The Marketing Alchemist

5 Tenets to Help Survive, Thrive in a Digital World

2012-06-28T10:21:00.001-05:00

I love a quick list of things to do to be smart about your digital advertising...

http://www.prophet.com/thinking/view/659-5-tenets-to-help-survive-thrive-in-a-digital-world?jujrtyghfud20015a308395a116a482a2043

2012-06-13T14:13:00.001-05:00

Advertisers are Flying High in the Travel Category

From search to social to mobile, brands in the travel category are investing in channels that make it easier for travelers to plan their trip, pack their bags and go. Not every industry takes full advantage of search marketing, but the travel industry is one that does and on a large scale. According to the latest analysis of the travel vertical GroupM Next, travel advertisers invest more media dollars in search than in all other major media channels combined. Overall, $636 million dollars were spent in online search alone in 2011, according to data from the Kantar Strategy tool. Travelers, from novice to experts, conduct online research to find the best destinations, compare prices, read reviews, and book travel arrangements. So, having an online presence really isn’t optional for travel companies, it’s a requirement in order to be competitive. This level of investing in search is an indication that travel companies understand both their audience and their competitive environment.

While the travel industry, as a whole, can be perceived as “search savvy,” it is clear in our analysis that advertisers have their own unique approach to their keyword strategy. The chart below illustrates how differently companies invest in keyword categories.

This varied bid approach speaks to each site’s unique selling points. Knowing how competitors are bidding can allow advertisers to take advantage of gaps and opportunities within keyword subsets. We recommended this approach as it will help diversify travel advertisers’ visibility in the digital space and increase their chances of gaining a competitive edge.

Another interesting trend that stood out in our quarterly review of the category is how advertisers can use search query trends as an indicator for demand and tailor their messaging to capture increased interest in certain destinations. For example, the diagram below shows the airports that saw a 20% increase in flights during spring break and the top destinations of travelers.

Armed with this type of information, the ideal approach for advertisers would be to run paid ads and adjust their SEO for discounts and promotions that are geo-targeted specifically for departing airports and destination spots.

Looking ahead, just as travel advertisers have acknowledged the value in investing heavily in search, going forward we should plan to see increases in ad spend allocated to mobile search. We’re seeing a trend emerge with travel companies establishing a stronger presence in mobile search. This increase is a relatively new trend brands are embracing based on consumer behavior trends. An eMarketer report released in April 2012 estimates that “16 million Americans will book travel from their mobile device, increasing 33 percent from 12 million in 2011” and that roughly “37.8 million will use their phones to research travel this year.” Most of this activity is done using a Smartphone device, and as the chart below illustrates, continued growth, in this area, is expected to continue over the next four years.

We will continue to watch the trends in the travel industry, as experts are proposing a resurgence in the use of travel agents. But based on what we learned in Q1, it will be interesting to see the impact, if any, this will have on how travel sites continue to invest and perform in digital.

For all the graphs:

http://groupmnext.com/2012/06/04/vertical-highlights-groupm-3/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SearchFuel+%28SearchFuel%29

Social versus Search

2012-05-30T16:57:00.002-05:00

Source: Uploaded by user via Gökhan on Pinterest

One louder isn't it: A discussion on logos

2012-05-25T11:52:00.005-05:00

For anyone who works in the fields of film, music or advertising, you know and love a good Spinal Tap reference. There will be a day where you find yourself quoting Spinal Tap and not in an ironic way just trying to articulate a vision or idea to a suit. It happens. But great logos also happen and inspiration comes from everywhere and anywhere. The key is to be open minded to the free form jazz moment.

http://www.shorefire.com/blog/2012/04/brave-new-logo-and-our-new-brooklyn-neighbors.html

http://www.orpheum-memphis.com/events/detail/this-is-spinal-tap

Beyonce & The Internet

2012-04-12T09:51:00.004-05:00

Beyonce does not have a new back up band, but a new tumblr site that is all the rage. It launched recently and has received accolades across the webisphere. The site offers a few lessons on controling the story which is a huge challenge in today's 24/7 media world. Read the link below for more lessons from the site:

http://gawker.com/5900397/decoding-the-beyonce-tumblr

One lesson that needs to be talked about is the visual impact of the site. That is the most engaging part of the tumblr is the pictures and the peak into this magical world.

