WebProNews

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  • Google Scraps GAP, Launches AdWords Certification Program

    Google is retiring the Google Advertising Professionals (GAP) program, and replacing it with the new Google AdWords Certification program.

    "We’ve had a lot of great feedback from agencies and today we’re announcing changes designed to offer them better training and more rigorous certification in AdWords proficiency, and to lower costs for those who help advertisers get the most out of AdWords," says Penry Price, Vice President, Global Agency Development at Google. "We’re also making it easier for advertisers to find certified agency partners to work with them on digital advertising."

    AdWords Certified Partner - New Badge

    Features of the new training program include:

    – New training materials to help agencies better understand recent changes in search marketing and AdWords functionality, available via webinar series, learning center, or on-site training at Google

    – More challenging certification exams to test practical application of knowledge and best practices (rather than simple recall of knowledge)

    – Advanced-level exams to highlight competency in search, display, reporting and analysis

    – A redesigned Certified Partner badge, which includes a “Click to Verify” element so advertisers can view the partner’s profile page for additional information.

    Google has also launched Google Partner Search, which a directory that pairs advertisers with Certified Partners, as well as new AdWords API pricing.

  • Yahoo’s Head Of Advertising Platforms To Leave Company

    Although it’s hard to imagine that any company keeps all its employees forever, it looks like Yahoo continues to be worse than average in terms of retaining important people.  This afternoon, a report revealed that Bill Wise, who is in charge of Yahoo’s Advertising Platforms business, will leave the same as so many before him.

    YahooWise started at Yahoo when the company acquired Right Media in 2007.  Prior to that, he served as Right Media’s president, the CEO of Didit, a senior vice president at Ask, and a vice president at DoubleClick (among other things), which makes for a tough-to-match resume.

    Yahoo’s already found a replacement, however, in the form of Ramsey McGrory.  McGrory, like Wise, worked for Right Media before Yahoo bought it, and put in three years at DoubleClick, too.  What’s more, McGrory was even employed by the Army for about eight years.

    Then here’s one other important point: Staci D. Kramer, who first reported this move, indicated that Wise isn’t just cleaning out his desk and disappearing; he’ll instead work with McGrory during a transition period.

    Yahoo may not have the whole "keep people from quitting" thing down, then, but the company seems to have gotten extremely good at minimizing the damage due to their departures.

  • Yahoo Search Results to Include More Sponsors

    Yahoo Search Results to Include More Sponsors

    Yahoo has launched a pilot program called "More Sponsors" in which it will add links at the bottom of Yahoo search results for more PPC adds. When a user clicks on one of the links it will bring up a page with nothing but sponsored search ads.

    The feature is supported by Yahoo’s Search Assist features (the search engine’s suggestions feature). "For example, the consumer might type in ‘Hawaii vacation,’ and Yahoo! might suggest vacations packages or resorts," explains Laurie Sullivan on Yahoo’s Search Marketing blog.

    Yahoo - More Sponsored Search Results

    The More Sponsors feature will appear on Yahoo Search to begin with, but Yahoo will spread it across more of the Yahoo Network where ads appear. Sullivan says the ads may include images or logos in the future, and that if the ads are ranked highly in standard sponsored results for a given search term, they will likely be shown in sponsored-only results for that same search term.

    Once Yahoo and Microsoft get integrated with one another per their big search and advertising deal, Microsoft will take over execution of ads. Yahoo will still maintain control of the user experience, as the company has repeatedly pointed out, and that includes how the ads look on the page.

  • Offerpal Launches New Display Ad Network for Social Networks

    Offerpal Launches New Display Ad Network for Social Networks

    The big question businesses have about social media these days is, "how can I measure ROI?" With straight advertising in social networks, that becomes pretty clear, and Offerpal has launched a new display ad network for social media. If you’re unfamiliar with Offerpal, it’s a platform that lets advertise and developers monetize social media apps. For more information, read my interview with the company here.

    "This platform allows brands to target more than 100 million unique visitors a month via an array of methods such as videos, branded goods and offers, while game developers and publishers benefit from a broader set of monetization abilities," a representative for Offerpal tells WebProNews about the new display network. "The platform also allows for mobile advertising across social networks, games and virtual worlds."

    The network features various IAB-standard ad units as well as rich-media opportunities to reach over 225 million users.

