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News Hotline

• Google, EU Spar Over Privacy Changes
  by Wendy Davis 3 hours ago

  Privacy regulators in the EU have asked Google to delay its plan to start compiling more detailed profiles of its users. Google indicated it would reject the request. ...

• Social, Search Identify Super Bowl Favored Team, Ads
  by Laurie Sullivan 4 hours ago

  If the U.S. held an election asking residents to cast a vote for their favorite football team, the New York Giants would likely win. Clearspring ran sentiment analysis from its AddThis sharing platform showing the team fans in each U.S. state favor, based on overall clicks, searches and ...

• Undertone Ups Revenue Streams For Publishers
  by Gavin O'Malley 4 hours ago

  Continuing to position itself as more than an ad network, Undertone just signed exclusive agreements with 12 publishers, including American Media, AccuWeather, Bonnier Corporation, and Britannica. ...

• Experience: Audi Tops Super Bowl Relevance
  by Karl Greenberg 5 hours ago

  As the baseline is 100, Volkswagen, for example has a SBAR score of 129, meaning a 29% lift in purchase likelihood for the brand when targeting the Super Bowl audience. The top three SBAR scores are for Audi, Cars.com, and Bridgestone. ...

• Super Bowl: Ah, The Tech Wizardry!
  by Phyllis Fine 6 hours ago

  Here's three ways that a heaping helping of techn wizardy will make this year's big game different from any in the past: For one, NBC will be using a new camera "that will allow crews to capture higher quality images for ultra-slow-motion replays," writes Broadcasting & Cable's ...

• 'NY Times' Beefs Up Blogs
  by Phyllis Fine 6 hours ago

  The New York Times, which previously bulked up its tech and business and finance blogs (Bits and Deal Book, respectively) is now giving the same treatment to its health blog, Well -- with both Well and Bits being positioned to appeal more to a BtoB audience, a company ...

• Tweets, Blogs, Threaten Survival Of At Least One Paper
  by Phyllis Fine 6 hours ago

  British newspapers such as The Sun are definitely feeling the heat from social media and Web competition. In fact, Sun editor Dominic Mohan told a British Parliamentary committee that Twitter and celebrity-focused blogs could put the paper out of business, "if such sites were able to report scandals ...

• Masthead Moves: Heffernan To Yahoo, Singer To 'USA Today'
  by Phyllis Fine 6 hours ago

  Two masthead jumps: USA Today is hiring Paul Singer, late of Roll Call,  as its new politics editor to cover the 2012 campaign. And former New York Times columnist  Virginia Heffernan is joining Yahoo News as its national correspondent, in what Dylan Byers calls Yahoo's "most high-profile ...

• BMW Launches Vignettes For 3 Series
  by Karl Greenberg 6 hours ago

  BMW is launching the sixth generation of its 3 Series in part with six playful digital shorts, two of which will air during the Super Bowl in specific U.S. markets. The videos are meant to illustrate specific new technologies in the car. ...

• Microsoft adCenter Adds Characters In Paid-Search Descriptions, Mobile Targeting Tools
  by Laurie Sullivan 7 hours ago

  Microsoft said it has increased the number of characters in paid-search ads from 70 to 71, simplifying the process of importing ads from Google AdWords. The move will allow marketers to more easily import ads from AdWords to adCenter, both through the UI and through the adCenter Desktop ...

• Why Page Title Tags Still Matter

  Page titles still matter. Google made this clear in a blog post last month. Now Brent Yorzinski tells us why it's important not to overlook the basics by placing too much emphasis on emerging factors and not enough on the basics. As technology evolves, the basic principles often get ...

• Does Content Answer Information Asked By Keyword Search?

  Rand Fishkin digs below the surface to shed light on hidden factors in online marketing. He calls them "often overlooked details" that can have an impact in helping to accomplish a goal, such as optimizing for click-through rates from search results, getting people to subscribe to RSS and ...

