Why '08 Isn't Mobile's Year -- Again - Advertising Age - Digital

Digital

Of the 219 million U.S. wireless subscribers, just over 30 million are on data plans, according to M:Metrics. That means more than 86.1% still use mobile devices primarily for talk, which isn't optimal for mobile marketing; most mobile-advertising tactics require subscribers to have pricey data plans.
Why '08 Isn't Mobile's Year -- Again - Advertising Age - Digital
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Brilliant Self-Promo Site by an Ad Agency - Modernista!



Online Spin » Blog Archive » Ad Agency Gets Web 2.0! Can It Be True?
"... If you Google Modernista and click on the first result, which happens to be www.moderinista.com, the search-engine results page will reload with a cryptic red navigation overlay in the upper right corner.
A flashing alert appears, which says “Don’t be alarmed. You are on the new Modernista! site.” If you point your cursor to “ab.ou.t,” you can choose to visit the agency’s Wikipedia entry or Facebook profile. Or you can choose to bookmark Modernista on one of several Web 2.0 bookmark and sharing services.

If you select “work” on the Google results page, you can choose to view Modernista’s print portfolio on Flickr, television work on YouTube, or Web work on del.icio.us.
If you select “n3wz,” you’ll be taken to Modernista’s search engine results page on Google News. Finally, selecting “cont@ct” in the navigation menu will provide direct links to the agency’s addresses on Google Maps, email, as well as AIM and Skype."

Who's Not Surprised by This? (Many People I Know Are. And That's Too Bad.)

http://www.austin360.com/shared-gen/blogs/austin/outandabout/google-radio.JPG

MediaPost Publications - Internet Ad Revenues Topped Radio in 2007: TNS - 03/28/2008
AS PREDICTED, INTERNET DISPLAY AD revenues passed radio for the first time in 2007--clocking in at just over $11.3 billion versus $10.7 billion for radio, according to TNS Media Intelligence. That represents a 7.6% share of total U.S. ad spending for the Internet, versus 7.2% for radio.

Internet revenue was up from $9.6 billion, or a 6.6% share in 2006, while radio revenue slipped from $11.08 billion, or 7.5% share in the same period.



The flip comes as no surprise, as analysts have forecast Internet passing radio in 2007 for several years on the strength of Internet's meteoric growth (15.9% from 2006-2007), and radio's woes, with the medium apparently suffering a secular downturn just as the overall U.S. economy may be headed for a recession.



Indeed, the overall picture painted by TNS was not a happy one for most traditional media, as total spending edged up just 0.2% for the year. TNS' earlier predictions of 2.6% growth in 2007 proved too optimistic, as marketing budgets were undermined by the softening economy in the second half of the year.



Particularly hard-hit were newspapers, where revenues fell 5.6% to about $26.4 billion; network television, down 2% to $22.4 billion; and spot television, down 10.2% to $15.6 billion, in large part because of a lack of political advertising and Olympics. The declines in the two television categories resulted in an overall decline for television of 1.7% to $64.4 billion, despite a 6.5% increase for cable. Outdoor grew about 4.9%, to just over $4 billion.

Contagious News - The Lost Ring by McDonald's


This week sees the launch of The Lost Ring, an ARG to neatly remind us that it’s not only the sexy advertisers - the movies, the games - that get to play in this space. In an odd yet intriguing pairing, fast food giant McDonald’s is sponsoring the game in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee.
Contagious News Article
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MediaPost Publications - Reactrix Eyes Interactive Place-based Commerce - 03/17/2008

Pointing to the Bluetooth downloads already offered by some cutting-edge out-of-home media, Ribero said Reactrix will first add free digital downloads before moving into actual commercial transactions. One benefit of proximity to the point of purchase, he said, is that the display could become the point of purchase itself.
MediaPost Publications - Reactrix Eyes Interactive Place-based Commerce - 03/17/2008
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Online Games by the Hundreds, With Tie-Ins - New York Times


Studies show that one-third of Internet users play online games at least once a week. Millions of children and teenagers play games on sites like Addicting Games, Miniclip Games and Disney.com, and social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook are also becoming popular platforms for gaming.A recent study by Grunwald Associates found that multitasking young people are often driven to online games by television shows and frequently interact with both media at the same time.
Online Games by the Hundreds, With Tie-Ins - New York Times
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Sent from my iPhone. So what.

