Advertising and marketing

Google reportedly offers search results changes in EU probe

Google has proposed an overhaul of how it displays search results in Europe to allay concerns that the Web giant is abusing its dominant position in the market.

The search behemoth, which was put under the European antitrust spotlight in 2010 after rivals lodged allegations of anticompetitive behavior, submitted a package of concessions with the European Union last week, but details remain under wraps. Critics and competitors have accused Google of promoting its own services in search results over those of its competitors.

In its proposed remedy, Google has offered to "make users clearly aware" when the search … Read more

'The Matrix' is back (in your hospital)

So you're in the hospital. You want a reassuring environment. You want everything to go well.

But who's that man in the dark suit? The one with the shades. The one with the very suspicious face and accent.

Why, it's Agent Smith. The very same Agent Smith who contributed to making "The Matrix" something of a cult classic.

The very same Agent Smith who can occupy your body, or a version of it. How might this affect your surgery?

Please try not to worry. For the moment, this is just an ad for GE software. … Read more

Foursquare to sell check-in data for ad targeting, says report

Foursquare may be looking to monetize its business and settle up outstanding debts with an aggressive new game plan: selling the data buried behind 3.5 billion check-ins to help advertisers target their advertisements.

The company, which has shifted from check-ins to local search to compete with Yelp, is shopping around a product designed to let advertisers more finely target the ads they purchase through ad exchanges, using Foursquare's location and behavioral data, according to a report in Ad Age.

Ad Age cited "executives familiar with the situation," but Foursquare declined to confirm the existence of the … Read more

Facebook boosts ad targeting with partner categories

Ever amping up new ways for advertisers to engage with users, Facebook began rolling out a new feature today that doubles down on the social network's use of ad targeting.

Dubbed "partner categories," Facebook's new feature aims to target ads to more categories of people. These categories use data from third parties, such as Acxiom, Datalogix, and Epsilon, to glean information about what users buy on the Web.

Here's more from a Facebook blog post:

For example, a local car dealership can now show ads to people who are likely in the market for a … Read more

Facebook and GM restore ad relationship after public spat

When General Motors pulled its $10 million advertising campaign from Facebook last year, it caused quite a commotion. Now, the carmaker seems to be having second thoughts.

GM has confirmed that it will reignite its ad campaign on the social network, according to Ad Age. This is a major turnaround from last year, when it proclaimed that Facebook ads simply didn't work.

"Chevrolet is testing a number of mobile-advertising solutions, including Facebook, as part of its 'Find New Roads' campaign," Chevrolet's U.S. VP of marketing, Chris Perry, told CNET. "Yesterday, Chevrolet launched an industry-first, '… Read more

Facebook wrestles Google for control of your phone

Facebook doesn't want anything to come between you and your friends, not even Google or Android.

Facebook today unveiled a new downloadable user interface that takes over your smartphone's home screen, lock screen, and wallpaper. Instead of the regular Android features, you're treated to a slideshow of updates, photos, and shared links.

Facebook wants to take direct control of its user base, and it's going about it in a smart way. Home, which will be available for download on April 12 on select Android phones, isn't a new phone or operating system, or even a … Read more

Facebook helps brands monitor and respond to comments

Facebook has been tinkering with how businesses, brands, and celebrities can deal with all of the comments they receive on the social network. And, today, it's rolling out another new tool -- a way for brands to more easily monitor and respond to comment replies.

Setting up a triage comment system through a new API, Facebook is making it possible for programmers to set up different comment "views."

The first view is "top level comments," which can be ranked to show those that a brand wants everyone to see. Then there are "replies," … Read more

Facebook's mobile ad revenue forecasted to skyrocket in 2013

Facebook's focus on upping its mobile ad presence over the last year seems to have paid off. Literally.

The social network is expected to make nearly $1 billion from mobile ad revenue in 2013, according to a report released today by market research firm eMarketer.

"Facebook, the No. 2 mobile ad publisher in the country, accounted for 9.5 percent of mobile ad revenues in 2012 and is expected to take 13.2 percent this year," eMarketer wrote in a blog post today. "In the mobile display market, however, Facebook is on top, projected to grab … Read more

Tech firms may balk at California push for citizen data access

The European Union has long championed its citizens' right to submit requests for data that companies hold on them in order to ensure the information is up to date and correct. In recent years, an Austrian law student brought this "habeas data" right into the public spotlight by demanding his Facebook data from the social network.

Americans don't have this right -- and generally, relative to the EU, they have little legal protection from the state or federal government against data theft, unauthorized disclosures, and other privacy-related matters.

Though the EU and the U.S. have never … Read more

Nielsen takes online ad-tracking tool overseas

Nielsen Holdings, the company best known for tracking TV viewership, is taking its new online advertising measurement tool international.

The company said today that it plans to expand its service of measuring online advertising to countries outside the U.S., including Australia, Italy, Germany, and Canada, according to a statement sent to Bloomberg News.

The new tool will allow marketers to compare online advertising campaigns with TV commercials. Nielsen has been using the tool in the U.S. market for about 18 months.

The purpose of the new tool is to help online marketers better understand the effectiveness of their … Read more