Phew! What a week. With half the office out and my colleague burning up the stage at Ad:Tech, I haven't had a chance to post at all this week.
Not too much to report
AOL pays USD 850m for Bebo
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2008/tc20080313_479505.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_top+stories
Hard to really comment on this given it just happened and Bebo isn't really much of a player in the AU market. Wonder whether it will affect the sales relationship Bebo has with Y!7? It appears from the article everyone else didn't want to touch Bebo - Yahoo, Disney, MSN etc
Disgraced NY governor Elliot Spitzer's drop in call-girl is also a wannabe singer
http://valleywag.com/367548/call-girl-beats-barenaked-ladies-radiohead-singer
Check amiestreet.com
Doubleclick and Google merger is now approved
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2008/tc20080311_855889.htm?chan=search
Green light from the EU means Google can now officially enter another realm.
Disney CEO: join the digital revolution--or hire people who can.
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=78382&Nid=40401&p=921280
Eisner replacement lays down the a directive for Disney to significantly grow digital revenues.
YouTube coming to TV - via Tivo
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/technology/13tivo.html?_r=2&ref=media&oref=login&oref=slogin
When it is introduced this year (the exact time has not been specified), the YouTube service will be available only to TiVo users who have up-to-date hardware — a Series 3 or HD set-top box — and a broadband connection. Sounds cool, will Seven roll it out locally? Wonder what is actually happening with Tivo here.
Carlton Draught launch Skytroop
http://www.skytroop.com
Lots of video placements, plus a YouTube homepage takeover.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
Myfreeimplants.com and Stephen Colbert
Did anyone else see Colbert Report last night (Thursday 6/3) on Comedy Channel (Australia). They ran a pretty funny story on legit website www.myfreeimplants.com
View the clip here (courtesy Valleywag) - http://valleywag.com/364646/colbert-salutes-powers-of-web-to-help-women-achieve-perfection
The site is pretty funny - it brings 'women' (ie those who want implants but don't want to pay together with 'benefactors' (weird dudes who will pay them money to do things like chat, post pics, see custom photos) in order to satisfy both of their wants.
The ultimate aim is the women get new boobs and the men get something in return for their pledge. According to Colbert the site has helped 95 girls score new boobs.
If you're keen, here's some feelgood sentiment from the site owner.
"And remember... the best part is seeing the newly transformed ladies after the surgery when they return to the website to post pictures of the results. You can take pride in knowing that you helped her improve her self esteem and self image!"
View the clip here (courtesy Valleywag) - http://valleywag.com/364646/colbert-salutes-powers-of-web-to-help-women-achieve-perfection
The site is pretty funny - it brings 'women' (ie those who want implants but don't want to pay together with 'benefactors' (weird dudes who will pay them money to do things like chat, post pics, see custom photos) in order to satisfy both of their wants.
The ultimate aim is the women get new boobs and the men get something in return for their pledge. According to Colbert the site has helped 95 girls score new boobs.
If you're keen, here's some feelgood sentiment from the site owner.
"And remember... the best part is seeing the newly transformed ladies after the surgery when they return to the website to post pictures of the results. You can take pride in knowing that you helped her improve her self esteem and self image!"
Thursday, March 6, 2008
US: Mobile Ad Visibility on the increase
The NY Times reports "the number of phone users who recalled seeing mobile ads rose by 38 percent to 58 million in the fourth quarter compared with 42 million in the second quarter, Nielsen's fourth-quarter survey of 22,000 active mobile data users."
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-nielsen-mobileads.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
So we have non brand specific recall improving, as well as reach. All positives for the mobile space.
The article touches on ad content potentially subsidising usage for subscribers, with Virgin Mobile US even implementing this practice now.
"About 13 percent of respondents said they were open to ads if they improves the mobile content available, while about 14 percent said they were open to ads as long as they were relevant to their interests, the (Neilsen) survey found."
