Google is testing a feature to let consumers purchase products by clicking through advertisements, seeking to expand options for mobile retail sales, the company said.

The internet-search company’s service, Purchases on Google, will let people using smartphones click on select search ads to visit retailer-branded product pages hosted by Google, according to an e-mail. The tools will work with a “limited number of retailers” for now, the company said on Wednesday.

Facing competition from Amazon, Google is investing in ways to attract shoppers and retailers to its mobile services as consumers increasingly use smartphones as they consider purchases. The news had been anticipated since this spring.

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Source:: AdAge – Digital

Google is stepping up efforts against Apple’s location technology with new tools to link smartphones to nearby objects.

The search giant on Tuesday introduced a new format called Eddystone that lets electronic beacons provide more specific locations and other information within applications, the company said in a blog post. The tools, which compete with Apple’s iBeacon technology, will enable smartphone users at a museum, for example, to get more information on a painting they’re looking at or to gain easy access to electronic bus tickets when they’re near a bus stop.

“We’re beginning to roll out a new set of features to help developers build apps using this technology,” Google said in the blog. “This includes a new open format for Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons to communicate with people’s devices, a way for you to add this meaningful data to your apps and to Google services, as well as a way to manage your fleet of beacons efficiently.”

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Source:: AdAge – Digital

It happens every day. Sometimes several times a day. Among the 500 million tweets sent daily, at least one will cause a brand, a politician or a celebrity to receive a public shaming.

The vast majority end with a mea culpa and the lame-ass explanation that the intern or social media manager was responsible. And usually, that person is fired (or at least we’re told that’s what happened).

Many of these debacles begin with a #hashtag inviting people to comment on an issue and use that tag. Unfortunately, if you don’t think of the possibility that Twitter denizens will mock you, you can be eaten alive in a trial by public opinion in a matter of moments.

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Source:: AdAge – Digital

By Yuyu Chen In this video interview, Deanie Elsner, former chief marketing officer for Kraft Foods Group, talks about the importance of marketing and how she worked with agencies to drive Kraft’s marketing function.

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Source:: ClickZ – Internet Marketing

By Benjamin Spiegel Something as small as a single missing or broken tag can result in missing data. As a result, marketers need to really inspect data, rather than simply looking at the aggregated report.

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Source:: ClickZ – Internet Marketing

By abruell@adage.com(Alexandra Bruell)

Marketing tech firm Zeta Interactive has secured $150 million in equity and debt to try to meet advertisers’ growing demand for approaches that combine the strengths of ad tech with customer relationship marketing.

Ad tech targeting anonymous consumers in sophisticated ways has typically operated separately from CRM efforts aimed at brands’ known consumers, but companies like Zeta are investing in both sides of the business.

“We think this funding will accelerate our growth through organic business moves as well as strategic acquisitions,” said Zeta COO Steven Gerber. “Clients are trying to acquire more customers that hit ROI targets and do it in a way that’s predictable and scalable.”

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Source:: AdAge – Digital

By abruell@adage.com(Alexandra Bruell)

CORRECTION: This story originally reported that Zeta had secured $150 million in funding, in fact the company secured $125 million.

Marketing tech firm Zeta Interactive has secured $125 million in equity and debt to try to meet advertisers’ growing demand for approaches that combine the strengths of ad tech with customer relationship marketing.

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Source:: AdAge – Digital

By Michelle Killebrew Media and technology are continuing to merge providing business opportunities that will engage customers in new ways.

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Source:: ClickZ – Internet Marketing

By Oni Zhang Real-time marketing is growing in popularity in China. See how brands like McDonald’s, Durex and Xiaomi are using it on Weibo.

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Source:: ClickZ – Internet Marketing

By Mike O’Brien At midnight, Amazon – and Walmart, in response – will start 24 hours of deals better than Black Friday. If it goes well, industry experts think Prime Day could continue in future years.

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Source:: ClickZ – Internet Marketing