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News Hotline

• Twitter Offers SMBs Self-Serve Ads With Help From American Express
  by Laurie Sullivan 55 minutes ago

  Twitter will roll out its self-service ad platform to small and mid-size businesses in March through a partnership with American Express. Card members and merchants can register to use the platform and receive $100 in advertising credit to put toward bidding on promoted tweets and promoted accounts. ...

• At The ANA: Social TV Is 'New Media'
  by Karl Greenberg 3 hours ago

  People are no longer just watching television programs. They are talking about them online, often on branded social-media campaigns from program sponsors. Still, defining "social TV" could almost seem a Hobson's choice between a redundancy and an oxymoron. ...

• Shoot: Cameras Giving Way To Smartphones
  by Aaron Baar 3 hours ago

  People are using their smartphones to take pictures more and more, but they're still looking toward single-use devices (such as digital SLRs and point-and-shoot cameras) to get the quality photographs they desire to preserve memories. ...

• Arby's Rebounds With Engaging Multiscreen Ad Strategy
  by Steve McClellan 3 hours ago

  Last year Arby's launched a new campaign as the "Good Mood Food" chain, to promote awareness that its comfort food was also wholesome and fresh. Its ads were a viral hit, prompting the company to develop a user-generated "casting call" contest for new ads. The cross-platform campaign, also ...

• FTC: App For Kids Fall Short On Privacy
  by Wendy Davis 4 hours ago

  Developers of childrens' apps often fail to adequately tell parents what data the apps collect, according to a Federal Trade Commission staff report. The report, described by the FTC as "a warning call to industry," faults app developers, as well as the iTunes and Android marketplaces and in-app ...

• TV Dominates Multiscreen World
  by Steve McClellan 4 hours ago

  TV remains the tent pole of the multiscreen environment, accounting for most of the viewing and ad dollars placed against video content, says ANA group Executive Vice President Bill Duggan. Other screens are essential but supplemental. ...

• Mobile Site Investments, Search Growing
  by Laurie Sullivan 5 hours ago

  Nearly half of the travel industry's annual paid search campaign impressions occur between May and August. With that in mind, investments in mobile, local sites and campaigns can create opportunities not only for companies, but consumers on the go. Brands like Starwood Hotels & Resorts tap mobile to ...

• Opera Acquires Mobile Theory, 4th Screen
  by Mark Walsh 6 hours ago

  Pushing further into mobile advertising, Opera Software is acquiring a pair of mobile ad networks: U.S.-based Mobile Theory and 4th Screen Advertising in the U.K. for $10 million total. The deals follow two years after Opera, best known for its Web browsers, bought mobile ad network AdMarvel. ...

• Samsungs's Social Media Campaign Personalizes Olympics
  by Steve McClellan 6 hours ago

  Samsung, a global Olympic sponsor for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, is launching a multiplatform social media campaign designed to personalize the Olympic experience for viewers. The program is being implemented through Facebook Connect and will be promoted on online and traditional media. ...

• SMG Serves Video With Daily Meal
  by Gavin O'Malley 7 hours ago

  In January 2011, Spanfeller Media Group proudly launched a pretty, new food site, The Daily Meal. Over a year later, SMG is finishing what it started, and adding the platform's missing ingredient: video. The video platform debuted this week with over 300 originally produced segments, including discussions with ...

• Super Bowl Brands: Major Buzz Shifts Since Game

  Doritos, Chevrolet, Bud Light and Budweiser have seen the largest boosts in buzz/positive consumer perceptions from their Super Bowl ads in the days since the game, reports YouGov's BrandIndex. ...

• Mag Bag: 'Domino' Returns With Special Edition

  The passing of "Domino" was mourned by hip young interior design fans when it closed in 2009 -- but they'll have a brief chance to relive old times, thanks to a special edition of the defunct magazine, "Domino Quick Fixes," which will hit newsstands April 17. A second ...

