Major ads groups unite for good behavior
It's not easy to get multiple large trade orgainzations on the same page, and to speak with the same voice, but that's exactly what the major US trade orgs are doing in the face of potential federal regulations governing behavioral advertising practices.
The American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As), the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) have banded together (along with the Better Business Bureau) "to develop a cohesive and far-reaching self-regulatory effort for interactive advertising."
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.
Is a new broadband 'tax' to fight piracy on the way?
The battle against digital piracy is one of the most controversial subjects when it comes to the online economy.
The wide availability of peer-to-peer filesharing services and websites that promote content sharing has been a thorn in the side of the recording and movie industries.
Q&A with Nick Reynolds, editor of the BBC Internet Blog
Nick Reynolds has worked at the BBC for the past 20 years in a variety of roles and is currently editor at the BBC's Internet Blog.
I recently asked him a few questions about his work and the BBC's editorial policies and processes...
The inauguration of Barack Obama by the numbers
The inauguration of Barack Obama was more than just another big media event.
Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum and regardless of where you live, President Obama's inauguration was an historic moment for the internet.
Change comes to Whitehouse.gov: President Obama has a blog
Talk about a launch: minutes after Barack Obama took his oath and became the 44th President of the United States of America, a new Whitehouse.gov launched.
And it appears that President Obama, who made extensive use of the internet as a presidential candidate, will continue to use the internet as the most powerful man in the world.
Digital Britain: Lord Carter hints at UK internet plan
Last week, Econsultancy was invited to the Westminster eForum, where Lord Stephen Carter - the Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting - was a guest keynote speaker ahead of his Digital Britain report.
The report, which is expected on January 26th, is to be “an action plan to secure the UK’s place at the forefront of innovation, investment and quality in the digital and communications industries.” So, ahead of the report, what is the Government planning?
Inauguration streams in on iPhone
How do you spur adoption of an iPhone app? Make it a must-have by Tuesday. Even if it hasn't yet been released.
Hard to concoct a better marketing strategy than live video streaming site Ustream has to spur buzz around a new product launch. You certainly can't fault the timing. Install their iPhone app now (if you can get it, which you probably can't), and you can watch Tuesday's inauguration of Barack Obama as president of the United States anywhere, so long as there's a mobile signal. No computer or TV set required.
Obama continues to leverage social media and online democracy
He won the US presidential election in no small part due to a brilliant online strategy, which Barack Obama is encouragingly continuing at his Change.gov website.
Today, the soon-to-be American president launched a new social democracy-in-action feature on the site, The Citizen's Briefing Book.
Recession collides with "Amazon Tax"
Since the dawn of US ecommerce, the question has been "to sales tax, or not to sales tax?"
Consumers and online retailers are squarely in the don't-tax camp, while state governments, which stand to reap the tax dollars, are of a differing opinion. New York state has been trying to get out of state sellers, such as Amazon, to collect and pay state sales tax on transactions, which could reap hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue for the cash-strapped government (particular now that once-lucrative Wall Street revenues are fading fast).
The rule of thumb has long been that if the online seller has a bricks and mortar local presence in the state, e.g. Apple.com has local Apple stores, state tax is levied on online transactions. Amazon, as well as other online-only retailers such as Overstock.com, challenged New York's attempt to get them to pony up 8.25 percent on all New York state transactions.
Yesterday, a NY State judge dismissed Amazon's suit as groundless.
Blame.....the affiliates?
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
