Archive for May, 2007
Microsoft today announced it will acquire aQuantive, Inc., for $66.50 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $6 billion. This deal expands upon the Company’s previously outlined vision to provide the advertising industry with a world class, Internet-wide advertising platform, as well as a set of tools and services that help its constituents generate the highest possible return on their advertising investments.
The aQuantive acquisition enables Microsoft to strengthen relationships with advertisers, agencies and publishers by enhancing the Company’s world-class advertising platforms and services beyond its current capabilities to serve MSN. The acquisition also provides Microsoft increased depth in building and supporting next generation advertising solutions and environments such as cross media planning, video-on-demand and IPTV. Combining aQuantive’s technologies and services with Microsoft’s portfolio will provide value for the industry’s key constituencies as follows:
- Advertisers and ad agencies will benefit from a world-class media planning, buying and campaign management solution to drive maximum ROI and optimize their reach to audiences across the increasingly fragmented, interactive media landscape.
- Media owners/publishers will gain access to best-in-class inventory optimization and monetization solutions across a full suite of rich media, video and targeting capabilities.
- The broader advertising ecosystem will benefit from the leading interactive advertising agency, Avenue A | Razorfish, continuing to serve its impressive client roster, while also embedding the voice of the marketer into Microsoft’s next generation advertising solutions and services.Â
Founded in 1997, aQuantive, Inc. is the parent company of one of the industry’s most successful families of digital marketing service and technology companies, encompassing the three primary brands Atlas, DRIVEpm and Avenue A | Razorfish.
The deal is expected to be completed in the first half of Microsoft’s fiscal year 2008. The acquisition is not expected to have a significant impact on the financial guidance previously issued by the Company.
aQuantive, which has approximately 2600 employees, will continue to operate from its Seattle headquarters as part of Microsoft’s Online Services Business. The combination of Microsoft and aQuantive takes the Company’s advertising platform to the next level in its ability to serve Microsoft’s first party audience assets like MSN, Windows Live, Xbox Live, and Office Live, as well as for third party publishers and applications such as Facebook and Activision game titles.
May 18th, 2007
Google today announced its critical first steps toward a universal search model that will offer users a more integrated and comprehensive way to search for and view information online. The company also introduced an updated homepage design and several new navigation features that make it faster and easier for users to find the information they are looking for.
Google’s vision for universal search is to ultimately search across all its content sources, compare and rank all the information in real time, and deliver a single, integrated set of search results that offers users precisely what they are looking for. Beginning today, the company will incorporate information from a variety of previously separate sources – including videos, images, news, maps, books, and websites – into a single set of results. At first, universal search results may be subtle. Over time users will recognize additional types of content integrated into their search results as the company advances toward delivering a truly comprehensive search experience.
For example, a user searching for information on the Star Wars character Darth Vader is likely interested in all the information related to the character and the actor – not just web pages that mention the movie. Google will now deliver a single set of blended search results that include a humorous parody of the movie, images of the Darth Vader character, news reports on the latest Lucas film, as well as websites focused on the actor James Earl Jones – all ranked in order of relevance to the query. Users no longer have to visit several different Google search properties to find such a wide array of information on the topic.
The Power of Google Technology
Google is also in the process of deploying a new technical infrastructure that will enable the search engine to handle the computationally intensive tasks required to produce universal search results. The company is also releasing the first stage of an upgraded ranking mechanism that automatically and objectively compares different types of information. As always, Googleâ„¢ search results are ranked automatically by algorithms to deliver the best results to users anywhere in the world.
New Navigation Features
New dynamically generated navigation links have been added above the search results to suggest additional information that is relevant to a user’s query. For example, a search for “python” will now generate links to Google Blog Searchâ„¢, Google Book Searchâ„¢, Google Groupsâ„¢, and Google Codeâ„¢, to let the user know there is additional information on his or her query in each of those areas. As a result, users can find a wider array of information on their topic, including data types they might not have initially considered.
