Cynopsis: DIGITAL
08/05/10
Good morning, it’s Thursday, August 5, 2010, and this is your first early morning digital briefing. If you would like to read this or any other Cynopsis edition online, click here.
Another day, another big social networking software deal. Fresh off its $150 million investment in Zynga, Google has purchased social app maker Slide for something in the neighborhood of $200 million, according to reports in TechCrunch and the NYTimes. Slide was one of the first developers to build widgets like “Super Poke” for Facebook and “Sideshow” for MySpace, but it has lost ground to more recent social gamers such as Zynga, whose applications tend to be more sophisticated. It has shifted business models several times, now concentrating on the sale of virtual goods.
Bravo is partnering with popular daily voucher site Groupon to offer discount coupons at 8 “Top Chef” related properties around the country.
Hearst Magazines Digital Media and MSN’s Delish.com launched of a new trivia game on Facebook from social game developer VoxPop. Answer questions in increasing levels of difficulty to move up from busser all the way up to executive chef, winning virtual goods that can be traded with friends.
E-commerce/digital advertising start-up WeShop closed on a $4.25 million round of series A financing from a group of investors including News Corp. Digital Media Chairman Jonathan Miller. WeShop compiles “anonymized” shopping data for online consumers to enable retailers and brands to pitch them offers based on past purchases. Members join “shopping networks” where they can share info about what they buy.
Online video ad network BrightRoll is launching its own video ad exchange to automate the process of placing unsold ad inventory across its network of sites. Similar to the OneSource platform introduced by Adap.tv earlier this year, the system will allow advertisers to insert pre-rolls across hundreds of sites, targeted by audience segment. As fast growing as the online video ad medium is, publishers are still having trouble unloading all of their inventory, with nearly half having at least 20% unsold at the end of each month, according BrightRoll research.
CBS Interactive’s Last.fm is announcing a new advertising program today, utilizing the next generation MXP4 interactive music format to offer advertisers increased engagement by sponsoring interactive elements on the site. Sponsored pages on Last.fm will integrate MXP4’s FanMix, Remix It, Max It and Sing It functionality as well as social gaming-type features including Karaoke Battle.
NCM Media Networks formed a partnership with mobile 2D barcode advertising company JAGTAG to offer cinema advertisers a new way to interact with movie audiences using mobile devices. Users can snap a photo of a “JAGTAG” barcode on box office handouts, posters, counter cards, drink cups, popcorn bags and other display materials and send it via text or email to receive an advertiser’s videos, product information, music, mobile coupons etc.
Chip giant Intel and the FTC settled an antitrust lawsuit yesterday after the government accused the company of using coercion to limit the sales of competing chips from AMD, Nvidia and Via Technologies. The agreement spells out protections for its competitors and establishes a $10 million fund to reimburse software developers who must refigure their code to work on rival chipmakers’ products.
WiMax broadband provider Clearwire Corp. announced higher Q2 losses of $126 million after adding 722,000 net subscribers to end the quarter at 1.7 million, many of whom are Sprint EVO customers who live in areas Clearwire has yet to upgrade. The company also said it would begin testing the more advanced LTE wireless technology in certain markets, suggesting a market-by-market approach.
Facebook‘s ad revenue growth is starting to catch up with its user growth, according COO Sheryl Sandberg in an interview with Business Week. She says the site’s core advertisers have increased their spending between 10-fold and 20-fold in the past year. Razorfish Managing Director Joe Mele confirms that clients are expressing “increased interest,” but that prices for ads have held steady.
Slowing advertising performance at MySpace, on the other hand, is having an adverse affect on News Corp.’s digital media group, part of the “Other” segment in the company’s earnings report. The segment reported a FYQ4 loss of $174 million and full year loss of $575 million (y/y increases of $38 million and $212 million, respectively) “due to lower search and ad revenues at MySpace. In a conference call with analysts, Rupert Murdoch expressed support for MySpace’s new management team, but admitted the site is being kept “under very close review.”
