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New Apple ad: "Designed Together"
Another day, another operating system, another Apple ad. Today's ad features the iPhone 5c and jauntily demonstrates how the colors of the iPhone 5c, the Apple-designed "holy case," and iOS 7 are all in sync in terms of the use of color. It's fun, it's bouncy, and it's embedded below. Interestingly, you can see the actual song used in the ad -- Norwegian electronica duo Lemaitre's 1:18 -- visible in the Music app at about the 30 second mark.
Google's AdID, an anonymous identifier for advertising, could replace the aging cookie
You know the drill: accept the cookie, delete the cookie, empty the cookie bin, and so on. Mostly, it's an exercise used when attempting to get your mum's PC to run a wee bit faster, but if you think about it, the cookie is one of the most archaic pieces of the world wide web that's still in use today. Naturally, Google is swooping in in a bid to change the status quo, according to a new report from USA Today. Essentially, the search giant is building an "anonymous identifier for advertising, or AdID, that would replace third-party cookies as the way advertisers track people's internet browsing activity for marketing purposes." Perhaps astoundingly, it sounds as if the project could benefit both consumers (by shielding true identities) and advertisers at the same time. Of course, pundits are concerned about the global leader in online advertising controlling the technology that tracks movements on the web, but to us, it sounds as if end users will get far more power over who sees what when compared to today's cookies.
Apple reportedly pitching ad skipping technology to cable companies
Tim Stevens, forever known as a bearded legend and a dignified gentleman in the realm of Engadget, once placed a small sum of money into a charity bet with Gene Munster. At question, as you'll likely surmise, was whether or not Apple would reinvent television before the end of the year. The outfit's CEO has since upgraded the Apple TV from a hobby to an "area of intense interest," and it seems that discussions are indeed in the works. Jessica Lessin, formerly of Wall Street Journal fame, has been known to break an Apple story or two, and she's recently published a report that puts Apple and cable companies at the table to discuss the premise of ad skipping. Simply put, Apple wants to offer consumers the ability to watch live and on-demand programming "over an Apple set-top box or TV" at a premium, with ads being skipped over and ISPs receiving a slice of the money. That money, of course, would seemingly have to trickle down to the companies who are getting (potentially) shafted when it comes to air time, but details surrounding that notion seem to be unclear. Of course, one could say that folks are already addicted to skipping ads, and if Apple's crafting an idea to make anything from a phenomenon that's already happening... well, you could certainly imagine one or two executives having a listen.
Facebook Home 'Airplane' ad brings one traveler's News Feed aboard -- literally
Sure, Facebook had a weird ad with Blink-182 for the HTC Status, but this sneak peek at its newest TV spot for the First and Home is on another level. Posted today on the company's Facebook page, the campy piece literally brings one traveler's feed to life inside the cabin of his flight during boarding. We won't spoil the goods for you, but it's interesting to see Facebook's first thrust at marketing this skin and smartphone combo out to the masses. Catch the full clip after the break.
Google yanks ad-blocking apps from Play Store, points to developer agreement
You know how it goes -- "rules" are only "rules" if someone bothers to enforce them. And enforce Google has. While programs such as AdBlock, AdAway, AdFree and the like have been running unabated for quite some time now, Google has evidently buckled down and yanked the lot of 'em overnight. Of course, the company's Play Store developer agreement already makes clear that apps designed specifically to hinder the natural course of advertising won't be allowed, but it's certainly interesting to see the company finally making good on its words. Specifically, the agreement states: "You agree that you will not engage in any activity with the Market, including the development or distribution of Products, that interferes with, disrupts, damages, or accesses in an unauthorized manner the devices, servers, networks, or other properties or services of any third party including, but not limited to, Android users, Google or any mobile network operator." See that bit about third-party clients' services? We're guessing that it's in reference to implementations of advertising code. Looks like the wild, wild west has a sheriff in town.
Matt Groening's pre-Simpsons art for Apple
Matt Groening of The Simpsons fame worked on some offbeat illustrations for Apple in the late '80s. According to Linus Edwards of VintageZen, Groening has never publicly spoken about the ads, but images of the works are still floating around the internet. Edwards has compiled some of these unique ads and discusses their background. We've already seen Groening's college brochure several years ago, but the other one-page ads inspired by Groening's Life in Hell series are a bit more rare. Head over to VintageZen to check them out. [Via The Loop]
The Daily Grind: What great feature do you think deserves more publicity?
