advertising

The Facebook ad bashing continues. The social network is taking another hit regarding its advertising value, and this time it's from the head of the world's largest marketing group.

WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell said he has told Facebook that the social network is great for branding, but not advertising, the MediaGuardian reported today. The statement is another blow to Facebook's efforts to increase its advertising dollars, particularly because the money WPP spends on behalf of its clients accounts for nearly a third of the money spent annually through ad agencies worldwide. Sorrell made the remarks at … Read more

Facebook plans to launch a new mobile advertising feature that will place targeted ads in news feeds based on which apps consumers use, The Wall Street Journal reported today.

In a move to further boost its mobile profile, Facebook plans to roll out the service to developers and advertisers later this month, unnamed sources told the Journal.

The ads will be placed whether or not the user has shown an interest in the company doing the advertising, which is a strange move for Facebook. The company has constantly emphasized its commitment to bringing users advertising content that relates to things … Read more

Mobile applications will drive serious growth in mobile advertising in the coming years, according to a new study.

Juniper Research reported today that in-app advertising will hit $2.4 billion by the end of the year. By 2015, that figure will soar to $7.1 billion.

In-app advertising is widely viewed as the key to success for developers in the coming years. Mobile users are becoming increasingly loath to pay too much for applications, driving prices down. In-app advertising can help soften the blow of charging so little for an expensive app.

"In 2012, it will become increasingly difficult … Read more

After a very public falling-out, Facebook and General Motors may be on the road to rekindling their advertising relationship, according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing sources, that GM and Facebook are in talks to determine what it would take to bring the automobile company back to the social network's advertising platform. The Journal says that Facebook will give GM better data on how the company can increase ad effectiveness.

GM made waves back in May, just ahead of Facebook's IPO, when it decided to pull its $10 million ad campaign from Facebook, … Read more

Yahoo interim CEO Ross Levinsohn has some ideas on how he's going to improve his company's standing among advertisers, according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting today, citing sources, that Levinsohn has decided to refocus Yahoo's business on Web ads. In order to achieve his goal, he wants to generate more content and cling to major events like the Super Bowl and Oscars to attract advertisers. One source told the Journal that Levinsohn believes his chances of keeping the reins at Yahoo will rely upon his ability to keep ad agencies interested in … Read more

Zynga users may have noticed something unfamiliar on the Web site -- Facebook ads have crept over to the gaming platform's site, filling the space that used to house Google ads.

The change was first noticed by Inside Facebook and it has the media speculating up a storm about whether this is the beginning of Facebook's advertising service empire.

Now when you connect with Facebook on Zynga.com, you'll see personalized ads and sponsored stories just like they appear in Facebook, the social network says. According to Facebook, you'll see only sponsored stores about activity that'… Read more

Twitter will start its ad services in 50 countries this year as the company continues to grow overseas, the Guardian reported.

CEO Dick Costolo made outlined the expansion of Twitter's mobile business strategy at an advertising conference in Cannes, France. The first markets to have access will be Latin America, including Brazil, and west European countries such as Spain and Germany.

Twitter's advertising products include promoted tweets, promoted trends and promoted accounts.

While other social media and Internet companies are finding it challenging to make money on mobile platforms -- -- Facebook has been dinged particularly soundly on … Read more

An Australian judge has approved a $2.25 million fine against Apple for misleading consumers Down Under with advertising for its 4G iPad.

The settlement, which was proposed and approved by Apple two weeks ago, puts to rest a lawsuit brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in March that accused Apple of violating the country's consumer law by misleadingly labeling its new iPad as 4G-capable. While the branding on the device specifically said "Wi-Fi + 4G," there aren't any 4G networks compatible with the device in Australia.

The third-generation iPad comes in two varieties: … Read more

With mobile advertising becoming increasingly more important, Facebook appears to be amping it up. According to Bloomberg, the social network is developing a mobile ad product that uses real-time data based on users' locations.

"Phones can be location-specific so you can start to imagine what the product evolution might look like over time, particularly for retailers," Facebook's vice president of global marketing solutions Carolyn Everson told Bloomberg. "We've had offers being tested over the last couple of months."

When the company went public in May, people speculated that in order to keep share prices … Read more