iMedia Connection Blog

A Prodigious loss is MRM's gain

Thu, 12, Nov, 2009, 16:47:20 PST

We all know what a rough year it's been for U.S. auto manufacturers, General Motors chief among them. Well, it's gotten a little rougher for one of GMs primary digital agencies.

The embattled U.S. automotive company has not only gone through bankruptcy and bailouts this year, it's also bailing from its Digitas-owned production shop, Prodigious Worldwide. The car company has announced it will move its U.S. digital production work to MRM Worldwide's MRM Supply unit, according to AdvertisingAge.

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The deal, which has been estimated at a value of $100 million in billings, is part of GM's efforts to consolidate its global marketing operations, as MRM already had the company's digital production account in other parts of world, as per a GM spokeswoman. In late 2008, MRM was hired to build website templates and content-management architecture, making it easier and more cost-effective for GM companies to create and distribute customizable campaigns that could be localized for specific markets worldwide. In an associated attempt at cost savings, MRM plans to staff the GM account by hiring 200 people between Detroit and a low-cost production facility located in Argentina.

Filed under: Websites

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The Social Marketing Geniuses who Run a Hotel

Thu, 12, Nov, 2009, 16:22:38 PST

At the latest Business Development Institute meeting, I met the geniuses who run new media marketing for the Roger Smith Hotel in New York (Twitter: @RSHotel). Perhaps their best idea was the simplest: they ask visitors to talk about their stay on TripAdvisor.

Their visitors tend to be happy, so that means they get an enormous number of great TripAdvisor reviews—which means more business.

The takeaway?

Your best customers can be your best marketers.
Direct calls-to-action are a smart idea.
Understand how information flows from brands into the larger community—and leverage that information flow.
Put your brand where the shoppers are.
The first step to good marketing is a good product.

Filed under: Social Media

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First-of-its-kind digital ad for 'Resident Evil' is brutal, fresh

Thu, 12, Nov, 2009, 14:55:52 PST

There's nothing elegant or clean about the new online trailer for the game "Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles." Then again, there's nothing elegant or clean about slaughtering zombies, is there?

The trailer starts comfortably enough as a standard video, but about half way through, the blood, gore, fire and explosions start to spread outside of the frame. Cool. And then the banner calls on viewers to join in and fire on the zombies. An interactive trailer. So what? "This is the first time users can interact and actually play the game inside the trailer," Capcom Director of Marketing Mona Hamilton told AdAge.

Due to the cutting edge nature of the, um, execution, the ad is only running at one site, GameTrailers.com.

Filed under: Creative Best Practices

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IAB ‘roadmap’ to salvage web as branding tool may be too little, too late

Thu, 12, Nov, 2009, 14:55:09 PST

Responding to a “shocking” study last year that found marketers thought of digital as more of a direct response than branding medium, the IAB has released a “roadmap” to “rebuild the industry’s perceptions.” (MediaPost)

What’s the problem? According to the report: online ad formats are archaic, there’s too much low-quality, cheap inventory, most metrics are irrelevant to brands, “media companies lack ideas” and they’re not coming up with cross-platform solutions.

Yeah, yeah. There are (some) answers to all of these. But they’re scattered, right? I think what the IAB is saying is that, in general, these are the problems.

What to do? Among the recommendations from the IAB: set metrics standards, publicize successful cross-platform creative and develop automated buying processes.

It’s a noble effort. But I wonder if it’s too little, too late? At least they’re doing something.

Filed under: Media Planning & Buying

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5 Ways Target hits the target: Black Friday Search Campaign

Wed, 11, Nov, 2009, 17:04:14 PST

I ran a search for “black Friday” and found this great Target ad:

5 things I like about this ad:

It entices searchers with an implied price statement (there will be a sale)
It used dynamic keyword insertion—it dynamically repeats the search term (“black Friday”) within the search ad; that’s a trick that’s known to catch searchers’ eyes, and to increase clickthrough rates.
It’s full of call-to-action terms: “Sign-up to Preview.”
It leads to a unique, Black Friday landing page.
The action that will keep users engaged with Target through the moment when they’re most likely to make a purchase: the Black Friday landing page asks searchers to sign up for Target Black Friday alerts via e-mail or mobile device.

If you find another great search ad--or if you're looking for advice on your black Friday search strategy--feel free to ping me at abe.mezrich@didit.com.

