Advertising

Amazon to boost advertising business with acquisition of assets from ad tech company Sizmek

by Nat Levy on May 31, 2019May 31, 2019 at 8:48 amComment

Amazon has acquired parts of a global ad tech company to bolster its rapidly growing advertising business. Amazon said Friday it agreed to acquire Sizmek’s Ad Server and its Dynamic… Read More

Video

Geek of the Week: Rudy Willingham is a cut above on Instagram, so he launched his own ad agency

by Kurt Schlosser on April 26, 2019April 26, 2019 at 11:53 am1 Comment

Amid Instagram’s sea of sameness, Rudy Willingham of Seattle has managed to capture people’s attention with a unique art form that strays from the social media platform’s usual offerings of… Read More

Amazon developing a free, ad-supported video news app for Fire TV, report says

by James Thorne on March 29, 2019March 29, 2019 at 12:32 pmComment

Fire TV users may soon be getting their news from Amazon. The company plans to debut a free app for streaming video news, according to a report from The Information… Read More

Report: Amazon takes more digital advertising market share from Google-Facebook duopoly

by Taylor Soper on February 20, 2019February 20, 2019 at 10:39 am1 Comment

Amazon will be the “big winner” in the digital advertising world for 2019. That’s according to a new report from eMarketer that shows Amazon continuing to take digital advertising market share… Read More

Video

Super Bowl ad recap: Bezos pushes Post message; T-Mobile offers freebies; Xbox and Alexa score big

by Kurt Schlosser on February 4, 2019February 4, 2019 at 10:38 amComment

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos didn’t show up in his company’s latest Super Bowl ad for Alexa. But his message was heard through a powerful ad for one of his other… Read More

Geek of the Week: iSpot.tv’s Anthony Skinner tunes into shifting media landscape and which ads work

by Kurt Schlosser on February 1, 2019January 31, 2019 at 7:23 pmComment

As the head of engineering and product at iSpot.tv — the Bellevue, Wash.-based television ad measurement and analytics company — Anthony Skinner has a proven history of helping customers understand… Read More

Video

Clean-energy Buds: Rising Seattle startup Drift teams with King of Beers in Super Bowl promotion

by Kurt Schlosser on February 1, 2019February 1, 2019 at 10:02 amComment

Budweiser is back at the Super Bowl, as usual, with another high-profile commercial in the contest for eyeballs, clicks and chatter among Monday morning advertising quarterbacks. The biggest beer company… Read More

Seahawks star Russell Wilson uses Uber ads to prove he can poke fun at painful Super Bowl loss

by Kurt Schlosser on January 31, 2019February 1, 2019 at 7:14 am1 Comment

At least Russell Wilson can joke about it. With the Super Bowl just a couple days away, the sting for many fans is that their team isn’t playing for the… Read More

Amazon’s big new business: Here’s how much advertising revenue the company generated in 2018

by Taylor Soper on January 31, 2019January 31, 2019 at 3:42 pmComment

Amazon’s advertising business is showing no signs of letting up. Amazon reports record profits of $3B, crushes Wall Street expectations for holiday quarter Amazon on Thursday reported record profits of $3… Read More

Video

Super Bowl looks like a pity party for the robots as ads show us the sad side of artificial intelligence

by Kurt Schlosser on January 31, 2019January 31, 2019 at 10:25 amComment

Oh, the poor, poor robots and smart devices. One minute we’re supposed to be scared that they’re coming for our jobs and the next minute we have to feel sorry… Read More

Video

Microsoft unveils its Super Bowl ad, starring a 9-year-old gamer and the Xbox Adaptive Controller

by Kurt Schlosser on January 31, 2019January 31, 2019 at 7:58 am1 Comment

One of Microsoft’s favorite gamers will be back in action during the big game on Sunday. And he brought friends. The Redmond, Wash.-based tech giant unveiled its 60-second Super Bowl ad… Read More

Video

Alexa toothbrush, dog collar and more failed gadgets make cut in Amazon Super Bowl ad

by Kurt Schlosser on January 30, 2019January 30, 2019 at 7:50 am1 Comment

Amazon may appear to be trying to get its voice assistant Alexa into a dizzying array of gadgets these days, but what happens to devices that fail to make the… Read More

