Apple's Mobile Ad Dominance A Mirage by Mark Walsh

After Google and Apple each acquired mobile ad networks in late 2009 and early 2010, the stage was set for the two tech giants to battle for dominance of the emerging mobile advertising landscape. An instant duopoly was born. When Apple launched its iAd platform in April, taking in a reported $60 million in upfront payments, it appeared ascendant in its duel with Google. But then came its stumble: actually working with agencies and advertisers on iAd executions, with some brands like Chanel dropping out because of the difficulty of working with Apple. ...Read the whole story

  • financial services Visa Enlists 50+ Merchants For Mobile Offers by Tanya Irwin

    "In any other case, I'd say that this was just another location-based app that aggregates nearby deals, which isn't that original these days," wrote Justin Montgomery in Mobile Marketing Watch about the new app. "Being a Visa-branded app, however, changes the dynamic and overall appeal from a consumer standpoint. ...Read the whole story

  • telecom T-Mobile Leverages NBA Tie For TV Ads by Aaron Baar

    "So much has changed about the fan experience in the 21st century and, everything being instantaneous, we really wanted to use that as being fuel for the campaign," says Steve Williams, a creative director at Publicis Seattle, the agency behind the campaign. "We wanted to give it to a place that T-Mobile could own." ...Read the whole story

  • Google Helps NORAD Track Santa by Laurie Sullivan

    'Twas the night before Christmas and all across the Net, marketers scurry to wind down search budgets they had met. As the last ecommerce gifts are delivered by mail, NORAD begins tracking Saint Nicholas' trail. Helping Dancer and Prancer and Pegman, too, Google released improvements Thursday to map app Street View. ...Read the whole story

  • Pew: Even Political Divide On Mobile Phones by Mark Walsh

    Republicans may have won a landslide victory at the polls this fall, but when it comes to using cell phones to connect politically, voters were evenly split along party lines. That's among the main findings from a new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project on politics and mobile use in the wake of the mid-term election. ...Read the whole story

  • Fandango Bows iPad App by Erik Sass

    Hoping to capitalize on the surge of interest in Apple's new iPad tablet computer, movie ticket seller and review site Fandango has introduced a new iOS app tailored for the device, giving iPad users access to a variety of new and established features. ...Read the whole story

Eleven-And-A-Half-Hour Santa by Steve Smith

I am a frugal, minimalist sort by nature. Years in grad school living on a "stipend" only reinforced the impulse. And an adult life of freelancing and the uncertainty that business "model" brings only baked the habit in. And so the largesse of holiday gifting always fills me with a bit of dread. "You're cheap, Dad, not frugal," my daughter says, quickly intercepting the ball. "There's a difference." This from the girl who got a MacBook Pro for her high school graduation. ...More

  • A Few Internet Marketing Predictions for 2011 by Laurie Sullivan

    Internet marketing will be regulated by 2015, and there will be more than $250 billion in Internet marketing spending worldwide. Those are a few of the predictions I received in my email inbox Tuesday morning, in a report from the research firm Gartner. ...More