advertising

Google's 'I'm Feeling Lucky' button gets Playful, Artistic

Google's ingenious marketing and creative departments -- the folks who tirelessly reinvent the company's logo in the form of "doodles" (and by so doing seem to have taken branding to a whole new realm) -- have produced a new and equally irresistible gimmick.

This time around, as noticed by AllThingsD's Mike Isaac, it's a change to the Google home page's iconic "I'm Feeling Lucky" button.

When you mouse-over the button, it "spins" like the display on a slot machine and stops on any one of several "I'… Read more

Facebook's search results now include ads

If you've been using the search bar feature in Facebook lately, you may have noticed some discreetly placed sponsored search results -- Facebook lingo for advertisements -- popping up.

Facebook is rolling out a sponsored results feature today that will allow marketers to target users in search results. The social network has been testing the feature for about a month now, but today the creative ads will reach a wider audience, according to a Facebook spokesperson.

This means if a user searches for an app or page using the Facebook search bar, the search results could include sponsored ads … Read more

Bigger ads, bigger bucks? Facebook feels Wall Street heat

See that image above? That's a plain old giant banner ad grabbed from my Facebook page. It appeared after I logged out. Facebook actually calls them "Logged Out" ads. It rolled them out in February when it was trying to show Madison Avenue it was serious about brand advertising in advance of its IPO.

A social ad? Sort of, I guess. It wants me to "like" it to get an insurance quote. But make no mistake: While Facebook can come up with whatever terminology it wants, this is the sort of ad that Mark Zuckerberg … Read more

Apple wins patent on audio, video ad skipper

Apple has won a rather interesting patent on a way to let consumers sidestep commercials.

Dubbed "Seamless switching between radio and local media," the patent describes a method for "seamlessly switching media playback between a media broadcast, such as a radio broadcast, and media from a local media library." That seamless switching occurs when the respective device "determines that an upcoming media item in a media broadcast is not of interest to a user."

AppleInsider was first to report on the patent.

Apple's patent could solve a problem many app users face today. … Read more

Were you a 'weird' kid? Nike wants to hear from you

Did you consider yourself a "weird" kid growing up? If so, we applaud you! Also, you could win a pair of Nikes.

Not just any Nikes, mind you. Nikes inspired by "ParaNorman," the stop-motion animated adventure that opened last week. The film centers on a misunderstood young outsider with unusual abilities, like being able to talk with the dead.

"You don't become a hero by being normal" declares the site for the shoe giveaway, which is being sponsored by Nike and Laika Studios, also maker of "Coraline," another film about a fantastical childhood. … Read more

Get top dollar for iPhone trade-ins

Wednesday's Update pays top dollar to bring you the top stories:

Analysts are predicting that as many as 10 million iPhones could be sold if Apple launches it in September. That's because many reports are pointing to a Sept. 21 release date for the next model. So if you're planning on selling your old phone for cash, you should plan ahead to make the most money. Trade-in sites like eBay Instant Sale, NextWorth and Gazelle are already seeing an increase of visitors looking to sell an iPhone 4S or iPhone 4.

You can get more money for … Read more

Facebook looks to amp up ads in users' news feeds

Facebook is getting users accustomed to ads slowly and incrementally. One small change, then another -- that way, users get used to seeing them.

The social network began testing one more way to bring in ads today: dropping them into people's news feeds even though the user or their friends aren't necessarily fans of the brand or product.

According to TechCrunch, these tests are part of a hard-hitting Web and mobile news feed ad unit geared toward impressing investors. The way it would work is advertisers could pay to display their Pages in users' news feeds without having … Read more

Windows 8 sticks with IE10 Do Not Track by default

Microsoft is not likely to win over advertisers with its decision to turn on Internet Explorer 10's Do Not Track feature in the RTM version of Windows 8.

The Do Not Track, or DNT, feature is designed to stop third-party Web sites from tracking your online activity. Web sites that find Do Not Track turned on in your browser are supposed to back off. Most browsers leave the setting turned off, leaving it up to the user to decide whether to enable it.

But a blog post from Microsoft Chief Privacy Officer Brendon Lynch confirmed that the company is … Read more

Judge casts doubt on Facebook 'Sponsored Stories' privacy deal

A U.S. District Court judge has some concerns about the settlement Facebook struck over privacy concerns with its "Sponsored Stories" feature.

Judge Richard Seeborg yesterday heard the details of a settlement Facebook had inked with plaintiffs in a suit related to the way in which the social network was displayed Sponsored Stories. The five plaintiffs, which aimed at representing over 100 million members in a class-action suit, argued that by displaying their likeness and pages they had liked in a Sponsored Stories listing across the site, Facebook was violating their privacy. However, back in May, the parties agreed to a $20 million deal … Read more