    George Garrick - CEO of Offerpal Media talks new display ad network"The display ad network is a critical piece in allowing us to offer a one-stop-shop for social advertising and monetization, "says CEO George Garrick.

    Offerpal views the addition of the network as a way for developers to monetize 100% of their traffic, between this, and the company’s current offers platform and alternative payment solutions.

    Offerpal says the display network leverages its "advanced optimization engine" to maximize publisher revenue, in addition to compliance processes to ensure all ads meet policies put in place by social platforms.

    Social media applications have proven to be big business, and as businesses look for more ways to monetize social networks like Facebook, networks like this are something to consider. For businesses selling merchandise, there are ways to monetize Facebook fans as well.

  • 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."
     

     

  • McAfee Lends Security to 99% of Rich Media Ads in U.S.

    McAfee and Adgregate have partnered on what they’re calling the industry’s first secure advertising. WebProNews spoke with Brent Remai, VP of Consumer Marketing at McAfee about what this means for advertising.

    "The ad world is a $30B pie, and everybody wants their piece, including malicious advertisers, whose "malvertising" has become extraordinarily more sophisticated," the company says. "Companies must instill confidence in consumers that when they click on or transact in an ad or widget application, that the ad or app is just as legitimate as the advertiser’s existing website. It’s a dirty little secret of online advertising because no one wants to admit their ad networks are vulnerable."

    McAfee will perform daily site scanning that tests retailers’ sites for more than 10,000 vulnerabilities. Once they are cleared, their ads will get a badge from McAfee, which is designed to inspire trust and confidence in the consumer. "Their site is deemed totally secure," says Remai.

    McAfee Secure Ads - Through Adgregate

    Rich media ads with the badge will allow consumers to complete transactions within the ads themselves, rather than having to go to a landing page – something Remai calls "pretty transformative."

    Adgregate’s advertising and e-commerce partners include DoubleClick, PointRoll, EyeWonder, Eyeblaster, Linkstorm, Collective Media, Greystripe, Demandware, IBM Websphere Commerce, Escalate Retail, and others to account for what the company claims is over 99% of the rich media online and mobile ads distributed in the U.S., as well as 80% of the e-commerce fulfillment solutions for the Top 500 Internet Retailers.

    "The message we are sending to the market today is clear: Advertisers face huge business and legal risks with the distributed web, and their customers deserve the most secure solution available — the one now being provided by McAfee and Adgregate, the leaders in distributed commerce and security," says Adgregate CEO Henry Wong. "Anything short of this puts a brand’s reputation in serious jeopardy."

    Based on A/B testing, which took place between July 2008 and January 2009, sites that displayed McAfee’s Secure trustmark badge have seen a 12% increase in conversions. In tests from Adgregate and McAfee with select advertisers, display of the badge resulted in a 75% sales increase and a 41% engagement lift when compared with non-McAfee ads, McAfee says.

    Update: Adgregate also has a similar partnership in place with TRUSTe, built on privacy certification. Like the McAfee badge, there is also a TRUSTe badge.

  • Microsoft’s Ad/Publisher Group To Get New Head

    In less than one month, a change in leadership will occur within Microsoft’s Advertiser and Publisher Solutions group.  Scott Howe, the corporate vice president currently in charge of it, is set to leave on May 14th, with Rik van der Kooi replacing him.

    Howe came to Microsoft as a result of the aQuantive acquisition that was announced on May 18th, 2007, and Microsoft seems pleased with what he’s achieved since then; Qi Lu, president of Microsoft’s Online Services division, doled out several compliments in an email announcing the change.

    Rik van der KooiQi Lu was eager to talk about what van der Kooi has achieved, too, however.  He wrote, "Rik is a supremely gifted leader who has served on the Online Services Division (OSD) Leadership Team since 2006, most recently as Corporate Vice President and CFO, overseeing Finance, Systems, M&A, Strategy and the Yahoo Integration effort."

    Also, "Prior to this, Rik was GM of Finance for SMSG (Sales, Marketing and Services Group) in EMEA, and Finance Director for the Benelux.  Before joining Microsoft in 1999, Rik was Chief Financial Officer for IBC Vehicles Ltd, a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation in the United Kingdom."

