AOL targeting big marketers but could steal smaller ones
When AOL CEO Tim Armstrong unveils a strategy Friday that focuses on combining specialized content and display advertising, he plans to make AOL appealing to large consumer products companies with big marketing budgets like Procter & Gamble.
But he also is looking to gather the smaller local markets as well. I asked Guy Schuller, who oversees media strategy for Chrysler and other clients of interactive ad agency Organic Inc, what he sees for smaller marketers.
Schuller said that online display marketplace has traditionally not been easily accessible to small marketers. Launching a local campaign required specific media expertise, appropriate creative and the implementation of tracking. Local newspaper and television sites had some success with a packaged media + creative approach but ultimately targeting was a challenge and these buys tended to be inefficient, quantifying ROI was difficult. On the flip side, search was naturally set up to be extremely targeted and performance driven which made it an easy sell for local businesses.
“This has improved over the last few years with the resurgence of the Ad Networks and their targeting capabilities. The adoption of these advance targeting features and different buying models (Cost Per Acquisition) have helped to reduce waste and have provided ROI focused small marketers with an efficient way to use display. The only issue is that while these buys are geographically targeted (IP Address) they may not be contextually relevant from a local perspective which can affect the impact.
AOL seems to be trying to address this local display opportunity by investigating an auction based display sales approach, similar to search, and by acquiring content (Patch) and tools (Going) that can reach local audiences and deliver on relevancy. If they can be the leaders of the local space by making it as accessible and contextually relevant as possible, they can tap into a sizable, and potentially lucrative, marketplace.”
I also asked him about concerns that while there are billions of advertising moving from traditional advertising to online that companies will spend the money, or a smaller portion than they used to, on their own sites and marketing rather than on display, banner, etc. of third-parties.
“The continued shift in consumer behavior requires all marketers to communicate, at some level, within the digital environment. In turn marketers, large and small, are recognizing this change and investing in their own offerings and sites to keep up. Ultimately they still need to drive awareness and traffic to prove out that investment which results in more online marketing.
“This shift in turn puts pressure on publishers to figure out a way to service and monetize thousands of small buys in addition to catering to large national advertisers. The search vendors, especially Google, have adapted well and have reaped the benefits of selling to both national and local marketers.”
Publisher collusion fraud rises
Click Forensics says that the overall industry average click fraud rate was 12.7 percent. That’s down from 13.8 percent for Q1 2009 and from the 16.2 percent rate reported for Q2 2008.
According to the company’s industry pay-per-click fraud figures though, click fraud traffic from sophisticated sources and scripted programs rose again in Q2 2009. This included a rise in the incidents of publisher collusion fraud on ad networks. Publisher collusion fraud occurs when online publishers use rotating IP-addresses or botnets to click ads on their own sites in order to generate inflated commissions from unprotected ad networks. Ad networks have difficultly differentiating such attacks from valid clicks.
“The increased diligence of online ad networks to detect and block invalid traffic sources has contributed to the decline in the overall click fraud rate this quarter,” Tom Cuthbert, president of Click Forensics, said in a statement. “However, increasingly sophisticated attacks, such as publisher collusion fraud, continue to be a concern. Ad networks should pay close attention to such threats in the coming months.”
Now in its fourth year, the Click Fraud Index provides statistically significant industry PPC data collected from online advertising campaigns for both large and small advertisers across all leading search engines. Traffic across more than 300 ad networks is also reflected in the data.
News Corp.’s digital future
Less than six months into his new role as head of News Corp. (NWSA), digital chief Jon Miller has no acquisitions planned. Instead, he said Thursday, he’s going to seed innovation from inside the company and spoke of “putting the house in order” first.
While he didn’t comment on News Corp.’s rumored plans to release a kindle-like digital device (News Corp. has denied that it will) he also talked at length about coming platform shifts and how industries will be experimenting with business models into the fall and figuring out how to adapt them.
Miller expressed faith in the potential for “third screens” like e-readers, to monetize content. He admitted to paying for content on his Kindle that he would be reluctant to pay for online.
But, he said, content producers have to act quickly to leverage their assets. “While you have that market position you need to move,” he said.
Miller believes that media conglomerates like News Corp. and Viacom (VIA.B) have an advantage because of their ability to both produce and distribute content.
“You have to look at how you get different pieces of the pie,” he said, offering online video site Hulu as an example. The site is a joint venture between News Corp., NBC and Disney.
Miller is becoming “more convinced fundamental changes are taking place” in the advertising industry. As digital media makes marketing more efficient, thanks to behavioral targeting and exploding supply, he said those budgets will shrink. Advertising spending online is lagging behind the time consumers spend with media online.
“You don’t have as much room for everyone to take cuts,” he explained.
Miller sees that pool of digital ad dollars splitting into two categories: premium experiences and commoditized inventory. This second tier can become more valuable, however, through behavioral targeting, which Miller says will provide “a lift out of what otherwise is a big undifferentiated environment.”
