The BBC agreed to a deal with Twitter that means that it’s Twitter stream will now feature embedded video clips – complete with pre-roll ads. It’s an announcement that continue’s Twitter’s attempts to justify it’s financial worth via network partnerships and advertising nous in advance of its IPO. It’s unclear what metrics will be used for the now-far-reaching ad platform, or how it will be monetized – let alone how it will be received by tweeters worldwide. These are big questions that the company will need to answer in the coming weeks before it goes public.
Category: Percolate
Why Paywalls Won’t Work
Adam Lashinsky, editor of Fortune, posted a blog on LinkedIn that referenced a Fortune article that was blocked by a paywall, prompting users to shout “self-promotion” and “bait and switch.” This has prompted a rebuttal on the value of journalism from Lashinsky which has only fueled the fire. Unfortunately for the senior editor, content is unlikely to work behind a paywall, particularly when referred via social. People who are driven to Fortune from LinkedIn or Facebook or some other social site, likely do not place a premium on Fortune. It’s like comparing an Opera singer’s reception at a grocery store vs Lincoln Center. It is lacking context. And we’ve seen time and time again the failings of social commerce as consumers are simply not in a mindset to buy.
The fragmentation of media has devalued sources and media authorities, democratizing the playing field. As more and more consumers access media through aggregators like Reddit or Flipboard, the original source becomes diluted. While I do feel that authors have not lost their place quite yet, publishers are beginning to and it’s a tough pill to swallow for media owners whose inventory increasingly moves to ad exchanges.
NBA Will Allow Local Cable Subscribers To Stream Games Free
In a move that would be the first of its kind in sports history, the NBA is close to signing an agreement that would let cable customers stream their local teams online, for free. It’s a bold play by both the NBA and the TV networks involved, as it’s a drastic increase in services at no cost. Nonetheless, given the pace at which options like Aereo and Roku are encouraging young cable subscribers to cut the cord, it’s a concession to the simple fact that expectations are changing: sports fans increasingly want to live-stream games, wherever they are, on whichever device is suited to that moment.
InfoScout.co Brings Detailed Purchase Data to Brands
I’m shocked that it took me so long to realize that Box Tops for Education was a consumer research program. Brands have clamored for decades to determine who they should be marketing to, but the only hard data consistently available to them is the store and time of day a specific product was purchased at, and efforts like Box Tops required a burdensome consumer action. InfoScout.co recently launched to solve this problem, rewarding consumers for photographing their receipts and completing surveys about themselves, in turn giving brands a full view of who is buying their products, where, when, and how. The details recorded include useful metrics: payment method, store type, other products purchased at the same time. This simple solution could dramatically affect the marketing operations of major consumer packaged goods companies by giving them a 360 degree view of their place in the market and in relation to what may in some cases seem like unrelated products.
eBay Buys Shutl & Expands Same-Day Delivery
Though a large company snapping up a young startup isn’t anything to turn heads anymore, when eBay purchased London-based Shutl, it meant that it could expand its on-demand delivery service, eBay now, into 25 cities by the end of the next calendar year. The service will start in Chicago, and then expand into Dallas. It comes on the heels of Google announcing a same-day delivery service in the Bay Area, Walmart’s same-day service pushing into Denver, and Amazon Fresh moving into LA. It’s a nebulous, crowded space, and eBay is doing its part to distinguish itself ahead of its competitors at present.
Netflix Adds 1.3 Million New US Subscribers In Q3
Netflix published it’s third quarter numbers yesterday, and beat expectations with a revenue of $1.11 billion. It also added 1.3 million new domestic subscribers, which brings its total subscriber-base to 31.1 million, up and over rival HBO. It’s stock, as well, is up to record highs, increasing in value to $352 per share. And it’s up even more in trading from after hours yesterday and today. It’s not just successful in the US, however. The streaming company has increased expansion in Latin America, the UK, and the Netherlands. In addition, Netflix is pumping more money into original content after signing a deal with Marvel, and committing to more seasons of its award-winning shows, Orange is the New Black and House of Cards.
Exploring the Effectiveness of Branded Content
Forbes partnered with IPG Media Lab to conduct a unique study to explore the effectiveness of long-form branded content. 2,259 participants were recruited from relevant sections of the Forbes website, given a webpage to experience, followed by a post-exposure survey to measure branding impact. Participating brands included Chrysler, Woodford Reserve, and Charles Schwab.
Download the full report here: Effectiveness of Branded Content.Forbes
For press inquiries or to receive a high res version of this report, please email [email protected].
Major Brands Embrace Shared Economy
From Kickstarter to Etsy, there are an increasing number of shared services that make up the collaborative economy. This trend is so pervasive that Web Strategists Jeremiah Owyang makes the claim for all business need to pay attention or they may fall by the wayside. In fact, Owyang proceeds to list a number of major brands to get involved in the space, and we’re not talking about makeshift popups. From BMW’s Drive car sharing service to Patagonia’s marketplace of used goods, this list may surprise you.
Twitter Music Going Silent
Only six months after a very high-profile launch, Twitter #Music may very well be closing its doors. Although there was a lot of positive press generated around #Music’s launch, the target audience of mobile app users failed to materialize. Only nine days after its launch, Twitter #Music fell off the top 100 free apps in the iTunes store. It’s hardly even cracked the top 1500 overall apps, and it hasn’t been in that category since May. To contrast the success of the video-sharing app Vine, which sits at 15 out of all free apps, it’s a pale comparison, and a clear sign that it didn’t live up to its promise. What happens from here is anybody’s guess, but for Twitter to be ready to admit defeat is a big step back in the music space.
Loop Allows Mobile Payments With Any Credit Card Hardware
Mobile payments technology has been slow to reach mainstream acceptance, partially because of the ubiquity of credit card readers and the sluggishness of the industry to respond to change. A new startup, Loop, believes it has solved a major part of the problem by developing a dongle for smartphones that will facilitate payments via mobile and which is compatible with about 90% of existing credit card swiping systems. The dongle works by creating a changing magnetic field to mock the magnetic information received by the read head of a card swiper. The user experience is smoother than the one offered by other mobile payments solutions as well, allowing users to simply swipe their cards to add them to their virtual wallet, as long as the names on the cards match the name on the user’s verified Loop account. Improving ease of use for both users and vendors is critical to bringing mobile payments to the mainstream, and Loop’s first steps towards this end could be the initial push needed to get there.
