While large brands often generate business by enabling consumers to customize products online, smaller companies do not always have the resources to do the same, something that will likely change with 3D printing technology and services. Massachusetts-based startup Matter Labs has developed a plug-and-play API called Matter Remix and software called Matter.io to help e-commerce merchants leverage 3D printing and add product customization features to online stores. Continue reading Matter Labs: New Software Brings 3D Printing to E-Commerce

Twitter is targeting second screens with a strategy that focuses on the intersection of video and data. The company has reportedly been meeting with agencies and brands this year, including several meetings held during CES, to showcase its ad product road map. Those who met with Twitter signed non-disclosure agreements and could not discuss upcoming products, but the strategy is believed to be bullish on video and data, and a counter to Facebook’s recent push into video. Continue reading Twitter and Facebook to Battle for Second Screen Ad Dollars

When marketers discuss social TV and growing trends involving second screens, they are often thinking Twitter, which has become synonymous with the sharing of TV-related content. Last week we reported that Twitter had acquired social TV tracking service Trendrr in a deal that further consolidates the social TV monitoring market. Understanding social TV is rapidly becoming vital to marketers. Earlier this year, Twitter purchased social analytics firm Bluefin Labs, and Nielsen acquired SocialGuide. Continue reading Despite Growing Competition, Twitter Leads Social TV Wave

Twitter has acquired social TV tracking service Trendrr in a deal that further consolidates the social TV monitoring market. Twitter purchased social analytics firm Bluefin Labs earlier this year, while Nielsen picked up SocialGuide. Trendrr, which was developed by digital agency Wiredset and first launched in 2007, will not be signing any new social analytics contracts and its curation product will likely be fully folded into Twitter’s offerings. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Continue reading Twitter Boosts its Social TV Arsenal with Trendrr Acquisition

Television is becoming an important part of Twitter’s advertising strategy. In May, Twitter revealed an experimental advertising plan that will allow companies to use Twitter to directly engage with consumers who see their TV commercials. Twitter reported that users who are shown promoted tweets had a 58 percent higher intent to buy compared with people who only viewed the TV ad. Rates of user engagement were 27 percent higher than previous averages for companies using Twitter to reach customers. Continue reading Companies Can Target Viewers While They Tweet on Shows

Viacom and Twitter have announced a new partnership to deliver social video advertising campaigns centered on popular Viacom shows and events from MTV, VH1, CMT, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, TV Land, Spike and others. Viacom is the latest to join the growing list of media companies involved with the Twitter Amplify partnership program. The Viacom partnership will launch with the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, August 25. Continue reading Viacom and Twitter Partner on Social Video Ad Campaigns

Goldman Sachs recently reported that TV ratings have dropped by 50 percent over the last ten years, “the sharpest pace on record.” Ratings in the coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic fell by 17 percent last winter compared with the previous year. Since 2004, studies have suggested that TV viewing would be one of the first leisure activities to be impacted by the Internet. However, while TV remains the dominant medium, digital natives are also turning to new forms of entertainment. Continue reading Will Tumblr and Twitter Define the Future of Television?

Twitter is reportedly close to reaching partnerships with TV networks that would bring video content and advertising to the social site. Talks are underway with Viacom, Comcast and NBCUniversal, say sources, who note that the deal with Viacom would allow the micro-blogger to host TV clips on its site and sell ads alongside them. The push for TV coincides with Twitter’s expansion into music discovery and sharing with its new mobile app. Continue reading Twitter Pursuing Deals to Host Television Content and Ads

Yesterday we posted findings of a Coca-Cola study, which concluded that online buzz did not have a measurable impact on short-term product sales. Response to the story, first published by Advertising Age and others, was met with a significant amount of online debate, which prompted a Coca-Cola exec to post that the finding can be viewed as accurate in isolation, but should not diminish the crucial role of social media across multiple screens. Continue reading Marketing Exec Defends the Crucial Role of Social Media