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August 2009

August 31, 2009

Marriage Proposal As "Social Media Enagement Success Story"

My husband and I eloped and didn't tell anyone before we did it, so I guess I'm naturally skeptical of people who want to make spectacles of their marriage proposals and weddings. Today the cynic in me surfaced again when I caught wind of the "Dalila, will you marry me?" campaign launched by a guy named Fred, evidently a staffer at digital agency Deep Focus.

Fred included video and social media-enabled banner ads on women-aimed site SheKnows, where he posted a list of 10 reasons his girlfriend Dalila should say, "Yes." It didn't take long for a large banner unit featuring a dynamic Twitter feed to flood with posts related to his campaign.

It also didn't take long for her to agree to get hitched. It must have been reason number 9, Dalila's hair: "Her hair is what I first noticed when I met her, and to this day is still a major part of my most fond memories of her."

Um....OK....

I can't help but wonder if the campaign served a dual purpose as a way for Deep Focus to promote its social ad prowess, but then again, there's the cynic rearing her head. The agency's CEO, Ian Schafer's Twitter post congratulating Fred: "Delila said YES! Congrats, Fred!!! http://bit.ly/u82e2 #SayYesD A social media engagement success story :)"

Posted by Kate Kaye at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oreo Takes Big Budget Baby Step in Social Media

Oreo has tapped star power to promote its new Golden Double Stuf cookie.

In a homepage video ad that appears today on YouTube, Donald Trump challenges Eli and Peyton Manning to participate in a "lick race" competition to buy the so-called DSRL or the Double Stuf Racing League.

The YouTube video includes a promotion pointing Oreo fans to follow the brand on Facebook and Twitter and visit a YouTube channel or microsite for the Double Stuf Racing League. The campaign also includes a sweepstakes to meet the Mannings in Florida.

Will using celebrities like Trump and the Manning brothers help a social media campaign? Perhaps. To me, though, it feels like Oreo -- which has a huge following on Facebook -- is trying a little too hard to stuff its brand into social media channels.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

August 27, 2009

AOL Ends E-Mail Report Card Program

The Email Experience Council reports that AOL is ending its e-mail report card program -- a tool used by e-mail marketing managers.

"This kind of service just isn't around anymore, and I fear we took it for granted," writes Kevin Senne, director, deliverability and social networking, Premiere Global Services, on the EEC blog.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fire at Google London HQ

Wow. According to Daily Telegraph by way of TechCrunch, Google's London offices are burning. In a Twitter post about 20 minutes ago, Telegraph's Jon Swaine wrote, "Buck Pal Road has been closed while firemen er, watch the fire at Google London HQ."

Posted by Kate Kaye at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 26, 2009

Translation Please, InterClick

In a news release announcing the appointment of two executives, InterClick described itself as "the leader in data and inventory transparency."

Huh?

Translation, please.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 7:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

WPP Says Digital Now Accounts for 25 Percent of Income

Ad giant WPP, which owns agencies such as Mindshare, MediaCom, and Wunderman, has announced that, despite falling revenues, its digital business appears to be holding up. The company said revenue from digital and direct marketing activities now accounts for 25 percent of its overall income -- or £1.04 billion ($1.7 billion) -- up from 20 percent for the financial year ending March '09.

Today's statement from the company conceded that "the impact of the recession on the group's profitability in the first half was severe," but that cost actions have been taken in the second quarter that should "improve the picture in the second half."

Looking forward to 2010, the company said top line revenues will remain "even Steven," and asserted that "although there is little doubt that CEOs and CMOs feel better about the general economic environment, Armageddon or Apocalypse now having been averted, there is little evidence of better heads and stouter hearts translating into stronger order-books or investments - at least, yet."

Posted by Jack Marshall at 1:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 25, 2009

Microsoft Says Ditch TV and Go In-Game

Microsoft's proposition to advertisers looking to reach 18-34 year old guys? Ditch TV and go in-game.

Microsoft-owned Massive has unveiled several new and to-be-released titles from EA, Activision, and THQ that include ad opportunities. From EA, in-game inventory is available in "Madden NFL 1," "NHL 10," "NBA LIVE 10," "Need for Speed Shift," and "Fight Night Round 4."
From Activision: "Guitar Hero 5," "DJ Hero," "Band Hero," "Tony Hawk: RIDE," and "Blur." Advertisers can also sponsor downloadable content in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

As for THQ, there's "UFC 2009 UndisputedT" and "MX vs. ATVT ReflexT." According to a Microsoft Advertising blog post, "Advertisers continue to take note of the opportunities the first UFC® title in more than five years gives them to reach the sport's rabid fan base."

