Mr. Jeffrey Molander

GLG News by Mr. Jeffrey Molander, CEO

GLG News is now G+ Insights

G+ is a community for professionals, academics and entrepreneurs to connect through online discussions and in-person meetings. You will continue to see G+ Insights (formerly GLG News) here as well as on the G+ website, where you can share and discuss the G+ Insights you read.

Three steps to make social media sell

February 10, 2012

Knowing how to update your Facebook page, write an engaging blog, or create a viral YouTube video is, commercially speaking, worthless without knowing how social media platforms produce sales. The truth is that social media’s sudden arrival and instant popularity is causing most entrepreneurs to lose perspective on the ultimate goal:selling. In this sluggish economy, revenue trumps being most “liked” or highly “engaged with.”

Google will Now Dominate "cost per action" Affiliate Marketing

November 12, 2010

Analysis of:Adwords Is Dying and Google Knows It | www.fastcompany.com

Yes, AdWords is dying and mobile is ramping up. But Google has already moved and will soon dominate cost-per-action (retail/sales & leads) affiliate marketing. Google is tapping a totally new revenue stream.  And ValueClick's Commission Junction unit will suffer.  As will advertisers not working with Google's Google Affiliate Network will be compelled to make a switch.

Microsoft and Google are Re-Inventing Web Advertising

November 7, 2007

Analysis of:Google vs. Yahoo, Where is Microsoft? | www.ftchinese.com

Microsoft, like Google via Doubleclick, is busy "reinventing and rethinking the whole business model of online advertising..." (Steve Ballmer) Yes, MSFT, is chasing GOOG as it races toward opening up new, performance-based media and ad cost models but MSFT too is looking to re-define ad models in a radically different way. Web advertisers are anxious to tie ALL prior user click and impression activity to an end "action" taken by consumers -- a new, more cost-effective kind of direct response marketing that has serious appeal.

Google Risks Missing Social Media Train, Facebook Aside

October 26, 2007

Analysis of:Google Scares The Search Crowd | www.forbes.com

Google doesn't 'get' social media and their pandering to entertainment media via "Universal Search" offers proof.  Need more?  Microsoft just moved on Facebook. Google has compounded their missed opportunity with social media by letting company politics seep into their PageRank update.  Not only do they stand to lose a huge amount of face and standing, they could cede control of making social media an integral part of their business. Google could have leveraged its Toolbar product in the world of social media to the extent that wildly successful StumbleUpon has (acquired by eBay who will use it to drive e-commerce transactions-- another ball dropped by Google).  Google doesn't get social media to the extent that it is actively warring with it by penalizing virally successful Web sites. Google's Orkut social media experiment is a total failure to all but the Brazilian drug cartel.

MSFT's Jellyfish.com Acquisition Locks Up Social Shopping IP

October 3, 2007

Analysis of:Microsoft Acquires Jellyfish.com | blogs.msdn.com

Chasing GOOG is pointless so MSFT is changing things up: wagering on shoring up intellectual property rights on hip, new consumer shopping models. MSFT needs to either compliment or compete with Yahoo. Jellyfish moves it in this direction. MSFT will need to overcome serious challenges to achieving full advertiser participation in an advertising model requiring significant back-office integration. Yet MSFT has its eye on the prize: satisfying advertisers' insatiable appetite for cost models that include a direct response (cost-per-acquisition/pay-per-action) element. This move counters Google's recent CPA Optimizer announcement/tool. Mercent, ChannelAdvisor and ChannelIntelligence become acquisition targets for anyone (MSFT included) promising advertisers the ability to "set it and forget it"--automate and optimize product and inventory-levels against pre-defined advertising cost goals. With eBay's Skype flop as a backdrop M&A action could start heating up.

Google Steps up Pace on Moving Into Major Ad Incumbents' Turf

September 27, 2007

Analysis of:Google Releases Adwords CPA Bidding Tool, Conversion Optimizer | www.seroundtable.com

"In the end, CPA Optimizer moves Google one step closer to becoming a true broadcast company and take on the run of network display business in advance of their integration of Doubleclick, or perhaps in spite of Doubleclick." (Source:Digital Moses) Web-based affiliate marketing has been all the rage and incumbents ValueClick (VCLK), Linkshare, Think Partnership (THK), Time Warner's Advertising.com (TWX) could stand to take some punishment as Allmighty Google (GOOG) steps in to their turf. Incumbents will need to quicken the pace of acquisitions that divest themselves of reliance on Google as a main point of ad distribution. GOOG is further positioning as an ad solution that offers comprehensive flexibility and will reap the benefits.  How?  By offering direct response marketers cost-per-acquisition (they call it "pay-per-action") ads AND a new cost-per-click optimization tool that measures traditional click ads against  advertisers' target customer acquisition costs.

