Advertising
The most important business model for consumers.
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The advertising has shifted from a Google-Facebook duopoly to one where Amazon and potentially Apple are major forces.
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Facebook and Google and other advertising businesses are data factories, and regulation will be most effective if it lets users look inside
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Apple Watch, Platforms, and Ecosystems; AdBlock Plus Launches Android Browser; Spotify and the Power of Labels
This update expands on my Apple Watch review by discussing the differences between platforms and ecosystems and why that matters for the Watch’s long-term success. Then, a revisit of the ad-blocking debate, and a discussion of why labels are more powerful now than previously.
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Carriers to Implement Ad-Blocking?, Mad Men and Optimism, Spotify and Starbucks
Today’s update is a Media Monday on a Tuesday. First, a reported ad-blocking initiative from European carriers and a discussion on its moral, legal, and business aspects. Then, reasons to be both pessimistic and optimistic about the future of publishing. Finally, a discussion of Spotify’s deal with Starbucks, it’s symbolism, and the similarities and differences between…
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Media Monday: Bill Simmons vs ESPN, Spotify and the Content Hierarchy, Periscope and Piracy
Today’s Daily Update is all about the media: – ESPN will not renew Bill Simmons’ contract, which leads into a discussion of the value of individual brands, particular writers, and how that value can best be captured – Not all content is created equally, which helps explain Spotify’s surprising decision to diversify – Periscope presents a…
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Yelp is for Sale, Fitbit Files for IPO, HERE Maps Update
In today’s Daily Update: – Yelp is for sale. I discuss the problem with Yelp’s advertising business, as well as who might buy them and why – Fitbit is filing for an IPO. The company has some impressive numbers, and they are an interesting contrast to a company like Yelp. However, the Watch is coming… -…
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LinkedIn Misses, Sony’s Retreat
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Daily Update: Amazon, Microsoft, and Google Earnings