Posted by Mark Blei in : Uncategorized , Original content at Search Engine Round Table HERE
Google announced that AdSense (the AdWords content network) now supports the use of third-party ad serving techniques and technologies. I am not sure if most publishers understand the significants of this. Many large companies would not even think about placing an ad on a publisher’s site without being able to track the results of those ads (impressions and clicks) through a third-party ad serving intermediary. Got that?
What this now brings to AdSense are major agencies and advertisers with large budgets, who are now more willing to dip their ad budgets in Google’s content network. More advertisers with bigger budgets means more money for AdSense publishers.
There are a few requirements for these ads to show up on AdSense publishers sites.
(1) You must opt into image ads
(2) Enable advertisers to target your AdSense channels
(3) Opt into placement targeting
If you have all three, then you can now enable advertisers to place these ads on your site.
Will the ads look different? Yes, they shockingly won’t contain the ‘Ads by Google’ text near the ad. Even more of a reason for larger advertisers to use the Google content network.
Will the ads act differently? Yes, they will open in a new window as opposed to staying in the same window.
Which third party tracking vendors are certified?
(A) North America: Ad servers include DoubleClick DFA and Mediaplex/ValueClick
(B) North America: Rich media include DoubleClick Rich Media, Eyeblaster, EyeWonder, Interpolls, Pointroll, and Unicast.
(C) North America: Research include Dynamic Logic/Safecount, Factor TG, IAG, and InsightExpress.
You may need to update your privacy policy to include more details about these third-party tracking techniques. More on that over here.
Can you block these ads? Many you can by using the competitive ad filter, but the third-party Flash ads you cannot block without contacting Google.
Here are three videos from Google on 3rd-party ad serving to help explain it better. It is a three part series by one of our favorite Google personalities, Maile:
Posted by Mark Blei in : Uncategorized , .
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MICROSOFT’s recent search ads proposal would split YAHOO’s assets and fracture the company. The deal would break up Yahoo’s Asian assets and give Microsoft a minority share in what was left of Yahoo. Yahoo executives are weary of the deal, believing that it is Microsoft and CARL ICAHN’s way of pressuring Yahoo not to pursue a search deal with GOOGLE. Regardless, a former FCC chair said a Google-Yahoo deal is likely not to pass Federal scrutiny.
8 former AOL executives are being sued by the SEC for allegedly inflating AOL’s online advertising revenue by more than a $1 billion. The violations spur from a 2000 announcement in which the SEC believes AOL lied in order to appear stronger than than it really was. The lawsuit is just another reminder of the failed merger between TIME WARNER and AOL, which Time Warner dropped from its corporate name five years ago.
Looking to the future, NETFLIX introduced a new device for users who want entertainment available immediately. The system, which will retail for $99.99, utilizes a 5 inch x 5 inch box that uses a broadband connection to stream movies and TV shows from Netflix library. Netflix has invested over $40 million into “Watch Instantly”, which is available for free to customers who pay at least $8.99 a month for a DVD rental plan.
DELL CFO Donald J. Carty will resign from his position in June. Hired a year and a half ago to turn around Dell’s slumping sales, Carty’s time at Dell was not advantageous as the computer manufacturer fell behind HEWLETT-PACKARD in units shipped last year. Carty will be succeeded by Brian T Gladden, CEO of Sabic Innovation Plastics, formerly GE Plastics.
GOOGLE will launch Google Health today after months of private beta testing. The system will help Google users manage doctor records, prescriptions and test results. To sign up for the service all you need is a Google account, which are easy to come by. However, because Google accounts have no minimum password requirements, the accounts are easily hackable, which raises concerns about private medical information becoming public.