Filed under: Search

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6 Reasons Google bought AdMob

Wed, 11, Nov, 2009, 13:31:51 PST

Aside from the obvious (AdMob has quickly come to dominate the mobile ad space, and they're going to make a lot of money over the next few years), here are some deeper insights from around the web on why Google bought AdMob…

Data, data, data: "If Google is taking on Apple for mobile OS market share, it just scored a huge competitive advantage," wrote Deep Focus CEO Ian Schafer at Ad Age. "Google will know more details than ever about how people are using iPhone apps." It’s kind of hard to tell, but if you pay close attention to a recent post, I think John Battelle agrees.
People: “Acquiring the team at AdMob, which employs about 140 people, was as important as the technology in accelerating Google's mobile display ad efforts.” (Businessweek)
Search+Display is good for mobile, too: We know search and display make a powerful combo online, but “the twin bill of search and display will be the big driver of ad spending on mobile as well,” says eMarketer’s Noah Elkin.
Growth: The search business is “maturing”, says Silicon Alley Insider, mobile is hot. How hot? eMarketer predicts 5X growth for mobile ad spending between 2009 and 2013.
Google was falling behind on mobile: Analyst Greg Sterling called Google’s AdSense for Mobile “fairly undeveloped” compared to hotshot mobile ad platforms like AdMob’s.
“Blue Chip Cutomers”: AdMob serves top advertisers like P&G, Ford and Coke, reports Businessweek. With AdMob on the menu, Google stands to deepen their relationship with these heavyweights.

Filed under: Wireless

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Wrigley drops behemoths, gives digital independents a shot

Wed, 11, Nov, 2009, 12:04:55 PST

Tribal DDB, Digitas, and Agency.com are losing their digital agency-of-record duties with Wrigley, which plans to give a roster of agencies -- including several independents -- a shot at securing future projects via a creative shootout strategy. Ad Age reports that independents Big Spaceship and Firstborn are among the roster of agencies that will be vying for Wrigley's future campaigns, along with Omnicom majority-owned EVB.

According to Ad Age sources, the roster of shops will present recommendations across brands and participate in planning and execution for particular assignments as needed across interactive channels. The digital agencies will work directly with Wrigley's brand teams, rather than through its main Omnicom creative agencies, DDB and BBDO.

As Ad Age points out, this move is yet another example of independent digital shops' growing ability to secure direct-to-client work with major brands.

Find out more! To learn more about the latest trends in the digital agency world, attend the iMedia Agency Summit, Dec. 6-9. " Learn more about the iMedia Agency Summit.

Filed under: Media Planning & Buying

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2010 Trends at iMedia Agency Summit

Tue, 10, Nov, 2009, 19:51:37 PST

I'm very excited by what's in store for you at iMedia's upcoming Agency Summit, this December 6 - 8 in Scottsdale, AZ. And, I'm pleased to share with you a unique content track we're debuting in December. But first, indulge me in a back story.

As the newest member of the iMedia Summit content team, I've had the pleasure of attending this fall's Brand and Breakthrough Summits. I have been truly impressed with the top-notch content my colleagues curate for their audiences. But I expect top-notch content from iMedia, as I'm sure you do too.

Stay ahead of the trends! To learn more about the marketing trends you'll need in 2010 and beyond, attend the iMedia Agency Summit. Dec. 6-9. Learn more about the iMedia Agency Summit.

What I did not expect, and have not experienced at any other industry conference (and I have been to more than my share) is the powerful networking and exchange of ideas that takes place at an iMedia event. I accomplished more in 2 days at the Brand and Breakthrough Summits than I would have in weeks in the office -- simply because I had access to the great thinkers that iMedia Summits bring together.

It was at the recent Breakthrough Summit that I had an inspired pow-wow over cocktails with Brad Berens and John Durham. Who does not know these two? And that meeting of the minds spawned the brand new content track we're kicking off at the Agency Summit:

"2010 Trend Watch"

We have identified a group of innovative thinkers from the Agency Summit audience to predict the big interactive advertising trends in 2010. Forecasting trends in the interactive media world is an adventure sport for the brave of heart. It can be a challenge to keep current, let alone ahead of the game. I can't think of a group better equipped to surface meaningful 2010 media trends that will keep us ahead of the game than our Trend Watchers.

Here's who has signed up for the task:

Michael Hayes, EVP Managing Director, Initiative

Uwe Hook, SVP Media, Direct Partners

Jonathan Hsia, Digital Director, Coca-Cola Account, Starcom MediaVest Group

Adam Kleinberg, CEO, Traction

Adam Shlachter, Senior Partner, Digital Practice Lead, Mediaedge:cia

David Smith, Founder and CEO, Mediasmith

Scott Witt, Executive Creative Director, Media Arts, TBWA Digital Arts Group

Each Trend Watcher will have a maximum of 3 minutes and 3 slides to present their take on what’s to come. The predictions will be interspersed throughout the 2-day general session, and promise to be the topics you’ll still want to discuss over cocktails. When Scott Witt signed on as a Trend Watcher, he said, “Oh, I can be thought-provoking in a 3 minute forward-thinking presentation, no problem.” Now that's the enthusiasm for idea exchange unique to an iMedia Summit!

I hope to see you in Scottsdale in December.

Filed under: Media Planning & Buying

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Seeding Social Commerce

Tue, 10, Nov, 2009, 16:00:00 PST

The exponential growth of social media sets huge expectations for social commerce. Marketers, reluctant to crash the karma of evolving social networks, have long thought that the channels facilitating conversations, interactions and personal CRM could easily facilitate and probably accelerate eCommerce.

