Microsoft Denies Report of Ad Data Being Harvested From Xbox One’s Kinect

Redmond says the latest Xbox One controversy is baloney.
mehdi2

Tapjoy Plans More Interactive “Rich Media” Ads

Another stab at making mobile ads more engaging.

Don’t Trust Any Social Network Over 30

Teens aren’t giving up on Facebook, but they’re treating it the same way the gainfully employed treat LinkedIn.

— Writer Dave Williams, in an Ad Age post about whether teens may prefer Twitter to Facebook

Facebook Ads Work, Except When They Don’t. Sometimes. Maybe.

Do Facebook ads work? Ask the ad guys themselves. Just don’t expect a clear answer.

News Byte

Google’s $1.5 Billion Ad Bill

Google made some $37 billion selling ads last year. But it’s a big ad buyer, too: The search giant spent an estimated $1.5 billion selling itself in 2011, Ad Age reports. That number will jump significantly this year, since Google is now in the phone-selling business, courtesy of its $12.5 billion Motorola acquisition.

News Byte

The Daily Will Release Subscriber Numbers Some Day That's Not Today

News Corp.’s Daily tablet newspaper had a high-profile launch in February, but didn’t start charging customers until two weeks ago. So how’s it selling? “We’re happy with where we are,” publisher Greg Clayman told the Ad Age Digital conference today. What about that study showing a marked decline in social media sharing from the iPad app since it started charging? Some deadpan from Clayman: “When we started charging, we didn’t have 100 percent conversion.” (News Corp. also owns this [free] Web site).

Awkward! As Microsoft Marketing Event Opens, Its Longtime Marketing Head Announces Surprise Retirement

Timing is everything and, sometimes, very awkward. Today at its Redmond, Wash., campus, Microsoft is hosting a splashy online “marketing leadership summit” titled “Imagine 2011”–a gathering of top marketing execs from across the globe, most of whom are advertising clients of its online division. Also today: Its longtime head of global marketing, Mich Mathews, announced her departure–to the surprise of many Microsoft execs here, in fact–via a report in Ad Age.

Viral Article: ATD Makes Ad Age's Digital A-List

Today, All Things Digital made it onto Ad Age’s Digital A-List, which also includes Groupon, Buddy Media and Virgin America. BoomTown loves Virgin America’s digital stuff (plus the hip food). Actually, Ad Age’s Nat Ives was very nice to us too.

Hey Look! That Crazy Stunt Bike Dude Has a New YouTube Video

Which happens to be a Red Bull ad. Not that you’d know it….

Twitter Says "Millions" of Ad Dollars Showing Up "In the Very, Very Near Term"

Twitter spent last spring and summer setting up its ad business. Now it’s about to get serious, says Dick Costolo. Here’s the game plan, explained in a nine-minute clip. If you’re serious about online advertising, you’ll want to watch.

As Promised: Here Come the Twitter Ads

Microsoft Tweaks Laptop Hunter Ads

Laptop Punters