April 2, 2009: summarized from PR Week -- Engagement is still one of the most highly sought metrics, particularly as it relates to digital dialogue with consumers. But many discussions around it focus on how the customer is engaging with the brand, not the other way around. As social media platforms have developed and multiplied, the focus has shifted away from finding ways to provide more and greater information to customers and toward more aggressive efforts to get customers to take action and be active participants in the experience that is being created.
Other marketing disciplines can lay claim to the kind of direct response activities that spur customer action or generate databases of information that can be analyzed and marketed to down the line. And engagement in, say, an online competition or social media site doesn't alone equate to sales.
A 2008 article in the Harvard Business Review, titled "In E-Commerce, More is More," helped to articulate the difference. Over a period of four years, the researchers conducted an analysis of more than 1,700 e-commerce Web sites. They also interviewed customers and managers in the US, Europe, and Asia.
They found that consumers want content, information on the products, and services that interest them. They also discovered that the top 25 companies that met this criterion were consistently outperforming the rest of the industry.
It is important to remember that tracking true engagement isn't easy and can't always be measured in e-mail addresses and click-throughs. There is still great value in delivering content and information that informs and pleases as well.
Full story at: http://tinyurl.com/cp789k
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Unfriending Dad On Facebook: The Generation Gap Meets The Digital Divide
CM Comment: This one is a fun read, and gets you thinking. 30 years ago the generation gap was defined by music ... today it's defined by social networking.
March 20, 2009: summarized from The Seattle Times -- Last week I was reprimanded for being engaged, but here's the rub - I wasn't.
I was only Facebook-engaged, which is like joking-engaged or lying-engaged. My friends know I'm not really engaged. My Facebook fiancée is under no illusion that I am actually planning on marrying her, but it sure looks better to be Facebook-engaged than Facebook-single with a capital S.
Everyone knew I wasn't really engaged. Everyone, that is, except my father, who joined Facebook recently, immediately looked at my profile and proceeded to have a minor conniption fit over the phone due to what appeared to be my scandalous engagement and my concealment of it.
After much assurance that the engagement was a sham, the absurdity of the situation set in. I have friends who claim that even their grandmothers are computer-savvy, who Twitter all day long, who believe that technology makes their lives easier. But last week it occurred to me that despite its ubiquity, technology doesn't really simplify much of anything. It actually creates problems and complications where there weren't any before.
Take relatives on Facebook. It's inherently awkward to reject your aging great-aunt's friend request - after all, such a rejection could mean a feud until said great aunt kicks the bucket - but it is also inherently awkward to allow said great aunt unfettered access to your personal life.
So what do you do? Do you reject your aunt, risking awkward run-ins at family gatherings for years to come? Do you "limited profile" that woman, knowing she will wonder why there is so much white space where your wall should be? Or do you welcome her with open arms to your inside jokes, your profanity-peppered status updates, and photographic documentation of every bad choice you've ever made, not to mention that most dreaded of dreaded topics - your relationship status?
Forget the dangers of employers checking out your Facebook profile. Relatives are a far graver threat!
Since Facebook opened its doors to the wide world beyond university communities, older adults have increasingly logged on. According to the Internet marketing research company comScore, visitors to Facebook over the age of 35 increased by 98 percent between May 2006 and May 2007, and the number of visitors ages 12 to 17 increased by 149 percent during the same period. But this influx of new users is not without its complications - after all, Facebook was not originally intended to appeal to these demographics, and changes to the Web site's original setup have been minimal.
Does it really make sense to open up a social tool that is primarily designed for college students to everyone, without making fundamental changes to it? It's not that Facebook shouldn't be for everyone; it's just that with very few changes to the system, things get complicated.
What do you do when the kids you used to baby-sit for start friending you? What about your younger siblings? What about your cousin who competes over everything, including cleverest religious status? All joking aside, these questions are real for most young adults on Facebook, and there is no clear answer to them.
But last week I got mine. My father's rocky entry into the digital age forced me to make a choice. It wasn't so much that it bothered me to have to explain that very few people on Facebook are actually married, although it did, and it wasn't so much that my profile has its fair share of questionable photo albums and questionable wall posts, although it does.