Video

Amazon turns to Harrison Ford, astronaut twins and more celebs in tease for Alexa Super Bowl ad

by Kurt Schlosser on January 25, 2019January 28, 2019 at 9:24 amComment

Amazon stole the Super Bowl advertising show last year with a celebrity-filled spot centered around a storyline in which Alexa loses her voice. Alexa again appears to be the focus… Read More

As Amazon becomes world’s most valuable company, analyst sees ‘mostly unconstrained’ opportunities

by James Thorne on January 8, 2019January 8, 2019 at 9:01 amComment

As the closing bell rang Monday, Amazon had surpassed fellow Seattle-area tech giant Microsoft to become the world’s most valuable company. The jostling came after Amazon’s stock rose 8.5 percent in the… Read More

Facebook will pause political ad sales for Washington state elections

by Monica Nickelsburg on December 20, 2018December 20, 2018 at 7:00 am 2 Comments

Facebook plans to pause the sale of political ads for state and local races in Washington by the end of the year. The announcement comes on the heels of a… Read More

Facebook, Google settle Washington state lawsuits over political ad disclosures for combined $455K

by Monica Nickelsburg on December 18, 2018December 18, 2018 at 2:07 pm 2 Comments

Facebook and Google have settled dual lawsuits with the Washington attorney general over alleged violations of the state’s political advertisement disclosure laws Tuesday, court documents revealed. Each company agreed to pay… Read More

Video

‘Amazon.com’s got a lot’ … of vintage holiday ads worth watching, to see how tech giant got started

by Kurt Schlosser on December 3, 2018December 3, 2018 at 10:32 amComment

Amazon has come a long way as a company over the past couple decades. The online bookseller turned into a tech giant and took over Seattle. But perhaps the most… Read More

Washington state affirms rule requiring Facebook and Google to make political ad disclosures

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 29, 2018November 29, 2018 at 2:43 pm 4 Comments

Washington state officials doubled down on rules requiring companies like Facebook to disclose information about the political ads they sell, according to The Stranger. The Washington State Public Disclosure Commission… Read More

Video

Microsoft holiday ad captures joy of video games and inclusion as boy uses Xbox Adaptive Controller

by Kurt Schlosser on November 26, 2018January 31, 2019 at 7:59 am 8 Comments

When Microsoft created the Xbox Adaptive Controller, it set out to bring all the joy of video games to those who might face limitations in their physical ability to play.… Read More

Led by ex-Amazon advertising leader, Gradient raises $3.5M to help brands optimize presence on Amazon

by Taylor Soper on October 23, 2018October 27, 2018 at 12:01 pmComment

Bobby Figueroa knows what brands should do to optimize their presence on Amazon’s marketplace, perhaps better than almost anyone. The product marketing veteran spent the past four years leading global operations… Read More

Video

A slide presentation fit for the undead: ‘Game of Thrones’ White Walkers turn to Google Chromebook

by Kurt Schlosser on October 22, 2018October 22, 2018 at 12:18 pmComment

It takes a lot of teamwork to manage an army of the undead, breach the Wall and set out to conquer Westeros. And apparently it all starts with a slide… Read More

iSpot raises $30M to accelerate growth of TV advertisement analytics technology

by Taylor Soper on September 26, 2018September 26, 2018 at 7:19 amComment

Seattle-area startup iSpot has raised more cash to fuel growth of its technology platform that measures TV advertisement performance. The company on Wednesday announced a $30 million investment round led… Read More

Amazon to move past Microsoft for No. 3 spot in advertising revenue, new study finds

by Frank Catalano on September 19, 2018September 19, 2018 at 10:31 amComment

Amazon is on track to displace Microsoft in U.S. advertising revenues this year, joining Google and Facebook as one of the top three digital ad publishers. That’s the conclusion of… Read More

Jeff Bezos on Amazon’s potential as an advertising behemoth and ‘working 2 or 3 years into the future’

by Nat Levy on September 4, 2018September 4, 2018 at 12:28 pm1 Comment

In addition to being a retail giant, a cloud leader and a grocery heavyweight, Amazon is rapidly ascending to the top of the advertising world as well, and that carries… Read More

What’s fake and what’s real? Altered billboards challenge Facebook’s version of the truth

by Kurt Schlosser on August 20, 2018August 20, 2018 at 10:02 am1 Comment

Facebook’s attempt to spin its way out of past controversies is being spun back against the social media giant thanks to manipulated billboards on the streets of London. Images from… Read More