Clarity on social media cost/benefit analysis

2012-03-27T10:40:00.000-05:00

This is a concise guide to evaluating your social media programs.

'Damn Good Advice' From One Of The Real 'Mad Men' : NPR

2012-03-19T08:45:00.002-05:00

'Damn Good Advice' From One Of The Real 'Mad Men' : NPR

Marketing Quiz

2012-03-08T12:30:00.000-06:00

Advertising folks are a cynical bunch. Take the quiz above from Deliver magazine and smirk at our frustrations of being in the business of building businesses. Insiders only. Ad nerds forever!

Bounce is not just a style of dance in Memphis

2012-02-13T13:00:00.000-06:00

If you already know what Bounce is, maybe you need to understand your websites:

Bounce rate.

Social Media 101

2012-02-06T09:28:00.001-06:00

Best Practices: The Muppets

2011-11-22T13:20:00.001-06:00

Leave it to The Muppets to utilize all the best social media strategies available to date to launch their movie. The big lessons here are how early they started working the social media channels, capitalizing on the fanatic love muppets have for all things muppets, and letting the muppets be the muppets.

http://mashable.com/2011/11/20/muppets-social-campaign/

Steve Jobs champion for innovation

2011-10-06T08:50:00.000-05:00

Hipster Humor. Tweet this hipsters.

2011-09-28T16:46:00.000-05:00

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

The State of the Web --Summer 2011 Edition

2011-09-19T13:51:00.000-05:00

It looks like the interweb has been changing dramatically during my maternity leave. The only thing missing from this infographic is the new addiction sweeping dayjobs and productivity known as pinterest. Tumblr who?

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/state_web_summer

Television versus Social Media

2011-04-27T10:18:00.000-05:00

The Latest from NoahBrier.com

Online Media Realities

Posted: 26 Apr 2011 06:23 AM PDT

Whenever someone argues more brand money should shift out of TV it's accompanied by some statistics about how much time people are spending in digital channels. But clearly that doesn't tell the whole story (which we all know, but sometimes fail to admit). Two quotes I ran across today help speak to other side of that coin. The first, from John Battelle in his 5 Question interview over at Digiday (I've been loving these 5 question things they're doing, btw). When asked specifically why the money hasn't followed the attention, Battelle responded:

Marketers haven't seen the clear line between investment and return. They see that with TV. We just can't avoid the elephant in the room. When Kraft puts $25 million into six DMAs [on TV] over one week and sees an 11 percent lift in its scan data off retail, it says let's do that again. That is a direct line between investment and return. That hasn't been established online. It leads all sorts of inteligent people to have six or eight lines of debate. One is that it's the wrong question. Online is a different medium. You can't expect to draw a bright line between investment and return like TV. Another is we don't have the right unit/creative/scalability/measurement. I really think the core is the large marketers who are the drivers of this debate, whether they're actively participating in it or driving it by not moving the money, haven't seen the return yet. They don't think they can trust it.

This sentiment is reflected in this morning's FT Lex column which talks about companies becoming more adept at harnessing the power of social media, including finding some correlation between stock price and the number of Facebook likes added over a period. They close with this, though:

But correlations are one thing and causality quite another. Perhaps a company's share price is rising at the same time as it is adding thousands of new Facebook followers because of a huge marketing push elsewhere. Also, do social media reduce the chance of a brand surviving a big negative shock? The internet is unambiguously good for consumers. But it remains a double-edged sword for companies.

Obviously I'm a believer that there are big opportunities for brands on the web, but I'm also a believer that the situation around why money is moving more slowly than many think it should is not as cut and dry and many want you to believe.

For the love of power point.. and keynote

2011-03-31T15:33:00.000-05:00

I AM THE
ORSON WELLES
OF POWERPOINT.

