Going (Creatively) Digital
The Washington Post Explores Ways To Subvert Ad Blocking
One of the latest skirmishes in the digital ad-blocking wars involves The Washington Post and its experiment with blocking access to its content if people are using AdBlock Plus software. BuzzFeed cites several examples of would-be readers arriving at the newspaper’s website from various starting points—including social media platforms and search results—only to be confronted with an ultimatum designed to keep ads from being circumvented. In some instances, the Post asks people to subscribe to a free, six-week subscription, while in others it requests registration to a newsletter subscription. People who don’t use ad blockers still can gain access to a limited number of Post articles each month.
Nescafé Brews All-In Approach To Consumer Engagement On Tumblr
Nescafé has wrapped up its global portfolio of websites and consolidated them on a single platform: Tumblr, reports The Drum. This is its way of communicating to the world that, at least for its own purposes, the dotcom is dead and the best way to engage with people is to go where there are lots of them. The Nestle-owned brand is hoping to better connect with younger consumers by being more inclusive and conversational. Nescafé is certainly bucking a trend with its new social direction. The Drum cites data from 2013 showing that barely one-third of the top 100 U.S. brands had a presence on Tumbler. The company says it own data from 2014 show that the average post gets re-blogged about 14 times while the average sponsored post will be re-blogged 10,000 times.
Like It Or Not, Facebook Tracking Browsing Habits To Better Target Ads
Facebook’s “Like” and “Share” buttons, which innumerable publishers have added to their web pages and mobile apps, have long collected data on Facebook users’ browsing habits. According to a report by MIT’s Technology Review, Facebook now will execute its own version sharing of browsing data by using it to better target ads delivered via its ad network. The “Like” and “Share” buttons have irked privacy advocates because they have yielded browsing intelligence even if people don’t click them ever since they were introduced about five years ago. Like many digital giants dependent upon advertising revenue, Facebook says in a blog post that it’s all about being able to deliver ads that are “more useful and relevant” to users.
I’d Like To Buy The World…A Custom Emoji?
Coke has foisted its own custom emoji on the world in a unique deal with Twitter. In an interview with TechCrunch, Ross Hoffman, Twitter’s senior director of global brand strategy, sidestepped the question of whether the Coke emoji amounts to a paid advertising unit and whether similar ones will be made available to other marketers willing to pay for them. “Part of our global alignment with Coca-Cola includes access to resources and first to market offerings and in this case, a custom emoji,” said Hoffman. Until now, Twitter conjured up custom emojis only to highlight special events, like movie premieres and the Video Music Awards. That changes with #Shareacoke, which is accompanied by the image of two bottles of the soft drink.
C-Suite Moves
Holly Rollo to Fortinet as Chief Marketing Officer, from the FireEye, where she was VP, Corporate Marketing.
Paul Crowe to Chief Marketing Officer at Symbility. He also continues as Chief Executive Officer of the company’s Symbility Mobile Innovation division, BNOTIONS.
Todd Ebert to MultiView as Chief Marketing Officer, from ReachLocal, where he had been Chief Marketing Officer.
Cara Whitley to Century 21 Real Estate as Chief Marketing Officer, from Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, where she was Chief Marketing Officer.
