Ad targeting has had a big 2012 so far, and all signs are pointing to a continuation of its momentum in 2013. Facebook going public in May highlighted data and inventory, two advertising commodities that became hot topics in 2012. “The recent introduction of the Facebook Ad Exchange (FBX) represents a huge opportunity for advertisers […]

Facebook Gifts is now selling iTunes digital gift certificates. When a Facebook user purchases an iTunes gift card, they will be able to set the amount put on the card ($10, $15, $25 or $50) and attach recommendations for what the recipient should spend their iTunes credit on. Recommendations can be categories, like “Top Albums,” […]

Clickbooth, an affiliate network, has agreed to pay $2 million to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that its affiliate marketers duped customers with the use of phony weight-loss claims involving acai berry supplements and “colon cleansers” on fake news sites. The FTC will use the $2 million to give refunds to consumers who were […]

Thanksgiving and Black Friday are behind us, Cyber Monday is upon us, and 2013 is awaiting us. Yes, we’re in the homestretch of 2012, which means there are lots of things lead-generation marketers should be doing to wrap things up well this year and set their ships on the right course for 2013. Holiday offers […]

Last week e-commerce darling Fab began selling gifts through LivingSocial’s website and marketing channels. Fab is featuring 50 of its “top picks” from its Holiday Shops in LivingSocial’s gift guide. A LivingSocial executive said the deal with Fab will help the daily-deals company transition from being a provider of local daily deals to a destination […]

Pinterest recently announced pages for businesses, which offer verification similar to what’s offered with Twitter’s verified accounts. The announcement also introduced new buttons, widgets, terms and more. But what does this official embrace of businesses mean for brands on Pinterest? And what will all this look like 12 months from now? Econsultancy spoke with three […]

Mobile consumers are typically further along in the purchase cycle, which makes them a sizable group of potential conversions. “However, monetizing this ready-to-buy audience requires tailored mobile ad strategies that reflect distinct buyer motivations and behaviors across vertical categories and even devices.” To monetize this ready-to-buy audience, here are four tips: 1) avoid adopting a […]

According to comScore, Black Friday hit $1.04 billion in online sales, the biggest spending day in 2012 and a 26 percent boost from Black Friday last year. The report notes that Thanksgiving Day saw $633 million in spending, a 32 percent increase from last year. Nov. 1-23 saw $13.7 billion in online spending, up 16 […]

Last week Twitter unveiled its new image search function, which allows users to preview photos that appear atop search results. (Try “#dogs” and “#cats” to see examples.) The feature, which has been a long time coming, brings Twitter deeper into its battle with Instagram. For now, image results only show up for selected terms, and […]

ReachLocal, a local online marketing firm, has put together a timely infographic regarding Small Business Saturday. It holds a five helpful tips for small businesses looking to compete against bigger competitors this holiday season. Tamara Weintraub, content marketing manager at ReachLocal, summarizes the pointers in the infographic: 1) Your potential customers are spending more and […]