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In today’s Signal, Kony 2012 director Jason Russell’s unfortunate tale has some wondering if the Web can drive us mad; Twitter eyes a walled garden; L.A ad agencies prove to be well-armed in the digital revolution; yet another reason to question display ads, courtesy of a Microsoft failure; global Internet ad spend sees double-digit growth; and more.
To the links…
Is The Web Driving Us Mad? (DailyBeast/Newsweek) What happened to film director Jason Russell between the time he posted a link to his “Kony 2012” video on the Web and when he was found naked on a street corner ranting about the devil has researchers wondering about the Internet’s deleterious effects on the mind.
Twitter Follows Facebook Down the Walled Garden Path (The Verge) The powers-that-be at Twitter may believe the best way to attract big brand advertisers (and the revenue that comes with them) is to move from an open platform that’s popular among independent developers to a walled garden similar to FB’s. Our own John Battelle believes that a large part of this story is missing and will share his thoughts here soon.
Digital Advertising Agencies are Built for the Internet Age (LATimes) The digital revolution has created a bounty of business for ad agencies, and for those well-armed in L.A., it’s boom time.
Microsoft Loss ReflectsWeb Display Ad World Woes (Reuters) Microsoft’s recent admission of its failed deal with aQuantive is just the latest recognition of display advertising failure. As Internet users train themselves to avoid display ad marketing, those in the ad space are being forced to question the performance of display ads, and rethink.
Global Internet Ad Spend Sees Double-Digit Growth, Outpaces Other Media (Nielsen) Advertisers are spending 12.1 percent more in the first quarter of 2012 than they did in Q1 2011. Growth was particularly notable in Europe (12.1%), Latin America (31.8%) and the Middle East & Africa (35.2%).
What If Teens Prefer Twitter to Facebook? (AdAge) Teenagers’ use of Twitter over Facebook suggests that we may be on the verge of a historic social platform shift that might mimic the time when users flocked to FB from MySpace. In light of that, marketers should pay attention and think twice before taking Facebook’s continued preeminence for granted.
Year Zero: This Is What the Beach Was Made For (Battelle Media) John gives Rob Reid’s Year Zero two thumbs up, calling the new novel “a hilarious send up of the music industry, mixed, naturally, with a ripping yarn about aliens, romance, and intergalactic politics.” He also includes Reid’s very clever book “trailer” (video). Don’t miss it!
5 Ways Brands Use Pinterest To Authentically Connect (Fast Company) Creating interesting images to share with others is the key to success on Pinterest, a site that’s quickly become one of the top platforms for brands.
Meet The 22 Most Influential Advertising Bloggers (BI) Business Insider editors scoured more than 300 marketing blogs to find the 22 that they believe are truly must-reads. The list includes I Am The Client!, allegedly written by someone who serves as the marketing director for an unnamed company; Steffan Postaer’s Gods of Advertising; Mashable Advertising, and Agency Spy.
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