Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.
Online Ratings Push
Nielsen is tightening its partnership with FreeWheel, ahead of the fall TV season, in an attempt to streamline its Online Campaign Ratings (OCR), according to Adweek. FreeWheel works with companies like ABC, AOL, ESPN and Viacom, and integration with Nielsen’s OCR may encourage other traditional TV players to use the system. “[T]his will allow a seamless transfer of dollars to go from linear TV to the digital side and vice versa,” said Doug Knopper, FreeWheel’s CEO. Read more.
Groupon started the process of looking for a new CEO, but decided instead to go with the interim CEO, Eric Lefkofsky, according to AllThingsD. “The business was functioning with much more speed and diligence and care and focus and we thought we had the right man for the job,” said Groupon Chairman Ted Leonsis. Read more. Here’s Groupon’s earnings, which weren’t bad.
NewFronts Success
According to an IAB survey, the Digital Content NewFronts were valuable to attendees. Seventy-eight percent of attendees said they walked away with at least one new opportunity for a company or client. What’s more, 64% of ad buyers said “TV Plus Digital” buys would increase throughout the next year. Read more. Download the survey results here.
Local Follies
Tim Armstrong saw a lot of potential in Patch, but paidContent is reporting that a third of its 900 Patch sites are going to be shut down. PaidContent’s Jeff Roberts reports that turning to automated advertising through AOL’s existing technology may help keep the local news sites alive. Read more. And more from Jim Romenesko.
Bezos News
Jeff Bezos’ intentions after buying the Washington Post aren’t entirely clear yet, but former WaPo executive editor Len Downies doesn’t believe it was done for vanity. He told Digiday it means “there will be a much stronger digital awareness, digital experimentation and digital vision in what’s possible within a newspaper.” Read more.
Instagram’s Indirect Payoff
Facebook hasn’t rolled out any new ad products for Instagram directly, but the company still profits indirectly from it, as pointed out by James Borow on Ad Age. Facebook uses the power of its successful and popular newsfeed advertising to allow brands to use Instagram photos as ads. Read more.
Fighting Termination
Former Interclick CEO Michael Katz did not win his lawsuit against Yahoo, according to Law360 (subscription). The ad-tech firm founder said he had been wrongfully terminated by the company in December of 2012 in advance of a bonus and in spite of, among other things, Yahoo’s former CEO, Ross Levinsohn, praising Katz as a visionary.
Privacy
You’re Hired!
- SHIFT Names Former Facebook VP, Paul Ollinger, As President – press release
- Freewheel To Integrate Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings – press release
- GroupM Names Ruud Wanck Global Interaction COO – press release
- Hill Holliday Names a New Strategy Chief Graham Ritchie – Adweek
But Wait, There’s More!
- EBay’s John Donahoe on E-Commerce and Mobile Payments’ Future – Businessweek
- Android’s Market Share Is Literally A Joke – Tech.pinions
- Citibank Optimizes Retargeting Campaign to Drive Credit Card Signups in Malaysia – ClickZ
- Digital Content NewFronts Sparking Increased Video Ad Spending, Buyers Say – press release
