Modavox offering its own behavioral targeting technologies? If so, the "patent troll" reputation it's gained through moves like these would have less impact.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Morning Reads: Yahoo Layoffs Commence, Twitter Full of Quitters

Yahoo has begun layoffs of between 600 and 700 employees, according to tech and gossip blog lalawag. The cuts are on schedule, as Yahoo said during its Q1 earnings call eight days ago that it would notify staffers within two weeks.

More than half of Twitter joiners fail to return to the service a month after signing up. Nielsen Online reports retention rate for micro-blogging service is now about 40 percent, posing a challenge to its prospects. That's actually up from a retention rate below 30 percent over the past 12 months. Those bleak return-rate will make it hard for Twitter to achieve reach in the long term. According to Nielsen Online VP David Martin, "a retention rate of 40 percent will limit a site's growth to about a 10 percent reach figure. To be clear, a high retention rate doesn't guarantee a massive audience, but it is a prerequisite."

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 27, 2009

Microsoft Partners with Spotzer for Self-Service Ad Platform

Microsoft Advertising has teamed up with Spotzer to provide a self-service ad platform, through which smaller businesses and regional advertisers can buy campaigns across Microsoft's media properties.

The new platform, currently available at www.spotzer.com/microsoft is launching in the Netherlands today, though Spotzer's CEO, Andrew Klein, told me he hopes this will extend to other territories soon, including the U.S.

Spotzer essentially offers a range of pre-produced video, banner and text message creative, to which advertisers can add their own branding and marketing materials. Through this partnership, media can then be purchased across Microsoft's properties, targeting users by segments such as demographics and geographic region.

Essentially, Microsoft will subsidize Spotzer's creative solutions for advertisers, providing they commit to a minimum €1,000 media spend. Advertisers are also free to upload their own creative if they prefer.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 24, 2009

Microsoft's Ad Business: More Akin to AOL than Google

When it comes to digital advertising, Microsoft still has a lot more in common with Yahoo or AOL than it does with Google.

In its earnings report yesterday, the company reported online ad revenues declined 16 percent during the quarter just ended, primarily due to a significant drop in ad rates. The decline was somewhat offset by growth in both page views and queries on its search engine.

Naturally Microsoft would like to reverse those clauses -- boasting to advertisers that strength in search was partially brought down by weakness in display ad rates. Alas, with 40-plus media products in the market, and the vast majority of them reliant on display, rich media, and other types of graphical advertising, that's not happening soon -- unless, that is, Steve Ballmer and Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz shock the world by striking a search ad deal of some sort this quarter. The likelihood of that outcome is anybody's guess, but few believe an agreement is imminent.

On a somewhat brighter note, Microsoft's recent "I'm a PC" campaign appears to be paying off. During the Q1 earnings call, execs boasted internal research found consumers professed a 10 percent increase in preference for Windows machines since the ads launched.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Another Superb Apple/NYTimes.com Execution

Apple and The New York Times continue to impress with synchronized home page ads. This one gushes a waterfall of icons marking the installation of Apple's one billionth iphone app:

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 23, 2009

OfficeMax Thinks Out of the Box in Ad Campaign

The office supply retailer shakes things up in a new ad to promote a new line, [In] Place System created in partnership with workplace organization expert Peter Walsh. The ad, created by OfficeMax agency The Escape Pod, depicts Walsh reaching out of one area of the banner to grab a cluttered diorama, turning it into a minimalist work environment, and then walking into the space to have a seat. This ad was found on MarthaStewart.com.

OfficeMax has played up stylish products such as the Peter Walsh line to help people and businesses get organized. The Walsh line includes a file tote and interlocking hanging files, which are predominantly white accented by red, yellow, and green tabs. Design items come into play with the DiVoga line, which includes pastel patterned file folders and binder clips. Will there soon be ads for DiVoga online?

Posted by Enid Burns at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Should Craigslist Clean Up Its Erotic Services Ads?

Connecticut Attorney Richard Blumenthal called on Craigslist to ban the use of photographs in its "erotic services" section and take other measures to fight porn and prostitution on the classified ad site. (The image, above, is a portion of an ad that can be found in Craigslist's erotic services section.)

