Category: Interactive Ads

Interactive Ads

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Potential Chicago Cab Strike July 31 – How to Get to adtech(ad:tech) via CTA

With today’s possible cab strike in Chicago, I thought it would be a good idea to post CTA bus options to arrive at the west end of Navy Pier. Please note that even with these bus options, it is a10 minute walk to the east end of Navy Pier where the Festival Hall is located. I highly suggest taking the bus instead of walking the entire distance and wish the actually CTA stopped at Navy Pier East Entrance #2. Please check out my current question on Yahoo! Answers regarding Navy Pier.

Here are some tips on how to navigate via CTA to Navy Pier. Cash fare on the CTA is currently $2. This is a pdf map of the areas described below.

From the Sheraton: the #29, #65 and #124 buses stop in front of the Sheraton on Illinois and terminate and 600 East Grand Avenue, this will save you three blocks of walking.

The number#124 bus starts in the West Loop at Union Station, Ogilvie Transportation Center and terminates at 600 East Grand Avenue.

If traveling from Midway Airport, take the Orange line to Roosevelt, walk down the stairs and travel one block west to State Street. Take the#29 State bus northbound to 600 East Grand Avenue.

If traveling from O’hare Airport, take the blue line to Monroe, walk up the stairs, then walk one block east to State Street. Take the#29 State bus northbound to 600 East Grand Avenue.

For those staying at a hotel a bit further north, the #66 bus travels east on Chicago Avenue, then south on Fairbanks to Grand to 600 East Grand Avenue.

For those of you attending ad:tech, I have the following high level networking objectives and look forward to speaking with you (please drop me an email contained on my Bio page):

1) I’m seeking anyone with senior contacts at major search engines

2) Anyone with ideas or connections to publishers, advertisers or investors regarding mobile search and mobile advertising.

Have a great show!

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Initial Thoughts on Microsoft Aquiring Aquantive

Techcrunch had an earlier article. At $6 Billion or $66.50, an ~85% premium over the previous days selling price that creates a price to earning rating of around 52, many people would consider this to be overpayment. With approximately $26 Billion in the bank that shareholders consistently complain is underutilized, it is more likely insurance to prevent a bidding war and a break up of the deal as apparently happened behind the scenes when Microsoft originally tried to acquire Doubleclick.

With headquarters both in Seattle, these partners likely know each other well from the tightly woven Seattle networking community so there is likely a known cultural fit. It is likely clearly friendly due to this and how quickly it came together so quickly after losing the bidding for 24/7 real media. The major question is can Microsoft quickly integrate and leverage these systems with its’ own, some of which have overlap and the graphical side. The other risk is can Microsoft tie up the critical thought leadership staff in an appealing way that maintains the creative culture? Time will tell.

Much like Google’s acquisition of Doubleclick there are conflicts of interest to be resolved. In Doubleclick’s case they own Performics, a search marketing and optimization firm. The Avenue A | Razorfish division performs a significant search marketing and search optimization function just like Performics. Google has yet to state how they will resolve this. Microsoft could score points by stating a plan to deal with this before Google does.

Aquantive has spent $200 Million in the 2004-2006 acquiring Accipiter, iFRONTIER, Franchise Gator, DNA, Amneisa, e-Crusade, GOTOAST, Neue Digitale, NetConversions, Technology Brokers/Media and SBI.Razorfish. While the impacts of these businesses are not yet fully known, Aquantitive prides itself on buying and integrating emerging businesses. Some of these are creating a media exchange like Right Media recently acquired by Yahoo!. Some of the value of this transaction likely lies hidden in these small business lines.

While the integration risk is not insignificant, Aquantive was one of the last premium players available and Microsoft can certainly afford the premium.

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SES Chicago 2006 – Day 1 – Advertising in Social Media

Gary Stein, ammomarketing.com

Why Social Media?
Three Wrong Reasons
Two Right Ones
(plus one bonus concepts)

– Obvious and Wrong Reason #1: That’s Where the People Are
– Minority of consumers read blogs, blog, podcast, have a Second Life avatar, etc.
– Most businesspeople are not tuned into Web 2.0

– Obvious and Wrong Reason #2: Consumers are in Control
– Nuthin’ new about consumer control
– Media owners have a right to their rights

– Obvious and Wrong Reason #3: The Mainstream Media is Kaput
– The best blog barely touches the reach of established players
– Blogs have big frequency, low reach

– Real Reason: The Channel is Unfair
– Private labels clog p the shelves
– Big box stores dictate rules
– Brands forced into direct ads and coupons

– Real Reason: Manufacturers Set the Ad Agenda
– Manufacturers drive branding

– The relationship mandate is Critical
– Manufactures need consumers to walk into the channel want their product and only their product

“Consumers are won when you meet them as equals”

– Consumer reviews are the silver bullet to ecommerce.

