LinkedIn To Launch Their Own Ad Network

While most social networks struggle to sell advertising due to lack of proper segmentation and totally irrelevant content for advertisers, LinkedIn has so much demand that they decided to launch their own ad network. LinkedIn claims 27 million registered users, according to comScore, 5.2 million from the U.S. visited the site in July (8.7 million worldwide).

Microsoft new ad: I’m a PC and I’ve been made into a stereotype

Microsoft’s new ads begin with company employee Sean Siller – who looks a whole lot like John Hodgman, the actor who plays the PC in Apple’s ads – saying “I’m a PC and I’ve been made into a stereotype”,  directly targeting Apple. It’s an interesting strategy attacking directly Apple’s implication that Mac is cool and PC’s are boring…

Microsoft + Seinfeld + Gates = FAIL

There’s a fine line between crazy and genius and CPB’s new Microsoft has drawn some attention and criticism at least in the advertising community. The common consensus is that it was a disaster, but is there more to it? As nicely said by nowpublic:

The widespread consensus: Microsoft + Jerry + Bill = FAIL. The result: Gates + Seinfeld = CANCELLED. The Microsoft version: it was all part of the plan.

Behavioral Advertising Invades Privacy

Introduction
Imagine a device that scan all internet activity and throttle p2p traffic, reduce spam, protect against hacking attacks, scan against viruses, all done in real time for millions of users. Now imagine the same device can also read all your email, know what sites you visit, see every form post you submit, read every instant message you send, know about every comment you make on social networks, know about your buying habits, know about your searches, know about the videos  you watch, know about the music you listen to, and imagine that this device stores all this information about build a really detailed behavioral profile on you, and partners with advertisers to target the perfect adverb specifically for you.

The Sun UK bets on Air & Sex

Sex in advertising is the use of sexual attraction as a tool of persuasion to draw interest to a particular product, for purpose of sale. Gallup & Robinson, an advertising and marketing research firm reports that in more than 50 years of testing advertising effectiveness, it has found the use of the erotic to be a significantly above-average technique in communicating with the marketplace. 

The Sun, a UK newspaper decided to develop a desktop RSS reader to push their news and highlights; now that’s a boring idea. Why would you download yet another RSS reader? Maybe because this one has Keeley Hazell, a Sun page 3 model that usually involves her appearing topless or on a nice tasteful lingerie.

Microsoft explains why the ad is so lame

“This first set of ads features Bill Gates and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Think of these ads as an icebreaker to reintroduce Microsoft to viewers in a consumer context. Later this month, as the campaign moves into its next phase, we’ll go much deeper in telling the Windows story and celebrating what it can do for consumers at work, at play and on-the-go.” explains Microsoft SVP Bill Veghte, in an internal email to all employees.