    It might be that Howe’s departure won’t represent too big of a blow to Microsoft’s advertising machine, then, even if the company is still looking for a permanent replacement for van der Kooi.  Howe’s at least allowed for a reasonable transition period, and hasn’t drawn attention to any competitor by announcing where he’ll go next.

  • Google Introduces iPad Targeting

    AdWords users who feel an urge to target iPad owners can now do so without reaching out to people carrying Android devices and iPhones, as well.  Google’s added an option to its "networks and devices" screen that’ll allow advertisers to adopt a narrow focus.

    A post on the Inside AdWords blog announced late yesterday, "[W]e feel confident adding the iPad to the list of mobile devices that you can target specifically.  To do this, simply edit the ‘Devices’ section in your Campaign Settings, and select the iPad under ‘Advanced device and carrier options.’"

    The post later continued, "Also, remember that you can promote your iPhone/iPad or Android apps directly by linking to the download URL in your ads.  This way people can download your app straight from your ads.  To make things easier, we’ll handle the device targeting automatically when these ads show on mobile devices."

    These developments show that Google is continuing to view the iPad as a very significant device, and considers the mobile market one of its top priorities.

    Perhaps the more interesting matter will be whether AdWords users share the same outlook (iPad owners will tend to be early adopters with a fair amount of disposable income, after all), or if Google’s efforts in this area will go unappreciated.

  • Online Advertising Reached $26 Billion In

    Online Advertising Reached $26 Billion In

    The economic meltdown hit the U.S. advertising market harder than expected, with overall revenue falling from $77 billion in 2008 to $67 billion in 2009, according to a new report from the Yankee Group.

    The report "2009 Advertising Forecast Update: Less TV, More Internet," found the majority of the decline was due to TV advertising, which dipped from $52 billion in 2008 to just $41 billion in 2009.

    "The 2008-2009 recession drove down the value of everything-from home prices to TV advertising revenue," said Carl Howe, director at Yankee Group and author of the new report.

    "As consumers have become worried about the economy, they’ve reduced the amount of time they spend on media to less than 12 hours a day, down from nearly 14 hours in 2008. This shift in behavior has caused ad revenues to drop significantly."

    Time-Spent-With-Media

    TV and video watching decreased a full hour per day. Consumers spent a total of 3 hours and 17 minutes watching TV, DVDs, videos and pre-recorded programs.

    While time spent online decreased by 40 minutes pre day from 2008 to 2009, consumers still spent more time online, 4 hours and 13 minutes daily, more than any other medium. Another bright spot was Internet advertising revenue increased from $24 billion in 2008 to nearly $26 billion in 2009.

    Mobile was the only category that saw an increase in time spent. Consumers spent 40 minutes per day talking on mobile phones in 2009, up from 12 percent from 2008. Mobile Internet use grew 36 percent, to 11 minutes a day, and texting grew 55 percent, to 27 minutes a day.

     

     

  • Online Yellow Pages Driving Purchases

    The majority of consumers who use print and online Yellow Pages sites for local business information are "ready to buy" according to a new study released by the Yellow Pages Association and conducted by marketing research firm Burke.

    Approximately 8 out of 10 Internet Yellow Pages searchers were from people who said they were ready to buy, with 36 percent reporting they had made a purchase after finding local business information at an online Yellow Pages site, and an additional 44 percent saying they intended to make a purchase.

    Yellow-Pages

    "Our biggest value to local businesses is our ability to generate qualified leads from consumers who are ready to buy something," said Neg Norton, president, Yellow Pages Association.

    "This means that advertisers see a high return on investment for their advertising spend, which on average, is about $15 for every $1 spent on local display advertising."

    The Yellow Pages Association also found 65 percent of consumers said they referenced print and/or online Yellow Pages within the past month when looking for local business information.

    Other key findings from the study include:

    *40 percent of those who made a purchase said they found and made that purchase from a new company after reviewing local information on an Internet Yellow Pages site.

    *Among searches made by people who use online Yellow Pages, 37 percent said they had no company name in mind when they started their search.

    "Our products are more than a repository of business phone numbers and Web addresses," said Norton.

    "Consumers consult print directories and Internet Yellow Pages sites when they need information to help them make a smart choice when deciding with whom they are going to do business."

