by
4 Comments

Viacom Just Wants Google to Stop “Robbing Banks”

posted on December 3, 2010

Just when we thought the Viacom vs YouTube copyright infringement case was finally behind us, Viacom goes and gets all zombie on us–and raises it from the dead.

If you need background on the lawsuit, we have a boatload of information on it, but bottom line is this: Viacom sued Google claiming its popular TV shows were being illegally uploaded to YouTube. Google claimed safe harbor protection. Google won. Viacom is now appealing…albeit in an unappealing way.

Perhaps the most absurd part of this whole suit is that Google pretty much stopped any illegal uploads back in 2008, but get this: Viacom is suing for all the infringement that happened before then:

by
0 Comments

Facebook Looking to Beef Up Washington Presence

posted on December 3, 2010

Just the title of the post alone should be enough to know that Facebook realizes that privacy will be the biggest issue that could get in the way of its continued success. What better way to manage this kind of concern than to hire people who can con, errrr, convince lawmakers and legislators that Facebook should get a pass on these concerns. Off to Washington DC!

You can’t blame them since this is how Washington operates. The highest bidder gets the legislation in most cases so it only makes sense to play the game as well. If you think I am being cynical here then you just need to wake up and smell the coffee. Washington works on money and salesmanship at the end of the day. I am not saying it’s right and, in fact, I hate that it is the way of the Beltway but it just is.

by
2 Comments

How Major CEO’s Are Viewed by Their Employees

posted on December 3, 2010

This is a bit of a ‘fun’ post. The company that put it together the chart below is Glassdoor.com which is a job posting site that gets it’s information from company employees. It also ran as the Business Insider’s SAI Chart of the Day so it has to be accurate, right?!

In a world (tech and Internet) where the CEO of a company often gets more attention than the average CEO, it’s interesting to see if the employees of a company carry the same opinion of their leadership as many on the outside do. Here are the results.

by
2 Comments

Newspaper Ad Decline Slows, But There’s No Reason to Celebrate

posted on December 2, 2010

When the news is as bad as it’s been for newspaper advertising, any small ray of hope is welcome, like the slight decline in the decline. The Newspaper Association of America has tallied up the numbers for Q3 and came up with a decline in ad dollars of 5.39%. That’s the smallest decline papers have seen since 2007 but is that a reason to celebrate? Not really.

When you look at the complete grid showing the history of newspaper ad dollars, both online and print, it’s still a pretty dismal picture. The actual combined dollars for last year is listed as $27,564 million. The last time dollars were that low was in 1987. Factor in the lack of online dollars and inflation and that’s a horrendous image. From there, the numbers rise steadily, hitting $49 million in 2005 and it drops like the Times Square ball on New Year’s Eve from then until now.

by
4 Comments

eBay Buys Local Shopping Site Milo.com

posted on December 2, 2010

eBay took another step today toward becoming Amazon.com and away from the collectibles auction site we all fell for more than ten years ago when they bought Milo.com, a website that locates in-stock merchandise on the local level.

According to Business Insider, eBay payed $75 million for the company and they seem to think it’s a good buy. It may be because, as we all know,  when it comes to deals and shopping, local is everything these days. Local isn’t even a buzzword anymore, it’s a god marketers must bow down to every morning and I don’t like it.

by
3 Comments

Yahoo Unveils Top Searches Lists for 2010

posted on December 2, 2010

It’s that time of the year again where year end lists happen before the end of the year so we are left to wonder just how accurate they are. Throw in the added bonus on this list, which lends the question “For what are people actually using Yahoo search for and does it matter to the business world anymore?” and there is something to at least think about.

So, drum roll please for the Top 10 searches of 2010 on Yahoo (bingahoo? Ya-so-soft? Microhoo?) and there is the cymbal crash. The list please….

1. BP oil spill
2. World Cup
3. Miley Cyrus
4. Kim Kardashian
5. Lady Gaga
6. iPhone
7. Megan Fox
8. Justin Bieber
9. American Idol
10. Britney Spears

by
3 Comments

Advertising on iPad: Clean and Simple is Key

posted on December 1, 2010

Appearing at Advertising Age’s Media Evolved Conference today, UM and Time Inc, presented their results of a biometric study on iPad advertising.

In order to test the effectivness of different types of advertising,  EmSense hooked 180 iPad owners up to an EEG and eye tracking software then exposed them to ads embedded in different Time Inc. publications on iPad.  The system allowed them to track not only visual and motor response to the ads but the emotional response as well.

Says Elissa Moses, Chief Analytics Officer for EmSense;

“The combination of EmSense Neurometrics and mobile eye tracking enabled us to learn about the iPad users’ visceral experience as they navigated through magazines swiping, button pressing, and enjoying the ride.  We learned that iPad advertising can be highly engaging and gained great insight on how advertisers can best leverage this new media.”