The Weather Channel Adds Somaya; Ads And Glasses

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.

Weather Change

As it continues to ramp up technology aimed at better performance for predicting weather and related ad trends, The Weather Company (FKA, The Weather Channel) is bringing in ad tech vet Vikram Somaya from Thomson Reuters to run a newly created division called WeatherFX. The new unit will create products around targeting ads to specific neighborhoods and locations and alter what those ads say as weather conditions change. “The only other dataset in the industry that I think compares (to Thomson Reuters) has been Weather’s dataset, mainly because I think it’s universally applicable,” Somaya tells AdAge’s Jason Del Rey. “Weather always has some impact; it’s just where to prioritize.” Read the rest.

Get Glassy

Project Glass, Google’s augmented reality smart glasses product, “is the ultimate expression of the wearable tech trend,” says Paul Armstrong of @TheMediaIsDying. And while many media observers may not get what Google is driving at, Armstrong, writing in GigaOm believes that it portends deep changes for media companies. “The eye-tracking capabilities Google Glass poses should make not only media agencies and advertisers salivate but editorial departments as well,” Armstrong says. “Shouldn’t better measurement, placement, contextualization, optimization of editorial (not to mention ads) be what we’re all fighting for? Now we might have something that can do it! What’s the holdup?” Read more.

Social TV Consolidation

While the consolidation wave and implosions haven’t actually materialized (yet) in social TV/entertainment, social entertainment check-in pioneer GetGlue has agreed to be acquired by newer rival Viggle for $45 million in cash plus stock. “With this deal, we are combining very experienced and creative product, engineering and management teams that will continue to build great user experiences and provide industry leading platforms for consumers, networks and advertisers,” Viggle CEO Robert F.X. Sillerman said. Read the release.

Hands off my Google

Two Silicon Valley Congresswomen are warning the FTC to tread carefully in its Google antitrust investigation. AllThingsD describes a letter the legislators wrote in response to leaks suggesting the agency may ramp up its power to demonstrate “unfair competition” by Google. Liz Gannes writes, “Part of this battle is how it plays out in public. If people start thinking of the Google antitrust case as an effort by the government to hurt a shining star of job creation and innovation, that plays a lot differently than a big bad monopolist going after its competition.” Read more.

Bamberger to AOL

After a short run as the head of MEC’s digital efforts in North America, Jack Bamberger (AdExchanger Q&A) is heading to AOL. He’ll be AOL’s first head of agency and industry relations, among other things helping bang the drum of AOL’s premium display ad platform. He’s replaced at MEC by Susan Schiekofer, who joined in 2010 to lead the AT&T digital account. She was previously MD at Neo@Ogilvy. Andy Wasef also joins the agency’s N.A. division as head of innovation and technology. MEC press release.

Yahoo-Facebook On Search?

All Things D’s Kara Swisher says that yesterday’s “tasty” rumor that Yahoo and Facebook were partnering on search was just that – a rumor. Read more. On Search Engine Land, Danny Sullivan shreds the idea, too, in a voluminous blog post that ends, “It’s just difficult to see what it is that Yahoo has to offer to Facebook in terms of search that it doesn’t already get from Bing.” Read it.

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