Instagram Addressing Ads; Trusty Twitter

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Instagram Addressing Ads

On the (Facebook) Instagram blog yesterday, the mustard seeds of an ads strategy were strewn about as an anonymous Instagram blogger wrote, “In the next couple months, you may begin seeing an occasional ad in your Instagram feed if you’re in the United States. Seeing photos and videos from brands you don’t follow will be new, so we’ll start slow. … Our aim is to make any advertisements you see feel as natural to Instagram as the photos and videos many of you already enjoy from your favorite brands.” Read more. “Natural,” dare we say “native,” positioning aside…will addressable data drive Instagram media? From here — undoubtedly. The email address associated with the Instagram login beckons. Facebook’s Custom Audience product could extend to, or be segmented for, Instagram audience.

Trusty Twitter

Twitter’s acquisition of MoPub is on the FTC’s list of approved transactions, which means its avoiding any antitrust scrutiny. Twitter is gearing up for its IPO, and some estimates have it valued at $10 billion. As Reuters points out, the acquisition of MoPub is going to improve mobile advertising by allowing real-time ads. Read more.

HyperLocal Conundrum

The Sacramento Press has gone the way of Patch and found it hard to monetize a hyperlocal publication. Although it is still up and running, founder Ben Ilfeld told Street Fight it’s been a struggle to get advertising dollars and so far no sustainable model has been found. The company is for sale and being run by Ilfeld for the time being. Read more.

The New Online Video

Amid the big success that online video is now experiencing, Meredith and Scripps are turning to original video programming. Scripps is also launching a dedicated online video website, called Ulive, which will archive video clips from some of Scripps’ cable shows. “The sites that aggregate video tend to have higher engagement levels,” said Jeff Meyer, a Scripps Network Interactive executive and president of Ulive. Read more.

Compass Labs Drops Facebook

Business Insider reports that Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer Compass Labs will no longer work as an intermediary in delivering ads through Facebook’s platform. The company’s CEO, Dilip Venkatachari, tells BI they’ll purse “marketing intelligence” instead. Facebook Ad API partners who initially blazed a trail pre-FBX and FB Custom Audience have been overrun by companies that can provide a broader range of services across multiple buying platforms. The days of selling “likes” alone to clients may be over. Read more.

Let’s Make A (Q3) Deal

Boutique investment bank Jordan-Edmiston has released its overview of Q3 2013 deal activity for the media and marketing sector ,which included the blockbuster Omnicom-Publicis merger. The press release states, “Transactions for the b2b online media and technology sector decreased by 24%, down to 53 deals in the first three quarters of 2013 vs. the same period in 2012. Deal value dropped sharply, by 97%, due to the $7.1 billion Alibaba Group/Yahoo transaction in 2012. Notable deals in Q3 2013 included…” Read more. And, download the report (PDF).

Breaking Down Big Data

The newness of “big data” is finally wearing off and leaving people confused or unimpressed, so Jeremy Hlavacek, VP of operations and strategic partnerships at Weather FX, attempts to add some clarity in a piece on MediaPost. He says “big data” is not a whole industry, but rather a market shift. Also, knowing how and when to use data is key to making it work. It should be real-time and recent, rare or unique and advertisers should have realistic expectations, says Hlavacek. Read more.

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