Just in time for our one year anniversary of Ad Chap launching on facebook (we went live one year ago today), we are releasing, in beta, a new analytics platform for both advertisers and publishers.

Previously, you have been accessing Ad Chap either on our facebook or bebo applications within each respective social network.  Now you will be able to get access to all social networks  (Currently, we operate on bebo, facebook, hi5 and myspace, with more social networks on the way soon)  through the new Ad Chap web based user interface.

For publishers this will allow you to manage all your application monetization across social networks from one platform.  Features like comparing your application’s performance regardless of social network platform, dashboards, geographical analysis, and many more features are now available to you.

For advertisers, also A/B comparative tools, dashboards, more detailed cost analysis, raw data, graphical analysis and more.

To get started
1. Goto http://stats.adchap.com and create an account - If you are a new customer, that is it, you can get started.  If you are an existing or previous customer goto step 2

2. Merge your existing accounts.  Your account and all data in Ad Chap bebo and Ad Chap facebook applications can (and should be) merged all into one account.  You can do this in either the bebo / facebook application or in the new web based interface.  Just goto Account > Merge or Account > Preferences > Merge depending on which application you are in.  Select the platform you want to merge and follow the instructions.

3. You now have all your previous data available on one platform.  Going forward you can use the web based interface to view your entire account.

The Ad Chap bebo and Ad Chap facebook applications will no longer be improved, so we recommend all customers move over to the new web based platform in the coming months to continue to get new features, the best data and service.  Note, also you will not get a consolidated view from the bebo and facebook applications, only from the web UI.

The first step is detailed analytics for our advertisers and publishers, which we now will have a very good base to build upon.  Next we will be expanding the data, metrics and reports for you.  After that we have further plans that will build upon and expand the platform.

If you have any comments or suggestions on the new platform’s functionality, or you would like to let us know features you would like to see in the future, feel free to let us know anytime at support (at) adchap.com

We are grateful to have had your custom over the past year and we will strive to serve you even better in the years to come.

There is a huge transformation underway. The way we live our lives and how we spend our time is changing, drastically. The young generation is growing up in the information age with tools and mediums that weren’t available (or not nearly advanced) just ten years ago. The Internet, social media, instant messaging, voice over IP, mobile phones, online video, user generated content (creation and consumption), video games and virtual worlds just to name a few. Kids and teens are spending less time watching TV and more and more time consuming content, being entertained and communicating on these new media platforms.

What does this mean for TV and TV advertising? Well, simply.. with less eyes watching traditional TV there is going to be a drop in advertising budgets. Conversely, more eyes and more hours spent online should see a shift of advertising budgets towards the online world.

Enders Analysis is reporting this week that UK online ad spending will overtake television THIS YEAR. The transformation is happening quicker than most expected.

Reuters also reported and has a good article here.

Application and widget developers are always looking for more reach for usage of their apps.  We are finding that many app companies first on facebook due to its first mover advantage and (relative) maturity of the platform.  As we know, facebook is growing and expanding to many markets but there are other social networks in those markets that are more esablished.

hi5 has a broader international user base and is growing quickly.  According to Comscore, hi5 now has 45 million monthly visitors (April 2008).  The initial reviews of its 3rd party application platform are very good and hi5 is becoming an increasingly important social network for application owners.

Ad Chap can now monetize applications on the hi5 platform as of today.   Developers / publishers can set Ad Chap ads to run on your hi5 app immediately through the existing Ad Chap interface.

To enhance reach for both publishers and advertisers, we will continue to add more social network platforms to Ad Chap in the near future.

Here at Ad Chap we are bullish on both online advertising and global social networking growth. As advertising online gets more sophisticated, advertisers are able to better target their audience, get better stats and see more measurable results. This is bringing a larger share of advertising budgets online.

US Internet Advertising Revenues Top $21 Billion In ‘07, Reaching Record High. In this May 15, 2008 report by the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) and PWC (Price Waterhouse Coopers) they found:

• For the full year 2007, revenues totaled $21.2 billion, exceeding 2006 performance by 26 %, itself the former record year.
• Q4 2007 Internet advertising revenues hit $5.9 billion, representing historic revenues for a single quarter and a 24% increase over the same period in 2006.
• This is the fourth consecutive year and 13th consecutive quarter of record results.

“Despite the current state of economic uncertainty, 2007 was another record year and the 13th consecutive record quarter. Interactive advertising is not just the future, it is the here and now, as it represents a meaningful and growing component of U.S. advertising and marketing spend,” said David Silverman, partner, Assurance, PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Another point of interest from this report is that Internet advertising revenues surpassed Radio advertising & Cable Television advertising in total U.S. ad spending in 2007.

Since this report is USA only, it does not give the whole picture however. Another report from Aegis PLC and Carat shows GLOBAL online Internet advertising spend to grow 23.3% in 2008 with Russia, Eastern EU countries and the Asia Pacific region and Latin America charting the fastest growth worldwide.

North American growth is less stellar with USA projected to grow 3.9% and Canada to fare a little better at 7.2%.
Noting the lower growth numbers for North America, we have also been seeing reports in the news that social networking sites myspace and facebook are seeing user growth plateau. This has led many of the social networking bears to write “I told you so” articles about the sustainability of social networks. Not so fast!

We do believe that social networking use will be approaching the saturation point in the USA and some other developed markets in the next few years. For the rest of the world however, there is massive growth in social networking use happening.

We are looking forward to see what the future brings and believe that social networking and new possibilities for ultra targeted advertising are just getting started.

With the combined growth of online advertising spend and global social networking growth, we expect exciting times coming up for Ad Chap and social networking advertising.

Links
The full IAB - PWC USA Advertising Report is available here. http://www.iab.net/media/file/IAB_PwC_2007_full_year.pdf

The Aegis - Carat Global Advertising Report is available here. http://www.aegisplc.com/ags/media/groupreleases/grouprel2008/2008-03-17/