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News Hotline

• DAA To Require Members To Honor Do-Not-Track Headers
  by Wendy Davis 68 minutes ago

  The ad industry's self-regulatory group Digital Advertising Alliance now supports the idea that consumers should be able to opt out of all online behavioral advertising through a browser-based do-not-track header, the group's lawyer, Stuart Ingis, said on Wednesday. ...

• Verizon Targets Young Professionals
  by Tanya Irwin 69 minutes ago

  Verizon is targeting what it calls "trend-setting young professionals" who live in apartments and condominiums in four major markets via a hyperlocal FiOS campaign. The multimedia effort was tested in a metro-Washington D.C. pilot last fall and is now being rolled out in the New York, Philadelphia, Dallas/Fort ...

• Watchdogs Ask FCC To Scuttle Verizon's Spectrum Deal
  by Wendy Davis 7 hours ago

  Verizon's planned alliance with three cable companies will undermine competition and harm consumers, advocacy groups argue in petitions filed with the Federal Communications Commission. ...

• Cablers Cite ESPN, Disney As Key To Selling Services
  by David Goetzl 7 hours ago

  As much as cable operators complain about ESPN's increasing carriage fees, they still believe that offering the network is money well spent. New research shows operators rank ESPN as the most valuable network to their business -- almost double the worth of the Disney Channel. ...

• Nike Gets Razzed For Olympic Hoops Look
  by Sarah Mahoney 7 hours ago

  While Nike deserves credit for trying to get as much marketing mileage as it can out of the upcoming Olympics in London, given that archrival Adidas has an edge over it as an official Olympic partner, it's getting a slow start. ...

• Goodyear, ESPN Let Basketball Fans Pick Blimp Winner
  by Erik Sass 8 hours ago

  Perhaps the paramount (or at least, highest) honor accorded to a sporting event is aerial coverage from the iconic Goodyear Blimp. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is partnering with ESPN to let basketball fans decide which college tournament match-ups are deserving of the high-altitude treatment or "blimpworthy." ...

• Google Moves Into Traditional TV, Files For Cable Franchise
  by Wayne Friedman 8 hours ago

  Google will move into traditional TV waters next year after filing for a couple of cable TV franchises in the Midwest last Friday. Google filed state regulatory papers for cable TV licenses for its Google fiber service in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri. Two Sanford C. ...

• Canoe Drops ITV Mission, Most Staff To Focus On VOD Ad Initiatives
  by Steve McClellan 8 hours ago

  Canoe Ventures, the partnership of major cable companies created to make scaled addressable and interactive TV a reality, is redefining its mission and drastically scaling back its operation. The cable company venture is shutting down its New York office and laying off most of its staff based there ...

• Yahoo Rallies For Better Search Metrics
  by Laurie Sullivan 9 hours ago

  Traditional metrics to measure searches don't work well with tools like Google Instant and Yahoo Search Direct, or with emerging technologies like voice and gesture. Until now, the industry has relied on data firms like comScore, but Shashi Seth, svp of search products at Yahoo, believes the problem ...

• Men, Women Favor Same On-Premises Vodka Brands
  by Karlene Lukovitz 9 hours ago

  The #1 and #2 vodka brands - Grey Goose and Absolut, cited as the preferred away-from-home brands by 18% and 12% of total respondents, respectively -- are both preferred equally by men and women, reports NPD. ...

• 'Forbes' Steals From 'New York Times'?

  Is it ethical to summarize and repackage a story online? How can  traditional print newspapers maximize their digital strategy?  These were some of the issues raised by the post "How Forbes Stole A New York Times Article And Got All The Traffic," which Jim ...

• Conde Nast Seeks 'Ultimate Flexibility' In Tablet Design

  Conde Nast, among the first publishers to move its mags onto the iPad, is rethinking its tablet strategy in the wake of so many different new devices and formats. The company's goal, Content Innovation VP Scott Dadich told a briefing with London ad buyers,  is "to have ultimate ...

• 'Vanity Fair,' Fashion Mags Lead Ad Page Increases

  Vanity Fair, which added 44.09 ad pages in its March issue (up from 2011), led the pack of hefty spring editions, the only general interest/celeb pub among four fashion magazines with the largest ad page gains: in descending order, Marie Claire (which added almost a third more pages ...