Why Advertisers Won't Invest in Social Media

September 3, 2007

Analysis of:Popular social networks struggle to generate revenue | www.computerworld.com

Advertisers of all shapes and sizes will continue to hold advertising dollars back when it comes to social media for some very specific reasons.  These center on a lack of understanding of what "social media" entails, high profile mistakes that hit at the authenticity of media (i.e. Walmart and Microsoft's blunders involving money, opacity and bloggers) and the continuing (false) belief that "going viral" is something that you can actually plan for and execute as a marketing strategy. 

Open Source Marketing & Advertising

August 7, 2007

Analysis of:Open source joins the mainstream | www.infoworld.com

Fueled by the wider "Web 2.0" movement and technology protocols, marketing and advertising are also setting up to explore "open source" as an option -- a collaboration-based "operating system" for media and advertising metrics. M&A activity within media and digital advertising is also opening the doorway for shared access to consumer-facing ("attention" metadata ownership) and advertiser-side (ad optimization) information.

Threats to Google's Revenue Stream Overblown

July 12, 2007

Analysis of:The Threat to All of Google's Revenue | www.thestreet.com

SeekingAlpha and TheStreet.com columnists are doing battle over threats to GOOG's revenue stream but each offer uninformed opinions that seem to back up predetermined conclusions: All is well -- or not well -- for GOOG. At the heart of the matter is understanding what drives pricing and spending on search marketing (paid and unpaid or "natural SEO" across the board).  Habits and strategies that marketers have practiced for years now and show no sign of changing soon yet there are new concerns.  Namely, GOOG's Universal Search initiative which experts believe is one of the most significant move GOOG has made to date.  As well, the domaining industry (i.e. Marchex) is changing rapidly as "parked domains" and "Made For AdSense" sites morph into legitimate publishers of quality content (for advertisers to invest in).

aQuantive Acquisition Signals More Than Just Catching-Up

May 18, 2007

Analysis of:Evolution of the internet opens doors for Microsoft | www.ft.com

Winners: Those who give advertisers what they demand. That means BOTH "brand and reach" (display) and "direct response" (cost per action/click) options needed to corral those increasingly coveted, multi-channel consumers.
Losers: Those who remain married to a single ad distribution network/payment scheme. Agencies: WPP has seen enough and is now in on the game (will acquire 24/7 Real Media). They see MSFT and GOOG investing in services and must respond. They clearly understand the need for a diverse distribution menu, cost model. They understand the power of a Web that offers scale to advertisers. MSFT and GOOG are no longer distribution companies, they're full service. aQuantive: MSFT's planned acquisition of AQNT is a forced "me too" investment yet also places them squarely in the services game. The 'Currency' of Advertising is Changing: Attention and engagement will soon become the new currency of advertising (not clicks and page views/impressions).

Cable TV: Follow the Laggard

April 27, 2007

Analysis of:EBay Ad Auction Hits Snag | www.adweek.com

Looking for evidence that cable TV, the industry, needs a forward-thinking digital media gameplan?  Look no further than this commentary around a decision rooted in a "heads buried" approach to change.

Traditional ad agencies are not leaders, they're fearful laggards that have yet to smell the 'accountability coffee' that advertisers have been demanding... and that the Web can deliver (if agencies let it).  CATV's looking to them as decision influencers is a serious mistake -- or a poor excuse.

Many Moving Parts: Doubleclick Implications

April 18, 2007

Analysis of:Google's DoubleClick Strategic Move | www.businessweek.com

1) Ignore the price: By now this should be obvious.

2) GOOG gets instant display ad relationships with nearly all large online publishers and more than half of online ad agencies. Whoot!

3) Free ad serving is on its way and pairs very nicely with free Web analytics and ad campaign optimization. This spells trouble for anyone in the ad serving, ad management/optimization biz.

4) Better ad serving is on the way. Buzz in the privacy community is a good indicator of what is sure to come (and what YHOO already does): serving ads based on user’s searching and Web browsing activity. This spells even more trouble for anyone in the ad serving, ad management/optimization biz.

5) Media & analysts are missing the point: GOOG's core market. 
Although it wants to have large agencies who manage large brands as clients, GOOG is increasingly positioning to become the dominant ad distribution/services provider for a “mid tier” market that demands convenience, scale. 

6) ValueClick next?  Likely not.  There’s much buzz about ValueClick (VCLK) being ripe for the picking now that DCLK is off the table. This speculation is misguided and it’s important to understand why.  aQuantive (AQNT) becomes of more interest.

7) GOOG’s display business is poised to take off.   As the company rolls out its new Doubleclick network in a highly scalable, self-service manner among existing advertisers it's looking good for GOOG. 


8) Google wins an ad exchange / marketplace.

Google CPA, Doubleclick rumors, changes in AdSense and AdWords

April 9, 2007

Analysis of:Google Pay Per Action, etc | www.informationweek.com

1) Google offering a cost-per-action/CPA payment model could get even more interesting if a company like Doubleclick (rumors flying this week) was mixed in.

New:
2) Google's freshly announced change in how it presents AdSense advertisements on publisher sites will do nothing but further blur the line between commercial ad content and non-commercial editorial on AdSense sites -- resulting in a short-term lift in click rates (and associated revs) but does it risk losing quality publishers?