The attorney general made his appeal after the murder of a New York City masseuse in Boston and an assault on an exotic dancer in Warwick RI. Both women had advertised their services on Craigslist. Authorities said Boston University medical student Philip Markoff, who was arrested for both crimes, found the masseuse on Craigslist.

"Craigslist has the means -- and moral obligation -- to stop the pimping and prostituting in plain sight," Blumenthal said in a statement. He also called on Craigslist to impose a "significant fee" to the credit card of anyone posting content in violation of Craiglist's rules.

To clean up ads on its site, Craigslist last November started to charge for erotic services ads, requiring credit card information and a working phone number. For the most part, Craigslist ads are free.

Jim Buckmaster, chief executive of Craigslist, told the New London Day that he appreciated Blumenthal's input and agreed that more work had to be done to eliminate ads for illegal services.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

April 22, 2009

U.K. Conservatives Snap up Budget-Related Google Ads

The U.K. Conservative party has used Google PPC ads to drive traffic to a site denouncing today's budget from Labour Chancellor, Alistair Darling.

Searches for key phrases from the Chancellor's budget speech, such as "scrappage scheme," "tobacco duty," and "budget deficit," throw up ads pointing to the Conservative site, on which the party offers a rebuttal of what it describes as a "dishonest budget."

Incidentally, it appears U.K. newspaper the Telegraph has either cottoned on to the idea, or had a similar one itself. A number of those terms also invoke ads pointing to the newspaper's own online coverage.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Twitter Followers: Easy Come, Easy Go

How fickle are your Twitter followers?

This tool from Qwitter gives you a clue.

Goes to show, saying good-bye can be easy.

Bye-bye tweets!

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's Earth Day! Won't You Buy Some Tiki Torches?

Mega-retailers are aggressively capitalizing on Earth Day awareness to drive attention to water saving hardware, recycled glassware, and other ostensibly green products. As illustrated below, big box stores bought three of seven search ads spotted this morning on a Google query for "Earth Day."

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Morning Reads: MySpace CEO Ousted, PBS Video Player, Google Profiles

MySpace's CEO and other execs may soon get their walking papers. According to TechCrunch, CEO Chris DeWolfe will be fired as will other members of the "core" MySpace executive team. The sudden changes come courtesy of recently appointed News Corp. digital honcho Jonathan Miller.

Still think we're living in an era of video platform consolidation? More evidence to the contrary: PBS is the latest, after CBS's TV.com in January, to roll out an elegant new experience for long-form video content. Full-length shows include The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, Nova, Frontline, American Masters and American Experience. According to PBS, the PBS Kids Go video player it launched last year is streaming more than a million clips a week. (release)

In the Google age your identity boils down to what people can glean from a name query search. With the launch of new public profiles, Google is offering individuals a little more control over the outcome of those queries. Some are calling it a run at social platforms. While that may be a stretch, it is an important moment in the evolution of digital identity management.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 21, 2009

Online Marketing News Roundup for April 21, 2009

Online marketing businesses today announced a slew of offerings, some timed to coincide with this week's ad:tech conference in San Francisco. Here are some items in the PR pipeline:

ReachLocal opens a local advertising platform. For local advertisers, national brands, and agencies, the platform called ReachLocal Xchange will give access to Internet audiences in a targeted format. ReachLocal says it will provide a single media buy, full campaign tracking and reporting, and optimization technology. Publishers, in turn, can create custom ad inventory offers.

Interpublic's Mediabrands announces Greenhaus, an invitation-only consultation practice to foster start-up social media platforms. Led by Quentin George, chief digital officer of Mediabrands, and Brian Monihan, SVP and global lead of social media at Mediabrands' division Universal McCann, the program is set up as an intense six-month program set around four topics: understanding the media economy; campaign lifecycle; media math and metrics; and about the RFP.

In theory the platforms that go through Greenhaus will emerge to support clients of Mediabrands and IPG. To date a handful of companies including Tubemogul, Justin.tv, Worldgolftour, 80/20 Publishing, 750 Industries, Widgetbox, Kosmix, and Danoo have already been through the Greenhaus program.

