Shares of newspaper publishers Gannett Co. and The New York Times Co. climbed to 52-week highs Wednesday after an industry analyst raised hopes that a brutal advertising slump is tapering off more quickly than expected.

Based on a review of how many ads are filling newspaper pages, Well Fargo Securities analyst John Janedis said December could prove to be the industry’s best month in more than three years.

In his Wednesday research note, Janedis predicted the momentum will carry over into next year, causing newspapers to post advertising declines in the 8 percent to 9 percent range. That would be less severe than most investors feared, heralding a dramatic improvement from this year’s devastating erosion.

Read more: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9CP73C80.htm

Millennial Media, one of the country’s largest advertising networks for mobile devices, said Monday it raised $16 million in new funding that it will use to hire more staff and fuel its international expansion from its Baltimore headquarters.

The funding was part of a Series C round led by New Enterprise Associates, a venture capital firm with an office in Baltimore. Existing investors Bessemer Venture Partners, Columbia Capital and Charles River Ventures also participated. Since its founding in 2006, Millennial has raised more than $40 million in venture capital funding, according to Paul Palmieri, its co-founder, president and chief executive.

Read More: http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.millennial17nov17,0,2549183.story

Ad ban to target personal injury lawyers

So the NSW Government, which has had mixed results in stopping them, will step up its campaign this week by seeking a national advertising ban.

Since 2005 restrictions were introduced in NSW, some firms have begun using devices such as disclaimers and pop-up permission screens on their websites to get around the regulations.

Others solicit business using third-party ”compensation advice” firms, ”injury helplines” or automatic dialling services, where a person receives a telephone voice message asking if they have been injured and giving them the option of pressing a button to receive further advice.

Read more:  http://www.smh.com.au/national/ad-ban-to-target-personal-injury-lawyers-20091102-htfk.html

By Tom Lowy

Forever, it seems, we’ve been told that it’s just a matter of time—next year, for sure—that mobile marketing will take off in the U.S. Yet advertising on cell phones remains tiny.

That may be about to change for two reasons: Web-surfing smartphones are selling briskly even in a downturn, and applications for those gadgets—especially Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone and the BlackBerry—are proliferating. That means people are spending a lot more time playing games, watching TV, and shopping on their phones. All that activity translates into what marketers call engagement, a fancy way of saying people are paying attention. Companies, of course, prize that, so they’re looking for mobile applications that are a good fit for their brands.

Read More: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_22/b4133052597112.htm?campaign_id=rss_tech

MATEBELLO MOTLOUNG

He’s here, the modern consumer, that is. He’s always on the go, either online or on his cellphone. He’s everywhere but at home watching television and soaking up whatever advertising message he’s being fed.

In developed countries, his change in media consumption is leading to the demise of traditional media, especially print and television. The modern consumer has swapped these for the new media: video-on-demand, social websites (MySpace, YouTube and Facebook) and mobile.

To protect himself against unsolicited advertising messages and clutter, he’s also built walls around himself. One thing is certain: he’s in charge.

Despite acknowledging his evolution, advertisers and media owners continue to battle to find effective ways of breaking down these walls – a mission that is possible, says Gavin Rooke, CEO of Trigger, a Johannesburg-based full-service digital agency. His advice: it’s about creative advertising coupled with a strong emphasis on interactivity.

“Instead of waiting for your readers to come to you, you need to go to them,” delegates at the 60th World Newspaper Congress were told during a seminar on how print can

Read More: http://free.financialmail.co.za/projects08/sa2009/usa.htm

Media buyers and analysts have switched on to the value of the ‘long tail’- sites which sit outside the major portals that are traditionally privately owned and operated, attracting a smaller but highly targeted, engaged audience.

This large and growing segment should not be ignored, particularly in vertical and niche markets where advertisers can often reach unduplicated online audiences within contextually relevant environments while achieving a high share of voice – cost effectively.

There are many successful businesses happily ‘wagging’ by delivering advertising opportunities which meet the needs of lower spend advertisers.

However, developing strategies to ensure they are optimising their opportunity to capture these advertising dollars is a challenge.

Long tails should not rely on their developers input (many do) as often they do not have the specialised skill base to offer this level of advice, even on seemingly basic issues such as advertisement sizes. Whether a site generates revenue through automated systems, ‘inhouse’, sales representation or outsources to the growing number of sales networks – laying strong foundations as early as possible in the life cycle of a site is key.  The advertising options available and the way a site is then presented to advertisers, (or to outsourced sales representation networks), is also a vital step to achieve revenue objectives.

Read More: http://www.digital-media.net.au/article/OPINION-Generating-advertising-revenue-The-Long-Tail/172062.aspx

In May 2007, Bill Gates predicted that the death of the Yellow Pages would occur over the next five years for the under-50 crowd. But based on statistics from independent third-party studies conducted by respected research companies CRM Associates and Knowledge Networks/SRI, I’d say Gates’ report is greatly exaggerated.

Case in point: In 2006, the Yellow Pages “Storage” heading listed 26 million references nationally. Studies of the top 300 Yellow Pages headings are conducted by third-party research firms every year, and “Storage” continues to remain in that list; in 2006, it was No. 107. In fact, the use of this heading in print Yellow Pages shows a 7 percent annual growth. What’s more, the majority of Yellow Pages users for the “Storage” heading are between the ages of 25 and 49.

This is not to say the Internet is not effective in drawing new customers. Statistics show that 6 percent of new storage customers are lured through local Web searches; but 72 percent still come from print Yellow Pages. Yes, the Internet search numbers are growing, but print is still the first and foremost way to attract prospects.
Read more: http://www.insideselfstorage.com/articles/341/7ch1817441949047.html