Dedrick flies the coop
Ad Networks and Analytics:
- Social networking analytics firm Sometrics launched a social media ad-serving platform. It claims the service is the first of its kind. The platform enables app developers to target ads by demographic, geography, interests and on-site activities.
Agencies and Marketing Execs:
- After two decades with the company, Gregg Dedrick is stepping down from his role as president of KFC. He will be replaced by Yum Brands COO Roger Eaton.
Campaigns of Note:
- A weak economy compels Nevada brothels to begin exercising their right to advertise.
- Macy's is running a series of original webisodes about five people that want to get into the music industry. Each will sport clothing from Macy's American Rag.
- Element 79 and Blitz created a branded game for Gatorade, building on a TV spot featuring golfer Tiger Woods.
- A New York City Cold Stone Creamery is offering coupons for free ice cream via text message or Facebook application.
Cross Media:
- Premier Retail Networks signed a deal with the Associated Press to put AP news content on PRN's network of in-store checkout lane video screens.
- Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt says his company is working on ways to bridge the PC-to-TV gap and make it easier to watch Web video on set-top boxes.
E-Commerce:
- Live Nation introduced a Facebook application that lets people buy concert tickets from their profiles, with reminders sent to people based on their music libraries.
Legal, Government and Regulation:
- Canada's chief privacy commissioner instigated a probe into Facebook after complaints the private information of four students was exposed unlawfully.
New and Improved:
- Wal-Mart is introducing classified listings on its site, powered by Oodle, an attempt to make its online presence more useful to shoppers.
- Turner Sports is unveiling RaceBuddy for NASCAR fans. It will include ways to connect with other audience members and the on-TV talent.
- NASDAQ Last Sale is the new name for a service that delivers real-time quotes from the stock exchange to Google, CNBC.com and the Wall Street Journal Digital Network.
Online Content:
- The new TheWB.com, which Warner Bros. is positioning as a Hulu rival, has gone live in private beta.
- CBS is set to unveil its next generation online video player next week. In-house player development is preferred because it allows for better metrics reporting.
- Videos from Hulu are being added to fan communities set up by Watercooler, with deals in place for the site to create contests based on Stargate, American Gladiators and other shows.
- SpiralFrog signed a deal to offer EMI music on its site, free with ad support. It has a similar deal in place with Universal Music.
Publishing:
- College alumni publications are at a crossroads in terms of value and function. The costly volumes they typically sell, which tell alums what their peers are doing now, have been compromised by social networks.
Research and Stats:
Tools and Software:
- As previously reported, Facebook made portions of its application platform available for open-source development, something it hopes will renew interest in the platform.
- National Public Media (NPR) chose Operative, Inc. to manage workflow for its websites, including NPR.org, NPR Music, NPR Podcasts and NPR Mobile. Operative is an ad technology and operations management provider.
- Adobe launched Acrobat.com, a hub for a new suite of online services, including word processing, remote collaboration and filesharing.
