Connecting the Dots on Facebook’s Smear Campaign

Perhaps you’ve probably heard: Facebook and Google are at war, and Facebook’s not afraid to play dirty. Thursday’s revelation that the social networking site hired PR firm Burston-Marsteller to plant a negative story about Google’s privacy settings raises a number of questions. Like, “Who at Facebook thought this was a good idea?” The company isn't responding to the question right now. Until they do, it helps to look at the players involved. There’s Burston-Marsteller, the global PR firm run by CEO Mark Penn. There’s Jim Goldman, the former Silicon Valley bureau chief for CNBC (and frequent target of high school-style ridicule). He’s become the fall guy for Burston-Marsteller. There’s Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s universally praised COO. And then there’s Elliot Schrage, Facebook’s VP of communications and public policy. Penn, of course, is a Washington heavy hitter: he worked as a pollster to President Clinton during both of his terms and the Washington Post noted how “thoroughly integrated into the policymaking operation” he’d become. Penn’s also no stranger to criticism from Washington observers: he gained notoriety for missteps as chief strategist to Hillary Clinton during her 2008 Presidential bid. He eventually stepped down after feuding with other aides, and for reportedly offering Clinton some of her worst advice (like, emphasize Barack Obama’s foreignness). Penn’s also no stranger to the tech world—he’s credited with making Microsoft into one of the country’s most... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2011-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #googles head #silicon valley #focus attention

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BAMB sales up 30% in 'most successful' campaign yet

Sales were up by an average of 30% during this year’s Books Are My Bag celebration, making 2015 the “most successful” year for the campaign yet. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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2015’s Best Viral Marketing Campaigns in German Media

The fifth annual Virenschleuderpreis, organized by Leander Wattig and the Frankfurt Book Fair, honored five viral marketing campaigns in German media. The post 2015’s Best Viral Marketing Campaigns in German Media appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #german media


Facebook's fast-loading Instant Articles are now available to all iOS users

In May, Facebook started testing its Instant Articles feature, allowing select news publishers to publish full stories directly on Facebook’s mobile apps. Today, Facebook announced that it had started rolling out Instant Articles to everyone using Facebook’s iOS app. Because Instant Articles can... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2015-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile apps #ios app #mobile browser #lot faster #lightning bolt


Wendy's Is Making Snapchat-Like Mobile Ads on Facebook

Brands are just starting to play with Facebook's full-screen mobile ads, but Wendy's social marketers already seem to be having lots of fun with the new format. The fast-food chain is running a campaign that uses a combination of photos, videos and GIFs to show how each layer of its hamburgers... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #vertical video #mobile ads #social marketers #michael kors


Publishers Eye Facebook as YouTube Rival

Facebook is moving into YouTube’s turf, and that could be good for video publishers.     Facebook announced earlier this week that it’s testing a new video section on its mobile app, which would ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #youtube rival #video section #mobile app


More and more people are coming out on Facebook

Timed to coincide with Spirit Day, Facebook's Research and Data Science division has published a report outlining how increasing numbers of US users that identify as lesbian, gay, bi or transexual have come out on the social network this year. "Not... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2015-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #increasing numbers


Twitter And Facebook Are Turning Publishers Into Ghost Writers

Publishers are in danger of becoming dumb content in the smart pipes of platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The quest for smoother user experience seems to pose actually visiting a publisher’s site as friction. With content consumption bei ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ingram Adds Three Countries to its Global Connect Network

The Ingram Content Group has struck deals with companies in China, India and Italy to expand its Global Connect network to those three countries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ingram adds #struck deals


Facebook moves further into YouTube’s turf with new mobile videos tab

Facebook said today its replacing the useless Messenger section with a Videos tab on its mobile app. The stream, dedicated to YouTube's bread-and-butter, will serve videos from friends, publishers, pages the user likes and ads. Facebook also confirmed its testing a floating video box, a new... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2015-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook moves #mobile app #suggested videos


Can Facebook Attract More Retailers With New E-Commerce Features?

Facebook wants marketers to see it as more than a branding platform. So, it's announcing two new tests today to that should pique retailers' interests—speedy landing pages and a new section that curates shoppable products. Back in June, Facebook started testing full-screen mobile ads with... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #strong results #driving sales #stiff competition


Facebook to Test New E-Commerce Marketplace, Shoppable Ads

Facebook is looking to sell retailers on selling more products through Facebook.After rolling out its "buy" button and adding e-commerce shops to companies' Facebook pages, the social network plans to start testing two new ways for merchants to market their wares on the social network, including... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Video Ads 'Significantly' Better Than YouTube's: Report

While Facebook's video ad service is still in its infancy -- about 18 months old -- it's already prefered by marketers over YouTube, according to a recent study published by RBC Capital Markets in partnership with Ad Age.Of the 1,000 advertising professionals surveyed, about 11% felt Facebook... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #investment perspective #25% felt #video ads #video advertising


Google's AMP Is Facebook's Instant Articles for the Mobile Web

To hear publishers tell it, Google's plan to help sites' pages instantly load on mobile isn't a shot across the bow at Facebook, which is doing the same thing. It's a shot at keeping the mobile web and the publishers on it relevant at a time when audiences' attentions are shifting to mobile apps... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile web #mobile apps #vox media


Google Unveils Accelerated Mobile Pages, Its Take On Facebook's Instant Articles

On Wednesday, Google announced its Accelerated Mobile Pages project, for which it has partnered with dozens of prominent publishers.In May, Facebook lifted the curtain on Instant Articles, a native publishing platform that hosts articles directly on the social network. For Facebook, which... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2015-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #google announced #prominent publishers #largest source #referral traffic #online publishers #fast-loading pages #attractive option


Google AMP battles ad-blocking, Apple and Facebook by cutting load times

Search company unveils Accelerated Mobile Pages in bid to work with publishers, ad companies and rival platforms Google is attempting to counter the threat from ad-blocking and rivals Facebook and Apple by radically improving the loading speed of web pages on smartphones and tablets.Accelerated... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook to Start Grading Ads' Results Across Its Mobile App Network

Facebook is instituting something akin to employee performance reviews for app publishers in its ad network, grading how well their inventory achieves advertiser objectives like driving downloads or selling product.The company already uses that information to decide which ad buys it doles out to... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ad network #ad buys #audience network #ad units #app developers


Buy Books for Syria campaign a 'great success'

Waterstones has said its 'Buy Books For Syria' campaign has already been a “great success” after first few days. While the company could not yet give sales figures for how many titles customers had been bought under the appeal, Sandra Taylor, head of PR and events at Waterstones, said it... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Expands Mobile Video Feature That Helps Content Creators Make Money

In July, Facebook made a big move into YouTube's turf with plans to launch Suggested Video—a feed of curated video clips from brands like Funny or Die, the NBA and Tastemade. After a small test over the past three months, it's now showing up in more mobile news feeds. Clicking on a video from a... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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To compete with Facebook and Google, publishers step up their ad-targeting game

Traditional publishers, tired of competing with Facebook and Google for digital ad dollars, are taking steps to get more personal with their advertising. Among the big topics discussed during Advertising Week was how media companies like News Corp and Condé Nast are getting into the ad tech... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2015-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook's Steve Hatch joins Trinity Mirror board

Social network’s UK and Ireland managing director to assist publisher with digital expansionThe publisher of the Daily Mirror has appointed Facebook’s UK and Ireland chief as a non-executive director to boost its drive into digital publishing.Steve Hatch, Facebook’s first managing director for... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-10-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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