Complex concepts become lucid prose
This strategy is not limited to these two companies; I’ve gotten a lot of pitches in the last two weeks about corporations paying for original content to be published onmore traditional journalistic websites. And there’s a new breed of web publishers taking advantage of this.
Before you start moaning about the ethics, my journo friends, companies now seem to realize that they need well-written content that isn’t just advertorial. And hey, someone has to be willing to pay us to write.
I’m rather proud of this story, even though it’s pretty “inside baseball.” While the advertising technology sector may be opaque to most people, it’s huge and it matters. Please note the story elements I brought in:
This is a story that’s going to take off, I think. The market — and consumers — are apps-crazy, so quick-and-dirty developers are grabbing boilerplate privacy permissions that ask for everything. To be determined: Are these companies using those permissions, and if so, what for?
FTC Acts on Privacy as Rogue Apps Proliferate
Digital advertisers and publishers seek a better method of counting whether an ad has been delivered. Impressions served is the standard metric, and it’s based on whether the web server delivers an ad as part of a page request.
Unfortunately, with today’s highly cluttered web pages that render slowly, this metric doesn’t tell the advertiser much, as I wrote in a story about comScore’s validated Campaign Essentials (vCE), used by USA Today.
ESPN did something smart when it redesigned the site for its X Games: It used a mobile-style swipe navigation that it says creates 100 percent-viewable impressions. Read about it in my ClickZ article about the mobile-forward X Games site.
I’m experimenting with Contently, a new service for freelance writers. It’s slightly painful to curate and organize clips, but it’s an interesting way to create a profile. (Also, please check it out if you’re interested in hiring me.)
Here’s my profile:
When it comes to usage-based insurance, a device that plugs into the OBDII port is most accurate, while a smartphone-based product is cheaper for the insurer and easier for consumers. LexisNexis is experimenting with combining them.
Good timing on this article, in light of the buzz Ford got this week for announcement of its open developer program.
I spoke with Patrick Hoffstetter about Renault’s plans. Hoffstetter leads Renault’s Digital Laboratory. Because I also cover digital advertising, I was especially intrigued by his mention of the prospects for creating what will be another screen to which ads can be served.
Okay, I know. No more ads. But still. Think about it. Just like search ads are so effective because you actually are looking for something and they help you find it, ads and promotions delivered to your car could help you identify local businesses or give you a reason to choose one merchant over another. Yeah, the Starbucks mobile coupon thing. Okay, I know.
Read the Q&A, it’s interesting!
Insurance telematics is a great idea: A driver installs a device in the car that tells the insurer how she drives. Selling this to consumers is the first battle. This podcast with Frederic Bruneteau, managing director of Ptolemus Group, has intensively studied various products — and failures — in Europe and North America.
The industry calls this technology “usage-based insurance” or UBI.
In this podcast, we discussed the few success stories and the danger that insurers without a telematics offering might end up with the worst drivers as customers.
Telematics and Market-Specific UBI Solutions with Frederic Bruneteau
Even if every new car comes with an internet connection, it’s likely that the phone will remain essential, according to Lars Boeryd @CSRTechnology. Read the Q&A.