Rubicon Project, which created an ad network optimization platform, moves to a buy side solution with Rubicon onDemand. Buyers can use onDemand to fill their campaigns, and make buys targeted by audience segment such as demographic, geographic location, and contextual or behavioral segment.

When a video plays on YouTube, does a marketer hear the sound of a customer conversion? Omniture just added the ability to measure viral video campaigns to its SiteCatalyst. Omniture promises the new component "delivers increased insight into the performance of viral video campaigns and how they potentially impact consumer behavior and interaction with a publisher's Web site." It can also be used for marketers who sell advertising against online video to view and provide metrics.

Omniture also announced a publisher-side analytics and ad serving integration with 24/7 Real Media. Publishers will be able to serve relevant ads by creating visitor segments through Omniture SiteCatalyst on sites that are shared with 24/7's Open AdStream. There are additional inventory management features, including insight into which pages have the highest value for advertising.

Posted by Enid Burns at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 20, 2009

Vivaki/Starcom: Tests Underway for New Digital Video Ad Format

What digital video ad format will best the 30-second pre-roll?

Two executives from Vivaki and Starcom, speaking at the Interactive Advertising Bureau's Digital Video conference today, outlined the timetable for testing alternative online video ad formats to determine which one will resonate the most with consumers.

The presentation by Curt Hecht, president of Vivaki Nerve Center, and Tracey Scheppach, video innovation director at Starcom USA, was noteworthy for another reason. It shows that that Hecht and Scheppach, both associated with Publicis Groupe businesses, are working with the IAB, which sets standards for digital ad formats, and not against the industry group.

The initiative, dubbed "The Pool," started with seven participants including Yahoo and Microsoft plus six advertisers including Capital One, Purina, Applebee's, and Allstate. Executives from these companies kicked around ad format ideas, coming up with an initial list of 30, according to Scheppach. After presentations and a series of votes, five formats were selected for qualitative testing. After testing and more votes, two formats were selected for quantitative testing -- a phase now winding down.

Scheppach and Hecht both declined to reveal any details out the final formats, but emphasized that The Pool's testing is designed to identify what works for consumers -- and not just advertisers and publishers.

Next up, one idea will selected for a five-month field trial and will be tested against the 30-second pre-roll. The group is aiming to have its final meeting about the online video ad format in November and roll out its findings by early 2010.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ask.com Reverts to "Ask Jeeves" Branding

After three years "traveling the world in a quest for knowledge," Jeeves, the iconic butler, is resuming his role as U.K. front man for search engine Ask.

InterActive Corp quickly decided to ditch the beleaguered butler and the Ask Jeeves brand after acquiring the site in 2005, opting instead for the simpler, and perhaps more user-friendly Ask.com domain. Now, it seems user demand, and presumably diminished recognition of the new branding, has prompted a rethink.

"During my sojourn, research showed the public wanted me back, which I found jolly touching. And in that time the engineers toiled hard to make the site look better, work harder and be more personal...just like yours truly," Jeeves wrote on the site today, in answer to the question, "Why are you back?"

Jeeves himself, based originally on a character by PG Wodehouse, has also undergone a slight revamp, and is now presented in rendered 3D in place of the traditional cartoon- style illustration.

To support the new (or should I say old) brand identity, profiles on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are being maintained by Jeeves, much like the efforts of ComparetheMarket.com's Aleksandr the Meerkat.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seeking a Mentor for Your Career in Interactive Marketing?

A program designed to educate the next generation of digital marketing executives is seeking recruits.

The Internet Oldtimers Foundation has launched the Andy Bourland Mentorship Program, named for ClickZ's co-founder who died in February at the age of 53.

The foundation, an organization made up of over 450 executives in interactive marketing and media, is accepting applications here from people who are interested in being matched with a digital marketing pro in the free, one-year program. A participant must be available to meet at least once a month with his or her mentor, prepare an industry research document, and present the findings at an industry conference or trade show.