Premium content meanwhile will benefit as more brand advertising migrates online, Miller predicts. While 9% of advertising has moved online, brand advertising accounts for only a third. News Corp. is preparing its “processes and environments” for that coming shift.
Another focus for Miller is revitalizing MySpace. In May, the social networking site News Corp. acquired in 2005 for $580 million was eclipsed by rival Facebook in the number of U.S. visitors. Last month the company laid off 30% of its staff after installing new leadership in April.
Profits have fallen short of expectations and in the most recent quarter, News Corp. reported a significant drop in revenue at the unit that includes MySpace. The company reports fourth-quarter earnings on August 5.
Miller has compared his strategy to what Tim Armstrong, his successor as chief of AOL, also faces. It’s about going back to the core of the brand, he said, “and focusing on how to make it relevant today.” That also means concentrating on a few things, he said. “You can’t do everything even though you want to.”
To accomplish this, Miller is committed to building small teams that work on specific product areas. “We have to develop specialized areas and let them win,” he said. “Only then can you broaden out.”
Figuring out which specialized areas to target involves going after new behaviors, rather than trying to play catch-up, he said, mentioning video and games. Awed by the time users spend online playing games, Miller claimed, “Myspace will be an even better gaming platform in the future.”
Microsoft and Yahoo struggle to catch up with Google
Another week, another demonstration of Google’s dominance. While Microsoft and Yahoo have posted poor Q2 results this week, with online ad revenues down by 14% and 16% respectively, last week Google revealed its revenues were up 3% for the quarter.
It’s clear that, despite the economic slowdown, Mountain View’s finest are still doing something right. That something, of course, is search, which these result demonstrate the others are still not making work.
The announcements of Yahoo’s and Microsoft’s online revenue shortfalls has inevitably led to more discussion over whether they’ll join forces – a saga that has been dragging on for almost 18 months now. Clearly, Microsoft will want to see how Bing affects its bottom line first. It will be encouraged by the reaction among the industry which, for the most part, has looked on Bing favourably.
However, any market share increase has so far been minimal. Microsoft hopes new initiatives will help drive this, of course, not least its forthcoming ad-funded online Office Suite. It’s move in this space was inevitable due to the increasing popularity of free offerings such as Open Office and Google Docs, so it’ll be interesting to see how Bing and other online ad services will be integrated.
Perhaps most worrying for Microsoft and Yahoo is Google’s move into the multi-million-pound ad exchange sector. This is an area in which Yahoo, with Right Media, is an established player but will be looking over its shoulder with concern. Google CEO Eric Schmidt has said it’s the big focus for the company, but Microsoft has said its own exchange, currently being tested, is still a couple of years off. It’s a potential goldmine for any company that gets it right.
Microsoft and Yahoo have both undergone significant changes this past year, not least redundancies and launches like Yahoo’s new home page. However, it’s clear that both still have a long way to go before they start worrying Google.
Nielsen: Kids Flock to Web
Nielsen Online has confirmed something that most parents know all too well: kids are going online in droves—at a faster rate than the general Web population—and are spending more entertainment time with digital media.Over the past five years, the kids' Web universe has swelled by 18 percent, compared to a 10 percent growth rate seen in the relatively mature general Web population, per Nielsen. As of May, the kids 2-11 audience had reached 16 million, or 9.5 percent of the active online universe.That growth spurt is particularly noteworthy since it has taken place during a period in which the number of kids under 14 in the U.S. declined by 1 percent—from July 2004 to July 2009, per the U.S. Census Bureau.But even more impressive is this group's heavy surge in usage when compared to the rest of the Web. Kids are all but living online. Time spent among kids has soared by 63 percent over the past five years, while overall time spent across all age groups is up 36 percent, per Nielsen.According to Nielsen, kids 2-11 spent nearly seven hours online per month five years ago vs. 11 hours a month in 2009, with boys spending slightly more time on average than girls. That disparity is perhaps most evident in online video viewing, as boys accounted for 61 percent of video streams among kids on the Web.
However, the kids' online video landscape—once dominated by TV players Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Disney—is changing, as options for kids and digital media buyers abound.
EyeWonder's PageMorph 'Manipulates' Site Content
EyeWonder debuted PageMorph, a homepage-takeover ad format that manipulates the page upon which it sites by apparently shrinking, crumpling, stretching or affecting a real-time screenshot of the content with other means.
"Publishers are looking to create premium placements to sell to advertisers while also keeping ad clutter off their home pages," explained VP-Enterprise Solutions Erin Quist of EyeWonder. "Advertisers are seeking online ad space that will give their brands extensive reach and exposure to large audiences."
Via agency PLAN.NET, BMW Germany has experimented with PageMorph ad placements on the homepage of MotorSport-Total.com. View a demo of the effort.
EyeWonder claims such interactive takeover ads, which appear to interact with the content a user is actually interested in, enjoy higher-than-average interaction times — with some seeing up to a minute of engagement.
