In the latest attempt to thwart regulators, the online advertising industry has agreed on an iconic bit of branding that will be included on online ads that use behavioral data.  The intent of this new standard “i” icon is to educated consumers about targeted ads.
When consumers click on the icon they will be taken to a page explaining how the advertiser uses their Web surfing history and demographic profile to send them certain ads.
Consumers should  start seeing this icon along with phrases like “Why did I get this ad?” Read More

Somehow I doubt this was the kind of context Amazon had in mind when they made this media buy.

Spotted on TechCrunch. Read More

By the time Apple made its formal unveiling today of the iPad, the only real surprise was the price point.  (Jobs’ presentation is worth watching.) Read More

The suspense level is amazingly high. The net is a buzz about what new product will be unveiled by Apple on Wednesday. Apple has been mute on the subject, which seems to be part of the grand marketing strategy because the silence only seems to feed the speculation, chatter and suspense.
Apple issued invitations for a media event scheduled for 10:00 AM Pacific Time on January 27th. The event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Read More

We pay a lot for access — think about your cable or wireless bill.  We may not like it. But that’s the way it is, and we accept it.  Could the same premise work for news? Wednesday, The New York Times announced that it would begin charging for content in 2011. It won’t affect the one-click wonder or casual viewer because The Times plans to use a metered payment system that would allow users to view a certain number of articles for free each month, Read More

American Red Cross launched a mobile fundraising effort on January 12, approximately three hours after the earthquake struck Haiti. As of 9am today, less than two days later, more than $3 million has been raised. And it keeps coming. Read More

What may have started as something that was visually beautiful, has turned into something incredulous.  And it just keeps coming. Read More

The worst decade in the past 50 years. Good riddance. That’s the collective ranking of, and sentiment towards, the oughties in the latest PEW Research Center Study. A mere 27% said their impression of the last decade was positive, compared to 57% for the decade of the 90s. And 50% had an overall negative impression of this decade, compared with just 19% for the 90s.
Given the current financial crisis, it’s not surprising to see sentiment like this in a survey. Read More

Amazing opportunities for transformation exist in the most difficult of times. And it’s those difficult times that can be the catalyst of greatness. Especially for those who can get past their fears and insecurities to take bold steps.
Apple (and Steve Jobs) is the poster child for bold. It seems everywhere you turn today you encounter another story of triumph for Apple, a company that has certainly faced its share of difficulty.
Think about this — Read More

A National Retail Federation survey conducted over the weekend confirms the expected: more people spent less. According to NRF’s Black Friday shopping survey, conducted by BIGresearch, 195 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 172 million last year. However, the average spending over the weekend dropped to $343.31 per person from $372.57 a year ago. Total spending reached an estimated $41.2 billion.
I braved the crowds Friday and a day with my mother-in-law to spend my fair share — Read More