WebProNews

Tag: AOL

  • MapQuest Rolls Out New Look

    MapQuest Rolls Out New Look

    AOL’s MapQuest has introduced a new look and feel that goes beyond maps and driving directions and focuses more on local search.

    Starting today users can opt in via a link to try out the new MapQuest. The new redesign will replace the old version of MapQuest in about a month.

    MapQuest-New-Look

    New features include:

    One-box search for finding directions, maps and businesses;

    *Improved My Maps with a simplified login process using other services (AOL, OpenID, Yahoo, Google, Facebook and Twitter);

    *The ability to save and customize information, including MyMaps trip itineraries, and share it with others via social networks, including Facebook and Twitter;

    *Ways to plan and personalize travel with notes, landmarks and short cuts; and

    *Integration of Patch’s local directory information into MapQuest’s search results

    MapQuest has also introduced a new logo. The company says the goal of the new logo is to make it "simple, clean and modern while remaining vibrant and fun."

    "We are committed to providing accurate maps and directions to millions of people every day," said Christian Dwyer, Senior Vice President and General Manager,MapQuest.

      "And under the new leadership at AOL, we have invested in creating a new user experience that helps users discover what is there, nearby and along the way, making it more than how to get from Point A to Point B. The MapQuest evolution is underway and aims to transcend how consumers engage with maps by adding seamless context and sharing capabilities."

    MapQuest is the second most popular mapping service behind Google Maps with 49.1 million users in May, according to comScore.

     

     

  • AOL Sells Market Research Firm DMS Insights to uSamp

    Market research company uSamp has acquired DMS Insights (Digital Marketing Services) from AOL.

    uSamp says it will combine with DMS to offer "best-in-class" online sample and panel management solutions, with the combined global panel reaching 2.7 million. The company notes that this includes an extensive Hispanic panel of over 100,000.

    DM Insights - Acquired from AOL by uSamp"This is a merging of two companies with similar visions for serving market research, and we’re thrilled to bring DMS Insights on board," says Matt Dusig, co-founder and CEO of uSamp. "DMS has pioneered router and river technologies, and is well-known for its heritage of extensive full-service research provided over the past 15 years. Combined with our own deep well of innovative technologies that ensure quality research and panel management, customers of both uSamp and DMS will be getting the most robust sample solution available."

    "This is a great opportunity for our company and for our clients," says DMS President Chuck Miller. "We’ve partnered with uSamp since its formation, because we share similar philosophies of how to provide high-quality online panel, technology and services to clients. We’re combining the strengths of two companies at the top of their game, and this merging of complementary products and services will enhance the quality of service we’ve always provided to our clients."

    Financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed. uSamp did, however, close a $10 million round of funding earlier this week.

  • AOL and Mediabrands Partner on Retail Advertising

    AOL and Interpublic Group’s Mediabrands (one of the largest buyers of retail advertising in the U.S. ) have announced a digital retail advertising partnership. The two companies plan to align their collective resources and announce a Retail Advisory Board in the coming weeks.

    Mediabrands teams with AOL “Mediabrands partners with top retail and CPG brands, and we are committed to investing in resources to develop innovative retail solutions beyond what currently exist in the marketplace today," said Bant Breen, President, Worldwide Digital Communications, Initiative. "AOL has a substantial audience of engaged shoppers that can provide critical insights into what consumers need to enrich their online retail experience. Those same insights can also help marketers create a consistent consumer experience with the local retail store. By partnering with AOL, we can leverage our collective assets in retail, consumer insights and hyper-local to re-invent the category."

    The two companies will use research from IPG’s Lab to create a new online pre-shopping program that will be tested with key retailers throughout Q3 and Q4 2010. It will include five leading retail partners, and the companies say success will be measured against the creation of user training, in-store sales lift and the effectiveness of new advertising formats.

    The companies plan to expand the partnership to create new solutions in Hyper-Local Marketing by leveraging Mediabrands’ Geomentum, a $2 billion local advertising agency, as well as AOL’s own hyper-local platform.

