RSS at a Tipping Point?

Google has finally announced the official launch of AdSense for RSS feeds. AdSense has long been a staple among marketers targeting niche communities. The AdSense platform serves ads for products and services relevant to the audiences of various websites. In other words, the ad copy matches the content found on the webpages featuring these ads. As feeds become monetized by various ad serving networks, the demand for premium features and richer media experiences will drive innovation, and marketing opportunities.

Stephen Baker, at Blogspotting, reports some interesting insights from Fergus Burns, the CEO of Nooked - an RSS service company. Burns suggests that a growing number of content providers will begin "tweaking feeds" to enable targeted advertising and customer tracking. As new versions of IE and FireFox integrate feed-reading, news aggregators, watch for interstitial streaming video content in the context of RSS channels.

Signs point to fast-growing, integrating marketing models. BusinessWeek reports one perspective from Steve Wadsworth, president of Walt Disney Co.'s Internet group: "Here's how it works: TV shouts the message. The Net follows it up, tracking down customers in their online niches, measuring their behavior, and -- if possible -- luring them into online showrooms." In the not too distant future, this "shouting" will direct audiences to subscribe to RSS feeds for exclusive, rich-media content.