Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.
Time Units
Time Magazine is giving its site a facelift after Time Inc. spins out from its parent company, Time Warner. Time tells Re/code’s Peter Kafka that traffic has more than doubled and “video streams are up 860 percent in the last year, and in February the site did 4.4 million streams.” Let’s do some math…4.4 million streams, assume a pre-roll ad for each and a robust $10 eCPM. That’s $44,000 in monthly gross revenue. Still early days. But, Time has big, new ad unit(s)! See it (them).
From Bricks To Clicks
Staples announced that nearly half of its sales are now generated online, and that spells doom for some of its brick-and-mortar stores. The NY Times explains that the company “aims to close more than 10 percent of its North American stores by the end of next year, up to 225 stores, as part of a plan to save about $500 million.” Who will be left for showrooming? Read more.
All Hale Patch
Street Fight has an interview with Charles Hale whose company, Hale Global, acquired AOL’s Patch business. Some tidbits from Hale.. on Patch traffic during February: “We’re holding steady at 90% of pageviews of the old Patch and 85% of unique visitors.”…on Patch profitability: “We were cash-flow and EBITDA positive in February. That’s possibly the first profitable month in Patch’s history.” Patch more.
News Feed Ads
For news feed lovers and targeters: The Facebook News Feed is getting a bit of a makeover. TechCrunch reports on the cosmetic nip and tuck: “new font for the bulk of the text (…); a new ‘card’ arrangement; bolder presentation for images; and a lighter and more simplified left-hand column.” Read more on what that means. Don’t worry, ad placements remain the same.
Geotargeting Nilla Wafers
Are you a Globaltrotter with an urge for Nilla Wafers? This one’s for you. Ad Age’s E.J. Schultz reports that Mondelez (Nilla brand owner and many others) and Facebook have joined hands, which will allow Mondelez to address you with Mondelez brand ads wherever you are. He writes, “The pact, which is being described as a ‘global strategic partnership,’ covers 52 countries including the U.S. and will go ‘beyond a traditional media buy’ to include “a joint commitment to innovation, opportunities to opt into Facebook’s beta-testing programs, access to research and capability-building through immersion days in priority markets…” Read more.
SDK Consolidation
Fuse Powered is launching a service, called AdRally, to help mobile app developers deal with the multitude of ad networks that are currently available. The company eliminates the need for developers to integrate multiple SDKs, similar to what Burstly and PlayHaven Kontagent do, as noted by VentureBeat. Read the rest.
But Wait. There’s More!
- Former Dapper And Triggit Sales Exec Chris Zaharias Says Startup Employees Are Getting Screwed – Business Insider
- Banner Ads Must Die – The Street
- Finding Simplicity In A Multi-Device World – Facebook News
- Creating Customer-Centric eBusiness Experiences In China – Forrester blog