• Is Comcast Really Serious About Ethnic Market?

  Did Comcast's announcement yesterday of four new independent channels headed by the likes of Sean "Diddy" Combs and “Desperado” director Robert Rodrigue, signal "a true commitment" to more diversity in programming? Brent Lang analyzes this question, garnering mixed responses from various sources -- and noting that "in order ...

• NBC Gains Steam, 'Loser' Gains

  Broadcast programming on Tuesday night tightened up a bit -- leader CBS shrank slightly, while third-place NBC and fourth-place ABC picked up some viewers. ...

• Q&A: Buick Focuses On New Vehicles, Buyers

  Besides the Buick Discovery Tour invitation-only experience, test drive program, the automaker will tout the Verano through advertising around NCAA basketball. "Marketing Daily" speaks with Roger McCormack, marketing director. ...

• Forecast: Google Display Ad Revs To Beat Facebook

  In 2013, eMarketer anticipates that Google's U.S. display revenues will grow 45.3% to $3.68 billion, while Facebook's will grow 27.6% to $3.29 billion. eMarketer principal analyst David Hallerman attributes Google's astonishing success to a thriving mobile display business, YouTube's expanding role as a venue for premium display inventory, ...

• Buying Blogs -- A New SEO Strategy?

  Rand Fishkin has been running an experiment for a technique that relies on blog posts to drive up Web site traffic, detailing a senario using LastWear Clothing. He began tinkering with the idea after seeing a disconnect between those who naturally earn signals that engines look for, such ...

• Conan's Contract Extended Through 2014

  Despite ratings that have fallen since his late 2010 debut, Turner has extended the contract of TBS late-night host Conan O'Brien through April 2014. O'Brien does have appeal among advertisers looking to reach a young male audience and helps drive Turner's efforts to command higher affiliate fee payments ...

• Microsoft Files EU Complaint Against Motorola/Google

  Microsoft has filed a competition complaint against Motorola Mobility and Google with the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union. In a (once revised) blog post, Dave Heiner, a Microsoft vice president and deputy general counsel, said the step was necessary “because Motorola is attempting ...

• Flickr Planning Pinterest-Like Upgrades

  Keeping users on their toes, Flickr a planning a number of new changes in the coming months, including a new photo stream design, dubbed “Justified View,” and a new uploading feature, named “Uploadr.” With the new tools, Flickr is mainly after increased user engagement, as Markus Spiering, head ...

• Facebook Planning Big, New Ad Platform

  Eying bigger ad revenues, Facebook reportedly plans to introduce a new advertising format before the end of the month. According to leaked documents published by GigaOm, Facebook plans to upgrade its premium ads on Feb. 29. “The company expects the new ads to perform 40 to 80 percent better ...

• Google Patent Points To Voice Interface For TV

  Google filed a patent reated to voice controls for cloud services. The user will have an option to use their Android Phone as the remote to make inquiries about TV shows and the TV will list what's available, according to Patently Apple. The screen shots of schematic diagrams ...

• Images In Google's Display Ad Builder

  Google has made it easy for search marketers to build image ads in AdWords’ Display Ad builder, and Sarah shows us how this is done. She believes the tool could become a valuable resource to expand accounts, and outlines a step-by-step guide to take us through the process, ...

• Google Could Bring Back Wearable Computers, But What About The Data?

  Android-based operating system glasses with a 3G or 4G data connection might be on the list of must-haves for techies by some time midyear. Reports put Google behind the project, but it's unclear whether Motorola Mobility patents contribute to the hardware device or the exploratory focus. Will these ...

• Taco Bell Has New Slogan

  Adios, "Think outside the bun," hola, "Live mas." It is meant to signify a move from the idea of "food as fuel" to food as experience and lifestyle. On Feb. 25, the company will roll out a campaign featuring the slogan with TV spots airing on TNT's NBA ...