Most brands have taken a wait-and-see approach. The conventional wisdom, till now, has been that social media is for branding and a tool to to monitor the conversation rather than an active sales channel. Most marketers have silently done the math on social networks hoping that connected networks of friends could be cost-efficient viral media channels for merchandizing products and services.

With an average of two social media accounts per person, an individual with with 50 or more friends, depending on their willingness to tout a favorite brand, product or service, could potentially message as many as 100,000 other people. This potential media multiplier makes marketers salivate.

But most have restrained themselves fearful of alienating potential customers or of provoking a negative backlash. Notable exceptions are the Dell Outlet who reports sales of $3 million in computers and Whole Foods who hawk weekly specials on Twitter and 1-800-Flowers who set up a store or Chick-A-Fil who gave away 25,000 coupons for a free chicken sandwich over five days on Facebook.

New survey research by Performics and ROI Research and by Razorfish suggest that social media users not only interact with brands and talk up brands, but they are actively looking for deals, promotions and coupons on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and others.

The Performics and ROI team surveyed 3011 social network users and found that 4 in 10 talked about brands on social networks and that 1 in 4 have gone directly to an eCommerce site after learning about a new product or brand in social media. With slight variations, the data holds true across the platforms, though Facebook seems to have twice as many users as MySpace, YouTube or Twitter and six times more than LinkedIn, MeetUp or Flickr and others, which have more of a specialized use pattern or niche focus.

The leading messages that resonate with consumers seem to be coupon downloads, alerts on special deals, offers to participate in sweepstakes or win redeemable points or online currency. Scott Haiges of ROI Research drew the summary conclusion. "Consumers are open to receiving promotions and offers from brands that they're connected with through social networks."

This understanding was validated or confirmed by Razorfish's 2009 FEED Report, a survey of 1000 consumers; each of whom has a social media account, has spent $150 online in the last six months, has visited a community site and consumed or created some form of digital media.

Between 3 and 4 of every ten respondents said special or exclusive deals is the main reason they follow brands in social media networks. Sixty-four percent said they made their first purchase from a company as a result of a digital interaction and virtually everybody (97%) said a digital interaction influenced brand affinity. Forty percent had "friended" a brand and 70 percent participated in brand sponsored contests or sweepstakes.

Garrick Schmitt, the editor of the study, figured out "people want deals." So the key to engagement on social properties comes down to old-fashioned direct marketing techniques. And these new platforms appear to work like their older counterparts with a couple of exceptions.

These exceptions are, according to David Armano of the Dachis Group writing in the Harvard Business Daily Alert, faster uptake and greater mobility which creates the possibility of dayparting. He argues that adoption will increase and deepen but be mitigated by a growing trend among enterprises and organizations to ban social network use at work. This could create distinct daytime and nighttime usage patterns, not unlike broadcast TV, that attracts different audiences of prospects and customers and prompts different creative and messaging strategies during different time periods

Similarly the increasing penetration of smart phones and the lower cost of bandwidth will spark greater mobile access to and use of social networks and video content. This will also have implications for message development and propagation as well as audience segmentation. And as these phenomenon spread around the world and get translated into multiple languages, more and more people will buy stuff realizing the dream of social commerce.

Filed under: Social Media

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IBM shifts its digital strategy

Tue, 10, Nov, 2009, 15:10:50 PST

IBM spends $1.25 billion annually on advertising, and the PC giant is now handing the digital slice of that pie to Havas' Euro RSCG, Ad Age reports.

Euro has been handling IBM's email marketing for years, and was chosen to helm the company's global digital efforts because of its "deep digital expertise," according to John Kennedy, VP of corporate marketing at IBM.

Unfortunately, IBM's move means that Digitas is left out in the cold. The agency had worked with IBM for 10 years. <div style="border: 1px dotted #cccccc; padding: 10px; background: #f3fbff none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;"> <strong>Find out more!</strong>  To learn more about the future agency anatomy, attend the iMedia Agency Summit. Dec. 6-9. <a style="color: #003399;" href="http://www.imediaconnection.com/summits/24395.asp"> Learn more about the iMedia Agency Summit.</a> </div>

Filed under: Media Planning & Buying

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Google Introduces AdMob to the World

Tue, 10, Nov, 2009, 11:48:04 PST

Before yesterday, how many of you had actually heard of AdMob? While inside the mobile advertising industry, AdMob is widely known, many people over the past 24 hours have asked who this company is that is worth $750 million of Google stock.

AdMob is a mobile advertising network that serves banner and text-based ads into mobile websites and downloaded apps. Since AOL acquired Third Screen Media, the first platform for mobile display ads, for just over $100 million in 1997, AdMob has continued to expand its media to sell and grown towards the top spot in this area. The rapid introduction of iPhone apps gave AdMob a new environment in which to serve its clients’ banners, and increased visibility for its overall service set. This step alone may have been the accelerant that got this deal done.