     
     

     

  • eBay Rolls Out Icons To Address Ad/Privacy Issues

    People who get spooked when online advertisements seem relevant – along with people who prefer it when ads actually relate to their interests – may appreciate a new step eBay’s taking.  The auction company will attach icons to a number of ads, and these icons will allow individuals to express their wishes.

    You can see the icon to the right, and Richard Brewer-Hay explained on the eBay Ink blog, "eBay has become one of several advertisers who’ve collaborated with industry groups to design and put an industry-standard icon on online ads on eBay from other advertisers, and on eBay’s online ads on other sites."

    Brewer-Hay then continued, "The icon link will send visitors to a page with more information on privacy, where they will be able to specify their advertising preferences for customized ads on eBay.com and for eBay ads on other Web sites."

    This is an interesting move on eBay’s part.  It’s possible the company will encounter problems as people who were previously unaware of ad personalization practices find out about them.  But on the whole, eBay may wind up looking like a leader in terms of transparency, and leave other corporations scrambling to avoid PR problems – or worse. 

    The icon rollout is supposed to take place over the next few days, so keep an eye out for the reactions of ordinary individuals and advertising-oriented companies.

  • Migrating from Yahoo Search Marketing API to adCenter API

    As you probably know, Microsoft and Yahoo have a search and advertising deal in place. Microsoft has now released a guide for migrating from the Yahoo Search Marketing API to its own adCenter API.

    The guide is intended to explain how to develop ad campaigns and request reports in adCenter.

    "More specifically, the guide maps Search Marketing operations to adCenter operations," explains Microsoft’s Scott White. "For those Search Marketing operations that adCenter does not support directly, steps are provided to perform a similar functionality in adCenter, if applicable. The guide includes a mapping from each field in the adCenter objects (for example, Campaign and AdGroup) to the corresponding Search Marketing object and field."

    The 46-page guide runs down identifiers, building SOAP requests, quota, deleting entities, fault handling, campaigns (adding, deleting, getting, updating, etc.), ad groups (adding, bidding, deleting, updating, etc.), ads (adding, deleting, updating, etc.), keywords (adding, deleting, updating, etc.), targeting (adding targets, getting targets, deleting targets, updating targets, et.), and reporting (requesting a report, getting the report, report type mapping).

    Readers are encouraged to let the company know (presumably via the comments on this announcement) if they come across any missing details that they feel would make the transition process easier.

  • Does Apple’s iAd Have the Right Stuff for Mobile Advertising?

    This week, among other things, Apple unleashed its new mobile advertising platform called iAd. This is based on the company’s acquisition of the mobile ad platform Quattro earlier this year.

    iAd is seen as a direct competitor to AdMob, which Google is still in the process of trying to acquire (the announcement was made in November), and Steve Jobs has even said Apple tried to acquire itself. The AdMob deal has been under scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission, to determine if it would reduce competition in mobile advertising. Seeing as how Apple has now unveiled its own direct competitor, one would think that it would help Google’s case for getting its AdMob deal done.

    If so, perhaps it  will all work to Google’s benefit. They can see what Apple has done, what works about it, and what doesn’t. Apple put out the iPhone, then along came Android, and Android use is skyrocketing. Can Google repeat this with mobile ads? Apple shows how it’s going to do mobile ads. If the AdMob deal goes through, Google will then show the world its own plan (beyond the following).

    Types-of-Mobile-Advertising

    iAd lets developers include ads in their apps (HTML5 – No Flash) that keep the user within the app. Ads will reportedly have access to many of the APIs other apps have access to.  Apple gives 60% of the ad revenue to the developers.

    Someone within Google has reportedly (and anonymously) already ripped iAd. Clearly, they are already thinking they have a better strategy, or at least want people to think that. Silicon Alley Insider reports the problems with iAd cited by this person:

    – Creative agencies build ads in Flash. There is no comparable tool for creating HTML5 creatives. There is no "IDE" for this. So those ads looked great in the presentation but the odds are that Apple (or Quattro) built them custom for the clients. How does this scale to hundreds of campaigns?

    – As a media agency (e.g. Publicis, Havas, etc) how do I determine the right targeting, etc to execute the buy to my satisfaction. Since this is a close ad network run by Apple I guess you’ll just have to trust them that they’re giving you a media plan that meets your objectives. "I want to reach young men who are interested in sports" –> how does this get translated into a media plan? If Apple does all the work, then how does an agency add any value to the process?

