ISPs could enter ad serving arena

Soon ISPs could join the ad-serving market. The vast amount of knowledge available to these companies about their users gives them an advantage if they choose to do so. ISPs often provide cable and wireless services along with Internet access, allowing them a broad range of information for targeting. EMarketer predicted online advertising spending for this year at almost $26 million – a substantial prize for companies to fight for.

Privacy concerns are of course an issue. The FCC recently ruled against deep-packet inspection (DPI) technology regulation; however, as ISPs move into this segment this decision could change. DPI is currently used to filter out spam and other harmful or annoying material.

(Business Week “Now ISPs Want to Serve You Ads, Too”)

iPhone games free with ads

Mobile games ad network Greystripe is allowing game developers to include pre-, post-, and interstitial ads to keep revenue coming (besides the original download fee). Current advertisers include Wal-Mart, Yahoo!, and Best Buy. According to the network, they “will deliver a 10.1% click-through rate (CTR) when other mobile advertisers are averaging a 1-2% CTR.”

(TechCrunch “Greystripe Monetizing iPhone Games With Ad Platform”)

searchable Flash

One of the major problems for web designers who want to create sites in Flash is the inability for search engine “spiders” to find the site and its contents. These searchbots can “read” but they cannot “see” anything inside an SWF file. Adobe has recently created a Flash player to allows search engines to convert the Flash file into a format the engine can read. Google has started using the software, and Yahoo is expected to introduce it shortly. The sites, though visible, still may not rank highly in search results.

According to an Adobe press release, “search engines already index static text and links within SWF files,” but the content is hard to detect because of its dynamic nature. The player can find text, but as yet cannot see images or video (although apparently it should make searching for that “non-textual content” easier, if text is also present)/

(Source: TechCrunch “Once Nearly Invisible to Search Engines…”)

(See the Adobe press release and Google’s Webmaster Blog for more detailed information)

industry critical of Google AdPlanner

Google’s new tool for media planners has met good and bad reviews. Some in the industry see AdPlanner as the next big rival for comScore (whose stock dropped 23% at the release of AdPlanner) and other such services. Others are concerned that Google share information supplied by planners with competitors.

(Source: MediaPost “The Plan Behind Ad Planner: Trusted Tool Or Trojan Horse?”)

Weather Channel Interactive could launch ad network

“Certainly a vertical network makes a whole lot of sense to us,” said executive VP and general manager of Weather.com Joe Fiveash at OMMA’s Publish conference.

(Source: MediaPost “Ad Network for Weather Channel Interactive?”)

Yahoooo!

No wedding for Yahoo! and Microsoft

Yahoo has announced that they have ended all talks with Microsoft about a possible merger or acquisition. While Microsoft released a statement that they would continue to push for their “alternative transaction” of purchasing Yahoo’s search assets. Yahoo dismissed this possibility as “such a transaction would not be consistent with the company’s view of the converging search and display marketplaces, would leave the company without an independent search business that it views as critical to its strategic future and would not be in the best interests of Yahoo stockholders.”

(Source: AdAge “Yahoo and Microsoft Declare It’s Over”)

Google is a homewrecker

After avoiding a Microsoft buyout, Yahoo has created a new partnership with Google. Over the next 10 years, Yahoo will outsource “search monetization” to Google. The deal is nonexclusive, so Yahoo can continue to display ads from other third parties. It remains to be seen if this deal will help or hurt Yahoo.

(Source: AdAge “Yahoo, Google Strike a Deal on Paid Search”)

Not without coups, baby

Yahoo and Coupons, Inc. are working together to bring consumers mobile coupons through Yahoo Mobile. Younger consumers have traditionally resisted coupons, feeling “uncool” about using them in front of their friends. Mobile coupons (where the clerk can scan a barcode on the user’s mobile device) are one way to make coupons cool again.

(Source: MediaPost “Mobile Coupons Go National Via Yahoo Deal”)

NY seeks online regulation

New York is attempting to pass a law requiring that “no online publishers or ad networks may collect personally identifiable information in order to send targeted ads to users without their consent.” The term is identified as “data that ‘by itself can be used to identify, contact or locate a person,’ including name and address.” The legislation would also call for advertisers and publishers to allow al users an “opt-out” option for all retargeting.

The IAB is drastically reducing its rates (from up to $5000 to $500) for small companies to join their fight against the legislation.” The New York legislature’s session will end June 23, so any action must be taken by then.

(Source: MediaPost “IAB Strikes Back at Empire State”)