• 'Peanuts' Debut In Super Bowl Met Life Ad

  MetLife will join the line-up of first-time Super Bowl advertisers with a 30-second spot featuring the Peanuts characters, which have been central to its marketing for decades. The company has a relationship with one of the game's teams with its name on the New York Giants home fi ...

• Public Citizen Blasts Advertising In Schools

  Watch-dog group Public Citizen blasts school districts willing to sell advertising on school-related real estate from lockers to cafeteria trays, arguing the lasting impact on children far outweighs any financial resources a school district may raise. Five out of the country's 25 largest school districts offer some sort ...

• Millward Brown: Driving Brand Loyalty Via Ad Emotions

  WPP's Millward Brown is adding facial recognition technology to its commercial testing service to better assess the emotional impact on ads. Marketers can get at the emotional response that people might not be able to articulate in surveys, but is critical to crafting ads that enhance brand loya ...

• VivaKi's Hecht Excited About Mobile's Dimensions

  In August, VivaKi's Nerve Center launched a new "lane" focused on tablets as part of its Pool initiative to develop new digital ad formats. Chief Curt Hecht, now based in Paris, who is leading Publicis Groupe's R&D center, sounds off on table efforts and mobile marketing. ...

• Tablet Owners: More e-Commerce In Digital Magazines

  72% of tablet owners who read digital magazines on their devices in the last 30 days said they would prefer all digital magazines to be formatted in the same way, according to the iPanel results. 70% of tablet owners who read digital magazines on their devices said they ...

• Google Tackles Super Bowl XLVI

  Embracing the gridiron goings-on, Google has launched several Super Bowl-focused features and services to help fans enjoy the game. Offered through Google’s Inside Search, Game Day with Google is a specially-built site featuring a recipe search list, frequently asked football questions, information on the big game, and related ...

• Facebook Testing New Photo Layout

  Seeing as how this is officially Facebook week, we had to mention a new photo-viewer layout being tested by the network. What makes the layout new is the way it mounts engagement buttons and comments to the right rather than beneath images. The significance of such a change, ...

• Will Public Facebook Cost Advertisers?

  Still processing the implications of a public Facebook, The Wall Street Journal suggests that advertisers will pay a price for the change. “For advertisers on Facebook Inc., the free ride may be coming to an end,” it writes. As stockholders demand additional profits, Facebook will likely demand more ...

• Goodbye, Eminem; Hello, Clint?

  Chrysler is neither confirming nor denying reports that Clint Eastwood will replace Eminem as the star of this year's Chrysler Group LLC advertisement during Sunday's Super Bowl. ...

• Oops! Susan G. Komen Rebranded

  Consultant Kivi Leroux Miller writes in her blog that SGK has now essentially rebranded itself. "Yesterday afternoon, and continuing into today, I believe we are witnessing the accidental rebranding of what is surely one of America's biggest and most well-known, and even well-loved, nonprofit brands," she writes, explaining ...

• Context Is King

  Blogger and PR/marketing consultant Jonathan Gardner ask how, with data, devices, and content multiplying exponentially, marketers can be relevant to consumers. "By going back to basics, and returning to context," he responds. ...

• Cam Newton Scores Endorsement With Gatorade

  Add another touchdown for Cam Newton, this time on the endorsement field. The quarterback for the Carolina Panthers has signed a multi-year deal with Gatorade and will appear in upcoming multi-media marketing. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Newton also has endorsement deals with Under Armour ...

• Super Bowl Big At Costco

  Costco, best known for food and household items, is offering three ticket packages for the big game Sunday. ...

• 'Mean' Joe Greene Does Redux For P&G

  "Mean" Joe Greene, a four-time Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers, stars for Procter & Gamble in a Super Bowl redux of his classic Coca-Cola commercial, which is regarded as one of the best Big Game spots of all time. Instead of Coke, however, the product here ...

• Super Bowl Draws 46% Women, Expands Demo Reach

  The Super Bowl brings all types of viewers to its annual Sunday party -- but increasingly, this big TV event is increasingly wealthier, female and diverse. Nielsen also says more Hispanic-Americans and African-Americans are watching the game. ...