    – How would I measure results? It’s not clear what metrics Apple will provide advertisers. Whatever they are, they won’t be a) audited; b) comparable against anything else; c) integrated into the systems advertisers use to measure overall results.

    – Oh, also, how will these ads be priced exactly? Will it be an auction like AdWords? Or will it be a rate card Apple controls?

    Much of this sentiment has been echoed throughout the industry in general, by non-Googlers.

    One clear advantage Google has in mobile advertising is that it already has search advertising. Apparently Steve Jobs would like people to think that people aren’t using search on their phones (based on his comment: "People aren’t searching on their phones.") which I have a hard time believing, considering the amount of searching I do on my own phone. If that were the case, however, that ought to help Google’s case even more, as far as competition.

    iAd may further Apple’s head start in in-app ads, but it’s possible that Google won’t be too far behind if  the FTC views iAd as a competitor to AdMob (although recent reports indicate the FTC is leaning toward blocking the deal, the iAd gives Google some ammunition). Android usage is still growing rapidly, and Google is still the default search engine on the iPhone as well, at least for the time being.

    The competition between Google and Apple gets more interesting by the day, and it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon. 

  • FTC Complaint Targets Google, Microsoft, Yahoo

    The Center for Digital Democracy, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), and the World Privacy Forum may have just created some problems for Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and other companies that deal in online ads.  Together, they submitted a complaint about the companies to the Federal Trade Commission today.

    The first part of a 32-page letter stated, "Recent developments in online profiling and behavioral targeting . . . have all contributed to what is now standard practice online.  A vast ecosystem of online advertising and data auctions and exchanges, demand- and supply-side platforms, and the increasing use of third-party data providers that bring offline information to Internet profiling and targeting, operates without the awareness or consent of users."

    The complaint then continued, "This massive and stealth data collection apparatus threatens user privacy.  It also robs individual users of the ability to reap the financial benefits of their own data – while publishers, ad exchangers and information brokers (so-called ‘ad optimizers’) profitably cash in on this information."

    So the three organizations behind the letter would like to see certain procedures only allowed on an opt-in basis.  There’s a mention of financial compensation for consumers, too, and a few other requests that relate to openness and transparency.

    This may not get too far; the manner in which online ads work is indeed standard practice, and regulators don’t seem likely to flip the system on its head after all this time.  Still, all of the companies named in the complaint – and perhaps Google in particular – aren’t liable to enjoy the extra attention from the FTC.

  • Online Ad Revenue Hits Record $6.3 Billion In Q4

    Though U.S. Internet advertising revenues, at $22.7 billion for 2009, showed a 3.4 percent decline from 2008, there are signs of a recovery in the industry, according to the latest report from the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

    The fourth quarter of 2009 hit a record quarterly high of $6.3 billion, a 2.6 percent increase year-over-year and a 14 percent increase over the third quarter of 2009.

    Search and display advertising continue to lead with the largest percentage of overall interactive advertising spend. Search revenues accounted for 47 percent of the total, amounting to nearly $10.7 billion for 2009, up slightly from 2008.

    Internet-Ad-Revenues

    Display advertising totaled nearly $8 billion in 2009, showing an increase of 4 percent from 2008. One category of display advertising, digital video, continues to experience strong growth, with an almost 39 percent increase from 2008 to 2009.

    These figures represent the significant share shift taking place from traditional media to digital. Based on data from PwC from 2005 to 2009 in five key U.S. ad-supported media (television, radio, newspapers, consumers magazines and Internet), the Internet’s share of combined ad revenue grew from 8 percent to 17 percent.

    "The record $6.3 billion spent on Internet advertising in the fourth quarter of 2009, while certainly aided by seasonal demand, is a strong indication that the worst of the economic impact on Internet advertising is over and that the seeds of growth have been planted," said David Silverman, PwC Assurance partner.

     


  • McClatchy Taps WebVisible For Online Marketing

    Newspaper company McClatchy said today it is rolling out WebVisible’s online marketing platform to all 29 of its U.S. markets in an effort to boost advertising revenue.

    WebVisible says its platform will give McClatchy’s local advertisers a better way to get found in newspaper listings, newspaper websites, search engines, or via mobile phones or navigation devices.