What it all came down to was that while it's natural for those of us who grew up digital to have a digital component to our friendships and relationships, and a digital representation of ourselves on the Internet, my relationship with my father has never had one. And it hasn't needed one.
So that evening, I did the unthinkable - I unfriended my dad on Facebook.
Full story at: http://tinyurl.com/cj79bc
March 20, 2009: summarized from The Seattle Times -- Last week I was reprimanded for being engaged, but here's the rub - I wasn't.
I was only Facebook-engaged, which is like joking-engaged or lying-engaged. My friends know I'm not really engaged. My Facebook fiancée is under no illusion that I am actually planning on marrying her, but it sure looks better to be Facebook-engaged than Facebook-single with a capital S.
Everyone knew I wasn't really engaged. Everyone, that is, except my father, who joined Facebook recently, immediately looked at my profile and proceeded to have a minor conniption fit over the phone due to what appeared to be my scandalous engagement and my concealment of it.
After much assurance that the engagement was a sham, the absurdity of the situation set in. I have friends who claim that even their grandmothers are computer-savvy, who Twitter all day long, who believe that technology makes their lives easier. But last week it occurred to me that despite its ubiquity, technology doesn't really simplify much of anything. It actually creates problems and complications where there weren't any before.
Take relatives on Facebook. It's inherently awkward to reject your aging great-aunt's friend request - after all, such a rejection could mean a feud until said great aunt kicks the bucket - but it is also inherently awkward to allow said great aunt unfettered access to your personal life.
So what do you do? Do you reject your aunt, risking awkward run-ins at family gatherings for years to come? Do you "limited profile" that woman, knowing she will wonder why there is so much white space where your wall should be? Or do you welcome her with open arms to your inside jokes, your profanity-peppered status updates, and photographic documentation of every bad choice you've ever made, not to mention that most dreaded of dreaded topics - your relationship status?
Forget the dangers of employers checking out your Facebook profile. Relatives are a far graver threat!
Since Facebook opened its doors to the wide world beyond university communities, older adults have increasingly logged on. According to the Internet marketing research company comScore, visitors to Facebook over the age of 35 increased by 98 percent between May 2006 and May 2007, and the number of visitors ages 12 to 17 increased by 149 percent during the same period. But this influx of new users is not without its complications - after all, Facebook was not originally intended to appeal to these demographics, and changes to the Web site's original setup have been minimal.
Does it really make sense to open up a social tool that is primarily designed for college students to everyone, without making fundamental changes to it? It's not that Facebook shouldn't be for everyone; it's just that with very few changes to the system, things get complicated.
What do you do when the kids you used to baby-sit for start friending you? What about your younger siblings? What about your cousin who competes over everything, including cleverest religious status? All joking aside, these questions are real for most young adults on Facebook, and there is no clear answer to them.
But last week I got mine. My father's rocky entry into the digital age forced me to make a choice. It wasn't so much that it bothered me to have to explain that very few people on Facebook are actually married, although it did, and it wasn't so much that my profile has its fair share of questionable photo albums and questionable wall posts, although it does.
What it all came down to was that while it's natural for those of us who grew up digital to have a digital component to our friendships and relationships, and a digital representation of ourselves on the Internet, my relationship with my father has never had one. And it hasn't needed one.
So that evening, I did the unthinkable - I unfriended my dad on Facebook.
Full story at: http://tinyurl.com/cj79bc
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
MGM Mirage Debuts Mobile Marketing Programs Across Properties
CM Comment: More mobile marketing pilots ...
March 11, 2009: summarized from Mobile Marketer -- Gaming giant MGM Mirage has thrown its full weight behind mobile marketing with opted-in offers for guests at six casino/hotel properties in Las Vegas and Detroit. The mobile marketing programs are live at the Mandalay Bay, New York-New York, Monte Carlo, The Mirage and Treasure Island in Las Vegas as well as the MGM Grand Detroit in Detroit. Guests at these MGM Mirage resorts will get targeted special offers, alerts, contests and quizzes. The promotions also include real-time offers texted to guests' mobile phones, property information and entertainment promotions such as deals on show tickets or meals in hotel restaurants.
