Marketing Biz: Marissa Gives Microsoft The Finger

The week in marketing seemed quiet (perhaps because of Sandy and the impending election) but was actually full of big news and trends.

In the big news bucket was an unassuming post that Yahoo! would ignore the IE10 Do Not Track signal and data that indicates that privacy and cookie concerns are overblown.

In the trends bucket was a string of SMB and mobile news, sometimes paired together, that point to a changing (and challenging) environment for marketers.

This is … Marketing Biz.

In Support of a Personalized User Experience

Ultimately, we believe that DNT must map to user intent — not to the intent of one browser creator, plug-in writer, or third-party software service. Therefore, although Yahoo! will continue to offer Ad Interest Manager and other tools, we will not recognize IE10’s default DNT signal on Yahoo! properties at this time.

This item didn’t seem to get as much attention as I think it deserves. Marissa Mayer is betting on personalization as a way to turn around Yahoo. Here she’s essentially giving Microsoft the finger and telling them Yahoo won’t honor the default Do Not Track on Internet Explorer 10. This is a big move and one that advertisers (with deep pockets) are sure to love.

Mobile To Overtake PCs (“Never A Consumer Product”) In 2015

In the US, IDC forecasts that the number of people accessing the internet through PCs will shrink from 240 million consumers in 2012 to 225 million in 2016, forecasts IDC. At the same time, the number of mobile users will increase from 174 million to 265 million, surpassing PC internet users.

The change from desktop to mobile (and tablets) is coming faster than many might have imagined. Marketers of all variety will need to understand the context users have while on different screens. The experience may be similar but the way we approach and interact with it will be quite different. It’s the difference between sitting in a parked car versus driving a car.

OpenX Acquires Pioneering Content Valuation Company JumpTime

The combination of JumpTime’s content optimization platform with OpenX’s existing ad technology creates a unique content and advertising technology system. For the first time in the digital advertising industry, publishers can ensure that they are receiving the highest price for their advertising while also generating the page and video views that deliver the most engagement and the highest value for their content.

There are a number of competing technologies in this space and you might be able to combine two to get the same result. That said, having both of these features under one ‘roof’ may be appealing to a number of publishers.

Majority of consumers ignore privacy and cookie info

It seems that the vast majority of web users are not too concerned about viewing information about privacy and cookies, with just 1.47% clicking to find out more.

Stats from a sample of 35m users of 29 websites from TRUSTe show that a tiny minority are choosing to find out more about cookies, while the majority of those choose not to change settings.

Even if you think that the presentation of this link isn’t prominent, what’s telling is that the majority of those who do visit the interface don’t change their settings. Despite the manufactured hype, user behavior indicates they’re not too concerned. It’s not what users say, it’s what they do that really matters.

Foundry Group bets $8M that isocket is the “Admeld of premium advertising”

“There’s no reason buying a premium online ad should have 900% more overhead cost than buying a comparable TV ad, and our mission is to fix that,” says isocket’s CEO. The company claims that its one click ordering system offers in minutes what used to take days of manual effort and an average of $41,000 in overhead costs.

Remnant inventory has been the target for most of the ad technologies, yet premium advertising is where the bulk of the money (and effectiveness) resides. isocket seems well positioned as the Internet matures and traditional advertising budgets shift online.

Electronic Payment Wallet Patents Acquired by Google

A joint motion to dismiss, with prejudice, was filed and granted on September 5, 2012. It doesn’t state the reason why the suit is being dismissed, and we don’t know the details of Google’s acquisition of the E-Micro Corporation patents. But the execution date of the patent acquisition is August 28, 2012, and the transaction was recorded at the USPTO on October 25, 2012.

I’m not a huge fan of the patent suits and swapping going on but think that this signals just how passionate Google is about Wallet. In handicapping the race for mobile payments I still see Google with the best odds.

Save time when purchasing things on your phone with Google Wallet

Typically, on mobile websites, you need to key in 17-20 fields of information on a small screen while having to click and scroll through multiple pages to provide shipping and billing information. It’s no wonder up to 97% of mobile shoppers abandon their mobile shopping carts. Google Wallet makes it easy and secure for you. Simply click the Buy with Google Wallet button, log into Google Wallet and click to complete your order. That’s it — you’re done in 3 steps.

This is a smart move. Reducing friction is a great way to increase adoption of Google Wallet. I’m interested to test it out but also want to learn whether the retailer retains the email address and relationship.

WalkMe raises $5.5 million to guide you through the web

WalkMe has raised $5.5 million to help guide you through the internet, providing clues and information to users before they end up with customer support or sending emails asking for help. Launched in April, the company sees itself as a simpler solution to customer support.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about this product. On the one hand it’s an interesting way to ensure users are able to get through site tasks. On the other hand, having to do this may indicate that you have fundamental user experience problems.

Vimeo launches tips jar for content creators

Vimeo has just launched a tip jar to help content creators earn money from their videos. A “pay to view” option is coming soon. These are the first steps in what could become a widespread micropayments ecosystem on the video-sharing site. It’s a positive step for content creators.

I love both of these ideas, particularly the potential for a ‘pay to view’ option. More intriguing is whether this model catches on. Bloggers might benefit from a FasTrak like micropayment system baked into a browser.

LocBox nabs $5.1 million Series A to run local marketing campaigns

For local barbers or tattoo artists, launching an advertising campaign on Facebook or Twitter might not come easily. LocBox, a Bay-area startup that came out of AngelPad’s winter 2011 class, has raised $5.1 million to build large-scale marketing campaigns for small-scale businesses.

Small businesses struggle with marketing. This was true even before the Internet but is now compounded by the massive gap in technological savvy. The company or companies who figure out how to narrow that gap will be very successful.

User Friendly Media Acquires App Express

User Friendly Media, the second largest independent directory publisher in the U.S., announced today that it has acquired App Express, the affordable mobile app builder for small and medium-sized businesses. This strategic addition will allow User Friendly Media to rapidly expand its mobile strategy and offer a full suite of print and digital products that connect buyers and sellers.

Another instance where a company is looking to reduce the technology barriers for small businesses. This is a great short-term move but the long-term viability of apps may run its course in the next few years. The question is how quickly can small businesses adapt to these technology changes?

(Bird image via Flickr user molajen. Used under Creative Commons license.)