Twitter

Do you find yourself struggling to find the time or energy to form thoughtful blog postings? Twitter could be your solution! This form of “microblogging” or “moblogging” (as some call it) is blogging for regular people.




This free service allows you to broadcast a group text message to your friends' mobile phones from your phone, an instant message, or an online form at twitter.com. Then, all your notes are stored and displayed on your personal profile page on the site—along with links to your friends' Twitter pages, a thumbnail picture of your choice, and a short bio. Also, you have the ability to send text updates directly to your MySpace page. However, keep in mind that the message must be short, because posts are limited to 140 characters.



The buzz about Twitter started in 2007 during the South by Southwest multimedia festival in Austin, Texas. The barebones service owned by Blogger founder Evan Williams was named the best blogging tool and attendees used it to meet up at parties. In the weeks following, Twitter was the top term on blog search engine Technorati.



The development of Twitter is another step towards the simplification of our fast-paced lifestyles. It allows us to accomplish group communication when we once never thought possible!



Source:


Hamilton, A. (2007). Why Everyone’s Talking About Twitter? TIME. Retrieved on July 21, 2008 from http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1603637,00.html.

Will You Join the Conversation?

“The story is going to happen. Will you join the conversation?” --Justin Seibert, Direct Online Marketing


With the expansive social media tools that are available today, it is inevitable that your company is going to get mentioned in blogs, networking sites, consumer reviews, etc. There is nothing you can do to stop it, and you cannot just ignore the conversation.


Rather than allowing the negative situations to perpetuate, your company can have the opportunity to respond and correct the problem. In fact, Google has developed a tool called Google Alerts that assists in monitoring the conversation.

Based on selected keywords (such as the company name), Google searches the web for specific updates/listings and notifies you via email of any results. This can be used to monitor information on your own company, competitors’ information, or industry news.

If you’re curious and brave enough, Google your company—you might find out some interesting things!

Source:
Seibert, Justin. (2008). Web 2.0 Tools. Presentation from Next Generation Marketing Conference. Attended May 22, 2008 in Morgantown, WV.

‘Sniff’ Them Out

The popular texting message “Where r u?” may become a phrase of the past with a new program that lets your friends and family find out for themselves. The "social network integrated friend finder" (Sniff) will track down anyone who has signed up and agreed to be “sniffed”.

For less than a dollar, Sniff produces a rough address and map for any participant by triangulating the caller’s location based on nearby cell phone towers. This same technology is utilized by rescuers to find lost hikers who call 911 by cell phone. If you’re lost, you can even Sniff yourself!

Currently, about 180,000 people in Scandinavia are using Sniff, and the program was recently launched in the United Kingdom. It is expected that at least two major U.S. wireless carriers will start offering Sniff within the next few months.

Source:
Associated Press. (2008). ‘Sniff’ them out. Published in the Times-West Virginian on June 1, 2008.

AllFacebook

With the growing popularity of social networking, Facebook has become a common topic of conversation on numerous blogs and discussion boards. AllFacebook.com has been deemed the unofficial blog of Facebook.

This blog, which was created by Nick O’Neill, takes an inside look at both the good and bad issues relating to Facebook. Some topics include an analysis of new application releases, news, and commentary on the future of Facebook. While this blog appears to be a quick reference at first glance, it is actually more to the serious “Facebookers”.

Individuals that are looking to get a return from their Facebook use would find this blog most valuable. AllFacebook prides itself on understanding the advantages and disadvantages involved in the social media environment; hence, they offer custom Facebook applications. They will customize the application to promote your company in the social media realm, especially Facebook.

Use Caution When Marketing to Youth

Over the years, society has seen a gradual increase in the annual spending power of youth consumers. With influence over billions of dollars in spending each year, companies are now seeking to catch the eye of these young buyers. In 2004, the total estimated U.S. marketing expenditures to target products to children was at approximately $15 billion.

