Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.
Transparency Is The New Daddy
On The Official Google blog, transparency and openness is a theme AGAIN! – Just like here (potentially) and here. Can you dig the new positioning? Today’s transparent fact from Google: “We’re announcing that in 2009 we generated a total of $54 billion of economic activity for American businesses, website publishers and non-profits.” Read the post. And, download the Google Economic Impact report. Can’t get enough? There’s even a video with Google Chief Economist, Hal Varian here.
Live From The Yahoo! Investor Day
ClickZ’s Kate Kaye summarizes the proceedings at Yahoo!’s investor day. Kaye writes, “Yahoo’s Carol Bartz hinted at new offerings for CPG advertisers and the long-awaited transition to the APT ad serving platform.” Read more. See The Business Insider’s Nicholas Carlson’s notes on the meeting which include Bartz’s world view on Yahoo! and her competitors where she says, “All three do different things. Google, search, Facebook, social, and Yahoo for content.” Apple? Read it.
Looking At The AC Deal
Niki Scevak takes a look at the recent acquisition of Associated Content by Yahoo! and notes the potential of search-driven or intent-driven content creation despite the nay-sayers, “Companies like AOL, Demand Media and others build large and profitable businesses under the noses of the ‘Emperors of Content’. Writing simple articles on ‘how to tie a tie’ is a classic case of technology disruption. A low cost alternative that will eventually entrench itself and then move up the value chain.” Read it.
Jeff Jarvis discusses the business of magazine and airline brands today in a Q&A on Sparksheet. When asked what a Google airlines would look like, Jarvis guides the conversation as follows: “There is wisdom in that cabin. And a smart airline will try to figure out how to get that wisdom out of it. When I fly tomorrow, the airline should ask me where I stayed, where I ate, what was good and what was bad.” Read more. (source: @jlkelly)
What Makes A Leader
As part of a Harvard Business Review series, Angel Cabrera discusses what leadership may look like in the future. (It would seem to look a lot like it does today, but that’s a minor quibble.) He stresses the need for doing “good.” Cabrera writes, “commitment to serve the public good not only benefits society but also is a vital element of effective leadership and a precondition for organizational success.” Read more.
Controlling Privacy
CEO Mark Zuckerberg appears to have caved to demands that Facebook’s privacy controls were just to hard to use for the average mortal. He writes on the Facebook blog: “We’ve always offered a lot of controls, but if you find them too hard to use then you won’t feel like you have control. Unless you feel in control, then you won’t be comfortable sharing and our service will be less useful for you. We agree we need to improve this.” And so, there are changes for the easier. Read more. And, see a summary from All Facebook which concludes with “Privacy Now Only Takes One Click.
Futures And Volatility
Brand.net’s Andy Atherton takes a look at recent data from DataXu which suggested that CPM pricing for display is more volatile than comparable financial markets. Atherton writes, “I think the way DataXu has calculated volatility for online ads may even understate the difference […] If I am right, then the apples:apples annualized figure for online ads would likely be much higher.” He thinks it’s time for a futures market. Get volatile.
To RTB, And, Not To RTB
[x+1] announced that it will be releasing a new version of its Predictive Optimization Engine (POE) on June 15. POE “will allow agencies and marketers to automatically optimize online ad impression bids in both real-time bidding (RTB) and non-RTB environments.” Read more. And, read Laurie Sullivan on MediaPost.
Tweet Ads On GCN
Google is starting to roll-out ads across the Google Content Network that feature Twitter streams and encourage viewers to “follow” the tweeter. Read more from Search Engine Land.
Adify On VAST
Vertical ad network provider and Cox-owned, Adify, said that its 18k publishers and 200+ networks are “instantly” VAST compliant due to updates to video ad serving at the company. Read the release.
Apple Passes Microsoft
Apple has moved past Microsoft when it comes to market capitalization. Union Square Ventures’ Albert Wenger leans back into his VC chair and says on his personal blog that Apple needs to mind its GOOG, “Apple needs to unveil a cloud strategy fast. I have written about this before (sorry, no links this morning – I am on Blackberry only), but with the progress on Android and its improving cloud to device capabilities this is critical.” Read about it.
