Archive for the ‘Microsoft’ Category

Microsoft’s Bing Updates its Search Engine

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

It now seems that Bing is rolling out updates as fast as the previous one can be digested. It used to be, at best, every quarter. On Thursday Bing announced implementation of testing on a Broad Match Modifier. This modifier is similar to Google’s Broad Match Modifier. It will help create more precise exposures than the Broad Match package and yet still have a broader reach than the Phrase Match package.

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This refinement also accompanies better interactions with browsers. Instead of a nearly exclusive focus on Internet Explorer and Firefox, Bing is also improving its compatibility with Safari and Chrome browsers.

The final update seems particularly exciting for the social media agency. Bing is bringing in rich and integrated ads. When the user hovers the cursor over an item in search results, then a new pane will open providing more information. The offered example is a restaurant. Hovering will bring forth OpenTable.com statistics where the user can make a reservation and see what seating looks like for the restaurant. For non-restaurant searches the rich results might also be part of the auctioning process. There are numerous avenues Bing can pursue and the social media agency will be able to exploit these for better brand marketing.

Bing Broad Match Modifier

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Microsoft Updates AdCenter To Mimic AdSense

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Microsoft is changing AdCenter’s targeting to come into line with Google’s AdWords. After the update AdCenter will allow advertisers to target people in a certain location or if the search parameters indicate the person will be in the location. The location parameter can be quite broad but can narrow down to a specific city. The update is already available to some advertisers in the US and will be fully rolled out to everyone in the coming months. The other aspect of the update that brings AdCenter in line with AdSense is the advertiser’s ability to target the ad solely on location regardless of what query the user searched.

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An improved AdCenter will help Pay-Per-Click Advertisers by offering an alternative to AdSense. Even though AdSense has a larger publisher base, AdCenter is what resolves ads on Bing and Bing related sites, such as Yahoo!. There are also some interesting features through the AdCenter server like rotating ads displaying objects in full 360 degrees. Not only are there differing features but having more options also helps the digital agency better maximize its ROI by offering ads at a different price structure to different viewers.

AdCenter Ups The Ante

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Yahoo, AOL and Microsoft Team Up Against Facebook and Google

Friday, November 11th, 2011

The three dinosaurs of internet advertising have decided to cooperate in an effort to take on the growing shares of Facebook and Google in display advertising. The partnership will begin in early 2012 by integrating their real-time bidding systems. All three publishers have some display advertising which is considered reserved and these reserved ads will not be part of the integration. Some of the non-reserved space is still considered premium and the integration should help make it easier for advertisers, especially younger advertisers, to push their ads with better visibility and lower prices.

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AOL may be the biggest winner in this merger. There was rumor that some AOL clients might be leaving because of dwindling numbers, but this integration should stymie that flight. This merger will also help AOL reach advertising spaces outside of its own media properties.

A concern for advertisers is the further consolidation of the publishing side of advertising. However, the integration of three separate payment options and methods will provide an immediate help to the digital marketing agency. The scale of the three publishers once merged is also quite staggering and might just be large enough to make a dent in the growing domination of Facebook and Google in display advertising.

Partnership

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Countdown To The PC End Begins

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

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Apple’s release of the iPad in 2010 brought predictions about the end of the PC. New data suggests that date will begin in 2015, when it is expected that more people access the internet via mobile devices than with personal computers. The prediction has 2.7 billion people online, which is 40% of the world’s population. Most of the access will be provided by tablets and smartphones, but the proliferation of those devices has fueled other devices, such as smart TVs. It’s all of these types of devices that will supplant the personal computer.

This change will affect the digital agency in three venues of marketing. The first venue is ecommerce. As more and more people go online we can expect them to make more purchases online. This development is not unique to the displacement of the PC, as it is computers and not necessarily mobile computers that will drive this trend. What will happen with the growth of mobile computing is the increasing access to the internet. Wi-fi hot spots will become even more common and free and will even penetrate into areas normally unavailable to broadband, let alone wi-fi. It’s that increasing connectivity from which the digital agency will profit.

As connectivity increases so to will remote working. What PC displacement will bring is cheaper and more capable portable computing. Businesses will find less and less reasons to restrain employees to desks in large cluttered rooms, when the same output (arguably more output) can be achieved in other locations. Those workers will need a centralized virtual location and the digital agency can profit from those increased enterprise locations. Companies may want to publish advertisements as a way to subsidize the cost of the virtual location, or they may just see an opportunity to increase their profits.

The third, and most lucrative, venue for increased digital marketing is local search. More and more people being connected and out and about means more searches for local services. Even directions to the nearest big box retailer sometimes require a search. A search is definitely required to find the best rate on an oil change or the best enchiladas in town. The displacement of the PC can only push people into making more inquiries online with their portable devices.

The Death of PC’s

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