Google Entering 'Pay Per Action' Ad Market

April 2, 2007

Analysis of:Google Offers Pay-Per-Action Ads | www.informationweek.com

Google will bring SCALE to a popular cost model at the expense of a variety of other networks who's publishers have been increasingly reliant on Google for traffic.

Ad networks like ValueClick (VCLK) have attempted and failed to both wean themselves from dependency and satisfy advertisers' need for more growth at less cost (overhead) -- enter big G.

With its daring plans to extend into text link advertising, Google is setting up to monetize blogs and other grassroots social media that have remained vastly untapped (AdSense has not penetrated).

Ultimately (like Analytics, Checkout and other products like the rumored, highly disruptive free ad serving platform) this is another powerful cog in the wheel allowing GOOG to take on Microsoft in the burgeoning SME/SOHO/small business sector. 

Yahoo Wins Fraud Game at Its Advertisers Expense

March 29, 2007

Analysis of:Yahoo click fraud settlement gets final OK | news.com.com

Yahoo has proven itself to be more savvy than Google when it comes to insulating itself against click fraud suits arising from advertisers.

This is a raw deal for advertisers of all flavors. Will it come back to haunt Yahoo? 

Yahoo stands to benefit from being sued by its advertisers based on the legal action’s ludicrous settlement terms; terms that absolve Yahoo of liability for fraudulent, and more importantly “unwanted”, clicks sent to advertisers over the last 8 years.

Google's Checkout Strategy Comes Into Focus

December 21, 2006

Analysis of:Google Steps More Boldly Into PayPal's Territory | www.nytimes.com

The future for what could be a killer application for Google -- its Checkout service -- continues to be underestimated and misunderstood. This is NOT about PayPal and IS extending the life cycle of Google's advertising product (the AdWords connection) and growing their advertising dominance (base of advertisers) in an increasingly competitive market.

Google's Checkout could very well be one piece of a soon-to-be unveiled, soup-to-nuts e-commerce offering for small to medium enterprises (SMEs). 

Goldman Sachs estimates that Checkout promotions will cost Google about $20 million in this (Q4) current quarter alone and that Google's success is coming at the expense of traditional transaction processors, NOT PayPal.

CBS Claims Ratings Boosted by YouTube

November 24, 2006

Analysis of:YouTube's New Deep Pockets | www.businessweek.com

In the short-term (pre-Internet Protocol TV boom), if Google can convince broadcast and cable television "content owners" of relatively intangible ratings boosts attributable to YouTube viewing it may fend off lawsuits AND a larger play by content owners to monetize their programs via what would amount to be a YouTube competitor.

Cable Cos and Google Prep for War

November 17, 2006

Analysis of:YouTube's New Deep Pockets | www.businessweek.com

What Doesn't Matter:
Copyright infringement lawsuits are the very least of Google's worries. 

What Does Matter:
Cable companies (i.e. Comcast who is already moving) banding together and creating their own Web distribution point.

Yahoo Eliminates Click Fraud Liability

November 15, 2006

Analysis of:Checkmate: Yahoo Closes Door On Click Fraud | www.thoughtshapers.com

As part of a legal settlement, Yahoo! is about to shed serious financial risk -- completely escaping any claim of fraudulent or "unwanted" clicks it sent to advertisers over the last 8 years... unless objections are able to stop Checkmate Strategic Group Inc. vs. Yahoo! Inc. from settling. 

Total cost to Yahoo! $5 million. 

Total promised refunds to advertisers: $0.

Web Media Companies Winning: You name the major player (Google, Yahoo, etc.) they've got a lawsuit in the works that benefits them by creating settlements that leverage advertisers ignorance on how click fraud works.

Advertisers Lose: They have, without their consent, been automatically opted in to a Class being represented by Checkmate Strategic Group Inc. -- a company claiming to represent their interests yet seemingly stacking the deck in Yahoo's favor.

Google to Re-Org, Enter Web Audio Ad Business

November 2, 2006

Analysis of:Google Re-Org Rumors: Google Maturing As Media Business | www.readwriteweb.com

Based on leaks to bloggers and mainstream marketing media, Google (GOOG) appears to be readying to re-structure its client-facing organization.  This would position the company much like IBM or Microsoft in that one global account director would interface with each advertising customer -- bringing radio, print, video, display and contextual text ad placement to the table.  This move would greatly simplify the sales and operational elements of its media business.

While not officially announced, job openings in Chicago and Newport Beach, CA indicate AdSense for Audio is just around the corner.  Google is now clearly demonstrating clear plans to monetize streaming audio (i.e. radio) and, perhaps, "on demand", downloadable (i.e. podcasting) audio programs. This would put Google in competition with much smaller, emerging podcast networks and advertising network plays chasing after the same opportunity -- scalable monetization of this new Web medium. 

Google has been slowly bringing together various audio media-focused companies (i.e. dMarc) and voice-to-text technologies via acquisition.  It now appears ready to come to market and achieve scale rapidly... much like AdSense (text base, contextually placed syndicated text ads) did.

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