• Apps, QR Codes To Lead Marketers' Mobile Investment In 2012

  In its survey of 500 companies and agencies (in partnership with Experian Marketing Services), eConsultancy found 57% of company marketers planning to invest in mobile apps in 2012, and 48% in QR code programs. On the agency side, the priorities in mobile were similar, although these respondents said ...

• Media Companies: Stock Value Doesn't Reflect Profitability

  The value of broadcast TV companies, as well as integrated media companies that include broadcast assets, have lagged the broader stock market gains in the last two years, which confuses M.C. Alcamo & Co. ...

• AMEX, Pizza Hut, Fandango Add to Super Bowl Mobile Announcements

  Specific Shazam ad enhancements will include spots from Toyota (sweepstakes entry), Best Buy, Cars.com ($1.00 charitable donation for tagging with Shazam), Pepsi (unlock a video), and Telflora (secret offer for tagging the ad). During halftime, a partnership with Bud Light will unlock performing artist content. ...

• Restaurant Projects 3.5% Growth in 2012

  Restaurant operators who understand and leverage consumer trends, and offer the right incentives, will succeed at attracting new customers and increasing repeat business, the National Restaurant Association notes. ...

• CPG, Health Top Video Advertisers, Digital VIdeo To HIt $5.4B

  Throughout 2011, CPG brands spent more than any other group on video advertising -- making up 24% of all dollars spent, according to new data from YuMe. Health and pharmaceutical brands came in second -- with a 16% share of the video ad market -- despite a 400% ...

• AOL Taps Right Media Exchange

  AOL selected Yahoo's Right Media Exchange as the platform to provide real-time access to its inventory as part of the display advertising agreement that AOL, Yahoo and Microsoft entered into last fall.. The three companies agreed to pool each others' unsold inventory to boost ad pricing and enhance ...

• Celebrity Ads Get Big Views Online

  There are not only a record number of advertisers showing their Super Bowl ads early, but there are a heck of a lot of them using celebrities. Ace Metrix says that, last year, ads without celebrities performed 9.2% better than those with them. ...

• Google Can't Weigh In On 'Used' Digital Music Case

  The battle between EMI's Capitol Records and "used" digital music store ReDigi has drawn the attention of Google, which this week attempted to file a friend-of-the-court brief in the case. ...

• Super Bowl XLVI Ads Get Counted In Real-Time

  Involver has created a near-real-time ad meter that will tally votes on Super Bowl XLVI ads from sites across the Internet. The Facebook platform has been built into the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter, giving the social tool a facelift. ...

• FSIs Challenged By Digital Coupons

  Kantar reported that digital coupon distribution was up just over 12% in 2011 versus the prior year. By comparison, the number of coupons printed in free standing inserts last year was down 6.5%. And year-to-year spending on newspaper inserts declined by 12% to about $1.3 billion. ...

• Facebook Ad Growth Outpaces Search Marketing

  Budgets for advertising on Facebook continue to grow at a faster clip compared with paid search, according to Kenshoo Social. But are budgets growing faster because social appears as the shiny new object, or have marketers finally figured out how to calculate ROI from Facebook campaigns? ...

• The New York Giants Boost Digital

  The team is doing a promotion called "Tolly Cam," in which defensive end Dave Tollefson shows clips taken during the team's flight to Indianapolis, shots from the team's hotel, locker room and other places usually strictly off-limits to the fans. ...

• 'Battleship' Super Bowl Ad Pushes Ticket Sales

  NBC Universal's Universal Pictures and its digital movie ticket company Fandango have inked a rare movie marketing deal for "Battleship," a big summer action movie, promoting the opportunity to buy advance ticket sales through a TV commercial in the Super Bowl. ...

• Citgo Continues 'Fueling Good' Program

  Houston-based Citgo is awarding Florida-based Canine Castaways, Inc. with $5,000 in Citgo gift cards to help in the group's work educating area residents about responsible pet care and rescuing and rehabilitating homeless dogs. ...

