Whether you liked the Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld show about nothing or not, it certainly generated a lot of buzz about the company. Not about Windows Vista, Office 2007, or any particular product. But certainly about Microsoft. So perhaps Microsoft really is following through with a carefully crafted plan to build buzz and then roll out a new phase of the ad campaign. But I'm certainly not the only one to note that it looks like Microsoft is firing Seinfeld for a job poorly done.

Meebo, the online instant messaging platform with support for multiple protocols, has just released the API for meebo rooms and meebo network.

Meebo rooms are customizable spaces that integrate instant messaging with the sharing of web links and media, including videos and images. The meebo rooms API was created for large-scale implementations of meebo rooms for bigger community sites. The API also automates a large portion of the creation and configuration of meebo rooms.

Examples of implementation include:

• embedding a chat room on every "group" page of a social network
• live community groups for an artist or show
• a chat room in the "comments" section of a blog.

So why do all this? Two words: Muh-knee.

Each meebo room built with the API will run ads, and meebo will share 50% of the ad revenue with its partners (if you dry heave at the idea of an ad-supported meebo room, a yearly licensing fee option is also available).

In January alone, 18 million unique users visited meebo widgets distributed across the Web by partners and users. So if you're looking to monetize your website, meebo rooms and widgets might be the way to go.

Thought about getting into Google's Print Ad program? They have just made it easier to design effective advertisements through a new piece of software.

Google's new piece of ad software will help Google Print Ad advertisers design their own ads for display in newspapers. The process is pretty straightforward, but you must win the ad auction to begin. Advertisers start out by choosing a newspaper from participating publications, then bid on the space. From there, if the publisher approves, you can start on the design process. Images can be uploaded in any one of six sizes, from 1 col. x 1 in. to 2 col. x 7 in specially built for newspapers. Advertisers then enter the ad text and contact details into pre-designed templates. Then Google's tool will get to work automatically generating a few designs to choose from.

The big question is, will the ad design recommendations that Google spits out be effective enough? We have to assume Google has put some thought and industry insight into the most effective designs for print before releasing the tool. However, we will have to wait for some stats to be sure.

Check out some sample Google Print Ads developed with the application.

[via informationweek]

Hot on the trail of Google and Microsoft, Yahoo! has announced that they have picked up a mobile ad startup.

The acquisition of Actionality strengthens Yahoo! place in the ad market lineup, with Google and Microsoft, and turns it up a notch. However, it's not known how profitable the mobile ad market could be, but it is an emerging one that's for sure.

Actionality focuses on mobile marketing technologies, specifically integrating rich media mobile commercials into mobile content.

[via venturebeat]

We have learned to pay little attention to those banner ads that loom at the top and sides of websites everywhere. But brewing deep in London, England a team of eCommerce junkies are making the giant leap to revive them, giving them the street cred they lost many moons ago.

Tailgate has developed an intriguing way to spice up those traditional banner ads that for some were a no-click zone. Their new system incorporates the ability to buy directly from the ads, without clicking away to another website. Do your transaction, credit card details and all, while continuing to browse on the site you are on. Check out a sample and see for yourself.

What are your thoughts; will this revolutionize the banner ad yet again? Would you feel comfortable purchasing directly from an ad? It's a nice fresh look at the banner ad, however, personally I like to check out the online companies I deal with, and do a little background checking of my own before purchasing.

[via techcrunch]

Viacom's strategy of providing an immersive entertainment experience will now be monetized throughout their portfolio of properties with Yahoo's new Panama ad platform.

In this ad deal, Yahoo's newly launched search marketing platform will be the exclusive provider of all contextual and sponsored search ads for a first run of 33 Viacom sites, with the strong potential to expand to another 140 additional Viacom sites under a multi year deal.

The current site roster that will be participating in the partnership includes MTV.com, VH1.com, Nickelodeon.com, comedycentral.com and BET.com. Viacom is the number one online entertainment destination with over 90 million unique viewers in February 2007.

Yahoo's Panama ad platform has only just been released, but its growing strong. Viacom has just jumped on board as a huge partner, who could be the next one to steal valuable space away from Google?

Hot off the presses; Yahoo keeps trucking along with its mobile announcements, this time they take aim at publishers wanting to enter the mobile market.

In continuing its mobile success streak, Yahoo is now looking for Publishers interested in providing mobile content. The newly launched Yahoo! Mobile Publisher Services is a suite of services that helps publishers increases the distribution and monetization of their content on mobile devices. The goal of this service is to deliver tools to advertisers and publishers that help them enable the growth of the mobile internet to benefit consumers. By joining, publishers will have access to the Yahoo! Mobile Ad Network, Mobile Content Engine, Mobile Media Directory and the Mobile Site Submit.

• The Yahoo! Mobile Ad Network will enable publishers to serve syndicated advertising in mobile content, in a variety of formats including video, in game placements and sponsored links.
• An innovative tool that Yahoo has come up with is the Yahoo! Mobile Content Engine. This will allow publishers who do not have a mobile site, the ability to create mobile content to distribute on mobile devices efficiently and effectively.
• The Mobile Media Directory will make it easy for publishers to make their mobile media accessible through Yahoo's oneSearch, by submitting their list of products for review by Yahoo, who will then rank and review it.
• Mobile Site Submit, like a regular web site submit, will allow mobile publishers the ability to provide information on their mobile site with a description and tags to ensure proper indexing in Yahoo oneSearch.

