Top Story

• Why "viewability" isn't ready for prime time
  Advertisers are rightly embracing "viewability" as a way to ensure their online ads' efficacy -- but brands shouldn't be too quick to adopt the metric as the key currency for their marketing efforts, writes Ari Paparo. There are plenty of kinks still to be ironed out, including the metric's applicability to video and native ads, its vulnerability to bot fraud, and its lack of international acceptance. "Moving ahead with a currency too quickly will be a huge setback to display and will reinforce the perception that it is hard to measure and subject to technology for its own sake," Paparo warns. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model)/DigitalNext blog (11/29)     

Trendwatch

• Online-video industry still seeking reliable metrics
  Brands are investing more in online-video campaigns, but there's still no clear consensus about how best to assess video ads' effectiveness, this article notes. Metrics such as completion rates and brand lift are gaining acceptance but are easily skewed by factors such as video length, ad-screening time and the context in which the video is displayed. "A plethora of factors will color the results of any single metric, such as completion rate, for a specific campaign," the article warns. eMarketer (11/30)     

• In-game ads fail to excite online marketers
  Some video game companies want brands to integrate advertising into their games, creating seamless experiences that allow users to win points or other in-game benefits by viewing ads. That's potentially a smart way to reach consumers who are growing tired of intrusive display ads, but so far marketers haven't been willing to invest heavily in the sector, which is much more fragmented than television. "This is not how agencies are structured. Microbudgets are hard to scale," says gaming entrepreneur Wilson Kriegel. ClickZ (11/29)     

Getting the Word Out

• Facebook, Zynga open the door to playing with others
  Facebook and social-gaming company Zynga have renegotiated the terms of a 2010 agreement intended to create a closer working relationship between the two companies. Under the new deal, Zynga will not be required to show Facebook ads on its game pages or to use Facebook credits for in-game payments, while Facebook will be able to develop its own social games and compete with Zynga. The Wall Street Journal (11/29)     

• Mobile users love swipeable ad formats, Google says
  Tablet users are warming to Google's new swipeable ad formats, which allow brands to create galleries and instant video players as part of their ad units, the search giant says. A swipeable gallery campaign by Finnair had a 5% interaction rate, more than twice the 2.37% rate seen on Google's pre-iPad DoubleClick network, and 12% of interacting users subsequently clicked through to Finnair's website. PaidContent.org (11/29)     

Developer Update

• HTML5 is for plugin-haters, says video-streaming expert
  HTML5 video playback caught on because people wanted a plugin-free alternative to Flash, says video-streaming expert Jan Ozer. But HTML5 is essentially useless unless you have a compatible browser, he argues. "If you hated Flash, if you hated Silverlight, which a certain segment of the market inevitably did, the promise was you don't need these plugins to play your video," Ozer explains. OnlineVideo.net (11/26)     

Design Corner

• Why responsive design is a big deal for financial brands
  Financial institutions should be eager to embrace responsive Web design, writes Gregor McKelvie. Responsive sites offer a better experience for mobile users, and institutions that lack responsive websites are missing out, McKelvie argues. "Make no mistake: Responsive web design is not just another fad," he writes. The Financial Brand (11/29)     

Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs

• Adjusting tactics and content on Facebook can help with B2B leads
  A "perfect storm of content and tactics" can help marketers use Facebook for business-to-business lead generation, writes Jason Miller, who used a combination of Promoted Posts, Facebook ads and a Marketo-created landing page application to tweak cost-per-target as his campaign progressed over four months. "If you have limited budget, focus on Promoted posts and Sponsored Stories," Miller writes. Marketo/B2B Marketing and Sales Blog (11/27)     

Featured Content

On Leadership

Top five news stories from SmartBrief on Leadership this week. Want more leadership news?

• Relationship-management tips for new executives (SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership)

• How to build an indestructible brand (Fast Company online)

• Column: "Ruthless" leak leaves Groupon in an impossible situation (Business Insider)

• How leaders can overcome their fears (Aspire-CS.com)

• Want loyal workers? Don't show them the money (Entrepreneur online)

Editor's Note

• Best online newsletters to be named by Web Marketing Association
  Online newsletters are a critical marketing tool for many companies trying to maintain an ongoing relationship with customers and prospects. The Web Marketing Association judges will select the best online newsletters in 86 industries as part of their 11th annual international Internet Advertising Competition Awards. Enter your best online newsletters and win the recognition you deserve.     

SmartQuote

The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief." --William Shakespeare, British playwright