• Coke Effort Encourages African-American Teens

  A Coca-Cola "Pay It Forward" contest tied into Black History Month is offering teens a chance to win "apprentice experiences" with "celebrity history-makers." ...

• New Year, New Mojo: Stores Sales Strengthen

  Kantar Retail says its index, which tracks some of the country's largest chains, rose a healthy 4.9% in January, stronger than last month's so-so increase of 3.6%, and above the 4.2% gain in January of last year. ...

• "Hunger Games" Game Debuts On Facebook, Dovetails With Film Release

  With the movie premiere of "The Hunger Games" set for March 23, Hollywood is probably hoping the film version of the wildly popular young adult novel will also be a huge hit. So is Funtactix, the company behind the forthcoming social game based on the book, which is ...

• Comcast Going Global

  "Comcast Corp. is ready to take on the planet," after many years of buying up cable companies and last year's acquisition of major media company NBC Universal, according to Bob Fernandez' interview with Comcast CEO Brian Roberts. The company's global strategy "won't come in the traditional Comcast way, ...

• The Daily's First Year: 'Overinflated Expectations'

  "The Daily may have suffered more from overinflated expectations than from the publication’s own execution," writes Jeff Sonderman in this look at the iPad pub's fate a year after it first launched. So while Robert Murdoch projected success "when we are selling millions" and the company said it ...

• Time Inc. To Shutter 'Netflix Of The Magazine Industry'

  Time Inc. is set to close MAGHOUND, dubbed the "Netflix of the magazine industry" early in 2012, the fourth year of its operation. Using MAGHOUND, consumers could buy multiple titles from various publishers each month at discount prices without having to subscribe to any single publication. Despite its ...

• 'Glamour''s March Redesign: More Celebs, Less Sex

  Glamour is among the mags unveiling redesigns for its March issue. The bullet points here are: yellow instead of red on the cover ("happy," "fun,"); more first-person stories;  fashion with (god help us) "a heavier focus on celebrities," (to be more like InStyle?); and less sex (to stop ...

• 'Men's Journal' To Revamp Website

  Wenner Media's Men's Journal is revamping its site to focus on product reviews and advice, and original content rather than simply repackaging its print version. “The core of the website is going to be recommending the best things to do, the best things to see, and the best ...

• NYTCO: Digital Revs Slide 5%, Digital Subscriptions On The Rise

  So much for The New York Times Co.'s phoenix-like return to digital prosperity. Due to declines in cost-per-click and display advertising at the About Group, total digital ad revenues decreased 4.9% to $95.7 million in the fourth quarter. ...

• Viacom's Mixed Report: Media Networks, Affiliate Fees Up, Cable Ads Dip

  Advertising revenue for Viacom's media networks, including MTV and Nickelodeon, decreased 3% on both a domestic and worldwide basis, driven by lower ratings and softness in the U.S. advertising market. Total revenue in the reported quarter was up 3% year-over-year. ...

• Wireless Customer Service Gets A Workout

  According to J.D. Power and Associates' semi-annual 2012 Wireless Customer Care Performance study, people who own a 4G-enabled device contact their wireless service providers more often than people who have less feature-rich devices. ...

• NYTCO Ad Revs Drop 7%

  The New York Times Co. reports that total revenues declined 2.8% to $643 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. This is the sixth consecutive quarter of year-over-year revenue declines for NYTCO, which last saw revenue growth in the second quarter of 2010. ...

• 3 W+K Ads Earn Most-Awarded Status

  Three of the six most-awarded TV commercials in the world last year were created by Wieden + Kennedy, according to the Gunn Report's annual award compendium. W+K's Amsterdam office created two of the top three-awarded spots, including first-place Nike's "Write the Future" and Heineken's "The Entrance." ...

• Search By Drawing

  Looking for a way to search by image? The unofficial Google Image Search by Drawing now gives users a way. Results depend on drawing skills, but simple shapes, logos and images easily drawn with brushstrokes or stick figures work well. Choose a color, draw something, and hit search. ...