Online ad agencies have traditionally been relegated to doing what their clients' larger offline agency counterparts order. Usually, that's to stick with online work only. But things are changing, as companies like Ikea, the low-cost home furnishing giant, are starting to hire online shops as their lead (or in some cases they're only) agency for their national campaigns. Ikea recently hired Agency.com as its lead agency. Not only will the shop handle online responsibilities, it will create print and outdoor ads, too. An Ikea spokeswoman says it may even develop TV spots in the near future. It's a …

When Viacom told YouTube to take its content down last week, the media giant had a plan, of course. This week, CNET says, company reps have told insiders that Viacom will soon begin promoting the revamped ComedyCentral.com, which allows users to upload whatever "Daily Show," "Colbert Report" or "South Park" content they wish. Experts call the new Viacom strategy a "workaround" to YouTube, because Viacom, like YouTube, will let users upload videos using embedded code to MySpace pages, blogs, personal Web sites, etc. By allowing users to upload clips wherever they wish, Viacom believes it can generate just as …

To be sure, it's been a week of bad omens for Google's YouTube. The Viacom defection has been the worst of it, but tough talk a few days later from new NBC chief Jeff Zucker indicates that YouTube's already tenuous relations with its partners (NBC is a YouTube partner) are growing thinner. The blogosphere is now abuzz with the possible implications from these events. Zucker's condemnation of the video site was so similar to what Viacom said last week the two events almost seem orchestrated. YouTube, as indecisive as ever, is choosing not to implement a filtering system for …

Google execs yesterday fired a warning to television companies: The Web is not designed for TV as we know it. In other words, partner with us. Indeed, TV companies are sorely mistaken if they think they can simply put their shows on the Web (like ABC), slap ads on them and expect to achieve a global scale. TV is shifting, but like any media transition, the shift is slow and awkward. For the time being, broadcast television retains its power over its copyrights, but what happens when new interactive Web-based TV services like Joost become the norm? "The …

As the net neutrality debate rolls on, telecom companies have adopted a new mantra: Google is the big monster using its muscle to control the Web--not us. It's an interesting new strategy, because in this battle the lobbyists that are most effective at spinning the issue will win. Google is a good target for several reasons: The search giant has effectively become the gateway to the Web. Its massive usage shows that people need it to find things. Because of this, the telcos say Google has far more of a choke hold on the Web than Internet service providers, …

Google's search deal with News Corp.'s MySpace hangs in the balance as the social-networking giant negotiates with competitor eBay over "peer commerce." Apparently, the landmark search deal struck between Google and MySpace six months ago was never finalized. MySpace is carrying Google ads in return for a minimum $900 million in shared revenue over the next three years--the biggest deal struck between an ad network and a social network. MySpace wants to ensure that by signing a clause that could extend the contract, the Web giant wouldn't be prohibited from making deals with other third parties. "Peer Commerce" is …

In the wake of Viacom's decision to pull its content from YouTube, media executives are piling on the criticism for the user-generated online video site. On Tuesday, new NBC chief Jeff Zucker chided both YouTube and parent Google for failing to implement a new automated system for detecting copyrighted material. On Wednesday, IAC/InterActive Corp. CEO Barry Diller sided with the traditional media companies. "What's happened is that media companies have said, 'We're not gonna let you get so strong in distribution,'" Diller said, likening it to HBO's dominance in acquiring movies for cable decades ago. "It's smart for …

It's a sign of online gaming's maturity as an ad medium that publishers and developers are configuring new ways of selling casual gaming audiences to advertisers. MSN Games, one of the biggest gaming destinations on the Web, has begun an ad share program that gives participating developers between 10% and 20% of revenues on existing and future games. The share percentage depends on the extent to which developers allow ads to be integrated into their games. Level I is a 10% share with few changes. Level II is a 20% share requiring modifications like localization, ratings by the …

Automated ad creation, by you, the local business owner. It's a new idea inspired by the SpotRunner, the online agency that uses an extensive library of commercial stock to help smaller advertisers create and target cheap TV spots. SpotRunner is no longer alone. Visible Worlds, another stock-creative company offers the capability of changing TV spots just before they air. If, for example, you're an auto dealer and its snowing outside, you can change your commercial to display a car on a snowy road. "When people say, 'you're commoditizing creative,' well, sure we are," said Jordan …

Yahoo has quietly launched a new product that's receiving rave reviews from tech blogs and emerging media sites. Somewhat awkwardly called "pipes" from Yahoo, the new service acts as a conduit for data between Web services. For example, it allows you, the Web user who can't write code, to take data from one or more sources and bring it together-effectively aggregating a group of RSS feeds. The product does this through modules that automate the process of executing a variety of inputs. It can count, loop, cut, sort and merge data along with a variety string and date …