There's more from Ubisoft, 2K Sports, and Blizzard Entertainment. Also, the in-game ad net notes, "we'll be unveiling several other blockbuster titles and advertising opportunities in November when Massive hosts its Second Annual In-Game Ad Upfront event in New York City."

Posted by Kate Kaye at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 20, 2009

New Ad System from Baidu Offers More Disclosure

Stories recommended by ClickZ's editors:

Baidu Touts New Advertising Program New system, rolled out in April, differentiates paid listings from organic results. Launch followed criticism that the Chinese search company provided inadequate disclosure of ad relationships. (Wall Street Journal)

Time Warner Signs Seven-Year Pact with Nielsen Deal includes TV, Internet and mobile measurement. Separately, Time Warner is involved with an NBC-backed startup designed to compete with Nielsen.

Patch Launches Two New Local Sites AOL-owned firm rolls out community sites in Summit, NJ and Darien, CT.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 1:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hurley Planning Video Support for His F1 Team

In his latest incarnation as a benefactor to the new Forumula One U.S. car racing team, YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley plans to do more than just invest cash. In an interview with AutoSport.com, Hurley describes his interest in helping the sport and the U.S. F1 team use social tools and video to connect with racing fans.

"I see tremendous potential for all sports to integrate more media, more social connections, connect with the fans and build a fan base," he said. "And that's exactly what I hope to bring to US F1, bringing my experience and perhaps my opinions of how we could go about that."

On the subject of video, he had this to say:

Obviously video is something I am deeply involved with today, and that is going to be a big part of what we do at US F1. Hopefully we can create compelling content that individuals around the world have an opportunity to view and share, and really feel like they are part of the team.

And what of sponsorships? A ClickZ colleague just wondered if Hurley's involvement might draw the interest of Internet and tech brands. That's doubtful, though I do like the idea of a Bing sponsorship though. What would Chad tell Eric Schmidt?

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

August 19, 2009

AOL Slaps Advertise.com With Trademark Suit

A few stories ClickZ's editors are reading:

AOL Sues Advertise.com for Trademark Infringement Domain is called "confusingly similar" to Advertising.com. (Domain Name Wire)

CBS, Pepsi Create Video Ad to Run in Print The ad world gets video-in-magazines. What's next, print-on-mobile? (AdAge)

A Second Chance for Second Life Big companies like Northrop, IBM Use Virtual World are reported to use the site for training and client meetings. (Wall Street Journal)

Washington Post Shuts Down Hyperlocal Site LoudounExtra.com will redirect to a page on WashingtonPost.com.

Craigslist Ad Leads to Harrassment Charge (StLToday.com)

iPhone apps are spyware: Panic! (ComputerWorld)

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 18, 2009

Goodmail Takes Out Full Page Print Ad in WSJ

Like many people, when I see a full page ad in a big national paper, I tend to take notice. I usually expect it to be an ad from a large computer, software, or consulting firm, or a group of big names advocating a position on a timely political issue. Today, however, I was surprised to see that page B3 of The Wall Street Journal featured an ad for a firm we've covered in ClickZ News for years: Goodmail.

The company touts its e-mail certification services, noting, "Goodmail's blue ribbon is a clear signal that it's safe for your customers to hit the open button."

Before that explanation, giant black text against a plain newsprint background screams, "First it was the government, then religion, then (sweet lord) baseball. And now we can't help but wonder: What's left to trust?"

Well, "Goodmail for starters," answers the ad.

I can't help but think "politicians" may have been a better choice than "government," and I'm not too sure what is meant by "religion" being untrustworthy; it's a tad generic. As for baseball...ugh.

