Estimated value: $30,000

Ad Networks and Analytics:

• Cost-per-lead firm Pontiflex launched AdUnit X, custom cost-per-lead banner ads. A screenshot is available on the Pontiflex CPL Blog.
• Online ad prices have reportedly fallen for the third consecutive month.

Agencies and Marketing Execs:

• Agencies have cut back on across-the-board ad spend since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to the ever-insightful Telegraph.
• NeverBlue made Mark How its VP of Sales and Business Development. How previously worked with DivX and ACD Systems.
• North American Scientific appointed Robin Gibbs to VP of Marketing.

Biz Buzz:

• Icahn is upset with Yahoo for its rejection of his joint search buyout offer with Microsoft.

Legal, Government and Regulation:

• Antitrust officials from the US Department of Justice are issuing subpoenas for information about the sponsored search deal between Google and Yahoo.
• Amgen shall pay $200 million to settle an antitrust lawsuit with Johnson and Johnson. The latter accused Amgen of anticompetitive marketing efforts for cancer medication.

Online Content:

• "Obama HOPE," a media print by artist Shepard Fairey, is up for bid at CharityBuzz, an online auction house. The estimated value is $30,000; the current bid is $60,000. The auction, which ends July 24, supports Art for Life, which supports disadvantage urban youth.
• To generate interest in the HBO premier of True Blood, Campfire — which orchestrated online marketing for The Blair Witch Project — seeded YouTube with a series of online videos. True Blood is about a synthetic blood serum that enables vampires to stop feeding on humans. The online campaign mostly features vampires pleading for the right to live among humans without prejudice.
• LL Bean has added Bazaarvoice ratings and reviews to its website, llbean.com. The company reportedly garnered 13,000 in five days, following its first email promo effort.
• Search engine optimization firm ChaosMap was chosen by Spill.com, an animated movie review site owned by MIVA, to improve traffic, branding and social media expansion efforts.

Publishing:

• Print media groups in Asia, Europe and the US — which lost money to internet publications — have begun to outsource copyediting work to companies like Mindworks in India.

Search:

• To protect its sponsorship deal with Yahoo from further scrutiny, Google testified Monday that the relationship would not expand its already-sizeable lead in search traffic. "We think we'll make money, of course," the executive added with haste.

Social Networks:

• Culture Clique, a new social networking site, enables users to terrace product, event and service reviews based on "friends" they trust most.

User Experience:

• Sojern Inc. partnered with five airlines to place local advertising on printable online boarding passes. Participants include Delta Airlines and Continental. "We expect to make a nice profit while delighting customers," said spokesman Mark Bergsrud for Continental in Houston.