  • AOL Has Reportedly Found a Buyer for Bebo

    AOL Has Reportedly Found a Buyer for Bebo

    Update 2: PaidContent reports confirmation:

    Per Wednesday’s speculation, LA private equity firm Criterion Capital Partners has confirmed it’s buying social network Bebo from AOL.

    Criterion isn’t disclosing any deal terms or price, which has been reported at $2.5 million by PEHub or $10 million by TechCrunch, two years after AOL bought Bebo for $850 million.

    Update: VentureBeat adds to the discussion: "Sources close to the negotiations have told VentureBeat that AOL executives are livid that the news has broken and believe Criterion leaked the information. The sale has not yet closed." (emphasis added)

    Original Article: Back in the Spring, it became evident that AOL was looking to unload Bebo, especially after its former president joined Facebook.

    At that time, Jon Brod, Executive Vice President of AOL Ventures, wrote in an internal memo, "Bebo, unfortunately, is a business that has been declining and, as a result, would require significant investment in order to compete in the competitive social networking space.  AOL is not in a position at this time to further fund and support Bebo in pursuing a turnaround in social networking."

    Brod was then quoted as saying, "AOL is committed to working quickly to determine if there are any interested parties for Bebo and the company’s current expectation is to complete our strategic evaluation by the end of May 2010."

    Now, in mid-June, it looks as though AOL has finally find a buyer for Bebo. Adam Ostrow at Mashable reports that the buyer is Criterion Capital Partners, a hedge fund. According to Michael Arrington at TechCrunch, the price will be "$10 million or less."

    AOL bought for $850 million, so it seems like a fair enough deal.


  • Truveo Launches Video Search App On Facebook

    AOL’s video search engine Truveo has launched a new discovery application on Facebook.

    The new Truveo Facebook app allows users to search a database of videos and channels directly within the social network as well as share videos with others. The app also allows users to find content via a friend’s recommendations based on their interests.

    As part of the app, Truveo is introducing a new feature that allows users to track a celebrity’s voice in a video using the audio track. The new feature called Truveo Celebrity Search, lets users follow celebrities online and comment on what they say.

    Truveo-Facebook-App

    "The launch of our Facebook application, featuring our innovative technology allowing users to search by celebrity voice recognition, brings us to the forefront of the sector," said Pete Kocks, vice president, Truveo, Inc.

    "We recognize that Facebook is the online equivalent of the company water cooler where people meet and share information. Our application provides users a comprehensive index of video, television and celebrity voice content now delivered all in one easy place."

    The Truveo Facebook app allows users to:

    *Search and browse video recommendations from over 500 million videos.

    *Receive personalized video recommendations.

    *Find and share music videos.

    *Receive Facebook and email alerts of new television and celebrity content.
     

     

  • AOL CEO Discusses Google, Search Deals

    AOL’s current search deal with Google will expire in six and a half months, and although it looks like AOL’s CEO, Tim Armstrong, would prefer to stick with the search giant, his options are supposedly not limited.  Armstrong talked today about how things could go in several directions.

    To be fair, Armstrong was nothing but polite when speaking about Google at the All Things Digital conference.  He confirmed that his company’s "starting with Google," and according to Scott Morrison, said, "Google has been [AOL’s search] partner for close to a decade.  We know what works and doesn’t work.  Google knows what works and doesn’t work."

    Armstrong also observed, however, "Both companies’ needs have changed."

    Then here’s the most interesting part: Armstrong said that AOL has "more than two potential partners," which is an unusual way of describing a situation.  Google and Microsoft represent two much-talked-about options . . . the identity of AOL’s third (and possibly fourth) potential partner is harder to guess.

    Is Yahoo trying to demonstrate its independence from Microsoft by making in a bid?  Does IAC want to give Ask a major shot in the arm?  Or is Armstrong just bluffing for the sake of better terms?  Feel free to speculate below.