Well, even if Goodmail can't verify the trustworthiness of ball players when it comes to performance enhancing drugs, the company could help verify Major League Baseball's own e-mails. Now, at least according to messages sent by MLB to a friend's Yahoo account (Yahoo supports the certification), MLB does not appear to be using Goodmail.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bing Rises Again, Says ComScore

A few stories ClickZ editors are reading:

Bing Rises Again For the second month, Microsoft's search engine gained share -- this time at Google's as well as Yahoo's expense. According to ComScore, Bing commanded 8.9 percent of July search queries in the U.S., up from 8.4 percent the previous month and 8 percent in May. Both Google and Yahoo saw their market share fall by .3 percent. (New York Times)

Interview with Three Mommy Bloggers (360i blog)

MSNBC.com Acquires EveryBlock, Fueling Hyperlocal News Ambitions (EveryBlock blog)

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 8:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Classified Display Ads: You Can't Give 'em Away...

British newspaper The Sun is giving away ads on its online jobs board in what it describes as an attempt to combat rising unemployment levels in the U.K. As part of its Get Britain Back to Work campaign, The News Corp.-owned tabloid is allowing employers to place recruitment ads completely free of charge through its Magdex-powered employment portal. According to paid content, ads are also available for readers themselves to pitch their wares to prospective employers.

Given current conditions in the classified display market this could be a smart move - potentially securing The Sun a decent chunk of the market in time for if and when the sector eventually does pick up again. Ultimately though, it looks like one in a long line of efforts from the tabloid daily to 'boost national morale' for PR purposes, but it should help generate traffic nonetheless.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 6:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 17, 2009

TV and Cable Networks Prep Cross-Platform Competitor to Nielsen

Details are still emerging about a TV industry plan to launch a cross-platform measurement competitor to Nielsen. The service will be launched jointly by a consortium of broadcast and cable network owners that includes NBC Universal, News Corp, Viacom, CBS, Time Warner, Discovery and Walt Disney.

The offering will track programs and ads as they're viewed across TV, Web sites and mobile devices. Nielsen has a converged TV and Internet panel, but it has fewer than 3,000 members and is considered in its very early phase. The networks may want to move faster than that.

Financial Times first reported on the consortium's existence last week. Under the plan, it said, the networks will award contracts to companies that measure set-top box data and other digital sources. It was not clear what the structure of the new offering would be -- whether a joint venture between six-plus companies, a startup with their tacit support, or something else. According to New York Times sources, NBC is the main force behind the initiative.

Major advertisers like Procter & Gamble and AT&T, and agencies such as WPP-owned GroupM and Starcom MediaVest are also attached to the project.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

AOL's Bid for a Content Empire

A few stories ClickZ's editors are reading:

AOL Blossoms as Print Retreats In New York, AOL has 300 content producers working on 80 Web sites. (New York Times)

It's Broadway Gone Viral, With a Musical Meted Out via Twitter (New York Times)

AT&T Shuts Down Broadband TV Service (GigaOM)

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After Moving Ads to the Left, Google Clicks Climb 10 Percent

As we mentioned last week, Google recently moved its search ads column to the left in a bid to increase their visibility and click rate. With the change, the paid links appear much closer to the organic results -- especially on larger screens.

What's been the impact so far? The jury's still out on that, but one search analytics company has published early analysis suggesting clicks may have risen by 10.3 percent. Santa Monica-based SEM firm The Search Agents compared clickthrough rate from last Tuesday through Thursday to the total rate from the past 10 weeks on those three days.

In a post presenting its data, the company says the finding is not proof of users' future click behavior. But if it does bear out, the potential impact on inventory and reach is very significant.

We're still interested in hearing how this change might have affected your campaigns. Care to share?

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

August 14, 2009

McAndrews on Madrona Ventures: Online Ad Investments Must Come With Tech

Madrona Ventures may invest in more Internet ad start-ups now that former aQuantive CEO Brian McAndrews is on board, but it's unlikely to take much interest in agency pure plays.

In a brief talk with ClickZ this morning, McAndrews said the VC firm would consider investing in startups with a services component, but he said there would have to be technology attached in some way. For instance, he said Madrona might look at an analytics firm with in-house data analysts.

He said, "Madrona has had some success," with services firms. "They did invest in Avenue A. But there certainly would have to be a technology component for Madrona to be interested."

Separately, McAndrews explained why, of all the agency acquisitions he oversaw while he was at the helm of aQuantive, none of those acquisitions involved a traditional agency. The reason, he said, was simple flexibility. "When pitching a client, is it better to find the right partner, or to be willing to work with one, than to say, here's our guy and if you don't like him, don't pick us?" I think it's safe to assume that's a rhetorical question.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 4:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 13, 2009

Social Media Policy: 'Just Be Smart'

IBM has its Social Computing Guidelines. Dave Evans, ClickZ's social media columnist, points to IBM as a good example for other companies to consider.