Yes, You Too Can YouTube - Forbes.com


When YouTube launched in 2005, success on the Web was measured largely by the number of users who visited a site. Now YouTube is trying a different strategy: letting users avoid visiting its site altogether.

On Wednesday, YouTube announced the next step in its transformation from destination to application, releasing a set of free software tools that let Web developers create fully functional YouTube players on their own sites. Unlike previous embedded YouTube players, which simply streamed videos, these new tools would allow users on other sites to search the YouTube inventory, comment on and rate videos, and even upload clips to YouTube's servers--essentially everything that users would have done on YouTube's site.
Yes, You Too Can YouTube - Forbes.com
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Pontic G8 Gets Eighties Spy Hunter Treatment - AdGabber

Pontic G8 Gets Eighties Spy Hunter Treatment - AdGabber

TiVo and YouTube to Deliver Web Video to TV - New York Times


Pick up the remote, turn on the television — and watch YouTube.The user experience envisioned by technology enthusiasts came a step closer to reality on Wednesday when TiVo, the maker of popular digital video recorders, announced a partnership with YouTube that will deliver Web video directly to users’ televisions.
TiVo and YouTube to Deliver Web Video to TV - New York Times

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Hulu Launches: Great Product, Still Screwed - Silicon Alley Insider

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The condundrum of making a business out of watching TV online continues to confuse even the most clear-minded of convergence watchers.

Hulu finally launches, adding Warner Bros. and Lionsgate. CEO Jason Kilar says 5 million people have viewed Hulu videos in the past month and that 80% of Hulu's videos are viewed at least once a month.Five million is an impressive number given that Hulu has been in a closed beta test, and as we said over the weekend, the product is great. As we also said over the weekend, however, we still have big doubts about Hulu as a business (see below). Judging from his quote in the NYT, CEO Jason Kilar is still optimistic that he can win over CBS and Disney as content partners, but as Michael Learmonth explained yesterday, this will be easier said than done.

Hulu Launches: Great Product, Still Screwed - Silicon Alley Insider

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58 Million U.S. Mobile Subscribers Have Seen Advertising Over Their Phones - SlashPhone.com

Not terribly impressive ... yet. An audience of 58MM is good. Not yet great.

Twenty-three percent (58 million) of all U.S. mobile subscribers say they have been exposed to advertising on their phones in the past 30 days, according to a new report out today from The Nielsen Company. Half (51% or 28 million) of all data users who recall seeing mobile advertising in the previous 30 days say they responded to a mobile ad in some way.061116_Google_mobile_adsThe findings come from the bi-annual Mobile Advertising Report from Nielsen Mobile, a service of The Nielsen Company, and are based on a survey of more than 22,000 active mobile data users who used at least one non-voice mobile service in the fourth quarter.
58 Million U.S. Mobile Subscribers Have Seen Advertising Over Their Phones - SlashPhone.com

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Cable Firms Join Forces to Attract Focused Ads - New York Times


Bingo! Here's the proof. All TV will be INTERACTIVE TV ... but the change over is coming very fast.

In an effort to slow Google’s siphoning of advertising dollars away from television, the nation’s six largest cable companies are making plans for a jointly owned company that would allow national advertisers to buy customized ads and interactive ads across the companies’ systems.

For the last six months, executives from Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Cox Communications, Charter Communications and Bright House Networks have been meeting monthly, alternating between New York and Philadelphia.

Quarterbacking the initiative — code-named Project Canoe to emphasize that the companies must all work together — has been Stephen Burke, president of Comcast, and Landel C. Hobbs, the chief operating officer of Time Warner Cable.Getting the right advertisement to the right person, based on that individual’s own tastes and lifestyle, has been the promise of cable television for years and the reality of the Internet.
Cable Firms Join Forces to Attract Focused Ads - New York Times

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Toyota Makes a Sharp Turn on the Web - WSJ.com

The Wall Street Journal Home Page

Toyota Motor's new comedy-themed marketing campaign for its 2009 Corolla sedan, to be rolled out on YouTube next week, is as much of a gamble for the video Web site as it is for the auto maker.

