Google's iPhone Killer doesn't need to kill anyone to succeed
In the war against the Jesus phone, Motorola has a new contender. The cellphone provider has manufactured the latest Google phone, set to hit Verizon stores next week. Droid ads take on AT&T's iPhone directly, explaining functionality the iPhone does not have and what Droid does right, making it look like Verizon's trying to make a big play for the iPhone's business.
But Droid doesn't have to knock the iPhone off its popularity pedestal to pay off for Verizon, Motorola or Google. It just has to do better than the rest of the competition.
When Microsoft pulls out of Family Guy, who loses?
It is not the end of the world as we know it. Microsoft caused a bit of an uproar last week when it announced plans to sponsor a full episode of FOX's "Family Guy." (TechCrunch called it The End of Television.) But the software giant hadn't quite thought that plan through. Or, you know, watched Family Guy.
After seeing a preview of "Family Guy Presents: Seth and Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show," Microsoft decided it would not promote Windows 7 with its proposed sponsorship. FOX still plans to air the show on November 8th and is looking for another sponsor. So who's the biggest loser in this situation?
Windows 7 launch parties doubled Microsoft's expectations. But were they a good idea?
The idea that consumers would be excited about — let alone throw a party for — the launch of a new Microsoft operating system may be laughable to some (Engadget, Gizmodo, CNBC, AllThingsD, etc), but a day after Windows 7 launched, it looks like the campaign beat Microsoft's expectations.
Microsoft says that double the number of sponsored parties they expected were thrown. The question remains: Was the party idea and video embarrassing or genius?
Search experts weigh in on Google and Bing's real-time deals with Twitter
Twitter's deals with Microsoft (Bing) and Google have the blogosphere and Twittersphere abuzz. 'Real-time search' has been a hot topic in 2009 and there has been much speculation on Twitter's strategy vis-à-vis the real-time search opportunity. It appears that we now know what that strategy is: sell firehose access to the Twitter stream to the search engines and let them do what they do best.
The Bing and Google deals could be significant. Depending on what Bing and Google decide to do with their Twitter firehose, internet users could potentially see SERPs that are heavily influenced by Twitter activity, which would mean that SEOs will have to deal with Twitter as a 'ranking factor'. Of course, nobody knows all of the details yet, which is why I thought it would be worthwhile to see what experts and observers are saying about the deals.
Google's new global ads represent a shift. Just not in search.
For a company that has long relied on word of mouth to promote its products — Google has been going crazy with advertising lately. This summer the company launched an old school ad campaign, complete with billboard and print ads, to promote its cloud-based apps business. And now the company is announcing that its "Going Google" billboard campaign will be going global, with more print, online and outdoor ads promoting the Google suite of office products.
Tom Oliveri, director of enterprise marketing at Google, tells The New York Times this will be “one of the most visible Google has done and the most significant campaign for the enterprise side.” The company is also looking to hire two big marketing titles.
Is the this notoriously anti-marketing company changing its tune on advertising? Maybe. But not because of changes in the search business.
Has Yahoo peed the carpet with its new ad campaign?
Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz is tired of the press trying to dictate what Yahoo should and shouldn't do with its business. But the company's new $100 million ad campaign, which was met with much derision from the press when it launched last month, does not appear to be doing well with consumers.
In an interview with The New York Times this week, Bartz explained her views on feedback:
"I have the puppy theory. When the puppy pees on the carpet, you say something right then because you don’t say six months later, 'Remember that day, January 12th, when you peed on the carpet?' That doesn’t make any sense. 'This is what’s on my mind. This is quick feedback.' And then I’m on to the next thing."
Is it time to admit that Yahoo peed the carpet?
Cloud #fail: Sidekick data loss sideswipes T-Mobile customers
The past week hasn't been good for T-Mobile and Microsoft subsidiary, Danger. An apparent hardware failure has left hundreds of thousands of T-Mobile's customers using Sidekick phones without access to the data services that are relied upon to deliver almost all of their mobile services, including address books and calendars.
The news doesn't get any better for those customers who don't have the data stored on their devices: it may all be gone. While reports are coming in indicating that data has been restored for some users, rumors have also circulated which claim no working backups are available.
Microsoft: in-game advertising is doing great
JJ Richards, general manager of Massive, the in-game ad network Microsoft purchased in 2006 for an amount estimated to be between $200m and $400m, has a message for anyone who believes that in-game advertising must have been overhyped due to steep layoffs in his unit and rumors that Microsoft has been shopping it to potential buyers. That message is: in-game advertising is doing great thank you very much.
In a post on the Microsoft Advertising Blog, Richards states "I want to set the record straight by divulging five basic facts about in-game advertising".
Adobe looks to extend Flash dominance to the mobile
When it comes to the desktop, Flash Player is one of the more dominant plugins. Adobe claims it's "the world's most pervasive software platform...reaching 99.0% of Internet-enabled desktops". There's just one problem: internet-enabled mobiles are where much of the internet's future growth is usage is expected to come from.
But Adobe is trying to make sure that Flash Player is as dominant on the mobile as it is on the desktop and is making lots of announcements about its Open Screen Project at the Adobe developer conference in Los Angeles today.
Q&A: Ed Stevenson of Marin Software on paid search
Ed Stevenson is the European MD of Marin Software, which provides paid search management technology for advertisers and agencies.
I've been talking to Ed, who is also a guest blogger for Econsultancy, about his predictions for the paid search market, and the impact of the Microsoft / Yahoo partnership...
Holiday shopping forecast 2009: a lot like 2008, with more coupons
The NLA explains why it is going after the news aggregators
Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
