Friday, July 31, 2009
Wall Street Journal working on 'LinkedIn killer'
Brand Republic reports - The Wall Street Journal is to launch its own social network called WSJ Connect to rival the professionals' community LinkedIn, according to reports.
Activist launches Labour Party Twibbon for Twitter users
Brand Republic reports: Labour Party supporters can now show their support for the party on Twitter after an activist created a Twibbon -- a Twitter application that allows social networking users to show their support for a particular cause online. -- a Twitter application that allows social networking users to show their support for a particular cause online.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
A Brief History of Blogs
BW book reviewby Stephen Baker: How a form of grassroots communication led to the likes of YouTube and Facebook, and transformed the media landscape
In late January of 2001, in the depths of the dot-com crash, a San Francisco startup called Pyra Labs ran out of money. Its staff departed. The co-founder of the company, a young Nebraskan named Evan Williams, decided to make a go of it alone. He scraped together $40,000 in new funding and moved Pyra's servers into his apartment. This permitted the company's 100,000 registered customers (and counting) to keep using Pyra's service, Blogger, to publish their online journals, or blogs.
A year later, Blogger had 700,000 subscribers. Whether sharing cookie recipes or commenting on weapons reports from Iraq, those writers were constructing a significant new form of grassroots media. Blogging turned traditional publishing on its head, allowing anyone with a computer and modem (or even a smartphone) to gain a global voice for free. By 2003, Williams was able to sell his business to Google for a lucrative pile of pre-IPO stock. Three years later he and his partners launched yet another tool for global publishing, the micro-blogging phenomenon, Twitter.
Williams' story is just one thread in the narrative of Say Everything, Scott Rosenberg's account of the blogging revolution. Rosenberg, co-founder of the online magazine Salon.com, describes a remarkable chapter in the history of communication. At this point it's hard for some to remember that even in the late '90s most people regarded Web pages as things to read, not places to post and publish. It's an important story, one that leads not only to YouTube, Facebook, and Wikipedia but also to the transformation of corporate and government communications. Rosenberg writes gracefully and appears to have researched thoroughly. His book may be a bit heavy in detail, historical and technical, for a general interest audience. But many bloggers are sure to relish the history of the drama they've stepped into. I certainly learned a lot.
Full book review - click here
In late January of 2001, in the depths of the dot-com crash, a San Francisco startup called Pyra Labs ran out of money. Its staff departed. The co-founder of the company, a young Nebraskan named Evan Williams, decided to make a go of it alone. He scraped together $40,000 in new funding and moved Pyra's servers into his apartment. This permitted the company's 100,000 registered customers (and counting) to keep using Pyra's service, Blogger, to publish their online journals, or blogs.
A year later, Blogger had 700,000 subscribers. Whether sharing cookie recipes or commenting on weapons reports from Iraq, those writers were constructing a significant new form of grassroots media. Blogging turned traditional publishing on its head, allowing anyone with a computer and modem (or even a smartphone) to gain a global voice for free. By 2003, Williams was able to sell his business to Google for a lucrative pile of pre-IPO stock. Three years later he and his partners launched yet another tool for global publishing, the micro-blogging phenomenon, Twitter.
Williams' story is just one thread in the narrative of Say Everything, Scott Rosenberg's account of the blogging revolution. Rosenberg, co-founder of the online magazine Salon.com, describes a remarkable chapter in the history of communication. At this point it's hard for some to remember that even in the late '90s most people regarded Web pages as things to read, not places to post and publish. It's an important story, one that leads not only to YouTube, Facebook, and Wikipedia but also to the transformation of corporate and government communications. Rosenberg writes gracefully and appears to have researched thoroughly. His book may be a bit heavy in detail, historical and technical, for a general interest audience. But many bloggers are sure to relish the history of the drama they've stepped into. I certainly learned a lot.
Full book review - click here
The Web Knows What You Want
BW reports: By dissecting behavioral data, e-marketers are creating sites armed with predictive technology
Every once in a while in most Web surfers' lives, a suggestion pops up on the screen that leads them to wonder: How did they know that about me? The moment can seem magical, and a bit creepy.
Consider this one. A shopper at the retail site FigLeaves.com takes a close look at a silky pair of women's slippers. Next a recommendation appears for a man's bathrobe. This could seem terribly wrong—unless, of course, it turns out to be precisely what she wanted. This type of surprising connection will happen more often as e-marketers adopt a new generation of predictive technology. It's fueled by growing rivers of behavioral data, from mouse clicks to search queries—all crunched by ever more powerful computers.
Why the bathrobe? ATG (ARTG), a Cambridge (Mass.) e-commerce software company that crunches data for FigLeaves, has found that certain types of female shoppers at certain times of the week are likely to be shopping for men. Like all Web recommendations, this one will be wrong a good portion of the time. But as marketers scrutinize shoppers in greater detail, they're edging closer to their ultimate goal: teaching computers to blend data smarts with something close to the savvy of a flesh-and-blood sales clerk. "In the first five minutes in a store, the sales guy is observing a customer's body language and tone of voice," says Mark A. Nagaitis, CEO of 7 Billion People, an Austin (Tex.) startup that competes with ATG. "We have to teach machines to pick up those same insights from movements online."
For the rest of the article - click here
Every once in a while in most Web surfers' lives, a suggestion pops up on the screen that leads them to wonder: How did they know that about me? The moment can seem magical, and a bit creepy.
Consider this one. A shopper at the retail site FigLeaves.com takes a close look at a silky pair of women's slippers. Next a recommendation appears for a man's bathrobe. This could seem terribly wrong—unless, of course, it turns out to be precisely what she wanted. This type of surprising connection will happen more often as e-marketers adopt a new generation of predictive technology. It's fueled by growing rivers of behavioral data, from mouse clicks to search queries—all crunched by ever more powerful computers.
Why the bathrobe? ATG (ARTG), a Cambridge (Mass.) e-commerce software company that crunches data for FigLeaves, has found that certain types of female shoppers at certain times of the week are likely to be shopping for men. Like all Web recommendations, this one will be wrong a good portion of the time. But as marketers scrutinize shoppers in greater detail, they're edging closer to their ultimate goal: teaching computers to blend data smarts with something close to the savvy of a flesh-and-blood sales clerk. "In the first five minutes in a store, the sales guy is observing a customer's body language and tone of voice," says Mark A. Nagaitis, CEO of 7 Billion People, an Austin (Tex.) startup that competes with ATG. "We have to teach machines to pick up those same insights from movements online."
For the rest of the article - click here
Tonight on Charlie Rose: Microsoft + Yahoo
A look at the Microsoft Yahoo search deal with:
Steven Levy - Wired
Erick Schonfeld - TechCrunch
Nick Wingfield - WSJ
Check with your local PBS affiliate to see when Charlie Rose airs in your city.
Steven Levy - Wired
Erick Schonfeld - TechCrunch
Nick Wingfield - WSJ
Check with your local PBS affiliate to see when Charlie Rose airs in your city.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Facebook and MySpace: Beware Of The Mommy Bloggers
Commentary from Catharine Taylor of SocialMedia Insider: I was reading the write-ups of last week's BlogHer conference in Chicago secretly jealous that even though I'm a mommy and a blogger, this junket was simply not in the cards for me.
But it wasn't just jealousy that drove my interest, it was how the mommy bloggers inadvertently, perhaps, uncovered a central truth about social media marketing: it isn't at all about carefully targeted display ads, or search ads, but about relationship-building.
Unfortunately, that isn't something the Facebooks and MySpaces of the world have learned to monetize very well yet. So, while the discovery of the mommy bloggers is great for advertisers, it's not so great for those who are trying to be the broker that connects the bloggers with the marketers. That connection is already happening directly.
I'm going to quote a competitor to Mediapost, Advertising Age, but its packaged-goods reporter, Jack Neff, said it best: "BlogHer helps solve the mystery of how marketers will manage to spend money on social media despite showing relatively little interest in ads on Facebook or MySpace and the numerous free opportunities available everywhere."
Neff than goes on to quote Jill Beraud, the Global Chief Marketing Officer of PepsiCo, who explains that wooing the mommy bloggers is a long-term ROI effort. As for the entire roster of advertisers at BlogHer, it reads like a who's-who of the blue chip: Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble, General Motors, Gymboree, Unilever, Kodak.
When you look at that list, you begin to wonder whether the more-than-1,000 women who showed up for the conference are the new reach and frequency. If you believe that word-of-mouth, and the word-of-mouth created by mommy bloggers, is more powerful than banner ads, not to mention TV commercials, you can envision the ramparts of traditional marketing breaking down.
I'm not such a radical to think that TV commercials will go away, but there is still something seismic going on here -- not just in a shift of media dollars away from traditional media, but in advertisers finding that perhaps the best way to market in social media channels has nothing to do with paid media. As Facebook and MySpace try to build their monetization models (and Facebook finds itself embroiled in its second click-fraud suit in recent weeks), let's hope, for their sakes, that they are watching this trend closely, and working on ways to get paid by facilitating the connections between social media moms and advertisers, and/or providing marketers with the intel they need to understand their markets.
Strangely, as I was writing the paragraph above, I got a press release in my email from PQ Media predicting that word-of-mouth, which was a $300 million sector in 2003 will reach $3 billion by 2013. Predictions, as we know, can be pretty faulty, but it's clear that the general trend is up.
It's no coincidence that concurrent to the mommy blogger conference, a small group of mommy bloggers began "Blogs with Integrity," which has been described as a Good Housekeeping-style seal of approval emphasizing that content read on blogs with the organization's seal are not subject to, well, blogola. That both points to the problems with courting mommy bloggers with products and services, and their power. If mommy bloggers can hold onto their credibility, the future is theirs.
You go, girls!
But it wasn't just jealousy that drove my interest, it was how the mommy bloggers inadvertently, perhaps, uncovered a central truth about social media marketing: it isn't at all about carefully targeted display ads, or search ads, but about relationship-building.
Unfortunately, that isn't something the Facebooks and MySpaces of the world have learned to monetize very well yet. So, while the discovery of the mommy bloggers is great for advertisers, it's not so great for those who are trying to be the broker that connects the bloggers with the marketers. That connection is already happening directly.
I'm going to quote a competitor to Mediapost, Advertising Age, but its packaged-goods reporter, Jack Neff, said it best: "BlogHer helps solve the mystery of how marketers will manage to spend money on social media despite showing relatively little interest in ads on Facebook or MySpace and the numerous free opportunities available everywhere."
Neff than goes on to quote Jill Beraud, the Global Chief Marketing Officer of PepsiCo, who explains that wooing the mommy bloggers is a long-term ROI effort. As for the entire roster of advertisers at BlogHer, it reads like a who's-who of the blue chip: Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble, General Motors, Gymboree, Unilever, Kodak.
When you look at that list, you begin to wonder whether the more-than-1,000 women who showed up for the conference are the new reach and frequency. If you believe that word-of-mouth, and the word-of-mouth created by mommy bloggers, is more powerful than banner ads, not to mention TV commercials, you can envision the ramparts of traditional marketing breaking down.
I'm not such a radical to think that TV commercials will go away, but there is still something seismic going on here -- not just in a shift of media dollars away from traditional media, but in advertisers finding that perhaps the best way to market in social media channels has nothing to do with paid media. As Facebook and MySpace try to build their monetization models (and Facebook finds itself embroiled in its second click-fraud suit in recent weeks), let's hope, for their sakes, that they are watching this trend closely, and working on ways to get paid by facilitating the connections between social media moms and advertisers, and/or providing marketers with the intel they need to understand their markets.
Strangely, as I was writing the paragraph above, I got a press release in my email from PQ Media predicting that word-of-mouth, which was a $300 million sector in 2003 will reach $3 billion by 2013. Predictions, as we know, can be pretty faulty, but it's clear that the general trend is up.
It's no coincidence that concurrent to the mommy blogger conference, a small group of mommy bloggers began "Blogs with Integrity," which has been described as a Good Housekeeping-style seal of approval emphasizing that content read on blogs with the organization's seal are not subject to, well, blogola. That both points to the problems with courting mommy bloggers with products and services, and their power. If mommy bloggers can hold onto their credibility, the future is theirs.
You go, girls!
I need your help
I want to thank the everyone that has taken the time to view this site over the past few months.
However - I need your help.
How do you like the site so far?
Does it provide insight?
What stinks about the site?
What is missing?
Do you want to post on the site?
Please drop me a quick email (marc (at) 2ndsix.com) and let me know your thoughts.
Your feedback and interest in this site is very important.
Thanks and keep on advocating - Marc
However - I need your help.
How do you like the site so far?
Does it provide insight?
What stinks about the site?
What is missing?
Do you want to post on the site?
Please drop me a quick email (marc (at) 2ndsix.com) and let me know your thoughts.
Your feedback and interest in this site is very important.
Thanks and keep on advocating - Marc
Even Google Is Blocked With Apps for iPhone
NYT reports: Google might power the world’s most popular search engine, but its clout goes only so far. When it comes to getting one of its applications onto the iPhone, it seems Google has to wait in line for Apple’s approval like everyone else — and face the risk of rejection.