No one talks about The Secret World's stealth missions. A few people do, but by and large if you asked a random person about the game they'd mention investigation missions and then stop. Which is a shame, because while the stealth-based missions aren't on par with Metal Gear Solid or points related, they're incredibly clever and universally fun to play through. They're also a great way to bring in some of the sense of horror and danger that the game wants to create. It's hardly surprising that an MMO would have some features that get more or less advertisement; after all, there are a lot of moving parts in any given MMO, and it's easy to miss one or two things along the way. So today's your chance to rectify that. What great feature in a game do you think deserves more publicity? Is it a type of quest, a combat system, or even just a minor bit of visual customization? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
A New Year, a new iPhone 5 ad -- 'Dream'
A new iPhone 5 ad has just shown up on YouTube. "Dream," oddly enough, highlights the one feature of the iPhone 5 that wasn't working properly this morning -- Do Not Disturb. In this case, Do Not Disturb is being used to keep a nice dream going ... a dream in which the narrator is playing table tennis against the Williams sisters, and winning. Thanks to Andrew for the tip!
Will Ferrell Apple Switch ads are a holiday-themed blast from the past
Remember these fun Christmas ads from Apple that featured Will Ferrell as S. Claus? It's hard to believe they are 10 years old (part of Apple's short-lived Switch campaign, which also launched early Internet celebrity Ellen Feiss). Grab a cup of peppermint-flavored coffee and take a walk down memory lane this Christmas Eve.
Facebook pauses efforts to launch ad network
Remember that mobile ad network that Facebook ushered into beta around three months ago? Don't look for it to escape anytime soon. Per a new report from AllThingsD, spokesman Brandon McCormick has stated the following: "We are pausing our mobile ads test off of Facebook. While the results we have seen and the feedback from partners has been positive, our focus is on scaling ads in mobile news feed before ads off of Facebook. We have learned a lot from this test that will be useful in the future." For those unaware, the general goal was for Facebook to place its own ads on other developer's mobile apps, and given the wealth of data it has on a billion or so users, you'd think said plan was pretty sound. Of course, gearing up to launch something to rival Google's AdSense network is no small feat, and we're left to assume that Facebook would rather wait and get it right than launch a subpar alternative. There's no word yet on when the pause button will be pressed once more, but you can probably assume it won't be until Q1 2013 at the earliest.
"iMac touch" parody video is pretty cute
By now, just about everyone who's been watching TV or visited the Apple website lately has seen the iPad mini ad. It shows someone tapping out the counterpoint to Heart and Soul on an iPad, with another hand joining in on the melody on an iPad mini. It's clever and cute, and now someone has come up with a parody video that's even more fun. Without killing the punchline by telling you what the video's all about, here it is: [via Gizmodo]
Microsoft airs its first Surface tablet ad, focuses on keyboard, kickstand and... dancers?
Considering how interested we are in trying out Microsoft's new Surface Windows 8 tablets, it turns out we should've been practicing the art of dance instead of blogging. The first TV spot for the tablets aired tonight during Dancing with the Stars, fitting, since it featured an entire troupe of dancers and was directed by Jon Chu, best known for his work on flicks like the Step Up series and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. While it didn't expose any deep details about the hardware, its potential pricetag or the software running on it, it appears Microsoft will separate itself from the pack based on that slick Touch Cover, Type Cover and kickstand. At the end it teases "coming 10/26" and promises a future behind the scenes video from the ad, but that's it. Check out the minute-long spot itself embedded after the break and let us know if you spot any new information about the slate.
Facebook's new mobile ad network goes into beta, serves advertisements on third party sites and apps
Facebook already sports advertisements baked into its own website and mobile apps, and now it'll begin serving ads on other handset-optimized websites and smartphone applications. TechCrunch reports that the firm has begun testing a new ad network that leverages user data to display hyper-relevant ads on third party turf. Instead of relying on vanilla tracking cookies to gain insight into visitor interests, the platform accesses information including age, gender, likes, location, which apps friends have used and other data points when users are logged into a site or application with Facebook credentials. Zuckerberg and Co.'s solution lets advertisers bid on certain demographics and uses existing networks such as iAds and AdMob to serve appropriate ads based on anonymous ID's tied to Facebook accounts. For now, Menlo Park's new program is limited to the all-important mobile market, but don't be surprised if the service finds its way to the desktop.