The truth is that the Google deal is a game-changing event in the mobile advertising arena, for which I am long on the record for speculating was coming. The key here is not just the acquisition, but also the capital that Google can be put behind it to fuel its growth. Additionally, keep in mind that Google is as much about metrics and analytics as the revenue it drives. This deal gives them another entry point to continue learning about consumers’ behaviors. Want to know about the mobile web, Google knows. Want to learn how often people actually interact with an ad in an iPhone or Android app, ask Google.

Many have suggested that this is the moment where brands and agencies really start paying attention to mobile advertising. Undoubtedly, this is another key instance which draws the attention of the marketing world to the wonders that the mobile phone can yield. However, the piece that should not be forgotten is how imperative it is to understand how to use these platforms effectively. That is, how does using mobile media meet the business goals of a brand. There is a significant difference between creating smart consumer engagements and just executing an ad buy on mobile.

The additional side effect of this marriage is that other mobile ad networks will scramble. They either see themselves as the next-in-line to be acquired—which is their ultimate liquidation event—or may feel their very existence is more threatened than ever. It is a poorly-kept secret that several of these companies were already seeking additional financing for growth (or mere life). Does the Google acquisition make them believe that they can now drive a higher valuation? Or do they have to take what they can get to try to compete with the Google behemoth? The truth is that this deal will drive a significant amount of chaos in the near term, and create opportunities for ad buyers and investors alike.

Jordan Greene is the head of the mobile media advisory practice at Mella Media (www.mellamedia.com)

Filed under: Media Planning & Buying

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Should we prepare ourselves for Moo-gle?

Mon, 09, Nov, 2009, 18:26:11 PST

For the past decade, Google's cash cow has been paid placements (or "Sponsored Links) within the Google search engine products. As an industry we haven't really been surprised by Google's actions or acquisitions over the past few years. You've got to keep up with the Joneses or the AOLs/Microsofts of the world. Microsoft buys Aquantive, then Google buys Doubleclick - that's to be expected. So what I've been asking myself today is this "Is Google's next cash cow going to be Mobile?" At first glance, it sure seems like they are heading in that direction. Upon much anticipated hype, this past Friday, Verizon began selling the co-branded Google Droid phone. Their entire advertising campaign about "What Droid CAN do" is in direct response to the iPhone. Today, Google released an announcement that they have purchased AdMob for $750 Million, and now everybody is buzzing about it. Don't get me wrong, Google has been toying around in the mobile world for years, this is nothing new. It's just very timely that Google purchased AdMob at the same time as Verizon is launching the Droid phone. Essentially, Google is putting up a building, populating it with people and then renting it out to advertisers. All right before Christmas...
Google's cash cow is really real estate development...media real estate development.

Filed under: Wireless

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4 New Insights Into the Psychology of Search

Mon, 09, Nov, 2009, 07:00:00 PST

Psychological research conducted by Kevin Wise, Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, and published in the Journal of Media Psychology, suggests that how you find information online affects your reaction to that information. The implication for marketers and publishers is that you have to anticipate how people find you and address audiences differently on the basis of their glide path.

This notion is significant because on any given day about 1/3 of all Internet users either search for something specific or come across content by random surfing, according to the Pew study on the Internet and American Life. People invest different types of energy and emotion into finding content online. Surfers undertake what academics call "ritualized" use of media. They flit from thing to thing, sorting one against the other until something catches their eye or captures their imagination. This is a random process that requires less intention, investment and brain processing.

Searchers are "instrumental" users of media determined to seek out and find a specific content and evaluating search engine results against each other to figure out which is most relevant, on-point and worth reading first. Evidently this requires more attention, brain power and more functions from each searcher's CPU.

To prove this Kevin and his team wired up 92 freshmen in an introductory advertising class to measure heart rate, skin conductance (sweat to us) and electro-magnetic activity (a surrogate for brain processing power). They set up a site filled with awful photos and descriptions of a shooting rampage at an elementary school in Utah. Apparently disturbing images prompt more distinct responses and can be better mined for content, recall and reactions.

Having run earlier research studies to understand the inter-play of getting there versus being there or in regularspeak --finding stuff versus reacting to stuff -- Kevin wondered if how you got there influenced what you found, remembered and how you reacted. Here's what he found:

Heart rates for searchers accelerated more than those of surfers. Purposely looking for content cranks up your ticker faster than stumbling across things. Maybe this suggests a greater investment in the process which leads to an eagerness to find and consume the content.

Searchers remembered more details than surfers. You expect the directed searcher to pay more attention and care more than the casual surfer.

Searchers had more skin response. Searching and finding gets you more hot and bothered than coming across something worth checking out. There's probably a lesson for keywords in here. Though the result isn't shocking; it's the directed dude versus the laid back dude. Ditto for EMG activity.