A study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers found rich media ads, such as those vaunted by EyeWonder, accounted for 7% of online ad spend in the first half of '08.
EyeWonder hosts an open-source Universal In-Stream Framework, which works agnostically across most ad-serving providers and supports players built in Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight and Akamai's Media Framework, according to MediaPost.
The Framework also supports the IAB's Video Ad Serving Template guidelines.
Ads that "interact" with content pages grew popular in late 2008, when in September an ad for Wario Land: Shake It! appeared on YouTube as an ordinary video. When played, it wreaked havoc on the entire page.
Last November and with the assistance of Eyeblaster, 20th Century Fox ran promotions for feature film Marley & Me on MySpace.com. In them, Marley — the canine protagonist — interacts with both banner ads and the MySpace homepage.
Finally, December saw an iPod touch ad in which Yahoo Games' homepage danced when the iPod started playing music.
Two Tribal DDB Vets Join Digitas
Digitas is bringing former Tribal DDB exec Liz Ross aboard as chief growth officer. It has also hired current Tribal global chief strategic officer and president of Europe, Middle East and Africa regions Stephan Beringer as president of Digitas Global. In her new role, Ross is tasked with growing Digitas' U.S. business with existing and new clients, as well as fostering collaboration with fellow Publicis Groupe agencies. Beringer will oversee Digitas' non-U.S. operations from London. The hires are part of a management restructuring at Digitas that expands chief marketing officer Seth Solomons' portfolio to include oversight of new business, strategy and analytics, media, technology and public relations. He also leads the Samsung and Delta relationships. Global creative chief Mark Beeching will oversee creative, planning and branded entertainment unit The Third Act.Ross will report to Solomons and plans to begin work next month. "Everybody says they're changing or they're the new model and I don't know if anybody's cracked it," said Ross, who will remain based in Chicago. "What I loved about Digitas is the base is there, the fundamentals around media and analytics. That stuff is so hard to build." Digitas has needed to deal with a dreadful year for two of its largest clients, American Express and General Motors. Solomons said changes in the media landscape give Digitas opportunities to expand its role with clients at a time of flux. "She's led an organization that's proven to win," he said. "She's very focused on helping clients build business and she's a big conceptual creative thinker." In March, Ross left Tribal DDB, where she was U.S. CEO. Global CEO Paul Gunning took her place, saying the Omnicom Group shop needed more focus on structural efficiencies.
7.28.2009
7.08.2009
June Media Updates
PointRoll Releases AdArchitect to Streamline Rich Media Design, Development and Production
AdArchitect Leverages Leading-Edge Technologies to Reduce Turnaround Time and Enable More Robust Functionality for Rich Media Display Ads
NEW YORK, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- PointRoll, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) and leading provider of rich media advertising, today launched AdArchitect, a collection of tools that helps designers and developers easily create, develop and deliver rich media ads. By streamlining the rich media ad development process, AdArchitect reduces production time by at least 30 percent.
The AdArchitect toolset leverages leading technologies that promote efficiency and enable more robust interactive display ads. The technology can be used to create an advertising unit across any of PointRoll's rich media executions, including expandable, polite, and floating formats. AdArchitect ultimately expedites the production cycle, saves time and reduces costs for advertisers and agencies.
In addition to full technical support, AdArchitect includes:
PointRoll Creative Manager, a convenient desktop application that seamlessly integrates with PointRoll's AdPortal platform and enables users to upload files, build ad units, and make demos all within their existing workflow. Creative Manager is built on the Adobe(R) AIR(R) framework and functions regardless of the installed operating system or changes in the Adobe Flash authoring environment, making it a unique and advanced tool in the rich media development space.
PointRoll Flash API, a custom API that allows users to add any PointRoll Flash feature into their rich media experience regardless of complexity. The PointRoll Flash API gives users full flexibility and design control while ensuring that all creative units have PointRoll's leading analytics tracking.
PointRoll Flash Components Library, a collection of drag-and-drop elements that allow users to easily add and customize complex features without a deep understanding of ActionScript. Users can create full-featured rich media ads, customize complex Flash elements, and easily integrate rich media features without writing code.
"AdArchitect addresses our customers' need to streamline the development process, works with all PointRoll ad formats, and allows clients to update existing features in real time," said PointRoll CEO Jason Tafler. "For brands and agencies that require a more user-friendly and comprehensive tool that reduces the time needed to produce more engaging and interactive rich media campaigns, AdArchitect is the answer."
Each of these time saving and ad-improving tools helps advertisers create highly engaging rich media display ads which provide a 550 percent lift in engagement over standard ads and more than a 60 percent increase over flash banner ads. "PointRoll's AdArchitect increases our efficiency tremendously by reducing turnaround time and makes it easier for us to meet project deadlines," said Jason Sutterfield, Interactive Technology and Production Director at The Martin Agency. "We are excited that PointRoll has taken the initiative to develop a tool that meets key needs for developers and agencies. Incorporating Adobe AIR technology makes AdArchitect more responsive than a browser tool, and by making the development process faster we can provide updates for clients in under an hour."