In recent weeks, Apple turned down two applications that Google had submitted for review in hopes that they would be added to the company’s App Store, highlighting the increasingly complex relationship between the two companies.
Google said in a blog post last week that Apple had rejected an application called Google Latitude that would have allowed users to broadcast their location and see where their friends were.
“We worked closely with Apple to bring Latitude to the iPhone in a way Apple thought would be best for iPhone users,” the company said. It added that Apple had asked it to build a mobile-friendly Web version of the service instead, to “avoid confusion” with the standard map application on the iPhone, which also uses Google map data.
On Tuesday, a Google spokeswoman, Sara Jew-Lim, said that several weeks ago Apple rejected an application that would bring Google Voice service to the iPhone. Ms. Lim declined to elaborate
In recent weeks, Apple turned down two applications that Google had submitted for review in hopes that they would be added to the company’s App Store, highlighting the increasingly complex relationship between the two companies.
Google said in a blog post last week that Apple had rejected an application called Google Latitude that would have allowed users to broadcast their location and see where their friends were.
“We worked closely with Apple to bring Latitude to the iPhone in a way Apple thought would be best for iPhone users,” the company said. It added that Apple had asked it to build a mobile-friendly Web version of the service instead, to “avoid confusion” with the standard map application on the iPhone, which also uses Google map data.
On Tuesday, a Google spokeswoman, Sara Jew-Lim, said that several weeks ago Apple rejected an application that would bring Google Voice service to the iPhone. Ms. Lim declined to elaborate
Five things you need to know about the Yahoo/Microsoft deal
Paul Doleman of revolutionmagazine.com reports: Yahoo and Microsoft signed a 10-year search advertising agreement today, Revolution commissioned Paul Doleman, chief technical officer of iCrossing to put the deal under the lens.
The deal between Microsoft and Yahoo represents a tectonic shift in the global search marketplace, with Yahoo adopting Microsoft's Bing search engine and all search marketing now being run through Microsoft's AdCenter platform.
The big question on everyone's lips now is what does this mean for search marketers?
1) Its going to improve ROI in search marketing campaigns. At a simple level, the coming together of these industry giants will simplify search marketing by reducing the number of different engines to bid across.
Yahoo and Microsoft together will enjoy a meaningful market share that's going to be more interesting to marketers than the two companies individual offerings.
By cutting down on campaign management overheads, the deal will enable search marketers to focus their efforts even more keenly on maximising campaign ROI.
2) It shows that Microsoft couldn't make it alone. At one level this is an admission of defeat by Microsoft. Despite the brave promises of multi-million dollar advertising spends when they launched Bing, Microsoft has been unable to make a dent in Google's dominance.
The coming together with Yahoo will massively enhance Bing's market share, but at a significant cost to Microsoft in terms of revenues from search marketing.
When faced with a dominant market player Microsoft have traditionally overcome the problem by buying them - they can't buy Google so they've done the next best thing.
3) Is Bing a real challenger? This deal shows one of two things. Either that Yahoo thinks that Bing's search has the potential to really challenge Google as a consumer search offering or that Yahoo simply didn't have a better choice.
Since the failed Microsoft merger last year Yahoo has been on a downwards spiral and, some argue, this is their least worst choice.
On the other hand, Bing's results have been perceived by some to be nearly comparable to Google's in terms of quality so is this actually a decision driven by a positive belief in the possibility of real market change? Only time will tell on this point.
4) Yahoo and Microsoft both still have a long way to go. Even with their combined audiences, Bing will still on have 28% market share compared to Google's 65% (June 2009 Comscore US) and that's a big gap to cross.
We can expect Microsoft to continue to grow its audience through further partnerships or acquisitions, either with smaller global search players such as Ask or AOL, or perhaps with regional players in China and Eastern Europe, but for the moment Google remains very much on top.
5) This could mean the end of some valuable free tools. Yahoo currently offers a range of free tools for search marketers that many rely on for their daily work - for example Yahoo Site Explorer is an invaluable asset for all search marketers.
Nothing's been made public on this so far but there's a real risk that some of these assets could be lost as a result of this deal.
So for search marketers there are ups, there are downs and there are questions that this deal brings up.
What is clear is that it represents a significant change in the search market, for consumers and marketers alike. We won't know the full implications of this deal for some time and much of the devil could well be in the detail.
The deal between Microsoft and Yahoo represents a tectonic shift in the global search marketplace, with Yahoo adopting Microsoft's Bing search engine and all search marketing now being run through Microsoft's AdCenter platform.
The big question on everyone's lips now is what does this mean for search marketers?
1) Its going to improve ROI in search marketing campaigns. At a simple level, the coming together of these industry giants will simplify search marketing by reducing the number of different engines to bid across.
Yahoo and Microsoft together will enjoy a meaningful market share that's going to be more interesting to marketers than the two companies individual offerings.
By cutting down on campaign management overheads, the deal will enable search marketers to focus their efforts even more keenly on maximising campaign ROI.
2) It shows that Microsoft couldn't make it alone. At one level this is an admission of defeat by Microsoft. Despite the brave promises of multi-million dollar advertising spends when they launched Bing, Microsoft has been unable to make a dent in Google's dominance.
The coming together with Yahoo will massively enhance Bing's market share, but at a significant cost to Microsoft in terms of revenues from search marketing.
When faced with a dominant market player Microsoft have traditionally overcome the problem by buying them - they can't buy Google so they've done the next best thing.
3) Is Bing a real challenger? This deal shows one of two things. Either that Yahoo thinks that Bing's search has the potential to really challenge Google as a consumer search offering or that Yahoo simply didn't have a better choice.
Since the failed Microsoft merger last year Yahoo has been on a downwards spiral and, some argue, this is their least worst choice.
On the other hand, Bing's results have been perceived by some to be nearly comparable to Google's in terms of quality so is this actually a decision driven by a positive belief in the possibility of real market change? Only time will tell on this point.
4) Yahoo and Microsoft both still have a long way to go. Even with their combined audiences, Bing will still on have 28% market share compared to Google's 65% (June 2009 Comscore US) and that's a big gap to cross.
We can expect Microsoft to continue to grow its audience through further partnerships or acquisitions, either with smaller global search players such as Ask or AOL, or perhaps with regional players in China and Eastern Europe, but for the moment Google remains very much on top.
5) This could mean the end of some valuable free tools. Yahoo currently offers a range of free tools for search marketers that many rely on for their daily work - for example Yahoo Site Explorer is an invaluable asset for all search marketers.
Nothing's been made public on this so far but there's a real risk that some of these assets could be lost as a result of this deal.
So for search marketers there are ups, there are downs and there are questions that this deal brings up.
What is clear is that it represents a significant change in the search market, for consumers and marketers alike. We won't know the full implications of this deal for some time and much of the devil could well be in the detail.
Need Some Biz Advice?
Bizmore, a Web start-up backed by the financier Michael R. Milken, goes live today in hopes of becoming a sort of Yahoo Answers for executives.
www.bizmore.com
www.bizmore.com
Microsoft and Yahoo Reach Deal on Search
NYT reports: Microsoft Corporation and Yahoo announced on Wednesday that they had agreed to collaborate on Internet search and advertising, in a challenge to Google's dominance.
Twitter makes search central to its future with new homepage
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Could this be the end of electric power cords?
LAT Tech Blog reports: From the time of Thomas Edison, scientists have been trying to develop a system that would send electric power through the air without wires.
Now a Massachusetts company, WiTricity, says it will have just such a system on the market in about 18 months. The company, which has been developing its technology based on the work of MIT physicist Marin Soljacic, made the announcement at the prestigious TEDGlobal conference that ended Friday in Oxford in the U.K.
The company showed how a transmitting unit, which could be placed in a wall, could power a television set several feet away. The chief executive of the company, Eric Giler, also showed how the system could wirelessly charge a G1 cellphone equipped with an antenna unit so small it could fit inside the phone case.
An iPhone was part of the demonstration, too, but that phone's innards are so closely packed that the antenna had to be attached to the outside of the case.
Giler said the WiTricity system works on something called resonant magnetic coupling and is safe for humans. And on an environmental note, he said it could not only eliminate power cords but also tons of batteries used yearly to power household devices.
WiTricity showed a version of the technology in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Intel also is working on a wireless electricity system.
Now a Massachusetts company, WiTricity, says it will have just such a system on the market in about 18 months. The company, which has been developing its technology based on the work of MIT physicist Marin Soljacic, made the announcement at the prestigious TEDGlobal conference that ended Friday in Oxford in the U.K.
The company showed how a transmitting unit, which could be placed in a wall, could power a television set several feet away. The chief executive of the company, Eric Giler, also showed how the system could wirelessly charge a G1 cellphone equipped with an antenna unit so small it could fit inside the phone case.
An iPhone was part of the demonstration, too, but that phone's innards are so closely packed that the antenna had to be attached to the outside of the case.
Giler said the WiTricity system works on something called resonant magnetic coupling and is safe for humans. And on an environmental note, he said it could not only eliminate power cords but also tons of batteries used yearly to power household devices.
WiTricity showed a version of the technology in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Intel also is working on a wireless electricity system.
Monday, July 27, 2009
This is today’s marketing and communications environment.
Your target audience is skipping your expensive direct mail efforts. They are zipping past your fancy commercials. They have less time to attend elaborate events. They are talking about you on Twitter. They are chatting about you on Facebook. They are searching for you on Google. They are sharing photos of their experiences on Flicker. They are learning to speak Spanish via lectures on iTunes. They are advancing their careers on LinkedIn.
In an environment that is increasingly influenced by social media, where users are spending 8 hours a day interacting with screens, much of your best planned efforts are simply out of your control. Today the message is not coming from you, but is coming from what your targets are saying about you.
What really matters today for your brand is not what you, the official voice corporate says, but what your targets are saying about you to their friends, family and social media connections.
You must think in terms of transforming your brand into a new set of products, services and experiences by utilizing social media.
To excel in this new environment it will be critical for you to harness the power of social media, expand your online reach utilizing a number of social media tools and increase the number conversions in a much cheaper and affordable manner.
Today’s environment is a place where brands and causes cannot simply push messages anymore. As a recent Razorfish report announced, brands and causes must do and act. They must engage, connect and interact with their customers across every platform, channel and device. As brands and causes seek to do and not just push, the end users and message recipients should not be able to differentiate between online and offline – this is the place you need to be.
This is today’s marketing and communications environment.
In an environment that is increasingly influenced by social media, where users are spending 8 hours a day interacting with screens, much of your best planned efforts are simply out of your control. Today the message is not coming from you, but is coming from what your targets are saying about you.
What really matters today for your brand is not what you, the official voice corporate says, but what your targets are saying about you to their friends, family and social media connections.
You must think in terms of transforming your brand into a new set of products, services and experiences by utilizing social media.
To excel in this new environment it will be critical for you to harness the power of social media, expand your online reach utilizing a number of social media tools and increase the number conversions in a much cheaper and affordable manner.
Today’s environment is a place where brands and causes cannot simply push messages anymore. As a recent Razorfish report announced, brands and causes must do and act. They must engage, connect and interact with their customers across every platform, channel and device. As brands and causes seek to do and not just push, the end users and message recipients should not be able to differentiate between online and offline – this is the place you need to be.
This is today’s marketing and communications environment.
Tweet vs. Tweet in VA Gov's Race
TechPresident reports: There's no longer a need to wait until a debate wraps to hear campaign staffer spin the performance. As Democrat Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell face off in Virginia's first governor's race debate today at the Homestead Resort, Deeds campaign manager Joe Abbey and McDonnell staffers are offering a flurry of play-by-play debate commentary on Twitter. The tweets open up a look at how the opponents are viewing the state of the contest, with a peek at some trash talk.
Apple's long-rumoured touchscreen mini computer 'out before Christmas'
The Coming Google Apocalypse (Hint: It's Not Just About Media)
Simon Dumenco of AdAge writes: More and more businesses and individuals are trusting their mission-critical data and applications to Google's cloud. The problem with that is that Google's cloud has the potential to blanket us -- smother us -- in ways much more systemic and potentially apocalyptic than Microsoft's desktop software monopoly ever did.
Harris: Advertisers Migrate From Print To Net
MediaDaily News reports: A recent poll from LinkedIn's Research Network and Harris Interactive found that advertisers are spending less ad dollars on print newspapers in favor of online. The poll results are another dagger in the heart of America's beleaguered newspaper publishers
Friday, July 24, 2009
18 Things Learned from Michael Arrington's (TechCrunch) interview on Charlie Rose
1. Bing is a great search engine
2. Problem for other search companies – results (that is the perception of the quality of the search) doesn’t matter when you add a Google logo – Google owns the perception of quality when it comes to search. Sounds like the 6th Law of Marketing – the law of exclusivity – two companies cannot own the same word in the prospect’s mind.
