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AOL Enjoys Strong Q4 Earnings

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/06/2014 - 15:34

AOL no longer seems to be in comeback mode. In fact, the company is on a pretty solid roll. The company's global advertising revenue jumped 23 percent in Q4, finally putting the brand back on par with the robust growth being enjoyed by the online ad business as a whole. AOL CEO Tim Armstrong likes to tout the company's "barbell strategy"—the idea that AOL is investing heavily on two ends of the online ad spectrum: big brand advertising and programmatic. Both are shining right now for the company.

Socially Stressed? Ask Your Doctor About 'Not Having Kids'

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/06/2014 - 15:30

Since everyone I know is getting married and having children (and making sure Facebook stays informed about every step of those processes), this ad for a fake drug called Not Having Kids is rather timely. Put together by Internet funny guy Jason A. Messina, the ad riffs on medication advertising's tone and imagery (lots of hikers in those ads) alongside the pervasive social pressure to settle down and procreate by the time one hits 30. The temptation to be a smug, overbearing asshole about major life decisions cuts both ways, though, which Messina doesn't ignore.

Horizon Inks $100 Million Deal With Clear Channel

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/06/2014 - 14:00

Horizon Media has just inked a $100 million upfront deal—with a radio company? Well, yes and no. The media agency has just signed a multi-year, cross platform pact with Clear Channel, best known for its 840 radio stations in 150 markets. One might wonder, in this era of  intense competition from the likes or Pandora, Spotify and now Beats By Dre, if anybody needs to lock up radio GRPs ahead of time?

The Walking Dead Pranks NYC with a Grate Full of Grabby Walkers

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/06/2014 - 13:15

You're walking along the streets of New York City, earbuds firmly in place, texting furiously and doing your best to ignore the press of humanity as it swarms around you … when the monster-movie version of the very horror you're seeking to avoid erupts out of a street grate. It would be enough to make you drop your skinny latte on your skinny jeans. Score another victory for prankvertising and AMC. For a moment there, I had forgotten about The Walking Dead, which shambles onward, entering its fifth season even as the zombie apocalypse genre is starting to feel like a rotten cliché.

Selling Exercise Equipment: Always a Heavy Lift

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/06/2014 - 11:27

In 1932, Mrs. Gordon Bergfor of New York City learned from her doctor that she had a chronic neuromuscular disease. The only hope she had was finding an exercise machine that worked every major muscle group simultaneously. Unfortunately, no such machine existed at the time. Fortunately, Mr. Bergfor was a mechanical engineer and built his wife one himself. When neighbors and friends noticed the relief the device brought to Mrs. Bergfor, they asked for one, too—and the Exercycle hit the market. Tens of thousands sold.

This Social Marketing Firm Has Revolutionized How to Tweet Against the Competition

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/06/2014 - 11:24

Specs Who Peter Friedman, chairman and CEO; Jenna Woodul, evp and chief community officer What Social marketing agency Where San Jose, Calif. Though it’s been around since 1996, LiveWorld has adroitly adapted to an ecosystem completely transformed by Facebook and Twitter. Mammoths such as Walmart, Procter & Gamble, Bank of America, Pfizer and Louis Vuitton now trust LiveWorld to manage their social media.

Upworthy Touts New Metric

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/06/2014 - 05:00

Upworthy, the social cause driven content upstart, says the page view is a lousy metric. It also believes that time spend doesn't cut it either when it comes to gauging success for a Web publisher. So the company is offering up something different: attention minutes. Going forward, Upworthy says it's going to track total attention on its site and total attention per piece.

Ogilvy France's Chris Garbutt Heads to Shop's N.Y. Office

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/05/2014 - 22:32

Chris Garbutt has been named to the new position of chief creative officer of Ogilvy & Mather East in New York, moving from his role as CCO of O&M France. Garbutt has been given a mandate to oversee creative across disciplines including advertising, customer engagement, public relations, digital, shopper marketing, branded content and entertainment. Garbutt, who has worked closely with O&M worldwide CCO Tham Khai Meng, will report to North American CCO Steve Simpson.

Carat Is the Big Winner in MasterCard's Global Media Review

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/05/2014 - 21:05

Carat has won most of MasterCard’s global media business, with the exception of Latin America, which will remain at UM, sources said. Global media spending is estimated at $200 million, including $105 million in the U.S. alone. Sources identified the other review contenders as Omnicom's PHD; Publicis Groupe’s MediaVest; a team from WPP Group’s GroupM that was led by Mediacom; and the incumbent, Interpublic Group's UM.

Ad of the Day: Delta Shows Its Team USA Pride

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/05/2014 - 18:17

Now that the Super Bowl ad bonanza is (finally) over, it’s time we all take a well-deserved break from obsessively tracking TV spots created for major sporting events. Just kidding! The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics are just a day away (although the opening ceremony won’t air until Friday—figure that one out), and while Sochi is still scrambling to finish preparations for the big event, here in the U.S., marketers have already kicked off an onslaught of Team USA-themed campaigns.