AdArchitect works within a user's existing workflow as the API and components are enabled inside the Flash Authoring environment and the Creative Manager resides on the user's desktop via an Adobe AIR application. The product suite is ideal for a wide range of skills levels as it includes components that minimize the need to code and a well-documented API for users with advanced ActionScript skills.
"PointRoll's AdArchitect is extremely well-designed, easy to use, and very intuitive," said Joseph Graiff, Technical Group Supervisor at CDMiConnect. "It has helped us streamline our design processes and develop creative units faster, which is a key consideration for any agency. AdArchitect enables us to conserve time and effort when launching new campaigns and updating existing creative, so that we can be as efficient as possible."
H&R Block Moves to DDB
Omnicom Group shop adds creative portion of $130 mil. business without a review
H&R Block has shifted creative duties on its ad account to DDB without a review, the Omnicom Group shop said today.Major media spending on the brand totaled $105 million last year and nearly $130 million in the first four months of 2009, according to Nielsen. Those figures do not include online spending.Interpublic Group's Campbell Mithun in Minneapolis had handled the business since 2000. In addition to traditional advertising, DDB will handle digital efforts via its Tribal DDB subsidia ry.Media duties are not shifting and remain at Omnicom's OMD.Sources said that the shift came after several months of meetings between DDB and H&R Block, whose president and CEO, Russ Smyth, knew the agency from his 21 years at McDonald's, a key global client of DDB. Smyth rose to president of McDonald's European operations before exiting in 2005."Having worked with the agency before, I know we can expect a great partnership that will help grow our business and enhance our brand," Smyth said in a statement. "DDB has a proven track record for generating strong creative that builds and maintains leadership brands."DDB North American president Dick Rogers, who worked with Smyth when he was at McDonald's and contributed to the agency's pursuit of H&R Block, said he was "thrilled" to get the opportunity to help reposition an "iconic American brand." DDB will pull creative ideas from its core U.S. offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle. Account management will be led out of New York.Campbell Mithun landed the account in 2000 and successfully defended it in a 2006 review. DDB's Chicago office was among the five finalists in that contest.
AOL buys Tim Armstrong’s Patch
It’s good to be king, but who knows if it will pay off.
AOL has brought Patch Media Corporation, a local news and information platform aimed at serving local towns and communities and Going, a local platform for people to discover and share information about things to do in a number of leading cities across the country. Both Patch and Going offer local experiences, content and self-service applications for consumers and advertisers. AOL’s CEO Tim Armstrong is the principal investor in Patch.
“Local remains one of the most disaggregated experiences on the Web today — there’s a lot of information out there but simply no way for consumers to find it quickly and easily,” Armstrong said in a statement. “It’s a space that’s prime for innovation and an area where AOL has a significant audience and a valuable mapping service in MapQuest. Going forward, local will be a core area of focus and investment for AOL. The acquisitions of Patch and Going will help us build out our local network further with excellent local services that enable people to stay better informed about what’s going on in their neighborhood.”
Founded in December 2007 and headquartered in New York, Patch combines localized, professional journalism with community contribution and a platform that puts all town assets online – in effect, digitizing the community. Patch, which expects to be available in a dozen communities by the end of the year, currently has “Patches” in five communities with four more in development.
Launched in September 2006 and headquartered in Boston, Going is one of the leading local communities for 20-somethings looking for things to do in cities across the country. Going is available in 30 leading U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Boston, with several more planned this year. Going also provides local promoters, event organizers and venues a fully automated, self-service RSVP, ticketing and advertising engine to maximize the attendance and value of their events.
Quibblo.com Named Best Advertising Media Web Site
Quibblo.com Named Best Advertising Media Web Site at 7th Annual American Business Awards(SM)
Pangea Media, a leader in online quizzes and quiz technology, announced today that the company's popular tween/teen quiz site, Quibblo.com, was awarded the top "Advertising Media Web Site or Blog" for 2009 at The American Business Awards (Stevie Awards) ceremony, held on June 22, 2009 in New York City.
Boston, MA June 26, 2009 -- Pangea Media (PangeaMedia.com), a leader in online quizzes and quiz technology, announced today that the company's popular tween/teen quiz site, Quibblo.com, was awarded the top "Advertising Media Web Site or Blog" for 2009 at The American Business Awards (Stevie Awards) ceremony, held on June 22, 2009 in New York City.
Quibblo.com was recognized for its ability to provide marketers with innovative advertising opportunities that enable them to target a select and engaged audience. Quibblo.com enables advertisers to weave their messages into the site's content by customizing quizzes or sponsoring quiz categories. The site has run campaigns for advertisers including Kohl's, MTV and DreamWorks, among others.