Even though television has been the traditional advertising medium utilized to reach children and youth, marketers are now redirecting their advertising efforts through online mediums. A study conducted by the Kaiser’s Program for the Study of Entertainment Media and Health revealed the following information:

• “73% of the Web sites used advergames, which are online games in which a company’s product or brand characters are featured.
• 53% of the sites have television commercials available for viewing. On Skittles.com, for example, users are told they can watch the ads ‘over and over right now’ instead of having to wait for them to appear on TV.
• 64% of sites use viral marketing in which children are encouraged to send emails to their friends about a product, or invite them to visit the company’s Web site.
• 73% of sites incorporate some mechanism to personalize or customize the user’s experience. For example, at wonka.com, if a user becomes a member, he or she can get a personally flavored Web page” (Pitts, 2006).
  

The issue of the efficiency and ethics of advertising to children has been an ongoing debate since the early days of television. Proponents of youth-targeted marketing argue that because of their financial power, children involve a separate target market from adults. Moreover, exposure to persuasive messages allows children to develop critical evaluation skills and teach them to become more savvy consumers. On the other hand, consumer protection groups claim that youth advertising is unethical, because it is deceptive and manipulative. It also stimulates wants, promotes consumerism, poor nutritional habits, and encourages children to nag their parents for products, creating dissention and stress in the home. This ongoing topic of debate has forced the marketing community, as a whole, to reevaluate their approach to youth marketing.

As IMC practitioners, we must be prepared and aware of the various guidelines and restrictions that exist to govern advertising targeted to children. Governmental agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), usually assist in self-regulation. However, there are organizations such as the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB), whom work with businesses to ensure that youth-targeted advertising is accurate and sensitive to the intended audience. It is our responsibility as marketers to ensure that we executive ethical marketing practice—no matter how young the audience.

Sources:
Calvert, S. (2008). Children as Consumers: Advertising and Marketing. The Future of Children, 18, 205-234. Retrieved on July 6, 2008 from http://www.futureofchildren.org/usr_doc/18_09_Calvert.pdf.

Neeley, S. and Schumann, D. (2004). Using animated spokes-characters in advertising to young children. Journal of Advertising, 33, 7-23.

Pitts, M. (2006). Food Companies Target Online Kids. Retrieved on July 6, 2008 from http://www.connectforkids.org/node/4497.

Will We See the End of Traditional Advertising?

As we all know, the world of media is constantly evolving. Radio suffered as television advertising became more popular; afternoon and evening daily newspaper editions suffered because of TV news programs; network news is suffering because of cable TV and the Internet. With this type of continuous cycle, will we see the end of traditional advertising?

While some advertising mediums may experience a decrease in effectiveness as technology evolves, it is unlikely that any form of advertising will become totally obsolete. Integrated marketing communications involves establishing any effective mix of advertising methods; therefore, all forms of advertising will be used at some point throughout the next fifty years.

Justin Seibert, owner of Direct Online Marketing states that “it’s not a question of new media vs. old media. Apply what worked before and use the new tools to become even more effective in your marketing.” Marketers should utilize new media to enhance the effective traditional advertising that is already in place. Below are some examples of how the new media is fitting into the marketing world:

• Direct mail is being replaced by the more cost-effective email marketing/newsletters.
• Banner ads are being used in place of print advertisements.
• Pop-ups are sufficiently formatted for direct response marketing.
• Rich media is being utilized to improve the effectiveness of banner ads, pop-ups and pop-unders, and pre-roll advertising. (Rich media is a way for marketers to get around pop-up blockers).
• Widgets are being added to computer desktops, websites, and mobile phones to invite user interaction.

As times change and technology advances further, there will be “new” new media; the methods currently known as new media will become the new traditional medium and so on. No method of advertising will ever become obsolete—it will just pass through the cycle.

What are your thoughts?

Sources:
Perez, Hugo. (2008). Lesson 2: The Internet & the Web; Banners, Pop-Ups & Pop-Unders. WVU IMC Program.