AOL continued its slide, posting a $1.06 billion loss, largely from the $10 million sale of London-based social networking company Bebo it paid $850 million for two years ago (ouch). Ad revenue declined by 27% from a year earlier, but investors seem encouraged that the worst is behind the company, bidding the stock up by over 7% on the day.
Mobile handsets running on Google’s Android OS are selling faster than both BlackBerry and iPhone smartphones, according to a new NPD Group report – the first time since Q4 2007 that BlackBerry hasn’t led in the U.S. Android accounted for 33% of all smartphones purchased in Q2, ahead of RIM (28%) and Apple (22%). The top-selling Android smartphones were the Motorola Droid, the HTC Droid Incredible, the HTC EVO 4G, the HTC Hero and the HTC Droid Eris, in that order.
Virtual goods can be effective marketing tools if they focus on one-on-one user interactions, represent a strong existing brand, are tied to entities that already have a strong following and can be tied to real world events or products that reverberate emotionally, according to a new Braded Virtual Goods report from virtual goods platform Virtual Greats Viximo.
Internet calling giant Vonage has launched a new iPhone, iPod touch and Android app that allows users to call or IM their Facebook friends for free via a Wi-Fi or 3G connection. Vonage Mobile for Facebook is similar to Skype’s free app except that it focuses entirely on your Facebook address book (both parties must have the app installed on their phones.) An iPad version is also in the works.
Clearwire introduced a new portable hotspot called the iSpot designed to give 4G connectivity to up to 8 Apple mobile devices, including the iPad, iPod touch, and iPhone. The iSpot comes bundled with unlimited access to Clear’s WiMax network for $25/month.
New York-based online ad service company DoubleVerify hired a trio of new executives: former Yahoo sales director Rose Steinberg joins as SVP/Sales Operations; former head of marketing at YouTube Jennifer Hyman joins as VP/Marketing and former NBCU director Laura Anderson joins as Senior Director of Account Management.
France-based video sharing site Dailymotion hired a quartet of new sales and content staffers to be based in the company’s New York office. Former Heavy.com sales executive Sara Lovern joins as Senior Account Executive; Diana Birman will serve as Director of Ad Operations; David Ripert joins as Head of Content and Director, Global Partnerships; and Matthew Gaffney comes aboard as Programming Coordinator.
Professional-themed social network LinkedIn celebrated a milestone yesterday reaching 75 million users worldwide. It’s a far cry from Facebook’s 500 million, but LinkedIn has its own value proposition and arguably attracts a more powerful set of users. The start-up also made its first corporate takeover, acquiring mSpoke, a company that builds recommendation technology for content publishers, research analysts and individuals. LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner says the company is developing recommendation solutions to deliver insights to LinkedIn members – an interesting prospect. So far connections are made on the site based on who you know; Linkedin could be far more compelling if it helped connect you with others based on what you know instead. LinkedIn has been proactive in recent months in trying to get other companies to build tools for the platform. For instance, a new update from popular mobile app Bump (which allows you to share contact info with someone by “bumping” your phones together), has just integrated with LinkedIn to make it easy to add someone to your LinkenIn network.
Later — Wayne
Wayne Karrfalt for Cynopsis: Digital
[email protected]
08.05.10
Cynopsis Ad Sales:
Mike Farina – Sr. Dir/Business Development & Sales – 203-218-6480 / [email protected]
Classifieds – Trish Pihonak- 203-381-9096 / [email protected]
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Cyn opsis CLASSIFIEDS – For More classifieds, visit the Cynopsis.com classifieds page here .
ATTENTION JOB RECRUITERS FOR THE TELEVISION AND ADVERTISING INDUSTRY – send us your contact information so we can begin to build a database for referrals. We get people all the time around the country asking us for names of local recruiters. Help us out – send us your contact information, name, company, address, phone, email and fax. NY and LA are great, but we also need names of firms in Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, DC, and elsewhere. We have people to send you! Email your info to [email protected].