3. Google supports Firefox and Chrome browser to stop Microsoft from blocking the gathering of user info and/or user web activity
4. iPhone changed mobile
5. Mobile phones “in an awesome place”
6. iPhone figured out how to make mobile surfing possible on a small screen
7. Palm Pre “great phone” – operating system better than iPhone but hardware seems cheap and rushed
8. Crunch Pad – no comment on VC support – “won’t answer that question” – wanted to find a way to surf and interact with web without clumsy keyboard – a device you can use relaxing
9. Apple developing Tablet PC “good thing”
10. Keyboard won’t be the only – dominant – way to access/manipulate a computer
11. Facebook vs. Google – social is big: friends making recommendations and users accessing Facebook 20x daily – big challenge for Google to sort out
12. Conversion rates on Facebook + Twitter better than Google: Free Recommendations vs. Paid Ads
13. 80% of TechCrunch readers against posting Twitter documents – still did it, but was important to have readers involved in the decision making process
14. Loot was discussed – nothing compelling
15. Future of social media – it is clear people love to interact, comment and share online with friends and community
16. Facebook has massive expenses to keep operation and site running – Arrington not sure it can be or will ever be as profitable as Google
17. Doesn’t expect Apple to stay out of e-reader market for much longer
18. Amazon should focus on software and books – not hardware
2. Problem for other search companies – results (that is the perception of the quality of the search) doesn’t matter when you add a Google logo – Google owns the perception of quality when it comes to search. Sounds like the 6th Law of Marketing – the law of exclusivity – two companies cannot own the same word in the prospect’s mind.
3. Google supports Firefox and Chrome browser to stop Microsoft from blocking the gathering of user info and/or user web activity
4. iPhone changed mobile
5. Mobile phones “in an awesome place”
6. iPhone figured out how to make mobile surfing possible on a small screen
7. Palm Pre “great phone” – operating system better than iPhone but hardware seems cheap and rushed
8. Crunch Pad – no comment on VC support – “won’t answer that question” – wanted to find a way to surf and interact with web without clumsy keyboard – a device you can use relaxing
9. Apple developing Tablet PC “good thing”
10. Keyboard won’t be the only – dominant – way to access/manipulate a computer
11. Facebook vs. Google – social is big: friends making recommendations and users accessing Facebook 20x daily – big challenge for Google to sort out
12. Conversion rates on Facebook + Twitter better than Google: Free Recommendations vs. Paid Ads
13. 80% of TechCrunch readers against posting Twitter documents – still did it, but was important to have readers involved in the decision making process
14. Loot was discussed – nothing compelling
15. Future of social media – it is clear people love to interact, comment and share online with friends and community
16. Facebook has massive expenses to keep operation and site running – Arrington not sure it can be or will ever be as profitable as Google
17. Doesn’t expect Apple to stay out of e-reader market for much longer
18. Amazon should focus on software and books – not hardware
An Obama accident: nation of lobbyists
Politico reports: In the future, everyone will be a lobbyist for 15 minutes.
And they’ll have President Barack Obama to thank for it.
The commander in chief may have no love for K Street, but his aversion to traditional lobbying tactics has combined in the public mind with the extraordinary grass-roots campaign that helped propel him to the presidency to produce a result he probably didn’t foresee: a new enthusiasm for grass-roots campaigns among lobbying firms and their clients.
“The rise of the Obama campaign and the election of him through this model has helped to solidify how powerful it is,” says Maria Cardona, a principal with the Dewey Square Group, which specializes in grass-roots work.
“People started to say, ‘Wow, I get the value of it,’” agrees Moses Mercado, a managing director at Ogilvy Government Relations.
“You have CEOs and interest groups who all want their own ‘mini-Obama campaign,’” says another K Street insider, “because it got so much attention — particularly the highlight on technology.”
In the public affairs world, interest in bringing constituents’ voices into the lobbying game has been growing since the early ’90s, when technology and new media began to make reaching and influencing individuals possible on an unprecedented scale. Firms devoted to grass-roots work or that touted a “campaign-style” approach to lobbying began to spring up, bringing both average Americans and local “influencers” into the process.
“I think the Obama phenomenon sort of reinforced what was already going on,” says Mercado.
And they’ll have President Barack Obama to thank for it.
The commander in chief may have no love for K Street, but his aversion to traditional lobbying tactics has combined in the public mind with the extraordinary grass-roots campaign that helped propel him to the presidency to produce a result he probably didn’t foresee: a new enthusiasm for grass-roots campaigns among lobbying firms and their clients.
“The rise of the Obama campaign and the election of him through this model has helped to solidify how powerful it is,” says Maria Cardona, a principal with the Dewey Square Group, which specializes in grass-roots work.
“People started to say, ‘Wow, I get the value of it,’” agrees Moses Mercado, a managing director at Ogilvy Government Relations.
“You have CEOs and interest groups who all want their own ‘mini-Obama campaign,’” says another K Street insider, “because it got so much attention — particularly the highlight on technology.”
In the public affairs world, interest in bringing constituents’ voices into the lobbying game has been growing since the early ’90s, when technology and new media began to make reaching and influencing individuals possible on an unprecedented scale. Firms devoted to grass-roots work or that touted a “campaign-style” approach to lobbying began to spring up, bringing both average Americans and local “influencers” into the process.
“I think the Obama phenomenon sort of reinforced what was already going on,” says Mercado.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Twitter has been a great sources of news, information, gossip and fun. So for quick headlines posted on this blog - follow @microadvocacy.
You won't be sorry. As a matter of fact, all the cool kids are following @microadvocacy.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Harry Potter spreads love potion on Twitter
revolutionmagazine.com reports: Warner Bros has created one of the most innovative Twitter campaigns to date, allowing fans of the film to cast spells on their followers.
The campaign gives Twitter users the chance to send potions and cast spells on the people following them. The three options on offer include shrouding the follower's Twitter page in darkness, sending a flock of birds that fly across the screen and declaring affection for a follower by sending a love potion.
A website hosting the campaign has been set up to back the launch of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which debuted in UK cinemas last week.
It also enables Twitter users to choose from a range of messages to send to followers such as, 'I made you this love potion because I no longer want to hide my feelings for you under an invisibility cloak.'
The campaign was created by Warner Bros and aims to drum up interest in the launch of the latest film in the Harry Potter franchise.
The campaign gives Twitter users the chance to send potions and cast spells on the people following them. The three options on offer include shrouding the follower's Twitter page in darkness, sending a flock of birds that fly across the screen and declaring affection for a follower by sending a love potion.
A website hosting the campaign has been set up to back the launch of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which debuted in UK cinemas last week.
It also enables Twitter users to choose from a range of messages to send to followers such as, 'I made you this love potion because I no longer want to hide my feelings for you under an invisibility cloak.'
The campaign was created by Warner Bros and aims to drum up interest in the launch of the latest film in the Harry Potter franchise.
Twitcam Brings Livestreaming to Twitter
MarketingVox reports: Live video streaming firm Livestream has launched twitcam.com, an ad-supported app that lets users add live streaming video to their Twitter feeds.
The offering works like popular Twitter app Twitpic, which enables users to log in with an existing Twitter account, upload an image and then automatically updates their Twitter streams with a link to the image, as well as any message they include.
Following suit, Twitcam.com users can log in with an existing Twitter account. Twitcam automatically detects whether a camera is plugged in, then creates a page and live video player for the broadcast. A link to the broadcast appears in users' Twitter feeds so followers can see them, or any content they wish to share, live.
The offering works like popular Twitter app Twitpic, which enables users to log in with an existing Twitter account, upload an image and then automatically updates their Twitter streams with a link to the image, as well as any message they include.
Following suit, Twitcam.com users can log in with an existing Twitter account. Twitcam automatically detects whether a camera is plugged in, then creates a page and live video player for the broadcast. A link to the broadcast appears in users' Twitter feeds so followers can see them, or any content they wish to share, live.
46% Say TV News More Reliable Than Internet, 35% Disagree
Rasmussen poll: Forty-six percent (46%) of Americans say they still consider network television news programs a more reliable source of news than the Internet. But a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 35% say the Internet is a more reliable news source than network TV news shows.
Biz Schools + Facebook - Where does your school rank?
MBA Facebook
Quick Facts:
Quick Facts:
28 of the Top50 Financial Times Business Schools (56%) have a dedicated alumni page. True, many graduating classes of the schools listed above have created class pages, but not all business schools have created a school-wide, all alumni page.
Average members: 310
Mode members: 115
Median members: 306
Top 10
- Chicago Booth 1,926
- Kellogg 1,692
- IE Business School 1,524
- UNC Kenan-Flagler 1,349
- Georgetown 1,186
- UCLA Anderson 1,182
- Maryland Smith 1,000
- Yale Management 947
- York Schulich 915
- Columbia 711
Bottom 10
- Indian School of Business 3
- Esade 5
- Dartmouth Tuck 15
- Emory Goizueta 23
- Warwick Business School 27
- Oxford Said 36
- SDA Bocconi 40
- IMD 110
- City Cass 115
- Texas McCombs 115
No Facebook Page
- Pennsylvania Wharton
- London Business School
- Insead
- Stanford GSB
- MIT Sloan
- NYU Stern
- IESE Business School
- Hong Kong UST Business School
- Duke Fuqua
- Michigan Ross
- Rottersam School of Management
- Lancaster University
- Virginia Darden
- HEC Paris
- Australian School of Business
- Cornell Johnson
- National University of Singapore
- Cranfield School of Management
- Arizona Eller
- Rochester Simon
- Toronto Rotman
- Western Ontario Ivey
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
China’s Internet Population Hits 338 Million
WSJ's China Journal reports: The total number of China’s Internet users reached 338 million as of June 30, representing a 13.4% increase from the end of 2008, according to the latest report by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), a government-affiliated Web research organization. (The full report in Chinese is here in pdf format).
Some other highlights from the report:
• As much as 94% of the Internet population—about 320 million people— use broadband connections to access the Web. However, broadband Internet speeds lag far behind more developed countries.
• Over 80% of Internet users surf the Web at home. The number of people going Internet cafés decrease by 7% since end of 2008. Only 5% of the Internet population accesses the Internet from the workplace.
• The Internet penetration rate reached 25.5% as of June 30, up from 22.6% at the end of last year. While this puts China above the global average of around 24%, China’s Internet penetration rate remains low compared to developed countries (the U.S., for example, has a penetration rate of around 75%).
Some other highlights from the report:
• As much as 94% of the Internet population—about 320 million people— use broadband connections to access the Web. However, broadband Internet speeds lag far behind more developed countries.
• Over 80% of Internet users surf the Web at home. The number of people going Internet cafés decrease by 7% since end of 2008. Only 5% of the Internet population accesses the Internet from the workplace.
• The Internet penetration rate reached 25.5% as of June 30, up from 22.6% at the end of last year. While this puts China above the global average of around 24%, China’s Internet penetration rate remains low compared to developed countries (the U.S., for example, has a penetration rate of around 75%).
First Impressions: Why Would Someone Want to be VP of Social Media at Ketchum?
This post appears on Cheeky Fresh @ http://www.markdrapeau.com/. It is reposted here for your enjoyment, education and puzzlement.
Today I saw Twitter pushed past its professional limits. Pamela Rocco Von Lehmden, a Senior VP at Ketchum (a well-known PR firm) tweeted the following: “Ketchum seeking VP of Social Media. Interested? DM me @pamelavl.” This might appear like social media outreach, except for the fact that Ms. Von Lehnden is relatively inaccessible.
Someone like me, or in fact most anyone who would read her tweet, cannot DM (”direct message”) Ms. Von Lehnden because she doesn’t “follow” me on Twitter. In order to DM someone, they must be following you. In the case of @pamelavl, she only follows 113 people (at the time of writing) so her “outreach” effectively goes to the 113 people she knows best. What she did wasn’t “wrong” but it doesn’t make any sense.
It gets a little worse. Before the tweet above, she sent another one that included a link to a job description, which would be awesome except that the link just goes to a page where you can search for jobs at Ketchum. Then, she re-tweeted her own tweet (for no apparent reason). Not very helpful. Maybe an intern or recent college grad would ignore all of this and jump through these hoops of social media mishaps for a great summer job, but would a highly-qualified social media expert at the VP level? Ironically, the true maven they’re looking for may be turned off from applying.
This follows on the heels of a completely different Ketchum social media mishap involving a certain employee (Mr. Andrews) who tweeted some negative thoughts about Memphis when he was on a business trip there to deal with a big client, FedEx (which is headquartered there). This turned into a bit of a scandal about the blurred lines between personal and professional that I won’t relive here - but suffice it to say that this incident reflected poorly on Ketchum.
The career section of the Ketchum website claims that, “Clients who choose Ketchum ultiamtely choose us for only one reason - our people.” If that’s the case, I hope that the behaviors Ms. Von Lehmden and Mr. Andrews have exhibited are not representative of that of the company’s employees.
Wal-Mart or GM or Mass General Hospital or Hermes or Cadbury or Borders could be forgiven for having some employees screw up their tweets or other social media outreach. It happens. But a lauded public relations firm whose entire job is relating to the public? Not that I’m applying for the position, but were I to be recruited into the job of Ketchum’s future VP of Social Media, I’d expand my portfolio to include an educational agenda with the goal of protecting the rest of Ketchum’s employees from embarrassing themselves and the company. Sophistication perceived is sophistication achieved.
