Updating to the New Blogger

CoolAdzine for Marketers is updating to the NEW Blogger. CyberCelt has been dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century. Hopefully, all will go well and you will not notice a lag. Y'all keep me in your prayers.

Opting In and Out of Behavioral Targeting

Behavioral targeting (BT) displays a particular creative or rich content based on the sites in the network the viewer has visited and what actions the viewer has performed on those websites.

Privacy concerns came to the forefront last year when several major search engines were asked to turn over information to the FTC. A survey found that a full 65 percent of respondents oppose monitoring the Internet use of Ordinary Americans by the government. This concern also extended to ask: "what exact information do the search engines store on users?"

Behavioral Targeting is becoming more important each day. Not only to advertisers but also to the users of particular sites. Much has been written about BT, but the only ones who seem to understand it are the advertisers and ad networks. The consumer, on the other hand, is left to wonder exactly what BT is and how it affects them.

Roy Shkedi, CEO of post-search BT network AlmondNet:

. . . recently proposed a common practice whereby every ad served by a BT network offers the opportunity to opt-out of behavioral tracking. Shkedi thinks the process could be an opportunity to assuage consumer worries about privacy, but at the same time educate them about the real benefits of opting in.

For example, if a person sees a banner advertisement that they do not wish to see again, they click a hotspot on the banner, which takes them to an opt-out page. The opt-out page explains that this advertising was sponsored by X-network and that if they do not want to see any ads served by X-network, then opt-out. Hopefully, users should be able to opt-out of categories, (such as advertising for adult sites, male-enhancement products, and fat burner pills).

Tacoda, Inc. recently launched a Consumer Choice campaign across its network that explains behavioral targeting and gives users the opportunity for opting out of the system. Tacoda, Inc. follows the The Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) principles for capture and use of consumer preferences, including notice and providing either opt-in or opt-out. These principles have been endorsed by the Federal Trade Commission.

CEO Curt Viebranz explains Tacoda's proactive approach to the privacy issue:

. . . provide all consumers with robust notice of the types of anonymous information that Tacoda captures, what we do with that information, and a direct "opt-out" link. . . . to the Tacoda Web site, where we describe our business and the benefits of targeted advertising. They can then choose to opt-out and get taken to the NAI Web site.

Bill Gossman, CEO, Revenue Science, is not worrying about a backlash over privacy and behavioral tracking:

Revenue Science belongs to and conforms to the standards of the Network Advertising Initiative, which enables consumers to opt out of having their behavior tracked by our technology. They can obtain an "opt-out cookie" to prevent any data from being associated with their browser.

Advertisers want to send their message to large groups of people who have exhibited enough qualifying behaviors to indicate interest in a product category or brand. They are not interested in detailed information on each one of those individuals. Likewise, most of the consumers are not interested in knowing exactly which advertisers is associated with which ad and how the information is used. They are, however, more comfortable with behavioral targeting because it improves their online experience.

Bill Gossman, CEO, Revenue Science:

What we do not want to see is consumers having to make an opt-out choice on every ad served. Nor does it mean weakening the sophistication of the technology. Part of BT is delivering a better online experience to people and ensuring that media remains free.

Tags: behavioral targeting, Network Advertising Initiative (NAI), opt out advertising

LoudLaunch Network has Launched

The LoudLaunch Network provides opportunity to both blogger and advertiser within this unique community! The LoudLaunch network is THE link between bloggers and advertisers that enables bloggers to help advertisers by distributing press releases or blogging the latest news.

• Bloggers are paid for spreading the news based on the traffic and exposure their blog delivers. Compensation ranges from $5 to over $200 for top ranked blogs.
  
  
• Advertisers may begin a campaign for as little as $50! Try the LoudLaunch Network to build buzz about your brand, visitors to your website, buzz about your media event, or a review of your service.
  
  
• Blogs are grouped so that advertisers may easily reach their targeted audience by selecting the right categories of blogs for their campaigns.
  
  
• The reach of the campaign is determined by the budget; a higher budget allows more bloggers to distribute the news.
  