These initiatives are all about ensuring the guest gets the right offer or incentive based on the guest's interests, playing history and location in or out of market. This approach ensures that guests see this program as a tangible benefit from MGM Mirage, and thus drives revenue for MGM Mirage. Mobile is ideal for any sort of perishable inventory, like show tickets, buffets, and hotel rooms. So allowing line managers at the various properties to trigger campaigns, when the inventory would otherwise go to waste, all in a very controlled, meterable environment is just good business.
The news comes less than two months after Harrah's Entertainment Inc. announced mobile marketing services to target personalized promotions to opted-in guests at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Harrah's is providing real-time offers, property information and Total Rewards Club loyalty points balance to Rio guests on their mobile phones. For example, Rio guests can text RIO to the 227466 (CASINO) short code to opt in for offers. A return text will confirm that the opted-in guest will receive four offers for the next four days. A typical Rio's guests stays four days at the property, hence the four-day limit for offers.
Casinos and hotels are a natural fit for mobile marketing. Given the elastic loyalty of strapped consumers, permission-based offers delivered in a timely, relevant manner will resonate.
Full story at: http://tinyurl.com/bf9cpa
March 11, 2009: summarized from Mobile Marketer -- Gaming giant MGM Mirage has thrown its full weight behind mobile marketing with opted-in offers for guests at six casino/hotel properties in Las Vegas and Detroit. The mobile marketing programs are live at the Mandalay Bay, New York-New York, Monte Carlo, The Mirage and Treasure Island in Las Vegas as well as the MGM Grand Detroit in Detroit. Guests at these MGM Mirage resorts will get targeted special offers, alerts, contests and quizzes. The promotions also include real-time offers texted to guests' mobile phones, property information and entertainment promotions such as deals on show tickets or meals in hotel restaurants.
These initiatives are all about ensuring the guest gets the right offer or incentive based on the guest's interests, playing history and location in or out of market. This approach ensures that guests see this program as a tangible benefit from MGM Mirage, and thus drives revenue for MGM Mirage. Mobile is ideal for any sort of perishable inventory, like show tickets, buffets, and hotel rooms. So allowing line managers at the various properties to trigger campaigns, when the inventory would otherwise go to waste, all in a very controlled, meterable environment is just good business.
The news comes less than two months after Harrah's Entertainment Inc. announced mobile marketing services to target personalized promotions to opted-in guests at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Harrah's is providing real-time offers, property information and Total Rewards Club loyalty points balance to Rio guests on their mobile phones. For example, Rio guests can text RIO to the 227466 (CASINO) short code to opt in for offers. A return text will confirm that the opted-in guest will receive four offers for the next four days. A typical Rio's guests stays four days at the property, hence the four-day limit for offers.
Casinos and hotels are a natural fit for mobile marketing. Given the elastic loyalty of strapped consumers, permission-based offers delivered in a timely, relevant manner will resonate.
Full story at: http://tinyurl.com/bf9cpa
Online Casual Games Tops TV in Ad Effectiveness
CM Comment: Note the statistic that casual gamers spend an average of 44 minutes per session at multiple play sessions per week.
March 25, 2009: summarized from ADOTAS -- As marketers and advertisers decide on where to spend their money, they might want to check out the casual gaming industry. In some interesting preliminary data, advertising inside casual games prompted a 48 percent increase in brand awareness, with 61 percent increase in brand awareness with multiple game plays. (Recent studies show that television advertising provides a 9.8 percent brand uplift; Radio 8-10 percent uplift; and Banner CTR have declined to less than .20 percent.)
"If you are looking for engagement, efficiencies and high return on investment online video advertising in casual games delivers all three," said Ty Levine, NeoEdge VP of Marketing. "From the pre-survey to the actual Zappos advertising, we saw a 5x increase in unaided brand awareness where a game included a zappos.com ad in pre, mid and post-roll slots, and that's one brand immersion in the game."
Online casual games demographics include 70 percent female, between 25-54, who spend an average of 44 minutes per session and play multiple sessions each week.