"As online advertising becomes an increasingly important part of the marketing mix, advertisers are seeking new strategies to better target individual audiences," said Seth Lieberman, CEO of Pangea Media. "This award is validation that Quibblo delivers a fresh approach to advertisers, providing them with innovative ways to reach and connect with their audiences through social media channels."
Stevie Awards were presented in over 40 categories including Best Overall Company of the Year, Executive of the Year, and Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year. More than 2,600 entries from companies of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration. More than 200 executives across the country participated in the judging process to determine the finalists and Stevie Award winners.
Tremor Media Touts New Web Video Ad Format
Forget the standard pre-roll. Ditch the overlay. Tremor Media today is set to release V-Choice, a set of new online video ad placements that the company claims will successfully marry the sight, sound and motion of TV spots with the control and interactivity that users expect on the Web.The company, which boasts a video ad network that reaches 57 million unique viewers (comScore, March), has just completed a beta test period with several top advertisers, including Procter & Gamble, Universal Pictures and Ubisoft. Now, it plans to roll out V-Choice ads to the general market.V-Choice units are now available on Tremor’s 900-plus site partners. The network has tapped Web metrics firm Quantcast to provide both demographic and user interaction data for campaigns.When encountering V-Choice ads, users are first shown a short five- to 15-second teaser video spot, either before or during content, and then have the choice to skip the ad entirely or view more content. That’s a better alternative for all parties, according to Tremor CEO Jason Glickman. “This is a whole different experience,” he said. “Publishers like it because it's a great user experience. For advertisers, it opens up a whole new world. It kind of changes the game for in-stream ads.”Among the new V-Choice offerings are “showcase” units, which enable brands to present multiple ads or products in a single campaign, allowing users to choose which ads to watch (if any) and in some cases to determine the length of commercials. For Universal Pictures’ upcoming movie Land of the Lost, Tremor has been testing an in-stream video ad on sites such as Fandango.com. The placement gives users the option to view a film “teaser," full length trailer, or to visit the movie’s Web site.Other showcase campaigns could direct interested users to sample different videos for a group of brands -- such as different car models from the same company -- or even long-form video content, such as product demos.Allowing for even more interactivity and potential creativity are V-Choice “storytelling” units, which let advertisers present campaigns in chapters, with users controlling the navigation. Tremor executives said these units should work for advertisers’ whose campaigns have extended scenarios and also support vehicles such as branded entertainment Webisodes.
Microsoft puts Razorfish up for sale
Microsoft has appointed Morgan Stanley to find a potential buyer for Razorfish, its digital agency.
Publicis, the French marketing company that says it is planning more acquisitions in online advertising, is thought to be a possible bidder.
Microsoft acquired the agency, formerly called Avenue A Razorfish, as part of its $6bn takeover of aQuantive in 2007.
One analyst valued Razorfish at $600m-$700m, based on sales of about $400m last year and profit margins for similar businesses of 12-13 per cent.
The analyst said: “Much more than that would be overpaying”, adding that even in digital marketing, valuations had fallen since last year, when Advertising Age trade magazine reported a valuation of $800m
In August, two years after the aQuantive deal, more favourable tax implications will provide an opportunity for Microsoft to sell an asset some view as a conflict of interest with Microsoft Advertising, which sells technology to rival agencies.
Microsoft declined to comment.
Razorfish, which has headquarters in Seattle, is one of the largest digital agencies, with 2,000 employees. Clients include Audi, Nike and Kraft.
Maurice Lévy, Publicis chief executive, said funds from a refinancing this month could be used for acquisitions, particularly in digital and emerging markets, which are performing better than traditional advertising in the US and Europe.
“There are some opportunities” for acquisitions, he said.
“Obviously if we can take advantage of the current situation to be ready to take these things, it’s good.”
Publicis had previously said that its issuance of €719m ($1bn) in convertible bonds was related to a refinancing due in 2012.
Mr Lévy said there was currently a “window where it looks like it is relatively easy to raise money” even if there was no “immediate need”.
He did not name potential targets and declined to comment on whether he would be interested in acquiring Razorfish.
But one analyst, who asked not to be named, said: “Publicis would be willing to look at everything. It has the best balance sheet and the most to do.” Razorfish is “the more likely name”.
Publicis and Microsoft Advertising on Friday announced a broad strategic agreement, including Publicis’s VivaKi unit using Microsoft technology to place targeted advertising on television set-top boxes.
Other agency groups, such as Omnicom and WPP, which are facing the same structural shift of marketing budgets into digital, could also be interested in Razorfish.
Google Holds 65% Search Share in Pre-Bing Rankings
Americans conducted 14.3 billion searches at the five core search engines in May 2009, with nearly two-thirds (65%) of searches performed on Google, 20% on Yahoo and 8.2% on Microsoft Sites, according to comScore qSearch data.
Though the total number of searches was down 3.8% over April 2009, Google's share of searches rose eight tenths of a percentage point, up from 64.2% in April, observes MarketingCharts. Shares for Yahoo, Microsoft and AOL declined slightly. Ask Network (3.9% of searches) was up one-tenth of a percentage point, while AOL LLC (3.1% of searches) declined two-tenths of a point.