While online marketing is growing at a rapid clip, ad revenue for some of the biggest social-media sites such as YouTube and Facebook have failed to meet the sites' own forecasts. Part of the problem is that while they have become a hit with consumers by featuring content that is particularly interactive, they often continue to push advertising options that are far more static -- like banner or video ads on the home page.
Toyota Makes a Sharp Turn on the Web - WSJ.com

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Microsoft Silverlight: Light Up the Web

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Microsoft Silverlight: Light Up the Web

This multimedia presentation requires a few minutes of your time, but the facts and thoughts about producing content for the interactive space are spot on.

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Esther Dyson v3.0.1

Anybody remember Esther Dyson? Raise your hand. Now she's predicting the inevitable victory of behavioral targeting for all forms of advertising.

And I couldn't agree more!

The Coming Ad Revolution - WSJ.com
The current online-advertising model will become less effective, even as it gets increasingly sophisticated. New players are emerging to devalue the spaces that the ad giants are currently fighting over. Companies you've never heard of called NebuAd, Project Rialto, Phorm, Frontporch and Adzilla are pitching tools to Internet service providers that will enable them to track users and show them relevant ads. This approach (called behavioral targeting and already in service by ad networks that track users through so-called tracking cookies) undercuts traditional online publishers, who employ content to lure users and to sell adjacent ads. Now, the ISPs can sell advertisers direct access to the same users.

Nielsen Says Mobile Ads Growing, Consumers Respond - New York Times

About 23 percent of U.S. mobile phone users have seen advertising on their cell phones in the last 30 days and about half of them responded to the ads, according to a report from The Nielsen Co released on Tuesday.The number of phone users who recalled seeing mobile ads rose by 38 percent to 58 million in the fourth quarter compared with 42 million in the second quarter, Nielsen's fourth-quarter survey of 22,000 active mobile data users.
Nielsen Says Mobile Ads Growing, Consumers Respond - New York Times

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Now US Is Online, And How! - eMarketer

US Internet Users, 2007-2012 (millions and % change)

There are approximately 186MM Americans age 18+ while there are 188MM Americans online today.

Internet usage is becoming a daily habit in the US.Although growth has slowed to the low single digits in recent years—projected to be just 3.1% in 2008—US Internet users can be counted in the hundreds of millions.
Now US Is Online, And How! - eMarketer

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In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

Why 2009 will be nothing like 1999. Whereas the former decade was held captive by fads with a decidedly dot com flair, this decade is proving itself to be the real birth of the media convergence. And when TV finally goes digital on Feb 17, 2009, we'll see the beginnings of social television - in which communities of people who love certain programs will bond together beyond the watercooler.

In other words, a normal social behavior will be amplified exponentially by digital social connections via the Net.

Nearly half of marketers surveyed in a new report from TNS Media Intelligence/Cymfony believe social media has become an established fixture in the media and marketing landscape and should be overseen by senior executives.In the survey of 71 marketing professionals in the U.S., Canada, France and the U.K., not even one respondent saw social media as a passing fad.
In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

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MediaPost Publications - Unicast Partners With AdMob To Power Mobile Web Pages - 03/03/2008

Early Adopter Alert!

The Rich Media Mobile technology is a hosted delivery and tracking solution for optimized rich mobile Web page content aiming to help advertisers provide a richer experience for audiences that are both media- and mobile-savvy. The platform provides tools for advertisers and agencies to create, deliver, and measure the effectiveness of rich media mobile ad campaigns.

The campaigns can be tracked with real-time reporting, and the metrics can be tied to the reporting interface for rich media online and in-game ad performance metrics providing a cross-platform solution for the efficient management of mobile marketing campaigns.The Rich Media Mobile technology detects the type of media a user's mobile phone can play, and then offers the advertiser's content in the appropriate format.

Currently, Unicast Rich Media Mobile is compatible with many devices across the major U.S. wireless carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
MediaPost Publications - Unicast Partners With AdMob To Power Mobile Web Pages - 03/03/2008

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In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

Why 2009 will be nothing like 1999. Whereas the former decade was held captive by fads with a decidedly dot com flair, this decade is proving itself to be the real birth of the media convergence. And when TV finally goes digital on Feb 17, 2009, we'll see the beginnings of social television - in which communities of people who love certain programs will bond together beyond the watercooler.

