Apple iPhone Ad Shakes Up ESPN.com

I've written about Apple's innovative ad units before - in particular, on Yahoo.And, I've criticized ESPN's new ad formats before.

Today, the two came together in a great way: Apple is running another experiential, rich-media campaign on ESPN's homepage. The ad is again terrific and far more engaging than anything else on the web... you know an ad is effective when you press the replay button (again and again). Add engagement, large real estate and rich-media - and you can believe that ESPN is fetching great CPMs.

I do have two remarks though:

1. I do not like that the ad unit extends across the entire screen because it causes inadvertent clicking. I understand why it is technically positioned that way - but it is annoying and very transparent....

2. It is strange that there doesn't seem to be a user cap - I have seen this ad 10+ times today. Usually the advertiser would cap it on an IP or cookie basis? I see Rapleaf ads dozens of times a day... it kills me. And not only is it annoying - it loses its efficacy after viewing #50.

Apple's Full Page New York Times Ad: All About the Apps

Flipping through the New York Times today, I noticed this full page ad for Apple's iPhone which notably doesn't even mention the iPhone itself. The ad is entirely about the App Store and the breadth of games, tools and applications available on the phone. It is not the first time that Apple has promoted apps in their marketing campaigns (storefronts and TV spots are a couple examples) - but it is notable at a time when Blackberry and others are announcing their versions of the app store. It is a world where distribution attracts developers and developers equal inventory:

Amazon's Video Games Trade In Works. Perfectly.

Yesterday, I wrote that Amazon will kill Game Stop (and Toys "R" Us) and others who are trying to compete in the video game market. Not only does it make no sense as to why you would purchase new games at traditional stores like Game Stop (more expensive and more hassle) - but it makes no sense why you would trade your old games in at those locations. Amazon (and eBay and Half.com) are more convenient and extract more value.

Today, Game Stop's CEO Dan DeMatteo responded to the press and said that Amazon would flop entirely... citing that the mail-in experience as the main issue. So I put Amazon's new system to the test and, in less than 90 seconds, had:

- a voucher for ~$20.00 for two old video games (far more than I would get at Game Stop) - a printed packaging slip - a printed shipping label with postage already paid for

"I give the probability of this working at zero," DeMatteo told Edge in a Thursday phone interview. ...

DeMatteo is familiar with the mail-in videogame trade model. GameStop tried it several years ago, to no avail. "Electronics Boutique also tried it and failed. There's no consumer acceptance. With consumers, there is an immediacy for currency when they want to buy a new game."

In the case of Amazon, consumers have to wait for shipping and for the gift card to be processed before cashing in on trade-in value.

"It didn't work for us, and I can't see it working for them," DeMatteo said.

It might not have worked for Game Stop, but that isn't an indication that it won't work for Amazon. It already worked perfectly for me.

Why Would You Ever Purchase Video Games Off Amazon?

This morning, Motley Fool asks whether it is game over for Game Stop as Toys "R" Us in encroaching into their territory of video game buying / selling / trading. ... who cares?

I continue to ask why you would ever shop at Game Stop? Or Toys "R" Us or the Playstation Store (now closing) and so on for Video Games?

I just bought MLB The Show 2009 for Playstation 3 on Amazon. It arrived on 'opening' day, was discounted by 5-10% and didn't include taxes. Furthermore, it was entirely hassle free: a few clicks on Amazon.com and it arrived at my front door.

And Amazon now has a trade in program to save an additional 10% (which is about what you would get at Game Stop... if you want to extract the maximum value of trade ins, you are best served on eBay or Half.com):

The same question stands for purchasing DVDs at Borders and Barnes & Nobles. They cost nearly double the price of that found on Amazon and have far worse selection. Unless you need a movie specifically at that moment - these purchases makes no sense.

Blackberry App World Launch - Three Big Question Marks

Three interesting notes from the Blackberry App World FAQ / developer announcement that was released.

Minimum Price of $2.99?