A quick search for "social media policies" turns up these guidelines from Intel. Best part, they are written in plain English.

Considers this example:

"Did you screw up? If you make a mistake, admit it. Be upfront and be quick with your correction. If you're posting to a blog, you may choose to modify an earlier post -- just make it clear that you have done so."

Then there's Zappos. More than 400 of its 700-employees participate on Twitter.

Brian Kalma, head of user experience and Web strategy, Zappos, said the online retailer doesn't have a policy for its employees, other than "just be smart." (He made his remarks while speaking on the panel I moderated, "Managing Conversations and Reputations When the User Is In Control," at Search Engine Strategies San Jose.)

It's worth noting, Twitter offers training to its employees, giving its team the opportunity to get even smarter about this stuff.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 8:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Charlene Li: Preparing for the Future of Search

At this morning's keynote at Search Engine Strategies San Jose, "Groundwell" co-author Charlene Li shared these five insights on the future of search and social networks:

1. Social networks will be like air.
2. Your social network will go with you.
3. People must be at the center of your search strategy. Not keywords.
4. Deepen relationships with social technologies.
5. Be ready to give up control. You have no choice.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 12, 2009

How Microsoft Faked the Waterslide Viral

A few stories ClickZ's editors are reading:

How Microsoft Faked the Waterslide Viral Many have cried foul on the above video, which shows a man in a neoprene suit riding down a hillside water slide, soaring through the air, and landing safely in a kiddie pool 100-plus feet away. Turns out it WAS faked, as part of a viral campaign created by Microsoft Germany. (NewTeeVee)

Notice Those Ads on Blogs? Regulators Do, Too A roundup about the new focus being paid to blog payola and related practices. (New York Times)

Media buyers: Twitter Is for Twits Ad buyers give the platform a thumbs-down in recent survey. Perhaps no surprise, since Twitter doesn't sell ads. (Media Life)

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Google's Ad Column Moves West From Siberia

As noted by TechCrunch, Google has shifted the ad column on all search results pages to the left. The move is a bid to improve the visibility of sponsored links, and will no doubt drive higher click volume. How much higher is anyone's guess. Maybe you could help us with that?

Here's Google's statement on the change:

"We're constantly experimenting with new visual representations to improve the user experience and usefulness of our ads. In accordance with that philosophy, we've shifted the ads to the left on the page as a way to help users find what they are looking for on the Internet."

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

Zappos, Cisco to Chat Up Social Media at SES San Jose

Cisco Systems sells network equipment (e.g., routers and switches) and Zappos sells shoes. Each will be telling its social media story during panels hosted by ClickZ and Online Marketing Summit at Search Engine Strategies San Jose today.

We're also expecting a lively session about white hat/black hat in social media.

Not able to attend? Follow the conversation on Twitter by tracking #sessj.

Here's the complete lineup of the ClickZ/OMS panels:

Igniting viral campaigns: Brian Ellefritz, senior manger, social media marketing at Cisco Systems; Matthew Liu, product manager at YouTube sponsored videos; 10e20's Greg Finn; WebMama's Barbara Coll; and Apogee Search's Bill Leake. That panel will be moderated by Aaron Kahlow, chairman of the Online Marketing Summit.

Managing conversations and reputations: Brian Kalma, head of user experience and Web strategy, Zappos; Digital Voodoo's Dave Evans; Serengeti Communications' Liana Evans; and HubSpot's Mike Volpe. It will be moderated by yours truly.

White hat vs. black hat in social media: Harte Communications' Beth Harte; TopRank Online Marketing's Lee Odden; Search & Social's Dave Synder; and 97th Floor's Chris Bennett. Dave Evans will moderate.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 2:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Real-Time Marketing: The Now Generation

In an era of instant communications, real-time information is capturing the attention of online marketers.

So where is it headed? Speakers at Tuesday's panel at the Social Media & Video Strategies forum hosted by ClickZ in San Jose, CA, discussed upcoming trends.