The program is geared for people starting their careers in marketing or experienced marketing professionals interested in learning more about digital channels, according to Skip Graham, president of the Internet Oldtimers Foundation and GiantHead, an interactive agency based in Raleigh, NC.

"We worked with Andy Bourland and then his wife on a program to carry on his legacy," Graham said. "Andy was the person who was always willing to reach out. He always answered the phone. Those are characteristics that he brought and that's what we are trying to make this program epitomize."

Professionals at interactive businesses who have agreed to serve as mentors include: 
Matt McGowan, VP & Publisher, of ClickZ, Search Engine Watch, and Search Engine Strategies; Chris Graham, VP, business intelligence, Atrinsic; John Engler, president, Pipeline Success; 
Leslie Laredo, EVP, Laredo Group; 
Peter Shankman, CEO, Geek Factory; 
Adam Gordon, chief revenue officer, Radar Online
; Stefan Tornquist, research director, MarketingSherpa; 
Steve Hall, editor and publisher, AdRants; 
Tom Hespos, president, Underscore Marketing; 
Denise Zimmerman, president/chief strategy officer, NetPlusMarketing; 
Jack Flanagan, EVP, comScore; 
Peter Platt, director of media, Butler/Till; 
John Van Wagner, director, advertising sales, Ad Infuse Mobile; 
Joshua Chasin, chief research officer, comScore
; Mark Westlake, chief revenue officer, TopTenReviews.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 6:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 19, 2009

Quote of the Day: A Tweet for @Oprah

"At last, Oprah has an outlet for her thoughts and opinions," tweets @nathanreid.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 7:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 17, 2009

Celebs on Twitter: College Kids Come to Cutters' Quarry

Twitter's growing at ridiculous speed -- and I mean that in the Dark Helmet sense. Comscore reported yesterday that traffic to the Twitter site doubled in March, to just shy of 10 million users, and the surge has brought the micro-blogging service to entirely new segments of the population.

Including the all-important celebrity demographic. Oddly enough, this week produced a number of milestones in the celebrity Twitterverse. Yesterday users of the micro-blogging service were treated to an absurd contest between actor Ashton Kutcher and the CNN Breaking News Twitter account to be the first to achieve a million followers (Kutcher won late last night, but CNN has since crossed over).

Much more importantly, however, today is the day Oprah Winfrey will produce her very first tweet. The daytime talk Diva will host Twitter founder Ev Williams, who will talk up the service and presumably give her pointers on how to use it. Oprah's already amassed more than 65,000 followers, and it seems reasonable to assume the attention will trigger a rush of woman Twitterers.

And how is the celebrity invasion sitting with the legions of dedicated Twitter users? Longtime Twitter user (and friend of mine) LetterB had this to say yesterday: "You know how the cutters feel in Breaking Away when the college kids swim in their quarry? That's how I feel about celebrities on Twitter."

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 15, 2009

Ad Model "in Jeopardy" for Newspapers, Says Strategist

"The advertising model is in jeopardy."

That's what media strategist Nancy Wang of Mignon Media concluded during a webinar on online revenue attended by Newspaper Association of America members this afternoon.

A participant asked Wang why companies should bother implementing one of many revenue models her firm suggests for newspaper publishers. The model in question is a hybrid paid/free model (80 percent free content). "Isn't there a risk of losing traffic in exchange for subscription revenue?" asked the participant (I'm paraphrasing).

Wang was blunt. "The advertising model is in danger unless we figure out on the first try exactly how we can prevent the advertising from going down quickly." She stressed paper publishers must experiment.

The company has more info on their revenue models listed here.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

quadrantOne to Focus on Mobile Ad Sales for AP

Online newspaper ad network quadrantOne will now sell ads on behalf of Associated Press. According to quadrantOne, the firm will run national ad sales specifically for AP's mobile news portal apnews.com and AP News apps.

The relationship isn't much of a stretch, considering quadrantOne was formed by paper giants Hearst, Gannett, The New York Times, and Tribune, and its network is comprised mainly of newspaper sites. The AP, of course, is a coalition of paper publishers.

