Articles of the Day
Google Expands Its Ad Reach With FeedBurner Deal - Google added the rapidly growing world of distributed content in the form of RSS feeds to its advertising arsenal with the acquisition of FeedBurner. The long-rumored pairing was described as an “almost too perfect fit.”
360i’s Management Buys Back Agency; Stakes Claim As Nimble Independent - Innovation Interactive took back its power with a management-led buyout from parent Livedoor Japan. The marketing services firm consists of an online ad network, as well as digital agency 360i and SearchIgnite. The buyout was funded in part by ABS Capital Partners, which manages a $1.5 billion investment fund.
Digitalsmiths Molds Seamless Video Ad Platform - Building upon a successful video search platform that has allowed TV series producers to index contents of their episodes, Digitalsmiths plans to enter the online video ad business with VideoSense.
Are TV Ads Best for Product Intros? - TV ads are the best way to reach and engage online consumers with new product information, according to the American Marketing Association’s “Mplanet” survey, conducted with Opinion Research Corporation prior to the 2006 holiday season. However, respondents said other traditional media like newspapers, magazines and radio all trailed the Internet, e-mail and online newsletters as good ways to reach them with new product information. Only 1% of respondents said social networking sites were the best place for retailers to reach them.
Teens and Tweens Take to Virtual Worlds - Massively multiplayer online role-playing games, in which users assume the role of avatars, or personas they create, are slowly creeping into the mainstream–especially among kids. The adult-oriented virtual worlds of Warcraft and Second Life may get lots of attention, but–thankfully for advertisers–the most popular social media outlets are decidedly PG in nature, like Stardoll, Doppleganger, and Gaia Online, frequented by youngsters across the Web.
Widgets: Advertising Will Never Be The Same - Widgets are on the verge of changing advertising as we know it. A spate of recent announcements by companies like Google and Facebook indicate that both see a big future in the development of third-party content for their Web sites. Widgets are mini pieces of software developed for Web sites, and in some cases, the desktop. They offer access to Web-based content and information without requiring that users visit a specific site.
Facebook As Important As Windows, Web - It’s been a good year for Facebook. Last fall, the social network opened its doors to everyone to make to grow beyond its stagnating user base of around 10 million. Then about 10 days ago, the company, now 25 million strong, gave developers the freedom to use Facebook’s platform to either create applications for the social network or to develop their own networks using the company’s free tools, a move that has been met with almost universal applause. Why? Because development and usage have already exploded beyond 300 apps. For example, music network iLike, a competitor to CBS’ Last.fm, began offering a plug-in through Facebook, and is growing at about 200,000 new users per day. Prior to the Facebook launch, iLike had about 3 million members–it doubled that figure through Facebook after just four days.
Hearst-Argyle Makes Local Deal With YouTube - Hearst-Argyle has cut a deal to distribute video clips on YouTube, the companies announced today. With the arrangement, news, weather, and clips from other local programs in five markets - - Boston, Manchester in New Hampshire, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore - - will be available on the video-sharing site, as well as clips of high school sports, among other material.
