Ad Industry Roundup: Glam's Apps; Generation Benz; TNS; Dandelion; P&G Vs. Facebook; McCain's Spend
This story was written by Tameka Kee.
-- Glam launches app network: The notion of apps as ad revenue generators is still in the exploratory stage for most publishers. But female-focused ad net Glam Media thinks it can change that, by launching the Glam App Network. The apps come "brand-enabled" and Glam has lined up 50 publishing and marketing partners to kick off the network's beta test, including Levi's, AOL (NYSE: TWX) developer Sphere, social messenger Meebo and TVGuide.
Are you part of Generation Benz : Mercedes-Benz USA commissioned LA-based ad firm Passenger to develop Generation Benz, an exclusive social network designed to give them insight into how 20-somethings think and feel about the brand. The invite-only forum gives members a peek at upcoming Mercedez ad campaigns and brand positioning. Passenger worked on a similar project for Chrysler.
-- TNS surveys shifts from pop-ups to panels: The audience researcher is promising more effective online ad measurements by dropping the use of pop-up surveys in favor of a panel-based method. The firm says that its new TNS Digital Suite will be better at assessing web-based branding campaigns and how many exposures are needed to impact users. At the very least, users will have one less pop-up to worry about when they visit sites in TNS' system. The panels will encompass 26 countries and over 3.5 million users.
More after the jump.
Dandelion launches for viral video : Film and commercial production studio Epoch Films is launching Dandelion, an offshoot geared toward creating branded, Web-based content like viral video, Websites and games. The launch arises from Epoch's acquisition of Kirt Gunn & Associates, a boutique interactive agency that counted clients like Ford and Loreal in its roster. The new studio should have no problem attracting new clients, given the pedigree of both Kirt Gunn and Epoch (which has been producing spots for P&G, Nike and Apple (NSDQ: AAPL), among others, since 1989).
Maybe Facebook isn't a place for ads : So said Ted McConnell, GM of interactive marketing and innovation at P&G during a digital media forum last week. "I really don't want to buy any more banner ads on Facebook," he said. But the disdain wasn't limited to Facebook, it was for the push to "monetize" social networks and UGC sites with ads as a whole. While McConnell was warm to the usage of tools like branded apps, he argued that standard banners and even targeted ads on social media sites were poor choices for advertisers (and the networks themselves) because they infringed on users' personal space.
-- McCain dwarfed by Obama's online ad spend: It was already clear that President-elect Barack Obama's campaign out-raised and out-spent his Republican challenger. As we noted, candidate Obama's $8 million outlay accounted for roughly half of all online ad dollars spent on politics this year. Now, ClickZ has the other side: McCain spent only $1.5 million on internet media.
By Tameka Kee