    Anyway, given the deadline AOL’s looking at, it shouldn’t be long before this matter is settled.

  • AOL Names Microsoft Exec As CTO

    AOL Names Microsoft Exec As CTO

    AOL said today it has hired Alexander Gounares as its Chief Technology Officer and as a member of its Global Executive Operating Committee.

    Gounares will lead AOL’s technology strategy, platform development and external technology partnerships, as a well as play a key role in the overall strategy and directions of the company. He will report to AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong and will be based at AOL’s Dulles, Virginia campus.

    Gounares comes to AOL from Microsoft where he worked for 17 years and was most recently a Corporate Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Microsoft’s Online Services Division. While at Microsoft, Gounares led strategic and technical operations for some of the company’s most important projects Including Microsoft’s global advertising platform, Bing search, MSN and Microsoft Virtual Earth.

    He also served for three years as Technology Advisor to Microsoft Chairman and founder Bill Gates, as well as Corporate Vice President of Corporate Strategy in Microsoft’s Finance Department.

    "This is an extraordinary opportunity to lead and cultivate the top-flight global team that is creating exciting new technologies to drive the platforms and products that AOL offers," Gounares said.

    "Our goal together will be to harness the power of software to deliver on the enormous promise for AOL in its core areas of content, advertising and consumer applications. Tim has built on the historical strength of AOL and put together a fabulous leadership team and bold strategy for the future. I am excited to be part of the team and help lead AOL forward."

    Gounares will join AOL on May 13. He succeeds Ted Cahall, whose departure was announced previously.
     

  • Microsoft Advertising Exec To Leave For AOL

    A longtime Microsoft employee who plays an important role in the company’s advertising department is leaving the organization, according to a new report.  Then here’s the detail that may make his departure especially embarrassing for other execs in Redmond: Alex Gounares is heading to AOL.

    Microsoft LogoGounares has been with Microsoft since 1993, working on products like Internet Explorer, Windows, Microsoft Office, and the Microsoft Tablet PC as he rose through the ranks.  Gounares worked on Microsoft Virtual Earth and Windows Live SkyDrive, and acted as a technology assistant to Bill Gates for three years, too.

    As for what he’s doing right now, Gounares holds the title "Corporate Vice President, Advertising Research and Development," and his official Microsoft bio says he’s "responsible for leading the engineering efforts for Microsoft Corp.’s digital advertising products."

    With the culmination of the Microsoft-Yahoo deal approaching, this looks like an especially inconvenient time for Gounares to leave, then.  And it should hardly need to be said that Microsoft would like to have a better reputation than AOL.

    Still, Kara Swisher, who’s pretty much always right about these things, wrote, "According to sources close to the situation, AOL has hired Alex Gounares as its CTO."

  • AOL Launches Self-Serve Ad Platform

    AOL has launched a beta version of Advertising.com Ad Desk, a new self-serve display ad platform targeted at medium- sized advertisers.

    AOL’s Ad Desk will allow advertisers to have more control of their online ad campaigns. Ad Desk will allow advertisers to access demographic information and audience size across AOL’s various properties.

    "Transparency and control are the future of online advertising," said Jeff Levick, Executive Vice President, AOL Advertising. "Providing clients with a greater level of personalized control over digital marketing campaigns is paramount as organizations continue to look for innovative ways to promote their brands and evaluate their ROI when planning campaigns.

    AOL-Ad-Desk

    "We believe Advertising.com Ad Desk is our client’s on-ramp to display advertising as it provides increased self-management and access to proprietary AOL information that has previously never been available."

    AOL said its Advertising.com Ad Desk platform will evolve over time to meet the needs of larger agencies and advertisers.

    "This is a beta version of Advertising.com Ad Desk," added Levick. "We are working directly with larger agencies and advertisers now to define the future updates of this tool to ensure it meets their needs and requirements as well."
     

