Back to Main

October 4, 2009 - October 10, 2009

October 9, 2009

YouTube to Partner with U.K.'s Channel 4 for long-form Video?

YouTube is close to agreeing to a landmark deal with U.K. broadcaster Channel 4, according to a report from the Telegraph. The partnership would see Channel 4 itself selling ad inventory around its long-form content, splitting a portion of that revenue with the Google-owned video site, the Telegraph says.

A Google spokesperson told me today the firm "does not comment on speculation," but Google and Channel 4 have been ramping up their partnership over the past year or so, so this seems a logical progression. Channel 4 and YouTube began trialing pre-roll ads together in May, and video syndication and rights management company Myvideorights signed its own similar revenue sharing agreement with YouTube in June.

According to the Telegraph, however, the new deal would see the majority of Channel 4's content available through the site, potentially opening up a range of high-value inventory for the broadcaster, and effectively snatching a large portion of the U.K.'s commercial video content from under the nose of rival Hulu which is yet to launch its product there.

According the Telegraph, the contract, which has been in negotiation for around six months, is due to be signed "imminently."

Posted by Jack Marshall at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yahoo Now Filters Ads in Search Results Too

Last month, Yahoo debuted its new search results pages, which among other things allow a user to filter organic search results by site. Today, Yahoo added the ability for a publisher's ads to be filtered as well.

It's being touted as a benefit to users, but not all advertisers will be happy about the move.

Beginning today, if a user elects to filter results by a site, and that site is also an advertiser on a relevant keyword, the user will see both organic search results from that site, and ads from that site -- without competitors' ads, Jeff Hecox, client communications manager, writes in a blog post to the Yahoo Search Marketing blog.

For example, if a user is searching for "U2 concert" on Yahoo, the results include several sponsored search ads along the right-hand side of the page. But if the user opts to filter the search results to only those from StubHub.com, for example, most of the ads will disappear, with the only ads remaining those that were bought by StubHub.

According to Hecox, the domains Yahoo uses to filter results are chosen "based on a number of factors, such as their listings' quality, popularity and user response."

"All advertisers will still get the same chances at clicks before any filtering takes place. But those advertisers whose sites show up as a filtering option will get further opportunities for clicks when their ad shows up in the narrowed results -- without any competing ads. And the ads may be more relevant to consumers, as our systems take the user's choice into account," writes Hecox.

That kind of exclusivity could rile some advertisers, who are not privileged to be among the sites included in Yahoo's filtered content lists.

"I think it limits competition and gives a huge preference to big-name brands like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Buy.com, and the like." Melissa Mackey, online marketing manager at Fluency Media, told ClickZ. As an agency representing smaller clients, Mackey said she has often been able to "level the playing field" and compete with bigger advertisers through savvy use of PPC ads. "This effectively cuts off the lesser-known advertisers who may have a great product and offer, but lack the household name," she said.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Craigslist Fights Spammers in Cali (recommended reads)

A few stories ClickZ's editors are reading:

Craigslist Expands Legal Battle Against Spammers Files four federal suits in the golden state.

Kaspersky Lab Detects Use of YouTube for Video Spam Security firm discovers mass spam mailings with links to video ads hosted on YouTube.

Nielsen Calls Client Pow-Wow To Pitch Online Measurement Plans Will present agenda for measuring online video viewership alongside broadcast audiences. (Broadcasting & Cable)

Dennis Launches Online Ad Network

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

YouTube Now a True Leviathan of Video, Cracks a Billion Views a Day

We don't usually cover traffic milestones here at ClickZ, but this one deserves a mention.

Three years to the day after Google bought YouTube, the video giant is routinely serving more than a billion video views per day. In fact, it's so happy at about the accomplishment that it's updated its logo. There's more over at the official YouTube blog.

Meanwhile, new insight has emerged into what motivated Google in that fateful acquisition. In a deposition related to the copyright suit filed by Viacom, reviewed by CNET, Eric Schmidt reportedly told the court he estimated YouTube's real value at only about $600 to $700 million. The actual price paid, $1.65 billion, suggests just how keenly the company wanted to keep the property out of the hands of its rivals.

Of course, the real question on everyone's mind now is when YouTube will cross that fateful two billion video mark. Why? Well, YouTube is already the undisputed king of empty-calorie content snacking. All the better when it's logo can reflect that with the updated tagline, "billions and billions served."

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 8, 2009

Burst Media Buys Giant Realm

A few stories ClickZ's editors are reading:

Burst Media Buys Giant Realm Acquisition is all about the young guys. Giant Realm represents ads for a stable of gaming, comics, and fanboy sites.

Twitter in Talks With Google and Microsoft May license feeds to search giants. (AllThingsD)

You Better Have Devs in Your Creative Department (Mele's Musings)

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

European Commission Voices Concerns over Behavioral Targeting... Again

The European Commission has once again expressed concerns over the use of behavioral targeting technologies in Europe, and reinforced its intentions to intervene if it feels the industry is incapable of regulating itself effectively.