Full story at: http://tinyurl.com/cj3w5f
March 25, 2009: summarized from ADOTAS -- As marketers and advertisers decide on where to spend their money, they might want to check out the casual gaming industry. In some interesting preliminary data, advertising inside casual games prompted a 48 percent increase in brand awareness, with 61 percent increase in brand awareness with multiple game plays. (Recent studies show that television advertising provides a 9.8 percent brand uplift; Radio 8-10 percent uplift; and Banner CTR have declined to less than .20 percent.)
"If you are looking for engagement, efficiencies and high return on investment online video advertising in casual games delivers all three," said Ty Levine, NeoEdge VP of Marketing. "From the pre-survey to the actual Zappos advertising, we saw a 5x increase in unaided brand awareness where a game included a zappos.com ad in pre, mid and post-roll slots, and that's one brand immersion in the game."
Online casual games demographics include 70 percent female, between 25-54, who spend an average of 44 minutes per session and play multiple sessions each week.
Full story at: http://tinyurl.com/cj3w5f
Insisting On An iPhone App? Not So Fast
CM Comment: What you might want to consider before jumping into the iPhone craze.
March 27, 2009: summarized from AdAge.com -- As agencies herd their clients onto the iPhone-application bandwagon, brands are happy to climb onboard. After all, what marketer wouldn't salivate at the engagement prospects behind the 800 million games, utilities and entertainment downloaded from the App Store? And with handset makers Research In Motion and Nokia set to launch their own app storefronts in the coming weeks, app fever is sure to get more fuel. But the rush to apps has led to a backlash in some quarters, and a call for more measured thinking around branded apps.
There are reasons for marketers to exercise caution. For all the stellar numbers Apple publicizes, the data on iPhone-app usage suggest a dimmer reality. The average shelf life of an app is limited, with usage declining by almost a third in the first month after use, according to Pinch Media, which has studied iPhone-app usage based on 30 million downloads. By the company's estimate, only about 1% of downloads translate to long-term use -- not exactly welcome news for marketers looking to nurture relationships with consumers.
Plus, the App Store's growing popularity means marketers have to work harder to rise above the din. It's tough to be discovered among the growing array of apps and even harder to sustain a place among the most downloaded. An app needs momentum right out of the gate to ensure discovery. Getting a top ranking requires a lot of downloads in a narrow window that can be anywhere from 24 hours to five days, according to Pinch Media. Six months ago, 10,000 downloads earned a top-25 ranking; today it takes twice as many. (However, brands that reach top-100 rankings on average more than double their daily number of new users, according to Pinch Media.)
The success of the App Store has also focused marketers on the iPhone to the exclusion of other platforms. To be sure, iPhone users are engaged multimedia users, but published estimates put the number of iPhone users at less than 5% of the handset market, and mobile analyst Mark Lowenstein recently told a conference that the most successful apps reach just 20% of iPhone users. That's led some ardent app believers to advocate a broader approach.
Advances expected for the mobile web also have some wondering whether the app world is sustainable. Some say the limelight will return to the mobile web after the app craze levels off, particularly once its capabilities are on par with those of apps, with all their bells and whistles.
Full story at: http://tinyurl.com/crfyda
March 27, 2009: summarized from AdAge.com -- As agencies herd their clients onto the iPhone-application bandwagon, brands are happy to climb onboard. After all, what marketer wouldn't salivate at the engagement prospects behind the 800 million games, utilities and entertainment downloaded from the App Store? And with handset makers Research In Motion and Nokia set to launch their own app storefronts in the coming weeks, app fever is sure to get more fuel. But the rush to apps has led to a backlash in some quarters, and a call for more measured thinking around branded apps.
There are reasons for marketers to exercise caution. For all the stellar numbers Apple publicizes, the data on iPhone-app usage suggest a dimmer reality. The average shelf life of an app is limited, with usage declining by almost a third in the first month after use, according to Pinch Media, which has studied iPhone-app usage based on 30 million downloads. By the company's estimate, only about 1% of downloads translate to long-term use -- not exactly welcome news for marketers looking to nurture relationships with consumers.
