by Karl Greenberg on Feb 15, 9:55 AM
YouTube marketer Orabrush has singed a $2.5 million funding round led by from Silicon Valley-based True Venture Partners and Chicago-based 2X Partners. The company markets a patented tongue brush for halitosis. The marketer's YouTube channel has gotten 34 million channel views and is the second-most-subscribed sponsor channel, just recently passing Apple, Wii and Sims, per the company.
by Karl Greenberg on Feb 15, 9:52 AM
The Marketing Arm has named Jason Katz and Erin Dwyer to vice president roles. Katz joins as vice president/gaming to lead video game marketing strategies for the agency's clients and the activation of all gaming programs and initiatives, including in-game placement, branded games, promotions, partnerships, sponsorships, and events. Dwyer will serve as vice president/digital strategy and integration. In that role, she will plan and incorporate social, mobile, web and emerging technologies into client campaigns to extend and enhance consumer engagement. Both will be based in The Marketing Arm's Los Angeles office.
by Mark Walsh on Feb 15, 9:39 AM
Apple today unveiled a new subscription service for magazines, newspapers, videos and music purchased through its App Store. The initiative allows for publishers to set the price and length of subscriptions (weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual). Consumers can click to select the option they want and manage all subscriptions from their personal account page. Apple will process payments via the App Store and take a 30% cut of revenue, as it does now with other in-app sales. It will also let publishers sell digital subscriptions through their own Web sites. “Our philosophy is simple—when Apple brings a …
by Karlene Lukovitz on Feb 15, 7:30 AM
Kraft's Oreo cookie brand is going for a Guinness World Record for recording the highest number of brand 'likes' on Facebook in a single 24-hour period. The global attempt begins today (Feb. 15) at 9 am U.S. EST and 2 pm U.K. time. Oreo is asking its existing Facebook community and new fans to "like" a specially created branded Facebook post during the 24-hour period. To earn the record, the post will have to draw a minimum of 45,000 likes, according to Marketing Magazine.
by Wendy Davis on Feb 14, 5:03 PM
Outspoken net neutrality proponent Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) will lead a new Senate Judiciary subcommittee for Privacy, Technology and the Law, the committee announced on Monday. "The explosion of new technologies and activities online, including social media, has unleashed new questions about how to protect Americans' privacy in the digital age," committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said in a statement announcing the appointment. Franken said in a statement that the tech boom has "put an unprecedented amount of personal information into the hands of large companies that are unknown and unaccountable to the American public." The subcommittee's …
by Mark Walsh on Feb 14, 3:23 PM
Qualcomm
said Monday that future Android-powered devices equipped with its Snapdragon chipsets will have access to instant streaming of TV shows and movies from Netflix. The company already offers apps for the iPhone and iPad as well as Windows Phone 7 devices, but to date hasn't been available on Android. The move could give Netflix's mobile audience a big boost since Android has become the world's top-selling smartphone platform, according to recent data from research firm Canalys. The growth of both smartphones and tablets dovetails with Netflix's expectation that customers will increasingly watch movies and shows through the …
by Mark Walsh on Feb 14, 2:17 PM
At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, Microsoft previewed a Wndows Phone 7 upgrade and continued to tout its new deal with Nokia. Among the new features coming to the mobile platform later this year will be a "dramatically enhanced" version of Internet Explorer 9, broader multitasking capability and the addition of Twitter to the "People" hub--one of the main areas of the WP7 interface, divided into subject-specific areas. The first significant update--copy-and past-functionality--will be added in the next month. The upgraded IE9 browser will arrive in the second half of 2011. In a keynote address, Microsoft CEO …
by Sarah Mahoney on Feb 14, 11:34 AM
Barbie and Ken have ironed out their differences, and after a seven-year separation, are back on again, with Mattel announcing a limited edition "She said yes!" gift set to celebrate their reconciliation. While the romantic announcement was timed for Valentine's Day, more cynical observers might think it's a career ploy from the 50-something fashion doll: It coincides with the opening of Toy Fair, the industry's biggest annual event, now under in New York. The El Segundo, Calif.-based toy marketer says Barbie updated her Facebook status to "In a relationship," officially ending the seven-year break. (Fans will recall she …
by Nina Lentini on Feb 11, 3:36 PM
Online eyeglasses retailer EyeBuyDirect has launched a contest called "How to Kiss With Eyeglasses" at http://howtokiss.eyebuydirect.com, dangling a $500 gift voucher as the prize for the best original story of "kissing with eyeglasses." People can upload videos through March 15.
by Gavin O'Malley on Feb 11, 3:06 PM
Though still a private company, Facebook can't seem to keep a lid on its financials. In the fourth quarter, the social network "generated ~$250 million of net income," sources tell
Business Insider. Previous reports pegged Facebook's profits at $355 million over the first nine month of 2010. "These sources say the company is on track to generate about $2 billion of EBITDA in 2011," while one optimistic insider says Facebook could bank $4 billion this year. "The projections are just projections, obviously, and Facebook probably isn't very concerned with generating cash at this point," Business Insider notes. "Even if …