Electronic Arts To Serve In-Game Ads

Electronic Arts, the world's largest video game publisher, will start serving ads to players while their games are in progress, thanks to new deals with two ad networks, Massive Inc. and IGA Worldwide. Both networks offer technology platforms that allow game publishers and developers to insert dynamic, in-game ads in their titles. The ad placements often take the form of "outdoor" ads such as posters and billboards, served in the game's virtual environment.

Is Google the New Name of Spam?

Faris Yakob, a senior strategist and digital guru at Naked Communications (faris@nakedcomms.com.au) sees Google as the new name of spam. In his article on MediaPost, his definition of "spam," via Google, is "to indiscriminately send unsolicited, unwanted, irrelevant, or inappropriate messages, especially commercial advertising in mass quantities".

Purchase of The Wall Street Journal Front Page Ads

When The Wall Street Journal begins running ads on its front page for automakers General Motors and Toyota next week it will mark an industry first. But who handles the media planning and buying? Instead of the well-known North American Publicis' Zenith Media, Toyota turned to Dentsu of America, the fledgling U.S. outpost of Japan's advertising powerhouse. The question is: Can Dentsu do a good job?