MySpace Profiles Follow Users to Twitter, eBay, Elsewhere

Reuters reports that MySpace users will now be able to share information on sites like Twitter, Yahoo and eBay. MySpace users may control what information — such as profile pictures and contact information — gets shared. The move is tied to MySpace's support of OpenSocial, which encourages interoperability of applications and tools between social networks […]

Posted: Friday, May 9th, 2008

Industry Buzz & Snippets: 5/8/08

Ad Networks and Analytics: DoubleClick introduced a widget calculating tool that tells advertisers how much weight their widgets are pulling among users. Agencies and Execs: DG FastChannel and Enliven Marketing Technologies Corp. plan to merge in a deal valued at $98 million. Havas Media acquired interactive firm archibald ingall stretton and will integrate it into the agency. Larry Gerbrandt left […]

Posted: Thursday, May 8th, 2008

NBCU Debuts Multi-Platform Women's Network, Props Zalaznick Up Top

Lauren Zalaznick has been made president of women and lifestyle entertainment at NBCU. Properties under her jurisdiction include iVillage, Oxygen and TV show The Biggest Loser. News of her promotion occurred in tangent with the creation of Women@NBC. This division will consist of all female-targeting efforts at NBCU. Women@NBC is a single interaction point where advertisers can […]

Posted: Thursday, May 8th, 2008

Radius Incorporates User Reviews in Display Advertising

BazaarVoice has unveiled a partner program, Radius, which ports customer comments and reviews into online ads. Radius gives firms access to an open API which enables clients to syndicate comments and reviews from product pages, then include them in display ads or other units. Content can also be ported to comparison shopping sites. BazaarVoice said Radius will […]

Posted: Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

IAB Releases Video Ad Guidelines

The Internet Advertising Bureau has released its final set of guidelines for digital video advertising. The standards were prepared to ease the video ad buying and submission process. A standardized marketplace may make video ad investment more attractive to skeptical advertisers. If the guidelines are observed, advertisers will be able to create a single video ad for […]

Posted: Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

Yahoo, McAfee Partner for Secure Search Experience

Yahoo is partnering with McAfee on a system that flags potentially unsafe search results. The system integrates McAfee's Site Advisor technology into results from Yahoo Search. Red text and other alerts will warn searchers if a site contains any malicious software or is affiliated with any other online fraud activity. The security offering was christened SearchScan […]

Posted: Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

Industry Buzz & Snippets: 5/6/08

Ad Networks and Analytics: Rise in revenue from its ad network were just enough to offset drops elsewhere at AOL. Analytics platform Media6Degrees raised $2 million in financing from Coriolis Ventures. Blinkx is licensing a toolset called Advanced Media Platform to publishers. The platform lets users manage video search ad inventory. New deals with both BlueLithium and Marchex will […]

Posted: Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

Zune Beefs Up with TV Shows; Films on the Way

Microsoft added hundreds of television programs to its Zune marketplace in a quest to contend with the versatile iTunes, reports Variety. Over 800 TV episodes were added to the Zune storefront from a variety of networks, including NBC and Turner. More deals will be announced over the long-term, and movies will be added sometime soon. The […]

Posted: Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

Fox Interactive Creates DIY Video Ad Marketplace

Fox Interactive is adding self-service video ads to its menu of online ad options. The FIM AdStore will allow advertisers, especially small businesses, to find video producers and other talent needed to create a video spot. There will also be tools for developing banner ads. AdStore puts Fox Interactive in direct competition with other companies, like […]

Posted: Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

Startups Explore 'Interactive' Alternatives to Old-Fashioned Banners

Slowdown in the online ad market has many startups — which count on ad revenue to push otherwise unprofitable ideas onto the production floor — seeking alternatives, reports the Wall Street Journal. Models of particular interest are ad formats that add "value" to the "user experience" instead of operating on a pure pay-per-click basis. meebo, for […]