Is the answer locally making mobile Internet access free (or a nominal monthly charge - say $5 - and funding the data through targeted display ads?
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-nielsen-mobileads.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
So we have non brand specific recall improving, as well as reach. All positives for the mobile space.
The article touches on ad content potentially subsidising usage for subscribers, with Virgin Mobile US even implementing this practice now.
"About 13 percent of respondents said they were open to ads if they improves the mobile content available, while about 14 percent said they were open to ads as long as they were relevant to their interests, the (Neilsen) survey found."
Is the answer locally making mobile Internet access free (or a nominal monthly charge - say $5 - and funding the data through targeted display ads?
Role reversal: Google shares taking a pounding
So apparently Google's share price has dropped 40% since November 07. If you've missed this happening, you're not alone, it seems to have slipped under the radar given the hype around the MS/Yahoo potential merger and Jimmy Wales sex life.
This dive represents a shareholder value loss of more than $93b USD. John Battelle, author of The Search and noted industry expert, has stated that right now is Google's first rough patch and "It will test the character of the company."
Lets not forget however that it's not all bad news for Google.
Last year the company made 4.2b in profits.
In January 08 it increased its lead on Yahoo, ask and MSN in the US search market in terms of % of total searches by 9%, however it has been claimed user clicked on 7% less ads. (there is substantial debate about the validity of these claims though)
I think what this investor caution does show is there is more pressure now for Google to prove not only its leadership beyond it's core business, search, but also it's ability to monetise smarter than their competitors.
Are they up for it? Well, only a fool would bet against them.
This dive represents a shareholder value loss of more than $93b USD. John Battelle, author of The Search and noted industry expert, has stated that right now is Google's first rough patch and "It will test the character of the company."
Lets not forget however that it's not all bad news for Google.
Last year the company made 4.2b in profits.
In January 08 it increased its lead on Yahoo, ask and MSN in the US search market in terms of % of total searches by 9%, however it has been claimed user clicked on 7% less ads. (there is substantial debate about the validity of these claims though)
I think what this investor caution does show is there is more pressure now for Google to prove not only its leadership beyond it's core business, search, but also it's ability to monetise smarter than their competitors.
Are they up for it? Well, only a fool would bet against them.
IAB Australia board gets a boost
According to B&T, the IAB has added some new board members. And they don't come much bigger in the local market.
Tony Faure - CEO, Ninemsn
Rohan Lund - CEO, Yahoo!7
Nick Leeder - COO, News Digital Media
Bill Burton - Bigpond
Nick Cola - Fairfax Digital
Nothing on it on the IAB website funnily enough - http://www.iabaustralia.com.au/
Tony Faure - CEO, Ninemsn
Rohan Lund - CEO, Yahoo!7
Nick Leeder - COO, News Digital Media
Bill Burton - Bigpond
Nick Cola - Fairfax Digital
Nothing on it on the IAB website funnily enough - http://www.iabaustralia.com.au/
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
This blog has now changed
This blog has changed title and now solely reflects the opinions of the author, not of MindShare Interaction or any associated or aligned company.
Everything else will continue as it was.
Enjoy!
Everything else will continue as it was.
Enjoy!
Media Watch outs 4 Square media head honcho for 'borrowing' copy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdtvJAKEHeU
Ouch! David Richards cops a battering from Media Watch for plagiarism.
You have to admire his defence however.
"Several stories exposed on Media Watch were not posted by me or 4Square Media staff as Media Watch indicated. These stories have been deliberately posted to our web site using my byline in an effort to discredit both myself and 4Square Media... our web site content engine has been accessed by non authorized personnel who appear to have lifted a story from another site and then posted it inside our content engine."
Ouch! David Richards cops a battering from Media Watch for plagiarism.
You have to admire his defence however.
"Several stories exposed on Media Watch were not posted by me or 4Square Media staff as Media Watch indicated. These stories have been deliberately posted to our web site using my byline in an effort to discredit both myself and 4Square Media... our web site content engine has been accessed by non authorized personnel who appear to have lifted a story from another site and then posted it inside our content engine."
