Articles of the Day
Search Drives CPG Site Traffic And Store Sales: Study - New research sponsored by comScore, P&G, Yahoo and SEMPO showed shoppers who search online for packaged goods brand sites also spend 20% more in-store within a month of their searches. The research highlights the need for companies to secure their space on “The Digital Shelf” in the same way they spend for the best in-store shelf space.
Industry Watch: Video Game Ads Grow Up - Success in online gaming calls for a whole different kind of creative. Despite all the new options, some experts say marketers are squandering opportunities — placing the wrong ads in the wrong games.
Is Search Still Worth It? - The SEO effect is great, but gauging ROI is tough. Search marketing budgets are set to increase in 2008, according to MarketingSherpa’s “Search Marketing Benchmark Survey.” Responding marketers said they planned to increase their pay-per-click budgets by at least 11% in 2008. One-third of search marketers whose spending was average said they planned to do so on Google AdWords. Respondents rated both PPC and search engine optimization as effective search marketing tactics.
MySpace To Launch Game Sector - A day after announcing its first foray into Web video production, News Corp.’s MySpace is now planning to become an online gaming destination, too. The social network is striking a deal with game distributor Oberon Media to feed its new MySpace Games section, set for a January launch.
NBC Removes YouTube Content Before Hulu Launch - In anticipation of next week’s launch of Hulu, the joint online media venture between News Corp. and NBC Universal, NBC on Monday removed content from Google’s YouTube, including licensed video clips and a promotional channel that were part of a deal signed by the companies almost nine months ago. A company spokesperson confirmed that NBC was removing its content from YouTube, but said the decision was intended to provide a boost to Hulu, not to spite Google or YouTube. YouTube, meanwhile, isn’t taking the decision personally.
Microsoft Concedes to EU Ruling - Microsoft has decided not to appeal last month’s European Union commission antitrust ruling, ending a nine-year fight with EU regulators that has cost the software giant hundreds of millions in fines. Defeat means that Microsoft now has to license information to competitors to make their software work better with Windows. It also needs to “tread carefully” when it comes to bundling products and features into sales of the operating system.
Facebook Set to Introduce Major Ad Play - Facebook is keeping mum about exactly what it is unveiling at the Nov. 6 event, but ad-industry executives familiar with the company’s plans said the social network is looking to better use the data its users voluntarily offer up on their profiles. Of course, that much seems like a no-brainer (although it’s actually not easy to implement). But less obviously, a couple of industry executives familiar with the company’s plans suggest Facebook could use some of what it knows about people — and their relationships with others on the site, what is known as the “social graph” — to target them off Facebook as well.
What’s the Newest Way to Get Your Ad Seen Online? Widgets - Jake Ginsky, like more than 3 million other Facebook users, lists his “top friends” using a nifty little application from a company called Slide. In the application, the 31-year-old designer also recently displayed an affinity for someone else: Sarah Silverman. She’s not actually a friend; Mr. Ginsky was using a branded widget from Slide that advertised Ms. Silverman’s Comedy Central program.
Americans Are Getting Tired Of Search - Yahoo cited “Search Engine Fatigue” as part of its rationale behind adding the new Search Assist feature to its search interface, and now a report by Autobytel follows up on this idea of users getting overwhelmed by the amount of results, ads and overall clutter in the typical search experience. Autobytel, the new and used car search marketplace, commissioned Kelton Research to poll 1,000 U.S. adults and found that 72.3% experience “search engine fatigue” (either always,” “usually,” or “sometimes”) when researching a topic on the Internet.
