Olay done gone digital

Agencies and Ad Networks:

• Ad network AdReady secured $10 million in funding from a variety of venture capital firms, money it will use for marketing and new hires.
• Viewpoint, which purchased Springbox in October, has changed its name to Enliven Marketing Technologies Corporation. The "new" firm will focus on disseminating Premium Rich Media, in-game advertising, and widget marketing. The name change will take effect in January '08.

Campaigns of Note:

• Olay is launching Olayforyou.com, the online centerpiece for the launch of five new personal care products. The products and site will be promoted in a multimedia campaign.
• Chrysler created a new Facebook application that lets people send branded holiday cards promoting its new Dodge Grand Caravan.
• Microsoft's Ultimate Steal campaign lets college students create avatars that interact with each other. This is an effort to push a low-cost version of Office for students.

Major Brands:

• Kimberly-Clark says it will begin developing campaigns that are more media-neutral, with multiple executions in mind and not just built around 30-second spots.
• The NFL and Ticketmaster have partnered to offer a ticket resale service to compete with existing players like Stubhub. The site will launch sometime in 2008.

Europe:

• Expedia is looking to more offer more services and products to European travelers as the US market for booking online travel arrangements matures.
• A service called TVCatchup, which allows people to record shows online and watch them later, is coming under legal scrutiny from the BBC and other broadcasters. One major grievance: The service is ad-supported.
• Odnoklassniki.ru (The Russian Classmates.com) has hit seven million registered, and 2.5 million daily active, users. Quintura calls it the largest social network in Russia and Eastern Europe.

Facebook:

• Researchers are examining Facebook interactions for glimpses into behavioral trends in the new media world.
• Some say Facebook has turned from a college hangout spot to an online force to be reckoned with, with the momentum to go up against the big boys in the online ad game.

Google:

• Google says its TV Ads program reaches 13 million households, much more than previously reported.
• European regulators say they'll hold Google/DoubleClick hearings next month, marking the billionth story to this effect since Google's decision to purchase it.
• Google wants to start indexing videos more completely. Toward this end, it created Video Sitemaps. Publishers may place it on their sites and index away.
• Brandweek interviews Google's Kevin Kells on the company's efforts to lure more consumer packaged goods advertisers into its programs.
• As 2007 folds shut, some have begun the annual sport of speculating on what Google will buy next year.

Miscellany:

• Mobile Messenger, the company behind myriad odd-sounding banner ads online, has become the top online advertiser in the US, just months after entering the market.
• Only six more years and blogs can drive, as the word "weblog" celebrated its 10th birthday yesterday.
• Ever wonder what equestrians wear on their wrists? Try Rolex, which has become the "Official Timepiece of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games."
• A firm called Peanut Labs claims virtual currency may one day outdo web research. Bill Cook of the ARF calls the idea "very interesting and germane" on the surface.
• In countries like the Philippines, which depend on mobile for mass communications (including political messages), the revolution will be text messaged.