It takes an iVillage ... to Quit Pop-Ups
Web publisher iVillage said on Monday that it would cease selling pop-up ads, citing research that suggests its chiefly female audience despises the format.
The New York-based company said a survey conducted on the site by site design researcher Vividence found that 92.5 percent of iVillage's female visitors said pop-ups were the most frustrating feature of the Web.
Additionally, while many in the industry believe that pop-ups generate high brand awareness, iVillage said its study indicated that the formats actually hurts the advertiser's image.
As a result, the firm said it would no longer run the ads -- which comprise about 5 percent to 6 percent of iVillage's inventory -- after its final pop-up campaigns conclude at the end of this quarter.
"We have built iVillage by listening to what women want, and our move to eliminate pop-up advertising is a direct example of this," said Nancy Evans, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the site. "It's not news that women consume media differently than men, yet many leading Web sites haven't done anything to adapt to this fact. At iVillage, we have based everything from our site design and functionality and now to our advertising formats on what we know women want and, more importantly, what works for them."
The company said it would still continue to run "a small number" of house ads and survey questions in pop-up format, which would account for less than one percent of all ads running on iVillage. The company added that it also would continue to sell pop-under ads.
In lieu of pop-ups, iVillage said it would continue to use and develop new ad formats that it says resonate better with its audience. Last year, the company began running interstitial ads during its online quizzes, and it said it is currently planning and testing new units, slated to debut next quarter.
iVillage added that its advertisers, which include units of consumer packaged goods giants like Gillette and Unilever expressed "overwhelming" support for the decision to cease selling pop-ups.
"We have been working closely with them to convert current pop-up ads into stronger, alternate formats to help yield higher results," said Vanessa Benfield, senior vice president of sales at iVillage.
Article source: @NewYork
http://www.atnewyork.com/news/article.php/10856_1434851
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
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Sonera, Telefonica to close German joint venture
Finish carrier Sonera and Spain's Telefonica said they plan to close their German joint venture, an MVNO called Group 3G/Quam, after only seven months in operation. The MVNO launched late last year and had attracted 200,000 subscribers as of the end of June. The companies said the MVNO's business plan was no longer feasible. Both Sonera and Telefonica have written off many of their 3G investments across Europe. Telefonica reported a 3G-related write-off of $4.87 billion.
For more on the latest wireless closing, see BWCS
http://www.bwcs.com/marketing/index2.html
Friday, July 26, 2002
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A comprehensive review of the emergence, mechanics and variations between most popular blogging software. As Hiler mentions up-front in the article, he is the CEO of WebCrimson. However, I do not find his report overly biased.
The Microcontent News Blogging Software Roundup
Part One of the Weblog Industry Report
by John Hiler
Wednesday, July 24, 2002
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Funny riffs on the Apple "Switch" campaign ...
Ubergeek's "Move to Iceland"
http://www.ubergeek.tv/switchback/
Ani Moller
http://animoller.com/switch/
Ben Brown
http://benbrown.com/switch/
Drunk Gamers
http://ugo.com/channels/games/features/switch/media/switch.mov
Tuesday, July 23, 2002
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AOL looks like it may be in the Pitts.
Unconventional Transactions Boosted Sales Amid Big Merger, Company Resisted Dot-Com Collapse
By Alec Klein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Page A1
In October 2000, a critical question confronted America Online Inc. as it sought to clinch the largest merger in U.S. history: Was it feeling the effects of an industry-wide slowdown in advertising? AOL's president at the time, Robert W. Pittman, offered a resounding answer: "I don't see it, and I don't buy it," he told Wall Street stock analysts and the media.
About two weeks before Pittman's declaration on Oct. 18, he and other executives were told in a meeting at Dulles headquarters that AOL faced the risk of losing more than $140 million in ad revenue the following year.
AOL Shake-Up Could Give Key Roles to Logan, Bewkes
By MARTIN PEERS and MATTHEW ROSE
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
NEW YORK -- With AOL Time Warner Inc. Chief Operating Officer Robert Pittman expected to quit any day, the company is weighing a management shake-up giving senior executives from the former Time Warner significantly expanded responsibilities, people familiar with the matter say.
Full Coverage: AOL Time Warner
Washington Post: AOL Coverage
Moreover news service: 1800 news sources. Updated every 15 minutes
Thursday, July 18, 2002
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Euro Edges Past the Dollar in Victory for Europeans
By Steven Erlanger
New York Times (free registration required)
BERLIN, July 15 — The euro became worth slightly more than the battered American dollar today for the first time in more than two years, giving Europeans a shot of pride at a time when many of them view the United States with some resentment.
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
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4th annual HOPE conference ... Hackers On Planet Earth
The Hackers Who Ate New York City
Michelle Delio reports from New York.
Wired - Culture 2:00 a.m. PDT
It's time once again for Hackers on Planet Earth, a convention of coders, security professionals, federal agents, quasi-social misfits and random brainiacs. This year, in addition to the predictable how-to workshops on hacking virtually any device that is connected to a communications network or possesses a computer chip, H2K2 will also feature workshops on political activism, popular culture, hacker ethics, finances and legal issues.