     

  • AOL Prepared To Unload Bebo

    Less than a week ago, the former president of Bebo joined Facebook, and now, AOL’s admitted that the social network it bought for $850 million has been beaten by Mark Zuckerberg’s leviathan.  AOL intends to either sell or shut down Bebo in the near future.

    Jon Brod, Executive Vice President of AOL Ventures, wrote in an internal memo obtained by Staci D. Kramer, "Bebo, unfortunately, is a business that has been declining and, as a result, would require significant investment in order to compete in the competitive social networking space.  AOL is not in a position at this time to further fund and support Bebo in pursuing a turnaround in social networking."

    Brod then assigned a timeframe to the decision-making process by stating, "AOL is committed to working quickly to determine if there are any interested parties for Bebo and the company’s current expectation is to complete our strategic evaluation by the end of May 2010."

    This is an embarrassing move for AOL, considering the price it paid for Bebo just two years ago.  On the other hand, considering the degree to which Bebo has failed to be competitive with Facebook and MySpace, it’s probably smart for AOL to stop sinking time and money into the site.

    There hasn’t been so much as a whisper about possible buyers or costs just yet.  If more information becomes available, we’ll be sure to report it.

  • Why MapQuest Should Be Considered in Your Local Marketing Mix

    I don’t think too many people will dispute the fact that location is buzz topic of 2010 so far within the online marketing industry. Big players in this space include Foursquare, Gowalla, Twitter, Facebook (soon), and of course Google.

    As reported earlier this week, Google noted that a third of its searches via the mobile web pertain to some aspect of the searcher’s local environment, and that they think of location as a "hugely important signal".

    As smartphone usage continues to increase rapidly, users are finding more and more options to find what they are looking for from their devices, with regard to their locations. As RateitAll President Lawrence Coburn recently discussed with WebProNews, consumer location-sharing has become a new kind of query.

    We’re seeing this becoming a much bigger part of local search and mobile map apps. Yesterday, Microsoft announced a Foursquare app for Bing Maps. At SXSW, MapQuest launched some location-sharing (via Facebook) features (as discussed in the following clip):

    Last month, we discussed driving traffic with MapQuest and its new search engine. While MapQuest doesn’t receive as much media attention these days as some of its competitors, the AOL-owned property is showing some ways that it is staying relevant, and as a result of mobile, that relevance may be on the way up.

    As MapQuest’s David Cole tells WebProNews, "We’re one of the most downloaded applications on the iPhone, despite the fact that other options are built in."

    If businesses aren’t considering MapQuest as a factor in their local search marketing, there are reasons to reconsider.

  • AOL Launches Patch.org To Fund Hyperlocal News

    AOL said today it is launching Patch.org, a charitable foundation to support access to local news and information in underserved communities.

    Patch.org will partner with community foundations and other organizations to launch sites and bring local news and information to communities that lack adequate news media and online local information.

    For each of the sites launched via Patch.org, a professional journalist will produce news and information about the area and manage user-contributed events, announcements, photos and video. Patch.org will consider funding and partnership requests for other appropriate projects.  AOL says all profits will be returned to where the sites are based.

    Warren-Webster-Patch "In a shifting media landscape, the loss of local and community newspapers has created a troubling gap in some communities making reliable objective news and information about critical issues such as local government, schools and services unavailable," said Warren Webster, President, Patch Media.

    "Patch.org will empower residents of these neighborhoods with professional journalism, data and information to help shed light on the issues that are so important to their daily lives."

    Patch.org will be managed with the support of AOL’s subsidiary Patch Media. The charitable foundation will operate along with Patch’s Give 5 program, which donates advertising space and employee volunteer time to charitable organizations in local communities.
     

  • Driving Traffic with MapQuest and its New Search Engine

    Local business search is becoming more of an area of great focus by search providers as time goes on. Google, especially, has been working overtime on providing new features that can help users find local businesses of interest. AOL’s MapQuest has been working on improving its own business search functionality, which we talked to the company a little about.