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
New NIN embraces flexible pricing
Trent Reznor's frustrations with the traditional music industry were well documented, so it's not surprising to see him fully embrace the autonomy of the web and take control back of his product.
You can download the first 9 tracks, DRm free - FOR FREE
All 36 tracks + a 40 page pdf - $5
2 X CD on 6 panel digipack - $10
There's also $300 (sold out) and $75 deluxe options for fans.
http://ghosts.nin.com/main/home
You can download the first 9 tracks, DRm free - FOR FREE
All 36 tracks + a 40 page pdf - $5
2 X CD on 6 panel digipack - $10
There's also $300 (sold out) and $75 deluxe options for fans.
http://ghosts.nin.com/main/home
More performance mumbles from the AU players
According to this article Fairfax Digital have approached some of the other large players about setting up a remnant inventory pool between these players (FD, News, ninemsn, Yahoo!) to try and defend their turf against other remnant inventory sellers such as Max and DGM.
Jack Matthews has a tough dilemma - having his cake and eating it too.
Taken from http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23307005-7582,00.html ""Performance is a big strategic challenge for us," Mr Matthews said. "We are looking at whether we will be running a performance network ourselves. One of our concerns is that we do want to make sure we maintain our premium inventory." "
Matthews has claimed the talks are more about the large players coming together to try and spruke the values of premium inventory. To be honest, this seems more sensible.
With the Internet truly global and users having access to millions of sites - not to mention Google playing a huge role in what sites get traffic given the importance of search, you really have to wonder what a network like this would achieve despite diluting the value these networks have tried to protect and actively promote in the past 18 months. There is more reach to be had via the countless networks that sell blind buys across the Internet.
I often wonder whether performance can ever be something that increases yield over time given it's remnant, unsold, generally untargeted and most importantly completely irrelevant to the page content. Don't get me wrong, 'performance' has its place but is it going to offer sustainable growth and long term advantage for publishers? Are there more short term dollars in moving publishers Google AdSense ads closer to the fold? At least these have a connection to page content.
The hysteria around performance is definitely interesting in 08. Is MARKET/client need driving it or PUBLISHER revenue want at any mid to long term cost ... is it the publishers scrambling for revenue as the online display growth starts to slow and search makes more inroads into the big dollar agency clients? This performance approach seems very immediate term - and in terms of the users you have to wonder whether over time there will be pressure to place more ads on pages ... to push more revenue per PI ... and whether users will desert and move to cleaner pastures ... just like they did with search 7-8 years ago when millions embraced Google.
Jack Matthews has a tough dilemma - having his cake and eating it too.
Taken from http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23307005-7582,00.html ""Performance is a big strategic challenge for us," Mr Matthews said. "We are looking at whether we will be running a performance network ourselves. One of our concerns is that we do want to make sure we maintain our premium inventory." "
Matthews has claimed the talks are more about the large players coming together to try and spruke the values of premium inventory. To be honest, this seems more sensible.
With the Internet truly global and users having access to millions of sites - not to mention Google playing a huge role in what sites get traffic given the importance of search, you really have to wonder what a network like this would achieve despite diluting the value these networks have tried to protect and actively promote in the past 18 months. There is more reach to be had via the countless networks that sell blind buys across the Internet.
I often wonder whether performance can ever be something that increases yield over time given it's remnant, unsold, generally untargeted and most importantly completely irrelevant to the page content. Don't get me wrong, 'performance' has its place but is it going to offer sustainable growth and long term advantage for publishers? Are there more short term dollars in moving publishers Google AdSense ads closer to the fold? At least these have a connection to page content.