• DirecTV Gains In Revenue, Subscribers

  DirectTV grew healthy U.S. revenues -- but with a smaller number of new subscribers -- during the fourth quarter 2011. For the year, DirecTV ended with a 3% gain to 19.89 million U.S. subscribers. NFL Sunday Ticket sales helped boost subscriber costs. ...

• Does Lady Mary Tweet? Social Media & 'Downton Abbey'

  Social media -- from paid tweets to an active presence on Facebook and Twitter, to live online chats with actors -- has definitely fueled "Downton Abbey'"s success in the U.S., as this case history makes clear.  Key to the success, according to Kevin Dando, Director of Digital Marketing ...

• Fox News' Move To The Middle

  Fox News has shifted gears slightly to the middle by "distancing itself from the tea party cheerleading that characterized the first two years of President Barack Obama’s presidency," writes Keach Hagey. This "course correction" is prompted partly by some rating dips (though Fox maintains its clear No. 1 ...

• 'Bon Appetit' Launches Tablet Edition

  Bon Appétit’s  tablet edition, debuting with its March issue, "breaks down recipes into step-by-step instructions that are accompanied by video, photos, tips, and slideshows," writes Felicia Pride. Print subscribers have free access, while digital rates include $19.99 for a year's subscription. ...

• Philadelphia Papers Cut 37 Edit Positions

  Philadelphia Media Network newspapers Inquirer and Daily News -- along with Philly.com -- will eliminate 37 editorial positions, first through buyous and then layoffs if necessary. The company is being sold, and it appears that publisher Greg Osberg has interfered with editors'/reporters' coverage of this sale, writes ...

• AMC Primed For Sale?

  With AMC "in the process of reaching a ratings peak," according to one analyst -- due to the success of, among others, "Walking Dead" and the imminent return of critical darling "Mad Men" -- now could be the perfect time for a sale of AMC Networks, "

• Discovery Posts 9% Gains In '11 Revs

  Discovery Communications has posted more double-digit gains in advertising revenue -- this time in the fourth quarter of 2011, as part of an overall healthy financial gains for the period. Overall 2011 results were equally positive -- up 9% to $1.3 billion. ...

• Apple Giving Twitter Another Boost

  Twitter is expected to benefit greatly from the upcoming release of Apple’s latest operating system, Mountain Lion. “Twitter, Flickr and Vimeo are some of the third-party services that will offered as part of [the system’s] new ‘share sheet’ that allows you to share links, photos and videos directly from ...

• DuckDuckGo Marks 1M Daily Searches

  Despite Google’s near-strangle hold on the market, search start-ups continue to carve out niches for themselves. Take DuckDuckGo, which just reported 1,000,000 searches in a single day. “The growth chart continues to trend in the right direction for DuckDuckGo,” remarks Search Engine Land. “It was just about three ...

• Meet The Tablet Generation

  Not a huge surprise, new Nielsen research tells us that the rise of gadgets is creating a new generation of children who are “growing up digital.” What may surprise some, however, is that seven out of every 10 children in tablet-owning households used a tablet computer in the ...

• Google's Rumored Jelly Bean Coming Soon

  Google's sweet tooth could have it releasing another Android update this summer called Jelly Bean that some Taiwan-based supply chain makers say would compete with Microsoft's forthcoming Windows 8 operating system. Reports suggest that the Android 5.0 Jelly Bean will attempt to more closely integrate the netbook OS, ...

• Increasing Conversions Through Role-based Segments

  Customer segements, also known as personas, are often based on demographic and behavioral data that help define customer wants and needs. But there's another variation: the role-based persona. Some of the unique benefits of this type of persona help marketers anticipate site visitors' goals. Here are some tips ...

• YP Local Locates Best Gas Prices

  The YP local mobile search engine seems to have capitalized on finding consumers the best price for gas in an economy that, at least in southern California, has no issues with pushing up the price north of $4 per gallon. The app enables consumers to search through more ...