    What kind of traffic do you get from MapQuest? Comment here.

    MapQuest recently launched a new geosearch engine to power location search, and plans to do more with business listings before the year is over. Businesses should pay attention, as this is another place where users look for information about businesses related to specific places.

    "Many of our users search for specific businesses or business categories in order to obtain maps and directions," a spokesperson for MapQuest tells WebProNews. "In addition, many of our users search for types of businesses nearby another location. For example, if a user obtains a map of the hotel where they are staying for a meeting, the user may then search for restaurants nearby. MapQuest’s extensive database of business listings provides consumers with relevant business listings based upon the user’s search query."

    Sushi Den

    "MapQuest also provides consumers with the business name, address, phone, website as well as additional details such as hours of operation, user ratings and reviews, photos and more," she continues. "As a result, businesses benefit from leads several different ways, including people driving to and visiting the physical location, making a phone call or visiting the website."

    MapQuest might not be the first thing businesses think of in terms of driving traffic, but it is an option that should perhaps not be ignored. According to the latest data from Compete, MapQuest.com gets nearly 40 million unique monthly visitors in the U.S. By comparison, Bing only gets over 50 million according to the same data set.

    Benefits of the new MapQuest search engine include more accurate, relevant results based upon the user’s query, according to the company. A feedback link is also provided, where users may submit comments and feedback related to their search experience.

    "We also have nearly 1 million City Search listings that provide a wealth of information and has the ability to drive traffic to the business web site," the spokesperon says. "Businesses can offer very helpful information including menus, coupons, and more on their CitySearch listing.  Businesses should contact CitySearch to become part of the information feed."

    Citysearch listings on Mapquest

    MapQuest obtains business listing information from multiple data sources. Businesses may report business listing changes such as additions, edits and deletions. They can change phone and FAX, business name, location address, city, state, and ZIP code, contact information, primary line of business and web site information.

    MapQuest has 16+ million "Points of Interest", with the majority being businesses through its InfoUSA database."At MapQuest, we’re consistently looking at ways to enhance our data for users," she says. "We will be offering ways to work directly with us for a business listing later this year."

    The company would not get specific about what its plans are, but regardless of the rise in popularity of Maps from places like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, MapQuest is still worth recognizing, and may provide additional traffic.

    Do you consider MapQuest an important part of your strategy? Let us know.

  • AOL Adds Facebook To AIM

    AOL Adds Facebook To AIM

    AOL has integrated Facebook Connect with its Instant Messenger to allow users to chat with their Facebook friends directly from AIM.

    AOL said in a blog post it is adding its Lifestream application to AIM allowing users to receive updates from social networking sites including Digg, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube.

    AOL is betting its latest move will considerably expand its AIM user base beyond its current total of 17 million users. The move by AOL also backs up Gartner’s prediction that email and social networks will continue to become increasingly tightly integrated.

    AIM-Facebook

    "The rigid distinction between e-mail and social networks will erode. E-mail will take on many social attributes, such as contact brokering while social networks will develop richer e-mail capabilities," said Matt Cain, research vice president at Gartner.

     

    "While e-mail is already almost fully penetrated in the corporate space, we expect to see steep growth rates for sales of premises- and cloud-based social networking services."
     

     

    Related Articles:

    > Is Google Launching a Competitor for Facebook/Twitter?

    > Google’s Facebook/Twitter Competitor Could Open Up Big Possibilities

    > Reasons to Have a Facebook Page and Ways to Make it Better

     

  • AOL Vet Returns from Google to Lead Media/Studios Division

    AOL has named David Eun as its new President of AOL Media and Studios. Until 2006, Eun was Vice President, Operations for the Media & Communications Group at Time Warner, where he helped oversee AOL. During that time, he contributed to providing operational oversight and development of new businesses in digital distribution and broadband content.

    After that, he worked at Google as Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, where he managed global content partnerships with Google and YouTube. He is replacing Bill Wilson, who has been with AOL for nine years.