BY OYL MILLER

- - - -

I am the Orson Welles of PowerPoint 2010. 

Next slide. 

I don't let marketing get in the way of a potential masterpiece. You see I don't create mere presentations. I use technology and the language of our times to evoke human emotions from my audience. I don't settle for default settings and I've never met a template I didn't break. 

I'm not a junior sales manager, I'm a storyteller.   

At one point, artists and the alleged tastemakers of society scoffed at the notion of motion pictures. However, generations of innovative film directors have rendered fools of those early dissenters of cinema. 

So too will history one day be unkind to those who belittle the artistic merits of my PowerPoint journeys. 

My slides are arranged with a careful eye to typography and design; two well trusted guardians of the Modern Arts.   

The transitions I select from the pre-determined palette are individually chosen with consideration for both aesthetics and narrative lubrication. As Alfred Hitchcock once furthered the cinematic transition of the radial wipe, so do I pioneer with the provocative primacy of the PowerPoint Fire Transition. 

No two of my PowerPoints are the same. While I have yet to craft my Citizen Kane, I consider the PowerPoint I gave at the conference in Atlanta last year to be my Taxi Driver. The regional sales meeting in Denver was my Ishtar. And right now I'm experimenting with 3D technology to create a visually immersive PowerPoint experience that will rival the cinematic wizardry of James Cameron's Avatar. 

I don't use PowerPoint in the same manner as my peers. I am a PowerPoint iconoclast. A PowerPoint auteur. Breathing the spirit of Nouvelle Vague into inspired template tweaked slides. I don't use PowerPoint to spew hollow facts and meaningless statistics. I aim to deliver revolutionary corporate poetry into the hearts and minds of marketing vice presidents across this country. 

I believe that sometimes a PowerPoint demands five consecutive pages of full bleed abstract images. Just to make people feel. To get mid-level managers to loosen their ties and take off their name card necklaces. Too much logic is the death knell of any PowerPoint pursuit. 

When I'm faced with a new PowerPoint, I don't think about what my manager is expecting. I think about Shakespeare. I think about that feather at the beginning of Forrest Gump. I think about Marlon Brando's monologue in Apocalypse Now. I wonder how Scorsese would judge my section dividers. I think about how Homer would break the Odyssey down into slides. 

I'm trying to figure out how can I use this ubiquitous PowerPoint program as a vehicle to build my legend. To hone my craft. To start the next revolution, not in business, but in art. How can I use this oft-overlooked format to get me into the Tate Modern? 

Such is the stuff of my PowerPointing dreams.  

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2010/9/16miller.html

How to make your agencies work better together...

2011-03-25T09:41:00.000-05:00

How to make your agencies work better together...

Brand building and social media—the silo crisis just got worse

http://www.prophet.com/blog/aakeronbrands/20-brand-building-and-social-mediathe-silo-crisis-just-got-worse

We are not witnessing an evolutionary change in marketing communications. Rather, there is now an inflection point which requires new communication models, different people, a revised set of capabilities, new organizational structures, and different ways of partnering with agencies. Firms are recognizing this new reality and are struggling to cope with it, as evidenced in a recent BCG report on this topic, based on nearly 100 interviews with practitioners and others close to the issue.
The maturation of social media is defining the inflection point. Social media provides the power of word-of-mouth communication, involvement, credible information sources, and personal recommendations that is next to impossible to duplicate elsewhere. Pivotal to the inflection point, it has now achieved scale which means that it is an option to some and an indispensable resource to others. But social media strategies are complex, require specialized expertise, and are much more labor intensive than traditional media communication. Further, the challenge of generating integrated marketing communications is made much more difficult by this new media form.
In the research for my book Spanning Silos, I observed that the communication silos both inside and outside the firm, such as advertising, PR, event marketing, and promotions represent silos that often not only fail to communicate and cooperate but actually compete. The problem only gets worse when social media is added because it is even more separated in terms of background, language, and metrics. The silo crisis just got worse.
The solution is to replace isolation and competition with communication and cooperation using teams. So a team is in charge of a communication campaign rather than a set of silos doing their own thing and only being loosely connected. The team should have a central goal with metrics, incentives to work together, and a set of people that are capable of functioning within a team structure.
Who should be the leader of the team? Jim Stengel, the former CMO of P&G, developed the idea that the communication vehicle and the team that generated the home-run idea would become the leader and the others would support. So it might be the NASCAR sponsorship for Valvoline, being the go-to website for baby care for Pampers, a “real beauty” advertising campaign for Dove, or a series of video clips for BMW. But there would be one leader and one focus. The team structure and its leaders could evolve and change over time but the central organizational structure would always be a team.
In any case, it is not business as usual. It is an inflection point representing real change as an imperative.