Downstream raises almost $2M in seed funding to ride the growing Amazon advertising wave

by Tom Krazit on August 7, 2018August 7, 2018 at 11:53 amComment

The founders of Downstream are betting that Amazon’s somehow-stealthy surge in advertising revenue will attract lots of brands that need help making the most of their investment, and they just… Read More

Startup Spotlight: Profitable ad automation startup focuses on product development, not VC funding

by Lisa Stiffler on July 27, 2018July 27, 2018 at 6:18 amComment

A lot of businesses outsource to cut costs. But the CEO of Seattle-based startup Advangelists says that keeping all of their operations in-house is what makes their digital advertising service… Read More

Amazon challenges Google and Facebook with surprising new multi-billion dollar business

by Taylor Soper on July 26, 2018August 3, 2018 at 8:01 am 30 Comments

Amazon’s cloud business may get much of the attention for bolstering the company’s bottom line. But an emerging new advertising arm of Amazon is also fueling record profits for the… Read More

Facebook to end ad targeting that excludes ethnicities and religions in deal with Washington State AG

by Monica Nickelsburg on July 24, 2018July 24, 2018 at 1:37 pm 4 Comments

Facebook has agreed to stop allowing third-party advertisers to exclude ethnic and religious groups when targeting ads for housing, credit, employment, insurance or public accommodations as part of a settlement… Read More

Video

TLDR: Google AdWords won’t run campaign ads in WA state, LinkedIn adds commute times to job postings, Amazon to stream U.K. soccer matches

by Starla Sampaco on June 7, 2018June 7, 2018 at 4:16 pmComment

[Editor’s Note: TLDR is GeekWire’s tech news rundown show, hosted by Starla Sampaco. Watch today’s update above, subscribe to GeekWire on YouTube, check back weekday afternoons for more, and sign up for TLDR… Read More

Amazon to boost advertising business with acquisition of assets from ad tech company Sizmek

Amazon developing a free, ad-supported video news app for Fire TV, report says

Report: Amazon takes more digital advertising market share from Google-Facebook duopoly

Super Bowl ad recap: Bezos pushes Post message; T-Mobile offers freebies; Xbox and Alexa score big

Geek of the Week: iSpot.tv’s Anthony Skinner tunes into shifting media landscape and which ads work

Clean-energy Buds: Rising Seattle startup Drift teams with King of Beers in Super Bowl promotion

Seahawks star Russell Wilson uses Uber ads to prove he can poke fun at painful Super Bowl loss

Amazon’s big new business: Here’s how much advertising revenue the company generated in 2018

Super Bowl looks like a pity party for the robots as ads show us the sad side of artificial intelligence

Microsoft unveils its Super Bowl ad, starring a 9-year-old gamer and the Xbox Adaptive Controller

Alexa toothbrush, dog collar and more failed gadgets make cut in Amazon Super Bowl ad

Amazon turns to Harrison Ford, astronaut twins and more celebs in tease for Alexa Super Bowl ad

‘Amazon.com’s got a lot’ … of vintage holiday ads worth watching, to see how tech giant got started

Microsoft holiday ad captures joy of video games and inclusion as boy uses Xbox Adaptive Controller

Led by ex-Amazon advertising leader, Gradient raises $3.5M to help brands optimize presence on Amazon

A slide presentation fit for the undead: ‘Game of Thrones’ White Walkers turn to Google Chromebook

iSpot raises $30M to accelerate growth of TV advertisement analytics technology

Amazon to move past Microsoft for No. 3 spot in advertising revenue, new study finds

Jeff Bezos on Amazon’s potential as an advertising behemoth and ‘working 2 or 3 years into the future’

What’s fake and what’s real? Altered billboards challenge Facebook’s version of the truth

Downstream raises almost $2M in seed funding to ride the growing Amazon advertising wave

Startup Spotlight: Profitable ad automation startup focuses on product development, not VC funding

Amazon challenges Google and Facebook with surprising new multi-billion dollar business

TLDR: Google AdWords won’t run campaign ads in WA state, LinkedIn adds commute times to job postings, Amazon to stream U.K. soccer matches

Seattle CIO Executive Summit Q2

New Tech Workshop: Non-Compete Agreements

The Playbook