As paper companies struggle to monetize and navigate the new realities of online media distribution (The NY Times reports today that newspaper ad revenues may have plummeted as much as 30 percent for some papers in Q1.), the AP recently made headlines for announcing it plans to crack down on what it called "misappropriation" of its online news content. The organization said it would develop new search pages that direct users to breaking news. The move was largely viewed by observers as a direct attack on Google, which sometimes points users to non-AP affiliated sites featuring AP news stories.

So, is mobile advertising the next frontier for struggling news outlets? It's great to see the AP investing in mobile in this way, yet just how much that will contribute to the bottom line remains to be seen. Perhaps the AP relationship will prompt other quadOne networks to think more about mobile ad offerings....

Posted by Kate Kaye at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pontiflex Latest in Web Ad Sector to Score Funding

The bucks are flowing for online ad networks and tech firms lately. As I report today, a handful of firms in the sector have received investments in the past few weeks, including Collective Media, Glam Media, ScanScout, Rubicon, Pubmatic.

The latest example, announced today, is Pontiflex. The firm dubs itself a "cost-per-lead market," and just grabbed $6.25 million in series B funding.

The Pontiflex investment follows along with the conclusions of people I spoke with yesterday regarding the other investments: There's a general movement among advertisers away from cross-site media buys (read: premium/CPM) towards adoption of targeted, performance-based advertising sold and managed through efficient platforms.

Pontiflex came on my radar late last year - turns out Obama's campaign bought ads through the network. As of January, I calculated about $137,000 worth.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

iCrossing Partners With Russian SEM Firm

I recently wrote about Eastern Europe's growing appeal for global digital players, so news that iCrossing has partnered with a Russian SEM firm comes as no surprise.

The Moscow-based outfit, Ingate, will help support Russian-focused campaigns for the firm's global clients. iCrossing alsostruck a similar deal with Chinese SEM agency Beijing Gridsum Technology Co. late last year, and said at the time it plans to open its own Asian office by 2010.

As Western firms look for ways to offset slowing revenues from established markets, heading East appears to be the order of the day. Aegis, WPP and Google invested cash in Eastern Europe in 2008, and SEO competitors such as Webcertain claim to be actively pursuing opportunities abroad.

Ingate itself currently serves global brands including Procter & Gamble, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Peugeot, and Honda.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 6:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 14, 2009

Will a Liberated StumbleUpon Do More to Entice Advertisers?

Will eBay's decision to sell StumbleUpon back to its original owners lead to more ad innovation at the Web discovery engine?

The move, announced yesterday, won't bring much short-term change to StumbleUpon's marketers or its end users. However founder and now CEO Garrett Camp suggested the company's return to independence will free it up to innovate new products and features.

Those features almost certainly touch on advertising. Speaking with ClickZ last fall, the company said it would soon offer content category recommendations to ad buyers. It also said it wanted to improve its analytics package.

StumbleUpon's ad model is simple, and totally unique. For every 20 or 30 Web pages users turn up when they click the "Stumble" button on the toolbar, they get one page that is a paid result. StumbleUpon says it has tens of thousands of individual ad buyers delivering paid page placements into the browsers of toolbar users. All advertisers pay a flat $50 CPM, and the minimum spend is in the $20 range.'

StumbleUpon boasts approximately 7.4 million unique users, up about 25 percent since September. In addition to backing from founders Camp and Geoff Smith, investors Ram Shriram of Sherpalo Ventures, Accel Partners, and August Capital helped buy out eBay's stake in the company.

"We are grateful to eBay for its guidance. However, we realized there were few long-term synergies between the two businesses," Camp said.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 13, 2009

ClickZ Talks Web Political Ads on CSPAN Today (and Video Now)!

This past Friday, I was privileged to be featured as a speaker at the Interactive Advertising Bureau's online political ad event in our nation's capital. I got the chance to talk about my new Campaign '08 book with IAB Public Policy head Mike Zaneis, then moderate a fascinating panel about political campaigns and advocacy groups using online advertising. The 1.5 hour event will re-air on C-SPAN 2 today from 12:38:53 PM - 02:07:52 PM. (That's actually the way CSPAN lists it, no kiddin!)

