Marketing Trends & Research

For mobile marketers, a demographic divide
Consumer engagement with mobile marketing is growing, albeit more quickly among some demographics than others, per a new study by BIGresearch: The audience skews male (58%) and young (averaging 39.2 years old). According to the study, more consumers versus last year are saying they dislike mobile marketing or that they find such ads to be "an invasion of privacy." Adweek (11/12)

Web firms lobby FDA to ease regulations on drug ads
Google, Yahoo! and a fleet of Web firms, ad agencies and drug companies all joined Thursday in urging the Food and Drug Administration to adjust existing advertising regulations, which currently make it difficult to engage in online pharmaceutical marketing. Online efforts accounted for just 3% of the $4.3 billion that drug companies spent on patient-targeted marketing last year; the problem, the companies say, is the requirements for fine print, which can't fit in online search or banner ads. Google/The Associated Press (11/12)

Company Watch

After months of anticipation, Google Chrome OS to arrive
Google Chrome, the Web giant's first desktop operating system, will be available for download within a week according to a report by TechCrunch. First announced in July, TechCrunch says it expects the open-source Chrome to be initially "endorsed" for a handful of devices, although Google reps have said they have been partnering with firms including Adobe, Acer, ASUS, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Texas Instruments and Toshiba for the system. TechCrunch (11/13)

Massive and comScore partner for in-game ad metrics
Microsoft-owned gaming company Massive has partnered with comScore for a new service that will track the effectiveness of in-game ads, including data on resulting Web searches. The effort is designed to bring the quality of measurements for gaming ads in line with that of other online advertising. Mediaweek (11/12)

Rupert Murdoch preparing to block content from search
News Corp. head Rupert Murdoch has been threatening to remove the company's Web content from Google's indexing, in an effort to shift the online paradigm away from what he sees as unsustainable free search and toward paid content. News Corp. chief digital officer Jonathan Miller acknowledged that a coalition of media companies would be necessary to take that step, but he added: "The economic impact [of not having content indexed by Google] is not as great as you might think. You can survive without it." Telegraph (London) (11/13)

Yahoo! launches mobile site en Español
On Thursday, Yahoo! launched a new Spanish-language mobile home page. Yahoo! Mobile en Español features search, e-mail and instant messaging, as well as Yahoo! news, sports, finance and local information. Another news section includes coverage of Latin America. MediaPost Communications/MoBlog (11/12)

Agency News

Digital agencies ready to supplant the old school
In the debate over whether interactive houses have what it takes to lead the ad industry, Jacques-Herve Roubert, president-CEO of Nurun, a global interactive marketing shop, comes down on the side of digital, saying that "today's creative ingenuity lies within the idea, the technology, the concept, the innovation and, perhaps most important, the Holy Grail: consumer connection." Immediacy, quick response times, superior metrics and greater flexibility are all giving digital a leg up over traditional media agencies. Advertising Age (11/12)

Marketer News

Wendy's hopes to win with Twitter-savvy bacon fans
Wendy's is increasing its efforts to reach consumers through social media. The latest effort, to promote the new Applewood Smoked Bacon Burger, includes a Twitter contest called "Bacon Hunt" that has Twitter users following @UrBaconMeCrazy and winning points for performing tasks. Contestants can check scores and join additional conversations at the Wendy's Facebook page. Adweek (11/12)

Featured Content The "Iterate Fast and Release Often" Philosophy of Entrepreneurship  Ben Parr Forget the Phonebook: 3 Local Marketing Initiatives with Higher ROIs  Gregory Go 5 Tips for Getting More Exposure from Bloggers, Tweeters and Fans  John Jantsch An Interview with Henry Blodget  Marcy Shinder  from OPEN Book: Social Media Why It's So Difficult to Find Angel Capital  Scott Shane

Interactive Media

Facebook advertisers can access fans' networks
Marketers on Facebook can now extend their reach beyond registered online fans by utilizing a new "Friends of Connections" feature that lets them engage with their fans' networks of contacts. As part of Facebook's effort to create comprehensive direct-response marketing opportunities, the feature will allow advertisers to offer "implied endorsements" by including references to the initial fan in ads displayed to that fan's friends. MediaPost Communications/Online Media Daily (11/12)

Acquisition ramps up Google's VoIP offering
Google has announced plans to enrich existing Google Voice offerings with its purchase, made public Thursday, of Gizmo5 Technologies, a provider of Internet telephony software. The acquisition puts Google in a position to challenge Skype, with a multiplatform service to include IM and VoIP calling, video calling, chat across a variety of messaging services, mobile-phone calls and SMS messages. MediaPost Communications/Online Media Daily (11/13)

Career Development

For Internet marketers, understanding measurements is key
Understanding online measurements and optimization is the key to success in Web marketing, according to Jonathan Lister, country manager for Google Canada. Online marketing prowess in part entails capitalizing on "mass techniques to get to a niche audience" and part utilizing the power of networks, but the bottom line is, "You do have to get your head around what it means to test, measure and optimize." Canada.com/National Post (11/11)

IAB News

IAB Ad Operations Summit Is Sold Out!
Sign up for the waiting list for one last chance to attend the most high-level gathering of ad operations professionals this year. Publishers, marketers and more agencies than ever before are participating in the IAB Ad Operations Summit on Monday, Nov. 16, to hear from the experts leading the charge and to see firsthand the tools transforming ad operations. Understanding the details will put you in a position to stand out at a time when adding value to your organization is imperative. Register now at www.iab.net/adops2009 to be notified if more seats become available.

SmartQuote

Email: iab@smartbrief.com
Legal and Privacy information at http://www.smartbrief.com/legal.jsp
Unsubscribe