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Party in the Blogosphere

The Ultimate Blog Party
March 2 - 9

Get your blog noticed, win prizes, hang out with your friends and meet some new ones. Click here to see all the PRIZES...

Tags: blog party, 5 Minutes for Mom

Jokeroo is Your Source for Funny Videos

At Jokeroo.com, you will find offbeat videos, hilarious photographs and funny stories and jokes posted by other users. You may also upload and share text, pictures and funny videos.

There are also extreme videos and sports videos, celebrity photographs, online games, e-greeting cards and an entire community on the forums. My favorite, Presidential Speechalist. Check it out on Jokeroo, sponsor of this post.

Free Podcast Hosting : Unlimited Bandwidth

MyPodcast.com offers Free Podcast Hosting and provides the software for you to record, to publish, to air and to monetize your podcast. The unlimited bandwidth and storage is subsidized by advertising, from which you earn money.

You record your podcast, select the exact placement of the advertisement, insert a tagline like "now a word from our sponsors," and MyPodcast takes care of the rest. You are able to approve advertisers and they are vetted by the staff at MyPodcast as well.

Bandwidth, unlimited storage, podcast templates, help and a professional look for free. Visit MyPodcast.com, sponsor of this post today.

Influence of Consumer Generated Media

According to research from Compete, Inc., more than one half of consumers are influenced by consumer generated media (CGM). Embracing Consumer Buzz Creates Measurement Challenges for Marketers, part of the Spark! research series, found that more than 50 percent of respondents indicated the use of CGM to decide or winnow their choices, 23 percent used CGM to confirm their buying decisions, and15 percent relied totally on CGM to determine choice.

Other findings:

• 71 percent of auto and travel buyers influenced by CGM say that CGM is credible. Only 35 percent of these consumers find brands credible.
• About one third of automobile buyers say that consumer reviews and ratings sites influence their decision. One in five says that advice from other consumers online is an influence.
• Two thirds of travelers say CGM impacted their purchase decision. Compete estimates there is more than $2 billion in travel impacted by CGM each year.

Read the Compete, Inc. press release here or download this part of the Spark! research series here.

Amazon.com and eBay.com are just two of the larger websites that use CGM to great advantage. While you may want to implement CGM on your site, be sure to think this through. Be ready to open up your product or service to criticism as well as praise when entering the arena of CGM.

Tags: consumer-generated media, CGM and travel decisions, CGM and car buying, 50 percent influenced by CGM

Free RAZR v3 from T-Mobile

The Motorola RAZR v3 is a thin, sleek aluminum cell phone with a 2.2 inch color display and an attitude! The RAZR is packed with features like voice-activated dialing, a VGA digital camera with self timer and video capture, and Bluetooth wireless technology.

Receive a free T-Mobile RAZR, free Bluetooth headset and $50 cash back with the MyFaves calling plans from T-mobile. With calling plans starting at $34.99 per month, this is an incredible deal. Your new cell phone, delivered by Fed-Ex in two days, includes battery, wall charger, user guide and ear bud. The RAZR supports multimedia and text messaging and has a built-in instant messager client. This cell phone is MyFaves compatible and may be used as a modem or synchronized with your PC with the purchase of software and cable(s).

The Plan? Your choice. For example, in my area of Texas, the T-Mobile myFaves 300 is available for $39.99 per month. This plan includes 300 minutes, with unlimited calling to your five favorite people, on any network! You may even change your five faves once a month, a feature that will help you conserve your minutes, not to mention keep your friends happy.

Receive unlimited night and weekend minutes and free nationwide calling for life. Pay no roaming fees or charges and you will enjoy all the great features like caller ID, call fowarding, voicemail with message waiting, and conference calling.

Plans of at least $34.99 per month are eligible for the free T-Mobile RAZR. This T-Mobile rebate deal is valid through March 31, 2007. Decide what five people are your faves, then visit Wirefly.com, the sponsor of this post, and get your free Motorola RAZR!

