Lately, China’s tech and internet behemoths have been attracting big-league talents from Western companies, another sign of their growing global ambition and clout.

A former Google pioneer on artificial intelligence joined Chinese search engine Baidu, as did a top Microsoft China executive. A PepsiCo exec left for e-commerce giant Alibaba.

The latest to make the switch comes from the ad world and is one of the most respected China-based media agency talents. Steven Chang has traded his job as president of Publicis Groupe’s’ ZenithOptimedia Greater China for a new post as corporate VP for online media advertising sales at Tencent, the Chinese internet giant said Thursday.

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Source:: AdAge – Digital

By jneff@adage.com(Jack Neff)

Ownership of dedicated set-top or plug-in devices that access Netflix, YouTube and other web-based services on big-screen TVs has increased tenfold since 2010 to 21% of U.S. households, according to a new report by GfK.

But while the trend is fueling big increases in viewership of video on subscription services, particularly Netflix, it’s not having much impact on “regular” ad-supported broadcast or cable TV yet, according to David Tice, a senior VP leading the media sector at GfK.

Netflix, in particular, is taking a substantial chunk of viewership time in the U.S., according to the Over-the-Top TV 2014 study, based on a GfK tracking survey of more than 1,000 people in the U.S. “Over-the-top” is industry jargon for video entertainment delivered via the web. While the survey doesn’t track viewership directly and is based on reported viewing, it’s not clear that self-reported viewership biases results toward any particular media or delivery system.

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Source:: AdAge – Digital

Mobile advertising poses many challenges when it comes to effective targeting, delivery and measurement, which makes choosing the right ad platform or solution for your advertising campaign difficult.

You have options, and lots of them. Getting beneath the hype to understand what really is possible is a challenge for even the most sophisticated marketers and media planners. So how do you make sure you choose wisely to get the results you need?

When it comes to selecting the right mobile advertising provider or technology platform for your next campaign, start with these five critical questions:

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Source:: AdAge – Digital

By Yuyu Chen In these video interviews from ClickZ Live San Francisco, you will glean insights, get tips, and hear about future trends from leading digital marketers at Yahoo, Amazon, Hootsuite, and more.

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Source:: ClickZ – Internet Marketing

By Tessa Wegert Brands that are able to find a niche market and create a compelling brand magazine filled with engaging content can see huge boosts in their marketing efforts.

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Source:: ClickZ – Internet Marketing

By Ben Plomion If you’re using the technology correctly, programmatic marketing can’t be broken down into neat and tidy categories. This makes the process of pigeonholing vendors counter-productive for marketers.

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Source:: ClickZ – Internet Marketing

By Aaron Kahlow If you focus on these seven planning ideas, you will be on your way to ensuring successful digital campaigns.

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Source:: ClickZ – Internet Marketing

A long time ago, in a galaxy dominated by network TV, people gathered to watch a new show on a fixed day and time. The premiere of Walt Disney Co.’s “Star Wars Rebels” this week shows how much viewing has changed.

The animated series, the first new “Star Wars” program since Disney acquired the franchise two years ago, will be available online before traditional TV. The digital debut illustrates how programmers are blurring the lines between online and offline TV, particularly in kids’ entertainment, where viewers are often more computer savvy than their parents.

The hour-long first episode can be seen using the Watch Disney XD app starting Friday, three days earlier than first planned and a week before the Disney Channel. The Burbank, California-based company moved up the release date to grab weekend viewers and generate social-media buzz, according to Paul DeBenedittis, senior VP-programming strategy, Disney Channels Worldwide.

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Source:: AdAge – Digital

Harness data to create content your audience wants.

Kraft Foods Group leans on its troves of first-party data to determine the kinds of content its consumers want to read and watch. Last St. Patrick’s Day, for instance, the company noticed a sharp increase in searches for green velvet cupcakes. Kraft didn’t have any recipes on hand, so it quickly developed one with four different Kraft ingredients and shared it through owned media channels. “Data, going forward, becomes the new currency,” said Deanie Elsner, exec VP-CMO at Kraft Foods.

Target your messages to audience, not a specific medium.

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Source:: AdAge – Digital

When it comes to establishing strong international brands, Chinese companies are struggling to crack the code. Three of the top five smartphone makers globally are Chinese, yet how many Western consumers can name one? (Cheat sheet: They’re Huawei, Lenovo and Xiaomi, according to Strategy Analytics shipment data for the second quarter of 2014.)

Stronger branding would help with Chinese consumers too, as competition is cutthroat among local brands vying for the attention of the country’s 1.36 billion population.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, already uber-famous at home, is becoming more well-known abroad too, partly thanks to the publicity blast surrounding its record $25 billion initial public offering in New York last week.

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Source:: AdAge – Digital