Cross-posted at True/Slant.
Update: Cam Burley asked via Twitter if there was a job description available. Response from Von Lehmden? The same link that goes to a generic Ketchum job search site.
Update 2: Here is a link to the job description (on a non-Ketchum site).
Update 3: Nicholas Tolson has some interesting additional analysis below in his comment.
Update 4: James Andrews, mentioned above, a former Ketchum VP and Director of Interactive, very recently left Ketchum to form his own firm.
Update 5: According to Wikipedia, Ketchum is no stranger to scandal within the public relations industry.
Today I saw Twitter pushed past its professional limits. Pamela Rocco Von Lehmden, a Senior VP at Ketchum (a well-known PR firm) tweeted the following: “Ketchum seeking VP of Social Media. Interested? DM me @pamelavl.” This might appear like social media outreach, except for the fact that Ms. Von Lehnden is relatively inaccessible.
Someone like me, or in fact most anyone who would read her tweet, cannot DM (”direct message”) Ms. Von Lehnden because she doesn’t “follow” me on Twitter. In order to DM someone, they must be following you. In the case of @pamelavl, she only follows 113 people (at the time of writing) so her “outreach” effectively goes to the 113 people she knows best. What she did wasn’t “wrong” but it doesn’t make any sense.
It gets a little worse. Before the tweet above, she sent another one that included a link to a job description, which would be awesome except that the link just goes to a page where you can search for jobs at Ketchum. Then, she re-tweeted her own tweet (for no apparent reason). Not very helpful. Maybe an intern or recent college grad would ignore all of this and jump through these hoops of social media mishaps for a great summer job, but would a highly-qualified social media expert at the VP level? Ironically, the true maven they’re looking for may be turned off from applying.
This follows on the heels of a completely different Ketchum social media mishap involving a certain employee (Mr. Andrews) who tweeted some negative thoughts about Memphis when he was on a business trip there to deal with a big client, FedEx (which is headquartered there). This turned into a bit of a scandal about the blurred lines between personal and professional that I won’t relive here - but suffice it to say that this incident reflected poorly on Ketchum.
The career section of the Ketchum website claims that, “Clients who choose Ketchum ultiamtely choose us for only one reason - our people.” If that’s the case, I hope that the behaviors Ms. Von Lehmden and Mr. Andrews have exhibited are not representative of that of the company’s employees.
Wal-Mart or GM or Mass General Hospital or Hermes or Cadbury or Borders could be forgiven for having some employees screw up their tweets or other social media outreach. It happens. But a lauded public relations firm whose entire job is relating to the public? Not that I’m applying for the position, but were I to be recruited into the job of Ketchum’s future VP of Social Media, I’d expand my portfolio to include an educational agenda with the goal of protecting the rest of Ketchum’s employees from embarrassing themselves and the company. Sophistication perceived is sophistication achieved.
Cross-posted at True/Slant.
Update: Cam Burley asked via Twitter if there was a job description available. Response from Von Lehmden? The same link that goes to a generic Ketchum job search site.
Update 2: Here is a link to the job description (on a non-Ketchum site).
Update 3: Nicholas Tolson has some interesting additional analysis below in his comment.
Update 4: James Andrews, mentioned above, a former Ketchum VP and Director of Interactive, very recently left Ketchum to form his own firm.
Update 5: According to Wikipedia, Ketchum is no stranger to scandal within the public relations industry.
Barnes & Noble Plans an Extensive E-Bookstore
NYT reports: The retailer said users will have access to up to a million titles within the next year, making it the world’s largest online bookstore.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Hoosiers coach courts recruit on Twitter
Yahoo!/Rivals.com reports: Indian Hoosiers coach Tom Crean has committed a coaching faux paus by following a desired recruit on Twitter, writes blogger Eamonn Brennan. Not only has Crean started following Kyle Irving, but he has been using the site to pander to the recruit as well. "Catering your Tweets to recruits is one thing; borderline-interacting with them is another," Brennan wrote. "Is Irving so impressed with Crean's social-media skills he's going to drop everything and sign a letter of intent yesterday?"
Starbucks Most Engaged Among Top 100 Brands on Web
A study by Altimeter Group's Charlene Li and Wetpaint ranked the top 100 brands based on social media engagement.
"Who's Most Engaged?" measured engagement by the top 100 brands over more than 10 social media channels, including Twitter, Facebook, blogs, wikis and discussion forums.
Brands are partitioned into one of four types, depending on how many social media channels they are involved in. The most engaged, for example, are "Mavens"; the least engaged are "Wallflowers" (with McDonalds and BP serving as examples of this group).
"Mavens" typically enjoyed revenue growth of 18% on average over the last 12 months; Wallflowers saw revenues fall 6%.
The top 10 brands in terms of engagement are:
1. Starbucks, which scored 127 points
2. Dell (123 points)
3. eBay (115)
4. Google (105)
5. Microsoft (103)
6. Thomson Reuters (101)
7. Nike (100)
8. Amazon (88)
9. SAP (86)
10. Tie – Yahoo!/Intel (85)
"Who's Most Engaged?" measured engagement by the top 100 brands over more than 10 social media channels, including Twitter, Facebook, blogs, wikis and discussion forums.
Brands are partitioned into one of four types, depending on how many social media channels they are involved in. The most engaged, for example, are "Mavens"; the least engaged are "Wallflowers" (with McDonalds and BP serving as examples of this group).
"Mavens" typically enjoyed revenue growth of 18% on average over the last 12 months; Wallflowers saw revenues fall 6%.
The top 10 brands in terms of engagement are:
1. Starbucks, which scored 127 points
2. Dell (123 points)
3. eBay (115)
4. Google (105)
5. Microsoft (103)
6. Thomson Reuters (101)
7. Nike (100)
8. Amazon (88)
9. SAP (86)
10. Tie – Yahoo!/Intel (85)
It's official: your mum's on Facebook (and probably Twitter too)
revolutionmagazine.com reports: People aged 55 and over are more likely to visit a social networking site than a business, technology or travel site, finds a new study.
Research from comScore shows that older internet users are quickly catching on to the social networking phenomenon, with two thirds of over 55s having visited sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter during May.
Despite the significant increase in older users, social networking remains popular amongst youth consumers with 89 per cent of 25 to 34 year-olds and 86 per cent of 15 to 24 year-olds visiting social networks.The study shows that younger internet users spend significantly more time on sites such as Facebook, with those aged between 15 and 34 averaging 5.4 hours per month, compared with 3.7 hours for consumers aged 55 and over.
Overall, social networking remains one of the most popular online activities, with 80 per cent of the total UK online population visiting at least one social networking site during May, averaging 4.6 hours per visitor during the month.
Research from comScore shows that older internet users are quickly catching on to the social networking phenomenon, with two thirds of over 55s having visited sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter during May.
Despite the significant increase in older users, social networking remains popular amongst youth consumers with 89 per cent of 25 to 34 year-olds and 86 per cent of 15 to 24 year-olds visiting social networks.The study shows that younger internet users spend significantly more time on sites such as Facebook, with those aged between 15 and 34 averaging 5.4 hours per month, compared with 3.7 hours for consumers aged 55 and over.
Overall, social networking remains one of the most popular online activities, with 80 per cent of the total UK online population visiting at least one social networking site during May, averaging 4.6 hours per visitor during the month.
Verizon To Put Facebook, Twitter On Your TV
MediaPost reports: Coming soon to a television near you (if you're a Verizon FiOS subscriber, anyway): Facebook, Twitter and an App Store-like marketplace.
"People of all ages and demographics are living their lives on social networks," Verizon representative Bobbi Henson tells Marketing Daily. "And the more they do that, the more they want to experience it wherever they are."
Though still in a very basic stage, the service will allow people to view Facebook status updates and view friends' photo albums and pictures. Users will not immediately be able to update their status beyond having it reflect what program they're watching, but "it will evolve as we go along," Henson says. "People are very tethered to those services."
With Twitter, users will be able to continue watching whatever program they were tuned to while also viewing tweets and other feeds applicable to the show (or participants in a sporting event, if such is the case).
"It's really about bringing these Internet capabilities to the television, the biggest screen in their house," Henson says.
The Facebook and Twitter access will come via widgets available through a new Widget Bazaar (as will an ESPN Fantasy Football widget) through the service's Interactive Media Guide. Through an open development platform, the company is hoping the Widget Bazaar will turn into an App Store-like marketplace where users can download free and transactional applications for their TVs. "Ultimately, when it gets up and running, it will have a broader range of applications
that consumers can ad to their dashboard," Henson says.
Later this summer, DVR users will also have access to an Internet Video feature allowing them to search and view user-generated videos from sites such as blip.tv, Dailymotion and Veoh. Henson wouldn't disclose marketing plans for these new services, but said it was likely there would be "some direct marketing and adding these features into advertising campaigns, just as we're doing now with other features."
"People of all ages and demographics are living their lives on social networks," Verizon representative Bobbi Henson tells Marketing Daily. "And the more they do that, the more they want to experience it wherever they are."
Though still in a very basic stage, the service will allow people to view Facebook status updates and view friends' photo albums and pictures. Users will not immediately be able to update their status beyond having it reflect what program they're watching, but "it will evolve as we go along," Henson says. "People are very tethered to those services."
With Twitter, users will be able to continue watching whatever program they were tuned to while also viewing tweets and other feeds applicable to the show (or participants in a sporting event, if such is the case).
"It's really about bringing these Internet capabilities to the television, the biggest screen in their house," Henson says.
The Facebook and Twitter access will come via widgets available through a new Widget Bazaar (as will an ESPN Fantasy Football widget) through the service's Interactive Media Guide. Through an open development platform, the company is hoping the Widget Bazaar will turn into an App Store-like marketplace where users can download free and transactional applications for their TVs. "Ultimately, when it gets up and running, it will have a broader range of applications
that consumers can ad to their dashboard," Henson says.
Later this summer, DVR users will also have access to an Internet Video feature allowing them to search and view user-generated videos from sites such as blip.tv, Dailymotion and Veoh. Henson wouldn't disclose marketing plans for these new services, but said it was likely there would be "some direct marketing and adding these features into advertising campaigns, just as we're doing now with other features."
Do Social Media 'Experts' Overestimate Their Abilities?
MediaPost reports: Perhaps because it's still a relatively new field, interactive marketers seriously lack confidence in their ability to measure the relative effectiveness of social media campaigns, according to a new study by Forrester Research. Of 119 interactive marketers asked between May and June to rank such measurement capabilities on a scale of 1 to 10 -- 1 being novice and 10 being expert -- the average response was 4.5. "We find this average ambitious considering that social media is still less than four years old," said Emily Riley, Forrester Research analyst and author of the report.
Indeed, few respondents reported having any established metrics for their social marketing campaigns.
On average, marketers' confidence in measuring the effect of their online brand-building campaign didn't fare much better at 5.3 out of 10. By contrast, when asked to rank their ability to measure the effect of direct-response campaigns, the average response was 6.3.
That is not surprising, according to Riley, "considering marketers have more experience with direct response tools like email and paid search compared with newer online tools like online video or blogs."
Yet, as consumers continue to spend a greater share of time with social media, how should marketers proceed? "In order to measure the value of all types of online campaigns, marketers must move beyond easy metrics to focus instead on ones that indicate brand affinity and ROI," said Riley.
Particularly among brand marketers, interactive metrics that are used most measure activity -- like clicks, impressions, or registrations -- rather than a customer's engagement. However, clicks and impressions -- i.e., metrics that are easy to track -- measure little more than campaign volume, according to Forrester.
Mature direct-response marketers, according to Riley, therefore eschew easy metrics -- as only one respondent reported using impressions, while 10% listed clicks as a key performance indicator.
Meanwhile, online brand marketers cling to easy metrics, as 35% of them reported using clicks as a key performance indicator.
"Richer metrics vary depending on objective," Riley said. Engagement beyond activity can be measured for both brand and direct campaigns, although only 14% of respondents actually reported tracking brand awareness as a key performance indicator.
Specifically, mature measurement of interactive brand marketing should include qualitative research gathered through surveys, focus groups, or listening platforms.
Gillette, for example, uses a "sentiment map" created with J.D. Power and Associates to monitor how consumers' brand attitudes change as they run various campaigns.
Forrester recommends that advanced direct-response marketers measure as far along the purchase process as possible. The University of Phoenix, for instance, links its site analytics tool to its customer database to measure the quality of the leads -- based on length of time enrolled -- generated by its different online campaigns.
Social media measurement, meanwhile, should employ a variety of metrics. "Most social marketers have brand goals ... We recommend that marketers start with brand-oriented (key performance indicators) for their social campaigns," said Riley.
For example, she suggested engaging the same listening platforms and survey partners as for display campaigns. New tools -- like some from Razorfish -- are beginning to tie the involvement and interaction pieces of social media to purchase behavior, she assured further.
Indeed, few respondents reported having any established metrics for their social marketing campaigns.
On average, marketers' confidence in measuring the effect of their online brand-building campaign didn't fare much better at 5.3 out of 10. By contrast, when asked to rank their ability to measure the effect of direct-response campaigns, the average response was 6.3.
