FTC Issue Guidelines for Native Advertising

Well, the FTC has (finally) issued its guidelines on Native Advertising. The FTC defines Native Advertising as “content that bears a similarity to the news, feature articles, product reviews, entertainment, and other material that surrounds it online.”  The popularity of Native Advertising has exploded amongst publishers, in response to plummeting click through rates with traditional advertising (think banner ads).  At least for now, Native Advertising offers publishers a way to recover lost ad revenue.

Though this additional revenue doesn’t come at a price;  the FTC has expressed concern that some Native Advertising is confusing to consumers.

The IAB has also published guidelines for publishers – a playbook of sorts.  Publishers would be wise to read both the FTC’s and the IAB’s guidelines, as they differ in some cases.

Is Advertising Moving Too Fast for Consumers?

The advertising industry is in fast pursuit of what many marketers feel is the holy grail of measuring advertising effectiveness; the ability to develop models, target users, and then measure the effectiveness (at a 1:1 level) – across all media channels.

The technological advances the advertising industry is making towards making this a reality is impressive, even by the fast-paced standards of ad tech.  But they might be happening too quickly, as consumers are just starting to understand the implications of end-to-end campaign management on their privacy.

As the FTC and others weigh in on this issue, expect it to become a more common topic in the months to come.

Source : AdExchanger

Zappos offers $100 Gift Card for Charitable Donations

Did you receive a “less than desirable” gift this holiday season?  Well, if you have fast fingers you can trade it in for a $100 Zappos gift certificate.  You’ll need to be one of the first 500 callers between 11 AM – 11 PM (Eastern time) to qualify to the “Happy Returns” promotion.

If you’re one of the lucky few, just send your gift, in its original packaging, back to Zappos.  Zappos will donate your gift to a charity of their choice.  Simple!

And if you’re truly feeling charitable, you can always donate the $100 gift card to charity too, along with your hand-me-down present.

Source: AdWeek