    David Eun"David brings an impressive breadth of media experience to AOL at an exciting juncture for the company as we focus on scaling our content platforms, production and partnerships to offer quality, original content that will engage consumers and bring them – and their friends – back to our properties time and again," said AOL CEO Tim Armstrong. "I’m delighted to welcome him back to AOL as we continue to pursue our strategy and mission in digital content and journalism."

    "Bill Wilson has been a driving force for content at AOL and under his leadership the quantity and quality of our premium branded and niche offerings have expanded significantly. On behalf of AOL, I want to thank Bill for the energy and dedication he has brought to the role. Bill has been an outstanding leader at AOL," Armstrong added.

    AOL has of course taken up a new strategy since its new found independence from Time Warner took hold. A big part of that strategy is content, and AOL will likely be looking into further partnerships in that area.

    "AOL has a unique opportunity to bring together its core strengths in the key areas of content and journalism, distribution, and advertising to engage its users, partners and advertisers in a way very few companies can. These three elements will be fundamental to success as the media and technology industries evolve and converge," Eun said. "And after nearly 15 years of seeing this convergence approach, I couldn’t be more excited to be returning to AOL to help Tim and his team capture that great promise."

    Eun will report directly to Armstrong and will be based out of New York.

    Related Articles:

    > AOL Acquires Video Creation/Distribution Company StudioNow

    > AOL Top Ad Network In December

    > Tim Armstrong Weighing Search Deal With Microsoft

  • AOL Shares Financial Results of the Transition Period

    AOL has announced it Q4 earnings, which show how the company performed during its final days as part of Time Warner, as well as the beginning of its transition to the current incarnation.

    "We have made significant progress in support of the long-term vision we see in the future of AOL, but today’s results continue to reflect the need for our focus and execution on the work required in the turnaround of the Company," said Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong. "2009 marked the closing of an important chapter in AOL’s history and the opening of a new chapter that we are passionately pursuing. We have a clearly defined strategy, and we enter 2010 incredibly focused on day-to-day execution."

    Here’s the summary:

    AOL Summary

    AOL says Q4 revenue declines reflect continued attrition in the subscriber base, leading to declines in subscription and search & contextual revenue. While AOL Properties global display advertising revenue declined 3%, AOL Properties domestic display advertising revenue grew 1%, its first quarter of year-over-year growth in eight quarters. Other noteworthy items as highlighted by the company include:

    – Q4 costs of revenues declined at a lower rate than revenue reflecting a 12% increase in traffic acquisition costs (TAC) primarily associated with payments for shipments related to a significant product distribution arrangement. As of December 31, 2009, new shipments under this contract ceased.

    – Full-year and Q4 2009 Adjusted OIBDA, operating income and pre-tax income include $190 million and $107 million, respectively, in restructuring costs and certain other items fully discussed on page 8 of this press release.

    – We anticipate our restructuring efforts will reduce ongoing operating expenses, excluding TAC and net of incremental operating investments in the business, by approximately $150 million in 2010.

    – Full-year and Q4 2008 operating loss and net loss reflect a $2.2 billion non-cash goodwill impairment charge.

    – Full-year cash provided by operations declined, driven by Adjusted OIBDA declines. The cash flow impact of these declines was partially offset by the timing of working capital changes, including lower employee bonus payments in 2009. Full-year 2009 Free Cash Flow grew slightly, reflecting reduced capital expenditures in 2009. Q4 2009 cash provided by operations and Free Cash Flow declined due to the settlement of a legal matter and a Value Added Tax matter in France.

    – AOL had $147.0 million of cash-on-hand as of December 31, 2009, and has not borrowed under the terms of our revolving credit facility, as of February 2, 2010.

    Further details and charts can be found here in the release. It will really be interesting to see the report a year from now after AOL has settled into its new role on the web.