Posted: Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

New Releases Now Available to Rent or Own on iTunes

Apple announced it will begin selling new release films on iTunes. The deal includes inked signatures from Fox, Walt Disney Studios, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, Sony, and New Line Cinema — which currently also deliver rentals to iTunes users. The relationship is a fresh grievance for Wal-Mart, whose DVD division is expected to suffer. In February, […]

Posted: Friday, May 2nd, 2008

Nielsen: Top Sites Benefit from Mobile Web

A report from Nielsen finds top websites benefit from the growth of mobile-accessed Internet, reports Brandweek. Nielsen's study found a major site's audience can increase by an average of 13 percent with the inclusion of mobile-friendly websites. For niche or specialty sites, growth can be even greater. Weather and entertainment sites saw 22 percent growth. And sites […]

Posted: Friday, May 2nd, 2008

Industry Buzz & Snippets: 5/1/08

Ad Networks and Analytics: MediaBank released v2.0 of its analytics platform, adding widgets and other new formats into the system, and decreasing reliance on manual information entry. One True Media is adding Spot Mixer, a DIY video ad creation tool, to its arsenal. Google might relaunch MeasureMap, a blog analytics service it has quietly owned, as an add-on […]

Posted: Thursday, May 1st, 2008

At Long Last, Google Brings Ad Platform to TV

Calling all advertisers: Google TV Ads has officially launched. To facilitate adoption Google is promoting the Ad Creation Marketplace, where advertisers can create their own TV spots. The Marketplace also pairs them with professional creative talent. Cost of ad creation has been waived up to $2000 for first-time users. Advertisers can target delivery by network and time […]

Posted: Thursday, May 1st, 2008

DoubleClick Mobile to Integrate with Online Ad Platforms

DoubleClick Mobile is fusing with ad networks like AdMob, Google AdSense and Millennial Mobile, according to a company release. Mobile content publishers can offload ad sales to a participating network while managing inventory on DoubleClick. They will also be able to keep track of inventory they personally sold, versus inventory managed by a network, from […]

Posted: Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Platform-A Draws Behavioral Targeting Strengths from Tacoda, Advertising.com

In June, behavioral targeting technology by Tacoda shall roll out across AOL's Platform-A network. The integration is expected to improve reach for Platform-A advertisers. Tacoda's technology adds to existing behavioral-targeting data points provided by Advertising.com. This is the latest of AOL's efforts to integrate subsidiaries into unified offerings. Last month, it combined Quigo and Advertising.com's search […]

Posted: Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

Text-Based Discounts May Spark Impulse Buys for Fashion Mag Advertisers

Hearst Magazines has added ShopText technology to a slew of its publications, including Redbook and Seventeen. ShopText enables readers to text product keywords to a number in exchange for coupons or samples. Hearst has been using the system in select titles since 2006. ShopText keywords were particularly powerful among CosmoGIRL readers. The technology is a baby step […]

Posted: Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

Mobile Marketing Guidelines to Include Sections on Video, Advergaming

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) shall add mobile video to the formats covered in its global mobile ad guidelines. Topics shall include: Appropriate ad dimensions for maximum compatibility The maximum recommended file size Platform-agnostic file types Mobile gaming will also be covered. Whichever format you choose, the MMA recommends ads that require clicking be delivered either before or after an […]

Posted: Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

24/7, Mindset Put Heads Together for Predictive Ads

24/7 has partnered with Mindset Media to launch Mindset Buys, which serves ads based on educated guesses about future purchasing behavior. Mindset gathers past online behavior to build unique profiles. Based on that data, 24/7 shall deliver targeted ads that presuppose what users might buy next. Sensing a potentially major source of pushback, executives involved said no […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

Industry Buzz & Snippets: 4/29/08

Ad Buying, Planning and Selling: Media service agency KSL Media is launching eWorld Asset Trading, allowing for the bartering of surplus for ad inventory. Emmis Communications is opening its Emmis Interactive online ad production and sales unit to other radio stations. It's already signed a Pittsburgh broadcaster as its first outside client. Ad Networks and Analytics: Video ad network […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 29th, 2008