Google Banks On Wallet by Laurie Sullivan

Google is updating the Wallet Web site to highlight stores and features that offer the company's latest mobile payment service. Expected to launch Monday (or sometime soon), according to reports, the service will initially have support from about one million payment readers and software designed by ViVOtech, which processes transactions based on near field communication (NFC) technology and over-the-air (OTA) technologies to securely provision credit, debit, prepaid, coupon and other types of accounts to mobile phones. ...Read the whole story

  • Mobile Search Becomes Focus For Yahoo by Laurie Sullivan

    Mobile makes up about 20% of searches globally for Yahoo. In some regions, such as Indonesia, 80% of all searches on Yahoo come from mobile. In the next 12 to 18 months, mobile searches in the U.S. should account for between 25% and 30%, according to Shashi Seth, senior vice president of search products at Yahoo. ...Read the whole story

  • Mobile Injection Focus Of Kenshoo, Omnicom Deal by Laurie Sullivan

    A global deal between Kenshoo, a search engine marketing platform provider, and Omnicom Media Group's digital data and analytics division Annalect Group puts the focus on co-developing mobile products and services. ...Read the whole story

  • Mobile Metrics Ad Platform Tracks Click To Call by Laurie Sullivan

    Telmetrics developed a mobile call-tracking analytics platform that the company plans to release Monday. The platform -- m.Call -- reports on all calls generated by mobile search ads and mobile banner ads. The platform provides the duration of the call and demographics. ...Read the whole story

  • Will Yahoo End Up In Pieces Or Be Put Back Together? by Laurie Sullivan

    As turmoil swirls around Yahoo a series of investors have made inquiries on ways to secure a major chunk. Among them -- Andreessen Horowitz backed by partners Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz and Jeff Jordan. The tech titans previously turned Skype around. ...Read the whole story

  • ION Taps Sternberg To Head Sales Research by Wayne Friedman

    Longtime TV programming analysis executive for media agencies, Steve Sternberg has been named senior vice president of sales research for ION Media Networks. ...Read the whole story

The Twitter Ad Platform: Search Marketing's Next Frontier by Derek Gordon

News out of Twitter last week about its evolving advertising platform, and follow-up speculation by a well-informed John Battelle about Twitter's plans, indicate one thing: Twitter's advertising platform is a next frontier for search marketing professionals. ...More

  • For Marketers, Social Isn't Quite The New Search by Ryan DeShazer

    My friend and colleague Scott Gillum recently wrote a piece arguing that social warrants experimentation, but until more is known about its impact on the bottom line, marketers should be sure the basics are covered. Gillum's piece and my recent MediaPost column, "Social Is the New Search," have been positioned as a point-counterpoint of sorts. I'm on record saying that the future of search appears destined for decentralization into social venues; Gillum advocates that organizations place social opportunities on a shelf until the search house is in order. Who's right? Or is it just a matter of perspective? ...More

  • Is it Time To Relabel 'Search' Marketing? by Gord Hotchkiss

    Last week, I asked the question, "Is the word 'search' the right label for what we do on Google, Bing, Yahoo and other engines?" When Internet search debuted in the early 90s, it was probably pretty accurate. But today, the concept may have passed the label by. And, if that is true, then the same is probably true for "search marketing." ...More