That is not surprising, according to Riley, "considering marketers have more experience with direct response tools like email and paid search compared with newer online tools like online video or blogs."
Yet, as consumers continue to spend a greater share of time with social media, how should marketers proceed? "In order to measure the value of all types of online campaigns, marketers must move beyond easy metrics to focus instead on ones that indicate brand affinity and ROI," said Riley.
Particularly among brand marketers, interactive metrics that are used most measure activity -- like clicks, impressions, or registrations -- rather than a customer's engagement. However, clicks and impressions -- i.e., metrics that are easy to track -- measure little more than campaign volume, according to Forrester.
Mature direct-response marketers, according to Riley, therefore eschew easy metrics -- as only one respondent reported using impressions, while 10% listed clicks as a key performance indicator.
Meanwhile, online brand marketers cling to easy metrics, as 35% of them reported using clicks as a key performance indicator.
"Richer metrics vary depending on objective," Riley said. Engagement beyond activity can be measured for both brand and direct campaigns, although only 14% of respondents actually reported tracking brand awareness as a key performance indicator.
Specifically, mature measurement of interactive brand marketing should include qualitative research gathered through surveys, focus groups, or listening platforms.
Gillette, for example, uses a "sentiment map" created with J.D. Power and Associates to monitor how consumers' brand attitudes change as they run various campaigns.
Forrester recommends that advanced direct-response marketers measure as far along the purchase process as possible. The University of Phoenix, for instance, links its site analytics tool to its customer database to measure the quality of the leads -- based on length of time enrolled -- generated by its different online campaigns.
Social media measurement, meanwhile, should employ a variety of metrics. "Most social marketers have brand goals ... We recommend that marketers start with brand-oriented (key performance indicators) for their social campaigns," said Riley.
For example, she suggested engaging the same listening platforms and survey partners as for display campaigns. New tools -- like some from Razorfish -- are beginning to tie the involvement and interaction pieces of social media to purchase behavior, she assured further.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Google to Newspapers: Think We're Stealing From You? Opt Out of Search
NYO reports: Josh Cohen, senior business product manager for Google, has a message for newspapers: If you don't want your content to show up in search results and on Google News, it doesn't have to. Newspaper developers can block Google's robots if they just insert a couple lines of code into their sites.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
15-Year-Old Morgan Stanley Intern: Twitter Is for Old People
Times of London reports: 15-year-old Matthew Robson is the talk of Tokyo, Wall Street and London. His report for Morgan Stanley, "How Teenagers Consume Media" lays out the world according to the teenager: a confusing place where the PC is a radio, the mobile telephone is a stereo, and no one uses Twitter.
Amazon wanting Netflix: crazy?
LAT reports: Amazon.com Inc. makes its money as an online retailer. So why would it want a company that rents DVDs?
Officially, it doesn't -- or at least it isn't talking about it. But an Amazon purchase of DVD rental king Netflix Inc. has been the subject of on-again, off-again rumors on Wall Street, and that speculation Monday sent Netflix shares up 7%.
Although neither company would comment on the speculation, some analysts think it isn't that far-fetched.Most experts believe the days of the DVD rental business are numbered, to be replaced by the online streaming of high-quality, full-length movies and television shows.Both Amazon.com and Netflix are already streaming such programs. But Netflix, of Los Gatos, Calif., has 10 million subscribers to its mail-order rental business, all of whom are candidates for conversion to a streaming model.
Amazon buying Netflix is "not a crazy idea at all," said Jeffrey Lindsay, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Steve Weinstein of Pacific Crest Securities agreed: "You can envision certain positives if you put them together."
Officially, it doesn't -- or at least it isn't talking about it. But an Amazon purchase of DVD rental king Netflix Inc. has been the subject of on-again, off-again rumors on Wall Street, and that speculation Monday sent Netflix shares up 7%.
Although neither company would comment on the speculation, some analysts think it isn't that far-fetched.Most experts believe the days of the DVD rental business are numbered, to be replaced by the online streaming of high-quality, full-length movies and television shows.Both Amazon.com and Netflix are already streaming such programs. But Netflix, of Los Gatos, Calif., has 10 million subscribers to its mail-order rental business, all of whom are candidates for conversion to a streaming model.
Amazon buying Netflix is "not a crazy idea at all," said Jeffrey Lindsay, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Steve Weinstein of Pacific Crest Securities agreed: "You can envision certain positives if you put them together."
Americans Push Multi-tasking To New Heights
MediaPost reports: Americans are getting more and more adept at multi-tasking, reports Experian Simmons, with the combination of TV viewing-whilst-web-surfing solidifying the No. 1 spot. "Something like 90% of us watches TV in a typical day," says John Fetto, manager of applied media research for the New York-based market research company, "and upwards of 70% use some other media while doing so."
The three biggest threats to the rapt attention "CSI" reruns command on the viewing public: Surfing the web (favored by 27% of multitaskers), using cell phones (26%) or emailing (23%).
The other big news, he says, is just how quickly social-networking sites have taken hold. The latest Simmons New Media Study reports that 54% of online adults say they've visited a social networking site in the last 30 days, an increase of 270% from the fall of 2007, making it the fastest-growing new medium.
Most do it to stay in touch with friends (83%), for fun (80%), to reconnect with people they've lost touch with (66%) or to keep tabs on their family (61%). About 42% say they use the sites to express themselves and their opinions.
On average, those in the study say they sleep about 6.1 hours a day, work about 6.6. hours, watch TV for 3 hours, use the computer for 2.4 hours, listen to the radio about 1.7 hours, and read books for 1.5 hours.
Some 13% of cell phone users have two cell phones, with 89% of them saying one was exclusively for personal use.
Another surprise, he says, is that consumers still seem fairly unaware of their cell phones as a potential ad medium, and fairly unreceptive to the concept, he says. "Many worry that they'll be charged for such ads," he says, "although in this economy, they do seem to be more open to text ads those that contain discounts and coupons."
The three biggest threats to the rapt attention "CSI" reruns command on the viewing public: Surfing the web (favored by 27% of multitaskers), using cell phones (26%) or emailing (23%).
The other big news, he says, is just how quickly social-networking sites have taken hold. The latest Simmons New Media Study reports that 54% of online adults say they've visited a social networking site in the last 30 days, an increase of 270% from the fall of 2007, making it the fastest-growing new medium.
Most do it to stay in touch with friends (83%), for fun (80%), to reconnect with people they've lost touch with (66%) or to keep tabs on their family (61%). About 42% say they use the sites to express themselves and their opinions.
On average, those in the study say they sleep about 6.1 hours a day, work about 6.6. hours, watch TV for 3 hours, use the computer for 2.4 hours, listen to the radio about 1.7 hours, and read books for 1.5 hours.
Some 13% of cell phone users have two cell phones, with 89% of them saying one was exclusively for personal use.
Another surprise, he says, is that consumers still seem fairly unaware of their cell phones as a potential ad medium, and fairly unreceptive to the concept, he says. "Many worry that they'll be charged for such ads," he says, "although in this economy, they do seem to be more open to text ads those that contain discounts and coupons."
TweetFeel gives instant brand feeling
Brand Republic reports: TweetFeel, a new Twitter application which allows marketers to instantly gather the overall sentiment of their brands, has gone live as use of the microblogging website continues to surge after slowing slightly last month.
Monday, July 13, 2009
How Virgin America keeps up with Twitter
TechCrunch reports: Virgin America devotes few people to Twitter and instead leverages its customers to keep others engaged with the brand through social media. Still, when it comes to customer-service issues, the company is actively monitoring and responding to the conversation.
Social-media tools help companies market to niche interests
Advertising Age reports: Social-media tools are providing General Mills, Betty Crocker and other major CPG companies with the means to identify and access niche markets that once would have been considered too small to be profitable. General Mills recently added gluten-free baking products partly in response to online requests from customers.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Jimmy the Geek
The NY Observer reports: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon is by far the nerdiest late night show on network television. Our Twittering, video-blogging host has welcomed tech bloggers and Diggnation dudes as headlining guests; he's showcased the latest gadgets—from XBox 360's wireless controller to the Palm Pre—on his show and we (mostly) love him for it. With the help of Fallon's co-producer, G4-TV Attack of the Show! vet Gavin Purcell, Late Night is courting that hyper-connected millenial audience—and they're watching.
Twittorati Weds Twitter Trends to Blogosphere
MarketingVox reports: In partnership with Sawhorse Media, which operates a handful of niche Twitter aggregator sites, Technorati has launched Twittorati.com, "where the blogosphere and twittersphere meet."
Twittorati aggregates tweets from major blogs. Users can filter tweets by topic, see most-tweeted blog posts and compare blogosphere and Twitter trends. "Writer pages" also display each tweeter's blogs as well as Twitter data and Technorati Authority.
Upon launch, the site sports one exclusive sponsor: automaker Infiniti.
"This unique partnership allows Infiniti the opportunity to go beyond traditional advertising and drive Infiniti brand awareness within the social media space in a meaningful way," stated VP Ben Poore of Infiniti's business unit.
Twittorati currently only features tweets from Technorati's Top 100 Bloggers, but the companies plan to incorporate other active bloggers over time.
"Twitter has evolved as a major awareness vehicle for bloggers and people who read blogs," stated CEO Richard Jalichandra of Technorati. "Twittorati allows people to view the topical geist that the most influential bloggers are tweeting and blogging about."
Technorati is a blog search engine that uses various data points to determine the "authority" of a blog. Sawhorse publishes sites like Muckrack.com, which aggregates journalist tweets, and VentureMaven.com, which aggregates VC tweets. The pair announced plans to explore sponsorship opportunities for Sawhorse's other sites.
Twittorati aggregates tweets from major blogs. Users can filter tweets by topic, see most-tweeted blog posts and compare blogosphere and Twitter trends. "Writer pages" also display each tweeter's blogs as well as Twitter data and Technorati Authority.
Upon launch, the site sports one exclusive sponsor: automaker Infiniti.
"This unique partnership allows Infiniti the opportunity to go beyond traditional advertising and drive Infiniti brand awareness within the social media space in a meaningful way," stated VP Ben Poore of Infiniti's business unit.
Twittorati currently only features tweets from Technorati's Top 100 Bloggers, but the companies plan to incorporate other active bloggers over time.
"Twitter has evolved as a major awareness vehicle for bloggers and people who read blogs," stated CEO Richard Jalichandra of Technorati. "Twittorati allows people to view the topical geist that the most influential bloggers are tweeting and blogging about."
Technorati is a blog search engine that uses various data points to determine the "authority" of a blog. Sawhorse publishes sites like Muckrack.com, which aggregates journalist tweets, and VentureMaven.com, which aggregates VC tweets. The pair announced plans to explore sponsorship opportunities for Sawhorse's other sites.
Bloomberg Tries to Strengthen Dying Media Industry
FishbowlNY reports: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced eight new initiatives under his MediaNYC 2020 program, designed to promote innovation in the media industry and draw talented media companies and employees to New York in the hopes of strengthening the dying industry that was once at the core of the city's success.
Social media spend to top £1.9bn in 2014
revolutionmagazine.com reports: Forrester Research has thrown some figures behind what everybody already knows, that social media marketing budgets are set to explode over the next five years, predicting average spend to grow at an annual rate of 34 per cent, faster than any other form of online marketing.
Mom gets social
Promo Magazine reports: Sixty-three percent of mothers say they use social media, a new study finds, up from just 11% three years ago. Mothers like sites with broad appeal, such as Facebook, for their socializing needs, but when it comes to shopping, they're more apt to consult a specialty site. New moms represent an interesting opportunity for marketers, the research notes, because the vast majority say their purchasing habits and buying criteria changed once they had a child.
Digg looks for a reboot
CNNMoney.com/Fortune reports: When it burst onto the scene five years ago, Digg was red-hot, a prime example of the power of social media changing the way people shared information and interacted with one another. Today? Sites Twitter and Facebook have passed Digg by, writes Kim Thai, leaving Digg's sparse link-sharing platform looking fairly stale. Now Digg CEO Jay Adelson is trying to re-bottle that lightning, as the company works on adding new features like searching and real-time functionality in hopes of luring users back and attracting more advertisers.
Sun Valley Buzzes About Twitter
NYT reports: As Allen & Company's invitation-only media summit got under way in Sun Valley, Idaho, Twitter -- the popular, venture-backed microblogging service -- quickly became a hot topic.Even before the conference began, there was a big buzz about how Evan Williams, Twitter's co-founder and chief executive, would be going to Sun Valley this year. And Twitter immediately came up at one of the conference's first discussion sessions, about how to capitalize on digital media.
Even the high-powered Sun Valley crowd, including veteran media executive Barry Diller and cable television magnate John C. Malone, was said to have doubts about Twitter's money-making potential.
"I think it's a great service. I just don't think it's a natural advertising medium," Mr. Diller said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Rupert Murdoch, who arrived at the conference yesterday, was also sounding skeptical. According to Reuters, he said Twitter would be a tough investment to justify because it has not yet come up with a sustainable way to make money.
