Best Practices In Short-Form Video Advertising

The new guidelines for online video ads published by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) are an important foundation that those of us in both the online video and advertising industries can build upon as we seek to turn the viral video phenomena into a powerful marketing vehicle. But these standards are only a first--and relatively small--step in the right direction towards our shared success.

That shared success will come from shifting loyalty from the traditional standard bearer of brand advertising--television--to the new kid on the block--online video and social media. It will depend on our mutual ability to create content and campaigns designed for the short-form video environment and an interactive medium. In order to realize this opportunity, marketers must first embrace the power of online video; and second, we need to get serious about creating and implementing best practices for maximizing advertising effectiveness.

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Microsoft Launches Mobile Display Ads

Microsoft on Tuesday began letting advertisers display banner ads to mobile users of Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Hotmail, following other companies already supporting mobile banner ads.

Mobile users in France, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S. will see the banner ads when using the Microsoft services.

Google made a similar announcement in April, inviting AdWords advertisers to display banner ads instead of only text on mobile phones. Yahoo, AdMob and Third Screen, which is now owned by AOL, are among other companies that also display banner ads on mobile phones

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Google Launches Medical-Records App

Google Health launched today in what could portend a far more personal, digital future for health-related data. Read on...

Mac vs. PC Microsoft Office 2008 Banner

MS Office for mac Banner from Kai 1000 on Vimeo.

PointRoll's Beanie Awards

The Beanie Award is aptly named for PointRoll's signature product FatBoy, who wears a propeller beanie cap. Selected from over 800 campaigns each month, Beanie Award winners are part of an elite group and represent the most outstanding use of rich media technology through exceptional design, use of functionality or superlative campaign metrics. Less than one percent of all PointRoll campaigns are recognized with a Beanie Award. Each winner receives a special award and an authentic PointRoll propeller beanie hat. And the winners are...

Outstanding creative design and metrics: Sears
Outstanding/innovative use of features: Versus
Innovative use of features: Fox Home
Dynamic XML weather feed.Outstanding/innovative use of features: Trane
Outstanding creative design: Campbell's
Outstanding metrics: Hooters

Cross-Platform Ad Strategies: The Good, The Bad And The Unmeasured

In the fragmented media landscape, cross-platform campaigns have become one of the go-to strategies in an advertiser's arsenal--particularly when it comes to reaching the 18-34 demographic. But as panelists at Digital Hollywood noted on Tuesday, those plans--including branded entertainment deals, in- and around-game ads, and mobile video promotions--still suffer from a lack of standardized performance metrics and clear return on investment.
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