Fear and Loathing in Second Life

If you wondered what goes on in the virtual game world of Second Life, I suggest you read Second Look At Second Life, by Shankar Gupta, posted on Gaming Insider. I was able to glean the following points from the article, after following the links and reading the related blogposts and articles.

Second Life has been called out for inflating membership count, for being a potential money laundering scheme, for becoming a haven for terrorists, for existing as a PONZI scheme with unsustainable growth.

Now, civil unrest, as staged by avatars, has destroyed the virtual headquarters of Front National. This virtual riot ended as the Martin Luther King Jr. sun rose over the land of porcupine and a gambling casino opened where FN once stood.

Next, sex, as staged by avatars, while onlookers try frantically to teleport out of the room. Virtual cheating, but its okay because its not real (only in his mind--echoes of Jimmy Carter).

What does the future hold? Avatar love? Virtual crime scenes? Maybe a virtual Judge Judy? Is there not enough wrong in this life, that we have to invent a virtual world in which we make the same mistakes?

Tags: Second Life, GamingInsider, avatar love, virtual sex, fear and loathing in Second Life

Carnival of Blogging Chicks is Posted

Come on over and read the Carnival of Blogging Chicks. Ease your way into Sunday by reading some great posts.

Three Free Advertising Tools You Can Use

While in the process of updating CoolAdz.com, I rediscovered some free marketing tools. Just wanted to share these sites with you.

OBO Ads

Classifieds are still a great way to find and sell products and services. OBO Ads features free classified advertising and is free to join! OBO Ads offers fixed priced ads, or best offer ads and swap ads. Add, update and modify your ads 24/7. Place personal ads, announcements and wanted ads. Add Buy Now buttons with full PayPal support to your classified ad. Receive real time stats and feedback so that you may change your copy on the fly.


AdsVert

AdsVert is a free to join, easy to use, quickly setup text inks program. AdsVert has a viral marketing side and a triple ad exposure system. Target your text links exposure by category, country or region. Post some code on your website and start earning free advertising. Join and receive 2500 FREE text impressions today.


TE Toolbox

TE Toolbox is a new service, offered by Tim Linden from StartExchange, which allows you to generate splashpages and add them to the traffic exchange rotator. Optional frame includes a link to open the current site in a new window and a link to open your TEtoolbox referral URL. Domain filtering will prevent pages from being shown when the referring site is the same domain. No more wasted traffic! No advertisements or popups generated by your rotator.

Tags: OBO ads, AdVerts, TE Toolbox, free advertising

Zoom-Zoom-Zoom

So you think all museums are boring?


Visit the Mazda Museum created by Sarkissian Mason for Mazda Motor Corporation. You must see these cars! Click here for 2007 USA Auto Show Schedule (PDF).

Note: Photographs from 2007 Auto Show page on museum website (top: Ryuga - bottom: Nagare).

Tags: Mazda Museum, 2007 Nagare, 2007 Ryuga, 2007 Auto Show, Zoom Zoom Zoom

Wirefly: Best Cell Phone and Plan for You

Wirefly Mobile is an online store for mobile phones and mobile carrier plans. Even better, you may get free cell phones with a new cell phone plan. Wirefly offers prepaid plans, too.

On the Wirefly website, you may view all phones by brand or by carrier. There is a Wireless Wizard that allows you to select the best plan for your current needs. If you are looking for a smartphone, multimedia phone, video phone or a phone that acts as a PC and allows you to open and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint or read Adobe Acrobat documents, look no more.

You may compare phones for the features you want. Enter your zip code and you can instantly find out if Cingular, T-Mobile, Verizon, Spring, Nextel or Alltel carrier service is avaible in your area and what specials are available.

Visit Wirefly Mobile, the sponsor of this post, for a new cell phone, including the RAZR and the Chocolate, two very popular phones. There is even a moneyback guarantee and free shipping.

Family-Oriented Carnival on Blog Village

Blog Village is having a blog carnival on Friday, January 26, 2007. The theme of the blog carnival is family, so only family-oriented posts will be accepted. The carnival will be hosted on the Blog Village Community News blog.

