ClickZ News Blog

Yes, That Is an Ad on Google's Homepage

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:26:02 -0500

How invested is Google in the success of Droid, the most hyped device yet to be built using its Android operating system? So much so that it's willing to sully that holy of holies -- its homepage -- with an ad promoting the smartphone.

The ad appears directly below the search field, as you can see in the screenshot above. It points to a landing page hosted by Google, which promotes the Droid's search and navigation capabilities. That page directs people to Verizon to buy the phone.

BusinessWeek's Top Online Exec To Leave

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:19:48 -0500

A few stories ClickZ's editors are reading:

BusinessWeek's Top Online Executive To Leave Magazine (Business Week)

CNN Launches Sponsored News Trivia Quiz (WebProNews)

YouTube Video Dealmaker Jordan Hoffner Leaves Company Hoffner brokered content agreements with Time Warner and Walt Disney. He'll be replaced by Chris Maxcy, who handled deals with record labels. (Bloomberg)

Funny or Die Now a YouTube Channel Partner (YouTube Biz Blog)

RealNetworks to Lay Off Four Percent of Staff Today (AllThingsD)

Amazon Integrates Twitter with Affiliate Program. Is it Spam?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:41:05 -0500

Amazon has introduced a feature on its Associates affiliate scheme which allows its members to tweet links with ease directly from its site. When browsing products, affiliates can now post links to Twitter by simply clicking a toolbar button at the top every page, similar to the way in which they might share an article via a "share this" button.

Of course, the same result was already possible by entering an affiliate link into a url shortener and posting it to Twitter, but the two-click functionality now makes that process easier and quicker.

Whether or not this is a good thing for Twitter users is another question entirely. The micro-blogging and networking service already experiences problems with spam accounts and unwanted marketing messages, so the introduction of similar functionality across other affiliate programs could well contribute to the growing amount of content many users consider spam.

Most Brutal Sponsorship Ever

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:22:39 -0500

Though they're more prone to drinking beer and Jagermeister, a sneak preview of the return of the members of the world's most brutal metal band, Dethklok, has been brought to us by Coke Zero.

In fact, in addition to "Metalocalypse," which features the animated exploits of Dethklok, the non-caloric soda brand is sponsoring a host of previews of upcoming shows on Cartoon Network's adult-aimed programming block Adult Swim. The main goal appears to be promoting the "Facial Profiler," an application available at CocaColaZero.com that purports to match photos of people with similar facial features.

At this stage, Coke is in the building stage, looking for people to submit their photos to the database by connecting to the app through Facebook.

Gawker Launches Video Spinoff at Gawker.tv

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:36:28 -0500

Gawker Media has created a new site at Gawker.tv focused on TV and online video content. Posts published since its launch this afternoon: a montage of gratuitous product placements on television and the above video of a puppy that has fallen and can't get up.

The new site marks something of a departure for Publisher Nick Denton, who has historically launched new sites under their own brands. He noted the smallest Gawker Media site now has 18 million page views, whereas the company's threshold used to be 1 million.

"We're believers in fewer stronger brands," he said. He called Gawker.tv "an expansion of the video-centric posts we've already been doing on Gawker.com."

Denton acknowledged the ad opportunity is somewhat generic for a site about random interesting video. "I'm sure there will be some video creative placed deliberately on Gawker.tv because the audience is in the mode to watch," he said. "But it's not as if the audience will be uniquely broadbanded up -- most of our readers can view video advertising even on texty sites."

Sanford Wallace Could Face Jail Time in Facebook Spam Case

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:31:41 -0500

A few items ClickZ editors are reading:

Facebook Awarded $711 million Decision Against "Spam King" Wallace. Site is unlikely to collect more than a small fraction of damages against Sanford Wallace, who has phished and spammed his way to infamy. However, a probably criminal contempt suit could mean jail-time for Wallace. (Facebook blog)

New York Times Close to a Decision on Charging for Online Content Exec editor Bill Keller tells paper ombud a decision is "weeks away." (NYTimes.com)

Estimate: Google Behavioral Targeting Reaches a Quarter of AdSense Sites (privacychoice)

ComScore Plans Workforce Reduction. Some new jobs will be created at online measurement provider, but more will be cut.

NJ Candidate Daggett Campaign Says Can't Reach Voters Online

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:54:12 -0500

If you think Obama's campaign changed everything and from now on political campaigns will never again question the value of using online ads to reach voters, build lists, or generate donations, think again.

The campaign team behind New Jersey independent dark horse candidate for governor, Chris Daggett aren't spending on Web ads. Yet, as Daggett has gained momentum among disillusioned Jersey voters, the opportunity has come -- and less than a week till the election -- nearly gone, to be there through advertising when people search for more info on Daggett, or read articles mentioning the candidate.

