Marketing Trends & Research

• NewFronts players want execs to think outside the box
  The Digital Content NewFronts starting this week wants to be the online equivalent of television's upfront bargaining sessions. Proponents say the event is as much about a paradigm shift to get the industry to take online programming seriously as it is about the money. AOL is among the companies with plans to lure traditional TV advertisers by teaming with Nielsen to measure online content with an equivalent of gross ratings points. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (4/16)      

• Facebook merchants count on anxiety-prone tax filers
  The Tax Day coupon is becoming ritualized in American commerce. Arby's, Chili's, HydroMassage, Panda Express and Seattle's Best are among companies coupling Tax Day with anxiety-assuaging freebies, with many of them using the occasion to stoke their Facebook "like" numbers. USA TODAY (4/14)      

• Latinos love social media but don't get personal
  Though 90% of online U.S. Hispanics are using Facebook and the group is trending way above the general population on Google+, they're not as willing to share personal information, according to a uSamp survey. They're less willing than non-Hispanics to reveal their relationship status, age, political affiliation and even their name online. But as new Latino survey platforms arrive, some companies are taking comfort in knowing that the demographic is willing to share opinions on products, brands and services. MediaPost Communications/The Social Graf blog (4/13)      

Company Watch

• Google's project tries harder with Avis, Alka-Seltzer
  Google has added Alka-Seltzer and Avis to its Project Re:Brief, in which classic creative ads are refreshed to demonstrate to brands how new technology could refresh classic campaigns. For Alka-Seltzer's famous "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" spot, for example, Google showed how the revised edition could be automatically shifted in time and demo depending upon the audience. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Media Decoder blog (4/13)      

• Pandora pitches segmentation to woo local advertisers
  Pandora is courting ad dollars by suggesting that its audience can be better specified than regular radio when determining the listener's age, sex, ZIP code or musical taste. The still unprofitable Internet music streaming service has seen revenue, largely based on advertising, grow in the past two years from $55 million to $274 million and its registered listeners swell to 125 million. Using its audience segmentation to entice local advertisers is seen as a key to a profitable future. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (4/15)      

• Spotify's brand apps bring sponsorships to free music
  Reebok, Intel and McDonald's are among the brands sponsoring song playlists via Spotify. The Internet music streamer let the brands develop in-network applications similar to the ones used by Pitchfork, Billboard and Rolling Stone, helping to compensate for licensing fees for some 10 million free listeners. Each brand is giving its app a differentiating twist. For example, AT&T's "Surround Sounds" associates songs with locations on a map. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (4/13)      

• Other News

• Judge rules Facebook foes haven't proved class status
  Reuters (4/13)      

• Google+ users are only lightly engaged
  eMarketer (4/16)      

Agency News

• Leo Burnett's Foundry fosters talent
  Leo Burnett's "agency inside an agency," called the Foundry, competes for new recruits by allowing recent graduates to experience the full range of agency work, rather than putting them in unsatisfying internships for years. The Foundry has not only become a feeder of new talent but allows the larger shop to go for smaller clients such as art website Artfinder. The Guardian (London) (4/13)      

Marketer News

• Luxury retailers take plush to mobile
  Luxury retailers are beginning to find digital ways to reproduce and complement the high-end experience their stores present to customers. The move has been accelerated by the adoption of mobile devices by the stores' traditional older customers as well as by the rapid growth of luxury shopping among younger, more-connected consumers. CNBC/High Net Worth blog (4/12)      

Sponsored Content

Interactive Media

• Social TV can provide limitless marketing hooks
  Social TV watching with the use of mobile devices can help increase ratings, engage viewers and act as a virtual focus group to improve television programs, Simon Dumenco writes. But marketers should especially be encouraged by how companies such as Watchwith can turn scenes from a show into a natural hook for selling products from that show on the second screen. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (4/13)      

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by IAB SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• CEO says Yahoo!'s future is in content (CNNMoney)

• Nielsen and comScore woo big brands with online-rating tools (Advertising Age (tiered subscription model))

• Could Near Match be the next Google game-changer? (Advertising Age (tiered subscription model))

• Apps for social TV go beyond check-in to conversation (CNNMoney)

• IAB offers improved standards for Web video ads (Adweek)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

IAB News

• Call for entries: IAB MIXX Awards
  Submissions are now being accepted for the 2012 international IAB MIXX Awards -- recognizing creativity and impact in interactive advertising. Submit your best work before the early entry deadline on Friday, May 4. IAB welcomes back esteemed judges, including Jeff Benjamin, Chief Creative Officer at JWT; Benjamin Palmer, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Barbarian Group; and Jane Grenier, Vice President of Integrated Strategy at Condé Nast Media Group, and others -- and the category options have been expanded to provide more opportunities for recognition. Check out the full category list and enter here.      

Position Title Company Name Location Director, Marketing AudienceScience New York, NY Digital Sales Coordinator (Digital Media Planners) Hearst Manhattan, NY Account Executive - Mobile Applications Pandora Internet Radio Oakland, CA Director, Ad Sales Samsung Media Solutions Group San Jose, CA Project Manager, Research, 129963BR Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Atlanta, GA Performance Advertising Mobile/Web Account Executive - Oakland, CA Pandora Internet Radio Oakland, CA Advertising Business Development Manager Pandora Internet Radio Oakland, CA Sales Manager/Director Taykey New York, NY VP of Advertising Sales deviantART Hollywood, CA CNBC Digital Sales Research Manager NBC Universal New York, NY Digital Sales Specialist – NY, NY Outdoor Channel New York, NY

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SmartQuote

People who don't take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year." --Peter Drucker, Austrian-American writer and management consultant