You're not supposed to see this video. Unless you work at Microsoft. It's a fake Chrome ad that's part of Microsoft's ongoing "Scroogled" campaign against Google, but it was supposed to remain internal. It appeared first on a blog called iCosmoGeek and has now been picked up by the Los Angeles Times. The Times says it has confirmation from Microsoft that the video was made for internal purposes. The video plays up many of the same charges that Microsoft has been making throughout the Scroogled campaign -- tracking users to target ads, not respecting users' privacy and so forth. He [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google | Google: Business Issues | Google: Chrome | Google: Critics | Microsoft | Microsoft: Business Issues | Top News

Nearly two years after its launch, Google is still dealing with people who question why they should bother with Google+. But in recent weeks, the company has released what it considers "game changing" features that it feels will better enlist both marketers and developers to embrace its platform. "You're now seeing us put out, on a constant drumbeat, tools and capabilities for developers and marketers that I think are game changing, that they may not get anywhere else," said Seth Sternberg, product management director for the Google+ Platform, when meeting yesterday with a small group of re [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social Media | Google: Google+ | Top News

Twitter's expansion into the wider content world beyond 140-characters continues with news today that it will be showing highlights of NBA playoff games inside tweets. And, as Bloomberg reports, the deal also includes video ads that will show along with the highlight videos. The NBA will post highlights from the current NBA playoffs using the #NBARapidReplay hashtag, and ads will show from sponsors including Sprint Nextel, Taco Bell and Sony Pictures. Adam Bain, Twitter's head of global revenue, declined to discuss financial details with Bloomberg. Earlier this week, Twitter and ESPN [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Top News | Twitter | Twitter: Advertising | Twitter: Business Issues

Yahoo is trying to buy social blogging platform Tumblr for $1 billion (or more). That would represent about a third of the company's existing cash -- though it stands to make more cash from its remaining Alibaba stake. It's a big bet and the type of high-impact acquisition that Marissa Mayer has wanted to make since becoming CEO of Yahoo. Why buy Tumblr? The reasons are almost self-evident. Yahoo is a media/content company whose primary revenue source is display advertising. Tumblr is a massive user-generated content machine with a huge audience and page views (read: inventory). It's a t [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social Media | Features & Analysis | Top News | Tumblr | Yahoo | Yahoo: Business Issues

With the announcement of Google Affiliate Network closing its doors in July, many retailers are being forced to find new alternatives for their affiliate advertising programs during the coming weeks. While such a major task may not be at the top of any marketers favorite things-to-do list, the move could result in improved numbers for retailers using GAN that have put off migrating to a new network. After speaking with two former GAN clients, both reported significant increases in their affiliate advertising revenue since migrating from Google. One Retailer's Story Matt Khalili, a marketi [...]

Related Topics: Affiliate Marketing | Channel: Content Marketing | Features & Analysis | Google | Interviews | Top News

In the midst of the 2013 Google I/O developer conference currently being held in San Francisco, Google CEO Larry Page received a formal letter from eight-members of congress addressing Google Glass privacy issues. The letter from Congress outlined eight specific areas of concern, asking specifically: Does Google have plans to prevent Google Glass from unintentionally collecting data about the user/non-user without consent? (After referencing  Google's agreement to settle charges in 2010 for collecting information from encrypted wireless networks without permission.) What proactive st [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Google: Glass | Google: Legal | Google: Privacy | Legal: Privacy | Politics | Top News

Google has just added apps from Facebook, Twitter, CNN and others for the Google Glass device and showed a preview of them to a packed house in the "Developing for Glass" session at Google I/O. Several new apps are now available for Android users via the MyGlass app that serves as the Glass' headquarters: Facebook Twitter Tumblr Evernote CNN Elle magazine Google's Timothy Jordan showed off a few of them during today's session. Based on the screenshots in his presentation, some of these apps/experiences are further along than others. Facebook On Glass It sounds for now lik [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Facebook | Facebook: Mobile | Featured | Google | Google: Glass | Top News | Twitter | Twitter: Mobile

Word-of-mouth marketing at scale has been one of the Internet's greatest -- and most elusive -- allures for brands. Through a new partnership announced today, social rich media platform Moontoast and user-generated video platform VideoGenie are aiming to make it easier for brands to achieve that scale through Facebook. In a first, marketers will be able to feature and promote user-generated video testimonials and stories from brand advocates within native ad units in users' Facebook newsfeeds. VideoGenie's video platform enables easy user-generated video creation and sharing, while Moont [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social Media | Facebook | Facebook: Advertising | Top News | Video

Microsoft and Google are involved in a battle over the YouTube app for Windows Phones, and Microsoft has followed a cease-and-desist letter from Google by questioning Google's commitment to interoperability and working together. As The Verge reported today, Google sent Microsoft a cease-and-desist letter demanding that Microsoft remove the YouTube app from its Windows Phone Store because Microsoft's version of the app doesn't include Google's ads. Microsoft has responded today in a statement shared with Marketing Land that says Google hasn't given Microsoft access to the necessary APIs t [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google | Google: Business Issues | Google: YouTube | Legal: General | Microsoft | Microsoft: Business Issues | Microsoft: Windows Phone | Top News

Google announced a number of Google+ upgrades during the keynote presentation at today's Google I/O, including a new responsive, multi-column layout for Google+ Stream. Now, users will see one, two, or three columns of content depending on their device's screen size and orientation. Photos and videos have been enhanced as well, fitting the entire width of the stream. According to the Google+ blog, the new media sizes make images and videos, "...easier to scan and nicer to look at." Users will also notice new animations in their stream with a bouncing sharebox, cards that "flip and fade" an [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social Media | Featured | Google: Google I/O | Google: Google+ | Google: User Interface | Top News

