Always Be Tracking; Don't Discount Streaming Video Services

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.

A Hole In Your Pocket

Networks of smartphone apps have been tracking user locations every three minutes, even when the app isn’t in use. Elizabeth Dwoskin of The Wall Street Journal reports on one mobile data provider, Factual, that is using those location streams for audience targeting (based on, say, a morning commute, or knowing a user goes to the gym five days a week). It’s framed as an opportunity for smaller apps to compete against Facebook and Google. “We’re giving mobile apps the data arsenal they need to thrive in a world increasingly dominated by a handful of giants,” said Factual CEO Gil Elbaz. Will that arsenal be turned on publishers once users catch wind of it? More.

And The Award Goes To…

Cable TV disintegration often seems like a natural force, as inevitable as gravity. But that discredits a lot of the value streaming and OTT players are bringing to the industry. Sarah Perez notes at TechCrunch that Netflix leads the pack with eight Golden Globe nominations this year, with HBO, Showtime and Amazon Prime not far behind. More. You can tweak products and acquire tech, but in the end the best content will win. And ads will follow.

CMO Musical Chairs

Walmart CMO Stephen Quinn has stepped down, the latest in a string of exits of top marketers from major brands, and will be replaced by a marketing wunderkind from Target’s ranks. More in WSJ. Eventually CMO churn will bring more marketing execs with data-driven mindsets, such as Deanie Elsner, the pro-platform former CMO at Kraft who recently jumped to Kellogg’s. The future is never easy.

But Wait, There’s More!