Article Link:  http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109038

Article Author: Laurie Sullivan

Article Date: 1-Jul-09

From the Article:

“Geier recalls how Laura Christine, vice president of direct marketing and e-commerce at shoemaker Skechers USA, told attendees at the Internet Retailer 2009 conference in June that she put 94% of the company’s entire online budget into retargeting. Christine reduced Skechers’ partnerships to seven ad networks from 20. While Geier couldn’t recall her exact return on investment, he says the ROI exceeded 200% on more than $2 million in revenue.”

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109038

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Apps Are Booming as Companies Seek a Place on Your Phone

Article Link: New York Times

Article Author: Jenna Wortham

Article Date: 07-June-09

From the Article:

Developers of programs for the iPhone have already managed to make a decent living selling hundreds of thousands of copies of games from their living rooms or garages.

But now, a new way to profit from writing software for the iPhone is emerging: Sell the apps, then sell your company.

With the number of downloads through Apple’s App Store topping one billion and more than 40 million iPhones and iPod Touches sold since 2007, an increasing number of companies are seeing the mobile industry as a source of sustained revenue. Recently, IAC/InterActiveCorp, the Internet media conglomerate founded by Barry Diller, and Amazon.com, have bought app developers. Smaller companies have begun to assemble properties.

Soon, you’ll have to pay for Hulu

Article Link: dailyfinance.com

Article Author: Jeff Bercovici

Article Date: 03-June-09

From the Article:

I think what works for consumers most likely — and this has to be tested, frankly — is bundles. I think you have to figure out what are the right bundles that people buy and what’s contained in that bundle. For example, you could have — and I’m making this up entirely — you could have a New York bundle, and that could consist of various papers or publications that are relevant to the audience in New York, and you could make that all, potentially, a bundle to a consumer at one price.

Twitter Proves Its Worth as a Killer App for Local Businesses

Article Link:  Ad Age 

Article Author:  ABBEY KLASSEN

Article Date:  18-May-09

From the Article :

“Naked Pizza, a New Orleans healthful-pizza shop that’s hoping to go national — Mark Cuban is a backer — has been marketing itself via the microblogging service. And recently it has started to track Twitter-spurred sales at the register. In a test run April 23, an exclusive-to-Twitter promotion brought in 15% of the day’s business.”

 

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=136662

TV’s 2009 Branded Entertainment Deal Style: Crew Cut Or Mullet?

Article Link:  Media Post

Article Author: WAYNE FRIEDMAN

Article Date: 4-May-09

 

From the Article :

“I don’t feel that we really are in the hands of the sponsors,” Cowell recently told The Hollywood Reporter. “Let’s put it this way: We don’t get any orders. So I’ve got a Coke cup in front of me. Who cares? I don’t like Coca-Cola.”

But here’s the deal: If more TV networks take on more reality shows — due to reining in TV production costs — you can bet there’ll be more product placement this fall. That’s just a fact.”

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=105323

Same Cow, No Matter How You Slice It?

Article Link: New York Times

Article Author: KIM SEVERSON

Article Date: 29-Apr-09

From the Article :

The idea was simple. Dig around in the carcass and find muscles that, when separated and sliced in a certain way, were tender and tasty enough to be sold as a steak or a roast. “People know how to cook steaks,” said Dave Zino, executive director of the cattlemen’s Beef and Veal Culinary Center.

The Denver was invented after meat and marketing experts spent more than $1.5 million and five years on the largest study anyone had ever done on the edible anatomy of a steer.

What Talent-Agency Merger Could Mean for Brands

Article Link: AdvertsingAge

Article Author: CLAUDE BRODESSER-AKNER

Article Date: 28-Apr-09

From the Article :
“So with the declining influence of movie stars and plunging ratings in network TV, Ogilvy’s Mr. Scott said, “agents from all the [Hollywood talent] agencies are getting more and more involved in the brand deal-making process,” entering territory that was once the provenance solely of corporate-advisory agents.”

http://adage.com/madisonandvine/article?article_id=136304

An Industry That Sells Takes a Look in the Mirror

Article Link: New York Times

Article Author: STEPHANIE CLIFFORD  

Article Date: 29-Apr-09

From the Article :

THE advertising industry needs to do a better job of advertising itself, speakers and attendees at the 2009 American Association of Advertising Agencies leadership conference here said.

That rebranding began close to home. On Tuesday, the association’s president and chief executive, Nancy Hill, announced the group would now go by the name 4A’s, since the “American” was too limited (advertisers do business internationally), as was “Advertising Agencies” (firms now offer public relations services as well).

SupersonicAds Building Virtual Currency Monetization Platform for European App Developers

As the number of social apps and games making money through virtual currency continues to grow, the number of companies helping those developers monetize their apps continues to increase as well. Today, Inside Facebook has the exclusive first look at a new company focused on helping European social app and game developers monetize through virtual currency.

New startup SupersonicAds is coming out of stealth mode for the first time today. The company, based outside Tel Aviv, Israel, is focusing its efforts exclusively on the European social app and game developer market, founder and CEO Gil Shoham tells Inside Facebook.

Shoham, most recently a VP at AdsMarket, started SupersonicAds late last year with many former teammates from video sharing site Metacafe, where he served as general manager and head of international sales for several years. Arik Czerniak, a co-founder of Metacafe, is also a partner in SupersonicAds.

“Over the last couple of years, people have discovered that CPM performs pretty poorly in social media,” Shoham says. “But if you integrate the advertising in the right way for the right audience, it works well.”

Shoham says the company chose to focus on Europe because that is where it has experience working with advertisers and publishers. It has spent the last few months developing and scaling its technology infrastructure, putting tracking and customer service functions into place, and optimizing performance.

In addition, Shoham says the company has localized its service for every language in Europe, including French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch.

SupersonicAds is now live on Honesty Box on Facebook, whose lead developer Dan Peguine is also coming on board as a strategic partner for the company, as well as on Save An Alien, a popular virtual pet website.

While SupersonicAds is open to any and all advertisers, Shoham said he expects offers related to mobile content, gaming, and dating will work well for European users. The company plans to add a mobile payment option as well, but hasn’t finalized its choice of SMS partners yet.

For now, the company is focused on building out its core platform. It is self funded, but may raise money later this year, according to Shoham.

As virtual currency monetization space continues to grow, we’ll have all the details for you here on IF and ISG.

http://www.insidefacebook.com/2009/04/22/supersonicads-building-virtual-currency-monetization-platform-for-european-app-developers/

Jack Myers MediaBizBlogger- Job vs. Career

Article Link: Jack Myers

Article Author: Jack Myers

Article Date: 28-Apr-09

From the Article :

“Success in today’s business environment requires a tactical focus on immediate business needs within a strategic vision of tomorrow’s opportunities. Your success will be inevitable when you organize the forces of strong relationships with imagination, planning, knowledge, involvement and effort.”