Affiliate Marketing News

Gunning for Google: MSN Reveals Paid Search Plans

MarketingVox reports:

MSN officially announced that it is planning to launch a test version of a keyword bid management platform - MSN Keywords - in October, reports ClickZ. The pilot program will be limited to 500 marketers, by invitation only.

The news, anticipated for some months now, comes as Ask Jeeves on Monday announced its own PPC platform and Yahoo on Wednesday introduced its contextual ad network for small publishers.

All three are gunning for Google in what is among online advertising's fastest-growing segments - projected to rise 40 percent to $5.4 billion in the U.S. this year, from $3.9 billion last year, according to eMarketer, writes the Wall Street Journal.

Full story: http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2005/08/05/gunning_for_google_msn_reveals_paid_search_plans/.

Google Tests Longer AdWords Description

MarketingVox reports:

According to a post on ThreadWatch (via Search Engine Lowdown) an email invitation from Google offers selected AdWords beta testers the opportunity to use up to 200 characters in the description field - up from the current limit of 70 characters - in a bid to improve click-through. The poster surmises that the move may presage "a concerted attack" on Yahoo's advertiser base - "After all, the extra chars were (IMO) one of Ys strongest differentiators from the AdWords product."

Full story: http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2005/08/04/google_tests_longer_adwords_description/.

FTC Charges Seven Companies for Affiliate Spam

Ken Magill reports:

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has charged seven companies with violating anti-porn provisions of the CAN-SPAM Act as a result of activity by their marketing affiliates, the commission announced yesterday.

Though the seven firms didn't e-mail consumers directly, they operated affiliate marketing programs in which they paid others to send spam on their behalf, the FTC said.

Under the CAN-SPAM Act, which became effective Jan. 1, 2004, companies are liable for illegal spam sent by their affiliates.

At the FTC's request, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed suit against three of the companies: TJ Web Productions of Henderson, Nev., Cyberheat Inc. of Tucson, Ariz., and Impulse Media of Seattle. The DOJ is seeking unspecified civil penalties and a permanent bar on illegal marketing by the firms.

Full story: http://www.clickz.com/news/article.php/3521766

eMarketer: Fear Not the Cookie Monster

MarketingVox reports:

According to eMarketer's just-released "The Cookie Report," web advertisers and publishers must convince internet users of the benefits of cookies, which vast numbers of users are reported to regularly delete; unless consumers are convinced not to do so, the online ad industry could face major problems, according to the report. Consumers should come to understand that "cookies are harmless, that they don't violate privacy and that they are not a type of spyware."

Full story: http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2005/07/20/emarketer_fear_not_the_cookie_monster/

Third-Party Cookies Crumble For E-tailers

Enid Burns reports:

Companies would do wisely to use first-party instead of third-party cookies, according to findings from Coremetrics research.

The company revealed findings from its LIVEmark Index, a service that provides benchmark performance tracking for over 110 online retail brands. It found anonymous traffic accounts for 13.8 percent of traffic on retail Web sites using third-party cookies. Retail sites that have adapted first-party cookies fare much better, with an average 0.6 percent anonymous traffic rate.

Warnings against third-party cookie use have become common of late. In May, WebTrends released similar findings and recommendations on third-party cookie deletion. The Coremetrics competitor also plans to publish updated research on cookie rejection.

Full story: http://www.clickz.com/news/article.php/3521506

News Corp. To Acquire Intermix

Ken Magill reports:

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. has demonstrated the seriousness of its commitment to digital media by reaching a deal to buy Intermix Media Inc. for $580 million in cash.

At the same time, Intermix announced it has exercised its option to buy the 47 percent of MySpace.com it does not already own.

The announcement -- one of the biggest commitments to the Web by a big media conglomerate in recent memory -- underscores how important online advertising has become to traditional media companies now that the online ad industry has recovered.

"News Corp. has historically been one of the big media conglomerates that hasn't invested heavily in the Internet, which in 1999 looked pretty smart, but which lately has looked a little slow," said David Card, senior analyst with Jupiter Research.

Intermix and Myspace.com will become part of Fox Interactive Media, a new unit that News Corp. announced on Friday will oversee Foxsports.com, Foxnews.com, Fox.com and the Web sites owned by Fox's local television stations.

Full story: http://www.clickz.com/news/article.php/3520856