Searchers were more disturbed by what they found than surfers. They rated the content as more unpleasant. People looking for something specific add a dose of intensity to their reading or understanding of the searched object? Could this be a self-fulfilling prophecy because we invest ourselves more in the stuff we've invested time and energy to find?

The data suggests that different ways of getting there drive how people react and respond online. The implications are that marketers have to weigh the intensity of searching versus the serendipity of surfing as they design and display information and/or craft keywords and phrases. Assuming intense and invested searching behavior puts the impetus on copywriters and designers (not to mention SEO jockeys to hyper-serve searchers while spreading around enough bait to reel in the random surfer.

Filed under: Search

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Sesame Street Tells Us How To Get... How To Get To Good Marketing

Sat, 07, Nov, 2009, 17:41:42 PST

Last week Sesame Street celebrated its 40th birthday. And, for those of us that grew up with this iconic series, this is both a reminder that we are, ourselves, growing older (sigh) and that somehow this show has kept its relevance for 4 decades.

I spent some time this week with some of my favorite Sesame Street classics such as the amazingly funky counting to twelve, the classic fat cat sat hat sketch - and one of my all time favorites; Kermit singing that it's not easy being green.

As I was going through all these classics, I thought of these as wonderful examples of lessons we can take for the new challenges that we face as marketers.....

From online, to social media to the hyper-focus on ROI, to building community, trust and conversation - it's all there in Sesame Street. It's just another example of why I believe that the new marketing changes everything we know and nothing we do. The lessons that Bert, Ernie, Gordon, Maria, Big Bird and the gang taught us and that we took to school with us as kids - are just as relevant as the lessons we should take to work today as marketers.

Making Our Brands Stand Out
In "It's Not Easy Being Green" - Kermit the Frog helps us to appreciate the idea of being different - even if being odd, nerdy or sometimes misunderstood is not so easy. In the new world Of Seth Godin's "Purple Cows" we need to be remarkeable, or we risk being invisible. And Kermit let us know that this was okay.

Maintaining Connections Means Having Faith In That Connection
Take Big Bird and his friend Snuffleupagus. That is a special friendship. Remember, in the beginning Snuffy was just Big Bird's "imaginary friend" and no one was ever around Snuffy except for Big Bird. People would laugh at Big Bird and even question his sanity. But he maintained that connection, eventually helping Snuffy overcome his shyness - and becoming real to the rest of his community. That's a huge lesson for us as Marketers - as we begin to build programs that don't have an immediate ROI. We've got to have some elements of our programs that build long-term and deep connections with our community - even if it means risking some criticism or ridicule.

Marketing Takes Perseverence & Sometimes You Just Have To Ask
Ernie teaches Bert and us that sometimes the traditional ways of getting attention sometimes aren't working. And, if they're not working, you can simply ask for it to change. And, you can't give up if you don't receive it the first time. Ask again.

Understanding Our Audiences & Learning About Our Neighborhood
Who can forget how Bob told us to meet all the people in our neighborhood - and understand what they do. Who are the people in your neighborhood? With the idea of knowing our different audiences - it's more important than ever for us to know not only what our neighborhood does - but actually get out and meet them.

Changing Our Appearance Doesn't Change Our Brand
In the classic, Me Girl and Witch segment, a child teaches a witch that even though she's dressed up in her mom's clothes, and the Witch changes her into a television, a spoon and a bird - she "still me". The idea that no matter what we do to outer appearances - for better or worse, we are still our brand. It's up to us to "live" and "be" our brand - not just change its appearance.

Listening To Our Customers
In this classic sketch called "Super Grover" a child is lost, and Super Grover is going to come to her rescue. But instead of simply listening to her and helping her use the telephone, he instead only "does what he knows" and barrels past her into the telephone booth to change into his Super Grover Costume. Meanwhile, she loses all faith in him, and ultimately sneaks into the telephone booth to call her mom when he comes out. This is a classic lesson for us as we so often get in our own way when it comes to marketing. We believe that our message needs to be clever, or that customers need to go through our "regular sales process". We sometimes fail to listen to the customer when they actually may just want to simply buy.

Certainly with 40 years of material, I could go on and on. But more than anything, I think the lesson of Sesame Street is really what you can accomplish with an honest, transparent and earnest attempt to build trust, friendship and hope. To this day, I can still sing the opening to the show, and many of the sketches above still make me laugh out loud. It's the kind of mark we all hope to make. One where everything's A-OK - Friendly neighbors there, and where we meet. Can you tell me how to get... How to get to Sesame Street...

Filed under: Opinions

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Creativing :: Craziest iPhone game evah, the future of movies, and Steve Jobs’ presentation secrets

Fri, 06, Nov, 2009, 16:53:08 PST

What’s going on in new media marketing, pulled from social bookmarking site Creativing.com:

Endless Racing Game for iPhone, Next Level – Video

This is crazy. Using the compass and bluetooth, you can string together multiple iPhones to create an open-ended track that these cars race around. I’ve downloaded it, and am on the hunt for the first other 3G S phone to try it with.

