Seesmic Has Acquired Ping.fm. Get Ready For Update Overload

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Thanks to Seesmic's recent acquisition of multi-social network updating service, Ping.fm, we're all now in for an exponentially increased onslaught of "I just made a ham and cheese sandwich" updates.

There are those who love Ping for its simplicity. And there are those who hate it and its ilk for trying to cram the same update down the throat of multiple services which, because they aren't all the same by design, often call for individualized, network-specific updates.

We love it because we're lazy but just wait until brands catch on to this. It will be like broadcast media all over again. Sometimes we never learn.

by Steve Hall    Jan- 4-10    
Topic: Social, Tools



It's a Microsite. It's a Facebook App. It's Both!

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Help Andy Murray hit the ball at Radical Messenger. After you sign it first and send it to a friend of course. I think we need a name for the hybrid Facebook-microsite application thing the kids love so much. The Microbook? The Fap? Send your suggestions to the agency who came up with it, Aimaq & Stolle out of Berlin, Germany.

by Bill Green    Sep- 3-09    
Topic: Celebrity, Desktop, Tools



GotAdSpace Brings Ad Power to the People

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Well, stranger things have been tried...and worked. Modeling itself after eBay, GotAdSpace has launched and aims to be the middleman (apparently instead of ad agencies and sales rep forms) between advertisers and...the general public. Yes, the site aims to make it possible for people to sell ad space on whatever it is they have...to anyone who wishes to buy it.

Yes, exchanges like this have been around forever but it seems this one wants to make it possible for the average Joe to get into advertising and make some money. It's not so far fetched. With people becoming more aware of advertising, using it on their blogs, podcasts and pages to make a few bucks as well as the rise of social media and pay per post-style ad models, everyone's getting in on the ad game.

Why not a network to make it easier?

by Steve Hall    Aug- 4-09    
Topic: Tools



Ever Wonder Which Ads Are Converting? Wonder No More

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Because sometimes serious news can be useful, we're happy to inform you search ad network Looksmart, is out with SmartRotation, a cost-per-action (CPA) tool that automatically serves the best-performing ad creative in an ad group based on conversion data from a tracking pixel. The new tool, part of LookSmart's ad rotation, allows advertisers to optimize campaigns by conversion events like sales, sign-ups, downloads, and registrations to drive higher performance.

"It doesn't matter how many clicks you have if it doesn't convert", said Michael Schoen, Vice President and General Manager of Advertising Platforms at LookSmart. "While other platforms only offer even ad rotation or optimization by click-through rate (CTR), LookSmart's SmartRotation analyzes conversion rates and serves the best-converting ad creative, giving advertisers a better rate of return on their search investment."

See? Now don't you think that will make your job a lot easier when your boss asks you which ads are converting the best?

by Steve Hall    Aug- 3-09    
Topic: Online, Tools



ViralHeat to Eradicate Pesky Social Media Strategists

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Social Media got you down? Confused by all the hype? Sick of "social media strategists" knocking on your door all day long? With the introduction of ViralHeat, you'll no longer have to deal with these bothersome headaches. Nope. For just $9.99 per month you'll get a full suite of tools to monitor and analyze all the social media bullshit swirling around the toilet of today's marketing cesspool.

more »

by Steve Hall    Jul-10-09    
Topic: Social, Tools



New Tool Solves Creativity Versus Strategy Dilemma

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Here's the perfect tool for creating your next ad campaign. With a simple slider you can play around with the same ad so that it serves two purposes: to win awards or to follow strategy and build business. Seems you can't have both so you might as well have an easy way to modify the ad you sold to the client that actually works and the one you submit for that awrad you're so disparate for.

And who do we have to thank for this little piece of amazement? An awards organization, of course. Specifically, the Canadian Marketing Association Awards.

Give it a try and see what you can do with a FedEx ad.

by Steve Hall    Jul-10-09    
Topic: Industry Events, Spoofs, Tools



How SEO Killed the Corn Farmer

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SEO? Say What? Yea, search engine optimization. Heard of it? No? Well if you haven't, you don't know much about online marketing. But that doesn't really matter because OneUpWeb does know that they can help those that don't.

So how does an SEO company talk about the mundane aspects of far-from-Cannes but more-meaningful-than-Cannes marketing tactics? It creates an eight chapter video, of course. And that's what How SEO Killed the Corn Farmer is all about.

more »

by Steve Hall    Jul- 7-09    
Topic: Online, Tools, Video



'Drinkspiration' iPhone App Gets Absolut's Fetch Back

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Oh we really, really like this. Absolut has launched Drinkspiration, an iPhone app which makes drink suggestions based on mood, location, time of day, weather, liquor type (yes, they don't just limit it to vodka), drink color, shape of glass, type of venue and a whole lot more. You'll never order the same boring drink again.

Every drink the app suggests comes with a recipe so if you want something a bit too exotic for your neighborhood bartender, you can tell her how to make it.

more »

by Steve Hall    Jul- 2-09    
Topic: Brands, Good, Mobile/Wireless, Opinion, Tools



TweetPsych Profiles Twitter Users for Marketers

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For marketers fascinated with Twitter and its seemingly endless possibilities, for good or bad, as a marketing channel/platform/whatever, a new service called TweetPsych might be worth a look. Created by Dan Zarrella, TweetPsych uses Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count and Regressive Imagery Dictionary to build a psychological profile of a person based on the content of their Tweets.

more »

by Steve Hall    Jun-24-09    
Topic: Social, Tools



Banner Not Dead! Twitter-Powered Banner to the Rescue!

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In the "why didn't I think of that first category," comes this new ad unit from SocialMedia for JuicyJuice which allows people to tweet from within the banner. If people are logged in, their tweet will scroll up and appear on the banner.

Juicy Juice teamed with SocialMedia to place the ad unit on mommy sites such as BabyCenter and CafeMom. Different questions, "How do you stimulate your child's mind?" or "How important are vitamin-enhanced foods to you?" are asked.

As SocialMedia CEO Seth Goldstein notes, the tweets and corresponding hashtag extend the effectiveness of the banner saying, "The ad unit is paid placement but the additional impressions are effectively earned media."

Oh Twitter, how others continue to find ways to make money off your VC-funded back. Just how long are you going to let others rip you off before you realize you can't run on fume indefinitely?

by Steve Hall    Jun-11-09    
Topic: Good, Online, Social, Tools