Facebook and Google refuse pot ads, even where marijuana is legal
Even though big internet companies can target ads to specific locations, they are still reluctant to allow marijuana advertising.
New CEO’s plan for About.com: same business model, more flash
Neil Vogel, an entrepreneur who created the Webby Awards, is the new CEO of About.com. He plans to increase traffic and add more flash to the site while sticking to its advertising-based business model.
Facebook’s ad tune-up: data will lead to dollars (if users stick around)
Facebook’s ad strategy is rapidly becoming more sophisticated. Marketers and investors are likely to love the results — but will Facebook be able to get it right without alienating users?
Same old Yahoo: why better earnings don’t equal a turnaround
The arrival of Marissa Mayer at Yahoo is fueling the desire for a comeback story. Despite press reports suggesting the turnaround has come, Yahoo’s modest earnings improvement this week are not that story.
Don’t say display ads are dead: ESPN shows there’s life in an old format
It’s fashionable to declare that display advertising is done for — but ESPN and others are showing that this is just the case for bad display ads. New creative opportunities could give the display market a second act. But will publishers invest in them?
Content and commerce collide: is it harder for publishers or e-tailers?
Media companies are looking for new revenues through selling things. Meanwhile, more commerce sites are starting to publish. Is it easier for content to transform into commerce — or vice versa?
No more stupid scam ads: firm replaces junky banners with branded content
Display ads such as “lose your belly” and “professors hate him” are discrediting the familiar model of online advertising which is based on slapping banner ads on websites. Now, one company has a solution to keep the same ad format — but replace the crummy content.
Social media and analytics counter online ad crisis
Content and media sites are struggling to accommodate the polarizing forces of programmatic ad-buying and native advertising. While there’s no single solution to thriving in digital advertising, social media analytics can help.
Led by Facebook, display ad buying becoming more of a real-time business
According to a new report from eMarketer, real-time bidding could account for a quarter of all digital ad spending by 2015. Among other factors, Facebook’s new ad exchange, FBX, is expected to drive much of that growth.
Running the online advertising numbers
Google and Facebook are gaining share, mobile advertising is growing but still search-dominated, and slow progress in digital brand advertising means that television isn’t going away anytime soon.