Seibert, Justin. (2008). Web 2.0 Tools. Presentation from Next Generation Marketing Conference. Attended May 22, 2008 in Morgantown, WV.

House Party

It’s time to PAAAARTY! Marketers have a new viral marketing tool at their fingertips. House Party is a fun party in the home of a friend centered on a brand(s) to help heighten key elements of the parties. This highly specialized viral marketing platform develops and launches a thousand or more engaging parties in the homes of carefully selected consumers—all of which take place on the same day nationwide. The parties are attended by the host's friends, families, neighbors and co-workers and shared by millions more who experience the party via the Internet.

Hosts of house parties are not paid representatives of any of the products that are showcased at the event. Instead, a House Party host is typically a brand ambassador – a consumer that already has a positive association with the brand. House Party finds the most viral consumers and gives them the means and reasons to promote the brand further. The House Party format also allows the company to guide and sculpt some of the brand advocacy, peek in on how it's going, and track it. In this way, House Party is able to create a truly valuable consumer experience that also meets the clients' unique and specific marketing objectives.

Parties can focus on:

• Direct sales and new customer acquisition
• Driving traffic to retail locations – brick and mortar as well as online
• Creating an intimate, immersive product trial experience where consumers can interact with a product in a hands-on, in-context way that can't be achieved via media campaigns or showroom sales opportunities
• Activating a viral, engaging product sampling and new product introduction session offering numerous purchase opportunities.
• Building an instant, highly engaged fan base for about-to-be-released media properties (e.g., television shows; music; movies; books; magazines)
• Enhancing and growing the fan base of existing media properties (e.g., television programs for season premieres, season finales, or other significant programming milestones)
• Building excitement for event-driven programming (sporting events; award shows)
• Developing a new or enhanced fan base for music releases
• Dramatically improving ticket sales or unit sales for new theatrical or DVD releases
  

Source:
What is House Party? (2007). Retrieved from http://corp.houseparty.com/.

Experience Online Pizza Ordering

Last week, I had my first experience with online pizza ordering through Pizza Hut. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. The ordering process was very user-friendly and everything went smoothly. Once the order was complete, I was given the pick-up time (to the minute) and total amount for my order.

Despite the doubt of many, online pizza ordering has become a billion-dollar industry. Recently, America’s third largest pizza chain, Papa John’s, passed $1 billion in online transactions.

Even though Papa John's has possessed online ordering capabilities for more than seven years, it’s the growth that should be noted. The company’s revenue from online ordering has increased by over 50% every year. Last year’s sales were around $400 million.

The nation's three largest pizza chains, Domino's, Pizza Hut, and Papa John's, are battling for offering the easiest way of ordering. Currently, all three companies allow customers to send in orders via text message. In addition, Domino's offers a minute-by-minute update of your order's status, and Pizza Hut is reportedly developing a desktop widget for one-click order placement. Online pizza ordering is among one of the newest communications application that will save us time in our hectic lifestyles.

Source:

Conneally, T. (2008). Online Pizza Ordering Becomes A Billion-Dollar Industry. BetaNews. Retrieved from http://www.betanews.com/article/Online_pizza_ordering_becomes_a_billiondollar_industry/1210268403.

New Media Marketing Tool: Blogger Relations

With the expansive growth of the world-wide blogosphere, a new media marketing tool has developed—blogger relations and outreach programs. Today’s blogosphere is full of people that write about their families, vacations, health issues, etc, etc. Yvonne, blog author from “Lipsticking: Marketing to Women Online”, cautions that business bloggers should not discount these seemingly trivial ramblings.

Hidden in these insignificant musings are potential clients and consumers. These consumers could have the ability to create the word-of-mouth buzz you’ve been looking for—all you have to do is recognize their value.

Large brand corporations (and even some small ones) are finding blogger relations and outreach programs more and more appealing. If you can create a positive relationship with 10 or 20 bloggers who are interested in your brand, then, those bloggers will in turn tell their 1,000 or 10,000 readers about your brand. It is pertinent to remember that their blog readers are more likely to listen to THEM praise you, as opposed to an ad you write.