Four trends that will rattle retail this Christmas

Good insights about how much mobile tech – the iPhone in particular – will change shopping this season. Mobile apps and social practices that were early-adopter technologies the past couple of years are now ready for prime time. At the core is a consumer armed with more price-checking technology and the ability to exchange shopping information at the point of purchase, thanks to iPhone apps in particular. Further driving this behavior will be financially-stretched consumers looking for price advantages anyway they can get them.

Uncovering Steve Jobs’ Presentation Secrets

A new book delves into a presentation master’s tactics.

Case Study: The NHL Uses Tweet-Ups To Energize Its Fan Base And Reach New Audiences

I’ve posted about the NHL (wisely) taking the opposite approach to the NFLs ban on Twitter for athletes. A couple of interesting things to note about this campaign: While Twitter got people involved, it was the mainstream press that generated the most noise. That’s simply about being early adopter, not about the campaign itself, although that’s becoming hard to distinguish. The second is, the turnaround time of 3 weeks. Gotta be quick to market these days.

Disney Will Give Mickey Mouse a Makeover

Mickey looks like he stepped out of GTA 4 in this screen grab from the upcoming video game Epic Mickey. A big risk? Maybe, maybe not. The Mickey brand is in decline in the US, and sometimes you’ve just gotta shake the tree. What I found most interesting in the article is that this is actually a return to Mickey’s roots. He launched in 1928 as the Bart Simpson of his day. A rather rude brute who was amorously aggressive with Minnie. I kid you not.

Amazing Fan Video

I think this is the best glimpse of the future of film making than anything I’ve seen. Taking scenes and characters from video games and compositing them with actual footage, the whole thing was shot for $500. And the potential around this is almost endless.

5 Ways To Instantly Boost Your Facebook Page Traffic

Sound, simple advice easy for anyone to follow.

The Open Graph API: What Does It Mean?

Speaking of Facebook, curious what their long-term vision is? It’s as a central authentication point for all your online activities. Put another way, wherever you go, you’ll go as a Facebook user.

Greatest Home Office of 1983

What every uber-geek had in 1983 for a home office. Right down to the Star Wars souvenirs.

Listiti: Google Alerts for Twitter Lists

Fresh off the server, this service just rolled live. The description in the title pretty much says it all. Want to know when a subject gets tweeted? Now you’ll know.

Filed under: Social Media

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Twitter Lists to Followers Ratio: The new social media metric

Fri, 06, Nov, 2009, 12:30:41 PST

Twitter has been aunching a slew of new functionality recently, most notably Twitter Lists. I say most notably because Twitter Lists addresses one of the most pressing problems with using Twitter.com as a primary Twitter client. It's very easy to follow so many people that you wind up really following no one. People's tweets just get lost in the stream.

Until now, I've solved that problem with 3rd party apps like Seesmic on my desktop and Tweetie on the iPhone that allow me to create groups of followers so I can filter down tweets to a manageable thread and actually keep tabs on the people I'm most interested in. Twitter Lists, however, allows me to do that right on Twitter.com and even better, share those lists with others. The lists I aggregate can become little tidbits of value I share with the masses.

That's really relevant to brands seeking a meaningful metric for how to measure the success of their social marketing programs. Just acquiring followers is really quite meaningless. It's relatively easy to do (follow a bunch of people and some subset will just follow you back), but says nothing about the relevance of those followers or if they are getting any value out of following you.

However, if someone adds you to a list, they are making a small, but conscious effort to say to the world, hey this dude's got some good tweets over here.

I propose that this will evolve into a truly meaningful metric for social marketing effectiveness. The more of your followers that put you on Lists, the more relevant and valuable your social media presence is. As of this moment, @adamkleinberg (that's me) has 1852 followers and I'm on 60 lists. That means I have a marginally respectable 3.2% List to Followers Ratio. This is a measure of my perceived relevant value on Twitter, and one I hope will improve over time.

There are holes in this theory of course. Take this Twitter thread for instance:

jack_benoff: @adamkleinberg but how many of your followers have even created lists?

adamkleinberg: Lists to Followers Ratio = new value metric for soc. media. Currently 3.2% of my followers think I'm valuable enuf 2 put on a list.

But even if this is brand new stuff and only active Twitterers use it, doesn't that add to the argument that it's a great metric to measure value of your Twitter presence? It's no secret that ninety-something percent of people on Twitter sign up, tweet once and disappear. Those aren't exactly valuable followers and they definitely aren't creating lists.

Stick that in your PowerPoint and guru it.

As always, I love to hear your thoughts in comments.