As former McCain campaign search ad guy Eric Frenchman put it, any momentum Daggett's campaign is experiencing, "doesn't matter" because "He has no online marketing." He goes into detail on his blog.

There's no question that different campaigns require different tactics. However, I rarely speak with any political or advocacy campaign or consultant (and I speak to them often) who doesn't see search advertising or other forms of online advertising as an important part of any campaign.

But, then again, I tend to talk to people who understand the Web, rather than traditional media consultants, some of whom still operate the way they did pre-Internet. (Which, by the way, serves them well because they tend to take home a nice slice of the TV media spend for their commissions.)

So, I'm not accustomed to hearing things like the Daggett campaign apparently has from its media consultants, as noted in a comment on Frenchman's post. This is from "Ali," who works for the campaign:

"From our research, we have discovered that NJ voters are primarily reachable via TV and other media -- not internet -- and that is why we have focused our efforts where we have. I can imagine you have strong opinions as to how we should be using our money, but actually the media company who has led every successful independent in this country is spearheading our efforts, so we are deferring to the experts."
So, think 2008 changed everything? As I demonstrated in the title of my book on the subject of paid digital media efforts of the '08 presidential campaigns, it was only "A Turning Point for Digital Media."

Yahoo, Microsoft Delay Search Deal Signing

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:38:01 -0500

Yahoo filed an extension last night to its self-imposed deadline for signing the pending search deal with Microsoft. When the deal was announced on July 29, the companies expected to complete the deal by October 27, but that didn't happen.

During its analyst day presentations yesterday, Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz told financial analysts not to worry about the move, insisting it was just a matter of "running out of time."

"It's a 10-year agreement, so we'd like to get it right up-front," Bartz said. She said the delay should not impact the timelines Yahoo and Microsoft expect for regulatory approval.

According to the Form 8-K filing:

The Letter Agreement specified that the parties would execute Definitive Agreements by October 27, 2009, but given the complex nature of the transaction, there remain some details to be finalized. The parties are working diligently on finalizing the agreements, have made good progress to date, and have agreed to execute the agreements as expeditiously as possible.

Banner Ad Turns 15, Earns Learner's Permit

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:21:30 -0500

On this day in 1994, HotWired.com made Internet history by becoming the first online publisher to display a banner ad. The unit was 468 x 60 pixels and was purchased by either Volvo, MCI, Club Med, Zima, 1-800-Collect or AT&T, all of which reportedly bought ad space that fateful day. The AT&T version above asked/promised, "Have you ever clicked your mouse right here? You will."

If the copywriter were given a do-over today, he or she might change the line to, "You will, for a few years anyway."

To say the banner ad has had an ignominious childhood and adolescence is to understate consumers' loathing for it. The format has been equated with deception and sleaze to such an extent that it's reputation today is worse than any other ad medium suffered at a similar stage of development. To make matters worse, the effectiveness of display ads has steadily declined on nearly every metric: click rates, interaction rates, brand recall, you name it.

Of course banners have had a few good moments along the way. Apple's "Get a Mac" campaign broke ground by synchronizing ad space on NYTimes.com. IBM brought live video chat to banner space. GE, American Express, and Pringles also come to mind as great banner ad brands.

And luckily, the banner's fortunes are bound to improve. No sane person would argue display advertising is endangered, however much they may hate IAB standard formats. More to the point: The past year or two have brought some striking developments in display media, which collectively promise to help this awkward teenager finally learn to drive like an upstanding medium.

A sampling of those developments, as reported on ClickZ:

-IAB Seeks Creative Rebirth for Banner Ads
-OPA Hopes to Spur Greater Creativity with New Ad Units
-Agencies Break Away From Ad Networks
-Google's Ad Exchange Opens for Business
-Study: Financial Display Ads Need More Human Touch

Online Advertisers Misbeshavin'

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:13:35 -0500

Sadly, most of us have grown accustomed to seeing some pretty nasty images in online ads. Flabby bellies, yellow teeth, dominatrix chickens.

Well, I may have stumbled on the most bizarre, indeed grossest image yet. Today, while doing research on Facebook for a story (believe it or not, I actually do story research there), I stumbled upon a woman shaving.

Not her legs. Not her underarms. Not her...um...Her face!

OK, now unfortunately I've heard about some women doing this, but do I really need the pictorial?

We can thank American Laser Centers for this ad, which links to a lead gen page promoting free laser hair removal.

Oh, and please excuse my headline. I guess I've been inspired by the New York Post.