Bonus Concept: Brand Want Media, Agencies Want Brands
– 2007 Trend – owning the channel
– These are built on Web 2.0 principles
– Not real hit on media, since they will need traffic, as well as development of new channels (see Yahoo’s New Brand Universes)
Henry Copeland, CEO, Blogads

Asks for hand raising to prove Gary wrong.

Where publishers once ruled walled gardens, dictating news cycles and headlines…

Influentials now trade news and views in real-time swarms…

The best ads fit into blogs’ hyper-linked, news and views-rich conversations…bottom-up voices…

Subtle tweaks, does your ad make the reader want to ask questions.

We as marketers need to infiltrated the cocktail party. Put interesting creative in there.

 (note to self – download Henry’s example slides)
Bill Flitter, Pheedo

RSS to power marketing programs

(Extremely long case study – had a feel of a client push so I won’t capture it)

Social media campaigns have a gradual decline and longer tail due to residual traffic from search engines.
Marc Schiller, Electric Artists

Second Life concepts to be explained

What have changed since the bubble burst in 200?

1 in 8 couples married last year met online (McKinsey)

Today, the most successful companies connect their customers together

“Our goal with second life is to make it better than real life” Linden Lats, CEO and founder

1.6 million residents

Medan age is 33

50/50 male/female

3,000 entrepreneurs making $20,000 a year

Estimated $100 Million of transactions (2006)
People are making their living in Second Life

Content owners maintain ownership of their IP

 Aloft Hotel – useful in both prototyping and branding

Scion, MLB are launching now…

Provides ten rules for success in second life (should have left up slide longer)

Great thought provoking session with some points of view one degree away.

Tag: SESChicago2006

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US Cellular Ads Using Google Maps

The Chicago Suntimes had an interesting banner ad Friday. When clicked it led to a domain registered on September 7the, chicagosbestwireless.com, with Google Coupons. It would be interesting to see how well this campaign does.

The ad is interesting to me as I’ve recently been thinking about changing celluar/wireless phone providers.

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Scoble You’re Cracking Me Up!!!

The other day Scoble posted about how video blogs are superior to text and I disagreed. Well two days later he posts this gem about Yahoo!’s announcement today about slightly lower earnings due to lack of realization of projections and guidance. (Maybe they should take Progressive Insurance’s stance and not give guidance, now there is a positive idea!) Anyway, today, Scoble says banners are discretionary spending while text ads aren’t and Google is winning and will outperform in a recession….blah blah blah…well guess what there is a large home page ad from Ford on Yahoo’s home page right now as I write this. People are talking about this little change in guidance like Ford told Yahoo! to go get completely lost, that is *NOT* the case.

This particular analysis is way too simplistic and there is significant other information to consider:

1. Unless you work at Google in sales or finance (maybe PR like David Krane), you don’t have any idea how this has affected Google this quarter.

2. That Ford ad on Yahoo’s front page is a *branding* ad, a picture of an actual vehicle! Any SEM worth anything will tell you that getting people to see a text ad as good spend for branding is a hard sell.

3. The Auto industry adopted online advertising early in the game. Perhaps they are reaching a penetration point where further accelerated growth is not possible at the same level? To confirm this thought further, a senior Google person I know (who actually returns her phone calls – props to her!) that I met at ad:tech in July recently moved from, guess what the Auto sector to Consumer Package Goods shortly before I met her (her card still said Autos). Maybe Google analyzed these same facts and decided to redeploy a valuable asset, in this case a person, to a place where it woudl get higher ROI. Good for them.

4. I also know that Ford recently hired a SEO firm to do alot of work on alot of sites. Maybe it’s because they realize that SEO and not text ads frequently have a superior return? Hmmm.  

5. If text ads were the be all end all, why is Google launching radio and video ads?

6. UPDATE: Regarding financial services, this is all about the housing bust and no more “Own a $1.6 million dollar home for $99/month the first 4 years” text ads. I think this will affect everyone equally  in terms of earnings and hoepfully some of those types of ads will never return. 

So Robert which is it? Video and/or pictures or text?

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Future CEO Hired Outside of Industry

In a smart move, Ford hired outside it’s own industry for it’s next CEO.

Imagine that, hiring someone for their knowledge and competencies, realizing that fresh perspectives are necessary to lead in a different way and solve unique and complex problems. Great article and a better decision. Are you listening search engine and interactive marketing leadership and boards of directors?

Good luck, Alan Mulally, you are taking on an immense challenge.

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Contact #2300 – Contextweb CEO Anand Subramanian

Anand and I recently shared a great conversation. Contextweb’s ContextAd is the only true REAL-TIME marketplace for buying and selling ads using patent pending Contextual Targeting technology (Patent Publication No.: US-2002-0123912-A1). You can learn more details here. 

Anand is extremely interesting to talk to and I appreciate his views on a wide variety of issues. I look forward to learning more about him and hearing his ideas for the future.