Articles of the Day
Microsoft/DoubleClick Deal Seems Likely; Analysts Question $2B Purchase Price - A Microsoft purchase of DoubleClick and its Dart technology would give Redmond a badly needed leg up in its battle against Google. While analysts predicted a deal was “very likely,” many questioned the $2 billion price tag reportedly sought by Heller & Friedman.
On-Demand Video Data Reveals Online, Cable Users Go To It Differently - A fledgling video-on-demand service showcased this week during a meeting of the Carat Digital Exchange shed new light on the different video consumption patterns between conventional TV platforms and online.
Virtual World Marketers Called To Add To Community - Marketers crammed into a conference on virtual world advertising yesterday and were told that to be really successful, it’s necessary to get involved and add to the community.
Study Finds Hispanics Avid Consumers Of Online Media - Advertisers can use a multiplatform approach and include bilingual content to reach online U.S. Hispanics more effectively, according to a new survey that found online Hispanics consume media and technology at a higher rate than the general U.S. population.
Killing the Page View Is Publishing Suicide - Article discussing how the death of CPM-based advertising being brought upon by AJAX adoption may eventually prove to be deadly for smaller tier publishers.
Publisher Exodus Could Follow DoubleClick Sale - Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal report that an Internet biggie, most likely Microsoft, may soon acquire the ad-serving technology provider DoubleClick sparked a widespread debate across the Web. The general consensus: “It could mean a lot of things,” as Forrester Research analyst Shar VanBoskirk tells ClickZ. If DoubleClick is sold to a Web giant, its competitors may be forced to leave the ad-server for another company, says VanBoskirk. Microsoft might not want its new property working with AOL, for example, which deploys DoubleClick’s ad management program across AOL Media Networks. For AOL and other big publishers, they may not want a competitor having access to their private data.
Google Won’t Dominate Video Like Text - There’s no guarantee Google will continue its domination of the Internet. A search leader’s success comes down to PageRank and AdWords, a pair of technologies built on text. Searchable, advertizable video represents the next Internet land grab, which means Google is in trouble if it can’t translate its text success to moving images. Why? Because with video, Google has to deal with content owners and strike licensing deals and agreements, something that big media firms are reluctant to do with a company clearly so bent on Web-wide domination.
MTV To Move Into Virtual Worlds - MTV Networks several weeks ago announced that it aims to move full-throttle into virtual worlds, believing community-oriented 3-D platforms represent the future of engaging consumers with its popular brands. Essentially, the Viacom company plans to create communities around its popular TV shows, allowing users to interact with TV personalities and create their own content. MTV execs outlined its strategy during a three-part keynote address on Wednesday at a virtual worlds conference.
Do TV Ads Work Better Online? - We have been told that online video ads need to be tailored to fit the medium. Now a new study claims that TV ads get better results when on the Web. Web spots increased the viewer attention rate by 53%, awareness by 52%, consideration by 27% and favorability by 26%. Prompted recall of brand advertising was four times higher for Web viewers.
Online Travel Path May Get Bumpy - By any measure, the online travel market has been a huge success, a bellwether sector of the Internet industry. eMarketer estimates that in the US market, online consumer travel sales were $79 billion last year and will grow at a 17% annual rate to reach $146 billion in 2010. Growth is slowing, however. While 17% is respectable growth, it falls short of the 28% annual growth rate posted from 2002 to 2006.
Westwood One Expands Digital Offerings With Online News Service - After a slow start, the big radio network Westwood One (managed by CBS Radio) is expanding its digital portfolio. Gary Krantz, who was hired as the company’s first chief digital officer back in September, tells THR that Westwood is about to launch Metro Web News, an online news service. Westwood has signed up 150 sites – primarily radio sites – to serve as affiliates, much in the same way it has agreements with terrestrial stations.