Gawker Falls Prey to Malvertising Scheme

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:46:03 -0500

Gawker Scammed By Malware Crew Pretending To Be Suzuki Ad scam is similar to one put over on the New York Times recently. Take an extra few minutes to read the WHOLE thread and comments section. (Business Insider)

Wall Street optimistic on ad outlook (Hollywood Reporter)

TopTenReviews Buys Space.com Tech product review site now owns Space.com, LiveScience.com and Newsarama.com after deal with consumer media division of Imaginova Inc.

Tourism Queensland disses 'Best Job' shop Agency behind winningest campaign at Cannes Lions is snubbed. (AdFreak)

Online Rally May Sidestep Newspapers (NYTimes.com)

Publicis sees better Q4 after Q3 sales fall (Reuters)

IAC Reports Profit but Ad Revenue Slips (NYTimes.com

AOL May be Building a Cheap Content Factory

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:12:28 -0500

Readers will remember that Tim Armstrong was a founder of Associated Content, a company that funds cheap content on a wide range of topics. The company runs a marketplace that links aspiring writers with sites that pay small sums for content designed to capture search traffic. Armstrong was a founder and early board member, but has since dissociated himself from the firm.

Why is this of interest now? Well, Armstrong appears ready to create a similar content operation at AOL. Speaking on-stage at the Web 2.0 Summit last week, he hinted at a new project.

As reported by CNET, he said, "It's a broader platform with more information around content and the creation of content. We see that platform evolving to a much higher scale."

This morning TechCrunch ran with the ball, reporting that the new project is a "content-management system (CMS) which will make it easier to produce and publish Web content across AOL's sites and perhaps beyond." Among other things, the new system would help AOL employ more contributors to write articles and videos on a range of topics.

While strictly accurate, calling such a system a CMS may be misleading. According to TechCrunch, the platform will track the number of views and the likely monetization for a given piece of content, and will pay freelance contributors based on that information. It goes a lot farther than your average publisher tool.

Associated Media is not the only firm building cheap content with search in mind. For an in-depth look at the complex mechanisms underlying another such company, check out Wired's excellent profile of Demand Media, published earlier this month.

Anatomy of a Content Sweatshop (link buffet)

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:10:28 -0500

The Answer Factory: Fast, Disposable, and Profitable as Hell An in-depth look at the content factory that is Demand Media, and the complex search and ad data analysis that underlies its business.

Craigslist Isn't Liable for Erotic Services Ads--Dart v. Craigslist (Eric Goldman's Technology & Marketing Law Blog)

Controversial Amp App Gets Dumped By Pepsi (AdAge)

Which Blogosphere Does This Year's Technorati Report Reflect?

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:17:31 -0500

Last year, we reported that around 50 percent of bloggers have ads on their blogs. So, how could that number have dropped to 28 percent this year?

Well, according to Technorati, the publisher of the second-annual "State of the Blogosphere" report, the pool of respondents to this year's survey of bloggers is much bigger than last year, arguably producing findings that are more representative of the blogosphere.

Indeed, last year's survey included just 1,400 participants, while this year's included 2,900, according to Technorati VP of Marketing Jennifer McLean, whom I spoke with earlier today.

I'm sure some scientific statisticians have smoke coming out of their ears right now, but I think it's worth mentioning the disparity between the two reports since we did cover last year's numbers.

"Before we simply had a higher concentration of serious bloggers," McLean told me. This year, lots more so-called "hobbyist" bloggers - the ones who write blogs just for the hell of it and don't collect any ad revenue from them - took the survey. So, essentially, the ad-supported concentration was diluted this time around.

Here are a few other numbers from this year's (arguably) more accurate poll. Of those bloggers running ads:
- Around 40 percent run display and Google AdSense-type text ads (listed in the report as "search" ads).
- 36 percent include affiliate marketing links.
- 8 percent feature rich media ads or paid blog posts.
- The mean annual amount of ad revenue generated is around $42,500.

Real-Time Search Results vs. Real-Time Data Collection?

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:04:59 -0500

While much of the focus of yesterday's dueling announcements from Google and Microsoft that each search engine would be including real-time Twitter feeds in its search results dealt with the potential benefits to users, I think that's just a side-effect of the deal.

It would seem to me that the bigger benefit here is that the data from Twitter's so-called "firehose" of all current Tweets would be a boon to each search engine's organic search efforts, allowing them to create new algorithms that recognize trending topics more quickly, identify large-scale linking habits, and otherwise improve their overall search results, outside of any Twitter results.

Will this change people's Twitter habits? Well, there are already plenty of Twitter spammers out there, but this will only serve to encourage them more. Now that these spammers can potentially affect all search results, instead of just Twitter results, they will likely redouble their efforts.

For the non-spammers, this may lead them to think twice before posting something to Twitter, now that it will be more likely that their Tweet will appear in search results on Google or Bing, instead of fading into the obscurity of their Twitter stream.