    Related Articles:

    > AOL Acquires Video Creation/Distribution Company StudioNow

    > AOL Top Ad Network In December

    > Tim Armstrong Weighing Search Deal With Microsoft

  • Report: Google Planning “Aggressive” Pursuit Of AOL Deal

    Last month, we learned that AOL’s CEO, ex-Googler Tim Armstrong, doesn’t intend to blindly renew AOL’s search deal with Google when it expires in December.  Google doesn’t appear ready to stand back and let Microsoft or some other company take its place, however.

    Nicholas Carlson spoke to an unnamed source "close to Mountain View’s headquarters," and this person indicated that the deal’s considered to be of some importance.  "Googlers are talking about plans to be to be ‘aggressive’ during negotiations," Carlson wrote.

    Since the latest comScore numbers put AOL’s share of the search market at 2.6 percent, that may come as something of a surprise.  A mere 2.6 percent can’t mean a whole lot to Google, which controls a share about 25 times that size (65.7 percent of the market, to be exact).

    Still, a partnership with AOL represents an easy way for a search company to spread its tech, and since AOL users are older and perhaps hard to reach online (according to stereotypes, at least), Google may be all right cracking open its wallet a ways.

    For reference’s sake: Google has a market cap of $169.11 billion.  AOL’s market cap is closer to $2.5 billion.

    Related Articles:

    > AOL Hires Google, Microsoft Veteran As Head Of Tech

    > AOL Acquires Video Creation/Distribution Company StudioNow

    > AOL Top Ad Network In December

  • AOL Loses Key Staff After Short Time Away From Time Warner

    So you are the new unencumbered AOL that has pushed its ship away from the Time Warner dock back in January. You are underway on a new journey that is supposed to reposition the company and put new life in the once iconic running man’s engine. In order for that to happen one would suspect that having the right people on the ship who plan to stick around would be the goal. Well, if that was the goal someone needs to make some new ones.

    Yesterday it was announced that AOL’s CTO (chief technology officer) was getting off the boat. Considering that this journey isn’t even two months old yet this is not the kind of sign investors and others would like to see. All Things Digital tells us more

    While AOL denied a report last week suggesting that CTO Ted Cahall is leaving, he actually is, um, leaving.

    Oops!

    Sources at AOL said the company thought Cahall was staying when it issued a statement saying he was not leaving. Cahall apparently had other plans.

    Part of my job here at Marketing Pilgrim is to interpret news events. I do this from the point of view of the “everyman”. In other words, I am a regular guy like many who are readers here. So here I go with my opinion on this kind of a move at this point in time of the development of AOL as it moves into the future: OUCH! That’s gonna leave a mark.

    Either something is seriously wrong there or, I don’t know…… you tell me. This is not a good thing to have happen and one has to suspect that we are not going to know just why this happened. The official word to employees from the main C-level guy at AOL, Tim Armstrong, reads like this.

    Ted Cahall took on the role of CTO after I had asked him to move into that position from a broader business role at the company. Ted is the person who drove the complete replacement of our publishing systems and took AOL deeper into open-source technology, among many other accomplishments. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for the work he has done. Ted has decided to move back into the business side of technology and feels it’s the right time to move on from AOL. Ted has been a strong leader at AOL and agreed to transition the company to a new CTO. We are aggressively searching for a new CTO and we believe AOL is a very attractive opportunity for the right candidate.

    Armstrong has been the CEO for less than a year and one of the guys he asked to move into this position has jumped ship. To make it even more odd is that AOL was denying this was even happening right before Cahall made his move.

    You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to read between the lines here. So for all of you CTO types looking for your next gig, Tim says that AOL believes that it is a very attractive opportunity for the right candidate. I guess Cahall wasn’t the right one and one has to suspect that anyone who steps into that role in the future has a soft spot for Kool-Aid.

    Comments

  • AOL Hires Google, Microsoft Veteran As Head Of Tech

    The Google-ization of AOL continued today as Jeff Reynar, who used to work for the search giant as an engineering manager, joined the company.  AOL’s appointed Reynar Head of Technology for Engineering and Products in New York.