Creating a blogger outreach program does not mean emailing the blogger and praising their blogs, then sending them a free product. A significant amount of work goes into developing a successful outreach program and in engaging blogger relations. It is highly recommended that you hire a true blogger relations consultant to assist with the implementation of this new media tool.

Ford Models Are the Hottest Thing on YouTube

Not only does Ford serve fashion influencers, the agency has become a leading digital-age fashion influencer. The iconic modeling agency has successfully tapped into the marketing power of the Internet by creating videos featuring Ford models talking informally about style, shopping, working out, and hanging out backstage at fashion shows and shoots. These videos are turning up all over the web; hence, becoming the latest new media hit.



After dabbling with live casting videos, Ford knew they needed something more substantial to build the brand online. In 2006, Ford and Google made an agreement that Ford would begin supplying short videos featuring models in informal settings demonstrating beauty and shopping tips; Ford was guaranteed that YouTube would help promote the videos on its homepage and elsewhere. It was important that the videos portrayed the models in their natural state—when they weren’t posing or on the runway. It was revealed that a majority of the viewers of these videos range from preteens to women in their 40s—this could partially be due to the partnership with MySpace and iVillage. The online videos would provided online exposure and gave Ford a chance to build a fan base.

What is Ford selling? The answer is expertise. The models featured in the Ford videos are demonstrating the perfect hair curl, teaching women how to select the right top for black jeans, or explaining the importance of exfoliating your lips. Because of the video structure, viewers experience a more candid, intimate feel than when reading tips from a magazine or television show.

Ford Modeling Agency has transformed itself from a traditional modeling agency rooted in providing personnel to fashion-show runways, magazines, and mail-order catalogs into a hit new-media production company. Now the agency is begin contacted by advertising agencies, apparel manufacturers, and retailers whom share the eagerness to connect with consumers online. Since the venture into new media, Ford has experienced a 140 percent increase in revenue over the last five years.

Ford took what seemed like an unlikely candidate for viral video marketing and turned it into a gold mine!

Source:
Freedman, D. (2008). A Digital Makeover for the Modeling Business. Inc. Magazine, 30, 2, 82-86.

Mobile Marketing Innovation

By the year 2011, mobile advertising is expected to increase tenfold reaching $14 billion. With such rapid growth, marketers in the industry are getting more and more creative. Below are some innovative examples of mobile marketing:

• For DHL, a Tetris-style game was created where the boxes were labeled with DHL. Ten percent of the users forwarded the game on to their friends. (Digital Innovation, OgilvyInteractive)
  
• For Motorola, travelers at the Hong Kong airport were allowed to upload good-bye messages to Motorola-sponsored displays throughout the airport. (Digital Innovation, OgilvyInteractive)
  
• CBS Mobile has teamed up with Loopt, a social-mapping service, to deliver the first location-based mobile ads. For example, you’re walking down the street checking the sports scores on CBS on your Blackberry, and you get a banner ad that says “Getting Hungry? Pizza is $5 off around the corner”. Talk about innovation. (CBS Mobile)
  
• Coca-Cola, Nintendo, and Progressive are exploring the concept of providing consumers with free games for their mobile phones in exchange for viewing their product ads. For each game, the consumer sees three full-screen advertisements—two before the game and one after. The full-screen format of the advertisements is an attractive benefit for companies wanting to increase their branding. (Greystripe)
  
• Signature by Levi Strauss & Co. became one of the first companies to sign on to Virgin Mobile’s Sugar Mama service. This ad-supported cell service allowed consumers to watch advertisements to earn free minutes. However, Levi added a twist by requiring consumers to answer questions after watching the ad, so they knew consumers were engaging in the brand. (Levi Strauss & Co.)
  

Have you seen or heard of any unique mobile marketing campaigns? Feel free to share.

