Today has been a big day for Facebook. In the last few hours we’ve learned that Facebook will open up its news feed stream so 3rd parties can integrate reading and writing content from Facebook directly into 3rd party applications. We’ve also learned that Facebook will begin accepting OpenID log-in; soon you will be able to log-in to Facebook with your AIM or Yahoo ID info (for example). Shortly after Facebook’s news, 3rd party developers such as Seesmic and Xobni made announcements that they will integrate the Facebook stream into their desktop applications. All of this means users will now be able to fulfill many of their Facebook cravings without actually going to Facebook.com. Along with Facebook Connect, we can see a clear vision of the social web being architected by Facebook, one that fully embraces decentralization and lets us exist as social entities with our Facebook identities as we live out across the web digital ecosystem. (more…)
Over the last few months we at UC have been testing Foursquare, a mobile social network that launched at SXSWi in March. Foursquare is the latest in mobile social networking, following in the vein of Dodgeball (created by the same founders years earlier), Loopt, Brightkite, and many others. Before Foursquare, I had not yet played with a mobile social network; rather, I had been satisfied with signing on to Facebook via my phone to keep up on what my friends are doing. As I’ve spent some time with Foursquare, however, it’s become more clear to me how useful and valuable mobile-specific features are. This doesn’t necessarily mean the social network features have to be designed for the phone, rather the content has to leverage and contribute to the power of movement and location.
To be clear, I’m not evaluating foursquare itself. It’s certainly in it’s infancy, and unless you’re on an iPhone using their iPhone app (I have an Android phone), it relies on a WAP site that is not all that impressive. However, the basic elements that are being developed are engaging, addictive, and very useful. (more…)
Online video. Facebook. Twitter. The Internet. It’s no secret that these digital communication tools often puzzle brands. Mostly for good reason, as consumers are sharing, talking and connecting in ways never before seen. The number of tools marketers have access to is growing everyday. Online video is basically old hat compared to some of the new tools; load it up, tag it, and post it on a number of video networks. So, imagine my surprise when a video for one of our properties, a diet & health website, got a rejection notice for a very basic video recap of the latest episode of The Biggest Loser tv show.
Oops. Your video “Coleen Skeabeck Presents Biggest Loser Recap Season 7 episode 14″ was rejected because it contains a written, spoken, or implied message soliciting the viewer to click the ad at the end, which is in violation of this section of our Member Agreement.
After the jump is a screen shot of the video where Coleen says “Don’t forget to check us out on Twitter” with a Twitter url in the lower third. (more…)
Earlier this month, the Online Publishers Association announced that a broad set of its members would be adopting new larger ad units. The initial list of participants is fairly impressive, including more than 2 dozen top tier publishers such as CNN, The NY Times, WSJ Network and ESPN. The full list of publishers reaches over 66% of the total Internet audience, or roughly 108 million visitors. These heavy hitters are adding some truly massive units to their arsenal of ad units.
The “Fixed Panel” – a 336×860 pixel banner. It’s wider than standard skyscraper and follows users as they scroll down the page.
The “XXL” – a 468×648 pixel box with expandable video capability.
The “Pushdown” – a 970×418 pixel unit that takes up over half of a page before rolling up.
There’s little doubt that these ads performed in tests leading to rollout. On a limited basis I’m sure they resulted in a lift in CTR, engagement, and possibly even conversions or transactions. It’s hard to disagree with the OPA’s intent to foster innovation and efficacy in the online space, but this particular move is a dangerous one that could easily backfire in the long term.
Last night the UsableClicks guys dropped in at the Boxee meet-up at Webster Hall. We killed two hours with a thousand other Boxee fans (if you don’t know what it is, think of it as a complete entertainment portal for your Apple TV or computer that pulls in web content like Hulu in a Tivo-like format) learning about the new upcoming features and listening to the intense Q/A from the audience. Why do we do it? Why do we kill hours on end learning about products that only a relative handful of people use, that right now has minimal, if any, opportunities to leverage for marketing? (more…)
Today Yahoo! came into the agency to talk about their new Rich Ads platform. It’s still in private beta, but you can see a few campaigns live now by searching for Pepsi, Victoria Secret Pink, or Esurance. By buying into the Rich Ads platform, you are guaranteed the top placement for a handful of your brand terms. Within that new Rich Ad placement you can add: a) click-to-play video or images, b) deep-link to multiple places on your campaign website, and c) offer custom search boxes or form submissions.
All of this might sound pretty good, right? so why is my first instinct to declare this a failed offering? (more…)
I am a Senior Strategist at SS+K. I handle digital & social media strategy for a number of clients. I also keep a personal blog here. View Kevin Skobac's profile
Last night the UsableClicks guys dropped in at the 
View Kevin Skobac's profile