Meebo Chief Operating Officer Martin Green said he envisions applications that will enable localized tweets. "If I want to find people in San Jose or Northfield, Minnesota, I could connect with them," he said. What's more, he anticipates advertisers will be able target consumers based on interests and people they associate with, in addition to age or gender.

Technorati CEO Richard Jalichandra said Twitter is the number-one marketing vehicle for self-described professional bloggers. "They use it rabidly. Twitter is allowing them to build a mini-media business," he said.

On another front, Steve Grove, head of news and politics, YouTube, said social channels are being tapped for "digital activisim." Examples he cited included online videos showing protests in Iran after the June election and heated town hall debates about health care reform in the United States. These reports provide relevant information to people -- immediately.

As for a tip when marketing in social channels, Stwittergy.com founder Ricardo Guerrero compared it to attending a cocktail party. "You are not going to walk into a cocktail party and say, 'I sell widgets. Who needs widgets?' It's a place to start building a relationship," he said.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 1:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 11, 2009

In Social Media, Motives Are Not Always the Same

People who write comments, share photos, upload videos, and contribute to blogs have different motives for participating online, sometimes surprising their audiences.

And don't assume those motives are all the same, warned Clay Shirky, author of "Here Comes Everybody" and keynote speaker at Search Engine Strategies San Jose, on Tuesday. He analyzed the technology and behavioral trends that are changing the way that people connect with each other -- and attempted to dispel assumptions about what motivates people to participate.

Take, for instance, the blogger who posted exclusive reports and photos about a coup in Thailand. "She's not a journalist, but she commits an act of journalism," Shirky said, adding that those reports earned her a following.

But when the same blogger wrote about her wish for a pink Hello Kitty mobile phone, some followers complained that she was going off topic.

How did the blogger respond to her critics? "She did something that most traditional journalists would not do. "She told those readers to buzz off," Shirky said, making the case that people who participate in social channels are not always motivated by the same reasons. "She's doing this because she's operating from intrinsic motivations."

Bottom line: "Amateurs are not sloppy professionals. They do things in different ways," he said.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 6:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mall Rat Marketing: JC Penney Touch Screen Experience Has Lots of Video

Razorfish is behind a JC Penney touch screen experience aimed at back-to-school shoppers. The above demo shows how a mall visitor can interact with male or female models, as well as browse by styles or specific brands. The screen interface makes heavy use of interactive video, for instance by allowing kids to make the models turn to show various views. Razorfish's Chicago, Austin and Atlanta offices worked together on the project.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 10, 2009

Facebook to Acquire Friendfeed

Facebook has agreed to buy online sharing service FriendFeed. In separate announcements, the companies said FriendFeed's 12 employees will join Facebook's staff and the companies will work to bring FriendFeed's capabilities into the Facebook use experience.

While the marketing implications of the transaction are limited for the moment, the move is potentially interesting for advertisers in that it means Facebook is establishing a toehold outside its namesake service. FriendFeed allows users to track activity and share information with friends on a range of platforms, including blogs, Twitter, flickr and other such services.

FriendFeed's four founders will all take senior roles at Facebook.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Four Out of Five Major Advertisers Are Using Facebook

A few stories ClickZ's editors are reading:

Facebook Joins Forces with Advertisers 80 Perecent of top 100 advertisers are marketing through Facebook. (Financial Times)

Barry Diller's Air of Tech Savvy Hasn't Paid Off Shareholders haven't seen big returns on Barry Diller's extended foray into Web media. (LA Times)

Internet.com Sold to Lead Gen Firm QuinStreet, Inc. agrees to buy B2B publishing brand for $18 million. Included in deal is InternetNews.com. Both are owned by Alan Meckler's WebMediaBrands.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 9, 2009

Microsoft to Sell Razorfish to Publicis for $530M

The Publicis Group said today it struck a deal to acquire digital marketing agency Razorfish from Microsoft for $530 million.

"When we complete this transaction, approximately a quarter of our annual revenues will come from digital communications, and we believe we have more capacity to grow with new clients," Publicis CEO Maurice Lévy said in a statement. (See announcement here.)

Razorfish will continue to operate under its brand name and will be part of VivaKi, a Publicis entity that includes Digitas, Starcom MediaVest Group, Denuo, and ZenithOptimedia. Razorfish clients include Best Buy, Ford, McDonald's, Microsoft, and Starwood Hotels.

