How-To: Launching and Monetizing a Facebook Application

Now that Facebook applications can be put on any website, the time is now to create an app, whether to promote a brand or for your own tactical reference. This is intended as an introduction to researching, creating, launching, advertising, and making money from Facebook applications. Researching your app Be sure to do the proper research on […]

Posted: Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Photo Retoucher Defends Integrity of Dove 'Real Beauty' Campaign

A quote from a photo retoucher for Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty has generated questions about how "real" any of the beauties actually were. In the May 12 issue of the New Yorker, Pascal Dangin — photo retoucher for Annie Leibovitz, who created the Real Beauty ads for Dove and Ogilvy — said this with regard […]

Posted: Friday, May 9th, 2008

Halo 3, HBO Voyeur, Whopper Freakout Honored at One Show

The One Club hosted its annual One Show ceremony last night at Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York. The ceremony honors outstanding ads and campaigns across radio, TV, online and in theatres. HBO/Voyeur, which included an outdoor installation as well as TV and online efforts, won Gold Pencils for Integrated Branding Campaign, Innovative Use of Marketing […]

Posted: Thursday, May 8th, 2008

PIXSTA Fuses Advertising to Image-to-Image Search

London-based PIXSTA has launched a search engine that lets users search for images with other images — a capability unmatched by text-to-text and text-to-image search engines. PIXSTA visitors query by clicking on a product's photo, which returns items of similar color, shape or texture. Clicking on the new options re-submits them as search terms, further terracing […]

Posted: Thursday, May 1st, 2008

How-To: 10 Tips for Launching a Solid Podcast

Campaign studies by Podtrac and TNS found podcast advertising is three times as effective as "traditional" online advertising, and seven times more so than TV ads. In 2007, podcasts served 18.5 million users in the US — a figure projected to rise to 65 million by 2012 (eMarketer). These tips for launching an engaging podcast will help […]

Posted: Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

We7 Debuts On-Demand Music Service

Ad-supported music site We7 has launched an on-demand music service. The service avails 500,000 tracks from major labels like Sony BMG, as well as indie artists and music distributors. Users can access on-demand music by clicking "listen now." A short audio ad shall precede each track. Ad revenue is split between the site, the artist and the […]

Posted: Monday, April 28th, 2008

Edelman to Pair Creative Production Talent with PR-Thirsty Brands

PR firm Edelman is exploring creative opportunities to connect clients. Edelman Studios, its new virtual arm, will pair emerging and professional talent with brands seeking engagement opportunities for traditional media and online. Edelman Studios will develop content from producers, directors and screenwriters — which in turn get a chance to strut their stuff for major marketers, […]

Posted: Monday, April 28th, 2008

AtomicOnline Buys theFashionSpot, Aims to Launch Fashion Community

AtomicOnline is building a fashion-centric community hub, following its purchase of theFashionSpot, an online fashion destination for young women, earlier this year. theFashionSpot debuted in July '01 as an invitation-only site where would-be "fashionistas" could critique designer collections. It serves 70,000 registered members and one million unique visitors per month. AtomicOnline aspires to expedite theFashionSpot's growth and […]

Posted: Thursday, April 24th, 2008

How-To: Using Twitter to Build Brand Integrity

Enterprise blogging has been lauded for its ability to "humanize" a company and make distant executives feel available to ground-floor customers. Twitter can serve the same purpose much more quickly. Twitter spearheads the "microblogging" trend, where people air thoughts and share information in real-time while observing a 140-character limit. Here are tips for getting the most […]

Posted: Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

Barack Obama Takes Lion's Share of Online Video Viewerships

Barack Obama enjoyed the highest number of online video viewers in March, compared to other presidential candidates, reports Nielsen Online. The research group reported "very little viewer overlap" between candidates, suggesting watchers have already committed to whom they plan to vote for. All told, Obama's website drew 518,000 unique visitors in March alone. Hillary Clinton lagged significantly […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008