    We should note that Reynar didn’t head to AOL straight from Google; he spent the last 18 or so months as the CTO of DBT Labs.  So it’s not like AOL lured the man directly away from the Googleplex (where he spent four and a half years) and all its perks.

    However, here’s another interesting fact about Reynar’s employment history: he worked at Microsoft for almost five years before heading to Google.

    That’s an impressive resume, all in all, and AOL CEO Tim Armstrong, who also used to work for Google, has high hopes regarding what Reynar will accomplish.  He said in a statement, "AOL was founded on a belief that behind great consumer experiences is great engineering, and Jeff is precisely the type of all-star we need to identify, recruit and foster talent as we build out our New York Technology Center."

    Reynar himself added, "AOL’s strategy – content, advertising and communications – presents enormous opportunities.  I’m excited by the prospect of finding engineers here and bringing new, young engineering talent to New York City to develop products that will make a tangible difference to consumers."

    Related Articles:

    > AOL Acquires Video Creation/Distribution Company StudioNow

    > AOL Top Ad Network In December

    > Tim Armstrong Weighing Search Deal With Microsoft

  • AOL Acquires Video Creation/Distribution Company StudioNow

    AOL has acquired a video platform company called StudioNow. The company says the deal will allow it to integrate a "fully functional video creation platform" into its newly launched content management system, Speed.com. StudioNow will also continue to operate its existing business as well. This includes online video creation, management, storage, and syndication.

    Aol."The successful combination of a talented team, innovative technology, seasoned/professional video creators and strong client service has rapidly established StudioNow as a leader in online video creation and syndication. Those strengths bring AOL significant strategic benefits and we’re delighted that StudioNow is joining the AOL family," said AOL CEO Tim Armstrong. "Premium original video creation is a fundamental part of AOL’s strategy to offer consumers world-class, stimulating content at scale and the integration of StudioNow into Seed.com will enable us to increase our video content/offerings significantly."

    "The distributed production capabilities offered by StudioNow, combined with our in-house production studio and video resources, help position AOL to capitalize even more fully on the projected growth of video as it establishes itself as a key form of brand advertising in the digital space," said Armstrong.

    To give you a little better idea of just how seriously AOL is taking video, the company refers to estimates from eMarketer, which project an increase in online video advertising spending from $734 million in 2008 to $5.2 billion by 2014. AOL says this growth will far outpace any other online format.

    The deal closed on Friday, and is valued at $36.5 million in cash and stock.
     

    Related Articles:

    > Tim Armstrong Weighing Search Deal With Microsoft

    > AOL Might Be Looking To Sell ICQ

    > The New AOL Is Now Live

  • AOL Top Ad Network In December

    comScore has released the top 15 ad networks based on their reach among U.S. Internet users in December 2009.

    The ranking found AOL Advertising remains the top ad network, reaching 187 million U.S. Internet users, or 91 percent of the total audience, followed by the Yahoo Network (180.9 million) and the Google Ad Network (178.1 million).

    The fastest growing ad network by audience reach among the top 15 was Microsoft Media Network, which grew 31 percent compared to a year ago, followed by Collective Network (up 22%) and Audience Science (up 16%).

    "Ad networks continue to be a powerful mechanism for delivering a large audience online, with eight different networks reaching at least 75 percent of the entire U.S. online population," said comScore senior vice president Jeff Hackett.

    Top-Ad-Networks

    "Increasingly, however, ad networks are improving their capability for reaching more targeted audiences as well, which delivers enhanced value to advertisers and helps sustain higher CPMs for the channel. 2010 should bring us continued innovation and performance from this growing online sector."
     

    Related Articles:

    > Nielsen Shares Predictions for Advertising Trends in 2010

    > Email Marketing Budgets Set For Increase In 2010

    > Online Video Viewing Continues To Boom