Even the high-powered Sun Valley crowd, including veteran media executive Barry Diller and cable television magnate John C. Malone, was said to have doubts about Twitter's money-making potential.
"I think it's a great service. I just don't think it's a natural advertising medium," Mr. Diller said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Rupert Murdoch, who arrived at the conference yesterday, was also sounding skeptical. According to Reuters, he said Twitter would be a tough investment to justify because it has not yet come up with a sustainable way to make money.
Detroit News: Facebook group wants Obama to vacation in Mich.
President Barack Obama is coming to Warren on Tuesday, but there's a group on Facebook that wishes he would spend more time here.
Marc Ross , who was born in Detroit but lives in California, has started a Facebook group called "Mr. President! Come to Michigan for Your Summer Vacation."
It's a "fun project," Ross told Political Insider, that began in April and has attracted 400 supporters, many of whom have posted suggested destinations for the first family to visit, from Frankenmuth to Traverse City.
Ross, 38, plans to have group members hand out fliers at Obama's town hall meeting to draw supporters and possibly get his attention. The owner of Amplifico, a communications company that works for candidates and non-profits, said there has been no reaction from the White House.
http://bit.ly/AOR3Z
Marc Ross , who was born in Detroit but lives in California, has started a Facebook group called "Mr. President! Come to Michigan for Your Summer Vacation."
It's a "fun project," Ross told Political Insider, that began in April and has attracted 400 supporters, many of whom have posted suggested destinations for the first family to visit, from Frankenmuth to Traverse City.
Ross, 38, plans to have group members hand out fliers at Obama's town hall meeting to draw supporters and possibly get his attention. The owner of Amplifico, a communications company that works for candidates and non-profits, said there has been no reaction from the White House.
http://bit.ly/AOR3Z
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Google Plans to Introduce a PC Operating System
NYT reports: In a direct challenge to Microsoft, Google is expected to announce on Wednesday that it is developing an operating system for a personal computer based on its Chrome browser, according to two people briefed on Google's plans.
The move would sharpen the already intense competition between Google and Microsoft, whose Windows operating system controls the basic functions of the vast majority of personal computers.
Read More:http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na
The move would sharpen the already intense competition between Google and Microsoft, whose Windows operating system controls the basic functions of the vast majority of personal computers.
Read More:http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
A Nobel Peace Prize for Twitter?
Mark Pfeifle, former deputy national security adviser for strategic communications and global outreach at the National Security Council from 2007 to 2009, opines in the CSM:
The video gave substance to what seemed so far away. We saw the look in her eyes as they went lifeless. We heard the sounds of her friends and family as they begged her to hold on. And she became the personification of the struggle for democracy in a country where voices for freedom are quelled.
Her name was Neda Agha-Soltan, and without Twitter we might never have known that she lived in Iran, that she dreamed of a free Iran, and that she died in a divided Iran for her dreams.
Neda became the voice of a movement; Twitter became the megaphone. Twitter is a free social-messaging utility. It drove people around the world to pictures, videos, sound bites, and blogs in a true reality show of life, dreams, and death. Last month's marches for freedom and the violent crackdowns were not only documented but personalized into a story of mythic tragedy.
When traditional journalists were forced to leave the country, Twitter became a window for the world to view hope, heroism, and horror. It became the assignment desk, the reporter, and the producer. And, because of this, Twitter and its creators are worthy of being considered for the Nobel Peace Prize.
I first mentioned this idea while being interviewed on a cable news program. Many scoffed. That's understandable. But think about what Twitter has accomplished: It has empowered people to attempt to resolve a domestic showdown with international implications – and has enabled the world to stand with them. It laid the foundation to pressure the world to denounce oppression in Iran.
Twitter has been criticized as a time-waster – a way for people to inform their friends about the minutiae of their lives, 140 characters at a time. But in the past month, 140 characters were enough to shine a light on Iranian oppression and elevate Twitter to the level of change agent. Even the government of Iran has been forced to utilize the very tool they attempted to squelch to try to hold on to power.
Without Twitter, the world might have known little more than a losing candidate accusing the powers that be of alleged fraud. Without Twitter, the people of Iran would not have felt empowered and confident to stand up for freedom and democracy. They did so because they knew the world was watching. With Twitter, they now shout hope with a passion and dedication that resonates not just with those on their street, but with millions across the globe.
Other social media have certainly played an important part in giving freedom a voice. Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi has amassed more than 100,000 supporters on Facebook. At the height of the protest activities, according to Mashable.com's Ben Parr, more than 221,000 Iran tweets were sent in one hour. In one day, 3,000 Iranian videos were uploaded on YouTube, and 2.2 million blog entries were posted.
But Twitter's role has been unique. More so than other networks, it offers many more users the opportunity to communicate ideas, text, and media. On most other sites, only people who have accepted one another as "friends" are able to read updates. Via "hashtags" (for example, #iranelection), Twitter overcomes this barrier, allowing people interested in a particular subject to tweet and retweet messages. Additionally, through cellphone applications and SMS, Twitter proves easier to update – and harder for an oppressive regime to block – than other types of social media.
Although we don't know how the uprising in Iran will end, or where the symbols of freedom and liberty will again be given power by people who require an unfettered means of communicating with the rest of us, Twitter and other social media outlets have become the soft weapons of democracy. Twitter told us the story of Neda's supreme sacrifice. It is telling the story of the Iranian people yearning to breathe free. For those reasons, Twitter deserves consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The video gave substance to what seemed so far away. We saw the look in her eyes as they went lifeless. We heard the sounds of her friends and family as they begged her to hold on. And she became the personification of the struggle for democracy in a country where voices for freedom are quelled.
Her name was Neda Agha-Soltan, and without Twitter we might never have known that she lived in Iran, that she dreamed of a free Iran, and that she died in a divided Iran for her dreams.
Neda became the voice of a movement; Twitter became the megaphone. Twitter is a free social-messaging utility. It drove people around the world to pictures, videos, sound bites, and blogs in a true reality show of life, dreams, and death. Last month's marches for freedom and the violent crackdowns were not only documented but personalized into a story of mythic tragedy.
When traditional journalists were forced to leave the country, Twitter became a window for the world to view hope, heroism, and horror. It became the assignment desk, the reporter, and the producer. And, because of this, Twitter and its creators are worthy of being considered for the Nobel Peace Prize.
I first mentioned this idea while being interviewed on a cable news program. Many scoffed. That's understandable. But think about what Twitter has accomplished: It has empowered people to attempt to resolve a domestic showdown with international implications – and has enabled the world to stand with them. It laid the foundation to pressure the world to denounce oppression in Iran.
Twitter has been criticized as a time-waster – a way for people to inform their friends about the minutiae of their lives, 140 characters at a time. But in the past month, 140 characters were enough to shine a light on Iranian oppression and elevate Twitter to the level of change agent. Even the government of Iran has been forced to utilize the very tool they attempted to squelch to try to hold on to power.
Without Twitter, the world might have known little more than a losing candidate accusing the powers that be of alleged fraud. Without Twitter, the people of Iran would not have felt empowered and confident to stand up for freedom and democracy. They did so because they knew the world was watching. With Twitter, they now shout hope with a passion and dedication that resonates not just with those on their street, but with millions across the globe.
Other social media have certainly played an important part in giving freedom a voice. Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi has amassed more than 100,000 supporters on Facebook. At the height of the protest activities, according to Mashable.com's Ben Parr, more than 221,000 Iran tweets were sent in one hour. In one day, 3,000 Iranian videos were uploaded on YouTube, and 2.2 million blog entries were posted.
But Twitter's role has been unique. More so than other networks, it offers many more users the opportunity to communicate ideas, text, and media. On most other sites, only people who have accepted one another as "friends" are able to read updates. Via "hashtags" (for example, #iranelection), Twitter overcomes this barrier, allowing people interested in a particular subject to tweet and retweet messages. Additionally, through cellphone applications and SMS, Twitter proves easier to update – and harder for an oppressive regime to block – than other types of social media.
Although we don't know how the uprising in Iran will end, or where the symbols of freedom and liberty will again be given power by people who require an unfettered means of communicating with the rest of us, Twitter and other social media outlets have become the soft weapons of democracy. Twitter told us the story of Neda's supreme sacrifice. It is telling the story of the Iranian people yearning to breathe free. For those reasons, Twitter deserves consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Andreessen: Facebook to Make "Billions" in Five Years
Reuters reports: Facebook will be making billions of dollars in revenue in just five years, Facebook board member and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Mark Andreessen tells Reuters. He adds that the social network could top $1 billion in revenue this year if it pushed harder on selling advertising, but that it was more important for the company at this stage to grow its user base and market share, rather than worrying too much about making lots of money.
"This calendar year they'll do over $500 million," Andreessen said in an interview. "If they pushed the throttle forward on monetization they would be doing more than a billion this year. There's every reason to expect in my view that the thing can be doing billions in revenue five years from now."
Though a board member, Andreessen is not a Facebook investor, which is something he regrets. He has, however, invested in Twitter, the fast-growing micro-blogging site that lets users share 140-character messages known as tweets but has yet to make any money. He and Ben Horowitz, his partner in the new venture capital fund Andreessen Horowitz, note that Twitter's growth strategy is the same as Facebook's.
"They have to take the market," says Horowitz. "There is no investor in Twitter who will tell you: 'Boy, those guys are screwing up, there's no revenue yet."'
"This calendar year they'll do over $500 million," Andreessen said in an interview. "If they pushed the throttle forward on monetization they would be doing more than a billion this year. There's every reason to expect in my view that the thing can be doing billions in revenue five years from now."
Though a board member, Andreessen is not a Facebook investor, which is something he regrets. He has, however, invested in Twitter, the fast-growing micro-blogging site that lets users share 140-character messages known as tweets but has yet to make any money. He and Ben Horowitz, his partner in the new venture capital fund Andreessen Horowitz, note that Twitter's growth strategy is the same as Facebook's.
"They have to take the market," says Horowitz. "There is no investor in Twitter who will tell you: 'Boy, those guys are screwing up, there's no revenue yet."'
PR reps struggle for control as workers blog
The HR Capitalist reports: As more employees start blogging about their jobs, corporate communications departments are trying to establish a greater degree of control over their social-media presence, Kris Dunn writes, citing an unnamed company's social-media policy. The policy gives the company's communications department the sole authority to maintain an official online presence, and it bars workers from representing the company without authorization.
"Administrative and corporate communications policies apply to social media as with all other mediums," it states. "The clear message? Don't act like you're speaking for the company because you aren't," Dunn writes.
"Administrative and corporate communications policies apply to social media as with all other mediums," it states. "The clear message? Don't act like you're speaking for the company because you aren't," Dunn writes.
Palin's online fans grow post-resignation
The Washington Post reports: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's resignation announcement has sent Web searches for her name to their highest level since last year's election. After gaining 100,000 fans within three days, she's become the most popular Republican figure on Facebook, and her political action committee is raking in the benefits with increased donations. Palin has been rewarding her online followers with regular tweets since the news broke. "She is, no doubt, a singular online attraction," writes Jose Antonio Vargas. "Palin's supporters are just as ubiquitous and vocal as that of Rep. Ron Paul."
Patent Filings Divulge Ad Model for Kindle
Over the last 30 days, the US Patent Office has published several patents for Amazon that lend insight on the company's future plans for its Kindle book reader.
One patent, filed in December 2006, will grant customers that purchase a print copy of a book the ability to access the electronic version as well.
Two other patents go into detail about incorporating targeted advertising in on-demand content on Kindle.
Under the terms of the patents, Amazon could inserts ads throughout its ebooks: in the margins, between chapters or every 10 pages, from beginning to end, for example, notes MediaPost.
An additional cross-referencing feature would avail users to supplemental material, annotations, illustrations and the ability to print paper copies on-demand in PDF or other formats.
Such ads may benefit users in unforeseen ways. According to Bill Slawski of SEO by the Sea, a novel that details a restaurant could additionally be equipped with food or dining ads, for that restaurant or others. Users could also be incentivized to view ads in their books with a lower access rate.
Ad tracking would rely on bar codes or some similar tracking model, right on the ads. Amazon's patents also include details on how users could interact with the offerings to receive more information.
One patent, filed in December 2006, will grant customers that purchase a print copy of a book the ability to access the electronic version as well.
Two other patents go into detail about incorporating targeted advertising in on-demand content on Kindle.
Under the terms of the patents, Amazon could inserts ads throughout its ebooks: in the margins, between chapters or every 10 pages, from beginning to end, for example, notes MediaPost.
An additional cross-referencing feature would avail users to supplemental material, annotations, illustrations and the ability to print paper copies on-demand in PDF or other formats.
Such ads may benefit users in unforeseen ways. According to Bill Slawski of SEO by the Sea, a novel that details a restaurant could additionally be equipped with food or dining ads, for that restaurant or others. Users could also be incentivized to view ads in their books with a lower access rate.
Ad tracking would rely on bar codes or some similar tracking model, right on the ads. Amazon's patents also include details on how users could interact with the offerings to receive more information.
