Google localization channel opens local advertising bonanza

Google Latitude is being decried by many in the tech community as a dangerous erosion of personal privacy.  While I understand the concerns, I view this new feature as a rich new venue for interactive advertising.  It is beneficial to both consumers and advertisers.   The new service, an add-on social network widget called Latitude, clearly aims to focus on social networking–connecting friends and family by sharing their whereabouts–the application could easily adopt mobile marketing applications that target users with special deals and ads at specific locations such as Blockbuster or Cosi as they drive or walk down the street.

The possibilities for a new, ultra-precise channel over which marketers can target audiences by changing geographic location are vast.  Look for massive growth on this outlet in the coming months.

http://www.google.com/latitude

 

Loudtalks Cloud

My friends at Metalink launched Loudtalks Cloud today.   If you haven’t tried Loudtalks yet, you should.  What is Loudtalks?   A groundbreaking online push-to-talk service.   Think of it as a combination of a Nextel phone, Skype, and Google Talk.   Loudtalks allows users to communicate with each other by voice, in sound bites which can be stored and replied to on demand, just like a standard IM client, only with sound.  Loudtalks is an open network, where anyone can speak to anyone. Loudtalks Cloud is a closed network for your group or organization only.

Read more at the Loudtalks Blog

 

Opportunities abound as online CPM rates enter freefall

An overabundance of online impressions on major content venues alongside the effects of a recession-induced advertising slowdown have resulted in a precipitous drop in CPM rates.   While some in the industry have been adversely affected, others see opportunity in a reshaped price structure and online advertising landscape.  Read the full story from Advertsing Age.

 

Autonomy purchases Interwoven: $775m

CMS powerhouse Interwoven has been acquired by Autonomy for $775 million USD.  According to Autonomy’s web site, “…The combination of the two companies will redefine how global 2000 corporations, leading law firms and government regulators will discover, analyze and manage information and interactions…”

Read the full story from Information Week.

 

YouTube to allow content partners to “bring their own ads”

The tenuous relationship between YouTube and “big media” took an interesting turn yesterday with the exclusive announcement on TechCrunch that YouTube will soon allow major content partners to serve their own ads within YouTube.   Up until now, this capability has been available to only a handful of content providers such as CBS.  Read the full story at TechCrunch.

 

Windows 7 Beta

Not long ago I switched from XP Pro to Windows Home Premium, not so much by choice but because it came pre-installed on my new laptop.   On the first day I used it, the planning for a switch to Vista “Ultimate” (whatever that means   ) got underway..and having accomplished that over the Christmas/New Years lull I am now planning on trying out Windows 7, which is now in available in beta.

Given the fact that Microsoft layed off 5,000 this morning, they could definitely use some positive buzz, maybe Windows 7 will help them put the shine back on to some degree.  Developing….

Windows 7 Beta is available here.

 

VivaKi Takes Plunge, Pools Resources With CBS, Hulu, Microsoft, Others For New Video Ad Format

Advertisers participating in the initiative  include All State, Applebee’s, Capital One, Nestle, Purina and a couple that have not been disclosed, who will get rights to purchase the first new inventory that will be made available with the new format, but otherwise, the goal is to simply improve the effectiveness of online advertising for the industry, and the quality of the viewing experience for consumers.  Read it all at MediaPost.

 

Coca Cola opens world’s largest bottle recycling plant in Spartanburg, SC

Great article on GreenBiz.com about Coke’s facility in SC which recycles containers made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into fleeces, t-shirts, tote bags and other forms of swag, not to mention containers for Coke or Dasani and other beverages which it sells.

Is this a sustainable “green” initiative?   I think not.   Here’s how it works:  bottles are gathered from sources up and down the East coast such as NASCAR events, entertainment venues like Madison Square Garden or Gillette Stadium.  Coke even gathers recylable containers from the Pepsi Center in Denver haha.   They are then transported to the Spartanburg location and converted into PET chips for resale to other Coke affiliates.   There are a couple of things to consider here – one is the carbon footprint size of the operation necessary to move the bottles from their waste dropoff points to the center in SC.  Most likely these are diesel or gasoline-powered tractor trailers.    How does the plant get its power?   In the interviews I have seen with Coke, no one has asked this question.   In all likelihood it is powered by electricity from coal-fired power plants in the SC area.

Why am I blogging this?   My take is that one of Coke’s primary objectives in launching this high profile initiative is to benefit from the marketing buzz associated with such a massive undertaking.   I got the news through one of my LinkedIn groups, and there is demonstrable traction among social marketers in generating traffic from Green initiatives.   In the long term, Coke hopes to turn a profit from its endeavour.   You can read the full article at GreenBiz.com.

~ CMI

 

Google and OneTrueMedia in partnership to offer self-service video ads

Google and One True Media–the parent company of online video ad creator SpotMixer–today are expected to publicly launch a self-serve video ad creation service for Google AdWords customers to produce and distribute cable television ads via Google TV Ads.

Google has offered this service to a subset of beta advertisers since last September. Based on positive response, Google has launched this do-it-yourself ad creation solution for any advertiser to access directly in their AdWords account when they create a TV campaign.  Read the full article at MediaPost.

 

ESPN launches online classifieds

ESPN has partnered with online classifieds vendor Raceway Media to launch a free, consumer-targeted classifieds section on ESPNOutdoors.com.  Read the full article from MediaWeek.