The entire thing can be viewed online anytime, too.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 10, 2009

Here We Go Again. Microsoft and Yahoo in Talks on Ad Deal

Well the silence was nice while it lasted, but now it seems we're in for another extended period of rumor and speculation about a possible deal between Microsoft and Yahoo.

Reports today in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times suggest that Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and Yahoo's Carol Bartz last week met for informal talks about a possible tie-up between the two companies. The talks represent the first serious discussion between the two companies since Bartz took the reins from former Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang late last year.

In one possible arrangement mentioned in both reports, no acquisition would take place, but Yahoo would sell display ad inventory on Microsoft's properties while Microsoft would rep Yahoo's search inventory. The information in the two articles is virtually identical, which could mean they're based on a deliberate leak designed to help Microsoft and Yahoo control the press coverage of their negotiations.

It goes without saying that a deal is far from certain or imminent.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 9, 2009

ClickZ on Radio Today, at D.C. Event Tomorrow

I'll be appearing on Sign On Radio's Digital Politics show with Karen Jagoda of E-Voter Institute this afternoon at 3pm. We'll be talkin' about the presidential campaigns and maybe some more timely stuff - but it will be all online political ad related.

Oh, and if you're in the D.C. area, please swing by the IAB online political advertising event at 10 am tomorrow. I'll be chatting about my Campaign '08 book , and moderating a panel with Colin Delaney of ePolitics, Jeff Dittus of Campaign Grid, and Emily Williams of MSHC Partners.

It's free!

Posted by Kate Kaye at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 7, 2009

Quote of the Day: Google's Eric Schmidt on Newspapers

Speaking at the Newspaper Association of America convention today, Eric Schmidt went out of his way to make nice with newspapers -- even as those same papers railed against Google for leading Web users to dissociate quality content from the publisher brands that produce it. The following snippets come from a Q&A transcript published by Poynter Online:

Question: You've been quoted as saying a number of times that there should be a "flight to quality," that there's an awful lot of garbage out on the Internet --

Schmidt: Let me just say precisely: It's a sewer out there.

Question: Recognizing that the brands in this room for the most part are credible brands and --

Schmidt: I would say 100% are credible.

Later, Schmidt said he admired the intelligence and speed with which newspapers greeted the first wave of Internet growth in the late '90s. The problem came later, he said:

The act after that is a much harder question. It's how do you keep engagement? How do you avoid being just mediated with a set of stories that are aggregated with your brand on them, which is what's happened to some newspapers?

...My own bias, by the way, is a technology one: I think the sites are slow. They literally are not fast. They're actually slower than reading the paper, and that's something that can be worked on on a technical basis.

photo credit: NAA

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 4:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Amazon Cuts Off Affiliate Search Bidding

If you're a merchant with a large affiliate program, you've certainly given plenty of thought to whether referral partners should be permitted to buy search keywords. Allowing the practice drives traffic and leads, but it also raises keyword prices and fills the coffers of Google and other search engines.

Amazon, which runs one of the Web's largest affiliate programs, has just come down on the side of controlling keyword costs. As of May 1, U.S. and Canadian referral partners in the Amazon Associates program will no longer be reimbursed for driving conversions through paid keyword bidding, the company said.

Not only that, but anyone using search ads to send traffic to Amazon product pages will have their accounts shut down. Of course Amazon phrases this in the kindest possible terms: "As long as you stop your paid search activities relating to our US and Canadian sites and otherwise remain in compliance with the terms of the Associates Operating Agreement (e.g., by sending users to our websites through links on your site), your Associates account will not be closed," the company notes in a FAQ on the policy change.

It seems possible, based on that aggressive step, that Amazon is in a hurry to reduce its search ad spend. I'd be curious to just know how much this move will shrink that spend, and conversely how much it will cost Google, Microsoft and Yahoo.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

ClickZ Talks Search for Political Persuasion at SES

The political search panel at the recent Search Engine Strategies show in NYC got great reviews, and afterwards I got the chance to interview one of my panelists, Josh Koster of Chong Designs about using search advertising for political persuasion. Don't worry -- in this video, I do let Josh talk after awhile....