• Lexus Staying Away From Entry Ramp

  Premium cars priced below $30,000 are coming back, but Lexus isn't biting. Last year, Buick introduced the Verano, based on the Chevrolet Cruze platform, and starting under $23,000. Acura followed with the ILX, which shares underpinnings with the Honda Civic and will start "well below $30,000" when it ...

• Just When You Thought, 'SUV!'

  Oil prices are approaching a nine-month high, around $105 per barrel. That means, once that oil gets refined, it could end up as $4 a gallon gas, and a re-ignited rush to small cars and compact SUVs. ...

• J&J Chief To Step Aside

  Healthcare and consumer products giant Johnson & Johnson made a change at the top Tuesday, announcing that longtime CEO Bill Weldon will retire in April following an embarrassing stretch of product recalls since 2009 that have cost the company in the eyes of the public and in its ...

• Travelers Favor Deals Over Brands

  Has the struggling economy and the popularity of daily-deal sites like Groupon and Living Social given rise to a new breed of consumers who put a premium on price over brand? In some cases, yes. Recent research by HawkPartners on hotel channel usage found that 65% of travelers ...

• Kiip Grabs Zynga's Ad Chief As COO

  Rewards network Kiip has tapped ex-Zynga global director of brand advertising Manny Anekal as its COO. ...

• Why You Need That Google Job

  Google's official policy on job titles: whatever you want to put on your business card is pretty much okay. As a result, some Google employees have come up with some pretty offbeat titles for themselves. But Google also offers a lot of amazing perks to keep employees happy ...

• BloomReach Launches, Optimizes Discovery In Search, Social

  Alumni from Google, Cisco and Facebook will officially launch a digital search marketing company and suite of platforms Wednesday supported by cloud computing. BloomReach's goal is to improve user experience and drive people back to branded Web sites. ...

• Top Story: Aegis Rounds Out Digital Agency Portfolio, Acquires Roundarch For $125 Million+

  Aegis Group continues to beef up its digital agency portfolio, announcing an agreement this morning to acquire Roundarch for $125 million-plus. Aegis did not describe the terms of the deal, but said that price as an "initial consideration" and that based on future profit-based incentives, the total value ...

• Top Story: Will ARO Cause A Quiver: New Research Org Takes Aim At Analytics Void

  In a bizarre string of events that began with a Manhattan car accident and ended with one of its victims pitching a conference full of online metrics industry leaders, a new trade organization was born to focus on the so-called "analytics economy." The organization, ARO (sounds like arrow) ...

• CiCI's Pizza Launches TV, Digital Campaign

  CiCi's Pizza has just launched a new ad campaign featuring the first work from its recently selected new ad agency, Publicis Dallas.The new campaign, entitled "There's More Where That Came From," will feature TV and digital ads as well as in-store messaging, the client has confirmed. ...

• Study Links TV Content To Ad Value

  Bravo said a neuroscience study it commissioned shows advertising is much more likely to resonate when shown during a program with related content. The study, conducted by Melbourne-based Neuro-Insight, gauged the live brain response of 150 people using 24 ads in categories ranging from automotive to entertainment to ...

• Clear Channel Media Registers 5% Uptick

  For the full year, total revenues for Clear Channel Media Holdings increased 5% to $6.16 billion. CCME (radio) revenues increased 4% to $2.99 billion, while Americas Outdoor also grew 4% from $1.29 billion to $1.34 billion, and International Outdoor jumped 11% from $1.5 billion to $1.67 billion. ...

• A.H. Belo Ad Revs Sink 5%

  The end of 2011 did not register any uptick for newspaper publishers, with multiple publishers reporting continued revenue declines in the fourth quarter. That list includes A.H. Belo, the publisher of Dallas Morning News, The Providence Journal and Riverside Press-Enterprise, which saw total revenues slip 4.9% from $130 ...

• Web Users Sue Google For Safari Workaround

  Google has been hit with two potential class-action privacy lawsuits stemming from reports that the company circumvented a feature in the Safari browser that blocks companies from setting tracking cookies. Both cases were filed on Friday, shortly after "The Wall Street Journal" reported that Google and three other ...

• Affection Favors Southwest, Google, Dove

  In the ephemeral world of brand affection, which isn't necessarily reflected in sales volume, Southwest Airlines, Google and Dove are big winners. But there are differences when it comes to gender. ...

