There are write downs — and then there are write downs. Microsoft is wiping the books clean of almost all of the $6.3 billion it paid for interactive ad company aQuantive in 2007.
advertising
How Celebrity Endorsements Can Backfire
Celebrities obviously bring attention to the products they endorse. That’s why manufacturers, retailers, and brands are willing to drop millions to get celebs as spokespeople. Yet a new study shows that sometimes, the celebrity …
More Troubles for JCPenney: Top Executive Departs Amid Sales Slump
Ron Johnson was brought in as JCPenney’s new CEO last year largely due to his experiences with two of the most phenomenal success stories in retail in recent history: Target and Apple Store. What does it mean that Johnson’s …
Facebook Advertising: Make Sure You Blend In
If you’re planning to advertise your small business on Facebook, you need to keep in mind your audience and their reason for being on the site so you’ll approach them in an appropriate, effective way.
With IPO Looming, Is Facebook’s Ad Business Ready for Prime Time?
On Monday, Facebook will begin the ritualistic process of wooing Wall Strret investors ahead of its forthcoming IPO, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Facebook’s “road show” comes ahead of a May 18 target IPO …
No Escaping Ads: They’re Under Your Shoes, On the Back of Your Legs, Where You Pee
Most people aren’t exactly overjoyed that their lives are flooded with ads. Whereas the average consumer may find the creep of advertising to be, well, creepy, advertising insiders see unexpected brand and product placements not as intrusive, but as innovative, often brilliant.
How an Ad Will Persuade You to Talk to Your Kids About Money
Coming soon to a magazine, newspaper or Web page near you: emotionally charged public-service messages designed to jolt parents into having “the talk” with their kids. Not that talk. The tougher one about how to budget, save and …
Condimania! The ‘New Ketchup’ and Other Hot Condiment Trends
If your refrigerator door is stocked with just two bottles of condiments—one Crayola yellow, the other Crayola red—and you use them only in strict traditional fashion (mustard on hot dogs, ketchup on French fries), then your …
Why We’re Eating Fewer Happy Meals
Kids are less likely to order kids meals now. For the past five years, there has been an annual decline in the number of fast-food child meals that come with toys. In 2011, Happy Meal and other child meal sales were down 6%, from …
Feds Shutter Those Fake News Sites Plugging Bogus Weight Loss Products
The Federal Trade Commission has settled charges it brought against two marketing companies that were allegedly hawking shady weight loss products through a string of web sites that were pretending to be legitimate news …
Get Ready For More Ads on Facebook
Facebook users may have one less thing to “like” about the social media powerhouse starting this week. A leaked copy of a presentation about a new marketing plan the company is said to be announcing this week offers a detailed …
Gannett’s Big Paywall Play: Will It Work?
Gannett said it is “playing offense” again after years of cuts and contraction. Its touchdown strategy is a sophisticated paywall system that the news giant says will both bolster local news reporting and deliver an extra …