Google announced the new Google+ Hangouts app at Google I/O today. The new app combines Google's chat, voice and video services into one product. The stand-alone version of Hangouts allows users to combine images, video conferencing and text chats (now complete with emoji) in one experience. Video calls can include up to 10 people. As the new tagline -- “Conversations that last, with people that you love” -- suggests, Hangouts can now be archived (though you can turn off history if you don't want to relive your chats and calls). The app is now available on desktops through Chrome as [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Google: Google I/O | Google: Google+ | Top News

  More than one in three large social media advertisers are not satisfied with their efforts from both paid and organic social media strategies. Those marketers that are satisfied with their social efforts are happiest with the results they achieve from paid social advertising than from using organic tactics alone. These are conclusions of a study published by Kenshoo Social today called "The Key to Successful Social Advertising." Kenshoo Social commissioned the study from Forrester Consulting to look at the strategies and tactics used by marketers in the U.S whose companies spe [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social Media | Social Media Marketing | Social Media Marketing: Advertising | Top News

[caption id="attachment_43692" align="alignright" width="300"] Eric Schmidt & Jared Cohen[/caption] Whereas the Google of old might just throw products "over the wall" and not think much about their real world impacts, the Google of today has much more respect for what its digital products might do in the real world, says Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt. That's one reason why Google Glass is in a long and limited distribution process, he gave as an example. Schmidt was at Google Los Angeles last week, speaking to an audience of Google employees and outside guests from the area [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Google: Business Issues | Google: Glass | Google: Privacy | Top News

If passed by the House, the Marketplace Fairness Act, which aims to level the playing field between online retailers and brick-and-mortar businesses, could go into effect as soon as this fall. As it stands now, the bill would require remote sellers, including online businesses, with gross receipts over $1 million to collect sales tax in qualifying states -- even in states where a business has no physical presence. There is a high level of industry debate over the bill, with e-tailers on either side of the issue. Will it be the panacea proponents claim, making sales tax collection fa [...]

Related Topics: Affiliate Marketing | Amazon | Channel: Industry | E-Commerce | Top News

One of Google's top executives says the company is okay -- for now -- with Facebook Home's presence on Android devices, but it may change its mind in the future. Sundar Pichai, who recently took over Android in addition to leading Google's Chrome and Apps efforts, spoke about Facebook's new Android experience in an interview with Wired's Steven Levy. Home essentially replaces the primary Android experience by converting the home and lock screens into a Facebook-based content experience through what Facebook calls "Cover Feed." As soon as Facebook announced Home, many wondered if Google w [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Facebook | Facebook: Home | Featured | Google | Google: Android | Top News

Website owners with a Google+ page will soon be able to add content recommendations to the user experience on their mobile websites. Google just announced the new feature today, which blends both Google+ activity (such as +1s and shares) and search authorship to determine the best related content to show to users as they browse mobile website content. Readers will see recommendations whether they're signed in to a Google account or not. If they are signed in, though, they'll see more personalized recommendations that involve content that was +1's or shared by their people in their Google [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile Marketing | Google | Google: Google+ | Google: Mobile | Social Media Marketing | Top News

[caption id="attachment_43397" align="alignright" width="250"] (L-R: Mike Blumenthal, Matt McGee and David Mihm; photo courtesy of John Denny)[/caption] There's a hint of truth in Peter Shankman's recent article, the one where he says Robert Scoble is so over the top about Google Glass that he's damning the device to be nerds-only for eternity. But, the reality is that most of America (much less the world) doesn't know or care who Scoble is, and their introduction to Glass is going to come (or has already come) in a variety of other ways: local news clips about it, mentions in mainstream [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Featured | Features & Analysis | Google | Google: Glass | Top News

It may not sound like much for a site with more than a billion users and 751 million mobile active users, but a million downloads of Facebook Home is significant. Facebook revealed the figure at a "whiteboard session" held yesterday at the company's Menlo Park, California headquarters. Home had 500,000 downloads as of April 21. So the number has doubled in a few weeks. Facebook also said the profile of users adopting Home was becoming "more normal" with each passing week. (It's not clear what "less normal" would mean in this context.) The Facebook Home app/launcher has been heavily malig [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Strategy | Facebook | Facebook: Home | Facebook: Mobile | Statistics: Mobile Marketing | Top News

YouTube officially launched its anticipated pilot program for paid subscription channels. The program debuts with 53 paid channels and subscription fees starting as low as $0.99 per month. All channels have a 14-day free trial with. And all are ad-free. Users subscribe to the channels from a computer, and then have access to their paid channels on their smartphones, tablets and TVs. YouTube says the ability to subscribe from mobile and other devices will come soon. Early content partners include UFC, Comedy.TV and National Geographic Kids. Jim Henson Family TV has both an English and [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Video | Google: YouTube | Top News | Video

Since Facebook purchased the filter-friendly photo app Instagram last year, brand adoption has skyrocketed, according to a new study of the top 100 brands by SimplyMeasured. Since purchase last year, the Facebook-owned Instagram has flourished. The post-purchase growth jumped 500% in just a year, going from 22 million active monthly users to nearly 100 million current active users. Brands have joined the filtered-photo migration as well, with 67% of the top 100 brands now on Instagram as of May 1st. This number jumped a whopping 14% from February 1st, making it the fastest growing social ne [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Strategy | Facebook | Facebook: Instagram | Top News