Google Sell-Side 'Active GRP' Coming Soon; Crossing Devices

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Google Sell-Side ‘Active GRP’ Coming Soon

The Drum reports that that Google’s biz dev lead for large publishers, David McMurtrie, told the audience at Thursday’s Association of Online Publishers (AOP) event in London that it’s time for publishers to start protecting their yields and stop the buy side from taking the lead in the programmatic space: “The power and control is currently with the buyer – they choose the audience and price – they are dictating to you as publishers what the value of your content and inventory is. You need to fight that.” Furthermore, McMurtrie spoke to Google’s product plans that will impact publishers: “We are currently rolling out viewable impressions and next year will be Active GRPs – our method to track reach across different platforms means tv buyers – used to trading on selling by reach, can look at video in a totally different way, with the accountability and transparency of the Web.” Read more from The Drum. As had been previously announced, Active GRPs are in “limited release” to DFA users (as in advertisers) – and not publishers – according to a Google FAQ.

Crossing Devices

The New York Times suggests that advertisers know “secrets” about users in an article that looks at cross-device targeting ad technology formerly-known-as “fingerprinting.” From the article: “‘We’re observing your behaviors and connecting your profile to mobile devices,’ said Eric Rosenblum, chief operating officer at Drawbridge. But don’t call it tracking. ‘Tracking is a dirty word,’ he said.” Read more. And, read this AdExchanger survey of cross-device companies from March.

Scanning Email Lawsuits

First Google, now Yahoo. The tech company is being sued in California for scanning emails in order to serve targeted ads, according to Bloomberg. Yahoo didn’t comment on the lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of residents of the city of San Bruno as a class-action lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh refused to dismiss a case against Google for email scanning in San Jose last week. Read more.

Twitter Is Better Than Facebook

An Econsultancy blog post lists three reasons why Facebook can’t beat Twitter when it comes to “social TV” dominance. Among the reasons: the ever-popular hashtag. Twitter is dominated by reaction from users who hashtag properly and the Twitter feed is updated instantaneously. Facebook, not so much. Read the post. How about a hashtag exchange?

Facebook Is Better Than Twitter

Twitter goes under the pre-IPO microscope, courtesy of The Wall Street Journal, as Twitter’s reach comes under question. The article quotes Progressive Corp. CMO Jeff Charney, who prefers Facebook for social media advertising: “‘The 200 million-plus Twitter nation is a powerful and influential force that you have to pay attention to.’ … Charney says the insurer will consider spending more as Twitter grows. But Facebook has ‘more heft,’ he says. ‘You just can’t ignore Facebook.’” Read more (subscription).

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Flash Failures

Fab took a leap of faith that flash sales would be a long-term profitable venture, but so far that hasn’t panned out as the company laid off 101 people. AllThingsD reached out to Fab and got an email response saying, “We acknowledge that flash sales is a flawed business model.” Although the company just secured another round of funding, its total staff loss is now at 37%. CEO Jason Goldberg hasn’t personally admitted that flash sales aren’t working, but has endeavored to focus on profitability. Read more.

Adobe Breach

A major security breach at Adobe has left 2.9 million encrypted names and payment information vulnerable, Digital Trends is reporting. Adobe recommends users change their passwords on any sites where the same login information is used and they are in the process of contacting banks about the breach. Furthermore, for those whose credit or debit information was compromised, Adobe is offering a complimentary one-year subscription to a credit-monitoring service. Read more.

Your Own TV

IRIS.TV hopes personalization is the key to video engagement, and is bringing that pitch, along with $1.7 million in funding, to the B2B market. The company was founded by the same people who developed Jukebox TV and who come from companies like ABC, Hulu and Disney. Although no specific partnerships are named, the technology will be integrated into a TV and mobile app, says co-founder and CEO Field Garthwaite. Read more on TechCrunch. Nick Rau, co-founder of ad effectiveness firm Vizu (which was acquired by Nielsen in 2012), is evidently an investor.

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