Source:
Daniels, C. (2008). Fast Talk: The Cell Sell. Fast Company, 125, 25-32.

Ex-Genetic Scientist Revives Barneys Email Marketing

With the help of Sheldon Gilbert, a genetic scientist turned software expert, Barneys department store now has the ability to precisely target customers through email marketing. Gilbert’s company, Proclivity, sorts through data left by millions of anonymous visitors of Barneys’ web site. Using this information, they predict who is likely to buy what, when, and at what price.

According to Barneys’ director of Internet marketing, Heather Kaminetsky, “We used to spend $90,000 on a full-page ad in The New York Times. Then with the web site, we would send an email about, say, Lanvin handbags to 100,000 customers. But 90,000 of them probably didn’t even know what a Lanvin handbag was.” However, since Gilbert’s arrival Barneys has seen up to a tenfold rise in response rates.

Kaminetsky can target customers based on their overall habits—such as fashionistas who buy risky new designer products, bottom feeders who always buy sale items, or cosmetic zealots. The company even has the ability to know when a customer is going to run out of shampoo, so they can send you an email. Rather than feeling spied on, the customer is thrilled because the message is relevant.

Barneys has discovered that customers are more tolerant of e-advertising when the products being advertised are relevant to them. Now, Barneys is attempting to determine how many emails are too many.

Source:
Cohen, A. (2008). Barneys and Friends. Fast Company, 125, 47-48.

Caution to Business Bloggers

When it comes to business blogging, there are several things a business needs to take into consideration before setting up a blog. The blog “Lipsticking: Marketing to Women Online” offers the following list of suggestions for a business blog:

• A business blog should have a strategy—including a purpose and focus.
  
• A business blog should have a voice. If the blog is written by a group, each individual can have their own voice, but the collective voice should reflect the strategy of the business.
  
• A business blog should be well-designed. Because the Internet is a visual medium, if your blog is not visually appealing and does not enhance your business presence online, it becomes a distraction.
  
• A business blog should have a point. Each post should convey a message. The message should give the reader information—if you can educate the reader, all the better.
  
• A business blog should convey something relevant, current, and useful to the reader. At least once a week, you should post something educational about your business or industry. Give your reader content they can do something with.

New Media “Research Lab”

What would be a better new media research opportunity than the Olympics? NBC is using the 2008 Olympics as a billion-dollar research lab to learn how people utilize various media platforms to experience the Beijing Olympics Games. The research will allow advertisers to see how people supplement TV viewership with media such as video streaming, video on demand, and mobile phones.

During the 17-day games, NBC has scheduled 3,600 hours of Olympic programming on its main network. In addition, there will be 2,200 hours of streaming video available on NBCOlympics.com. Viewers will also have the option to get video on demand via their computer and Olympics content via their mobile phones.

In order to measure the usage of media platforms, NBC utilizes ten different methods for measuring the audience. Nielsen Media Research tracks the number of people watching the Olympics on their TVs at home; Quantcast Corp. measures usage of NBCOlympics.com; Integrated Media Measurements, Inc. measures how many people are exposed to Olympics programming when they aren’t at home.

Along with the measurement methods, NBC also conducts an online survey of 500 consumers each day (a total of 8,500 throughout the 17-day games) to ask detailed questions about how much they are using various media platforms. There are also numerous focus groups that are being conducted.

NBC’s goal is to reach the same person across different types of media platforms.

To read CNN’s full article click here.

What Kind of Creative Are You?

