Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.
The NY Times Subscription Model
Drum roll, please. It appears that the New York Times is going to finally unveil its subscription model. According to Staci Kramer of PaidContent, it appears that there may be a “metered” system similar to Financial Times which allows you to view a certain number of pages for free.. and then you have to subscribe. Read about it. Varick Media’s Darren Herman, who is “pro-subscription” offers a suggestion on his blog to the Times team saying, “Go to a pay model, but the pay model should be for the first 12 hours of any article/story.” Read more.
Brand Marketer Going Digital
AdAge has a story on P&G’s marketing chief, Bob McDonald. The title is “P&G CEO Bob McDonald on Why Size Doesn’t Matter.” Interesting title. Interesting read, too, as McDonald reveals that he “keeps no paper files and wants to fully digitize P&G, and to the extent possible, it’s marketing.” Here comes the brand marketer!
Time Inc. Buys StyleFeeder
Personal shopping recommendation engine, StyleFeeder, has been bought by Time Inc. for a rumored “eight figure” number according to Shira Ovide of The Wall Street Journal. Digital strategy exec, Fran Hauser says, “Our editors are generating significant consumer demand for products in the retail market. And what StyleFeeder allows us to do is share in that value creation.” Read more.
MDC Partners is starting its own mutual fund. Kinda. As Stuart Elliott of The New York Times outlines, one of the holding company’s premier agencies, Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners, is starting an in-house index that will allow agency employees to participate on an incentive basis in the success, or lack thereof, of their partner clients. Elliott writes, “The index is intended to track the performance in the stock market of shares of companies that are publicly traded and clients of the agency.” Read about it.
Yahoo! To Binge
Brian Womack suggests in BusinessWeek that Yahoo! and Carol Bartz are on the verge of an acquisition binge. DSPs? Data tech? Parphrasing Bartz, Womack says, “Potential targets include overseas companies and data analytics businesses that help companies assess their advertising results.” Hmmm… that sounds like a gaggle of companies covered here on AdExchanger.com. Read more in BusinessWeek.
Awarding The Year
IPG’s Universal McCann agency appears quite happy in its AdWeek spread as it was named “U.S. Media Agency of the Year ’09.” Not taking anything away from Universal McCann, but judging this sort of award has to be a shot in the dark. It seems to be based on an apparent turnaround in 2009 versus 2008. Read more.
Mobile Apps Mean Display
After publishing a new research piece, Gartner says “Consumers will spend $6.2 billion in 2010 in mobile application stores while advertising revenue is expected to generate $600 million worldwide.” Mobile apps drive audience buying through mobile display. Read the Gartner release.
Efficient Frontier On Display, Search
Today, a new report on Q4 2009 retail sales driven by search will be released by Efficient Frontier. Yesterday, Search Engine Watch gave a preview which included “Impressions for retail queries increased by a whopping 90% over Q4 2008.” Read more from Search Engine Watch. After looking at a preview of the piece at AdExchanger.com HQ, these snippets will resonate:”The developments in the ad exchanges controlled by the engines (Right Media, AdX, and AdECN) will increasingly align display with search.” And – ” The most likely outcome is that the engines with strong display offerings, will deepen their control of online ad spend.” Download the report from Efficient Frontier’s website (Available by 8 a.m. PT today.).
MediaTrust Acquires Email Co.
Amidst the hoopla of Affiliate Summit West, performance marketing solutions provider, MediaTrust, announced that it has acquired email marketing company, Kenzei. Read the release. Or, watch the video announcement on the MediaTrust blog.
SEMs On GCN
Matt Lawson, director of marketing for SEM firm, Marin Software, provides his insights on how to “Take Control Of Google’s Content Network (GCN) With Placement Targeting” as the search engine marketer takes another step into the world of display. Read it.
Unhealthy Digerati
GRP Partners’ Mark Suster gives a list of websites on his Both Sides Of The Table blog that he says will change your waistline as he emphasizes the need for the digerati to get up and shake their booty to improve their health and overcome their sedentary lifestyles. Among his ideas, Withings, a “wi-fi enabled ($159) scale that measures your weight, body fat and BMI (body mass index).” And then you can post it all to Twitter!…. You first! Read more. And, visit Withings.
Ops Strategies Webcast
AdMonsters announced its “Ad Ops Strategies for 2010” webcast which will take place on February 3. Jason Kelly, VP at Time Inc., Braden Herman, SVP of Ops at MTV Networks, and Heather Keltz, Ops Director at NYTimes.com will participate. Sign up here.