A logo from the past comes back

2011-02-25T14:43:00.000-06:00

NY Cosmos

Does anyone else remember the excitement of the NY Cosmos? We were huge fans as kids and I remember having t-shirts, soccer balls, and shorts with this logo. I am glad to see the logo and team make a comeback. Hope they have more longevity for this round.

It is really interesting to see these old brands be revitalized for future generations. Sometimes brands are more powerful than people realize.

Everything is Media

2010-12-13T15:05:00.001-06:00

Some big thoughts for a Monday. A nugget of truth for everyone.

Everything is Media

View more presentations from nbrier.

The 'Aspirational' Consumer: R.I.P.

2010-11-12T13:11:00.000-06:00

The 'Aspirational' Consumer: R.I.P.

How to create a sh** brand in a venn diagram

2010-10-21T10:47:00.001-05:00

You know it all, your creatives know it all, your clients know it all, now explain it to them in this nifty venn diagram.

http://www.logodesignlove.com/images/contentious/shitty-brand.jpg

Social Media Glossary

2010-09-28T15:10:00.000-05:00

Just in time for a new season of Buzzword Bingo:
A Jargon Refresh Is in Order
by Pete Blackshaw  Published: September 28, 2010

http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=146161

Well, the end of the year is approaching, and The Official Social-Media and Mobile Glossary of 2010, which I created in January, is already obsolete. A jargon refresh and "social stimulus" is in order -- this against a backdrop of "no-blink" social-media and digital speed. Here goes, and yes, a few of these are autobiographical. Send feedback (or complaints).
Mayoral graft: The all-too-frequent practice of Foursquare fanatics falsely claiming an appearance at a location -- a restaurant, bar or coffee shop -- in order to secure or solidify early major status.

Hash bragger: A person who consistently (and annoyingly) uses hash tags to brag about exploits, exclusive conferences or envious travel. Often uses multiple hash tags.

App rat: A relentless app collector who is known to download apps and then leave them to gather cobwebs. Related to Appotato, a compulsive app addict.

Faux pocket pas: That all too common (and always embarrassing) situation where your iPhone, Blackberry or Droid phone misfires to someone you'd rather not call -- often in the middle of the night. Can put major stress on relationships. App-happy children are also known to trigger such misfires.

Geo crasher: A person so intent on following a GPS-powered map or app that they can barely walk straight. Inevitably they crash into everyone -- in airports, on sidewalks, in ballroom stalls. According to social guru Kevin Dugan (@prblog), there's even a Flickr group dedicated to this.

Brandonment: When consumers un-friend or unlike brands that create lame experiences. Brands that fail to properly maintain and update Facebook or Twitter pages are at high risk of Brandonment.

Instantinence: The uncontrollable, compulsive and usually ego-dominated need to check "Google Instant" for real-time tweets, blurbs or inane comments or news items about you or your brand.

Tag Lady (or Tag Man): These folks have more tags on their blog posts or tweets than followers or friends. These folks never met a tag they didn't like.

Brand stand: Branded social-media outposts that revolve around the website. Facebook and Twitter are classic brand stands.

Trail marker: This person takes double-downs on Gowalla and Foursquare (and more recently, Facebook Places) to spot their trail wherever they go. They are easy to spot in bars and restaurants -- they always have their heads down and are flustered.