Speaking at a lunch debate on the future of the Internet in Brussels on Tuesday, Viviane Reding, commissioner for information, society and media, said concerns about targeted advertising are being "repeatedly mentioned to the Commission these days," and that the Commission was "closely monitoring" the practice to ensure respect for users' privacy rights.

"European privacy rules are crystal clear: a person's information can only be used with their prior consent. Transparency and choice are key words in this debate... I will not shy away from taking action where an EU country falls short of this duty," she said, before highlighting the Commission's privacy-related action against the U.K. -- launched as a result of targeting technology trials conducted by Phorm and B.T.

The Commission has repeatedly expressed concerns over behavioral targeting and the collection of user data for advertising purposes. Meanwhile, the U.K. government's consumer protection body, the Office of Fair Trading, has also announced an investigation into the practice.

Nick Stringer, the IAB U.K.'s head of regulatory affairs, maintains that the IAB's work in regulating the space is being taken seriously by government departments, but the fact that its members collect and use data in varying ways, and in conjunction with different business models, suggests its ability to regulate the practice in a way deemed fit by the Commission could be hampered.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 7, 2009

Nielsen and IAB Display Ad Reports Off by $540 Million

A little addendum on some big numbers:

As a followup to my piece today on differences between online ad reports from TNS, Nielsen, and Interactive Advertising Bureau/PricewaterhouseCoopers, not only are the methodologies used by IAB far different from TNS and Nielsen, resulting in disparate ad spending growth rates, the actual dollar amounts estimated by Nielsen and IAB (TNS won't divulge theirs) are far off, too.

Nielsen's estimate for online display ad revenue in the first half of 2009 was $4.3 billion, according to my source there. The IAB, which measures several formats, estimated display spending ONLY in the same period at $3.76 billion. They include banners, rich media, video, and sponsorships in that number, yet the IAB's estimate is much more conservative: $540 million lower than Nielsen's display ad estimate in fact.

As I detail in my story today -- and in a previous piece about the Nielsen and TNS ad spending reports more specifically -- the IAB looks at ad revenue numbers provided by ad sellers and in tax filings, while the others estimate based on audience traffic, ad impressions and rate card prices.

I guess what I've been wondering lately, and why I've attempted to inspect online audience and ad measurement methodologies in recent years, is what are we supposed to make of these numbers if they're all so different? Publishers have been whining about third party audience measurement for years, but what about these spending reports?

They're among the few barometers we have for measuring the health of the online ad industry, and as far as I can tell, the state of the reports themselves could use a checkup.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Google Launches Smartphone Specific AdSense Units

In attempts to improve opportunities for advertisers and publishers on the mobile platform, Google is rolling out larger ad units for display on smartphones such as the iPhone and Android-enabled devices through its AdSense Mobile product.

Announcing the feature in a blog post, Google said the new units would "help to nurture the smartphone ecosystem by encouraging the creation of more mobile content and by helping advertisers to grow their businesses by reaching new audiences." It added that consumer experience would also be improved, since ads would load faster and fit better on smaller screens.

Mobile Internet access is growing rapidly in the U.S. and throughout Europe, largely thanks to the proliferation of handsets such as the iPhone, and the improved user experience afforded by the HTML-based browsers with which they ship. In the U.S., for example, mobile Web access grew 34 percent in the 12 months ending July '09, according to Nielsen Online.

With that in mind, it's unsurprising Google wants to enhance its mobile offering as it looks to replicate its dominant position in the desktop-oriented online ad world. The new units are live now in all territories in which AdSense is currently available, which is the vast majority of markets in which Google currently operates.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 6:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 6, 2009

Think Tank Hopes FDA Gets Clue on Pharma Web Advertising

Earlier this year the Food and Drug Administration sent letters to pharma companies, accusing them of violating regulations about presenting drug information to consumers in their search ads.

Today, free market think tank Competitive Enterprise Institute released a paper designed to influence the conversation about government regulation of pharma advertising online. In particular, the organization hopes to communicate its ideas and concerns as the FDA plans its 2-day public hearing on the subject.

Calling the upcoming event "a welcome development," the group warns, "if the FDA's evolving policy fails to take adequate account of the Internet's unique ability to present information in novel formats, it could have significant and adverse implications for consumers, Web service providers, and the medical products industry."

More from the report:

In other industries, the absence of an applicable statutory or regulatory policy generally means that businesses and individuals have the flexibility to innovate. But, when it comes to the FDA's regulation of drug and device promotion, the absence of clear guidance effectively works as a prohibition on the kinds of innovation that would deliver complete risk and benefit information in ways that take advantage of the Internet's unique capabilities. It is no surprise then that drug and device manufacturers are still uncertain how to proceed with many new media tools, such as banner ads, sponsored links, email messages to physicians and patients, social media like blogs, Facebook, micro-blogs such as Twitter, or any other form of Internet communication.

