Yahoo Tech Strategy; Map Ads

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Yahoo Tech Strategy

On GigaOm, reporter Derrick Harris reviews Yahoo tech strategy over the years with four former Yahoo executives. CEO Marissa Mayer is characterized as bringing a renewed sense of energy to the company. “However, she still must find the company’s core business (hey, maybe it’s media, after all!) and a way to integrate it into users’ lives,” says David Ku, former SVP of ad products, to GigaOm. “Microsoft and Google are already neck-deep into the world of devices and using them as another consumer access point,” he adds. Read more.

Map Ads

Google has updated its Maps product to include embeds again. The company also plans to pair ads with the new feature in the near future. Googler Ken Hoetmer tells TechCrunch that the embed ads will be “similar to the ads you currently see in the new Google Maps and Google Maps for Mobile.” More inventory for local. Read more.

Viewable Google

Google received MRC accreditation to measure viewability through Active View and it appears the company has quietly added the option to its AdWords platform, according to Marketing Land. Read more. Editor’s note: You could already target by “above the fold” in AdWords — not sure how this is different, other than backing out ad spend “above the fold” to a CPM number. Or maybe viewability sells!

Programmatic Humans

Cable industry trade CableFax dips its toes in programmatic waters (ouch, that water is hot!) with an interview of Weather Channel programmatic exec Jeremy Hlavacek. Hlavacek discusses the humans he needs in his programmatic biz: “[W]e also need sellers — people going out and talking to the buy side of this industry and making sure that they know what Weather has to offer and why it makes sense to do business with us. Relationships are important. But I think they also need to be strategic thinkers and understand that we’re not necessarily going out to pick up an IO when we go talk to an agency.” Dip more.

Buying Indie

In the battle for indie agencies among the agency holding companies, Publicis has acquired from M&C Saatchi a 75.1% stake in UK-based media agency Walker Media, which will become part of Publicis’ ZenithOptimedia agency group. The Guardian says Walker clients include Marks & Spencer, Dixons Group and KFC. Read it. The price? Approximately $59 million. Not bad for a 130-employee agency with about $8.5 million in profit last year.

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Retail advertisers already spend more money than any other vertical on digital ads, and digital ad spend in that sector will reach record highs this year (up 15.7% to $9.50 billion), according to eMarketer, which glues together some US Department of Commerce data along with an IAB survey. Read more.

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