Textgression: The curious migration of adults into youth behavior, habits and practices, especially when it comes to texting. Here our language quickly digresses into comedic short-form. R U w/me?

Jack rabbit: A tech freak who skips from jack port to jack port, almost as though he or she is on a mad quest for frequent-flier miles. Jack rabbits are common in airport lounges or coffee shops.

Snowcial: A social-media meet-up in the snow or on the slopes. There's actually a conference by this name, sponsored by Vail/Heavenly Resorts & Harrahs. (Full disclosure: I'm an informal adviser and mogul-happy Snowcialite).

Top squatter: A person who reads, tries or buys anything at the top of the "best of" or "most shared" lists, whether it's iTunes, apps, Huffington Post, Ad Age or New York Times. This person never slips beneath the fray.

Proud padder: An excessively proud iPad user. Known for over-embellished iPad demonstrations on planes or in public. (Guilty as charged.)

Tag stab: The injury inflicted when someone is inappropriately tagged in compromising, unflattering or just plain stupid social "moments." Mostly unavoidable, unless all cameras are "checked at the door."

Four squire: A person who uses Foursquare in pursuit of dates or relationship starters (or who knows what else). Beware!

Password penitence: The need to continually use the "Forgot my password" function on websites, services and applications-often digital overload. (Courtesy of friend John Stieger, consumer-relations leader at Procter & Gamble.)

Like meister: That person on Facebook who "likes" everything. Borders on compulsive. Even the goofiest photos get likes.

Pal purgatory: When you put a friend request on hold, sometimes indefinitely, via Facebook or Twitter.

Spot scrambler: A person who delays or shuffles tweets or GPS check-ins for reasons of safety, security or just plain paranoia, i.e. you don't want the world to know you are not at home with the family.

Wiki whipped: When you just can't change your wiki entry, under any circumstance. Often activist groups, detractors or others will completely own your entry.

Hey Big Google Spender: AdWords Is Not Brand Building (via brandchannel)

2010-09-16T09:11:00.002-05:00

Hey Big Google Spender: AdWords Is Not Brand Building (via brandchannel)

Branded Entertainment: Some Brands Flock to Web Series - Advertising Age - Madison+Vine: Digital Entertainment

2010-09-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

Branded Entertainment: Some Brands Flock to Web Series - Advertising Age - Madison+Vine: Digital Entertainment

Good Meeting Everyone: boy meets coil, hope springs eternal

2010-08-23T08:42:00.000-05:00

Everyone has been in a meeting like this and it is not a joke but it should be a joke. Luckily this video is a joke. The article does bring up a good point about comfort food and people wanting to make things that make them comfortable. Comfort isn't always the answer in advertising. If creative is too familiar it has been done before and it won't differentiate for you or what your selling.

The Marketing Alchemist

5 Tenets to Help Survive, Thrive in a Digital World

Social versus Search

One louder isn't it: A discussion on logos

Beyonce & The Internet

Clarity on social media cost/benefit analysis

'Damn Good Advice' From One Of The Real 'Mad Men' : NPR

Marketing Quiz

Bounce is not just a style of dance in Memphis

Social Media 101

Best Practices: The Muppets

Steve Jobs champion for innovation

Hipster Humor. Tweet this hipsters.

The State of the Web --Summer 2011 Edition

Television versus Social Media

The Latest from NoahBrier.com

For the love of power point.. and keynote

I AM THE ORSON WELLES OF POWERPOINT.

BY OYL MILLER

How to make your agencies work better together...

Brand building and social media—the silo crisis just got worse

A logo from the past comes back

Everything is Media

The 'Aspirational' Consumer: R.I.P.

How to create a sh** brand in a venn diagram

Social Media Glossary

Hey Big Google Spender: AdWords Is Not Brand Building (via brandchannel)

Branded Entertainment: Some Brands Flock to Web Series - Advertising Age - Madison+Vine: Digital Entertainment

Good Meeting Everyone: boy meets coil, hope springs eternal

I AM THE
ORSON WELLES
OF POWERPOINT.