Ads

Mobile Ads Can Hijack Your Phone and Steal Your Contacts

Those pesky pop-up ads from the '90s are back, but this time they're holding your smartphone hostage. Tens of thousands of smartphone apps are running ads from rogue advertising networks that change smartphone settings and take contact information without permission.

PayPal Jumps to TVs With TiVo- Comcast Shopping Collaboration

If you think QVC is a state-of-the-art way to shop through your TV, just wait until you see what PayPal has in store: It's working with TiVo and Comcast on ways to let consumers really engage with commercials, and make transactions possible with a click of your remote.

Is Amazon Kicking Off Another E-Reader Price War?

The tech giant kicked off an e-reader price war last summer and another may be in store. Why? The company announced Monday that it would cut its price on a new Kindle that will display ads. Will competitors follow its lead?

Food Fight: KFC and Franchisees Disagree on Ad Strategy

A judge in Louisville, Ky., has ruled that KFC must cooperate with franchisees on advertising, but that it can nix campaigns that it believes could hurt the brand. Disagreement over whether KFC should emphasize its fried or grilled chicken sparked the dispute.

ComScore: More Advertising Coming to Online Videos

Research firm ComScore projects that spending on online-video advertising will more than triple between 2010 and 2015. But that doesn't mean you'll necessarily see more commercials per video. Spending will continue to lag behind the huge growth in online videos, according to ComScore.

Nielsen Report: Many DVR Viewers Play the Commercials

Here's a nice surprise for television advertisers: Digital video recorders are actually increasing, not decreasing, the number of viewers who are watching the commercials. Nearly half of the DVR owners in the critical 18- to 49-year-old age group watch the commercials, which boosts ratings, Nielsen says.

Personalized Ads: Not Just for the Web Anymore

Soon, the Internet won't be the only medium to offer advertisers the ability to closely target specific types of customers. Starting in August or September, DirecTV plans to launch a new personalized advertising service for television. Can it bring the scope of TV to highly targeted ads?

Global Giants Hiding on the Pink Sheets

With few exceptions, investors should run screaming from any stock quoted on the Pink Sheets. But not every over-the-counter stock is a dud. In fact, some of them are top-notch global companies. Here are some major companies listed on the Pink Sheets that are outperforming the S&P 500.

It Could've Been You: Five Wrongly Convicted People

Some of the best reads for investors from around the Web, including posts about the market rising in spite of the Hindenburg Omen, 10 high-yield stocks and signs we're in a depression instead of a recession.

Censored: Adult Services Ads on Craigslist

Craigslist has blocked access to its racy adult-services ads and marked them as "censored" after 17 state attorney generals asked the company to remove the listings. Will the decision to block -- instead of remove -- the ads put Craigslist on the hook for refunds?

Magazine Ads Rebounding? Not in the First Quarter

Despite encouraging indications elsewhere in the media economy, you have to look pretty hard to find a silver lining for magazine advertising. Figures for the first quarter of 2010 show that, while the declines have moderated, the trend line still has yet to flatten out, much less turn up.

Hamsters That Sell: Kia Wins Auto Ad of the Year

Evidently, hamsters are good for sales, or at least for getting viewers to remember your product. A Kia Motors ad featuring dozens of the furry critters was awarded Automotive Ad of the Year at the Nielsen Automotive Advertising Awards this week.

CBS: Hey Dockers, Sorry for Pantsless Ad Spots

CBS, which broadcast the Super Bowl, is reportedly giving Dockers three free 30-second commercial spots during the NCAA men's basketball championships to make up for the mistake of scheduling two ad spots featuring men in their skivvies in adjacent slots.