Microsoft Sues Three in Click-Fraud Scheme

AFTER an investigation that took more than a year, Microsoft has filed its first lawsuit over click fraud, where people manipulate clicks on a Web advertisement. Microsoft filed the civil complaint on Monday in United States District Court in Seattle against Eric Lam, Gordon Lam and Melanie Suen, of Vancouver, British Columbia, along with several corporation names they were believed to have used, and several unnamed parties.

Microsoft Revenue Drops but Positive Perception Rises

Credits Windows PC Campaign for 10% Increase in Preference

For the first time in its history, Microsoft saw a year-over-year quarterly revenue drop — and it predicts a “long and gradual” recovery. Quarterly revenue fell 6% in its fiscal third quarter to $13.65 billion from the year-earlier quarter. Profit also took a hit, down 32% to $2.98 billion and 33 cents per share.

“While we’d all like to think our recovery will be soon and painless, we unfortunately believe it will be slow and gradual,” said Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell. “We expect trading issues to remain difficult through the end of next quarter and potentially through the end of this calendar year.”

Funny Microsoft Parody Ads Hit Web

Supposedly…

Is this the best we can do with the most recent Microsoft campaign, America? C’mon, ad community. Step up.

PomX Iced Coffee Targets College Crowd

New Energy Drink Counting on Irreverent Humor to Get Noticed

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — The company that popularized pomegranate juice, Pom Wonderful, is looking to stake its claim in the energy-drink arena, introducing PomX Iced Coffee with an irreverent marketing campaign targeted to 18- to 24-year-olds with taglines such as “Wake the F Up” and “Yes officer, I’m completely buzzed.”

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Microsoft Enlists Public to Create Latest Ads Crispin Uses Homemade Videos Uploaded to Windows.com for ‘I’m a PC’ Campaign

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — First it was Jerry Seinfeld, then it was Deepak Chopra. Now, Microsoft is introducing another star as part of its new consumer ad campaign: you.

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Brand vs. Brand: Attack Ads on the Rise

Dunkin’, Burger King, Microsoft Latest to Go Directly After Their Rivals

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) — Marketing seems to have entered a new era of attack ads. Whatever the reasons, comparative ads — some of them pretty aggressive — are all the rage.

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As the Lines Blur, Digital Agencies Are Taking Lead Today Agency-of-Record Status Can Go to Anyone; Just Ask Tribal or Tequila

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Digital agencies are not only being invited to pitch brands as agencies of record — increasingly, they’re winning.

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Google’s Upward March Continues — but for How Long?

Search Giant Reports 26% Increase in Quarterly Income, but Is Vague About Category’s Strength Going forward

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — The good news: Search is still a bright spot. The not-so-good news: There’s no clarity going forward. Search giant Google on Thursday indicated there’s still growth in the online ad space during a tough economy, notching a healthy third-quarter net income of $1.35 billion, up 26% from $1.07 billion during the year-ago period. But the company begged off any questions about what the outlook for search advertising could be.

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Microsoft, Once Again, Officially Not Interested in Yahoo Despite CEO Ballmer’s Continued Public Flirting

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — “Our position hasn’t changed. Microsoft has no interest in acquiring Yahoo; there are no discussions between the companies,” said a Microsoft spokesman in an e-mail. This latest statement, sent to Ad Age on Thursday, regarding the on-again, off-again courtship came just hours after Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told the audience at a Gartner conference in Orlando, Fla., that the deal still makes “economic sense.”

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Is Your Snazzy New Site Cloaked in Invisibility?

Too Often, Design Ignores Search Friendliness

DigitalNext

Why is it that so many bleeding-edge, ultra-cool websites — products in and of themselves — are designed to be invisible to search engines and, ultimately, potential customers?

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Common, Microsoft Learn to Make Music Together Q&A: Rapper on Collaborating With Zune and Hip-Hop’s Changing Attitude Toward Brand Partnerships

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — In his 20 years in hip-hop, Common has issued seven albums and partnered with even less advertisers, but, in anticipation of his latest release, “Universal Mind Control,” due this December, the Grammy-winning rapper (born Lonnie Rashied Lynn) decided to work with Microsoft — a decision, he says, he didn’t take lightly.

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Tesco, Virgin Move Into U.K. Mortgage Market

Unlikely Lenders See Opportunity as Banks Falter

LONDON (AdAge.com) — As storied financial institutions topple and consumers struggle to get loans and keep up with payments, Tesco and Virgin Group are going into the mortgage business. Although the U.K.’s biggest supermarket chain and Richard Branson’s Virgin may seem unlikely financial institutions, both companies say the time is right to offer more choice to consumers who have rapidly narrowing options.

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Why Microsoft’s Gates/Seinfeld Went Viral and ‘I’m a PC’ Ads Didn’t Hint: It’s in the Comments

DigitalNext

According to Visible Measures, which charts online video viewing trends and has measured the videos associated with Microsoft’s $300 million ad campaign, the Seinfeld/Gates ads are squashing the “I’m a PC” ads by a margin of 4.3 million viral video views.

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Coke Still No. 1 in Brand Value

IBM, Microsoft, GE Are Runners-up on Annual List

DETROIT (AdAge.com) — Coca-Cola is again the world’s most valuable brand, according to Interbrand’s just-released annual list of the Best 100 Global Brands.

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With U.S. Economy Reeling, Advertisers Pin Hopes on Emerging Markets China and India Still Strong, but Growth Slowdown Is Feared

HONG KONG (Adage.com) — The disastrous jolt to U.S. financial markets is putting pressure on multinational marketers to do well in big emerging markets such as China and India to offset the sluggish U.S. economy. Those markets are still growing, but if demand for Asian-made products drops significantly, consumer spending in Asia could dry up, too.

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Microsoft vs. Apple Fight Enters New Round

In a Sudden Ad Shift, PC Maker Co-Opts Rival’s Geeky Character

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — After only two weeks, Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates’ rambling conversations about nothing have been jettisoned for a new campaign in which Microsoft tries to rebuild an image that has long been battered by rival Apple.

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Hyundai, Goodby Said to Be Parting Ways Dealers Unhappy With Agency’s Cerebral ‘Think About It’ Effort

DETROIT (AdAge.com) — Hyundai Motor America appears to have cut loose its creative ad agency, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, after 17 months, three executives close to the marketer said.

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