May search data did not include figures for Microsoft's new search engine Bing, which was launched June 1. Bing figures will be included in comScore's June search analysis.
Separate comScore research from the first two weeks of Bing's launch showed that it had gained enough traction in the search market to rattle Google.
Total Core Searches
Google Sites accounted for 9.3 billion core searches in May, followed by Yahoo Sites with 2.9 billion and Microsoft Sites with 1.1 billion.
The total number of searches was down across the top engines overall, with AOL experiencing a 12% drop in the number of searches, and Google experiencing a 3% drop. Ask Network had the smallest percentage decrease, down 1%.
Expanded Search Rankings
In the comScore May 2009 analysis of the top properties where search activity is observed, Google Sites led with 13 billion searches. Yahoo Sites ranked second with 3 billion searches, followed by Microsoft Sites (1.2 billion) and AOL LLC (721 million).
Nielsen Online also released May search data, which put the total number of searches at 9.9 billion and Google holding a 63.2% share. Nielsen's figures showed the number of searches between April and May 2009 increased, in part because Nielsen data also tracks a number of smaller players that have experienced recent growth.
AdArchitect Leverages Leading-Edge Technologies to Reduce Turnaround Time and Enable More Robust Functionality for Rich Media Display Ads
NEW YORK, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- PointRoll, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) and leading provider of rich media advertising, today launched AdArchitect, a collection of tools that helps designers and developers easily create, develop and deliver rich media ads. By streamlining the rich media ad development process, AdArchitect reduces production time by at least 30 percent.
The AdArchitect toolset leverages leading technologies that promote efficiency and enable more robust interactive display ads. The technology can be used to create an advertising unit across any of PointRoll's rich media executions, including expandable, polite, and floating formats. AdArchitect ultimately expedites the production cycle, saves time and reduces costs for advertisers and agencies.
In addition to full technical support, AdArchitect includes:
PointRoll Creative Manager, a convenient desktop application that seamlessly integrates with PointRoll's AdPortal platform and enables users to upload files, build ad units, and make demos all within their existing workflow. Creative Manager is built on the Adobe(R) AIR(R) framework and functions regardless of the installed operating system or changes in the Adobe Flash authoring environment, making it a unique and advanced tool in the rich media development space.
PointRoll Flash API, a custom API that allows users to add any PointRoll Flash feature into their rich media experience regardless of complexity. The PointRoll Flash API gives users full flexibility and design control while ensuring that all creative units have PointRoll's leading analytics tracking.
PointRoll Flash Components Library, a collection of drag-and-drop elements that allow users to easily add and customize complex features without a deep understanding of ActionScript. Users can create full-featured rich media ads, customize complex Flash elements, and easily integrate rich media features without writing code.
"AdArchitect addresses our customers' need to streamline the development process, works with all PointRoll ad formats, and allows clients to update existing features in real time," said PointRoll CEO Jason Tafler. "For brands and agencies that require a more user-friendly and comprehensive tool that reduces the time needed to produce more engaging and interactive rich media campaigns, AdArchitect is the answer."
Each of these time saving and ad-improving tools helps advertisers create highly engaging rich media display ads which provide a 550 percent lift in engagement over standard ads and more than a 60 percent increase over flash banner ads. "PointRoll's AdArchitect increases our efficiency tremendously by reducing turnaround time and makes it easier for us to meet project deadlines," said Jason Sutterfield, Interactive Technology and Production Director at The Martin Agency. "We are excited that PointRoll has taken the initiative to develop a tool that meets key needs for developers and agencies. Incorporating Adobe AIR technology makes AdArchitect more responsive than a browser tool, and by making the development process faster we can provide updates for clients in under an hour."
AdArchitect works within a user's existing workflow as the API and components are enabled inside the Flash Authoring environment and the Creative Manager resides on the user's desktop via an Adobe AIR application. The product suite is ideal for a wide range of skills levels as it includes components that minimize the need to code and a well-documented API for users with advanced ActionScript skills.
"PointRoll's AdArchitect is extremely well-designed, easy to use, and very intuitive," said Joseph Graiff, Technical Group Supervisor at CDMiConnect. "It has helped us streamline our design processes and develop creative units faster, which is a key consideration for any agency. AdArchitect enables us to conserve time and effort when launching new campaigns and updating existing creative, so that we can be as efficient as possible."