Filed under: Social Media

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'It's hard to make someone cry with a banner'

Thu, 05, Nov, 2009, 15:56:42 PST

Discussing the emotional capabilities of online ads, MediaVest’s VP, Digital Director, Christopher Actis said, “It’s hard to make someone cry with a banner.” Actis was speaking on a panel, “How Online Advertising Can Drive Brand Awareness,” at ad:tech New York this week.

Will we ever get to a point where banners are making people cry? “Yeah, I think we’re moving in that direction,” said Actis, citing advances in digital creative and the availability of new ad formats.

But driving immediate, profound emotions isn’t necessarily the objective.

“Creative is a kickoff to get to that area [where people are deeply emotional],” said Thom Campbell, senior media manager, strategy, at Intel. “We don’t want people to see a banner and cry, but to connect them with [other brand advocates], and cry with them.”
Filed under: Creative Best Practices
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Intel’s softer, gentler approach to branding

Thu, 05, Nov, 2009, 15:55:52 PST

For Intel’s latest campaign, they’re taking a more subtle approach to branding. Speaking at ad:tech NY, Intel’s Senior Media Manager, Strategy, Thom Campbell, described how they sponsored a blogger’s bucket list to bring a warm glow to the brand.

The blog is “Mighty Girl”, by Maggie Mason. What Intel did is sponsor some of the technology-related items on her list. In response, they’ve received a healthy dose of good will from around the web. Emails, for example, from everyday people thanking them for supporting one of their favorite bloggers. “We want that as a company,” said Thom, “rather than, ‘hey, you got a great processor there.”

Ultimately, Intel ‘s goal is to improve people’s expectations of technology. “We’re trying to open up and help people really understand what technology can do for them.” Not necessarily what Intel can do for them.
Filed under: Social Media
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How Publicis gave Vicks a contagious idea

Thu, 05, Nov, 2009, 15:26:21 PST

Separating one brand from the pack in a world of infinite consumer options is difficult. The fractured world of social media and multiple conversational media make it even more difficult to generate positive brand messaging with creative campaigns.

With this in mind, Publicis seeks to create "contagious ideas" for its clients. These campaigns are not viral flashes in the pan, but messages that instigate, influence, and ultimately change conversations across all media, according to EVP Mark Hider. In other words, they create a lasting impression.

In a panel at ad:tech New York entitled "Going beyond digital - contagious ideas that change the conversation," Hider and Publicis chief creative officer Rob Feakins discussed how their agency goes about doing just that.

"It's impossible to have a sustained conversation with someone if you don't know their point of view," Feakins said.

One example in which the agency tried to connect with consumer point of view is its new campaign for Vicks, the makers of Nyquil.

Cold medicine advertisements typically feature sick people with red, bulbous noses coughing up their lungs; basically advertising symptom relief. Instead of showing pale, sick people, Vicks' new campaign shows people enjoying life, whether is running, jumping, laugh or kissing. The ads themselves say things such as "We believe running is for feet, not for noses," encouraging consumers to take medicine and get out there and live life.
Filed under: Creative Best Practices
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Do you need to follow your Twitter followers?

Thu, 05, Nov, 2009, 15:00:45 PST

To follow or not to follow? That's a big question in Twitter marketing, and it's producing a lot of different opinions. In a panel called "The Twitter effect: leveraging Twitter to drive brand engagement and bottom line results" at ad:tech New York on Thursday, nearly every panelist had a different view on who to follow.

Microsoft's Zune Twitter account follows all of its followers, according to Matt Singley of social media agency M80, which handles the account. "The whole point of our strategy is engagement, but following everyone does present some challenges," Singley said. "Autofollowing means we fellow a lot of porn bots." But the heart of Zune's strategy is customer service, which is nearly impossible without the direct connection between company and consumer.

Meanwhile, Time.com's Twitter strategy is to pick and choose its followers, based on what they will offer the brand. "It's really hard," said John Cantarella, GM of Time.com. "We are a journalistic organization and we want to find value."

At the opposite end of the spectrum is Allstate Insurance, which follows about two thirds of its followers. However, senior manager of strategy and content Ben Foster said the company might change its mind after an audience member pointed out that it speaks highly of the company.
Filed under: Social Media
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Inside News Corps' strategy to save MySpace

Thu, 05, Nov, 2009, 12:41:23 PST

"MySpace's US traffic falls off a cliff," announced Mashable last month, citing a one-month drop of five million users (falling from 55 to 50 million, according to Compete figures). Mashable also notes how MySpace is losing millions for parent News Corp, and hasn’t managed to stabilize their losses since booting co-founder Chris DeWolfe and bringing in former Facebook exec Own Van Natta.

So what’s News Corps strategy to turn this around? According to digital chief Jonathan Miller, who spoke at ad:tech New York this week, “you need to focus on where you can win… and for us that’s intra-space… focusing on what people are into… like music.”

How does that compare to Facebook? Miller explained that, in his view, Facebook is for what people are UP to, MySpace is about what people are IN to.

