Email Fandom; End Of Trolls

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

Email Fandom

In reviewing rock bands’ email marketing efforts, The Wall Street Journal’s Hannah Karp says new data from ecommerce music website manager Topspin shows email is the gift that keeps on giving. Karp notes the power of growing fan base loyalty: “Fans who get free music in exchange for an email address are 11 times more likely to make future purchases directly from a band than fans who get nothing for forking over their contact details.” Read it (subscription).

End Of Trolls

Former DoubleClick-er Kevin O’Connor said “no” to patent trolls dogging his company, FindTheBest, and appears to have won — at least in the short term. According to Ars Technica, the patent trolling firm was trying to patent “matchmaking” and US District Court Judge Denise Cote was having none of it, writing in her court order: “There is no inventive idea here. Having two or more parties input preference data is not inventive. Matchmakers have been doing this for millennia. … It is merely a mathematical manifestation of the underlying process behind matchmaking: determining good matches.” Read more. The only downside thus far is the $200,000 in court fees vs. $50,000 the patent troll wanted in order to settle. Also, read AdExchanger’s 2012 interview with O’Connor.

Geofencing Ads

On his Screenwerk blog, analyst Greg Sterling reviews ads that use Placecast data through Harman’s Aha Radio app. Targeting involves geofencing and sandwich shop Quiznos is the first advertiser, reports Sterling. Read it. It’s the use case every mobile marketer dreams of: Make ‘em stop while they’re moving.

In-Text Implosion

A large chunk of Vibrant Media’s C-suite “vanished in a day,” according to an article in Ad Age. Alex Kantrowitz writes, “On a mid-October afternoon, Vibrant’s employees were called into an all-hands meeting and told that the company’s COO, Martin Forbes, CTO Tom Iler and CRO Sheila Buckley would all be leaving. The departures of Mr. Iler and Mr. Forbes were voluntary…” Read it.

Allemande Your Corner

Attribution firm Visual IQ has come out with its own version of the “partner program” genre. Called Vision, this one is more about clients than biz dev-type partners. A release says Vision is intended for brands and agencies who can become expert with Visual IQ’s IQ Intelligence Suite product, assuming they finish the certification process. Read more.

Alcohol Ads

Advertisers of alcoholic beverages can rejoice, as Twitter has announced age screening for the following of Twitter accounts associated with “spirited” brands. Read more on the Twitter ad blog. Demo targeting for 21 and older was never easier.

Black Cyber