Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.
Yahoo’s Future Suitors
In the wake of yesterday’s WSJ report that Yahoo’s board will consider selling off its core business (ad-supported digital media), the big question is, who would buy it? SoftBank, Time Inc., News Corp. and IAC are all floated as possible bidders in two follow-up WSJ stories. Read those. Meanwhile Yahoo’s designated gadfly, Kara Swisher, suggests in Re/code that a more likely outcome “would be an outright purchase of Yahoo by a big telco looking for content and ad tech, much in the same way AOL was acquired by Verizon.”
As part of a reorg at Publicis Groupe, Starcom MediaVest Group CEO Laura Desmond was promoted to chief revenue officer of the holding company and Steve King was placed in charge of all media agencies. More changes are detailed in the press release. CEO Maurice Levy said the move was motivated by the rise of digital technology and declared silos the enemy of progress. “All Publicis Group capabilities will be available to each of our clients in a simple, flexible and efficient way,” he said in a YouTube video. Watch it.
For SEO, Now You Know
Google recently released a 160-page guide detailing how its algorithm ranks landing pages for quality. According to Marc Purtell, a specialist writing for Search Engine Journal, it is “the largest official release of information pertaining to Google’s algorithm in a single collection.” Purtell noted that SEO vendors seem to have, if anything, underestimated the extent of Google’s vigilance. Its algorithm will take into account details like in-page links to trustworthy, relevant resources, and will require far more frequent attention to stay apace of mobile site quality expectations. Read on.
IPO: Four-Letter Word?
The cloud storage company Box, which went public in 2014, has gotten lapped by private competitors like DropBox … but why is a VC valuation better than a stock market valuation, other than the fact that it’s easier to inflate? Farhad Manjoo at The New York Times questions the VC-funded tech world’s frosty relationship with the the public market, which bestows secondary advantages like employee stability, cashable stock options and a benchmarking for competitive valuations (it also pays out investors). More.
But Wait, There’s More!
- Brands Are Making Their Own Podcasts – Digiday
- GroupM, Cablevision In Addressable Ad Pact – Broadcasting & Cable
- Automation Platform Kiosked Raises $30M Series B – release
- Is Facebook Driving Less Traffic To Pubs’ Sites? – WSJ
- Discovery Consolidates Its TV Everywhere Services – Adweek
- Index Exchange Partners With Forensiq to Combat Ad Fraud – release
- Microsoft App Store Struggling For iOS-Level Developers – The Drum
- Cyber Monday Sales Eclipse $3B, Per comScore Report – release
- DoubleVerify And Ubimo Launch In-App Visibility – release
- LinkedIn Gives Its App A Complete Overhaul – Marketing Land
You’re Hired!
- Dave Grimaldi Appointed IAB EVP Of Policy Efforts In DC – release
- Cambridge Analytics Adds Political Digital Execs – release
- Videology Hires Richard Hall To Lead Advanced TV – release