Razorfish's management team, including Chief Executive Officer Bob Lord, will remain in place, according to a joint statement issued by Microsoft and Publicis.

In June, Publicis and Microsoft announced they were working together to build upon ways to deliver online offerings to brand marketers. Once the Razorfish deal closes, the Microsoft and Publicis said they plan to expand upon the earlier arrangement.

Going forward, Publicis will be able to purchase display and search advertising from Microsoft over five years on "favorable terms in exchange for certain minimum guaranteed aggregate purchase levels." What's more, Razorfish will continue to be a preferred provider to Microsoft for digital strategy, creative, and experiental marketing services.

Microsoft acquired Razorfish in 2007 as part of its acquisition of aQuantive. But Microsoft's ownership was seen by some as a poor fit and potential conflict because it represented both the ad selling and buying side.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

August 8, 2009

Digital Marketing Tool: Cost-Per-Acquisition Calculator

Need to figure out the cost per acquisition (CPA) for an online marketing campaign? Use this new ClickZ/Dapper calculator to plug in several metrics to figure out how much money it took to get a product or service sold, a lead generated or another action.

Thanks to Paul Knegten, head of marketing at Dapper, for developing the interactive calculator. Check it out here on ClickZ.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 10:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

August 7, 2009

Will FTC Base Decisions on the Dignity Factor?

During a talk with the New York Times this week, David Vladeck, new head of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission, mentioned that violation of a consumer's "dignity" could be a factor in privacy related cases. "Now, Mr. Vladeck indicated, the commission would begin considering not just whether companies caused monetary harm, but whether they violated consumers' dignity. 'There's a huge dignity interest wrapped up in having somebody looking at your financial records when they have no business doing that,' he said."

We'd never really heard it put that way before, and thought it made sense to follow up with Vladeck and the FTC about this concept of dignity as a factor in the commission's decisions. I was able to speak with Jessica Rich, acting associate director of the division of privacy and identity protection this afternoon about it.

"Some of the laws that are out there...don't recognize privacy in and of itself, meaning that consumers may not want their information out there -- regardless of whether some specific economic injury can be shown," she explained.

Dignity, she added, involves "the basic concept of privacy without an overlay of specific harms that can be proven." In other words, even when there's no direct monetary effect involved in a dispute, consumers are still entitled to privacy protection from the agency.

Expect some sort of FTC workshop or townhall type event this fall to deal with these ideas as they relate to personal online data such as health records or online behavioral data employed for advertising.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

GLAAD Calls for Interactive Ad Award Entries

Has your organization created an online ad that exhibits fairness, accuracy, and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community? If so,The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation wants to know.

The group is looking for entries for its First GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising, to be held Tuesday, October 27, 2009. Ads must have run between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009.

In May, GLAAD launched its Advertising Media Program, intended to monitor online ads to ensure advertising across all platforms portrays lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people in a positive light.

A volunteer jury will also judge based on "boldness and originality...the impact of the ad; and the overall quality of the ad," according to GLAAD. In addition to an interactive category, the awards include TV and outdoor campaigns aimed at both the mainstream and LGBT markets.

Visit www.glaad.org/advertisingsubmission for more info. Entries must be in by August 14.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is Twitter Testing Ads?

UPDATED: It seems Twitter is not testing a new ad format. Details below.

Twitter appears to be experimenting with a range of new features today, including what appears to be third-party sponsored text links on user profile pages.

A box located directly beneath a user's follower numbers is promoting products and services on some accounts, and offers the options to "tweet now" or to "learn more," the latter linking to a third-party site. One ad apparently links to a site related to a movie called "Taking Woodstock."

The changes aren't currently visible from my account (@jackmarshall), but a user I follow, @anjali28, was kind enough to send me the following screen grabs of the changes she noticed this afternoon. Apparently another ad reads, "Thirst In Select Theatres 7/31. A priest becomes a vampire. Tweet if you want to see the movie! Tweet now or learn more."

However, none of the ads mentioned are for brands or products I immediately recognize. We are currently waiting for Twitter itself to verify the nature of the ads, and indeed if the images are even real.

UPDATE: It seems Twitter is not testing new ad formats after all. Rather, it appears the user that pointed this out to me may have forgotten she had installed the ad-supported browser application, Power Twitter.