In other words, a normal social behavior will be amplified exponentially by digital social connections via the Net.

In the survey of 71 marketing professionals in the U.S., Canada, France and the U.K., not even one respondent saw social media as a passing fad.
In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

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MediaPost Publications - YouTube Likely To Launch Live Video Service This Year - 03/03/2008

So, I can already watch YouTube on my Apple TV without a Mac or PC. When YouTube has “live” real-time video then it’s like TV on my Apple TV, right?

YOUTUBE IS REPORTEDLY PLANNING TO launch a live video service before the end of the year. Industry blogs TechCrunch and NewTeeVee reported late last week that YouTube co-founder Steve Chen admitted as much during a conversation with Pop17 videoblogger Sarah Meyers.
MediaPost Publications - YouTube Likely To Launch Live Video Service This Year - 03/03/2008

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In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

Why 2009 will be nothing like 1999. Whereas the former decade was held captive by fads with a decidedly dot com flair, this decade is proving itself to be the real birth of the media convergence. And when TV finally goes digital on Feb 17, 2009, we'll see the beginnings of social television - in which communities of people who love certain programs will bond together beyond the watercooler.

In other words, a normal social behavior will be amplified exponentially by digital social connections via the Net.

In the survey of 71 marketing professionals in the U.S., Canada, France and the U.K., not even one respondent saw social media as a passing fad.
In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

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In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

Why 2009 will be nothing like 1999. Whereas the former decade was held captive by fads with a decidedly dot com flair, this decade is proving itself to be the real birth of the media convergence. And when TV finally goes digital on Feb 17, 2009, we'll see the beginnings of social television - in which communities of people who love certain programs will bond together beyond the watercooler.

In other words, a normal social behavior will be amplified exponentially by digital social connections via the Net.

In the survey of 71 marketing professionals in the U.S., Canada, France and the U.K., not even one respondent saw social media as a passing fad.
In Survey, Social Media Marketing Takes a Corner Office - ClickZ

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Building a Brand with Widgets

The cards were stacked against A&E Television Network as it tried to generate positive buzz about its new series, Parking Wars. For one, it's a reality show about meter readers. Two, the show doesn't feature celebrities. "We thought if we could find a clever way of increasing consumer interaction with the concept behind the show that we would increase curiosity in the show itself," says Lori Peterzell, A&E's vice-president for consumer marketing.So A&E hired area/code, a multimedia game developer, to build an online game based on Parking Wars. Played on the social network Facebook, the game has users park virtual cars on friends' profile pages, or "streets," while slapping tickets on cars parked on their own page and avoiding tickets themselves.
Building a Brand with Widgets

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iMedia Connection: 3 reasons to ditch your microsites


Sean X Cummings, the director of marketing at Ask.com and a former colleague, has captured all the reasons (and more!) why I dislike microsites. I prefer to see marketers sincerely invest in their primary brand websites.

I do not even know where to start with my rant on microsites. They are the bane of the online space, produced by those who do not comprehend the implications of launching them and do not understand the underbelly that they leave behind. They are expensive, they use up agency resources, they become orphans almost overnight, and they are only useful in providing traditional agencies with fodder for winning more business.
iMedia Connection: 3 reasons to ditch your microsites

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Obama's Web marketing triumph - Mar. 3, 2008


Can we ... or should we ... try to predict advertising's near future based on how media are used in presidential campaigns? I say, definitively, yes. Do we remember the "Daisy" commercial from the 1964 campaign? It is singularly credited with launching the great "creative revolution" in advertising. Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63h_v6uf0Ao.

Then please take a few minutes to read this article in Fortune. And you'll begin to see that today's creative revolution is epitomized by the Barack Obama campaign's use of interactive media. It is brilliant.

Why does Barack Obama appear to be outmaneuvering Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary? Part of the reason is his campaign's mastery of the Internet, says Rishad Tobaccowala, chief innovation officer of the media buying division of Publicis, the French advertising giant. (Tobaccowala also runs his own start-up company inside Publicis called Denuo, Latin for "anew.")It's his job to ponder the changing media industry and help his clients stay one step ahead. He uses Obama's come-from-behind primary and caucus victories against a brand name like Clinton as a cautionary case study for his market-leading clients.
Obama's Web marketing triumph - Mar. 3, 2008

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