MPs call for Google to reinstate ban on gambling ads
In June 2007, Google implemented a global ban on gambling ads. But by October of last year it had decided to reverse that ban, allowing licensed gambling operators in the UK and the European Economic Area to purchase ads in the UK market.
At the time, Google claimed that the reversal of the ban was part of a plan to make local search results more relevant.
UK social gaming startup Pikum folds
As social media grows more and more prominent and social media services like Twitter attract more and more mainstream attention, it's worth keeping a hefty dose of perspective and reminding ourselves that throwing 'social' in front of a business doesn't guarantee success.
That's exactly what UK-based startup Pikum tried to do with its 'social gaming' service that tried to put a social twist on betting.
Bid Management Technology: a growing weapon for marketers
As the economic crisis continues, the paid search market is becoming increasingly competitive. Despite the outlook for search marketing looking relatively positive during 2009, managing - and extracting value from - campaigns will become more and more challenging.
Econsultancy's first PPC Bid Management Technology Buyer’s Guide provides a valuable insight into both the suppliers and the tools that currently exist to help marketers manage paid search more effectively.
Good Copy, Bad Copy
It’s surprising how much bad copywriting exists online, ranging from PPC ads through to content on websites. Ultimately, this can affect a company’s internet presence and damage any digital strategy they may be engaged in. But how do you create effective, eye-catching copy?
Second Life faces real estate crunch of its own
Second Life has always been absurd to me, for a number of reasons. Additionally, I've always found interest in it as a marketing platform to be worth a hefty dose of skepticism.
But when I read an announcement posted on the Second Life blog last week, I had to check the date because I thought it might be April 1.
Index Ventures' Ben Holmes on the Playfish deal
Playfish this week announced a whopping $17m funding round, led by internet-focused VCs Accel Partners and Index Ventures.
In doing so, the London-based developer of games for social networks will have provided encouragement for other startups seeking funding. While this deal has been in the pipeline for a few months it proves that the VCs aren’t entirely hunkering down.
Google 'reintroduces' gambling ads to Adwords
Google is set to reintroduce gambling ads to Adwords, something that will quickly generate many millions in additional revenue for the search giant.
Licensed gaming operators will from tomorrow be able to buy paid search ads. Google previously allowed free games to be promoted via Adwords, but a blanket ban (of sorts, as we shall discover) came into effect in summer 2007.
Don’t let the economic downturn affect your online business
In the current economic climate, marketers and business owners need to take a close look at how they can improve the effectiveness of their websites.
Whilst the economic downturn is unlikely to result in any decline in online volume, we are already starting to see online business growth start to slow slightly, as consumers tighten their belts in the face of escalating food and fuel bills, as well as rising borrowing costs.
Site review: Raptr
Raptr, a social network which tracks users' gaming activity on their Xbox, PS3, Wii and PC, has just launched in public beta.
Amongst other things, it lets you know when your friends are gaming, which is a nifty idea. I've signed up to see how it works...
It's time to end the tagging nightmares
Never has something seemingly so simple as page tagging caused so many problems.
Poor tagging is costing companies thousands of pounds a month from wasted web analytics, duplicate affiliate commissions and marketing that isn't tracked properly.
Social media: the best and worst of 2009
Email marketing: six steps to improving customer engagement in 2010
Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