Posted by Mark Blei in : Uncategorized ,
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| by Gavin O’Malley, Tuesday, May 20, 2008 7:45 AM ET |
 To give advertisers an easier time of running campaigns across multiple networks, Google on Monday opened its ad network for certified partners to serve and track their ads. “This will empower advertisers to work with approved third parties to serve and track display ads, including rich-media ads, across the Google content network through AdWords,” said Rajas Moonka, a senior business product manager at Google, in a blog post. For their part, participating rich media agencies are happy to have access to Google’s massive content network. “We were in talks with Google for a year on this,” said Jason McKay, president of Unicast. “From an advertiser perspective, I think Google’s done a fine job at monetizing their network, but cooperation can only help the situation.” As of Monday, the other certified agencies include Eyeblaster, EyeWonder, Interpolls, PointRoll, and Google’s own DoubleClick Rich Media. The certified ad-servers are DoubleClick and Mediaplex, while Google said it plans to add more agencies to the network as they become certified. In March, Google announced that it had closed its $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick. The move could be perceived as a lack of confidence on Google’s part to effectively sell all of its ad inventory, according to Forrester Research analyst Charlene Li. “It does raise the question,” she said. More likely, said Li, Google is deftly opening its doors to specialists who can generate more revenue for everyone to share. “If others can better monetize your inventory, and create more revenue, you let them,” insisted Li. The network was previously closed, according to Moonka, while Google built the proper tools to review ad compliance with its own standards. “Advertisers and agencies will now be able to manage their Google content network campaigns with the same systems they use for other online campaigns,” Moonka said. “For publishers on the network, this program offers a way to expand their advertiser base and enable advertisers to better understand the value of their inventory.”
| Gavin O’Malley can be reached at gavin@mediapost.com |
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Posted by Mark Blei in : Uncategorized , | Mon, May 19, 2008 |
| Chivas Regal |
| Euro RSCG |
| Chivas Regal awarded global creative duties on its $90 million account to Euro RSCG. TBWA/Chiat/Day previously handled the account. |
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| Michelin |
| In Review |
| Michelin placed its brand passenger and light truck replacement tire business in the United States in review. The incumbent, Campbell-Ewald in Warren, Mich., will continue to work on projects related to the digital space through the end of the year. The agency previously handled both accounts. |
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| Quaker Oats Company |
| Tribal DDB |
| The Quaker Oats Company named Tribal DDB its digital agency of record for the Quaker brands in the United States. This decision consolidates the digital marketing of the Quaker brands, which includes Quaker Oatmeal, Quaker Snack Bars, Quaker Simple Harvest, Quaker Rice Snacks and Quaker Life Cereal, among others. The accounts were previously handled by multiple digital agencies. |
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| PetSmart |
| In Review |
| PetSmart placed creative chores on its $40 million account in review. Leo Burnett presently handles the account and will defend. |
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| Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse |
| Cramer-Krasselt and Initiative |
| Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse tapped Cramer-Krasselt to handle its creative account and Initiative to handle media planning and buying duties on its $60 million account. |
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| Tidy Cats |
| Berlin Cameron United |
| Tidy Cats has parted ways with its agency, Berlin Cameron United. |
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| TD Ameritrade |
| MediaVest |
| TD Ameritrade selected Publicis’ MediaVest USA unit as its general marketing media agency. MediaVest will handles strategic planning and buying responsibilities for TD Ameritrade’s retail business targeted to active traders and long-term investors. OgilvyOne continues to handle creative duties and NEO@Ogilvy continues to handle digital advertising efforts. Karsh Hagan handles creative and media duties on TD Ameritrade’s institutional business. |
Posted by Mark Blei in : Uncategorized , Microsoft Offers to Buy Yahoo Search: Source
New deal represents an alternative means of competing with rival Google
May 20, 2008
Microsoft Corp has proposed to buy Yahoo Inc’s search business and take a minority stake in the Web pioneer, stopping short of a full-out merger, a person familiar with the discussions said on Monday.
As part of the deal Yahoo would put its Asian assets, including significant minority stakes in Yahoo Japan and China’s Alibaba Group, up for sale, while Microsoft would buy a chunk of what remains of the company, the source said.
The talks were revealed by the two companies on Sunday, but they declined to reveal the terms of the discussions. Earlier this month, Microsoft walked away from a proposal to acquire Yahoo for $47.5 billion, or $33 per share, after Yahoo rebuffed the offer, saying it would only settle for $37 a share.
The new deal, if completed, would forge an alliance between the two companies that would represent an alternative means of competing with rival Google Inc, whose ubiquitous search engine has made it an online advertising powerhouse.
The proposal represents an outline of Microsoft’s current thinking and it does not yet put a value on Yahoo’s search business, said the source, who was not authorized to speak on the record because the discussions are confidential.
Microsoft and Yahoo representatives declined to comment.
Shares of Yahoo fell as much as 0.87 percent on Monday, before closing up 2 cents at $27.68 on Nasdaq. Microsoft dropped 1.8 percent to $29.46.