Google’s homepage and a number of applications have also been updated with a new navigation bar to provide easier access to popular Google products. Now, instead of having links above the Google.com homepage search box, users will see a navigation bar on the top left side of the page with various Google search properties and popular products including Gmailâ„¢, Google Calendarâ„¢, Google Docs & Spreadsheetsâ„¢, and Picasa Web Albumsâ„¢.
Experience the Experiments
Google also announced today a new experimental version of its popular search service called Google Experimentalâ„¢, available on Google Labsâ„¢. This new test site provides users an opportunity to try out some of the latest search experiments and innovations and provide Google with feedback. One of the first experiments to be featured on the site enables users to view their search results on a map or timeline. For instance, when someone searches for “Albert Einstein” on Google Experimental, they can choose to view the search results on a map that shows locations mentioned within web pages about Albert Einstein or on a timeline that illustrates the history of Albert Einstein’s life. More information on Google Experimental search is available at Google Labs at http://labs.google.com.
May 17th, 2007
AOL announced today that it has acquired Third Screen Media, a leading mobile advertising network and mobile ad-serving and management platform provider. Third Screen Media will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of AOL’s Advertising.com division.
Third Screen Media connects advertisers, publishers and mobile phone carriers on a common platform, allowing ads to be managed and delivered via WAP, downloadable applications, SMS, MMS and mobile video. Dozens of leading brand advertisers, more than a hundred mobile Web publishers, and major wireless carriers participate in the Third Screen Media network.
The acquisition comes as the mobile advertising industry is growing exponentially. In the U.S., mobile advertising is expected to grow from $421 million in 2006 to $4.7 billion by 2011, while globally the market is expected to increase to $11.3 billion by the same year, according to eMarketer. Third Screen Media will continue to be headquartered in Boston. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
May 16th, 2007
blinkx, the world’s largest video search engine, today announced a distribution agreement with ChaCha, the breakthrough search engine that uses human guides to enhance its search results. Under the terms of the agreement, ChaCha will provide its users with video search results from blinkx’s extensive index of the rich media Web. Results can either be culled instantly or by using the support of a human ChaCha “guide” who assists users in real-time at http://www.chacha.com.
ChaCha offers the next generation in search with its unique use of human intelligence. Using a single query box, users simply input their query, in any form, and results are instantly displayed. These results are the combination of the best search technology and “hand-picked” sites from the ChaCha community of 30,000 skilled search experts.
As the pioneer in video search technology, blinkx has built a reputation as the smartest way to search new forms of online content such as video. With more than 150 partners and 7,000,000 hours of indexed video and audio content, including favorite TV moments, news clips, short documentaries, music videos, video blogs and more, blinkx uses advanced speech recognition technology to deliver results that are more accurate and reliable than standard metadata-based keyword searches.
May 15th, 2007
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Yahoo!, today announced that the Board of Directors has appointed Blake Jorgensen, the co-founder of Thomas Weisel Partners, as chief financial officer. Jorgensen will commence employment with the Company on or about June 4, 2007. Jorgensen will replace Susan Decker, who has moved into a new role as head of the advertiser and publisher group. Jorgensen will be a key member of Yahoo!’s executive team, overseeing the company’s finance, investor relations and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) groups. He will report directly to Yahoo!’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Terry Semel.
“Blake has a strong track record of building and running a successful investment banking franchise serving many clients in the Internet and technology industries. His broad financial, operating and strategic experience, which complements the deep financial expertise of our existing team, will make him a valuable addition to Yahoo!’s senior management,” said Semel. “Blake will help Yahoo! continue to execute against our growth plan and identify emerging opportunities, as well as maintain our tradition of financial excellence and fiscal discipline.”
Prior to his Yahoo! appointment, Jorgensen was with Thomas Weisel Partners, which he co-founded in 1998 and where he served as chief operating officer, co-director of investment banking and a member of the Executive Committee. In these roles, he was instrumental in managing all aspects of the publicly traded investment bank, working in close partnership with the CEO, members of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors. Jorgensen also managed the firm’s relationships with key investors and managed several strategic alliances with international partners.
