Advertising
The most important business model for consumers.
-
The advertising has shifted from a Google-Facebook duopoly to one where Amazon and potentially Apple are major forces.
-
Facebook and Google and other advertising businesses are data factories, and regulation will be most effective if it lets users look inside
-
Google is in hot water again, this time for ads placed against objectionable content. However, ad agencies and brands are just as responsible, and can no longer live in the past.
-
Facebook has long had too much power, but Mark Zuckerberg’s expressed willingness to use said power for political ends means it’s time to consider countermeasures.
-
Tech is entering a period of inequality where the big winners lift the sector as a whole even as smaller companies suffer. The best example is Facebook, Google, and digital advertising.
-
BuzzFeed Reorganizes, WhatsApp Eases Privacy Rules
BuzzFeed reorganizes and thus reemphasizes their new business model. Unfortunately, it’s a business model that doesn’t necessarily need news. Then, WhatsApp predictably eases their privacy policy, their CEO’s previous declarations notwithstanding.
-
The Sports Linchpin
Ratings are down for the Olympics, which could be bad news not only for TV but industries everywhere.
-
Google Earnings, Microsoft Earnings
Google’s earnings were fantastic, but I’m still not totally convinced about their shift to mobile. Microsoft’s were good as well, but what was under the surface was more important.
-
Amazon’s Overwhelming Leverage, P&G Scaling Back Targeted Facebook Ads, Facebook Earnings
In case I wasn’t clear in yesterday’s article, Walmart really has no chance to catch Amazon in e-commerce. Then, the news that P&G will reduce targeting isn’t a surprise, but it’s not necessarily that much of a problem for Facebook. Plus, notes on Facebook’s earnings.
-
Brexit and Tech; More on Musk, Tesla, and Solar City; The Allure of Live: Facebook and ESPN
Why Brexit would be bad for U.S. tech companies, Why Tesla May be Hurt Even if Solar City Isn’t Acquired, and the power of live for escapism and sports
-
A Word on Tesla, Follow-up: The Big Picture, Tencent Acquires Supercell
Tesla offering to buy Solar City is why corporate governance matters. Then, a follow-up to yesterday’s piece on TV and why there is something much bigger going on, and why Tencent bought Supercell
-
TV Advertising’s Surprising Strength — And Inevitable Fall
TV advertising is having a good week at the upfronts, and it may be more resilient than expected. That, though, means the crash will be even more abrupt.