"HOPE opened my eyes to hacking, showed me that it was about self-education and rigorously exploring to get answers to your questions," Toronto-based technical writer Ian McDonnell said. "Prior to attending HOPE in 1997, I thought hacking pretty much equated (with) criminal activity. But HOPE's emphasis on politics, culture and science really impressed me."
Official Site: HOPE: Hackers On Planet Earth
http://www.h2k2.net/
Monday, July 15, 2002
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An Irish photographer whose shot of a raging bull bearing down on his camera in Pamplona on July 7, 2002 sparked a flood of concern about his fate said July 7, 2002 that modern technology had kept him out of harm's way. Reuters' photographer Desmond Boylan's close-up of an enraged bull -- already bearing a T-shirt trophy on one of its horns -- was carried around the world and prompted numerous inquiries about the fate of the photographer.
"Kick-ass Pampalona Running Of The Bulls photo"
Desmond Boylan for Reuters (distributed by Yahoo News)
Thursday, July 11, 2002
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You sunk my eBattleship.
home.iae.nl/users/franklin/battleships/pag/battleships.htm
Wednesday, July 10, 2002
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Spam. Wanna know where it all comes from? Read the recap article from Wired and then visit the kickass site from cluelessmailers.org
How One Spam Leads to Another
Once your e-mail gets on a spam list, you're basically doomed. Now there's a 'map' that illustrates that doomsday path.
Wired, by Michelle Delio
Clueless Mailers: The Latest Ugly Trend in Spamming
You always knew spammers are an incestuous bunch, but just how incestuous is about to become a bit clearer. Clueless Mailers presents version 3.2 of The Spamdemic Map(SM). Inclusion on the Spamdemic Map is not a smear or an attack or even an implication of "guilt by association"... It's simply one small part of the overall concept of wide-scale general connectivity, and serves as a reminder to the marketing community to stay vigilant and to be sensitive to the need to protect recipients' personally-identifiable information.
Monday, July 08, 2002
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In the Doghouse (or, The Times Scrounges for Stories for July 4)
The Times has sunk to an new all-time low. I can't believe this. Just the fact that they printed an article about hotdogs is bad enough, but listen to this garbage:
"When New Yorkers think of frankfurters, they think of pushcart vendors and takeout deli counters and maybe Katz's Deli on the Lower East Side. And while storefront doggeries can be found here and there around town, it is worth noting that the two most celebrated ones ...
Don't get me wrong ... I love Katz's Delim but I mean, common ... When was the last time you heard a New Yorker call a 'dog' a 'frankfurter'?? And 'storefront doggeries'?!? This is such a complete waste of ink.
High Spots in a Nation of Hot-Dog Heavens
New York Times (registration required)
Wednesday, July 03, 2002
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Au Revoir, Jean Marie
Favorite headline: Another Fine Messier, but Universal Disaster comes pretty close
Commentary from Deborah Asbrand, Media Unspun ... No one said morphing from a water utility to a new-media champion would be easy. Reuters is reporting that Vivendi Universal chief exec Jean-Marie Messier has found out the hard way just how tough it could be. According to the wire service's no-name source and a report in French daily Le Monde, Messier has agreed to resign.
Messier had moved to New York recently, but you can bet the French boss spent little time this weekend planning Independence Day barbecues like other Yanks. The Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal ran stories on the twin forces working against Messier throughout the weekend: eroding support among his French allies on Vivendi's board, and the take-no-prisoners fury of the Bronfman family, which owns 5% of Vivendi and wants Messier gone.
No doubt part of the appeal for the French board members is that another countryman has reportedly been identified as a replacement for Messier. Reuters reports that six European board members have proposed Jean-Rene Fourtou, vice chairman of drugmaker Aventis, to replace Messier. After all, when it comes to revolution, the French love liberte, egalite, and especially fraternite.
Vivendi Chief Reportedly Agrees to Step Down (Reuters)
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-media-vivendi.html
New York Times (free subscription required)
Tensions Rise Over Vivendi Leadership
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-vivendi1jul01.story
Los Angeles Times
Vivendi's Messier Fights to Survive As Directors Seek to Topple CEO
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1025467982359508280,00.html
Wall Street Journal (paid subscription required.)
Rivals wait to pick up the pieces of Messier's crumbling Vivendi empire
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news_analysis/story.jsp?story=311459
The Independent
French farce that just gets Messier and Messier for Vivendi
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/comment/story.jsp?story=311475
The Independent
Universal disaster as Vivendi crumbles
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2002/07/03/cnviv03.xml
Daily Telegraph
City Comment: Excesses are universal
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2002/07/03/ccom03.xml
Daily Telegraph
Boardroom coup ends Messier's reign at Vivendi
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/story.jsp?story=311092
The Independent
Accounts fears hit Vivendi shares
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,5-345050,00.html
Times Online
Messier pays the price for his American 'sell-out'
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,630-344875,00.html
Times Online
Messier's fall stirs Gallic pride
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,630-344781,00.html
Times Online
Another fine Messier
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,748345,00.html
The Guardian
Tuesday, July 02, 2002
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