Google Maps to include property listings
revolutionmagazine.com reports: Google is launching a property-listing tool on its mapping service that will link flag up properties for sale and allow users to click through to estate agents' websites.
The service will feature free property listings provided by estate agents and publishers, which will upload their details to Google's database.The move means Google Maps could challenge online property companies such as Craigslist and Findaproperty, which generate revenue from classified advertising.
Google is launching the initiative in Australia with property listings from the Real Estate Institue of Western Australia and homehound.com.au. The search giant is also planning to roll out the service to other markets including the US.
A spokeswoman for Google said there are no immediate plans to launched property listings on Google Maps in the UK.Google is launching the service because more people are using the internet to search for properties to rent or buy. Also, the number of estate agent-related queries on Google is believed to have grown by 35 per cent this year.
The service will feature free property listings provided by estate agents and publishers, which will upload their details to Google's database.The move means Google Maps could challenge online property companies such as Craigslist and Findaproperty, which generate revenue from classified advertising.
Google is launching the initiative in Australia with property listings from the Real Estate Institue of Western Australia and homehound.com.au. The search giant is also planning to roll out the service to other markets including the US.
A spokeswoman for Google said there are no immediate plans to launched property listings on Google Maps in the UK.Google is launching the service because more people are using the internet to search for properties to rent or buy. Also, the number of estate agent-related queries on Google is believed to have grown by 35 per cent this year.
Starbucks gives away free ice cream to Facebook users
Brand Republic reports: Starbucks is to give away nearly 300,000 free pints of its new line of ice cream to Facebook users who sign up for a free coupon.
The company said it's giving away the ice cream as part of National Ice Cream Month in the US.
Starting July 6, Facebook users can sign up for a coupon redeemable for a pint of Starbucks ice cream, which come in four flavours -- Coffee, Caramel Macchiato, Mocha Frappuccino and Java Chip Frappuccino.
The company said it's giving away the ice cream as part of National Ice Cream Month in the US.
Starting July 6, Facebook users can sign up for a coupon redeemable for a pint of Starbucks ice cream, which come in four flavours -- Coffee, Caramel Macchiato, Mocha Frappuccino and Java Chip Frappuccino.
Twitter considered for the Nobel Peace Prize
Brand Republic reports - Twitter should win the Nobel Peace Prize for the role it played during recent civil unrest in Iran, according to a former US national security adviser.
Mark Pfeifle, a former aide for George W Bush, has suggested that Twitter be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize, which is awarded to those who push for "fraternity between nations" and for "holding the promotion of peace".
Pfeifle said that Twitter was instrumental in helping document the crisis in Iran after the contested presidential election results last month, an ongoing conflict that is still being tweeted by thousands inside and outside the county everyday.
At its peak, more than 220,000 Iran tweets were sent through Twitter every hour.
Writing in the Christian Science Monitor, Pfeifle said: "When traditional journalists were forced to leave the country, Twitter became a window for the world to view hope, heroism, and horror.
"It became the assignment desk, the reporter, and the producer. And, because of this, Twitter and its creators are worthy of being considered for the Nobel Peace Prize."
Pfeifle first mentioned the idea while being interviewed for Fox News last week, which brought derisive laughter.
He said: "Twitter has been criticized as a time-waster -- a way for people to inform their friends about the minutiae of their lives, 140 characters at a time.
"But in the past month, 140 characters were enough to shine a light on Iranian oppression and elevate Twitter to the level of change agent.
"Even the government of Iran has been forced to utilize the very tool they attempted to squelch to try to hold on to power."
Pfeifle also had kind words for other social networks, like Facebook, where Iranian presidential candidate Hossein Mousavi has amassed more than 100,000 supporters.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate process has regularly been criticised throughout its 100 year history, mostly for its notable omissions, include Mahatma Ghandi, who never won the award.
Winners are selected by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, who is appointed by the Norwegian parliament.
The prize is presented annually in Oslo, Norway, in the presence of the king on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.
Last year's winner was former Finnish president and United Nations diplomat Martti Ahtisaari, who acted as a UN special envoy during the long running Kosovo-Serbia dispute.
Mark Pfeifle, a former aide for George W Bush, has suggested that Twitter be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize, which is awarded to those who push for "fraternity between nations" and for "holding the promotion of peace".
Pfeifle said that Twitter was instrumental in helping document the crisis in Iran after the contested presidential election results last month, an ongoing conflict that is still being tweeted by thousands inside and outside the county everyday.
At its peak, more than 220,000 Iran tweets were sent through Twitter every hour.
Writing in the Christian Science Monitor, Pfeifle said: "When traditional journalists were forced to leave the country, Twitter became a window for the world to view hope, heroism, and horror.
"It became the assignment desk, the reporter, and the producer. And, because of this, Twitter and its creators are worthy of being considered for the Nobel Peace Prize."
Pfeifle first mentioned the idea while being interviewed for Fox News last week, which brought derisive laughter.
He said: "Twitter has been criticized as a time-waster -- a way for people to inform their friends about the minutiae of their lives, 140 characters at a time.
"But in the past month, 140 characters were enough to shine a light on Iranian oppression and elevate Twitter to the level of change agent.
"Even the government of Iran has been forced to utilize the very tool they attempted to squelch to try to hold on to power."
Pfeifle also had kind words for other social networks, like Facebook, where Iranian presidential candidate Hossein Mousavi has amassed more than 100,000 supporters.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate process has regularly been criticised throughout its 100 year history, mostly for its notable omissions, include Mahatma Ghandi, who never won the award.
Winners are selected by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, who is appointed by the Norwegian parliament.
The prize is presented annually in Oslo, Norway, in the presence of the king on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.
Last year's winner was former Finnish president and United Nations diplomat Martti Ahtisaari, who acted as a UN special envoy during the long running Kosovo-Serbia dispute.
AOL Acquires Two Local Services, Patch and Going
AOL announced two acquisitions in the local space: Patch Media Corporation, http://www.patch.com, a local news and information platform aimed at serving local towns and communities and Going, Inc., http://www.going.com, a local platform for people to discover and share information about things to do in a number of leading cities across the country. Both Patch and Going offer local experiences, content and self-service applications for consumers and advertisers.
“Local remains one of the most disaggregated experiences on the Web today -- there’s a lot of information out there but simply no way for consumers to find it quickly and easily,” said Tim Armstrong, AOL’s Chairman and CEO. “It’s a space that’s prime for innovation and an area where AOL has a significant audience and a valuable mapping service in MapQuest. Going forward, local will be a core area of focus and investment for AOL. The acquisitions of Patch and Going will help us build out our local network further with excellent local services that enable people to stay better informed about what’s going on in their neighborhood.”
- A recent survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that more people now say they get most of their news from online sources than from traditional newspapers (40% vs. 35%).
- In addition, local searches grew 58% in 2008 year over year, while overall searches climbed just 21%, according to research conducted by the Yellow Pages Association in March 2009.
- Local advertising (online and offline) represents an approximately $103 billion market (approximately 39% of total U.S. ad spending), according to Borrell Associates in 2009.
Local + Hyper targeted seems to be the path for news and information - will be great to see how AOL makes Patch and Going work for their users.
“Local remains one of the most disaggregated experiences on the Web today -- there’s a lot of information out there but simply no way for consumers to find it quickly and easily,” said Tim Armstrong, AOL’s Chairman and CEO. “It’s a space that’s prime for innovation and an area where AOL has a significant audience and a valuable mapping service in MapQuest. Going forward, local will be a core area of focus and investment for AOL. The acquisitions of Patch and Going will help us build out our local network further with excellent local services that enable people to stay better informed about what’s going on in their neighborhood.”
- A recent survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that more people now say they get most of their news from online sources than from traditional newspapers (40% vs. 35%).
- In addition, local searches grew 58% in 2008 year over year, while overall searches climbed just 21%, according to research conducted by the Yellow Pages Association in March 2009.
- Local advertising (online and offline) represents an approximately $103 billion market (approximately 39% of total U.S. ad spending), according to Borrell Associates in 2009.
Local + Hyper targeted seems to be the path for news and information - will be great to see how AOL makes Patch and Going work for their users.
Monday, July 6, 2009
P.R. spurns reporters for bloggers
The New York Times reports: Move over, journalists. Startups are no longer eyeing mainstream press coverage as markers of their marketing success. Companies are seeking out mentions from influential online pundits on blogs and the like, Claire Cain Miller writes. "In the new world of social media, P.R. people must know hundreds of writers, bloggers and Twitter users instead of having six top reporters on speed dial." The trend has also made it a lot quicker -- minutes instead of months -- to launch a new product.
Amazon mulls in-book advertising on Kindle
revolutionmagazine.com reports: Amazon is hoping to further monetise content on its Kindle ebook reader, revealing plans to place ads within the electronic books it publishes.
The ecommerce giant has filed a patent for technology that will place contextual ads within the content a consumer downloads to their reader.
Amazon has not indicated whether the move will result in a drop in cover price in exchange for advertising or when such ads may be rolled out.
According to the patent, ads will be served on an opt-in basis, but it is unclear whether Amazon interprets opt-in as a specific request or the simple act of downloading content.
Amazon released the second generation of the Kindle earlier this year, claiming faster download speeds, sleeker features and longer battery life. It is supported by a library of over 230,000 ebooks, and thousand of blogs, newspapers and magazines.
Hanning Zhou, manager of Amazon's Print-on-Demand Group, named as an inventor in the patent, said adding advertisements to ebooks will allow the publisher to make money from a wide variety of content, including out of print and rare documents in the same way online publishers are able to monetise fresh content.
The ads, which will be related to content in the book, such as ads for a restaurant when a character in a novel is dining out, may be in the form of one or a few descriptive advertising words, pictures, or symbols, which direct the reader to a website when an internet connection is available.
The patent also applies to adding ads to rare and out of print book and documents when they are printed on demand.
Amazon has remained silent on a launch date for eBooks in the UK and has cited some technical challenges to offering the Kindle throughout Europe.
The ecommerce giant has filed a patent for technology that will place contextual ads within the content a consumer downloads to their reader.
Amazon has not indicated whether the move will result in a drop in cover price in exchange for advertising or when such ads may be rolled out.
According to the patent, ads will be served on an opt-in basis, but it is unclear whether Amazon interprets opt-in as a specific request or the simple act of downloading content.
Amazon released the second generation of the Kindle earlier this year, claiming faster download speeds, sleeker features and longer battery life. It is supported by a library of over 230,000 ebooks, and thousand of blogs, newspapers and magazines.
Hanning Zhou, manager of Amazon's Print-on-Demand Group, named as an inventor in the patent, said adding advertisements to ebooks will allow the publisher to make money from a wide variety of content, including out of print and rare documents in the same way online publishers are able to monetise fresh content.
The ads, which will be related to content in the book, such as ads for a restaurant when a character in a novel is dining out, may be in the form of one or a few descriptive advertising words, pictures, or symbols, which direct the reader to a website when an internet connection is available.
The patent also applies to adding ads to rare and out of print book and documents when they are printed on demand.
Amazon has remained silent on a launch date for eBooks in the UK and has cited some technical challenges to offering the Kindle throughout Europe.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Marketers Call For Twitter To Filter Content For Pornography, Spam
Laurie Sullivan of MediaPost reports: Nude and explicit photographs have become more common on Twitter. While the site has begun to gain momentum for marketing and customer service departments looking to promote products and services, or connect with customers, it has taken a bit of a dark turn into the world of spam, pornography and escort services.
Paul Verna, senior analyst at eMarketer, believes Twitter will need to find a way to filter out adult content because marketers will feel uncomfortable having their products and services, or advertising and marketing materials, serving up alongside -- or anywhere near -- it. "If Twitter builds an advertising-supported model, they will need to develop a way to isolate the content," he says. "YouTube did. Facebook did it. They had to be tough cops when it came to the content. On the one hand, they try to provide an open platform, but on the other, if they don't set limits it could backfire."
Verna says getting a handle on the spam and the sexually explicit material is another thing Twitter must fix, along with the ability to authenticate celebrity accounts -- something they have stumbled with during the last few months.
While policing began with the Twitter community, Amichai Shulman -- CTO at Imperva, an online security company based in Israel and Redwood Shores, Calif. -- believes the microblogging site could do more to filter the content. "The information from the feeds is either based on IP addresses or links, and there are services on the Internet that track and send notifications about known distributors of offending material," he says. "It would be simple for Twitter to interface with one of those services providers to filter out at least 90% of that content."
Paul Verna, senior analyst at eMarketer, believes Twitter will need to find a way to filter out adult content because marketers will feel uncomfortable having their products and services, or advertising and marketing materials, serving up alongside -- or anywhere near -- it. "If Twitter builds an advertising-supported model, they will need to develop a way to isolate the content," he says. "YouTube did. Facebook did it. They had to be tough cops when it came to the content. On the one hand, they try to provide an open platform, but on the other, if they don't set limits it could backfire."
Verna says getting a handle on the spam and the sexually explicit material is another thing Twitter must fix, along with the ability to authenticate celebrity accounts -- something they have stumbled with during the last few months.