Every new Kindle Fire model is ad-subsidized with lock screen 'Special Offers'
Amazon's roster of fresh Kindle Fire slates won't just be delivering content for your entertainment, they'll also be serving up ads. That's right, each of the new tablets will greet users with "Special Offers" on their lock screens like some of the firm's other e-readers, which matches previous rumors nicely. While the low-end Kindle and Paperwhite devices come in both subsidized and ad-free flavors, its tablet brethren aren't getting the same treatment. Also, there's no word if you'll be able to avoid gracing the advertisements with your eyeballs in exchange for some additional cash once you have the hardware in hand. Alongside messages from other companies, the folks in Seattle promise to offer a $5 credit for both the Amazon MP3 and Instant Video Stores.
Did Amazon just tease football fans with new Kindle devices?
Watching tonight's Cowboys / Giants game? We hope you stuck around for the commercials, because Amazon may have given NFL fans a glimpse of what's to come during tomorrow's event. According to folks watching the game, the firm ran a brief commercial featuring what appears to be a pair of Kindle devices, which comfortably fit previous reports that two new versions will be landing soon. One of the devices packs a touchscreen in a black finish, and looks distinct from hardware in the company's current lineup. At any rate, you can catch the minute-long TV spot after the break or wait until the firm's press conference tomorrow for concrete details. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
YouTube heralds arrival of in-stream ads, built-in annoyance for mobile devices
If you've made it a habit of viewing YouTube videos on your mobile device in an effort to flout the site's pre-roll ads, your days of bliss are quickly drawing to a close. Today, the site implemented TrueView in-stream ads for the mobile platform, and like you've become accustomed to on the desktop, you'll begin to notice these commercials on your smartphone and tablet. Now, we get the need for content producers to make some coin, but the move certainly represents the end of an era. Fortunately, just like on the desktop, you'll have the ability to skip these ads after five seconds. Maybe now, you can take pride in making an independent producer rich beyond imagination -- or, at least helping them buy some lunch.
Boingo snaps up Cloud Nine Media to expand its ad-sponsored WiFi network
Boingo tried its hand at free WiFi with Google earlier this summer, and now it's acquired Cloud Nine Media to help it claim a larger slice of the sponsored internet access pie. Though Boingo's 500,000 subscription-based access points vastly outnumber its acquisition's 6,000 ad-sponsored locations, it hopes to use the newly purchased company's hotspot sponsorship and ad-sales expertise to increase its free WiFi footprint. "This acquisition allows us to bring that capability in-house to better serve our growing need to deliver sponsored WiFi," Boingo CEO David Hagan told AllThingsD. Naturally, the firm's $9.95-a-month plan will live on, but it's good to know that Boingo will enable more folks to surf the web free of charge from here on out. [Image credit: Charleston's TheDigitel, Flickr]
Windows 8 in-app advertisements get their own preview
Microsoft's own advertising blog (yes, it exists) has revealed how its going to frame ads inside incoming Metro-themed apps. While announcing partnerships with six different ad design teams, Microsoft threw up an example, above, that ties together a Seattle Sounders FC app with a panel showing off a pair of Adidas' latest Predator cleats. The adis located at the far edge of the apparently scroll-able app and clicking / tapping on the side will launch into a dedicated page, with a back button visibly ready to swing you back. While it looks relatively unobtrusive at the moment, the background of the app will also be up for advertising grabs, able to integrate videos, text and other media. Let's hope it doesn't ruin those delicate Metro lines when Windows 8 finally arrives.
Walmart ad hints at Vudu streaming on Roku players
We've wondered ever since Roku's media streamers went on sale at Walmart about a year ago when or if the retailer's Vudu streaming service would be available on them, and that time may be drawing near. While there's still no official word or appearance of the channel, Dave Zatz posted an image of an upcoming June 10th Walmart ad from SlickDeals.net for the Roku HD that includes a logo for Vudu. Of course, even if the app is released, as he mentions there's no assurance they'd be able to handle the highest quality HDX streaming, but it would be one more way to get video on-demand, and access to cloud stored Ultraviolet movies.
EA: emerging ad trends in social games
Advertising is poised to take a bigger role in mobile gaming now that Electronic Arts has signed a multimillion dollar, year-long advertising campaign with Unilever, says a report in AllThingsD. Unilever is a multinational consumer goods company that owns such brands as Dove, Ben & Jerry's, Lipton and more. EA is using its popular Facebook game, The Sims Social, as a vector to introduce advertising for Unilever products like Dove. When players enter the bathroom, they will be able to shower with Dove shampoo. During the summer, their refrigerators can be stocked with Magnum Mini ice cream bars. These branded virtual goods are enticing to players because they are often offered for free. This advertising deal isn't limited to Facebook. It's a cross-platform agreement that could push branded virtual goods into The Sims line of games on iOS devices and consoles like the Xbox 360.