Posted by Kate Kaye at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Publicis Acquires Swiss Digital Agency, Nemos.

Publicis Groupe is continuing its global expansion with the acquisition of Swiss digital agency, Nemos. The Zurich-based outfit, which offers digital creative, Web site development, and mobile and social media marketing, will be integrated with the group's existing local digital operation, Publicis Modem Switzerland. Nemos's client roster includes European brands such as Carlsberg and Movenpick.

Despite this continued investment in established European markets, Publicis says it is on track in its aim to generate 25 percent of revenues from emerging markets by 2012, and the same portion from its digital properties by 2010.

The firm acquired Brazilian digital agency, Tribal, in November of last year, followed shortly by Chinese outfit W&K Communications in November. It also expanded into Korea with the acquisition of South-Korean full-service digital agency, Portfolio, bringing the total Publicis Modem global staff to approximately 1,200 across 40 offices.

Pascal Urscheler, Nemos' former CEO, and Marion Marxer, senior brand director of Publicis in Zurich will co-lead the new Publicis Modem Switzerland, reporting to Freddy Collioud, president of Publicis Switzerland. Nemos' 10 staff will be retained. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 6, 2009

Deadly Earthquake Strikes; Advertisers Slow to React

Nearly 18 hours after a deadly earthquake struck L'Aquila in Italy, a Google search for "L'Aquila" displayed sponsored links for four travel sites promoting hotel reservations and deals in the medieval Italian town.

"Visiting L'aquila? Official L'aquila Travel Site! Find Great Air and Hotel Deals," reads Kayak.com's ad.

Three other reservation sites -- TripAdvisor.com, Italy-Bookings.com, and Venere.com -- had apparently bid on the keyword, "L'Aquila," to appear as a sponsored link on Google. But none pulled their ads after the earthquake hit.

A click on the link for Italy-Bookings.com leads a Web site visitor to a page that reads, "page not found," while the other sponsored links lead to landing pages promoting "hotel deals" in L'Aquila.

More than 100 people were reported dead and 1,500 injured in the region about 60 miles north of Rome.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 3:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last Chance: Enter ClickZ Marketing Excellence Awards

Do you know of a digital marketing tool or service that deserves an excellence award?

The deadline to submit an entry to the ClickZ Marketing Excellence Awards is 3 PM EDT Wednesday, April 8.

Categories are: ad management, search ad management, social media marketing tool or service, analytics platform, e-mail marketing tool, and mobile marketing tool.

For the modest sum of $49, companies or their customers can submit an entry here.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 3:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 3, 2009

Is Twitter in Talks with Google? Of Course!

Twitter's response to the salivating rumors that it's in talks with Google was similar to my own: Well, duh.

In a blog post titled "Sometimes We Talk," Twitter co-founder Biz Stone noted that the company communicates regularly with other players in the Web landscape. "It should come as no surprise that Twitter engages in discussions with other companies regularly and on a variety of subjects," he said. "Our goal is to build a profitable, independent company and we're just getting started."

Duly noted Biz. And now that the tech gossip beast has been fed for the week, can we move onto something with substance?

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Who Says the [Google] Surge isn't working?

A little side-note gleaned in my reporting on Scott Murphy's New York Congressional campaign employing the rarely-used "Google Surge" or "Network Blast" tactic:

Eric Frenchman -- the man behind the McCain camp's now award-winning online advertising strategy - says he came up with the term "Google Surge," after employing the carpet-bombing style display ad tactic for Bobby Jindal's congressional campaign in 2007, and for McCain's camp when targeting Ohio and Florida voters. The tactic may now gather steam after its use by the California Proposition 8 campaigns like Murphy's have employed it. The tactic, described in my story about the Murphy camp, essentially involves bombarding users in a defined geographic area (like NY's 20th congressional district) in a brief period of time with ads from one advertiser.