Before posting, I questioned the nature of the ads with the user herself, who said in an e-mail, "just to clarify, I haven't installed Power Twitter." I've been unable to reach her since to double-check this, and we're still waiting for a response on the matter from Twitter itself.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Razorfish Bid War Nearing End, with Publicis in the Lead

The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times are reporting agency conglomerate Publicis is close to winning the multi-party bidding war for Razorfish. Citing Microsoft and agency sources, both papers report the winning bid for the global interactive agency is likely to come in at about $600 million. The Financial Times hears that Japan-based Dentsu offered more than Publicis, but according to WSJ, the French holding company appears to be winning out by pledging hundreds of millions in future media spending on Microsoft's properties. Dentsu can't compete on that front, since its media spend in Western countries is miniscule by comparison.

Two other holding companies, WPP and Omnicom, were reported to have shown interest in Razorfish when Microsoft first began shopping it around, but their pockets, evidently, weren't deep enough to stay in the game. That said, all reports to date indicate deal talks are still fluid and Publicis is at minimum days away from signing a deal to buy the agency.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Digg Rolls Out User Voting on Ads

Digg is rolling out an ad rating system designed to encourage higher quality and more relevant ad creative.

Under the new ad regime, announced earlier this summer, community members are encouraged to digg or bury an ad to determine its ranking on the site and even its price. "Our goal with Digg Ads is to encourage advertisers to create content as compelling as organic Digg stories, and to give you more control over which ads you see on Digg," says a post on the ">Digg blog.

The ads will begin to appear this week as part of beta testing.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 6, 2009

Murdoch Will Smack His Ponderous Forehead Against a News Pay Wall

The Wall Street Journal Online is one of the great success stories in paid news content, and yet what's worked for it won't necessarily apply on News Corp.'s other properties. At least that's the view of Alan Meckler, CEO of MediaBistro parent WebMediaBrands, and I'm inclined to agree.

In a tweet earlier today, Meckler criticized the News Corp.'s planned move to charge for content on Web properties operated by News Corp.'s television and print news holdings. "Perhaps 95% of their paid subs are paid by companies for individuals. The model will not work for others," he wrote.

Rupert Murdoch begs to differ. In comments to investors yesterday, he was unequivocal about the planned shift.

"We intend to charge for all our news Web sites," the FT quoted him as saying. "If we're successful, we'll be followed by all media," he added, predicting "significant revenues" from charging for differentiated news online.

Can't argue with that. On an unrelated subject, I have this wacky neighbor who's building a giant drilling machine, you know? He wants to bore through to the hollow center of the earth. If he's successful, the rest of us on the block are going in after him, and I predict "significant revenues" from the resulting haul of precious stones and minerals. You want to get in on it?

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 5:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

ClickZ Event: Getting Social in San Jose, CA

Looking for ideas on effective marketing approaches in social media?

Check out the Social Media & Video Strategies forum on Tuesday, Aug. 11, in San Jose, CA.

The lineup at the full-day event includes author Clay Shirky; Technorati CEO Richard Jalichandra; H&R Block Social Media Marketing Manager Stacy Gratz; Steve Grove, head of news and politics at YouTube; and Ricardo Guerrero, founder of Stwittergy.

ClickZ teamed up with YouTube and Google to hold the forum; it's being run in conjunction with the Search Engine Strategies San Jose Conference & Expo. Go here to learn more.

Social media will be the focus of the ClickZ/Online Marketing Summit track on Day 2 of Search Engine Strategies.

There, Brian Kalma, head of user experience and Web strategy at Zappos; Brian Ellefritz, senior manager, social media marketing at Cisco Systems; and other digital marketing experts, will share their experiences about working on the front lines of social media marketing.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 5, 2009

Google Decides Ad Tool Updates Affect Public Policy

Google's Public Policy blog is typically reserved for statements on issues related to privacy or net neutrality, or the company's lobbying efforts -- stuff like that. So, imagine my surprise when I checked my feeds today to discover Google's top public policy communications guy had posted about Google's new bid simulator tool.

"As part of our continuing effort to give advertisers more transparency about Google's advertising system and how our ad auction works, we're launching a cool new feature in our AdWords system called the bid simulator," wrote Adam Kovacevich, Senior Manager, Policy Communications.

Wha?

Well, in light of heightened antitrust related inspection of Google by the government, consider it a subtle way for the company to reach out to people in government, industry and advocacy who might have heard rumors that its ad system is not open enough.

