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Google Leases NASA Airfield to Research Robotics and Space Exploration

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Google has agreed to a $1.2 billion lease of NASA’s Moffett Field airfield in California for 60 years, as the company invests in new technologies such as robotics and aviation.

As part of the deal, Google subsidiary Planetary Ventures will invest more than $200 million in improvements at the site, which is near the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, according to a NASA statement. The facility is slated for research, assembly and testing in the areas of robotics, space exploration, aviation and other technologies, it said.

Google is committing more resources to cutting-edge technologies as it looks for new ventures beyond its core online search services. The internet search provider has acquired several companies in a robotics effort that was led by Android co-founder Andy Rubin. Last month, Google said Mr. Rubin was stepping down and that James Kuffner, a research scientist, would take his position. Other research efforts have included wind power, driverless cars, drones and computerized eyewear.

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Source:: AdAge – Digital

Five Takeaways From Alibaba’s Record-Busting $9.3 Billion Shopping Fest

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Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s ambitions seem limitless: Bigger, more mobile, more global. During its just-ended annual e-commerce holiday, Alibaba set a new record, selling $9.3 billion in merchandise in a 24-hour festival.

The figure for the 11/11 sale, named for its date, Nov. 11, topped the 2013 record of $5.8 billion. That’s way more than everything people bought on their computers during the five-day U.S. Thanksgiving holiday last year that included both Black Friday and Cyber Monday ($5.3 billion, according to ComScore.)

So what are the big takeaways?

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Source:: AdAge – Digital

It’s Starting to Feel Like Christmas on the Viral Video Chart

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Two holiday-centric campaigns, from John Lewis and Burberry respectively, sit atop the chart this week. John Lewis’s “Monty the Penguin,” about a boy and his best friend, has taken off like a shot, with more than 14.9 million views over the seven days that ended Sunday, according to Visible Measures. (Check out John Lewis and other U.K. retailers’ cinematic Christmas ads from last year here.)

Burberry’s cinematic holiday campaign stars Romeo Beckham, and it’s accumulated more than six million views during that same span.

Elsewhere, two chart fixtures returned. Save the Children’s Most Shocking Second a Day, which has been viewed more than 41 million times since its March launch, claimed the No. 4 spot after racking up more than 4.4 million views. The Melbourne Metro’s latest work in the “Dumb Ways to Die” campaign, which has appeared on this chart 36 times over the past two years, grabbed the eighth slot, with another 1.4 million views.

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Source:: AdAge – Digital

Resistance to Google+ and Hangouts Is Social Media Déjà Vu

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Back in 2007, when I said that Twitter would be important for marketers, I was practically tarred and feathered by PR people and fellow bloggers (blogging was still a relatively new social media platform back then).

The resistance to Google+and Google+Hangouts by social media gurus, brands and especially agencies is déjà vu all over again.

In comments on my 2007 blog post about Twitter, my esteemed colleagues called me “ignorant” and worse, and said Twitter “isn’t even close to mainstream and is nothing more than a tactic for specific audiences at best.”

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Source:: AdAge – Digital

Groupon Kicks Off First Analyst Day Amid Pivot to E-Commerce Site

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Groupon, which is hosting its first analyst day, will tout profit and revenue growth plans today as the daily-deals company shifts from an e-mail model to a full-blown e-commerce site.

In presentation slides posted on its website, Groupon said it expects revenue growth of more than 15% next year, which would equate to at least about $3.6 billion, in line with analysts’ estimates. Adjusted earnings will rise even faster, with the company projecting a more than 25% increase next year.

CEO Eric Lefkofsky has been working to make Groupon a marketplace for deals where consumers can shop the way they already do on sites like Amazon.com. Mr. Lefkofsky is banking on growth in mobile and listings of local businesses to help offset a decline in e-mail effectiveness and demand for goods that has outpaced the company’s ability to build out fulfillment infrastructure, according to the slides.

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Source:: AdAge – Digital