Articles of the Day
Microsoft Reduces Ad-To-Video Ratio In New MSN Video - To attract a larger audience, Microsoft on Wednesday launched a new version of MSN Video with more dispersed ad-placement, and a centralized page where viewers can simultaneously stream videos and search through the entire MSN Video catalog.
Quantcast’s Audience Metrics Help Smaller Pubs Compete - San Francisco-based Quantcast has upgraded its suite of free online audience measurement tools–adding multiple views of traffic data, and the ability to view media assets such as videos, games and widgets in a single dashboard–as well as increased security for e-commerce sites.
Marchex Revamps Open List Portal, Adds Local Sites - Marchex has revamped its Open List service, adding new functionality that aims to create a customizable local search and information portal that includes maps, reviews, and other descriptive content.
In-Game Advertising Targets All Gamers - Justin Townsend is the CEO of IGA Worldwide. eMarketer spoke with him about in-game advertising, gamer demographics and how to increase ad recall.
Out-of-Context Ads Prove Effective - MediaVest casts doubt on the belief that online ads are most effective when placed near content related to the product. In a study of consumers passionate about a particular subject area, product ads displayed out of context had roughly the same impact on brand preference as identical placements shown next to related content.
Bush Pushes for Permanent Internet Tax Exemption - Senior Bush administration officials called on Congress to permanently exempt the Internet from access taxes or taxes on electronic commerce. The Senate Commerce Committee is expected to approve a bill that would extend the tax-free status of the Internet until 2011. Under current law, this status will expire at the end of 2007.
MSN Takes Search Live - So Microsoft has finally launched Live Search 2.0, its long awaited search engine algorithm and user interface upgrade. The last time the software giant revamped search was three years ago, a move that actually resulted in users being unable to access the engine or get meaningful results for the first few days. The company has clearly learned from its mistakes, as Live Search 2.0 is fully functional and packed with improvements like better results for generic terms like “the” in search queries, video thumbnails, and improved relevance overall.
Finally! Actions Are Replacing Words On Lead Quality - Online lead generation and quality now go hand in hand, but that hasn’t always been the case. The measures for quality and response rate are expanding exponentially and the list of advertisers using the medium continues to grow almost as quickly.