• Blog post carnival entries must be from a Blog Village blog or from a blog that links directly to a Blog Village blog.
• Submit only one entry per blogger.
  
• Only English language posts will be accepted.
• No blog post with title, nor blog with pictures, containing profanity or of a sexual or suggestive nature, will be accepted.

• Write or select a blog post about family.
• Send the URL and title of that family post to: kilroy60 at gmail dot com
• Submit your entry by Thursday, January 25 at 11:59 (EST).
• If you are NOT a member of Blog Village, include the name and URL of the Villager blog to which you are linked. If you are linked to more than one, select only one.

Blog carnivals are a great way to find new friends, discover new blogs and increase traffic to your site. Mostly, blog carnivals are just big fun! Share the news with your friends and family. If nothing else, come to the carnival on January 26 on the Blog Village Community News blog.

Tags: Blog Village, blog carnival, family theme carnival

Learn New Networking Protocols

TCP/IP Tutorial and Technical Overview is a free techical manual that you may view online or download in Adobe Acrobat Format.

This free tech book will bring you up-to-date on the latest Networking protocols, including wireless networks. I downloaded TCP/IP Tutorial and Technical Overview in just minutes. I really need to update my knowledge to include wireless and mobile protocols.

If you have the feeling that you have forgotten more than you knew about a technical issue, check out the Tech Books for Free website, sponsor of this post.

Apogee Search Engine Marketing firm in Austin, Texas

If you live in Austin or the surrounding area, and are looking for Top Google Rankings for your website, you may want to visit Apogee Search in Austin, Texas. Apogee is now a Google AdWords Qualified Company. One of a few in Texas and several nationwide.

Apogee offers a full-range of services for search engine marketers or small business owners who wish to update their web presense. Search engine marketing (SEM) is one of those facets of online business that are best left to the professionals.

Call or visit the Apogee Search professionals, the sponsor of this post, today. Let 2007 be your year to shine.

Free Internet Marketing Courses

I discovered a site that has new courses on Internet Marketing by Cody Moya. The best news is that they are FREE. You do have to supply your name and email so that you may receive the courses by email, but that is a small price to pay for new information.

Check out the sponsor of this post, Free Internet Marketing Courses.

Online Retail Spending 2006

comScore Networks released a report on consumer online retail spending, excluding online travel purchases, during 2006.

According to Gian Fulgoni, chairman of comScore Networks:

2006 was certainly an exceptional year for online retailers as e-commerce spending eclipsed $100 billion for the first time...

Online retail spending, excluding online travel purchases, reached $102.1 billion, a 24 percent increase over 2005.

The online holiday shopping season of course played a vital role in the yearÂ’s success, as spending accelerated during the final two months of the year, helping push total online retail spending over the $100 billion threshold.

Online retail spending accounted for $24.6 billion, a 26 percent increase from 2005. The Twelve Days of Christmas, days on which online retail spending exceeded $600,000, were surprising. Monday, November 27 (Cyber Monday) was the lowest with $607,600 in spending. The day with the highest amount of spending was Wednesday, December 13, with $666,900 in expenditures.

The report calls 2006, the year of the Procrastinator:

The final three weeks of the holiday season (Weeks 7-9) saw a major surge in spending as the procrastinators came out in full force, driving a 31-percent increase versus the corresponding weeks in 2005. The week leading up to Christmas (week ending December 24, 2006) saw the biggest surge with a 45-percent increase versus the corresponding week a year ago...

Tags: comScore Networks, Year of Procrastinator, e-commerce holiday+spending, 2006 online retail spending

Wikiupload is Free File Hosting Service

Wikiupload is a new free file storage service for videos, mp3s and images. You may also tag and bookmark your files so that you may easily share them with friends. Wikiupload will produce RSS feeds of your files based on tags or other parameters so that you may syndicate your feeds or republish the content to your website.

With the free Wikiupload membership, you will have five gigabytes of storage. For $5 per month, you may double your storage space. For $10 per month, you will have 20 gigabytes! Files that are downloaded at least one time per month will be stored forever.

