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April 5, 2009 - April 11, 2009

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)

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