Senior Editor
James covers the intersection of commerce, media and advertising technology.
AUTHOR ARCHIVE FOR:
James Hercher
Articles By James
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With Tags Proliferating, Publishers Turn Attention To Shorter Load Times
The rise of ad blocking, mobile usage and a general regard for user experience over pure advertising concerns have all led to a renewed focus on one of the digital world’s most fundamental features: the page load. From buttons and tracking pixels to preload content and infinite scrolling feeds, the digital community is struggling under […]
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AOL-Millennial Media Acquisition Shows It Isn’t Always About The Price
AOL’s acquisition of Millennial Media for $238 million was a coup for its purchaser, if not for its investors. The mobile ad platform went from an opening-day share price of $23.50 to $1.75 when AOL announced its intent to purchase Thursday. But Elgin Thompson, managing director at investment firm Digital Capital Advisors, cautioned not to […]
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Doing Business In The Shadows Cast By Walled Gardens
Attribution companies Adometry and Convertro are frequently linked because they were acquired in quick succession (by Google and AOL, respectively). And the functionality they provide is increasingly important, as marketers want to justify their digital ad spend across channels and devices. Buyers are wary when attribution technologies – which should be agnostic – are integrated […]
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FTC Sets Ambitious Precedent On Cybersecurity Standards
Wyndham Hotels has lost a motion to dismiss an FTC case alleging the hotel chain exposed consumer personal data to potential theft. While the case, which will be sent back to a federal trial court following Monday’s ruling by a three-judge appeals panel, doesn’t directly affect advertisers, it affirms the FTC’s power to penalize companies […]
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Yavli Launches Its Ad-Blocking Solution As Publishers Push For New Strategies
Yavli joined the emerging fray of ad-blocking technology solutions for publishers with its public launch on Wednesday, following an 18-month stealth period. Its technology gives users who have downloaded an ad blocker sponsored content suggestions. If the user clicks on the piece of sponsored material, the publisher charges the brand. “The idea behind it is […]
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Ad Stocks Recover Along With General Market After Monday Turf-Out
The havoc wreaked on the advertising sector by Monday morning’s global stock slide, and the subsequent clawback, has tracked with the general market. Starting at market open, a variety of ad-supported stocks ranging from tiny ad tech holdings (TUBE, RUBI) to platform heavies (FB, GOOG) plummeted and then recovered within a few hours. Criteo, Rubicon, […]
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As Brands Dig Deeper Into Social Data, Twitter Opens Up To Third-Party Developers
Brands know the importance of images or videos uploaded by fans and customers on social media. But for many, it’s like dying of thirst surrounded by the ocean. Relevant content might exist on Instagram and Twitter, but it’s meaningless without a filter – that is, if a poster doesn’t tag or mention your business. Even […]
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After A Long Courtship, DC And Ad Tech Are Getting Serious
Eyebrows and heart rates went up in 2012 when political ad spending across digital media surpassed $150 million. Analysts are shocked that campaigns and super PACs are projected to spend only $1.1 billion in 2016. The media research firm Borrell Associates released a report on Tuesday that demonstrates the gradual embrace of digital marketing methods […]
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Kik Gets $50 Million Investment From Tencent As The Messaging App Arms Race Continues
Kik’s attempt to become “the WeChat of the West” has been bolstered by a $50 million infusion from WeChat’s Chinese developer, Tencent. Kik will use the funds to focus on the US teen market, a decision company President Josh Jacobs said came from observing Chinese-based WeChat’s accomplishments courting native smartphone users. He sees parallels with […]
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App Developers Fight A Saturated Market
Although Apple’s App Store is seven years old and has a worthy competitor in Google’s Play Store, the app store search and discovery ecosystem is stagnant, say many app store optimization (ASO) platforms. “When we look at the landscape, we see it like the early days of Internet, when search and discovery were a mess,” […]