Google doesn't seem to like the "surge" term, so they call it "The Network Blast." I suppose "surge" has too much of a military connotation, particularly in relation to the troop surge in Iraq. But I'm not to sure the "blast" term is appropriate either, considering how it's often associated with e-mail campaigns.

Look for a story Monday on another innovative use of the Google surge in conjunction with another award-winning campaign from the '08 election.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

April 2, 2009

NCAA Appeased, MarchTweetness Returns Under a New Name

MarchTweetness is back. Only now it goes by a different name.

Three days after an NCAA copyright complaint forced Federated Media to tear down its experimental college b-ball Twitter aggregator, the AT&T-sponsored site is live again -- with two days to go before Saturday's semifinals.

For most of the week, the URL redirected to a simple Twitter search for the final four teams. That's because Federated Media slipped up when it first created the site, violating the NCAA's copyrights -- perhaps an indicator of company's greenness when it comes to designing sports-related experiences. (Tip for anyone considering a sports mash-up: College and pro athletic associations are REALLY uptight about their trademarks.)

The new site is very similar to the old, with a few important changes. Most notably, the name has changed. MarchTweetness is now TitleTweets, and the old URL now redirects to TitleTweets.com.

Also significant: AT&T is still attached to the site, but now it's listed as "The exclusive wireless partner of the NCAA," whereas it wasn't before. I have a call in to learn whether AT&T had a sponsorship arrangement with AT&T before this week. A large badge on the TitleTweets site links to the NCAA's site, where users can watch live games and view interactive brackets. The badge lists NCAA's other official sponsors Pontiac and Coca-Cola Zero.

Smaller changes included reworking of the copy. "Join in on the March Madness Excitement" becomes "Join in on the NCAA March Madness excitement."

You can check out the before and after below (images courtesy of the FM Publishing blog).

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Growth in U.K. Online Ad Spend Slows, Search Continues to Grow

Growth in U.K. online ad spend halved during 2008, increasing by 17.1 percent to £3.35 billion, down from the 38 percent year-on-year increase it achieved in '07, according to the IAB U.K.'s bi-annual online advertising expenditure study. The U.K. market slowdown mirrors that of the U.S. market; the growth rate here was also sliced in half in '08. According to the report, online now makes up almost 20 percent of overall U.K. ad spend, up from a 15 percent share in 2008.

Within online itself, paid search spend grew 22.7 percent year-over-year, representing almost 60 percent of all online spend in 2008. Perhaps unsurprising given the current financial situation and the relative accountability of search, display grew far less rapidly, at 7.7 percent, and represented 19 percent of spend. Online classifieds made up the remainder of spend at 21.4 percent, having grown 22.2 percent from 2007.

The IAB points to ad networks as a growth driver, and notes they now account for 44 percent of display spending. However, network spending is only up marginally from its 40 percent share in 2007.

In terms of verticals, recruitment leads across all formats, accounting for 23.8 percent of overall online spend, followed by Automotive at 13.5 percent, Technology at 11.2 percent, Property at 9.7 percent, and Finance at 7.6 percent.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 5:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 1, 2009

Thing of Beauty: Ticking Rolex Ad on New Life.com

The below display unit for Rolex is a lovely hybrid of online and magazine advertising -- specifically, fashion magazine advertising.

The ad was created as part of Rolex's exclusive sponsorship of the just relaunched Life.com (please click through to view it), which is a collaboration between Time Inc. and Getty Images. The new site let Web users view millions of images from the magazine's past alongside current ones from Getty. (The Wall Street Journal has more details.)

Graphically, the ad is the height of simplicity: an elegant photo of a watch reflecting the current date and time. Animation here is limited to three quietly ticking hands, proving once more that the best use of motion in online advertising may be the least use of it. (See Apple's ads for the MacBook)

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

See More Posts From:

Today | This Week | This Month

• Send us feedback
|
• FAQ
|
• Technical questions or bug reports?
|
• Newsletter problems?
|
• Site Map
|
• ClickZ RSS feeds

• Incisive Interactive Marketing LLC. 2009 All rights reserved.
|
• Legal Notices, Licensing, Reprints & Permissions
|
• Privacy Policy