The group complains that the FDA fails to recognize the near-universal understanding among Web users that search ads are intended to drive users to a Web site, and are not an end unto themselves.

The agency appears unwilling to recognize that hyperlinks as an integral part of the Internet with which virtually every Internet user is familiar. Indeed, the very purpose of a key word search is to generate sponsored links to those sites where the searcher may find the relevant information he or she needs.

.....It is ironic that FDA's drug and device promotion policy allows for viewers of a television ad to be directed to a product's full risk disclosure on a website not directly connected with the TV commercial, but requires sponsored links to contain the risk disclosure on the face of an ad that directly links to the same website. Still, there is some reason to hope that FDA, upon further consideration, might be persuaded to adopt more rational policies for regulation of advertising on the Internet and other new media.

The CEI concludes that, "There is ample room, even under current law, for FDA to apply a more nuanced and flexible approach to the regulation of drug and device promotion on the Internet and other new media." The group hopes the FDA takes advantage of its upcoming hearings to bring its "1960s approach to prescription drug advertising and promotion into the 21st century."

Keep an eye on ClickZ News next month for coverage of the FDA hearing.

The hearing will be held on November 12 and 13 in Washington, DC.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 5:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is There a Smoking Gun in Viacom's Suit Against YouTube?

A few stories ClickZ's editors are reading:

Did Viacom Find Smoking Gun in YouTube Case? YouTube managers may have known of the existence of unauthorized content on the site without acting on it. (CNET)

Google Targeted in E-mail Scam Phishing scheme captures thousands of account names and passwords. (BBC)

'Hulu for Magazines' Idea Finds Traction with Publishers (AllThingsD)

Kit Digital Acquires The Feed Room for Dimes on the Dollar

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 5, 2009

Microsoft Trumpets In-Game Ad Performance (Recommended Reading)

A few stories ClickZ's editors are reading:

Microsoft Trumpets In-Game Ad Performance. Microsoft Advertising GM JJ Richards tackles what he says are misconceptions about the performance and effectiveness of Massive, the company's in-game ad network. (Microsoft Advertising blog)

Can Google Stay on Top of the Web? (BusinessWeek)

Ad Networks On Edge As Facebook Shuts Down Developers (AllFacebook)

Yahoo Buys Full Page Front Page Ad In Times Of India (TechCrunch)

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

British Band Finds Viral Success with "Greatest Hits of YouTube" Video

This YouTube video was doing the rounds last week, and was initially brought to my attention via Twitter. Essentially it's just a montage of "the funniest" videos from around YouTube, but it has attracted almost 2.2 million views since it was posted on September 13th -- 700,000 more than when I first viewed it on Thursday.

What interested me, however, is the fact the video was created to promote material by British band Hadouken. The video is sound tracked by their new single, M.A.D., and features links to buy it online from download stores such as iTunes. It may not be the most original from of promotion, but millions of people have now been exposed to the band's music, the majority of which had likely never heard of them before watching. By comparison, the official video for the track has received under 200,000 YouTube views.

Speaking with me last week, the band's guitarist and creator of the video, Dan Rice, described how the band was looking for interesting (and cheap) ways to get their music heard. "Our music doesn't really have much of a chance of getting on mainstream radio, so we have to think of other ways to reach out to new fans," he said. "This seemed like a fairly fun and creative way of doing it rather than going down boring traditional advertising routes, which we can't really afford and no longer really engage the young people that are into our music anyway."

Rice said the inspiration for the video came while the band was recording its new album, during which he spent a great deal of time online. "I saw the video of [trials cyclist] Danny MacAskill which was getting lots of views at the time and featured a Band of Horses track. It had 10 million views and I just started thinking about how, even though they were already an established band with a large fan base, loads of people must have been hearing them for the first time whilst watching that video," he said.

The movie was edited and posted in two days using a MacBook laptop and iMovie -- video editing software that comes bundled with the majority of Apple machines -- essentially costing the band nothing. In terms of sales uplift, Rice says it's too early to tell what effect the video has had. In terms of awareness, however, he's already noticing results.

"Views on all our normal music videos and [streams] on sites like MySpace have gone up, so it has definitely raised the profile of the band," he said. "Our music isn't to everyone's taste and I'm sure there are lots of people watching it who love the video but hate the track...but if we can pick up a few new fans, then that's great."

What's more, it appears the viral effect of the video is only just getting started. On Thursday, when I first viewed the video, it had just shy of 1.5 million views. At the time of writing this morning, it has attracted a total of 2.2 million. It was picked up by the Guardian's viral video chart on Friday, and has been featured on the Time magazine site as well as Huffington Post in the U.S.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 10:18 AM | 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