• ONLINE SPIN
    Broad, Anonymous Segmentation Protects Consumer Privacy In Data-Driven Marketing
    Internet-like, data-driven advertising is now expanding beyond the PC to new classes of connected, digital devices, from smartphones to tablets to televisions. Will we do a better job of handling privacy on them?
  • ONLINE SPIN
    The Shift Toward Paid Content Online
    For the last 17 years, the Web has been driven by advertising and content has been free, but if you pay attention to trends emerging in the marketplace, that's going to end sooner than you think.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Have You Hugged Your Smartphone Lately?
    I'm writing this week's column on an iPad in Bali, Indonesia. There is a lot of irony in that statement, given the low penetration rate of connected devices and even smartphones in this market. When mobile stats predict that more consumers will access the Web from their mobile devices rather than PCs in the next decade, it is countries like Indonesia that will be driving those trends. However, in a third-world country with over 225 million people, feature phones and brands like Nokia and Sony Erickson are still the dominant players. The iOS and Android battle is not being …
  • ONLINE SPIN
    The Dangers of Digital Org Idealism
    When it comes to integrating digital marketing and media, we strive in our hearts for the ideal. I know I do. Agencies, brand-side marketing organizations, all of us, know there is neatening to be done to clean up legacy structures, break down silos, upgrade talent and retrain here and there. I talk about this often. We are optimists, who know intellectually how to get the help we need -- or help ourselves.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Web Complexity Necessitates Tools That Simplify
    f you've been reading my column recently, you'll know that life is pretty turbulent around here. On Twitter, it's being described as "death by a thousand cuts," and from where I sit that sums it up pretty accurately. Everything is just a bit more complicated, takes a bit more time, and requires a bit more effort and brainpower than it normally would. By global standards we may still be exceptionally well off, but our nerves are frayed, our personal resources are at a low ebb, and our collective sleep deprivation is taking its toll.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    Google Issued Patent For Doodles: What Was Patent Office Thinking?
    he U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has granted Google Co-Founder Sergei Brin a patent for inventing the technique of putting event-driven doodles -- such as daily holiday references -- on web pages to cause people to click on those pages. Is this what qualifies for a patentable invention these days? I find it silly that our back-logged patent office is issuing such ridiculous patents.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    March Madness, 'Technology Style'
    Welcome to one of my favorite times of the year: March Madness! You might think I'm referring to the time of year when college basketball re-emerges as an obsession and my free time is dedicated to rooting for my favorite teams, calculating probabilities for upsets and cheering on the underdogs. On one level I am doing this, but I can also say the same thing for the time of year when Apple announces new products, and rumors run rampant about new products they've yet to announce. It seems like every March or so when the blogs have a new …
  • ONLINE SPIN
    One Fish, Two Fish: Attribution Modeling
    Dr. Seuss once said that sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple. Of course Dr. Seuss never managed an attribution modeling effort, where both the questions and the answers can weave a complex tapestry of marketing investment performance. But in many ways the answer IS simple: Do you want to develop the most accurate model of media influence on business profits? Of course you do.
  • ONLINE SPIN
    The Promises Of Conferences
    It's another lush industry week of conferences galore: SES New York; OMMA Performance; AppNation Advertising and Media Summit; The Social Consumer -- and next week, the Digital Publishing Conference. Oversaturation is a real risk. Seeking a clear path amid the noise and as we sort our calendars, we are wise to have an action plan for navigating the week. That's another column. I find myself thinking about what kind of proposition a conference must deliver to present as current, compelling and worth our while. The imperative is some blend of provoking our intellects; providing professional development opportunities; giving us …
  • ONLINE SPIN
    A Message From Christchurch On The Value Of User-Generated Content
    Here is a sample of the stories I have been told in my quake-stricken home city of Christchurch: A friend gave mouth-to-mouth to a fallen man, through blood and bone and crushed teeth. The man died.
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