Verizon

Verizon wants customers to give up their data for targeted ads, and it’s willing to pay

Thanks to acquisitions exceeding $100bn in recent years, the largest internet service providers (ISPs) in the US are set to become some of the most dominant digital ad players.

But while there has been significant concern that the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) roll-back of consumer broadband privacy rules raises the possibility that ISPs could use their treasure troves of data without customers’ permission, the largest ISP in the US appears to be taking a more cautious approach than it might legally have to when it comes to exploiting customer data.

What is net neutrality and how does its latest setback affect marketers?

Net neutrality, or challenges to it, hit the news again last week when a US federal appeals court took the side of Verizon and ruled against parts of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) net neutrality rules. 

I thought I’d take the opportunity to detail what net neutrality is, what the arguments for and against are, how it has been flouted in the past and what this latest ruling could mean for the internet and marketers in particular.

Firstly, let’s look at last week’s ruling. You can read the court transcript here, it makes for good reading on the issue.

Five examples of QR code campaigns that actually worked

QR codes often get slated for being ugly and unpopular with consumers, but they still frequently crop up on ads and billboards so marketers must still see some potential in these little pixelated squares.

Often the problem with QR codes is that they are badly implemented, while it’s all too easy to find examples of codes that are impossible to scan.

However, when marketers take care over the user experience, the technology can be put to good use, with Toyota being a notable example.

Having previously highlighted six examples of QR code campaigns that actually worked I thought it would be worth trawling the internet to see if any new case studies had cropped up.

Verizon courts Microsoft, but will it snub Android?

While it may take a quarter or two to figure out just how well Nokia and AT&T’s launch of the Lumia 900 did or didn’t go, the device which both companies have bet big on has brought the kind of attention to Windows Phone that Microsoft was certainly hoping for.

That apparently has AT&T’s biggest rival, Verizon, taking note.

Verizon and Redbox create new partnership to rival Netflix

Today Verizon and Coinstar’s Redbox service have announced their joint venture combining streaming content with physical media rentals.

This new venture will launch the second half of 2012. Though you don’t have to be on Verizon to use this product, this combined service will be marketed to Verizon’s 109 million wireless and 9 million broadband customers as well as Redbox’s 30 million rental customers. 

That’s what makes this partnership so powerful.

To prevent cord cutting, cable networks embrace the web

Are cable customers ditching their cords, or shaving them? While the debate over what cable customers are doing and planning to do with their cords continues, one thing is clear: cable players are concerned.

So in an effort to prevent cord cutting, they’re increasing looking to find ways to embrace the channel cord cutting is blamed on the internet.

The Verizon iPhone: what it means for the US mobile market

Rumors are swirling that tomorrow Verizon will announce the availability of the iPhone to its customers. Currently, AT&T is the only mobile carrier in the US that offers the iPhone.

AT&T’s iPhone exclusive has been a financial blessing for AT&T, but for some consumers, it has been less-than-desirable, as AT&T has battled high-profile data outages that have left iPhone customers disconnected.

Promoted Trends: a spammer’s best friend?

Long gone are the days when one could criticize Twitter for being a revenue-less startup without a business model. Today, Twitter does have a business model, and several commercial offerings.

One of those commercial offerings: Promoted Trends, which gives brands the ability to insert themselves into Twitter’s Trending Topics list.

In mobile payments, credit card companies might be a third wheel

If there’s one thing major mobile carriers don’t like to do, it’s work together. But that appears to be what they’re doing in the mobile payment space. Considering how tight the market is, that’s a move credit card companies might not be too happy about. Because while credit card companies may need carriers to get into mobile payments, they may also soon learn those same carriers don’t need them.

Will the Droid X be Verizon’s iPhone?

The iPhone, despite the recent unwanted attention, is still arguably the most desirable smartphone in the world. But in the United States, the mobile carrier the iPhone is exclusive to, AT&T, is far from the most popular carrier.

It has been hampered by complaints about network quality, and while many argue that AT&T simply needs to invest more in its network, others argue that AT&T is the victim of the iPhone.

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