Is Tumblr Doomed?

Posted by Katie Edmondson, 21 Aug 2012

Tumblr is doing things differently. While Facebook and Twitter constantly load up on new features—many of which premiere to groans from avid users—Tumblr is scaling down and making things simpler in order to foster a positive artistic community. Tumblr also stands out by refusing to employ traditional digital-advertising methods. With more than 64 million blogs and 15 billion monthly page views, Tumblr could easily make millions through display, banner or video ads. But founder David Karp is sticking to his guns and rejecting anything he deems counter-creative. Instead he is focusing on a more holistic, integrated form of advertising wherein the brands involved must create great content on Tumblr. But given that the platform hosts edgy content (most recently, the disturbing “Holmies" sect) and is still largely pigeonholed as a place for fanatics and fanatical sharers, is this just wishful thinking? 

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Quality Content - Ogilvy Notes

The Key to Branded Content is Quality

Posted by Jon Thomas, 30 Mar 2011
The ship has sailed on the discussion about whether or not brands should embrace content marketing and start owning their own channels to connect directly with their audience. It’s clear that the brands that create valuable content are positioned to succeed and those that continue to use interruptive marketing techniques will be ignored, fast-forwarded, and clicked out of existence. At SXSW, a panel of marketers and journalists took the discussion one step further. Entitled Brave New World: Debating Brands’ Role as Publishers, noted journalist and NPR host Tom Ashbrook moderated what became a spirited and educational debate.
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Media Titan Hearst Joins the Post Advertising Age

Posted by Luke Dringoli, 22 Jul 2010
Well, well, well. Looks like grand old guard of media's past, Hearst Corporation, has given up the ghost and accepted the new world order. It can be ignored no longer: marketers and brands are fast encroaching on publishing territory as they morph into full-fledged content providers ('Every Company = Media Company'). So, what are cash-strapped media-making giants like Hearst (and others, such as Meredith) to do? Warning: pigs will fly.
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Apple’s iAds: Better Advertising, or More Rotten Monopolizing?

Posted by Luke Dringoli, 10 Jun 2010
This week, amidst the hubbub of the iPhone 4’s re-revealing, Steve Jobs also announced Apple’s first foray into the advertising biz. The predictably-titled iAd platform will launch July 1st. Promising to be both smarter and more engaging than the current standard, this in-app solution arms developers with a new stream of cash to support their free offerings. For brands, iAd is an opportunity to engage directly with the millions-strong network of "Passionate," "Responsive," and "Connected" Apple users. But antitrust regulators aren’t quite as jazzed about the initiative. The question is whether iAd is just another case of Apple’s corporate control freakishness or a genuinely exciting step away from the bad mobile ad-age? Let’s have an iLook.
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