Sounds like a little bit of a stretch. What do you think?
Filed under: Social Media
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Why agencies are lacking innovation

Wed, 04, Nov, 2009, 15:52:49 PST

The current agency model is broken. Agencies aren't built to accommodate innovation. Online marketing requires too many specialists to be effective.

Those are some pretty bold statements, no? They seem even more outlandish when you consider they came from an ad:tech panel called "The Modern Agency," full of agency honchos assembled to discuss compensation models and the delivery of cross-media expertise.

Online advertising has led to a plethora of startups and vendors, all pushing new innovations and marketing solutions. But when it comes time to finding a way to deploy innovative new technology, the agency might not be the best place to look.

"Find a client champion rather than an agency champion," advised Paul Wollmington, founding partner of Naked. "It's a shame, because I'm an agency guy, but I've felt the frustration of being shuffled around before."

Wollmington advised developers and agencies to ask what a new technology can do for a client before making the decision to use. In the end, all innovation has to help boost the clients bottom line to be worthwhile.

One reason digital is struggling with acceptance is the variety of specialists required. Many aspects of digital are siloed, and with a lack of talent entering the field, agencies can't afford to spend six figures to employ digital media experts, nor can they afford to add more and more people onto each campaign.

"Let's use a cargo plane as an example," said John Osborn, president and CEO of BBDO New York. "Digital requires us to add more people onto the plane. And what happens when you add more people to the plane? It can't take off."

Therefore, it's necessary that agencies expose their teams to as many relevant aspects as possible. BBDO is exposing its digital staff to traditional methods, and vice versa.

One final reason agencies are stagnant is the problem presented by large agencies. Larger ad agencies can pitch ideas constantly, essentially giving them away for free and ultimately hurting younger, hungrier creative shops in the process.

"Big agencies have scale to do marketing for free, and that's got to stop," Osborn said. "We're killing ourselves."
Filed under: Media Planning & Buying
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Want online branding? Try social media

Wed, 04, Nov, 2009, 15:26:31 PST

It's not often that industry panels produce surprise results, but moderator Amanda Richman publicly admitted her surprise during a session on Wednesday at ad:tech New York.

Richman had assembled brand marketers from HP, Phillips, and Tourism Queensland for a panel called "Marketing 3.0 -- Building great brands in the digital age" expecting each member to present a different solution for building a brand, but each and every one touted the branding power of social media.

"Today we think social media is word-of-monitor," said Zdenek Kratky, director of marketing for Phillips, discussing a successful Facebook campaign for the Sonicare toothbrush. "It's great -- there's credibility there. We know something is more credible when it comes from a friend."

Rod Lehman, senior director, Americas marketing for HP, offered a similar sentiment. HP invested $100,000 in an online campaign to promote new software, but largely relied on customers and prospects to do the promotion via a free trial. The campaign ultimately returned $28 million in profits after promotion on blogs.

"If recommendations come from someone you trust versus from the brand itself, we see a much higher conversion rate," Lehman said.

While all of the present marketers had successfully used social media to boost their online branding, Chance Parker of JD Power offered a caveat.

"Social media can do great things, but focusing on measuring and metrics can be a trap," Parker said. "You can miss some really valuable insights. Don't stop there. You've got to not only listen, but hear what people are saying."
Filed under: Social Media
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The iPhone as a self-help guru

Wed, 04, Nov, 2009, 15:09:06 PST

Virgin Atlantic doesn't want anything to stop travelers from enjoying the airborne experience -- especially not a morbid fear of air travel. To help get flying-phobic consumers back in the air, the airline has launched a new iPhone app based on its successful series of fear-conquering courses.

The "Flying Without Fear" app features a personal introduciton by Sir Richard Branson, and not only educates fliers on the causes of panic-inducing phenomena like turbulence, but also includes a panic button-like feature that delivers calming mantras, breathing exercises and other tips to reassure flighty fliers.

This is a great example of a branded application that provides real value to its target audience. Though I do think that there might be a more calming, user friendly way to conquer aviaphobia than taking advice from this somewhat eerie message that pops up on your iPhone:


Filed under: Wireless
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Martin Sorrell: ‘Google more powerful in the last 6 months’

Wed, 04, Nov, 2009, 12:26:18 PST

Despite the recession and an overall pullback in digital ad spending, “Google has become a more powerful company in the last 6 months,” said WPP CEO Martin Sorrell. Speaking at ad:tech New York, the holding company chief praised the search giant’s renewed focus and cost cutting efforts.

Over the past year, Google has cut $1 billion in costs and narrowed their focus to the search and mobile categories, “rather than things like sending robots to the moon,” said Sorrell.

In the past, Sorrell famously referred to Google as a ‘frenemy’ (more recently they were downgraded to ‘froe”, by the way), still WPP signed with Google earlier this year to fund a 3-year, $4.6 million cross-media research program.
Filed under: Search
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