Advertising & Marketing

Facebook is working on simplifying its different ad units and streamlining its products in an effort to make things simpler for businesses looking to spread the word via the social network, it announced Thursday. Facebook looked at its 27 different ad products and decided to cut down on the number of options to improve a Continue Reading →

I recently heard Leo Kottke perform in a striking performance center appropriately named The Egg (I’m linking to a photo of the building for architectural fans…you’re not going to believe this structure). Kottke is a true talent on 6 and 12 string acoustic guitars. But he’s so much more. Wikipedia says he “intersperses humorous and often bizarre monologues with vocal and Continue Reading →

Many are aware of Amazon’s robust retail and web-hosting businesses, but less are familiar with its advertising business, which is rapidly becoming a significant player in the space. Amazon brought in $450 million in advertising in revenue last year, according to eMarketer estimates published Tuesday. The company managed to increase its advertising business by nearly Continue Reading →

Since 2010, I have been speaking about what I see as three new consumer economic trends that will alter consumer behavior in the developed countries of the world. A number of aligning forces are significantly increasing the influence and impact of these three trends. In a recent column, I wrote about Conscious Capitalism, one of Continue Reading →

The broadcast and cable TV networks have wrapped up their spring narcissistic extravaganzas that try to seduce TV buyers to invest their ad dollars in programming that will appear next fall. The upfronts are a buggy-whip-technology-like annual ritual that each year are variously predicted: 1) To be the last upfront we’ll ever see, 2) to Continue Reading →

A month after Tumblr introduced sponsored posts into its native mobile applications, the company is bringing those same brand advertisements to its web dashboard. Launch partners for these new “Sponsored Web Posts,” as they’re called, include Viacom, Ford Motor Company, Universal Pictures, Capital One, AT&T, Denny’s and Purina. Tumblr users will be able to reblog, Continue Reading →

Every marketer is looking for the secret sauce that will help them create buzz. “The pressure to create ‘viral’ advertising, the urge to get more views online, that leads people to push the envelope,” said the president and chief creative officer at Grey New York in a recent New York Times article. Only a few fortunate Continue Reading →

Allow me to start with a personal declaration: As a media researcher who has tracked the word of mouth generated by many advertising campaigns, I am excited by the impending launch of social TV ratings. Slated to come on stream in Q4 this year, social TV ratings should catapult the concept of TV audience ratings Continue Reading →

If you want someone to reply to your email, make it sad. According to a recent study by Contactually, a software firm, people respond to depressing emails at a high rate. Ones with an upbeat or neutral tone? Eh, who needs ‘em? Emotion aside, solid email etiquette is invaluable for young professionals. How we handle even the Continue Reading →

Microsoft is updating its Windows Phone YouTube app. In a statement to The Verge, the company says it’s making some changes to address concerns from Google. “Microsoft updated the Windows Phone YouTube app to address the restricted video and offline video access concerns voiced by Google last week,” says a spokesperson. “We have been in Continue Reading →