    The McClatchy Company has been testing the platform with local businesses in several markets, including Kansas City, Mo., Tacoma, Wash., and Fresno, Calif. Advertising sales in those markets in March were five times higher than the previous month. McClatchy and WebVisible are planning to add new markets every month through the end of the year.

    Consumers use at least seven different media sources when looking for a local product or service, according to a study from BIA/Kelsey and ConStat.

    Kirsten-Mangers "If a local advertiser’s marketing doesn’t make it visible in every one of those searches, the business is losing potential customers," said Kirsten Mangers, CEO of WebVisible.  "Online marketing is more than just showing up in search engine results, and McClatchy understands that its advertisers want a full solution that gives them visibility across the board. 

    "McClatchy has always been a forward-thinking partner for local advertisers, helping them grow their businesses by making sure they can be found where customers are looking."

    McClatchy is the third largest newspaper company in the United States, with 30 daily newspapers and 43 non-dailies along with local websites in each of its markets. McClatchy-owned newspapers include "The Miami Herald," "The Sacramento Bee," and the "Lexington Herald-Leader."
     

  • Microsites Drive Brand Engagement, Purchase Intent

    Microsites are commonly used by brands in online marketing. Dynamic Logic, a firm that evaluates the effectiveness of branded microsites, says that 7.8% of people become aware of a campaign’s message who otherwise would not have, when there is a microsite involved. WebProNews spoke with Michelle Eule, Managing Director for Dynamic Logic’s research application AdIndex, about this and other recent findings regarding microsite effectiveness.

    Microsite Effectiveness

    I wondered if that particular finding couldn’t be construed as a call to improve a campaign’s message overall, if its message isn’t clear before the customer views the microsite. 

    Michelle Eule talks to WebProNews about microsite effectiveness "I think the finding speaks more to the strength of microsites than to a weakness in the campaign’s ads—that 7.8% can be compared to the average impact of display and video ads, which typically drive an additional 2.3% of people to become aware of a campaign’s message," Eule tells WebProNews. "Consumers who enter a microsite are generally more open to hearing what the brand has to say, and tend to spend more time engaging with the brand than someone simply served a display ad while performing other activities on a webpage."

    Microsites normally utilize online ad formats such as display and video to drive traffic to them, of course. 

    "A display ad can also say only so much within a 300×250 or 728×90 unit compared to a microsite which has a full page or multiple pages of real estate to leverage," she adds. "It’s worth noting, however, that a media plan can potentially reach 100s of times as many people as a microsite, so while the percent impacted favors microsites, the number of people impacted may still be higher with display or video ads."

    Dynamic Logic says that data from 182 of its studies (conducted globally), reveal that microsites have a substantial impact on consumer awareness and perception of a brand. According to the firm, microsite visitation leads to significant increases in all standard brand metrics.

    Online Ad Effectiveness with regards to microsite usage

    Encouraging User Engagement and Driving Purchase Intent

    The firm finds that the site attribute that determines the largest branding impact varies by the campaign goal.

    Microsite - metrics/goal, attritubtes, insight

    "We’ve seen lots of creative content on microsites," says Euele. "This can include originally produced videos, games, contests, or forums that generate discussion between consumers. While those activities certainly incorporate the brand in some way, I think the best microsites are ones that don’t focus on the brand directly, but on a topic that consumers feel passionate about."

    "This approach is riskier because the connection between the brand and the topic needs to be obvious to consumers, but if the linkage makes sense, more consumers will come to the site and spend more time with it when they feel that the brand is relevant to their interests and values," she adds. "That connection can be extremely influential at the time of purchase."

    The firm says that in terms of costs, an effective microsite requires a decent investment towards production of the site as well as media for traffic drivers.

  • Yahoo Publisher Network Shutting Down in a Month

    Yahoo is closing the doors on the Yahoo Publisher Network. The Yahoo Publisher Network was launched in the summer of 2005, and never left beta status.

    The YPN lets publishers display ads that are relevant to the content of their site, and earn money based on the clicks, much like Google’s AdSense program. The program will be shutting down at the end of April.

