Most Clicked IAB SmartBrief Stories
1. Facebook's sputtering IPO puts engagement value on the spot
IAB SmartBrief | May 23, 2012
What can marketers learn from Facebook's botched initial public offering? Among other items to ponder, the value of social engagement, writes Jonathan Salem Baskin. It's not clear how advertising, if at all, can be used to exploit a social network which has the sole function of connecting people, he writes. Engagement as something inherently valuable is a now conventional wisdom that needs to be challenged by marketers who may well see Facebook triumph by selling its users' data, but reap no return on engagement themselves. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (05/22)
2. Mobile social users interact with brands more than they admit
IAB SmartBrief | May 24, 2012
Thirty-five percent of mobile users say they don't want brands communicating with them through mobile social networks, according to a Direct Marketing Association's Mobile Marketing Council poll. An additional 31% don't want to communicate with brands via mobile devices. But the number of people who in fact interact with brands via mobile social media (43%) is actually higher than those who say they are happy doing so (23%). MediaBistro.com (05/22)
3. Net-connected TV devices enjoy growth in ad support
IAB SmartBrief | May 25, 2012
Ad impressions via net-connected TV devices such as Roku and Xbox 360 are five times higher this month than the same period in 2011, according to Videology. The firm says there are also five times as many advertisers and 15 times more ad campaigns, too, though the number of device-owning households only rose from 30% in 2011 to 38% this year, per Leichtman Research. MediaPost Communications (05/24)
4. Regulation could hamper ad models, prompt law suits, publishers say
IAB SmartBrief | May 29, 2012
A number of publishers belonging to the IAB's Long Tail Alliance will participate in an effort to convince Congress that Internet regulations could adversely affect small businesses. The publishers say they are concerned that sweeping Internet regulation laws could hamper behaviorally targeted ads on which their sites particularly depend -- as well as increase the threat of frivolous lawsuits because of presumed intellectual-property rights violations. "These are people that can't pivot their business model on a dime. Certain law proposals could decimate their business models," said IAB's senior director of public policy, Alison Pepper. Adweek (05/25)
5. Facebook's ad challenges on display
IAB SmartBrief | May 29, 2012
Some analysts are blaming the complexity Facebook's ad-buying platform for its lackluster performance in luring in advertisers to the social network. Display ads are generating a lower response rate on Facebook than unsolicited postal mail, and even though mobile devices are increasingly used to access Facebook, that leaves the network with a smaller space to display ads in any case. Aside from advertisers who have turned to specialized agencies to create social campaigns, "You've got the rest of the pack scratching their heads saying, 'Oh no, this isn't working,' " said Webtrends' Justin Kistner. Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model) (05/25)
6. Shopify infographic proves Pinterest pre-eminence
IAB SmartBrief | May 25, 2012
With a Shopify survey already showing as many Pinterest referrals as the older Twitter, spending twice as much as Twitter or Facebook referrals do, marketers cannot afford to ignore the visually oriented social site, writes Steve Olenski. The percentage of social-media-driven revenue for stores from Pinterest has risen from 1% in the second quarter of last year to 17% in Q1 2012, per this Shopify infographic. Forbes (05/24)
7. A 4-step guide for brands evaluating startups
IAB SmartBrief | May 23, 2012
Brands should consider four things when evaluating startups for potential partnerships, writes David Berkowitz. Brands should examine the startup's value proposition as to how the brand fits in that picture, as well as what verticals could be explored by the alliance. Brands should consider what kind of prominence or exclusivity could be available for getting in early, and carefully ponder what makes the startup different from other contenders in the space. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (05/22)
8. Google tests a display-ad re-targeting variation
IAB SmartBrief | May 23, 2012
Google is beta-testing a means of re-targeting display ads based on search. Google will permit the practice for a period of seven hours after a search so that after searching for a particular item, a related ad might appear within the Google Display Network during the proscribed period. Google is the last holdout to re-targeting, as Bing and Yahoo! already practice it. Adweek (05/22)
9. Adobe offers ad insertion across platforms
IAB SmartBrief | May 23, 2012
Ad insertion for TV content provided across devices is being offered via Adobe's new Primetime Simulcast. Adobe says the service will allow media companies to reduce the need to develop separate ad presentations for different devices. MediaPost Communications (05/22)
10. National brands look to local for higher ROI
IAB SmartBrief | May 24, 2012
Eighty-eight percent of North American national brands are investing in local marketing, but fewer are measuring their return on that investment, according to a Balihoo survey. About 1 in 5 brands are allocating 25% or more of their marketing budgets to local efforts, according to the survey, although more than half of brands don't measure local marketing ROI. Most brands, however, expect an ROI for local to meet or exceed that of national advertising. eMarketer (05/24)
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