Plus, the App Store's growing popularity means marketers have to work harder to rise above the din. It's tough to be discovered among the growing array of apps and even harder to sustain a place among the most downloaded. An app needs momentum right out of the gate to ensure discovery. Getting a top ranking requires a lot of downloads in a narrow window that can be anywhere from 24 hours to five days, according to Pinch Media. Six months ago, 10,000 downloads earned a top-25 ranking; today it takes twice as many. (However, brands that reach top-100 rankings on average more than double their daily number of new users, according to Pinch Media.)
The success of the App Store has also focused marketers on the iPhone to the exclusion of other platforms. To be sure, iPhone users are engaged multimedia users, but published estimates put the number of iPhone users at less than 5% of the handset market, and mobile analyst Mark Lowenstein recently told a conference that the most successful apps reach just 20% of iPhone users. That's led some ardent app believers to advocate a broader approach.
Advances expected for the mobile web also have some wondering whether the app world is sustainable. Some say the limelight will return to the mobile web after the app craze levels off, particularly once its capabilities are on par with those of apps, with all their bells and whistles.
Full story at: http://tinyurl.com/crfyda
Why E-mail Matters More Than Ever
March 23, 2009: summarized from ClickZ -- Times are tough. Companies are cutting marketing budgets and staff; organizations are looking to do more sales with less upfront investment and fewer people. Recent statistics show that developing an effective e-mail marketing program is more important than ever. There are ways to make your e-mail marketing efforts a key part of weathering this storm.
Be Strategic
Batch-and-blast isn't an effective e-mail marketing strategy. Creating a sound plan for the channel is what will deliver results. Sending relevant e-mail missives, which requires segmenting your list and targeting content, is a key to success. Create relevance and readers will engage with you and be more likely to buy from you.
Be Tactical
Once your strategy is in place, you need to focus on the tactical. This includes frequency and creative execution (copy, design, layout, etc.). Key elements are the sender address, subject line, and snippet copy, along with the preview pane view of the e-mail. I've had some great results with clients, including significant lifts in conversions (leads or sales) as well as opens and clicks, from optimizing the tactical aspects of an e-mail.
Be Smart
Don't delegate your e-mail marketing efforts to a junior person with no e-mail experience and expect great results. Developing an effective e-mail marketing program requires specialized knowledge and skills.
Make Sure Your E-mail Is Delivered to the Inbox
Deliverability is critical to success in e-mail marketing. If some or all of your e-mail fails to reach the inbox, there's little chance those recipients will act on it. Working with a legitimate e-mail service provider (ESP) is one of the best ways to get good deliverability. Assuming your e-mail is making it to the inbox is a mistake. Being proactive will require some budget outlay, but it's well worth the cost.
Test, Test, Test
Designate between 10 and 20 percent of your overall marketing budget to testing. E-mail marketing lends itself to testing, because you can get good results in 24 to 72 hours. If your list is large enough, you can even do a pre-rollout send of test and control versions of your e-mail to a small portion of your list, then rollout to the entire list a few days later with the winner. Not every test will result in a lift in response. But even if you can improve performance only 1 or 2 percent with each test, you'll see your results gradually increase over time. Continually testing increases your odds of hitting the jackpot with a lift of 20 percent, 50 percent, or more.
E-mail is cost-effective and can return great results, but it takes some investment in time, money, and resources to get there. It's your best bet right now.
Full story at: http://tinyurl.com/c72sh4
Be Strategic
Batch-and-blast isn't an effective e-mail marketing strategy. Creating a sound plan for the channel is what will deliver results. Sending relevant e-mail missives, which requires segmenting your list and targeting content, is a key to success. Create relevance and readers will engage with you and be more likely to buy from you.
Be Tactical
Once your strategy is in place, you need to focus on the tactical. This includes frequency and creative execution (copy, design, layout, etc.). Key elements are the sender address, subject line, and snippet copy, along with the preview pane view of the e-mail. I've had some great results with clients, including significant lifts in conversions (leads or sales) as well as opens and clicks, from optimizing the tactical aspects of an e-mail.