The iPhone has proven that there are pricepoints for three types of apps: 1. Free (ad-supported) 2. $0.99 (consumers consider it the price of an iTunes song or a McDonald's hamburger) 3. $9.99 (high quality games by brands like EA)

Blackberry is instituting a minimum price of $2.99 for paid apps. Fascinating. My guess is that this has something to do with the fact that: 1. Apple has perfected micro-payments (thanks to iTunes); Blackberry hasn't and the margins on a single $0.99 purchase are far worse than on a $2.99 2. Blackberry wants to focus on more corporate applications and avoid the consumer-friendly inventory that runs $0.99 on Apple (I believe this is a bad move)

As I said, fascinating. And, if the $2.99 price point limits distribution (and it will), it could sway developers to offer free apps.... which would have an unintended consequence for Blackberry: those free apps will be ad-supported and Blackberry will not get a cut of that revenue.

How can I price my application? BlackBerry App World will allow you to select a suggested retail price in US dollars for your application that is associated with a pricing tier. The pricing tier chart below shows the application price for the 4 currencies available: USD, CDN, GBP, and Euros. Pricing Tiers Tiers USD CDN GBP EUR 1 Free Free Free Free 2 $2.99 $3.69 £2.59 €2.75 3 $3.99 $4.89 £3.45 €3.65 4 $4.99 $6.15 £4.29 €4.55 5 $5.99 $7.35 £5.15 €5.49 6 $6.99 $8.59 £5.99 €6.39 7 $7.99 $9.79 £6.85 €7.29 8 $8.99 $11.05 £7.69 €8.19 9 $9.99 $12.25 £8.55 €9.09 Tiers increment by $1 from $2.99 to $19.99 Tiers increment by $10 tiers from $19.99 to $99.99 Tiers increment by $50 tiers from $99.99 to $599.99 Tiers increment by $100 tiers from $599.99 to $999.99

Please note that pricing tiers are subject to change.

2. $200 Application Fee; 10 App Limit

Right off the bat, Blackberry is being far more aggressive than Apple ($200 vs. $99). Perhaps because they believe that Blackberry will attract fewer individual developers and draw a more corporate following. Perhaps because they believe that, in hindsight, Apple could have charged more and gotten away with it.

Furthermore, Blackberry limits the number of apps that fee covers to ten.

I think that Blackberry should do whatever they can to chase inventory... after all, Apple has an enormous lead in this space and playing catch up is already difficult (just ask Android). Charging more than Apple and limiting applications per account does just that: limit available applications. Not wise.

What is the application submission fee used for?

There is a $200 USD administration fee to complete registration and submit applications. In the event your account is not approved, this $200 USD administration fee will be refunded.

This initial fee will allow for 10 application submissions:

Multiple versions of the same application will not count as separate submissions (Example: an application might have a version for the BlackBerry Storm smartphone and the BlackBerry Bold smartphone)

An update to your application, resulting in a submission of new cod files, will be counted against your 10 application submissions Resubmission of a rejected application will be counted against your 10 application submissions

Removal of an application will not affect your remaining balance of application submissions

If you have used all 10 application submissions, an additional $200 USD administration fee will be applied on your next submission, adding another 10 application submissions to your account

3. Themes Cannot Be Sold

I find it strange that there is a specific note to prohibit the selling of themes because: 1. Themes already have a marketplace on Blackberries and, while note applications, would be in high demand 2. The specific call-out suggests that Blackberry intends to open a tangential marketplace of themes

Can I distribute Themes? Themes cannot be distributed in the first release of BlackBerry App World.

Widgetbox Introduces Custom HTML Widget Tabs

Widgetbox's Blidget Pro continues to get feature enhancements. Last week we introduced two new features for Blidget Pros:1. Geographic & in-widget click tracking 2. Add/remove the Get Widget button

Today, we announced another exciting addition to the product:

Custom Blidget Pro Tabs

The custom tab enables you to add content to your widget that is not feed-based - meaning, you can add custom, formatted text, links and pictures directly inside your widget! With the custom tab, you are able to:

- Add text and images - Format that content: font size, color, alignment, etc - Create hyperlinks to promote your content and sites - Change the content on an ongoing basis... and have it automatically refresh across the web

You can see an example on my personal widget in the fourth tab:

If you already have a Blidget Pro, simply login to edit it and press the "Add a Tab" button. There is a new "Custom Tab" option within that menu.