H&R Block Moves to DDB
Omnicom Group shop adds creative portion of $130 mil. business without a review
H&R Block has shifted creative duties on its ad account to DDB without a review, the Omnicom Group shop said today.Major media spending on the brand totaled $105 million last year and nearly $130 million in the first four months of 2009, according to Nielsen. Those figures do not include online spending.Interpublic Group's Campbell Mithun in Minneapolis had handled the business since 2000. In addition to traditional advertising, DDB will handle digital efforts via its Tribal DDB subsidia ry.Media duties are not shifting and remain at Omnicom's OMD.Sources said that the shift came after several months of meetings between DDB and H&R Block, whose president and CEO, Russ Smyth, knew the agency from his 21 years at McDonald's, a key global client of DDB. Smyth rose to president of McDonald's European operations before exiting in 2005."Having worked with the agency before, I know we can expect a great partnership that will help grow our business and enhance our brand," Smyth said in a statement. "DDB has a proven track record for generating strong creative that builds and maintains leadership brands."DDB North American president Dick Rogers, who worked with Smyth when he was at McDonald's and contributed to the agency's pursuit of H&R Block, said he was "thrilled" to get the opportunity to help reposition an "iconic American brand." DDB will pull creative ideas from its core U.S. offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle. Account management will be led out of New York.Campbell Mithun landed the account in 2000 and successfully defended it in a 2006 review. DDB's Chicago office was among the five finalists in that contest.
AOL buys Tim Armstrong’s Patch
It’s good to be king, but who knows if it will pay off.
AOL has brought Patch Media Corporation, a local news and information platform aimed at serving local towns and communities and Going, a local platform for people to discover and share information about things to do in a number of leading cities across the country. Both Patch and Going offer local experiences, content and self-service applications for consumers and advertisers. AOL’s CEO Tim Armstrong is the principal investor in Patch.
“Local remains one of the most disaggregated experiences on the Web today — there’s a lot of information out there but simply no way for consumers to find it quickly and easily,” Armstrong said in a statement. “It’s a space that’s prime for innovation and an area where AOL has a significant audience and a valuable mapping service in MapQuest. Going forward, local will be a core area of focus and investment for AOL. The acquisitions of Patch and Going will help us build out our local network further with excellent local services that enable people to stay better informed about what’s going on in their neighborhood.”
Founded in December 2007 and headquartered in New York, Patch combines localized, professional journalism with community contribution and a platform that puts all town assets online – in effect, digitizing the community. Patch, which expects to be available in a dozen communities by the end of the year, currently has “Patches” in five communities with four more in development.
Launched in September 2006 and headquartered in Boston, Going is one of the leading local communities for 20-somethings looking for things to do in cities across the country. Going is available in 30 leading U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Boston, with several more planned this year. Going also provides local promoters, event organizers and venues a fully automated, self-service RSVP, ticketing and advertising engine to maximize the attendance and value of their events.
Quibblo.com Named Best Advertising Media Web Site
Quibblo.com Named Best Advertising Media Web Site at 7th Annual American Business Awards(SM)
Pangea Media, a leader in online quizzes and quiz technology, announced today that the company's popular tween/teen quiz site, Quibblo.com, was awarded the top "Advertising Media Web Site or Blog" for 2009 at The American Business Awards (Stevie Awards) ceremony, held on June 22, 2009 in New York City.
Boston, MA June 26, 2009 -- Pangea Media (PangeaMedia.com), a leader in online quizzes and quiz technology, announced today that the company's popular tween/teen quiz site, Quibblo.com, was awarded the top "Advertising Media Web Site or Blog" for 2009 at The American Business Awards (Stevie Awards) ceremony, held on June 22, 2009 in New York City.
Quibblo.com was recognized for its ability to provide marketers with innovative advertising opportunities that enable them to target a select and engaged audience. Quibblo.com enables advertisers to weave their messages into the site's content by customizing quizzes or sponsoring quiz categories. The site has run campaigns for advertisers including Kohl's, MTV and DreamWorks, among others.
"As online advertising becomes an increasingly important part of the marketing mix, advertisers are seeking new strategies to better target individual audiences," said Seth Lieberman, CEO of Pangea Media. "This award is validation that Quibblo delivers a fresh approach to advertisers, providing them with innovative ways to reach and connect with their audiences through social media channels."
Stevie Awards were presented in over 40 categories including Best Overall Company of the Year, Executive of the Year, and Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year. More than 2,600 entries from companies of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration. More than 200 executives across the country participated in the judging process to determine the finalists and Stevie Award winners.
