Marketing Pilgrim

Google has filed an answer to Viacom’s copyright lawsuit and according to Rob Hof’s summary, the search engine is not taking any chances with its defense.

First up, Google contends Viacom’s suit goes against the principles of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

“By seeking to make carriers and hosting providers liable for Internet communications, Viacom’s complaint threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information, news, entertainment, and political and artistic expression.”

If that doesn’t work, Google’s next defense is the Safe Harbor provision…

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I just heard from Google that they’ve re-branded the Google Personalized Homepage to something less of a mouthful. It will now be known as iGoogle.

My first reaction was, what will Apple have to say about them “borrowing” the whole “i” brand. Then, I remembered that Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, sits on the Apple board, so I’m sure it’s all approved.

Along with the new brand comes the launch of Google’s Gadget Maker which will allow even non-developers to create content for their personalized homepage.

According to Google, Gadget Maker currently offers seven templates to create the following types of gadgets:

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Is it worth it to crack Technorati’s Top 100 Most Favorited Blogs? While the honor might be flattering, it may not be extremely useful to you or your blog. Amit Agarwal contends that the popular trend of “reciprocal favoriting” schemes have devalued the list:

It takes almost 150 votes to get on Technorati Favorites list and that number is easy to achieve once you participate in any these Technorati link exchange programs.

Amit says that the schemes are even beginning to displace long-seated Top 100ers:

Even Jeff Jarvis, John Battelle and Gawker are on the exit route though guys like Michael Arrington, Darron Rowse, Merlin Mann and Frank Warren are still way up in the Technorati ladder.

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If you’re company is looking to fill an open marketing position, we’re offering free job listings on the Marketing Pilgrim Job Board from now until the end of May.

Simply use the coupon code “maypilgrim” for free listings!

So whether you need a new link ninja, copy wizard, analytics warrior, email sorcerer, or any other marketing super-hero, now is the time to list your job openings!

What happens to a PayPal rival’s market share, when the owner stops providing $10 and $30 coupons? This…

It goes to show, PayPal built its market share by powering e-commerce sites (and eBay sellers) that didn’t have access to a shopping cart and merchant account. Google, on the other hand, tapped big merchants (such as Buy.com) and used coupons to convince consumers to use Google Checkout. When the coupons stopped, the consumers simply went back to using the merchants existing shopping cart - myself included.

Via.

I know some of you haven’t yet subscribed to my Google Reader link blog. In fact of the 5000 of you who subscribe to this blog, only 50 of you care about the lonely links that wander aimlessly in cyber-space. Shame on you - you know who you are!

Anyway, I’ve made it easier for you to read the link blog. I’ve embedded it on this Marketing Pilgrim page, and it even has its own RSS feed. How’s that for easy!

In the meantime, here’s some tasty morsels of news for you to digest over lunch…

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Ok, I have to admit that I didn’t realize we had labeled Google’s supplemental results as “Google Hell” - well actually Jim Boykin gave it the label - I must have been building my Zwinky avatar at the time.

Anyway, Boykin joins Aaron Wall and Michael Gray in explaining Google’s supplemental results to Forbes.

Two observations from the article.

1. How can a consultant take a company’s $35k and “mistakenly” create duplicate content?
2. If you’re hired as a company’s “vice president of search marketing” and you got burned by you link-building practices - costing your company $250k in sales - why would you want to tell the world and shouldn’t you be looking for a new career?

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Unless you’re a teen reader of Marketing Pilgrim, or happen to have a teenager in the house, you may not know anything about Zwinky. The IAC owned site allows you to create custom avatars, give them a wardrobe, hair, accessories and then add them to MySpace and interact with others.

Up until today, your Zwinky had a limited existence and didn’t get out much - probably too much homework. Now, thanks to the launch of Zwinktopia, your avatar can grab its iPod, skateboard etc, and head out into the real virtual world.

As TechCrunch explains…

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While Google’s out trying to conquer terrestrial advertising, a small start-up, TargetSpot, is building a platform that will allow businesses to easily and quickly create advertising to reach the 76 million listeners who prefer their radio of the online variety,according to the NYT.

TargetSpot, which bills itself as a kind of virtual advertising agency, will allow clients to create their own commercials from a menu of options, as well as to define and locate their audience, using demographic data or geographic information like ZIP codes. A pizzeria, for instance, could use the site’s research to focus on men ages 18 to 21 because they spend more money than other groups, then decide to place its ad at 6 p.m., because experience says that’s when the desired audience is hungriest.

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Mark Evans is reporting that Canadian advertisers have had the light bulb go on with regards to online advertising. That’s his speculation for why online advertising saw tremendous growth in 2006.

…the market surged last year by 80% to a record $1.01-billion - driven by a 120% spike in classifieds to $272-million, a 79% rise in search to $353-million and a 58% jump in display to $364-million.

Any Canadian readers want to chime in with reasons why the online ad space is rocking all of a sudden?

After investing in online advertising company Right Media, in October (and getting 20% of the company in the process), Yahoo has now shelled out $680 million to secure the remaining 80%.

In a move that many suspected and most see as an answer to Google’s acquisition of DoubleClick, Yahoo’s acquisition of Right Media will strongly boost the companies online display advertising options.

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Marketing Pilgrim has enjoyed fantastic success over the past couple of years and it wouldn’t be possible without you, dear reader. We’d particularly like to thank those of you who have referred friends to us, recommended us on your own blog, or told the world where they’ll find the best marketing news.

As a thank you to our biggest fans, we’ll be giving away a free Nintendo Wii video game system to one of the many people that have added us to their Technorati favorites.

Yep, for simply adding us to your favorite blogs list, you’ll be entered into a drawing on May 25th to win a Nintendo Wii.

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