Prior to joining Thomas Weisel Partners, Jorgensen was a managing director and principal at the corporate finance department of Montgomery Securities. Earlier in his career, he also worked as an independent management consultant and held roles at MAC Group/Gemini Consulting and Marakon Associates.
Jorgensen holds a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University with a major in Economics, and a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
“I couldn’t be happier to be joining Yahoo! to help it achieve a new level of success as an Internet leader. And I’m excited about joining a finance team that, collectively, has such deep functional experience,” said Jorgensen. “I believe Yahoo! is well positioned to deliver value to shareholders — with unique audience, advertising and technology assets and a strong financial base — and the company is pursuing the right strategy to achieve its great potential. Yahoo! has made significant strides in recent months and I am looking forward to working closely with Terry and the rest of Yahoo!’s impressive management team to continue the company’s progress as it aggressively executes against its growth strategy.”
Decker assumed her new role as part of the company’s reorganization in December 2006. That reorganization was designed to align Yahoo!’s operations with the company’s key customer segments — audiences, advertisers and publishers — and more effectively leverage Yahoo!’s significant strengths to capture future opportunities for growth.
“Blake’s arrival will enable Sue to devote her full attention to her new responsibilities where she is building on the recent momentum we’ve achieved with Panama, major new partnerships and our agreement to acquire Right Media. With Blake’s appointment, we’re continuing to put the right people in the right places to execute against our strategy and adding outside talent to complement an already strong management team,” added Semel.
May 14th, 2007
Yahoo! today announced further expansion of the Yahoo! Research organization with the addition of two leading scientists, Dr. R. Preston McAfee and Dr. Duncan Watts. Yahoo! Research is building a world-class research team focused on developing the science that will underlie the next generation of technologies and businesses that will help shape the future of the Web. The work done by McAfee and Watts, in the disciplines of economics and sociology, respectively, will contribute to Yahoo! Research’s mission of publishing pioneering scientific work and building a better Web experience for the 500 million users of Yahoo! branded services.
“Building on our strong bench of experts in search and economics, including Andrew Tomkins, Michael Schwartz and Ricardo Baeza-Yates, Yahoo! Research is now expanding that leadership into the social sciences of the web,” said Prabhakar Raghavan, Head of Yahoo! Research. “By augmenting our team with experts of the stature of McAfee and Watts, we’ve successfully incorporated new areas into our research. This enables us to gain powerful insights from our audiences and answer complex questions in areas including search and information navigation, social media, community, personalization, and mobility.”
Joining three other research fellows in the company, including Andrei Broder, Raghu Ramakrishnan and Larry Tesler, McAfee has been named vice president and research fellow leading Yahoo!’s microeconomics research group. This group focuses on market mechanism design, pricing, auctions and matching mechanisms that affect monetization. McAfee joins Yahoo! from the California Institute of Technology, where he was the J. Stanley Johnson professor of business, economics and management. He is a recognized authority on industrial organization and one of a new breed of economists who combine theory and business applications, having written books on microeconomics and competitive strategy. McAfee earned an MA in Economics and Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Economics from Purdue University.
Watts is a celebrated expert in social networking and starting in the fall, will lead Yahoo!’s research in human social dynamics, including the structure and evolution of social groups and networks, social influence and collective decisions, networking and collaborative problem solving. Watts joins Yahoo! from Columbia University, where he was professor of sociology and director of the Collective Dynamics Group. While at Columbia, he explored the role that network structure plays in determining or constraining system behavior, focusing on areas such as information contagion, financial risk management, and organizational design. He is the author of the book Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age. Watts received a B.Sc. in physics from the University of New South Wales, and a Ph.D. in theoretical and applied mechanics from Cornell University.
Yahoo! Research continues to be integrated closely with business units and product teams throughout the company, enabling the scientific approach and expertise of the organization to directly benefit Yahoo!’s consumers and advertisers. For example, Yahoo! has incorporated algorithmic research into the company’s advanced platforms for social media and search, which allow users to find and share the information that they want, when they want. The company has also leveraged research on marketplace design and pricing mechanisms for sponsored search. This collaboration will continue as McAfee and Watts apply the disciplines of economics and sociology to better understand and monetize social networks.