Be Smart
Don't delegate your e-mail marketing efforts to a junior person with no e-mail experience and expect great results. Developing an effective e-mail marketing program requires specialized knowledge and skills.
Make Sure Your E-mail Is Delivered to the Inbox
Deliverability is critical to success in e-mail marketing. If some or all of your e-mail fails to reach the inbox, there's little chance those recipients will act on it. Working with a legitimate e-mail service provider (ESP) is one of the best ways to get good deliverability. Assuming your e-mail is making it to the inbox is a mistake. Being proactive will require some budget outlay, but it's well worth the cost.
Test, Test, Test
Designate between 10 and 20 percent of your overall marketing budget to testing. E-mail marketing lends itself to testing, because you can get good results in 24 to 72 hours. If your list is large enough, you can even do a pre-rollout send of test and control versions of your e-mail to a small portion of your list, then rollout to the entire list a few days later with the winner. Not every test will result in a lift in response. But even if you can improve performance only 1 or 2 percent with each test, you'll see your results gradually increase over time. Continually testing increases your odds of hitting the jackpot with a lift of 20 percent, 50 percent, or more.
E-mail is cost-effective and can return great results, but it takes some investment in time, money, and resources to get there. It's your best bet right now.
Full story at: http://tinyurl.com/c72sh4
Social Media Marketing: Time Trap or Opportunity Magnet?
CM Comment: Beware, this white paper is a marketing flyer for the associated conference. With that said, it contains some useful information.
March 24, 2009: summarized from PRWEB -- A surprising 64 percent of marketers are spending five or more hours weekly using social media sites like Twitter, found the just-released Social Media Marketing Industry Report: How Marketers Are Using Social Media to Grow Their Businesses.
"Social media marketing is an engagement with online communities to generate exposure, opportunity and sales," says report author Michael A. Stelzner, founder of WhitePaperSource, "and the real shocker is that experienced folks are investing more than 20 hours each week with social media."
Businesses of all sizes are leaping into the social media pool--and many are well-known brands. Computer giant Dell recently reported a million dollars in sales by issuing coupons on Twitter. Even Ford is using social media to interact directly with its customers.
However, for most marketing pros, social media marketing is a fresh new phenomenon--and it's not just for the young professional. Among the 880 marketers surveyed, 72 percent have been at it for only a few months, and the median age was 40 to 49. "This is a story nobody else is telling," explains Stelzner. "Most marketers know the future is social media, but they aren't sure how their competitors are playing the game."
The leading benefits experienced by social media marketers included:
#1: Generated exposure for the business (81%)
#2: Increased traffic and subscribers (61%)
#3: Established new business partnerships (56%)
Full story at: http://tinyurl.com/ccbzbe
Download whitepaper from: http://www.whitepapersource.com/socialmediamarketing/report/
March 24, 2009: summarized from PRWEB -- A surprising 64 percent of marketers are spending five or more hours weekly using social media sites like Twitter, found the just-released Social Media Marketing Industry Report: How Marketers Are Using Social Media to Grow Their Businesses.
"Social media marketing is an engagement with online communities to generate exposure, opportunity and sales," says report author Michael A. Stelzner, founder of WhitePaperSource, "and the real shocker is that experienced folks are investing more than 20 hours each week with social media."
Businesses of all sizes are leaping into the social media pool--and many are well-known brands. Computer giant Dell recently reported a million dollars in sales by issuing coupons on Twitter. Even Ford is using social media to interact directly with its customers.
However, for most marketing pros, social media marketing is a fresh new phenomenon--and it's not just for the young professional. Among the 880 marketers surveyed, 72 percent have been at it for only a few months, and the median age was 40 to 49. "This is a story nobody else is telling," explains Stelzner. "Most marketers know the future is social media, but they aren't sure how their competitors are playing the game."
The leading benefits experienced by social media marketers included:
#1: Generated exposure for the business (81%)
#2: Increased traffic and subscribers (61%)
#3: Established new business partnerships (56%)
Full story at: http://tinyurl.com/ccbzbe
Download whitepaper from: http://www.whitepapersource.com/socialmediamarketing/report/
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