Collins Stewart analyst Sandeep Aggarwal estimates Yahoo’s search advertising business is worth about $21 billion, while putting the value of its international assets at $9.25 billion, according to a research note he published on Monday. Anupreeta Das, Reuters, reports
Former Digitas President Torrence Boone Will Head New Global Agency LINK
By Rupal Parekh
Published: May 19, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — After months of speculation, WPP said today it has named Torrence Boone, former president of Digitas, Boston, CEO of the global agency it is building from the ground up to service its first client, Dell.
Torrence Boone
Photo Credit: Tim Gilman
“The opportunity to play a leadership role in the creation of a new agency, built to spec, with an ambition to redefine the client-agency relationship, comes along perhaps once in a lifetime,” Mr. Boone said in a statement. “I’m thoroughly excited about Project Da Vinci’s prospects and look forward to working with an exceptionally talented team to tackle the marketing challenges of Dell and other clients in today’s dramatically changed media, marketing and customer landscape.”
Mr. Boone, 38, who declined to grant an interview today, comes to the start-up venture after several years at Digitas, which he joined in 2001. He previously served as VP-general manager at interactive shop Avenue A. Earlier, Mr. Boone, who holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, was a senior manager at Bain & Co., where he focused on the health-care/pharmaceuticals and consumer-products areas.
He will officially take the reigns in early June, will be based in the agency’s New York headquarters and will report directly to WPP Group Chief Executive Martin Sorrell.
‘A new kind of marketing organization’
“The goal from the start was to design and build a new kind of marketing organization that not only provides unique solutions for Dell, but meets other clients’ marketing needs and does so using developments in technology to guide and measure its marketing decisions,” Mr. Sorrell said in a statement. “Torrence is ideally suited to this critically important leadership role. His deep experience across multiple marketing disciplines and his reputation as a developer of innovative marketing programs make him uniquely qualified to lead Project Da Vinci as we focus on reinventing the approach for integrated marketing services. We believe that Project Da Vinci will provide a template for other clients with similar desires.”
Mr. Boone’s appointment is long-awaited; it has been nearly five months since WPP was handed Dell’s three-year, $4.5 billion marketing contract, with the understanding that the holding company would build it a custom-made global agency network.
In his new role, Mr. Boone will be responsible for an agency with hubs in four U.S. cities, as well as London, Beijing, Singapore and Sao Paolo, and a staff of 1,000 or more staff globally. He will also have the help of a leadership team assembled ahead of his arrival. It includes Valerie Hausladen, managing director, Austin office; Kelly McGinnis, chief corporate communications officer; Matt Rayner, chief media officer; Jack Reynolds, chief talent officer; John Roulston-Bates, chief technology officer; Joe Scangamor, chief operating officer and chief financial officer; Ken Segall, chief creative officer; Stephen Sonnenfeld, president, consumer-solutions group; and Jeffrey Wilks, president, business-solutions group.
With a CEO in place, Da Vinci will focus on, among other things, establishing a new name and identity, which it expects to introduce soon.
Posted by Mark Blei in : Uncategorized , CBS To Acquire CNET For $1.8 Billion
Posted by Mark Blei in : Uncategorized , If They Wanted to Be Word-of-Mouth Marketers They Should Have Been Listening
By Jonah Bloom
Published: May 12, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — The latest Dove controversy epitomizes the ad industry’s struggle to reinvent itself as a participant in an ongoing conversation rather than an old guy with a megaphone barking orders to people who no longer follow them.
Ogilvy’s work for Unilever’s Dove brand has been a poster child for this conversion. Here was a campaign that used traditional one-way stuff such as TV spots, banners, billboards and magazine ads but did it in a way that encouraged and facilitated debate everywhere from Oprah’s studio to the smallest blog. Further, it embraced and employed consumers’ parodies or reinterpretations of the ads and, in doing so, seemed to achieve the zenith of marketing: accepting that what the consumer thinks and says about your brand is more important than what you say and think about your brand.
Personally, I thought the campaign’s entire premise disingenuous. Here was a company that for years told women what they ought to look like suddenly telling them it was OK not to look like that after all. But any place where I said that, I became another part of the marketing effort, likely sparking other people to come to Dove’s defense by pointing out that I should be applauding their efforts, not dredging up past missteps.
So last week, when it was revealed in a New Yorker magazine profile of an airbrush artist, Pascal Dangin, that he retouched some of the Dove ads, you might think Unilever and Ogilvy would spot an opportunity for another conversation.