Break Media Spearheads Launch of Online Video Industry Coalition

Break Media has announced plans to launch an industry group for promoting the efficacy of online video advertising. The coalition shall include agencies, technology providers and online video companies. The Online Video Advertising ROI Council will also contribute research and education on video advertising. Ogilvy One, truTV, AT&T, the National Geographic Channel, AT&T, and Initiative Media will […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008

NBCU, Omnicom Invite Advertisers to Help Create Online Series

NBC Universal and Omnicom Media Group Digital have partnered to create branded content for multi-platform distribution. The newly-formed NBC Universal Digital Studio will develop online programming with advertisers' input incorporated throughout the process — including aspects of script writing and casting. Brands like Acura, Microsoft, UPS and Intel signed on to work with the new creative unit. […]

Posted: Friday, April 18th, 2008

Digital Media Screens in Quick-Service Restaurants Get Attention

Millions of US adults visit quick-service restaurants each month, and they constitute a prime audience for in-store digital media, according to an Indoor Direct study conducted by Arbitron at Wendy's, Denny's, Hardee's, Arby's, and CiCi's Pizza stores, writes MarketingCharts. Nearly 100 million people - about 42 percent of the US adult population - visit at […]

Posted: Thursday, April 10th, 2008

AOL to Serve ESPN Content on Video, Sports Pages

As the result of a freshly-inked relationship, AOL Video and AOL Sports shall now serve ESPN video content. These will include game highlights, sporting events coverage and ESPN's original online programming. According to ESPN, users on ESPN.com watched videos in over 1.2 billion instances in 2007, a 54 percent increase over '06, reports MediaPost. AOL will be […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

QuickPlay/Amobee Mobile Video Ad Platform Goes Mainstream

Mobile TV and video firm QuickPlay has partnered with Amobee, which provides mobile advertising, to launch a mobile ad platform for video. Similar in some ways to MoPhap and Vantrix's Ad Booster, the service provides: Ad serving capabilities Dynamic ad selection based on consumer profiles and contextual data Rich media buys and ad-sourcing options Dynamic video […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

Music Streaming Service imeem Buys Indie DRM Firm SNOCAP

Music streaming firm imeem has acquired SNOCAP, a DRM technology company. "imeem shares SNOCAP's focus on enabling artists to promote their music in new ways," said CEO Rusty Rueff. SNOCAP created its own content ID platform and digital registry, enabling unsigned and independent artists and labels to control the online distribution of their music. Its registry includes […]

Posted: Monday, April 7th, 2008

Paramount Film Icons Invade vMTV, There.com

The VooZoo app is spreading from Facebook — where it launched last month — to There.com and vMTV, a virtual world owned by MTV Networks. The app debuted on Facebook last month and boasts 74 daily active users. It enables them to channel Paramount film stars in the form of "Voohoos": video one-liners from films, which […]

Posted: Friday, April 4th, 2008

St. Ives Goes Digital, Helps Ladies Organize Lives

Today St. Ives debuted its first digital marketing initiative. With pastel colors, soothing music and a focus on the elements, "Get a Happy Face" aspires to encourage women to explore the St. Ives Elements product line while plucking up branded widgets that help organize their lives. Widgets are available on individual product pages. They include: A weather widget, […]

Posted: Thursday, April 3rd, 2008

Mercedes Conceives Online Video Special for Gen-Y Music Junkies

Daimler-owned Mercedes-Benz is broadcasting a music show on its online TV station. Launched last month, "Mixed Tape Music Magazine" is a monthly special with video clips by artists like Jennifer Lopez and Mark Ronson, according to The Wall Street Journal. The show targets future Mercedes customers, which will hopefully associate the brand with being hip (assuming that […]

Posted: Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Paramount Enlists Clearspring for 'Indiana Jones' Widget Promo

Paramount is kicking off a promotion for the latest "Indiana Jones" film. The two fans who distribute a widget of the trailer across the most media will score tickets to the world premiere. Winners will also become red carpet correspondents. Footage of their debut will be streamed onto the widgets following the premiere, reports The Hollywood […]

Posted: Thursday, March 20th, 2008