• Microsoft Launches Social msnNOW

  promising ...

• ANA Video: Engagement Means Story Sharing

  Speaking at the 2012 ANA TV & Everything Video Forum in New York on Thursday, Adobe's Chris Robinson pointed out that viewers are becoming participants in programming that is driving overlap in media platforms online and off. ...

• Dealer Counts Actually Rose Last Year

  The number of U.S. auto dealers will steadily decline each year - with massive cuts during the industry's recent downturn - but 2011 saw an unexpected turnaround with the dealer count actually rising for the first time in years. ...

• Coalition Versus Highway Commercialization

  A new measure, Amendment 217 of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012, is currently before the House of Representatives that would overturn the 50-year-old ban on the sale of food, fuel and other convenience items at interstate rest stops. ...

• Nestle Sales Beat Hopes

  Nestle SA, the world's biggest food and drinks maker, managed to brush aside the impact of a soaring domestic currency to post a solid increase in profits in 2011 as sales rose strongly, particularly in developing countries. ...

• Do Affluents Just Want A Porsche?

  Maybe affluent people want their sports cars to have gasoline engines. Tesla Motors, the maker of pricey battery-powered two-seat sports cars, said its fourth-quarter net loss grew to $81.5 million as electric Roadster sales end ahead of the release of Model S sedans. The business is owned by ...

• Are Shoppers Over The Naked Guys?

  Margin squeeze and flagging same-store sales hurt Abercrombie & Fitch Co.'s fourth quarter profit, which dropped nearly 80% to $19.6 million from $92.6 million a year earlier. ...

• Kroger Inks Branded Content Deal

  The Kroger Co. has launched a parenting website to promote its Comforts private-label baby line. Comfortsforbaby.com is an online community that provides articles, coupons, tips and forums. The Comforts line includes diapers, soaps, shampoos, lotions and baby accessories like cups and pacifiers. ...

• Charley's Grilled Subs In Dubai

  Charley's Grilled Subs, the 454-unit Philly steak restaurant chain, has grown to 15 restaurants in the United Arab Emirates. The most recent opened Jan. 19 at the Dubai International Airport, the 14th busiest airport in the world. ...

• Ad Tracking Goes Digital, Could Save $1B

  The Association of National Advertisers announced an industry transition from the "current analog commercial slate into a digital one," ending a 30-year-old industry practice for tracking commercials within content. ...

• Top Story: ANA: TV Media Budgets Up, Aided By STB Data

  New research from the Association of National Advertisers and Forrester shows 76% of marketers plan to keep their media budgets stable in 2012. About half (47%) of all budgets will go to TV. That's a 6% bump. Marketers are intrigued by the possibility of TV measurement systems based ...

• Users Accept More Video Ads

  During the fourth quarter of 2011, video ad volume growth outpaced video viewing volume growth for the second quarter in a row. That's according to new data from video technology company FreeWheel, which also found that ad loads -- the number of video ads per video view -- ...

• Velti To Debut Private Exchange For Premium Publishers

  Velti plans to debut a new private exchange for premium publishers. Krishna Subramanian, chief marketing officer at Velti, says it is the only exchange built specifically for mobile that offers the ability to create dynamic pricing models by setting floors and custom priorities. ...

• People.com Launches Tablet-Optimized Site With Unilever Support

  Both People.com and AOL.com have launched tablet-optimized sites this week. Unilever is supporting the People launch with a campaign designed specifically for a tablet Web browser. ...

• Top Story: GroupM: Search Good For What Ails Pharma Brands

  Pharmaceutical companies spent billions in advertising last year, but search only accounted for 2.6%. New research from GroupM shows that 42% of consumers filling new prescriptions usepaid search when making a decision related to the purchase. ...

• Mitsubishi Meets Floods, Blizzards, Ice, Sleet

  The Brea, Calif.-based U.S. sales and marketing arm of the Japanese automaker has launched a new marketing campaign that aims to increase consideration of its vehicles by making them stars of cinema verit-style real-world testing. ...

