Survey: Salary Satisfaction Rising for Buyers, Planners

Media buyers and planners feel more satisfied with their pay and benefits than they did last year, with 41.4 percent of respondents in a Media Life salary survey saying they were satisfied with their salary and benefits, compared to just 34 percent who said they were satisfied last year. Only 42.5 percent described themselves as less than satisfied, compared to 48 percent last year.

The biggest gains in salary satisfaction were at big and small agencies, while planners and buyers at mid-size agencies do not report being any happier.

Suit Alleges Yahoo Spyware Fraud, Earnings Conspiracy

Edelman

A class-action lawsuit was filed Monday against Yahoo and unnamed third-parties, accusing them of “syndication fraud” against advertisers who pay Yahoo to display their ads on search results and on partner sites, reports Brian Krebs on the Washington Post’s Security Fix blog (via Slashdot and MarketingVOX)). The suit not only claims that Yahoo displayed ads via spyware and adware and on typosquatter sites but also alleges that Yahoo “is conspiring to boost revenue” by using its relationship with such sites “to gin up extra revenue around earnings time,” according to Krebs.

Gates to Advertisers: We’ll Keep Google ‘Honest’

In its attempt to tap into the flood of advertising revenue, Microsoft on Wednesday made its pitch to the representatives of hundreds of major ad agencies and marketers (including Target, Nike, Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson), who were attending the MSN Strategic Account Summit, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (via MarketingVOX). Google, too, was a looming presence at the powwow - though not a physical one.

Apple’s Mac Ad Campaign Pokes Fun at Windows

Apple has launched the first national ad campaign for Macs in more than a year, taking advantage of Microsoft’s announced delay of its Vista operating system until early 2007 - possibly the second quarter, according to Gartner research - writes CNET (via MarketingVOX). The TV spots began showing Monday night, poking fun at Microsoft’s Windows weaknesses, including security and the need for frequent rebooting, and playing up Apple’s user-friendliness.

Microsoft Gets Patent for Multi-Domain Tracking with Cookies

Microsoft was granted a patent (number 7039699) on Tuesday for “tracking usage behavior in computer systems” with invisible images and “small sized cookies” to track visitors, writes Techdirt (via MarketingVOX). The patent application was filed on May 2, 2000 (application number 563706).

Google Serving More Ads on ‘Commercial’ Searches

Google will display more ads for commercial-related keywords in its paid search results than in its non-commercial results, Google said last week, DM News reports (via MarketingVOX). More ads will be displayed for keywords that are more commercial in nature, such as “running shoes,” than for noncommercial, educational-type queries.