Most Clicked IAB SmartBrief Stories
1. Social media yields mixed results for small businesses
IAB SmartBrief | Mar 16, 2010
While some small businesses swear by social-media marketing, others have been disappointed. "The hype right now exceeds the reality," says professor Larry Chiagouris of Pace University's Lubin School of Business. But others say that a consistent investment of time in social-media outreach pays dividends at the cash register. Still, according to one survey, 50% of small-business owners say social media is more work than anticipated. Wall Street Journal, The (03/16)
2. Are mobile videos becoming the new SMS?
IAB SmartBrief | Mar 11, 2010
American Greetings has joined the ranks of companies such as Nike, Starwood Hotels and Warner Brothers that are using mobile video messaging as a marketing tool. Video messaging is "the intersection of two powerful trends -- mobile and social networking," said Michael Becker, managing director of the Mobile Marketing Association. "It's immediate, convenient and engaging, and it enables companies to monetize their markets." New York Times (free registration), The (03/10)
3. Immediacy is a game-changer for online media buyers
IAB SmartBrief | Mar 12, 2010
Marketers are looking to real-time bidding as a way to reach Web users at the precise moment when they are viewing content that is relevant to a particular marketing pitch. Google's DoubleClick Ad Exchange offers real-time bidding, and Yahoo!'s Right Media and Microsoft's AdECN exchange are testing the technology. Edward Montes, managing director for Havas Digital North America, says that real-time ad placement is desirable because "you can use less media, because you're using more selected, or more efficient, media." New York Times (free registration), The (03/11)
4. Google VP: Mobile ad pricing could surpass online
IAB SmartBrief | Mar 16, 2010
Mobile search ad prices are on their way to surpassing those of other online ads, Google's Vic Gundotra said, outlining the company's "mobile first" strategy. Wall Street Journal, The (03/15) Reuters (03/15)
5. Why ad types are making the trip to SXSW
IAB SmartBrief | Mar 15, 2010
This week's South by Southwest conference is becoming popular among marketing types as a place to burnish their digital credentials, check out new tech trends and look for potential hires. "What's great is it's this unique place where this trifecta of culture actually meets: interactive, film and music," said Bonin Bough, director of social media at PepsiCo, the event's lead sponsor. "We believe digital is a huge representation of culture and this is the biggest manifestation of that." Adweek (03/15)
6. Is Twitter a social tool or a news feed?
IAB SmartBrief | Mar 12, 2010
More than 70% of Twitter users have posted fewer than 10 updates, Barracuda Networks reports, and that dearth of active users could stifle the site's growth. Most users "came online to follow their favorite celebrities, not to interact with their buddies the way they would on Facebook or MySpace," says Barracuda's Paul Judge. CNNMoney.com (03/10)
7. Analysts combine Web and offline data for more advanced targeting
IAB SmartBrief | Mar 15, 2010
EXelate Media and Nielsen are teaming up for the latest partnership that will combine rafts of online and offline data for ever more precise targeting. This could create new opportunities for marketers to make the most lucrative possible ad purchases, but it is also raising regulatory and privacy concerns. Wall Street Journal, The (03/15)
8. Social-media tools are introduced by e-mail marketers
IAB SmartBrief | Mar 17, 2010
Responsys and StrongMail are among the e-mail marketing firms that have created tools for clients to coordinate their e-mail initiatives, social media and mobile campaigns. "What we've seen over the past year is our customers and the marketplace saying ... 'I have all these fans -- how do I take advantage of this?' " said John Berkley, vice president of product marketing at Responsys. ClickZ (03/17)
9. Will Google shutter its China operations?
IAB SmartBrief | Mar 15, 2010
Media buyers are urging Chinese clients to shift their online advertising to local sites Baidu and Sohu.com, in advance of an anticipated shutdown of China-based Google.cn, the search giant's Chinese-language Web site. The Chinese government and Google are at loggerheads over China's policy of requiring Web companies to censor search results. Wall Street Journal, The (03/15) Bloomberg BusinessWeek (03/15)
10. Hitwise: Facebook is now tops among U.S. Web users
IAB SmartBrief | Mar 16, 2010
Facebook, for the week ending March 13, supplanted Google as the most frequently visited Web site in the U.S., Hitwise is reporting. Facebook had 7.07% of all U.S. Web traffic, a 185% jump over the same week in 2009, while Google had 7.03%. VentureBeat (03/15)
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