May 11th, 2007
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Yahoo! Travel today announced a new personalized Trip Recommendations module - the first of its kind for the travel industry - as well as a number of additional product and site enhancements. The new version of Yahoo! Travel integrates the following features:
Personalized Trip Recommendations - “Today’s Picks” highlight ten destinations that are highly-relevant to individual users, based on recent online activity and preferences. The module offers a source of new travel ideas for the vast majority of adults (87 percent) who agreed they “would like to go on vacation to a place I have never been before.” The module also links to related air/hotel deals, weather, travel tips from Yahoo! users and a destination Travel Guide. An additional “Show Me” drop-down box provides users with more theme-driven suggestions in categories such as, Beach, Nearby, Art/Architecture and Nightlife. These recommendations are fueled by a new tagging feature in Trip Planner, also announced today.
Personalized Travel Deals - Highly-relevant travel deals will be exposed throughout the 45,000 Yahoo! Travel Guides, showing the best hotel and flight options based on your home airport and the most popular prices found by other Yahoo! users. Finding the best deal is as important as ever, according to the 78 percent of adults who plan to take summer vacation this year, about two-thirds (65 percent) say “budget” has the greatest influence on determining their summer vacation destination.
New Mapping Functionality - Using Yahoo! Maps, Yahoo! Travel is demonstrating a new mapping prototype that allows other maps to be layered over a Yahoo! Map to show greater detail of a particular location and more customized mapping options. See examples of this within the Yahoo! Travel Guides on maps of the Grand Canyon at http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2808381 and the Freedom Trail at http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2827476.
Yahoo! Messenger Flight Planner - Using the patent-pending, collaborative Flight Planner plug-in on Yahoo! Messenger, users can research and book flights in real-time with friends and family. Yahoo! Messenger’s Flight Planner plug-in searches for the best fares on Yahoo! FareChase and allows users to view and select their favorite flight choices together.
Yahoo! Trip Planner Tagging - Travelers can now insert tags within the popular Yahoo! Travel Trip Planner (i.e. tag their weekend getaway Trip Plan to Paris as “romantic”) to better organize their Trip Plans and give other users a great way to discover interesting travel information.
May 10th, 2007
Google today announced a new version of its powerful web analytics solution, Google Analytics. The new version of Google Analytics was unveiled today at the EMetrics Summit taking place in San Francisco. Google Analytics, a free enterprise-class solution, enables executives, marketers and website owners to understand how their users interact with their website and help increase online business.
Google has completely redesigned the product and enhanced the feature set through new email reporting, customizable dashboards, improved map displays, and plain language descriptions to make important information more accessible.
In the new version of Google Analytics, data is concentrated into combinations of reports, allowing users to make informed decisions about site management and Google AdWords campaigns. Google Analytics tracks the effectiveness of online marketing initiatives such as display campaigns or cost-per-click programs and creates e-mail reports that can be scheduled and distributed to colleagues. Users can experience greater visibility of important data, clarity of appearance and more intuitive navigation paths. Utilizing more features and improved metrics, Google Analytics summarizes data and statistics in plain language so that website owners can make more informed decisions. The tool incorporates score cards and summaries that distill information into key performance indicator summaries.
Other Unique Google Analytics Features:
- Email reports and improved clarity of graphs allow users to explore and discover new insights
- Customizable dashboards ensure the right data gets to the right people at the right time
- Plain language descriptions of the data allow users to take action to improve their website
The Google Analytics service is integrated with Google AdWords. Starting today, new users who sign up will get immediate access to the new version. Also starting today, the new version of Google Analytics will be rolled out automatically to existing users over the coming weeks. Current users will still be able to access the previous version as well as the new version for a minimum of 30 days in order to ensure a smooth transition. All historical data will be available in the new version.
May 9th, 2007
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