DNT Isn't Dead; Twitter Closes The Data Gates

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In Defense Of ‘Do Not Track’

In response to Microsoft flipping the killswitch on DNT-by-Default, Digital Content Next CEO Jason Kint pens a guest column for Ad Age debunking the death of DNT. Kint challenges five common arguments for why DNT won’t work. Misconceptions about DNT, including a general lack of understanding and that DNT will ruin the free and open Internet that advertising supports, are just excuses that allow the industry to dismiss it, according to Kint. “It’s time for the industry to consider its future rather than protecting the eroding business interests of its incumbent and faceless technology complex,” he writes. “Consumer tools such as Do Not Track can only help build the foundation of trust on which our future success will be built.”

Twitter Siphons Access To Data

Twitter has ended its partnership with social data analytics firm DataSift, meaning any third parties that want to access its firehose will have to go through Twitter directly. DataSift claims the decision will seriously damage the ecosystem, and that 80% of its customers use technology that Twitter doesn’t have. “Social networks make money from engagement and advertising,” wrote DataSift CEO Nick Halstead in a blog post. “Revenue from data should be seen as a secondary concern to distribution, and it should occur only in a privacy-safe way. Better understanding of their audiences means more engagement and more ad spend from brands. More noise = less ad spend.”

Stalking The Blue Bird

The Guardian’s Charles Arthur considers the persistent rumors about a Google takeover of Twitter. For one, Google has dropped the ball on the social platform front, a shortcoming that Chairman Eric Schmidt has been quick to admit. Ben Thompson, an independent technology analyst, says Twitter could fix Google’s social woes. According to Thompson, Google “is behind both on mobile … and potentially in brand advertising, which works best in a ‘stream.’ Twitter is a route back to both.” Read on.

The Online Video Feast

Facebook is planning to host a group of top agencies and advertisers at its offices a week before the IAB’s 2015 Digital Content NewFronts. According to the WSJ, “It would seem that Facebook’s timing – just before YouTube, AOL, Yahoo and other big players in web video host the NewFronts – is no accident.” Facebook has never participated in the Digital Content NewFronts because it’s never been a player in original video. But with 3 billion video views a day, and that number growing, Facebook is vying for a seat at the table.

A Step Beyond Search

Internet users in the US are conducting an increasing number of searches that start on one device and end on another. “If you are a marketer, you’re building a marketing plan against an audience.” John Cosley, Microsoft’s director of product marketing for the search advertising business group, tells eMarketer. “You have a specific person you’re trying to reach, not a keyword.” Instead, many marketers are using secondary data from CRM programs in addition to search cues like daypart, location and device to enrich cross-device targeting. More.

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Endless Antitrust; Third-Party Sellers Lose Their Party Invites

Nielsen Metrics For Triton

On Friday, Triton Digital earned certification to include Nielsen audience measurement tech in its streaming audio players. That means Nielsen can now measure audiences streaming on Trition players across desktop, Android and iOS devices. Publishers using Triton’s streaming solution can also now offer their broadcast radio clients on-air and streaming metrics, linking audience measurement to simulcasting. RAINN News has more.

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