Social-networking site to allow targeted ads based on user profiles

Wall Street Journal Aug 23, 07 1:30 PM CDT
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Facebook is at work on a way to sell ads based on information users and their friends post on the site, the Wall Street Journal reports. A basic version of the service could launch this fall, and the social-networking titan eventually might allow marketers to predict products and services users may be interested in before they specifically request them.
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TV, Internet, radio ads backed by GOP heavies

Politico Aug 22, 07 5:55 PM CDT
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Launched today by ex-White House PR man Ari Fleischer and a laundry list of pro-Bush bigwigs, a new group called Freedom's Watch has spent $15 million on ads to support the president's troop surge in Iraq, Politico reports. The group aims to fill a conservative "vacuum" ahead of September's report on the surge, doing for the GOP what MoveOn has done for the Dems.
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Google-owned video site phases in "unobtrusive" ads

Times (UK) Aug 22, 07 8:15 AM CDT
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As it struggles to turn a profit, YouTube will begin to show ads overlaid on some videos, the Times of London reports. The spots will consist of a semitransparent strip covering 20% of the screen appearing 20 seconds into the video.They'll appear only on content from 1,000 "partners," ranging from established organizations such as Warner Music to popular amateur producers.
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Passengers snap up
$10 seats but extras add up fast

Los Angeles Times Aug 20, 07 6:36 AM CDT
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Budget-conscious flyers have snapped up seats on Skybus Airlines from Columbus, Ohio, to 11 cities, with $10 tickets selling out on each new route hours after they go on sale. The Los Angeles Times tests the Skybus experience, where everything costs extra, from pillows to pretzels. The plane, a new Airbus A319, gets high marks, but cost-cutting applies to leg room, too, with 2 inches less per seat than on other airlines.
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Google refuses to settle, says that legal precedent is on their side

Associated Press Aug 18, 07 9:50 PM CDT
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Googlers who type in trademarked keywords like “Aadvantage” will get links to American Airlines – but also to the company’s rivals, and that’s prompted AA to file a linking lawsuit. The airline tried to settle but Google is confident that legal precedent is on their side. "When done right, search is a great tool," said an AA spokesman. "But we have a problem with this part of their business."
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7.2% downturn emphasizes need for bigger push to internet

Reuters Aug 13, 07 11:26 PM CDT
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Ad volume in the print edition of the Wall Street Journal dropped nearly 21% and revenue fell 7.2% compared with last July, Reuters reports. The dip underscores the immediate need for Dow Jones to generate more revenue from online properties, analysts said. Ad revenue from Dow Jones' online news operations, including the Journal's web site, rose 24%.
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Billionaire Journal owner hopes to
poach business from Gray Lady

Los Angeles Times Aug 13, 07 5:48 PM CDT
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With the ink still drying on his takeover of The Wall Street Journal , Rupert Murdoch is already setting his sights on the New York Times —the current newspaper of choice for the Northeastern elite. The Australian tycoon is planning to challenge the Times by expanding the Journal 's "coverage of national, international and nonbusiness news," the LA Times reports.
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CNET Aug 13, 07 3:30 PM CDT
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Microsoft completed the largest buyout in its history today, snatching up online advertising firm aQuantive for $6B. Microsoft closed the deal on Friday and will dole out $66.50 in cash for each share of the Seattle-based company, which will de-list from the Nasdaq after nearly doubling in value after its filing today, CNET reports.
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Congress wants data
on childhood obesity
Adweek Aug 11, 07 4:33 PM CDT
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The FTC dealt out 44 subpoenas yesterday to food companies, including McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Kraft, seeking information on how much they spent on advertising to kids. The businesses have until November 1 to comply for a report the FTC is preparing for Congress on marketing practices and child obesity.
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Today it's round Kleenex boxes; tomorrow, talking ones

New York Times Aug 10, 07 2:55 PM CDT
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Commercial product design is being overhauled faster and faster as brands compete in a fragmented market. The Internet and cable TV have diluted the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, and companies are spending more money on engaging design to win customers: Pepsi, for one, is rolling out a new can every few weeks this year. The Times takes a look.
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Fast-food packaging, not what's inside,
sways kids' tastes

Time Aug 7, 07 1:25 PM CDT
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Preschoolers judged McDonald’s-branded food superior, even compared to the same products served without the familiar packaging, a study reported in Time concludes. The Pavlovian response to the Golden Arches worries child health experts, who link it to increasing obesity among the young.
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Associated Press Aug 5, 07 9:28 PM CDT
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Jon Stewart’s roll call of presidential hopefuls is filling the coffers at Comedy Central as big-name advertisers sign on for “Indecision 2008,” billed as “Something Approximating Election News With Something Approximating Honesty.” High-profile advertisers are flocking to “The Daily Show” and its offshoot, “The Colbert Report,” the AP reports.
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Advertising slumps and shrinking revenue for media company

Bloomberg Jul 20, 07 8:30 PM CDT
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The Tribune Co. is at risk for missing interest payments on part of the $13-billion debt that will result from the sale to real estate baron Sam Zell, Bloomberg repor