NONE: ONLINE-ADS>> Ad Bytes / March 23, 1997 / issue 11
ONLINE-ADS>> Ad Bytes / March 23, 1997 / issue 11
owner-online-ads_at_o-a.com
Sun, 23 Mar 1997 00:27:05 -0600 (CST)
Ad Bytes / March 23, 1997 / issue 11
======================================
Ad Bytes is a weekly supplement to subscribers of The Online
Advertising Discussion list. It profiles news items relating to
online advertising, PR and promotion. Its purpose is to two-fold:
1.) to keep subscribers informed about current issues in the
field, and
2.) to help spark new topics of discussion.
Unsubscribe instructions for the discussion list are at the bottom
of this message.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's Online Advertising Discussion List sponsor:
To sponsor this list, see http://www.o-a.com/sponsor.html for details
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In this issue:
==============
IN THE NEWS
AOL Seeking PR Pooh-Bah - Daily Scoop
HITS stands for How Idiots Track Success - PR Newswire
Ad Council Announces Relationship With MSN - PR Newswire
Trading links: Barter makes a mark on Web - Advertising Age
Marketers still leery of Web ads - Net Marketing
Big Blue closes in on big Web ad spending plans - Advertising Age
TIRADE FROM MODERATOR: AMATEUR HOUR AT THE INTERNIC
NEW PRODUCTS, SERVICES, & REPORTS
No new products this week. This feature will resume
next week with Richard's return.
==============
IN THE NEWS
-----------
According to this story, many journalists have found
that AOL publicity has been a bit scattered. I can't
imagine how they've gotten that impression. ;->
So AOL is looking for a high-profile public
relations executive with a background in PR strategy
to help tell its story. No, I won't let them
hire Richard away from Tenagra. See:
AOL May Be Seeking PR Pooh-Bah to Polish Its Image
http://www.zdnet.com/yil/content/depts/dblscoop/9703/ds970320.html#scoop1
==============
"HITS stands for How Idiots Track Success," said
Katharine Paine, CEO of The Delahaye Group in this
press release from CMP. I couldn't agree more:
'Hits' Are Not a Valid Measure of Web Site
Effectiveness, According To Speakers at CMP's
Networked Economy Conference
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/97/03/19/y0007_y00_5.html
==============
The Advertising Council and Microsoft Corp. have
agreed to collaborate on a new program for public service
announcements which will result in 5 million advertising
impressions a year on MSN that benefit nonprofit
organizations. Kudos to Microsoft! See:
The Advertising Council Announces Relationship With
The Microsoft Network
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/97/03/17/msft_x000_5.html
==============
Debra Aho Williamson in Advertising Age says that
indications are strong that barter is a bigger
presence on the Net than the industry wants to
admit. See:
Trading links: Barter makes a mark on Web
IAB to report how much ad spending is cash vs. non-cash
http://adage.com/interactive/articles/19970324/article1.html
==============
"It's still a new medium and it has not
proven itself," says Bob Storch, senior partner
and media director at New York ad agency
Poppe Tyson. See:
Marketers still leery of Web ads: For most firms,
making online buys is tough call
By Kate Maddox in Net Marketing
http://netb2b.com/cgi-bin/cgi_article/monthly/97/03/01/article.2
==============
Does IBM =
Internet's Biggest Marketer
I'm Besting Microsoft
Increasing Budgets Momentously
Impressive Branding Money
The answer appears to be all of the above. See:
Big Blue closes in on big Web ad spending plans
IBM could rival Microsoft as top advertiser
Bradley Johnson and Jane Hodges in Advertising Age
http://adage.com/interactive/articles/19970317/article7.html
==============
TIRADE FROM MODERATOR: AMATEUR HOUR AT THE INTERNIC
----------------------------------------------------
"I have no mouth and I must scream" is how people that
conduct their business over the Internet feel when they
find their domain has disappeared without cause or warning.
Forgive me if I wax Ellison (Harlan, not Ralph or Larry).
I've almost gotten used to frantic phone calls from
clients upset that they have received an e-mail from the
InterNIC telling them that their domain renewal was not
paid and their domain will be terminated -- when in fact
we had long ago paid the invoice for the renewal on the
domain. The client's first thought is that we have
screwed up, not the InterNIC. We have to waste our time
re-confirming the payment with the InterNIC and assuring the
client that all is in order. No matter what, we end up
looking bad -- our clients rely on us to take care of them
so they don't have to deal with this kind of crap.
Well, it seems "the mad dogs have kneed us in the groin again."
This week the InterNIC came up with a new trick -- abruptly
terminating domains for non-payment for which they had never
even sent out an invoice requesting payment. It seems they
were relying upon telepathy to let people know it was time
to pay and what their invoice number was. Well, as Harlan
says, "telepathy requires two minds." Evidently you cannot
pay the InterNIC unless you have an invoice number, and as
no invoice was ever sent out for these domains there was no
apparent way for people with terminated domains to easily
restore their service. One of my clients found their domain
terminated, and one very prominent Internet marketing
authority and member of this list found himself off the air
this week when it happened to him as well.
If the Internet is to become a serious medium for conducting
business, this kind of thing has got to stop. The InterNIC
is undoubtedly aware by now that their invoicing system is a mess.
Knowing this, it does not even take "the cranial capacity of
an artichoke" for them to figure out that it is not a good
idea to terminate domains until they have fixed their problems.
One can only hope that the press will pick up on the situation
and pressure the InterNIC into getting its act together.
----------------------------------------------------
That's it! Richard will return on Monday.
Cliff Kurtzman
temporary moderator
online advertising discussion list
281/480-6300
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's Online Advertising Discussion List sponsor:
To sponsor this list, see http://www.o-a.com/sponsor.html for details
----------------------------------------------------------------------
UNSUBSCRIBE INSTRUCTIONS
========================
You may leave the Online Advertising Discussion List at any time
by sending an email message with the word UNSUBSCRIBE (just
the word) in the body or content of your message to:
online-ads-digest-request_at_o-a.com
if you get the digest version, and
online-ads-request_at_o-a.com
if you get the non-digest version.
Online Advertising Discussion List
http://www.o-a.com/