While policing began with the Twitter community, Amichai Shulman -- CTO at Imperva, an online security company based in Israel and Redwood Shores, Calif. -- believes the microblogging site could do more to filter the content. "The information from the feeds is either based on IP addresses or links, and there are services on the Internet that track and send notifications about known distributors of offending material," he says. "It would be simple for Twitter to interface with one of those services providers to filter out at least 90% of that content."
Survey: Social Networks Not So Hot In The Workplace (And No One Cares)
MediaPost reports: Are people social networking at work? More than half (55%) of office workers with Web access have at least one social networking account, but only 43% use it at work, and typically for less than 30 minutes per day, according to a new survey by WorkPlace Media.
It might please employers to know that workers aren't hanging out on MySpace or Facebook all day, but social media advertisers probably won't be overjoyed. Even less encouraging for marketers, the study found that not having a presence on a social site made no difference to people's opinion of a brand. And only 11% follow any major brand on a social network.
"When it comes to influencing brand perception and purchase decisions, the data shows that social networking still has a long way to go." says Stephanie Molnar, CEO of WorkPlace Media, a marketing firm that targets the cubicle crowd. "Most of our meaningful recommendations continue to be old-fashioned, word-of-mouth recommendations from friends, co-workers, and/or family."
That view gets support from a recent Harris poll in which 21% of participants said they relied on face-to-face discussions with a family member or friend when researching a purchase decision compared to only 4% who mentioned using online social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn or MySpace.
In the Workplace Media study, however, Facebook was by far the most popular social property, with 89% members of the site. The runner-up was MySpace (40%), followed by LinkedIn (31%), and Twitter (18%).
Of the 18% who reported acting upon a business or product recommendation on social networking sites, the top categories were: entertainment (53%), dining out (50%), groceries (23%), beauty care/cosmetics (21%), apparel (20%), and electronics and pet care (15%). The survey was fielded in May 2009 among 753 American workers.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wyclef bails on Ning
BW reports: Celebrities can be a boon to social networking sites, but they can also be a liability if they become unhappy with a site.
Ning, the service that lets you create your own social network, is growing quick and attracting some big names. Author Seth Godin used the platform to start a private forum for marketing experts. Rapper 50 Cent has attracted such a following on his network, Thisis50.com, that other hip hop artists have started advertising on the site to find new fans.
On Wednesday, Wyclef Jean announced to his Twitter followers that he was abandoning Clef Zone, the Ning network that he only recently created. His specific objection to Ning is unclear (we have a call out to Wyclef, who for some reason posted his phone number on Twitter the same day), but he says on Twitter that “i want my own server” and “I wanna be in full control of my vision.” The performer also hints that he’s concerned about the security of internal messaging on the site, saying (sic) “I DONT TRUST A SOCIAL NETWORK WERE THEY HAVE YOUR EMAILS.”
Guess who responded? Ning CEO Gina Bianchini, who frequently gives her users personal attention — particularly the A-listers. Wyclef’s complaint and Gina’s response are here.
Ning, the service that lets you create your own social network, is growing quick and attracting some big names. Author Seth Godin used the platform to start a private forum for marketing experts. Rapper 50 Cent has attracted such a following on his network, Thisis50.com, that other hip hop artists have started advertising on the site to find new fans.
On Wednesday, Wyclef Jean announced to his Twitter followers that he was abandoning Clef Zone, the Ning network that he only recently created. His specific objection to Ning is unclear (we have a call out to Wyclef, who for some reason posted his phone number on Twitter the same day), but he says on Twitter that “i want my own server” and “I wanna be in full control of my vision.” The performer also hints that he’s concerned about the security of internal messaging on the site, saying (sic) “I DONT TRUST A SOCIAL NETWORK WERE THEY HAVE YOUR EMAILS.”
Guess who responded? Ning CEO Gina Bianchini, who frequently gives her users personal attention — particularly the A-listers. Wyclef’s complaint and Gina’s response are here.
Everything You Wanted To Know About Facebook's Revenue But Didn't Know Who To Ask
Silicon Alley Insider reports: We get a lot of questions about how Facebook makes its money, so here are our best estimates.
We've heard from a couple reliable sources that when it was looking for its latest funding, Facebook told investors 2009 revenues would reach $550 million.
If that's true, Facebook is growing quicker than even people inside to the company thought. Only a couple months ago, a source close to the company told us 2009 revenues would be closer to $400 million. But let's take the $550 million figure and break that one down.
Earlier this week, we spoke to several sources who each have some insight into Facebook's financials (none of them know precisely).
Averaging the sources' input together, we'd estimate the company's expected 2009 revenue this way:
$125 million from brand ads
$150 million from Facebook's ad deal with Microsoft
$75 million from virtual goods
$200 million from self-service ads.
Total: $550 Million.
We've heard from a couple reliable sources that when it was looking for its latest funding, Facebook told investors 2009 revenues would reach $550 million.
If that's true, Facebook is growing quicker than even people inside to the company thought. Only a couple months ago, a source close to the company told us 2009 revenues would be closer to $400 million. But let's take the $550 million figure and break that one down.
Earlier this week, we spoke to several sources who each have some insight into Facebook's financials (none of them know precisely).
Averaging the sources' input together, we'd estimate the company's expected 2009 revenue this way:
$125 million from brand ads
$150 million from Facebook's ad deal with Microsoft
$75 million from virtual goods
$200 million from self-service ads.
Total: $550 Million.
Nike Launches New Grant Program Via Social Media
MediaPost reports: Nike is offering $650,000 in grants to neighborhood groups that use "sports as a tool to change the community" -- and to get people excited about applying for the funds from its "Back your block" program, it has launched a social media campaign.
Groups can apply online at nikebackyourblock.com, and then use Facebook and Twitter to encourage people to vote.
In September, each of Nike's 175 retail stores will award the grants -- the Portland (Ore.) community store will award $100,000 in grants, South Chicago and New Orleans will each award $50,000, and all other stores will award a $2,500 grant to their local organizations. Mr Youth is the agency.
Groups can apply online at nikebackyourblock.com, and then use Facebook and Twitter to encourage people to vote.
In September, each of Nike's 175 retail stores will award the grants -- the Portland (Ore.) community store will award $100,000 in grants, South Chicago and New Orleans will each award $50,000, and all other stores will award a $2,500 grant to their local organizations. Mr Youth is the agency.
TV Ads Most Helpful; Web Banners Most Ignored
Over one-third of Americans (37%) say TV ads are most helpful to them in making a purchase decision, while nearly half say they ignore internet banner ads, according to (pdf) a poll from AdWeekMedia and Harris Interactive (via MarketingCharts). In terms of the helpfulness of ads in other media, newspapers rank second behind TV, with 17% reporting that newspaper ads are most helpful, while 14% say the same about internet search-engine ads.
At the other end of the spectrum, Radio ads (3%) and internet banner ads (1%) are not considered helpful by many. The poll found that more than one fourth (28%) of Americans say that none of these types of advertisements are helpful to them in the purchase-decision-making process.
Almost half of Americans (46%) say they ignore internet banner ads, according to the study. Much further down the list of ignored items are internet search engine ads (17% of people ignore), television ads (13%), radio ads (9%), and newspaper ads (6%):
Harris Interactive suggestes that these findings are important because, despite online video and the ability to use a DVR to shift live programming, TV ads remain most helpful to consumers. Conversely, while an internet strategy is essential for a comprehensive ad campaign, banner ads are only considered helpful by a few and are ignored the most, the polling fiirm said.
About the survey: The AdweekMedia/The Harris Poll was conducted online in the US from June 4-8, 2009 among 2,521 adults (ages 18+). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
At the other end of the spectrum, Radio ads (3%) and internet banner ads (1%) are not considered helpful by many. The poll found that more than one fourth (28%) of Americans say that none of these types of advertisements are helpful to them in the purchase-decision-making process.
Almost half of Americans (46%) say they ignore internet banner ads, according to the study. Much further down the list of ignored items are internet search engine ads (17% of people ignore), television ads (13%), radio ads (9%), and newspaper ads (6%):
Harris Interactive suggestes that these findings are important because, despite online video and the ability to use a DVR to shift live programming, TV ads remain most helpful to consumers. Conversely, while an internet strategy is essential for a comprehensive ad campaign, banner ads are only considered helpful by a few and are ignored the most, the polling fiirm said.
About the survey: The AdweekMedia/The Harris Poll was conducted online in the US from June 4-8, 2009 among 2,521 adults (ages 18+). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
Most Marketers Pursue Email, Social Media Marriage
Two-thirds of email marketers plan to integrate their email and social media campaigns in the second half of 2009. 48% have already formulated a strategy for achieving this initiative, according to a survey by StrongMail Systems, Inc.
In addition, the "2009 Marketing Trends" study also found that email marketing and social media are the top two areas where marketers plan to increase their investment in the second half of this year. Funding is exceptionally strong for both channels: Of marketers planning to increase budgets in 2009, the study found that 83% will increase spend in email marketing, followed by social media at 62%.
Despite an increased focus and growing investment in social media, there is still widespread confusion about how a social media strategy for email marketing should be implemented. More than half (55%) of respondents report that one of their biggest challenges with integrating social media and email marketing is determining metrics by which to measure success. At 48%, establishing business goals for the program is a close second:
Part of the problem with integrating and measuring appears to be confusion about where the responsibility for social media outreach should lie. Currently, there appears to be a widespread land-grab for ownership of social media within the various facets of marketing, the study found. More than one-fourth (29%) of respondents say responsibility currently is owned by multiple departments.
"Leveraging social media is a valuable tool for meeting direct marketing objectives, but, like any good direct marketing campaign, they need to be tied to metrics such as purchases, new customer acquisition or customer retention," said Ryan Deutsch, Strongmail VP of strategic services and market development. "The metrics should be in line with the business’s overall direct marketing objectives."
About the survey: The StrongMail "2009 Marketing Trends" survey was conducted online by Zoomerang on behalf of StrongMail Systems. The poll gathered feedback from over 500 marketing executives in a wide range of industries and was conducted May 21 - June 1, 2009.
In addition, the "2009 Marketing Trends" study also found that email marketing and social media are the top two areas where marketers plan to increase their investment in the second half of this year. Funding is exceptionally strong for both channels: Of marketers planning to increase budgets in 2009, the study found that 83% will increase spend in email marketing, followed by social media at 62%.
Despite an increased focus and growing investment in social media, there is still widespread confusion about how a social media strategy for email marketing should be implemented. More than half (55%) of respondents report that one of their biggest challenges with integrating social media and email marketing is determining metrics by which to measure success. At 48%, establishing business goals for the program is a close second:
Part of the problem with integrating and measuring appears to be confusion about where the responsibility for social media outreach should lie. Currently, there appears to be a widespread land-grab for ownership of social media within the various facets of marketing, the study found. More than one-fourth (29%) of respondents say responsibility currently is owned by multiple departments.
"Leveraging social media is a valuable tool for meeting direct marketing objectives, but, like any good direct marketing campaign, they need to be tied to metrics such as purchases, new customer acquisition or customer retention," said Ryan Deutsch, Strongmail VP of strategic services and market development. "The metrics should be in line with the business’s overall direct marketing objectives."
About the survey: The StrongMail "2009 Marketing Trends" survey was conducted online by Zoomerang on behalf of StrongMail Systems. The poll gathered feedback from over 500 marketing executives in a wide range of industries and was conducted May 21 - June 1, 2009.
LinkedIn v Freemasons: Networking websites are booming, but they have not supplanted more traditional business networks
Economist reports: Will technology and globalisation undermine old networks? In some cases they are weakening. Swiss banks’ hierarchies, for instance, used to bear a resemblance to those of the country’s army, with strong connections between the two. But the network has largely disappeared, thanks to globalisation and a decline in the army’s role in society, says a Swiss banker. Guanxi are different from Western networks: they are much more personal, informal and subtle. Their importance is also diminishing as the Chinese economy becomes more market-oriented, says Derek Ling, founder of Tianji.com, a networking site owned by Viadeo.
“An active, open online network is far more competitive in today’s globalised business environment than local, closed networks such as alumni groups or freemasonry,” argues Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn. Online networks’ most compelling advantage, in addition to openness and efficiency, is the chance they offer to connect across borders and among different sorts of people. Traditional networks, by contrast, tend to be strongest in domestic industries, such as construction. About two-fifths of LinkedIn’s members are female, whereas offline networks are usually dominated by men. And online networks include more entrepreneurs than traditional groups: they make up 30% of Viadeo’s subscribers, according to Dan Serfaty, the website’s co-founder.
“An active, open online network is far more competitive in today’s globalised business environment than local, closed networks such as alumni groups or freemasonry,” argues Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn. Online networks’ most compelling advantage, in addition to openness and efficiency, is the chance they offer to connect across borders and among different sorts of people. Traditional networks, by contrast, tend to be strongest in domestic industries, such as construction. About two-fifths of LinkedIn’s members are female, whereas offline networks are usually dominated by men. And online networks include more entrepreneurs than traditional groups: they make up 30% of Viadeo’s subscribers, according to Dan Serfaty, the website’s co-founder.
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