The New AOL: From Ugly Duckling To Swan

From Online Media Daily - LOOK FOR TIME WARNER'S UGLY duckling AOL to emerge as a swan when earnings are announced next week.

Smart acquisitions, new hires, a move to drop the subscription wall, and a focus on original content have both analysts and agency heads praising the unit for the first time in years.

As its Advertising.com unit continues to perform strongly, AOL added another asset this week--announcing its intention to buy behavioral ad-targeting network Tacoda for a reported $275 million.

"They're definitely turning into a bright spot for Time Warner," said Ed Montes, managing director at Havas' Media Contacts.

Clark Kokich, just-named CEO of Avenue A|Razorfish, said he's seen a spike of more than 300% in client spending with AOL over the past year--a trend he attributes to three causes: service, technology, and products. | Read full article