JOB OPENING: DIGITAL PRODUCT MNGMNT/NYC/Northern VA/INVISION, Inc: Digital professional w/ exp in sales plan’g and/or sales operations at a mid to lrg sized publisher, looking for a new challenge. Resume: [email protected] (8/12)
JOB OPENING: SR MGR PRODUCT STRATEGY/ Burbank: manage multiplatform digital strategy, identify digital platform opportunities, EOE apply via www.disneycareers.com job ID 257865 (8/12)
JOB OPENING: MGR PRODUCT STRATEGY/Burbank: define digital priorities for the Playhouse Disney property & franchise; min 6 yrs exp in digital media space; EOE apply via www.disneycareers.com job ID 257203 (8/12)
JOB OPENING: INTEGRATED MKTG/AETN/LA: Liaise btw ad sales partnerships/mktg on added val sprshps btw clnts/adv & LT/LMN assts/props; TV Mktg exp; Ad Sls Mktg pfd https://www.abso.com/jobboard/Default.aspx?JOBBOARDID=618&JobDetail=76553 (8/12)
JOB OPENING: PRODUCER EDITORS/HOUSTON: The new Tribune is recruiting anti-establishment preditors to collaborate on a groundbreaking morning news/infotainment format unlike anything ever tried on local TV. www.tribjobs.com Job 15014 (8/11)
JOB OPENING: SR. AD SALES EXEC/Hearst Magazines/NY: Develop and implement sales strategy for media tablet “apps” Work across magazine platform,7-10yrs ad sales exp, be early adapter of changing media technology [email protected] (8/11)
JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNER-MUSIC CHOICE/LA:Create integrated cross platform proposals,mng accnts,update sales materials,identify & research prospects. 2+yrs of ntwrk/agency exp pref’d. http://musicchoicecareers.iapplicants.com/ (8/11)
JOB OPENING: ONLINE RADIO EDITOR/MarthaStewart.com/NY: Mng all editorial aspects and the radio blog.For more info & to apply: https://careers.mslo.com/Pages/JobDescription.aspx?postid=57 (8/11)
JOB OPENING: WEBSITE METRICS ANALYST/Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia/NY: Resp for analysis and reporting of all key website metrics. More info & to apply: https://careers.mslo.com/Pages/JobDescription.aspx?postid=33 (8/11)
JOB OPENING: DIGITAL MKTG MGR/NYC: Provide strategy & execution of digital mktg efforts (online communities, social media, partnerships) for digital ntwrks (qubo & ION Life) of ION Media Ntwrks EOE [email protected] (8/10)
JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/OVATION/NY: Develop & mng new/existing accts. Excellent presentation + negotiation skills, solid agency/client relationships 5+ years media experience. Resumes to: [email protected] (8/10)
JOB OPENING: MGR BUS. OPS/ESPN Inc/NYC:Resp.for mgmt of ad sales support team. Min of 5 yrs exp. in ad ind.TV exp. Pref’d-dig. exp. a +. Strong analytical skills w/mgmt or supervisory exp. Resume: [email protected] EOE/M/F/D/AAP (8/10)
JOB OPENING: RSRCH DIR/SPOTLIGHT/PITTSBURGH PA: Comcast Spotlight: 10+ yrs related rsrch exp; excellent written and oral comm. skills; provide leadership & direction for rsrch team of 3; learn more at www.comcast.com/careers/ (8/10)
JOB OPENING: DIGITAL SALES AE/NYC: small TV Net sales group, 2-5 years sales exp in internet/digital req’d , build/create sales strategies & proposals , young adult exp a + , some travel to Chicago & LA [email protected] (8/10)
JOB OPENING: PUBLICIST /Fuse/NY: Support consumer/trade publicity efforts to gen awareness of Fuse brand. Write, pitch, & execute public relations plans & events. Min 2-3 yrs media rel. exp. Rez to [email protected] “Pub” in subj (8/10)
JOB OPENING: SALES ASSISTANT/THE HOTEL NETWORKS/NYC: 1+ Y.R. Related Media Exp; Organized, Detail-Oriented, Media Math Skills, Word, Excel, PPT Proficient, College Degree Pref, Resumes to [email protected] (8/7)
JOB OPENING: SR. AE/DISNEY INTERACTIVE NY: MUST have 5+ yrs DIGITAL/ONLINE sales + exceed $5mm goals annually. Email: [email protected] (8/7)
JOB OPENING: FORMAT PRODUCER-TEMP/Stamford: CT PROJECT EMPLOYEE–TEMPORARY Format Producer, History Espanol, fluent read write Spanish. Stamford: https://www.abso.com/jobboard/Default.aspx?JOBBOARDID=618&JobDetail=76587 (8/6)
JOB OPENING: AD SALES TRAINING DIRECTOR/Fox Cable Networks/NY: Develop targeted training classes, programs, curriculum for sales systems & business processes. Must have ad sales training/systems bkgrd. www.foxcareers.com, ref FNG20482 (8/6)
JOB OPENING: NTWRK DIG. CONTENT/SOCIAL MEDIA COORD/ ATL: Provide online content/soc ntwking support for on-air prog.Online content & mktg in TV req. Exp w/ MS Excel/Word req.Online content Mgt. sys & Drupal a + Res: [email protected] (8/6)
INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. These ads are always posted for free , and students work for school credit only. For more information on the specs for posting an Internship ad, email Trish at [email protected].
FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Development Company in midtown Manhattan. Good writing skills, attention to detail, and enthusiasm a must! Knowledge of FCP a plus. Start right away, for credit only. Email resumes: [email protected] (8/11)
FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Oxygen Media/NBCU(NY) DIGITAL EDITORIAL INTERN with an enthusiasm for marketing/online, strong writing/editing skills, social networking,& MS Office. work part time. Resumes to [email protected] (8/11)
FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: GRAPHIC DESIGN/Embassy Row Productions/NYC: intern who is fast and talented with Photoshop or related software. Must receive school credit. Starts early September. Email resume/portfolio to [email protected] (8/7)
FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Rainbow AD SALES, MARKETING/Woodbury, NY: Unpaid, must be able to get College credit, 2 openings. See full posting and apply to www.cablevision.jobs req id 10523 (8/7)
SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED … There is no charge for placing your Situation Wanted ad … for more information contact Trish Pihonak at [email protected]
SITUATION WANTED: STORY/POST PRODUCER (LA): Creative thinker/hard worker, 10+ years experience, all reality genres, many network & cable credits. Great at paper cuts, solid in edit bay, detail-oriented, fun. [email protected] (8/12)
SITUATION WANTED: ONLINE ACCOUNT EXEC/NY: 5yrs digital Media exp/goal oriented, customer service driven/top agency list/exp. with display,video,sponsorships,newsletter,integrated custom content. Contact: [email protected] (8/12)
SITUATION WANTED: Assistant – Film/Television. 13 yrs. work experience (6+ as an asst.). Internship at Participant Media. Final Cut Pro. Hold MFA, MA, and BA degrees. [email protected] (8/11)
SITUATION WANTED: CHILDREN’S PRODUCER/CREATIVE DEVELOPER Animation and live action. BBC TV trained. 200 credits as producer and 100 credits as writer of children’s and family shows. Canada-based Canadian and UK citizen. [email protected] (8/11)
SITUATION WANTED: PA/ NYC: NYU Film & TV grad seeking entry-level work. Writer/Director/SFX Makeup/Art Department/Production. Can handle both Mac and PC systems with Microsoft Office, FCP, etc. Contact: [email protected] (8/11)
SITUATION WANTED: MULTIPLE AWARD-WINNING PROMO/PSA WRITER/PRODUCER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR, SPECIALIZING IN KIDS FORMATS. OVER TEN YEARS EXPERIENCE. ALSO LIVE ACTION DIRECTOR. RESPOND TO [email protected] (8/10)
SITUATION WANTED: Dedicated & Experienced ADV. SALES PLANNER (NY) Sales proposals, resolving client discrepancies, quarterly post analysis, special sales service projects, expert computer skills. Contact- [email protected] (8/7)
E-mail [email protected] or call Trish Pihonak at 203.381.9096 for rates and specs for Job Openings.
Are you looking for a job? Post your Situation Wanted Ad here — Email [email protected] for specs.
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