The hysteria around performance is definitely interesting in 08. Is MARKET/client need driving it or PUBLISHER revenue want at any mid to long term cost ... is it the publishers scrambling for revenue as the online display growth starts to slow and search makes more inroads into the big dollar agency clients? This performance approach seems very immediate term - and in terms of the users you have to wonder whether over time there will be pressure to place more ads on pages ... to push more revenue per PI ... and whether users will desert and move to cleaner pastures ... just like they did with search 7-8 years ago when millions embraced Google.
Social Media here to stay: Executive Director of 'Thanks for the Add' to be appointed
So social networks are here to stay says a new report from TNS Media Intelligence/Cymfony out of the US. They even say it is a facet of the marcomms mix that needs to be overseen by senior execs in a specialised manner.
"In the survey of 71 marketing professionals in the U.S., Canada, France and the U.K., not even one respondent saw social media as a passing fad. Approximately a fifth (21.1 percent) said it was worth monitoring at the staff level but "should not absorb significant resources," while nearly half (49.3 percent) said it should be monitored at the executive level and receive significant resources. Another 29.6 percent called it a "revolutionary new opportunity that must be grasped with a sense of urgency." The U.S. had a higher concentration of exuberance, with 45 percent of respondents calling social media revolutionary. " - http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3628607
Well, what does this mean?
It appears the majority consider social media if not essential, revolutionary to a point of urgency.
So what is pushing their buttons?
"Monitoring social media activity for brand and category-related sentiments ranked highest among marketers' priorities for the channel and scored considerably higher than brand awareness and customer loyalty initiatives. Whereas roughly 20 percent said it offered the greatest potential for either increasing loyalty or building awareness, 36.6 percent described it as ideal for "gaining consumer insights."
The first point is really no different to offline media monitoring ... checking media to ensure you are on top of market sentiment and being able to respond accordingly. Utilising it for brand awareness and loyalty doesn't score as well (which would be troubling for some), yet over a third consider it ideal for gaining consumer insights (which is an area neither of the big players have really tapped into which could be a ridiculously large goldmine if executed correctly).
Will we see the major social utilities look to gain insights from consumers and actively monetise these beyond what straight targeting? Will we see social networks and utilities partner with brands (ie really partner, not just sell inventory and some production) to allow them to truly understand their audience and connect with them in a meaningful way?
Lets not forget these are o/s stats - I would wonder what the data would look like locally. Still, promising news for the social media gang.
"In the survey of 71 marketing professionals in the U.S., Canada, France and the U.K., not even one respondent saw social media as a passing fad. Approximately a fifth (21.1 percent) said it was worth monitoring at the staff level but "should not absorb significant resources," while nearly half (49.3 percent) said it should be monitored at the executive level and receive significant resources. Another 29.6 percent called it a "revolutionary new opportunity that must be grasped with a sense of urgency." The U.S. had a higher concentration of exuberance, with 45 percent of respondents calling social media revolutionary. " - http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3628607
Well, what does this mean?
It appears the majority consider social media if not essential, revolutionary to a point of urgency.
So what is pushing their buttons?
"Monitoring social media activity for brand and category-related sentiments ranked highest among marketers' priorities for the channel and scored considerably higher than brand awareness and customer loyalty initiatives. Whereas roughly 20 percent said it offered the greatest potential for either increasing loyalty or building awareness, 36.6 percent described it as ideal for "gaining consumer insights."
The first point is really no different to offline media monitoring ... checking media to ensure you are on top of market sentiment and being able to respond accordingly. Utilising it for brand awareness and loyalty doesn't score as well (which would be troubling for some), yet over a third consider it ideal for gaining consumer insights (which is an area neither of the big players have really tapped into which could be a ridiculously large goldmine if executed correctly).
Will we see the major social utilities look to gain insights from consumers and actively monetise these beyond what straight targeting? Will we see social networks and utilities partner with brands (ie really partner, not just sell inventory and some production) to allow them to truly understand their audience and connect with them in a meaningful way?
Lets not forget these are o/s stats - I would wonder what the data would look like locally. Still, promising news for the social media gang.
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