Take this quiz to find out:


1. You find yourself doodling:
a. All the time
b. Once in a while
c. Never


2. You file important papers:
a. Sometimes
b. Always, in clearly-marked folders
c. In a pile


3. You have a great memory for:
a. Names
b. Numbers
c. Films, books and music


4. The way you dress is, above all:
a. Fashionable
b. Appropriate
c. Unique


5. Which game would you rather play:
a. Chess
b. Scrabble
c. Go Fish


6. When something mechanical breaks, you can fix it:
a. Usually
b. Often
c. Forget it!


7. For recreation, you would rather:
a. Go to a concert
b. Go dancing
c. Go to a natural history museum


8. Your workspace/office is primarily:
a. Clutter-free
b. Filled with photos of friends and family
c. A potpourri of decorations and work-in-progress


9. Your favorite reading material is:
a. Fiction
b. Non-fiction
c. Magazines and newspapers


10. If you entertained a client, you would take him or her to:
a. A 4-star restaurant
b. A small, off-beat “in spot”
c. Dinner with a little live music


The answers are assigned a point value and the total will determine your score. Tally your scores to the left of each question.
1: (a) 0 (b) 1 (c) 3 2: (a) 1 (b) 3 (c) 0 3: (a) 1 (b) 3 (c) 0 4: (a) 1 (b) 3 (c) 0 5: (a) 3 (b) 0 (c) 2 6: (a) 3 (b) 2 (c) 0 7: (a) 0 (b) 2 (c) 3 8: (a) 3 (b) 2 (c) 0 9: (a) 0 (b) 1 (c) 3 10: (a) 3 (b) 0 (c) 1


What kind of creative are you?

Score: 20 points and above
THE DETAILED PLANNER
You create order. Whether you are managing a department or guiding a company, you’re the one who makes things happen. You understand the art of streamlining systems and creating priorities.


Score: 10-20 points
THE EXTROVERTED LIFE-OF-THE-PARTY
You create fun. Fully engaged and engaging, you are a “people person,” creating harmony in any social setting. Your very lively personality has a flair!


Score: 0-10 points
THE RESERVED ARTIST
You create beauty. The quintessential artist, you manifest your talent through art, music, or literature. You appreciate the simple things life has to offer.


Everyone possesses creativity—it’s just a matter of defining the individual’s creative style.


Survey from:

What Kind of Creative Are You? (2008). Innovate & Create. PSB Online. Retrieved on July 14, 2008 from http://www.psbonline.com/Innovatecreate/InnovateCreateVol1.pdf.

Choose Wisely

There are web sites that entertain…those that sell…those that inform…and the list goes on. Behind each web site lies a purpose. According to web expert, Nick Usborne, if marketers are to achieve that purpose, they must understand the significant effects that design selections can have on the success of a web site. In his article “Design Choices Can Cripple a Website”, the author cites the following as “…a few of the design elements [they] have found can make a significant difference to the performance of a web page:

• The position and color of the primary call to action
• Position on the page of testimonials, if used
• Whether linked elements are in text or as images
• The amount of “white space” on a page, giving the content space to “breathe”
• The position and prominence of the main heading
• The number of columns used on the page
• The number of visual elements competing for attention
• The age, sex and appearance of someone in a photo” (Usborne, 2005).
  

Even though it may possess compelling copy, the performance of a site actually depends on the manner in which the information is presented. Design elements have the ability to enhance or weaken the strength of the text. Rather than guessing which web design is most effective, Usborne encourages marketers to utilize testing and allow the viewers to tell them which design actually does work the best.

This is a call for all marketers to abandon the concept of design and copy “gurus”, and instead embrace the concept of testing!

Excerpt taken from:
Usborne, N. (2005). Design choices can cripple a website. A List Apart. Retrieved on July 9, 2008 from http://www.alistapart.com/articles/designcancripple.

Can a Text Message Save a Life?

Text messaging is now being used as a means of emergency communication. Individuals can now sign up to receive AMBER Alerts as text messages. This allows the public to be notified and on the lookout immediately.

Most abducted children that are found dead were murdered within the first three hours of their abduction. Time is of the essence when attempting to locate missing children—every minute counts.

The Wireless AMBER Alerts initiative is a voluntary partnership between the wireless industry, law-enforcement agencies, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), to distribute AMBER Alerts to wireless subscribers for little or no cost.

Rather than utilizing this new media tool for advertising, AMBER Alert is using the tool to help save the lives of abducted children.