Industry Buzz & Snippets: 5/18/08

Ad Networks and Analytics: Online video site OVGuide.com selected DoubleClick's Dart for Publishers to sell ad inventory on the site. comScore Arbitron provide Online Radio Ratings for TargetSpot's 600 radio station partners. Agencies and Marketing Execs: Former Yahoo VP of political advertising Richard Kosinski has moved to Westwood One, where he will head digital news, sports and talk products. Tribal […]

Posted: Thursday, May 15th, 2008

100 Most Influential Technology Vendors of 2008 Named

The top 3 technology vendors among software, hardware, and service providers are Microsoft, Oracle and SAP, reports the Aberdeen Group's Annual State of the Market Report, which for the first time includes a list of Top 100 firms, writes MarketingCharts. Technology vendors that are household names — IBM, Dell, HP, Cisco, Salesforce.com, EMC and Sun […]

Posted: Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Industry Buzz & Snippets: 5/13/08

Ad Networks and Analytics: Real estate search site Trulia has built its own ad network, which may be valuable for advertisers pursuing local ad opportunities. ABC has introduced the "advertising value index," which tracks how well commercials perform on a given platform. Agencies and Marketing Execs: Digital shop Enliven will merge with DG FastChannel, a production and asset management […]

Posted: Tuesday, May 13th, 2008

Mobile Social Networking Grows in UK, Facebook a Favorite

More than 4 in 10 UK mobile phone subscribers (44%) belong to an online social network. And 25% of those social networkers use their mobile phone for social-networking activities, according to (pdf) Nielsen Mobile, writes MarketingCharts. Around 812,000 Britons each month, or 1.7 percent of all UK mobile subscribers, visited a social-networking website using their mobile […]

Posted: Tuesday, May 13th, 2008

Nokia to Reposition as 'Internet Company'

At Nokia's shareholders meeting last week, CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo told investors the company would like to act "more like an internet company" than a "traditional manufacturer." "Companies such as Apple, Google, and Microsoft are not our traditional competitors, but they are major forces that must be reckoned with," Kallasvuo added. According to Ars Technica, the handheld-centric firm […]

Posted: Monday, May 12th, 2008

iPhone Users Satisfied, but Many Carry Second Mobile Phone

Users claim the iPhone lives up to the hype, in some cases even displacing laptops for on-the-go 'net browsing. Even so, many iPhone owners still carry a second phone, according to a Rubicon Consulting study, writes MarketingCharts. Rubicon conducted a survey of 460 iPhone users in the US to determine how the iPhone is being used […]

Posted: Monday, May 12th, 2008

Best Buy Forks $2.1B Over for 50% of The Carphone Warehouse

Best Buy has purchased a 50 percent stake in The Carphone Warehouse, a European mobile phone vendor, for $2.1 billion. The deal includes The Carphone Warehouse's 2400 stores, which span nine European countries, as well as its online and direct businesses, insurance operations and airtime reselling businesses, CNN reports. The Carphone Warehouse will maintain proprietary ownership of […]

Posted: Friday, May 9th, 2008

Mobile Social Networking Gains Momentum

A growing number of global mobile phone users are accessing social networks over the mobile internet, according to research from Nielsen Mobile - via MarketingCharts. In the US, over 4 million do so each month, Nielsen said. That's 1.6 percent of all US mobile subscribers. The UK leads Europe with 812,000 - or 1.7 percent of […]

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

Media, Entertainment Execs: Digital Is the Future - but How to Get There?

Media and entertainment companies generally agree about how the digital market is evolving, where the opportunities lie and what will drive revenues over the next five years. But execution remains an issue, according to an Accenture survey, MarketingCharts writes. Accenture's 2008 Global Media Content Survey — its third annual survey of over 100 senior executives in the […]

Posted: Wednesday, May 7th, 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

AP Launches iPhone-Ready Mobile News Network

The Associated Press (AP) Mobile News Network launched today. iPhone users may download an "optimized" version at the App Store. Built on Verve Wireless technology and comprised of over 100 news publishers, Mobile News Network topics include breaking news, sports, entertainment and business. The iPhone App enables users to sift through photo galleries and watch video coverage. […]

Posted: Monday, May 5th, 2008

AT&T Mobile TV Goes Live — Really, This Time — On Sunday

AT&T has announced it will launch its mobile TV initiative this Sunday. After a handful of delays, last March the company conservatively arranged a May debut. The service is available on LG Vu and the Samsung Access, across 58 markets including New York, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Chicago. Powered by Qualcomm's MediaFLO, the AT&T Mobile TV lineup includes […]

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

R/GA's Emerging Media Division to Target Mobile Apps

Mobile will become a focus of the newly-expanded R/GA, reports Adweek. R/GA is building out an "Emerging Media" division, which will target the creation of applications for mobile devices. Emerging Media will be headed by Ian Spalter, who was plucked from Community Connect, a niche social network operator. Much of Emerging Media's emphasis will be on […]

Posted: Friday, May 2nd, 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

Mobile Display Ads Increase Brand Awareness and Interest

Awareness of and interest in "The Golden Compass" among users exposed to promotional full-screen mobile ads increased significantly, according to results of a mobile ad campaign by Greystripe and New Line Cinema, MarketingCharts reports. Greystripe commissioned Dynamic Logic to measure the campaign's success in raising awareness, interest and intent to see the movie. Survey respondents […]

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

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