Archive for 2009

Microsoft adCenter Spring Update

May 27, 2009

Microsoft adCenter has added several new features this spring to help advertisers: 1).  Save time managing their campaigns, 2). Give them more control over content ads distribution, and 3). Efficiently maintain their accounts to help improve performance.

Specifically the Microsoft adCenter Spring Upgrade gives advertisers the ability to:

•    Apply customer targets and incremental bids at the campaign level.

•    Generate new keywords with improved research and refinement tools.

•    Set and monitor bids with the improved default bid feature.

•    Exclude up to 500 websites where you do not want your content ads to appear.

Microsoft adCenter believes these new feature will help advertisers’ supercharge their ROI.

Digital Marketing Thought Leader Interviews @ DoubleClick

May 26, 2009

DoubleClick has launched a new video interview series called Three Questions for Innnovators.

DoubleClick’s video interviews cover the marketing and advertising industry’s most pressing themes and issues, including current trends and influencers, ad exchanges, social media, emerging media and the future.

Digital Marketing Thought Leaders

Digital Marketing Thought Leaders

To date, DoubleClick has interviewed twelve digital media thought leaders and innovators.

Transcripts of the interviews are also available.

To be expected, there are some simple yet profound insights in the interviews like the observation below from Esther Dyson:

“How can I get better viral marketing for my product? Have a better product!”

Twitter Search Errors… Again

May 25, 2009

Twitter search appears to be taking a vacation this Memorial Day 2009:

Twitter Search Error

Twitter Search Error

This isn’t the first time I have had difficulty accessing Twitter search.

Welcome Google User

May 24, 2009

For all of the complaints coming from publishers about how Google siphons their content while offering nothing in exchange, I found this pop in ad on Forbes.com somewhat curious.

Welcome Google User

Welcome Google User

Had I not been searching on Google and had Forbes.com not had their content indexed by Google, I am highly certain I would not have visited Forbes.com at this particular time.

With the presence of their pop in ad, Forbes has at a minimum begun to accept a higher level of responsibility for how they serve their site visitors’ needs regardless of how the visitors arrived at any particular piece of content.

Business Management Reduced to Three Steps

May 23, 2009

In this Google webinar, Avinash Kaushik gives marketers a list of five things they can do to improve their business results.

The theme of Kaushik’s presentation “Aggregation of Marginal Gains: Little Changes, Large Results” stemmed from John Carlzon’s quote: “You cannot improve one thing by 1000% but you can improve 1000 little things by 1%.”

In his Google webinar, Kaushik also brilliantly condensed the essence of business management into three simple steps:

1. Increase revenue

2. Decrease costs

3. Improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Google Alerts Now Tracking Twitter Posts?

May 22, 2009

Google Web Alerts appears to now be reporting Twitter posts via its Google Alerts product.

Twitter Google Web Alert

Twitter Google Web Alert

I received the Google Alert above today for data gathered yesterday May 21, 2009.

This is the first Google Alert I have seen which included Twitter posts within Google Web Alerts.

What implications will this have on Search Engine Results Pages for search engine marketers and search engine optimizers – if any?

Amazon Kindle Distribution for Bloggers

May 21, 2009

I signed up for Amazon Kindle for Blog Publishers yesterday.

Amazon Kindle Publishing for Blogs

Amazon Kindle Publishing for Blogs

The entire process took just a few minutes.

Publish Blog To Amazon Kindle

Publish Blog To Amazon Kindle

Several hundred periodicals and a similar number of blogs appear to be available on Kindle.

The Search Marketing Communications blog as it appears on Kindle

Amazon Kindle Blog Publishing

Amazon Kindle Blog Publishing

and the Search Marketing Communications blog as it appears on Amazon.com.

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Kindle

If you are a blogger, publish your blog on Amazon Kindle.

comScore’s Top 25 Online Advertising Networks

May 20, 2009

comScore has released their list of the top 25 Online Advertising Networks based on their reach among U.S. Internet users in April 2009.

The top five online ad networks are AOL’s Platform-A , Yahoo! Network , Google Ad Network, ValueClick Networks and Specific Media.

The sixth largest network is the new Fox Ad Network.

Top 25 Online Advertising Networks

Top 25 Online Advertising Networks

Jack Flanagan comments in the comScore Top 25 Online Advertising Networks press release “…that new ad networks are emerging every day, each aimed at helping advertisers achieve their campaign objectives, whether it’s to deliver reach and frequency or to target a specific audience segment.”

With the exception of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and Yahoo Ad Network’s joint venture with publishers. it appears the newspaper industry as a whole has missed possibly the only opportunity left remaining to extend its reach and audience targeting potential through ownership in or control of an online advertising network.

I guess that’s why Rupert Murdoch is Rupert Murdoch.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s Commencement Address @ Carnegie Mellon

May 18, 2009

The following are excerpts from Eric Schmidt’s commencement address at Carnegie Mellon’s 112th commencement ceremony, held May 17, 2009.

You cannot plan innovation. You cannot plan invention. All you can do is try very hard to be at the right place and be ready.

How should you behave? Well, do things in a group. Don’t do things by yourself. Groups are stronger, groups are faster. None of us is as smart as all of us.

I wonder what Thomas Edison would think about Mr. Schmidt’s comments above?