Talk about growth, Yahoo has been taking the mobile application world by storm lately. We will be following this one closely to see how Yahoo!'s Mobile Publisher Services really does help out publishers.

UPDATE: I took out the underlines, and replaced with bold. Sorry Jeffrey, my bad.

Google is entering into a deal to provide more content in its Video AdSense ads. The deal will tack ads on video by content providers like Dow Jones and CondeNast. MTV started the ball rolling with video ad trials last year in the form of video spots displayed in standard Google Ad boxes. After the success of the MTV trial, Sony BMG and Warner stepped up and signed on earlier this year.

The sale of ad space has been done a few different ways so far. MTV sold their own ads, and shared revenue with Google. Is the day far off when you can walk into an ad agency and buy placement for your 20 second spot on TV, cable and Adsense?

You might recall awhile back we posted some ads from Japan featuring Apple's "I'm a Mac" guy and his PC foil just like the U.S. ads but, er, Japanese. Today we have some more foreign "I'm a Mac" ads, but this time you won't need subtitles. Apple has brought its popular ad campaign across the Atlantic this time, to the U.K. Here's the first, called "Office at Home" and you can find the other five after the jump. (Or, if you're a purist, you can watch them in glorious hi-res QuickTime at the Apple web site.)

I'm more fond of the UK Mac than the smarmy US version, but as I said before there's no replacing John Hodgman as the PC. And I have a soft spot for that Eurobeat-grooving Japanese PC. The actors, in case you're curious, are Britons David Mitchell and Robert Webb as the PC and Mac respectively, stars of Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show.

With the official launch of Windows Vista last Thursday Microsoft has kicked its marketing machine into high gear. Or maybe more like medium gear. The very first advertisement for Vista is making the online rounds, and it's decidedly unthrilling. Okay, I realize I might not exactly in Microsoft's target market--after all, Vista is only available to business customers right now, so the eyeballs this commercial are aimed at are those in the skulls of CEOs and committees who will buy into the hype and demand their underlings deploy it throughout the corporation--but seriously, take a little polish off the swoopy graphics and a little fidelity out of the soundtrack and what you've got, basically, is a glorified PowerPoint presentation.

Anyway, I guess it's a bit to late for me to say "judge for yourselves," but you can check out the full ad after the jump.

One of the keys to selling online is a nice, effective, clean ad. If an ad is laid out nicely with all of the appropriate information, possible buyers are more likely to read it, and consider your product or service. If nothing catches the buyers eye right away, it gets tossed.

vFlyer is an online ad transformation and creation tool. They help users collect the proper information needed in order to ensure a successful classified ad.Users choose their specific category, collect and create the ad, and vFlyer helps you submit it to search engines and marketplaces, like Google Base and Edgeio. vFlyer generates HTML, and PDF's that can pasted in sites like eBay and Craigslist, and printed out. vFlyer requires signing up, and is a free online application.

[via eHub]

Google has started dropping some tests of their streaming video ads and video content from the recent deal with Viacom's MTV Networks.

The deal sees MTV Networks providing content for the ads that will run in place of Google's AdWords on websites. Through the ads, Viacom can showcase clips of such premium programs as SpongeBob SquarePants, Laguna Beach, The Real OC, and the MTV Video Awards.

There were a handful of publishers that were chosen to be included into the beta test of the program, and one of them has provided a link to where their test is occurring. The document that was provided to publishers explained that Google's Streaming Video Content and Ads enable website publishers to display streaming video ads and video content from MTV Networks on their sites. Publishers were instructed that they will get the specific JavaScript that will embed a Flash player into their website. The ad will still be served off of Google's servers and viewers of the ad must have the Macromedia Flash plug-in installed in order to view the streaming content.

Revenue for these ads is generated on a CPM basis depending on the number of views on each ad in the content. So if someone watches the whole video and sees five ads, the publisher will be paid for those five views. If no ad is seen by the user, there will be no payment for the ad. Revenue from the ad will be split between the content provider, Google and the publisher.

[via Google System]

MySpace has reached a deal with Google to pay out approximately $900 million in shared revenue for Google to become their exclusive search provider, in a move said by some to block Yahoo! and MSN from getting a piece of the action.

Through the deal, Google search boxes will be added to MySpace, as well as provide keyword targeted ads through AdSense. As far as advertising goes, Google will also get first call on selling any unsold ad space that Fox Interactive has not sold directly.

Terms of the deal include Fox meeting certain milestones in traffic in order for Google to pay out. Google has no doubt that Fox will meet all criteria for payouts. The ads and search boxes are expected to be up and running by the end of the year, and continue until mid 2010.

The Video Issue. In this issue we cover:

• Google Demo Reel
• Google Click Fraud: The Movie
• The Secret of Google's Search Engine
• Google's First TV ad
• Vint Cerf on Net Neutrality
• Google is looking for a Chef in Chelsea
• What News sources does Google index?
• Picasa Web Albums
• Gpokr

The Seattles PI is running a Bloomberg report about Microsoft's new ad campaign designed to combat its image as a "huge American company." The $120 million TV, print, and Internet compaign features actor William H. Macy and "highlights Microsoft's education and economic development projects in 32 countries, including France and Taiwan." To me there's nothing about "$120 million ad campaign" that doesn't scream "huge American company," but I can't blame Microsoft's marketing department for having a different perspective.