• Study: Retailers Flock To Online Marketing

  E-commerce is increasingly emerging as the primary language for most retailers, reports a new study from the National Retail Federation, with big investments in IT, Web sites and online marketing in store for the year ahead. ...

• Purina Tells Owners Pets Are 'Great'

  Every dog owner knows their pet is "good." Purina Pro Plan, with a new marketing campaign, is giving them a chance to make their dogs "great." ...

• Testing: Industry Wants Cross-Platform Metrics For Video

  A new cross-platform video identification system is being readied for testing at the start of the 2012 fall season. The industry is having difficulty accurately measuring video content as it migrates across a growing array of devices and channels including TV, online, tablets, smart phones and video-on-demand syst ...

• Apple Promises To Crack Down On Privacy Violations

  Faced with reports that app developers are scooping up iPhone users' address books without their permission, Apple said it intends to put a stop to the practice. Apple's statement came the same day it was grilled by congressmen on privacy issues. ...

• New OOH Buy Mortgages The House, Literally

  The newest thing in out-of-home advertising might be on-the-home advertising. Homeowners worried about making their mortgage payments can now tap a new source of income by turning their homes into ad platforms. ...

• CBS' Ad Base Holds Steady, Retrans Sees Uptick

  Looking at overall entertainment revenue for the CBS Televison Network, its studios, distribution, CBS Films and its interactive business, the company had a 1% gain to $7.5 billion for 2011. Cable and outdoor revs rose in the fourth quarter. ...

• Timeline Apps Drive Traffic For Facebook Partners

  A month after releasing 60 new Timeline apps, Facebook touted initial results showing big increases in sign-ups and traffic for sites including Pinterest, Foodspotting and Fab.com. The lifestyle apps that went live last month followed Facebook's launch of Timeline in September. The Open Graph platform allows developers and ...

• Blekko Begins Testing Search Ads

  Blekko has begun to test search ads on its site through feeds from Google and Bing. It works with brands through ad networks, but doesn't yet have direct ad relationships. ...

• Who Broke The News Of Whitney's Death?

  Here's an interesting post about journalists using Twitter tweets as an accurate source of news, centered around the timely issue of just who broke the story of Whitney Houston's death. Steve Myers contends that it was not really a Twitter user, after all. Analyzing the tweet said to ...

• NBCU Taps comScore, Google To Measure Olympics Audience

  In its third pass toward developing a single-source metrics system, NBC Universal will task both comScore and Google to create new ways of measuring viewership of this summer's London Olympics across a variety of platforms. Google will be working with special algorithyms, a 3,000-consumer panel and a meter-based ...

• Game Is On Between 'T' And 'WSJ' Mags

  The Wall Street Journal's luxury glossy, WSJ, is gaining momentum, with an increase in ad pages and frequency, heating up the competititon between this pub and The New York Times' T, which is having its own growing pains (a change in editor, some flat-lining in ad pages). John ...

• 'Sunset' Has New EIC

  Time Inc.'s Sunset, one of the country's biggest regional pubs, tapped Kitty Morgan as its new editor in chief. Morgan was previously executive editor of Better Homes and Gardens. She replaces interim editor Charla Lawhon, who took over after Katie Tamony was fired after 10 years in the ...

• Despite Q4 Slips, Comcast, NBC Revs Up For 2011

  For the year, Comcast revenue rose 47.2% to $55.8 billion, in part because of the NBCU equity transaction. NBC Universal's cable networks continue to do the heavy lifting -- up 5.3% in revenue to $2.2 billion for the fourth quarter and 10.6% higher for the year overall to ...

• Craft Brewer Presents 'Least Interesting Man'

  Craft beer brewer Breckenridge Brewery of Colorado is extending its low-budget "Truth in Beervertising" TV campaign with two new spots parodying big-brand beer advertising. ...