    Yahoo is offering the following statement on the matter, which also happens to be very similar to the opening of emails members have reportedly been receiving:

    Yahoo Publisher Network - Shutting Down in a MonthYahoo! continuously evaluates and prioritizes our products and services, in alignment with business goals and our continued commitment to deliver the best consumer and advertiser experiences. After conducting an extensive review of the Yahoo! Publisher Network beta program, it was determined that the resources that would be required to advance the program to the level expected by our publishers would be better utilized in other areas of Yahoo!’s business.

    Yahoo is telling users to switch to Chitika, an ad network that features direct syndication of Yahoo Content Match and sponsored search ads.

    "We want to make the transition from Yahoo! Publisher Network as easy as possible," Chitika says on a page it has set up for YPN publishers.

    Yahoo says it will send the final payments for YPN publishers by the end of May.

  • Google Launches “Ad Innovations” Destination

    Google has launched a new site to showcase its latest innovations in advertising. It’s called, appropriately, Google Ad Innovations.

    "The principle behind the advertising products we build at Google is simple: ads are information," says Vice President, Product Management Susan Wojcicki. "But the type of information that ads provide is getting more varied and inventive all the time, and as a result ads are getting more interesting, social and useful."

    Users can break Google’s offerings down by search, display, mobile, measurement, and all features. Under search, you can find more info about product listing ads, search funnels, and location extensions with multiple addresses. Under display, you can find stuff about remarketing, the YouTube video targeting tool, the ad creation marketplace, above the fold advertising, and YouTube Insights for Audience. Under mobile, you’ll find info about click to call phone extensions. In measurement, you’ll see search funnels again, and analytics intelligence.

    Google Ad Innovations site launched

    Under each offering, users will find info about the product’s status (such as if it is in limited beta for example), what it does, and why you’d use it, as well as a video demo.

    "As advertising evolves, we want to build the tools that make it possible for marketers to connect with customers in meaningful, creative ways," says Wojcicki. "We’ve found that the best way to do that is to focus on the user, test new approaches regularly and listen closely to the feedback of the advertisers using our products."

    Google will regularly add tools and features to the site, so this may be one to bookmark if you’re a Google advertiser.

  • Google Gives AdWords for Mobile Interface to Advertisers

    Today Google has made AdWords for Mobile the default mobile interface for a small percentage of English-language advertisers.

    "AdWords for mobile works best when you customize your experience," says Miles Johnson of Google’s Inside AdWords crew. "Before using the mobile website, you should log in from your desktop computer and choose the parts of your account that you want to monitor closely. Set up custom alerts for key account events (like when your campaign reaches 90% of your daily budget, or when your traffic drops substantially compared to the previous week), and saved filters to flag your most important keywords and campaigns. You’ll then see these filters and alerts on your AdWords for mobile home screen."

    AdWords for Mobile

    "We built AdWords for mobile to help you quickly access the essentials in your account, so we’ve focused on letting you view and make basic edits to campaigns and keywords through the mobile application," adds Johnson. "If you need access to the other parts of your account, like ads or campaign settings, you can switch to the desktop version of AdWords through a link at the bottom of the screen."

    More advertisers in more languages will get the feature in the coming weeks. Those who wish to try it out immediately, can go here with their Android, iPhone or Palm Pre device.

  • Internet Broadcasting Introduces New Hover Ad

    Internet Broadcasting has introduced a new collapsible ad unit it calls the "IB Hover Ad", aimed at giving online advertisers more visibility while allowing for user control.

    The hover ad is anchored to the bottom of a user’s browser, with an above the fold presence even when the user scrolls up and down a Web page.  The ad can be minimized by the user at any time, leaving a branded button at the bottom of the screen that can be expanded or closed.

    David-Lebow "Our partners are always seeking fresh and effective methods for their local advertisers. IB is innovating to make advertising more effective in an environment that’s good for the consumer," said David Lebow, CEO of Internet Broadcasting.

    "The IB Hover Ad is another powerful tool in our clients’ arsenal."

    Post-Newsweek Stations, Inc. is one of the first media partners testing the new ad format across its network of regional broadcast television station websites.

    "We see the IB Hover Ad as a new opportunity for our advertisers," said Catherine Badalamente, Director of Digital Media at Post-Newsweek Stations.

    "It gives them added visibility and branding — and provides a great new way to promote offers and special sales. We’ve been selling the IB Hover Ad in beta for three weeks and advertisers have already seen a return on their investment, which gives us an advantage over other Web sites in our market.