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

YouTube Brings Ads to 'Related Videos' Column

YouTube has begun inserting sponsored videos into the "related videos" column on the lower-right side of video view pages. The move is part of an ongoing quest to deliver ads on more video pages, and it seems to be working. A series of videos tested today turned up "Promoted Videos" in the Related column. These consisted of everything from single episodes by small video creators to major film releases. Not surprisingly, I found more paid videos for entertainment advertisers, including trailers for G-Force (below) and The Hangover, than for any other vertical. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure I spotted any paid videos promoting non-entertainment products.

The new ad placements are part of a program begun in December, when YouTube began inserting Promoted Videos within its search results pages. In a blog post today YouTube said that while the first rollout of these ads was akin to AdWords -- matching Promoted Videos to search queries -- today's announcement is like AdSense -- pairing video content with other video content through contextual targeting

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 4:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The JK Wedding Dance: A Manufactured Success?

Did a video of the Jill Peterson-Kevin Heinz wedding party's dance down the aisle get an assist from outside forces and help to make it a viral YouTube hit?

Digital marketer Augustine Fou does not question the authenticity of the "JK Wedding Entrance Dance" video, which scored 16.8 million page views on YouTube since July 19, 2009, and gave the wedding party its 15 minutes of fame including an apparence on the "Today" show.

Fou, however, questions whether a third-party, such as Sony or one of its PR agencies, helped to give the video an extra digital push. What would be the motive? The dance is performed to the song, "Forever," by Chris Brown, who is on Sony's Zomba Label Group.

YouTube, in a blog post, points out the rights holders for "Forever," used the video site's content management tools to "claim and monetize" the song. In addition, the rights holders -- not mentioned by name -- ran Click-to-Buy links over the video so viewers could buy the music track on Amazon and iTunes.

On his blog, Fou presents digital forensic evidence such as the "social intensity" of the video on sites such as Technorati, Delicious, Reddit, and Digg. "There was not enough organic sharing to support a view count of 13 million in 11 days," he wrote, while laying out other reasons behind his theory.

"This is one of the rare, if not the only, examples of a viral video that actually drove a measurable increase in sales. Unless someone from Sony or one of their PR agencies steps up to 'claim credit' for doing such an awesome job of not only driving sales but also polishing Chris Brown's image at the same time, we may never truly know if they did this. But if they did, this would go down as a text-book case of viral video marketing done right," Fou wrote in an e-mail to me.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

FTC: BT Regulations Come Down to 'Dignity'

A few stories ClickZ's editors are reading:

FTC: BT Regulations Come Down to 'Dignity' - There's little new information in this story on the privacy views of David Vladeck, head of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. But it's interesting to see him describe the proper limits of behavioral targeting as a matter of human dignity, as opposed to the traditional standard of "causing harm." (New York Times)

Google to Acquire On2 Technologies Video compression tech will likely be used to enhance YouTube experience.

Online Ad Firm Traffiq Wins $10 Million Investment

ESPN Drops Hammer on Twitter Use - Analysts and reporters are told all information they publish must serve ESPN. (New York Times)

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ClickZ Welcomes Stephanie Miller

Stephanie Miller, an e-mail and social media marketing expert, joins ClickZ's roster of Expert columnists. She'll be writing the B2B E-Mail Marketing column, sharing her insights on the latest trends.

Miller's roots in interactive marketing run deep. Now VP of market development for Return Path, she was the first publisher/advertising director of Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition in the 1990s.

Want to follow her on Twitter? Go here.

Welcome Stephanie!

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 7:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 3, 2009

Tweet of the Day: 'The Shack'

In response to news that Radio Shack is re-branding itself as "The Shack," @glenngabe tweeted:

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Google Billboard Campaign Touts Google Apps (links)

What ClickZ's editors are reading:

Google Billboard Campaign Touts Google Apps -- Billboards in four cities will display a different message every day for a month.

Out of Search Business, Yahoo Shifts Its Focus -- Among new tidbits here: Ballmer called Bartz on her first day, and why Bartz regrets her "boatloads of cash" remark.

Now on YouTube, Local News -- YouTube has invited 25,000-plus news sources listed on Google News to supply video news. (New York Times)

Webtrends Acquires Multivariate Testing Firm Widemile

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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