• Carbonite Encourages Planning For Loss

  In a minute-long commercial, a bride and groom on their wedding day are treated to ominous comments from strangers and loved ones that they're going to "lose everything." (Even the limo from the service features a sign, "Just Lost Everything.") ...

• Harley-Davidson Follows The Passion

  Harley-Davidson's new Softail Slim motorcycle will have a starring role in the forthcoming Marvel Studios/Paramount film, "The Avengers," scheduled to premiere on May 4. ...

• Jumptap, PlaceIQ Team To Boost M-Commerce

  As retailers increasingly embrace mobile to boost foot traffic and drive m-commerce, mobile advertising is expanding as well. To capitalize on that trend, mobile ad network Jumptap has partnered with hyperlocal data provider PlaceIQ and appointed a director of retail to oversee ad efforts in the category. ...

• Return To Antenna TV Could Aid Cord-Cutting Model

  Rabbit ears could start breeding again as part of the cord-cutting trend against cable TV, reports Christopher S. Stewart. "With an increased array of online-video programming now drawing viewers' attention, companies are starting to pitch consumers on complementing online video streamed from the Web with broadcast-TV signals as ...

• Comcast Targets Netflix Customers With New Streaming Service

  Later this week Comcast will roll out Xfinity Streampix, a streaming on-demand service available free to high-end subscribers, and for a lower-than-Netflix rate of $4.99 to users with more basic packages. Adding to the catalog of its previous Web and iPad streaming service, XfinityTV, the new offering will ...

• News Corp. To Debut Sunday 'Sun'

  News Corp.'s launch of a Sunday edition of The Sun this weeked will make it the first seven-day version  of major U.K. newspapers, though the revenue it is expected to bring will be "insignificant," analysts told the Financial Times. Still, the new edition should quell the concern of ...

• Despite Ratings Challenge, 'Smash' Still Holds Promise

  In the wake of a "diss from the boss" -- NBCU CEO Steve Burke, who was caught characterizing "Smash" as "problematic" in a moment he thought was off-camera -- and decreasing ratings, NBC's most-hyped, great-white-hope of a show still "holds promise," writes Anthony Crupi. One favorable factor is ...

• Marketers Confront Ongoing Data, Metrics Challenges

  Marketers face collective challenges when deciding on data metrics, brand tracking and how to employ new technology. One problem is that marketers don't know what sort of data they're looking for, said Andrew Edwards, CEO of Technology Leaders, a Web and multichannel analytics firm. ...

• JetBlue, Kaboom Partner For 12th Playground

  JetBlue Airways is inviting customers to vote on the next Kaboom playground location on the airline's Facebook page. Those who vote will be entered for a chance to win a JetBlue Getaways vacation package. ...

• Interactive, Addressable Ads Slow To Impact Marketplace

  While the TV industry has been talking about and experimenting with advanced advertising techniques such as addressable and interactive ads for years, little progress has been made in deploying such approaches widely. A new study from Deloitte concludes that it will be more than five years before they ...

• Why Analysis of Google Search Results Shows Inaccuracies

  Ruth Alexander believes that search engine accuracy depends on the computer and the copy of Google's search engine being used and whether or not they are personalized. There are several copies in the world, and it will depend on the version that is the least busy. She's convinced ...

• Yandex Gets Social

  Yandex, which processes more than two million people searches daily, launched a social networking search program by adding content from social sites in search results, along with a people finder. Web users in Russia can now view all public profiles of a person with accounts on social and ...

• Search Engine With Privacy Focus Could Miss Target For Advertisers

  DuckDuckGo doesn’t keep a search history or provide personalized results through social networking connections. The company has doubled its traffic from 500,000 daily searches from December 2011 to 1 million this month. Ben Popper tells us that it sets itself apart from other search engines with a strong ...

• The "Un" In Conventional Link-Building Strategies

  List in the library, host a giveaway, become a product review expert, and begin public speaking. These are some of the 13 unconventional link-building tactics that search marketers should use to increase traffic and improve rankings on Web sites. While link-building is a long-term effort, these tips are ...