Here was Dove’s statement as I imagined it: “We’re sure our consumers are smart enough to know that photos that are going to be blown up to the size of a billboard may have to be retouched. For the sake of the women themselves, there are certain things — a pimple, a stray hair — that might be airbrushed. The idea here was to use models of various shapes and ages, not to unduly expose them. We think we’ve made a point. But, we’ve also tried to raise women’s awareness of the issue of retouching and ask whether, when taken to extremes, it can create an unrealistic notion of beauty. If this New Yorker piece reopens the debate, that’s a happy coincidence for us, and something we definitely want to hear consumers’ views on it.”
There was no such statement. Instead, three days after The New Yorker came out and 24 hours after being contacted by BusinessWeek and Ad Age, what comments had been offered by the brand’s representatives were still distinctly defensive, either focusing on the fact that not all the pics were retouched or noting that Ogilvy didn’t know about the retouching.
Dove’s reaction was simply too slow for today’s digital world. For brands to work as word-of-mouth marketers, they have to be listening at all times, even when the chatter seems to have died down. The reaction also smacked of a brand, or at least an agency, still wanting to control the message rather than genuinely welcoming a fresh twist in the debate.
As Jack Neff’s story “For Unilever, P&G, No Good Deed Is Going Unpunished” in last week’s Ad Age illustrated, taking a position on social issues is essential today and yet a recipe for getting criticized. But the key for two-way marketers is going to be to welcome the cut and thrust of debate, whatever it might bring.
I haven’t heard of a smarter way of doing that than P&G’s recent decision to let consumers make the decisions on two media controversies: the company’s support for TV shows that contained perceived profanity and shows displaying gay kissing. Perhaps that’s what Unilever should’ve done in this case too — put it to a vote: Do you want your billboards complete with every last pubic hair or do you agree that there’s such a thing as too real?
Posted by Mark Blei in : Uncategorized , .
CARL ICAHN has purchased nearly 50 million shares of YAHOO since MICROSOFT withdrew its bid for the search company. Ichan now owns approximately 3.5% of Yahoo’s shares and is considering launching a proxy contest. Yahoo’s stock is up 5% since Icahn started buying, however, an analyst from Yahoo’s second largest shareholder, LEGG MASON, believes the whole ordeal could be a waste of time if Microsoft doesn’t come back to the table.
EARTHLINK has dismantled its municipal Wi-Fi offering in Philadelphia. Earthlink is simply abandoning the $17 million dollar project it started in 2006 in Philadelphia, which is the latest and largest city to end their municipal Wi-Fi service. The service, which had high hopes but never caught on, only carried 5,000 subscribers of a projected 100,000. The problem facing municipal Wi-Fi projects is simple; how do you monetize it.
CLEAR CHANNEL has accepted a revised $17.9 billion buyout by BAIN CAPITAL and THL PARTNERS. The deal ends a nearly two year battle to make Clear Channel a private entity, a deal that often pit the six banks that agreed to finance the deal (CITIGROUP, DEUTSCHE BANK, MORGAN STANLEY, CREDIT SUISSE, the ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND and WACHOVIA) against Clear Channel and the private equity firms. If the deal gains SEC approval, Clear Channel could be a private company in three to four months.
LG and SAMSUNG are teaming up to fight QUALCOMM and protect their interests in mobile TV. Qualcomm’s MediaFLO has been gaining momentum lately due to contracts with AT&T and VERIZON, the top wireless providers in the United States. LG and Samsung will need to fight a bitter lobbying battle in Washington in order to make their ATSC-M/H standard in the U.S. This move comes roughly three years too late for the South Korean manufacturers.
MYSPACE won $230 million in a judgement regarding Spam messages sent to its users. The settlement comes after Spamking Sanford Wallace (aka “Spamford”) and his partner, Walter Rines, sent more than 700,000 unsolicited messages to MySpace members. The $230 million settlement is by far the largest since Congress passed the 2003 federal anti-spam law known as CAN-SPAM.
Posted by Mark Blei in : Uncategorized , While no one can predict the future of the internet, it’s universally acknowledged that advertising budgets traditionally allocated to TV, newspapers and magazines have been steadily moving online, and it’s hard to find anyone who will argue that the trend will slow down in the coming years.
So, why then would anyone suggest that the current crop of ad networks might have seen their best days? To see the rest of this iMedia article CLICK HERE