Wikiupload.com is better than their competitors because those other services do not offer tagging, bookmarking and RSS feeds. Discover Free File Hosting at Wiki Upload today. This post sponsored by Wikiupload.com

Trellian Marketing Tools

Keyword Discovery - The ultimate keyword research tool

Major new features added to the Keyword Discovery Tool include the following: - UK regional database - NL regional database - Increased database sizes - Search Engine market share - Improved 12 month trend graphs - New Plural Search

Keyword Research Tool

Competitive Intelligence - Find out what your competitors are doing.

The Trellian Competitive Intelligence solution provides detailed information about your competitor's online marketing. Links, search engine traffic and type in traffic. Many partners are now using Trellian CI to monitor their own competitors and put in place strategies to out compete them.

Trellian Competitive Intelligence

Tags: Trellian, competitive intelligence, keyword discovery

Coupons Save You Big Bucks!

Well, Christmas is over for another year! Now is the time that retail stores and online retailers will give deep discounts for certain items. If Santa did not bring you exactly what you wanted for Christmas, buy it now and save a bundle of cash.

Couponchief has many online coupons and coupon codes for well-known stores, like Dell, Best Buy, Blue Nile and Target.

Do you like to travel? Check out the Expedia coupons and the Travelocity coupons pages!

Got kids? Get GAP coupons, like free shipping on orders of $100+ or free shipping on GapCard purchases of $50+.

This post sponsored by CouponChief.com.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) 2007

Today's Search Engine Marketing (SEM) trends is courtesy of SearchInsider

• clickstream analysis will uncover information on search intentions through conversion


• increasing synergy between natural and paid search on conversions and brand visibility


• pagelesals web sites improve user experience and navigation


• users will have increasing impact on search engine algorithms


• managers and marketers will undergo training in paid and natural search

Read more here...


Tags: SearchInsider, search engine marketing trends

eMarketer's 10 Key Predictions for 2007

Happy New Year! May 2007 be all you wish and more!



I thought I might collect and post some of the predictions and trends to watch as outlined by leading marketers.

Today is eMarketer's 10 Key Predictions

• Online Ad Spending Will Hit $20 Billion
  
• Some Money and Lots of Hype for Online Video Advertising
  
• Social Networks Are Set for a $1 Billion Windfall
  
• Downloadable Games Will Get Hotter
  
• Thirty-Seven Million Strong: A 'Minority' Bigger than Canada
  
• Mobile TV Arrives
  
• US B2C E-Commerce Will Cruise Past $200 Billion
  
• The Retail Power of Word-of-Mouth
  
• Broadband Services Will Matter as Much as Speed
  
• DVRs Pump Up TV Viewing

read more here.


Tags: eMarketer, top 10 predictions

Advertising that Does Not Play in the USA

Courtesy of Advertising Age, here are the highlits for 10 ads you will not see in the U.S.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- As we end 2006, Advertising Age takes a look across the world at some of the advertising work deemed, for one reason or another, to be of "Not for the U.S." status. These are all ads that American audiences are not intended to see.