Google AdSense Expandable Ads... No More?

I was very excited to read that Google AdSense was launching Expandable Ads - essentially growing rich media units that are more interactive and likely draw greater CPMs. I am excited because it is an opportunity to expand the reach of richer ad units which are making waves in video (see VideoEgg, Tremor Media, etc) and in widgets (Widgetbox). Venturebeat had this screenshot:

But strangely, Google has since removed their post about the product that has been linked to from various sites... was this intended as a private beta launch? Or did it leak? Not sure - but hopefully it will make it way onto this blog!

Page not found Sorry, the page you were looking for in the blog Inside AdSense does not exist.

Update: Google's blog post is now live again.

Adam Carolla's Podcast: 1M Downloads... Radio, XM Officially Dead?

Last week, Adam Carolla transitioned from national radio talk show host. His contract with CBS prevents him from returning to radio (supposedly through 2009) - and in exchange, he is paid handsomely in the meantime. So Adam Carolla decided started a podcast - launching it last week. It had over 1,000,000 downloads... a staggering number:

I’m overwhelmed by your response to the podcast. In less than 24 hours, the first podcast was downloaded over a quarter of a million times, which is awesome.

This means that we’ll be able move along faster in terms of getting this project up into a new gear, and getting a little more production, more guests, and everything you guys deserve. I’m grateful to have such fantastic fans, and honored at this response.

I’ve been very busy working on this pilot with CBS, and getting all the parts in place for that, which has taken a lot of time and energy, but we’re still focused on putting a great podcast out.

Again, I’d like to thank everyone, and let everyone know that we’ll all get our shit together very soon, and bring this to a new level.

Keep up the good work.

-Adam Carolla

Consider that Corolla achieved one million downloads with: - no real promotion or advertising campaign (and no brand behind it) - a basic website based on Wordpress.com - no mobile-based website like ESPN's Podcenter (which is how I consume ESPN podcasts on-the-go) - just entered iTunes (important for access, subscription)

Adam Carolla is not alone in his success. ESPN's Bill Simmons (the Sports Guy) had over 550,000 podcast downloads last week.

These numbers are enormous. And for Adam Carolla to find such success so quickly and without a big brand or producer - talent should really ask themselves, why not follow Carolla's lead? Consider that Carolla used to start his show at the crack of dawn, talk for several hours, abide by FCC regulation... and it cost $20,000,000 annually to run. Now his podcasts are 30-60 minutes, free of censorship and available in a new format that is killing traditional radio and has rendered satellite radio useless - why subscribe to XM and Sirius when you can get Adam Carolla, Bill Simmons, The Wall Street Journal, etc portably and on-demand?

And if Carolla and others can find success in podcasting - then the supply of content will enable the medium to grow (to me, this really was the mitigating factor). But with 1,000,000 downloads and a lean staff, Carolla will certainly be able to find financial success.... which is, in turn, great for consumers.

CBS Coverage of beRecruited: 'Gives Students Scholarship Edge'

beRecruited has had some great press coverage over the last few weeks - in part because of our growth, in part because of recruiting season and in part because of the struggling economy (which puts more of a need on scholarship availability / seeking). The latest was coverage by Boston's WBZ whose coverage was both on television (see video below) and in print. The exciting theme in all of beRecruited's recent press is the service's effectiveness. Every article has mentioned (with testimonials to validate it) the overwhelming response that the subscribing athletes have received:

Between the economic crisis and soaring college tuition bills, high school athletes are feeling more pressure than ever to land a scholarship.

But finding the right school and the right offer can be a daunting task for a high school student. Private consultants can help, but they can cost thousands of dollars, a high price to pay in these tough times...

Courtney Letourneau, a soccer player at Wachusett Regional High School, joined Berecruited.com early in her college search. She said she heard from dozens of coaches.

"It's really surprising who's interested in you, how many colleges there are because I've never heard of half of them," she said.

Courtney landed a scholarship at Long Island University.

"I only have to pay $3,000 a year," she said.