Tremor Media Touts New Web Video Ad Format
Forget the standard pre-roll. Ditch the overlay. Tremor Media today is set to release V-Choice, a set of new online video ad placements that the company claims will successfully marry the sight, sound and motion of TV spots with the control and interactivity that users expect on the Web.The company, which boasts a video ad network that reaches 57 million unique viewers (comScore, March), has just completed a beta test period with several top advertisers, including Procter & Gamble, Universal Pictures and Ubisoft. Now, it plans to roll out V-Choice ads to the general market.V-Choice units are now available on Tremor’s 900-plus site partners. The network has tapped Web metrics firm Quantcast to provide both demographic and user interaction data for campaigns.When encountering V-Choice ads, users are first shown a short five- to 15-second teaser video spot, either before or during content, and then have the choice to skip the ad entirely or view more content. That’s a better alternative for all parties, according to Tremor CEO Jason Glickman. “This is a whole different experience,” he said. “Publishers like it because it's a great user experience. For advertisers, it opens up a whole new world. It kind of changes the game for in-stream ads.”Among the new V-Choice offerings are “showcase” units, which enable brands to present multiple ads or products in a single campaign, allowing users to choose which ads to watch (if any) and in some cases to determine the length of commercials. For Universal Pictures’ upcoming movie Land of the Lost, Tremor has been testing an in-stream video ad on sites such as Fandango.com. The placement gives users the option to view a film “teaser," full length trailer, or to visit the movie’s Web site.Other showcase campaigns could direct interested users to sample different videos for a group of brands -- such as different car models from the same company -- or even long-form video content, such as product demos.Allowing for even more interactivity and potential creativity are V-Choice “storytelling” units, which let advertisers present campaigns in chapters, with users controlling the navigation. Tremor executives said these units should work for advertisers’ whose campaigns have extended scenarios and also support vehicles such as branded entertainment Webisodes.
Microsoft puts Razorfish up for sale
Microsoft has appointed Morgan Stanley to find a potential buyer for Razorfish, its digital agency.
Publicis, the French marketing company that says it is planning more acquisitions in online advertising, is thought to be a possible bidder.
Microsoft acquired the agency, formerly called Avenue A Razorfish, as part of its $6bn takeover of aQuantive in 2007.
One analyst valued Razorfish at $600m-$700m, based on sales of about $400m last year and profit margins for similar businesses of 12-13 per cent.
The analyst said: “Much more than that would be overpaying”, adding that even in digital marketing, valuations had fallen since last year, when Advertising Age trade magazine reported a valuation of $800m
In August, two years after the aQuantive deal, more favourable tax implications will provide an opportunity for Microsoft to sell an asset some view as a conflict of interest with Microsoft Advertising, which sells technology to rival agencies.
Microsoft declined to comment.
Razorfish, which has headquarters in Seattle, is one of the largest digital agencies, with 2,000 employees. Clients include Audi, Nike and Kraft.
Maurice Lévy, Publicis chief executive, said funds from a refinancing this month could be used for acquisitions, particularly in digital and emerging markets, which are performing better than traditional advertising in the US and Europe.
“There are some opportunities” for acquisitions, he said.
“Obviously if we can take advantage of the current situation to be ready to take these things, it’s good.”
Publicis had previously said that its issuance of €719m ($1bn) in convertible bonds was related to a refinancing due in 2012.
Mr Lévy said there was currently a “window where it looks like it is relatively easy to raise money” even if there was no “immediate need”.
He did not name potential targets and declined to comment on whether he would be interested in acquiring Razorfish.
But one analyst, who asked not to be named, said: “Publicis would be willing to look at everything. It has the best balance sheet and the most to do.” Razorfish is “the more likely name”.
Publicis and Microsoft Advertising on Friday announced a broad strategic agreement, including Publicis’s VivaKi unit using Microsoft technology to place targeted advertising on television set-top boxes.
Other agency groups, such as Omnicom and WPP, which are facing the same structural shift of marketing budgets into digital, could also be interested in Razorfish.
Google Holds 65% Search Share in Pre-Bing Rankings
Americans conducted 14.3 billion searches at the five core search engines in May 2009, with nearly two-thirds (65%) of searches performed on Google, 20% on Yahoo and 8.2% on Microsoft Sites, according to comScore qSearch data.
Though the total number of searches was down 3.8% over April 2009, Google's share of searches rose eight tenths of a percentage point, up from 64.2% in April, observes MarketingCharts. Shares for Yahoo, Microsoft and AOL declined slightly. Ask Network (3.9% of searches) was up one-tenth of a percentage point, while AOL LLC (3.1% of searches) declined two-tenths of a point.
May search data did not include figures for Microsoft's new search engine Bing, which was launched June 1. Bing figures will be included in comScore's June search analysis.
Separate comScore research from the first two weeks of Bing's launch showed that it had gained enough traction in the search market to rattle Google.
Total Core Searches
Google Sites accounted for 9.3 billion core searches in May, followed by Yahoo Sites with 2.9 billion and Microsoft Sites with 1.1 billion.
The total number of searches was down across the top engines overall, with AOL experiencing a 12% drop in the number of searches, and Google experiencing a 3% drop. Ask Network had the smallest percentage decrease, down 1%.
Expanded Search Rankings
In the comScore May 2009 analysis of the top properties where search activity is observed, Google Sites led with 13 billion searches. Yahoo Sites ranked second with 3 billion searches, followed by Microsoft Sites (1.2 billion) and AOL LLC (721 million).
Nielsen Online also released May search data, which put the total number of searches at 9.9 billion and Google holding a 63.2% share. Nielsen's figures showed the number of searches between April and May 2009 increased, in part because Nielsen data also tracks a number of smaller players that have experienced recent growth.
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