		Durex Sex Ring Durex became the first brand to advertise a sex toy for men on U.K. TV this year. As a couple have dinner, the woman finds what looks like a ring box on her plate. It starts vibrating when she picks it up, prompting her to smile lasciviously and say "I do." The tagline: "New Durex Play vibrator. The vibration ring for him to give pleasure to both of you." Durex wants to reposition itself from condom seller to mainstream player in the "sexual well-being" market, with sex toys on sale in supermarkets. The spot by McCann Erickson Barcelona is also airing in France and Italy.
		Naughty Boots U.K. health and beauty retail giant Boots created an indulgently naughty, glamorous Christmas spot with agency Mother that appeals to Brits but would shock U.S. families expecting wholesome holiday fare. Gorgeous women perform the usual Yuletide chores while dressed to impress. A mother in a pink dress and big blonde hair drags home a Christmas tree. A stunning woman relaxes in a sumptuous bubble bath while peeling vegetables. The voiceover: "Christmas. A time for giving, receiving, shopping, chopping and stuffing. But most importantly, being drop-dead gorgeous."
		Virgin's Casino Ads Online gambling ads will never sully U.S. media schedules, but in Europe they are everywhere. Prevented by U.K. regulators from mentioning money, Virgin focuses instead on the inherent fun of its online casinos, and adopts the Virgin brand's usual stance as consumer champion. Unlike many European gaming sites, Virgin never targeted the U.S., so didn't lose half its business when new laws forced online casinos to stop taking bets from U.S. customers this year. Next year, U.K. deregulation will let online gaming sites solicit customers with promises of financial reward, so expect racier ads.
		Four Seasons Sex Gel Billboards It's the gap between the two outdoor boards that makes this ad for lubricant gel Four Seasons so sexually explicit -- and controversial when it ran earlier this year in New Zealand. Each board on the opposite side of a highway features a woman's bare leg, with the open space of the highway in between. One of the boards includes a small product shot of the gel, sold by Australian Therapeutic Supplies. Strangely enough, the outdoor ads were done by the Beijing office of Grey Advertising.
		Chips for the Porno Star It started as a racy spot and a play on the double-meaning in Italian of "chips"—a tasty snack, and slang for sleeping with a woman. Italian porn star Rocco Siffredi talks about the many chips he has enjoyed, sometimes three at a time. Religious groups got the spot pulled, but it was too late. Sales went up 27%. Blogs sprang up, a newspaper polled readers about the spot and found 76% thought it should air, and TV shows parodied the ad. After the public debate, Leo Burnett ran a new version with the same visuals, but no dialogue.
		Giant Airport Sushi In the U.S., airport luggage carousels are for suitcases, but in Salzburg your bag may find itself next to giant sushi. Local restaurant Sushi King wanted to grab tourists visiting Austria for the 2006 Mozart festival. But Salzburg was full of the festival sponsor's messages, so Sushi King and FCB turned to the airport. Where do tired travelers have to go? Over-size sushi pieces were created and placed on the luggage conveyor belts. Sales rose 18% during the two-month campaign.
		Lux Provocateur Black Soap Black soap hasn't come to the U.S. mass market yet, despite a lot of activity around color and design in the body wash category, with Axe's black bottles and yellow snake peel soap among the more exotic offerings. Outside the U.S., Unilever is extending Lux soap and its "Play with Beauty" strategy with Lux Provocateur Black soap. The launch spot by Santo, Buenos Aires, is a fairy tale with a twist about an innocent girl transformed into a sultry, black-clad temptress by a new black soap that brings out her dark beauty.
		The Brazilian Apprentice It's not exactly an ad, but Wunderman Chairman-CEO Daniel Morel appeared on "O Aprendiz," the Brazilian version of "The Apprentice," which is hosted by Roberto Justus, the socialite adman who runs Young & Rubicam in Brazil. Every year the show's winner gets a job at a WPP Group company. Mr. Morel appeared on Brazilian TV to give this year's winner, Anselmo Martini, his prize—a job at Wunderman.
		Most Dangerous Snake The "Dangerous Snakes" spot starts out as an innocuous slide show about different varieties of snakes in South Africa and how potentially lethal they are. Until the last "snake." The lecturer explains that it kills 1,000 people every day. This time the slide is of a penis. A title card reads "Beware the trouser snake." The spot by Network BBDO, Johannesburg, is for Vuka, an AIDS and HIV support center.
		Big Balls Cancer Check The scenes in U.K. spot "Big Balls" would look like perfectly ordinary snippets of everyday life if all the men—shown at work, out jogging, practicing martial art -- didn't have two large scrotum-like sacks suspended between their legs. The commercial by Delaney Lund Knox Warren & Partners, London, tells viewers "Make your balls a bigger part of your life." What they mean is, 99% of testicular cancer can be cured if detected early. Hence the warning "Check yours regularly."

My favorite is #9 Trouser Snake. Leave me a comment on your favorite and your Blog Explosion nickname for some credits.

Tags: not seen in the USA, Advertising Age, ads Americans will not see