Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Research Report: The 2009 U.S. Digital Year in Review

CM Comment: A very good overview of the state of the digital media landscape.

The comScore 2009 U.S. Digital Year in Review is a report recaps key trends in U.S. digital media landscape, including e-commerce, search, online video, online advertising and mobile, with an emphasis on how digital marketers can capitalize on these trends in 2010.

Download report at: http://bit.ly/cJ0CrW

Facebook Shows Off Latest Versions Of Its Game And Apps Dashboards

CM Comment: A important change in the directional path of Facebook.

January 21, 2010: summarized from Venture Beat -- Facebook showed off a new version of its dashboards that are meant to give more attention to games and other apps on its social network. Today, it will give developers access to the new design so that they can start creating apps that are well integrated with the dashboards.

Users can reach the dashboards by clicking on an icon on the left hand side of their Facebook pages. The dashboards give users a central place to to manage, play and discover games or apps. That means the social network recognizes the popularity of these activities and is giving them the same kind of visibility it does for photos and events, said Gareth Davis, platform manager for games at Facebook. The latest versions are here.

“This is all about helping games and apps in front of users in a more effective way,” he said.

This is critical for Facebook to get right, since there are hundreds of millions of gamers on the social network. The idea is that users will be able to see games that their friends are playing, helping users discover games that are relevant to them. The game dashboard’s top will show the apps and games that a user has recently used. The games can also leave messages in a news section. That news can be global, or personal. An example of the latter would be “it’s your turn in a game against Jared.” You can also mention a specific name of a user, using an @ sign, in communications that show up on the page.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/cq7ncT

10 Events That Transformed Marketing

CM: The accelerating pace of change is always a fascinating topic.

January 18, 2010: summarized from AdAge Magazine -- Founded in 1910, the Association of National Advertisers is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Originally known as the Association of National Advertising Managers, the organization began in Detroit with representatives from 45 different companies. Their purpose was "to advance the knowledge of advertising as far as may be possible, to an exact science, so that members could expend their advertising appropriations more intelligently and effectively."

Over the course of history, countless events have contributed to the marketing industry's evolution. Some were based on new technologies, others on the actions of the ANA and other like-minded organizations. Here are 10 events from the last century that have effectively transformed the marketing landscape.

1. The Audit Bureau of Circulations
2. Radio
3. TV
4. The War Advertising Council, now the Ad Council
5. The National Advertising Review Council and industry self-regulation
6. Video-recording devices
7. The Florida ad tax of 1987
8. The internet
9. Cellphones
10. Social media and viral marketing

Read more at: http://bit.ly/bVb5h7

Online Marketers Talk The Talk, But Don’t Walk The Walk: Study

February 3, 2010: summarized from Direct Magazine -- Here’s a question for marketers: If three-quarters of you acknowledge using tools for personalizing offers is a priority, and four in five of you say it’s important to increase Web site visitor value through compelling product and content offers, why are only half of you using personalization tools?

Coremetrics, a marketing optimization firm, discovered this disconnect in a recent survey. Among its other findings, 47% said they would determine whether 2009 had been a good year by evaluating their performance metrics. Fair enough. But 62% aren’t confident they’re tracking the right performance metrics.

"Business leaders are aware of the value online marketing provides, but there is a disconnect in that many are not sure they are utilizing it effectively," John Squire, chief strategy officer of Coremetrics said in a statement. "Companies that can harness marketing technology can then get the most meaning and value out of the data they collect from it. In turn this enables companies to personalize their marketing efforts and create a competitive advantage."

Read more at: http://bit.ly/ddu6oW

Video: Is Information Management Just Another Hype?

CM Comment: A fun look at those famous predictions that never came to be culminating in a powerful synopsis of where the world of information stands today.

Watch video at: http://bit.ly/duDvAk