"Messaging apps"—which bring all the computing power of AIM to your smartphone—are so very in right now. The problem is, most of them don't make any money. But what if your buddy list were filled with advertisers? That's the plan.

New Yorkers agree: Airbnb's subway ad campaign is trying too hard [via Twitter]

Nobody really enjoys using most of the Yahoo! branded apps or websites, so the company's future rests largely on the money it can make from advertising. For this reason and perhaps others, it's not a good sign that Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer showed up hours late to a client dinner because she was asleep.

It's a real drag that Facebook is making it harder for businesses to reach their followers, right? Lucky for spurned social media marketers, a new study indicates all that Facebook spending accomplishes absolutely fuck-all.

A hearty golf clap to Homejoy, for using a stock photo of a woman cleaning the floor while also holding up her husband who is lying on a sofa, and to Fluc, for proving that naming your startup "Fluc" isn't literally the worst possible marketing decision. Your checks are in the mail, in the amount of -$100,000,000.

Facebook pulled the best practical joke of the internet age: the company convinced countless celebrities, bands, and "brands" that its service was the best way to reach people with eyeballs and money. Maybe it is! But now that companies have taken the bait, Facebook is holding the whole operation hostage.

The Silicon Valley creation myth is now Diet Coke advertising fodder. [via Paolo Sambrano]

The law of platforms puts boundaries on appropriate interaction between Facebook (a means for content distribution) and Buzzfeed (a content manufacturer). But, somehow, the two tech companies keep getting caught in an unholy alliance, including a little love from Facebook's $19 billion WhatsApp acquisition.

Last July describing the cultural impact of Black Twitter, Buzzfeed's Shani O. Hilton wrote, "It's diffuse, powerful, and all around you." That's the kind of active, influential user base that startups dream of. But we've barely heard a peep about it from Twitter. Now that it needs ad revenue, that's changing.

Venmo is a little app for your little phone that makes it easy to beam money from your bank account to someone else's. It's very handy! It's also seen terrific success through word of mouth. So why, why oh why, is the company plastering New York with these universally hated ads?

Earlier this week, a number of Associated Press readers reported that accessing AP stories from their smartphones "automatically redirected" them to the download page for games like Candy Crush. Even readers who hadn't clicked on the ad, ended up in Apple App Store anyways.

When life gives you death threats from teenagers, you make yourself a media resurrection. Enter this heart-warming tale of Mark Zuckerberg, a humble billionaire who learned to stop worrying and love that his stock price depended on revenue from mobile advertising.

In July, Tumblr's tween creator David Karp predicted native, multimedia advertising would be the most exciting, dazzling part of the company. At the year's end, they're running depressing link ads for the yellow pages.

Google has officially perfected the shameless tearjerker advertisement. Corporate propaganda at its absolute loveliest.

Like Instagram, Pinterest was never going to be a free ride forever—you're not paying for it with money, so you'll pay with your eyeballs instead. Here come the advertisements, and you all better start buying some tote bags and twine balls real fast.

Sure, Lululemon has been making video ads on Instagram since day one, but you'll only see those if you choose to follow Lululemon—and why would you do that? Now the choice is going away: Instagram is officially putting ads in your face whether you like it or not:

If you've been wondering how Brit Morin, the $6 million lanyard empress (and former Google employee!), finds DIY ideas to plagiarize, here's a rambling post about how much she loves Bing. Brought to you, of course by Bing.

King Tim the Terrible just shelled out some major cash to give AOL a makeover as a media monster, not your uncle's ancient homepage—but according to a new report by AdWeek, it might have purchased itself some big problems.

The story of Tumblr in the arms of Yahoo! has been one of compromise, of spirit in decline. David Karp wanted his blogchild to be a bastion of free expression and porn. But in the months since he sold out, advertisers are steadily colonizing Tumblr. Are you excited for Bisquick GIFs?

Less than a week after sweeping layoffs, AOL just made a gigantic acquisition: a video ad service called Adap.tv. If the company is ever going to save itself, it's going to be because of a move like this.