Digital Advertising « Promotions 2.0

March 22nd, 2010

Sell it Socially. Retailers are Missing the Social Mark.

There are 400+ million potential customers on Facebook. They’re talking about your brand and they are eager to participate with it, learn more about it and share their love for it and what it can offer others. Retailers are missing a huge opportunity to not just reach their customers but to actually engage and begin the purchase process in the social sphere. But, before we jump in too deeply to tactical thoughts, let’s look at a few details which cannot be ignored.

The “2010 Social Media Report” from ForeSee Results shares that 69% of online shoppers regularly use social media sites. Furthermore, it was found that more than half of these shoppers choose to engage with these brands on social sites by friending or following. These users clearly want to engage with brands, but as for all of us, their time and attention span is limited.

When teamDigital develops promotional programs for brands that operate in a retail environment, we recommend in path product/service offers and deals. This might mean that, after a direct interaction within a share and ‘you could win instantly’ scenario, we deliver a product that is relevant to the experience at a discounted price or offer free shipping. Consumers can them be driven to the brand’s existing e-commerce system to fulfill on that offer. teamDigital encourages and often works with our clients to continue this methodology within their Facebook fan page, adding value and incentive for consumers to stay engaged with their brand even after the promotional period has ended. A few ways in which brands can continue to add value and drive consumers to purchase consideration:

1. A Facebook Fan Page Mini-Product Shopping Experience.

Utilize your Facebook tabs to showcase product that is relevant to the consumer right now. They’re within Facebook (which is perceived as comfortable, safe and friendly) and they’re already engaged with your brand. Run seasonal, holiday or other thematically based product selections on this tab and offer some sort of incentive: free shipping, a discount, buy one-get-one. Then allow the user to click out to an in-cart shopping experience on your site. Threadless, a t-shirt company that allows individuals to upload graphics to a website and then via a community voting system produces the most popular, is using Facebook to extend their community experience and rating system while also allowing users to step directly into the purchase process. See it in action.

2. Use Facebook to Drive Interest in these Products and Incentivize Participation.

Extending from the above or another similar experience, you can allow users to share their favorite products, recommend them to friends or send as virtual gifts directly within the Facebook platform. Now, here’s the hook. You can link that peer to peer recommendation directly back to your Page, and if the user is not already your Fan, require them to become one in order to take advantage of your special offers.

3. Use Video to Create Stories About Your Product.

Will It Blend is web only content segment that showcases a product blender from a company called BlendTech. There is a charismatically awkward host who each week uses a BlendTech blender to destroy the newest hottest electronic gadget. Two things happen. First the video showcases something new and hot for consumers and leverages the internet-buzz about that product to drive traffic - the iPad for instance. And then, with a magical change of focus, the once amazing new device is pulverized to dust by a seemingly ordinary product (the blender) when compared side by side. Will it Blend has created a reputation for its BlendTech blenders as being the most powerful blender on the market by creating content that is semi-relevant and slightly shocking. Sharing this content within a social network such as YouTube or Vimeo has allowed them to expand their reach and provided nearly free advertising as the videos are embedded in blogs, social sites, emails and other mediums around the web.

As the US retail e-commerce sales begin to resume their estimated 12.7% year over year growth, staying ahead of competitors and being innovative where consumers are active most will lead to greater brand awareness, consumer social share participation and ultimately sales.

June 10th, 2009

Promotions Make Media More Measurable

We all keep hearing about the challenges of measuring marketing campaigns. It’s true, tracking the overall ROI of a campaign is not entirely possible since there is a large qualitative and not quantitative aspect involved. However, by adding a promotional element we can directly track consumer interactions & engagement.

Traditional media campaigns rely on eyeballs, meaning the amount of people who actually see the ad. However, as media costs continue to rise, audiences have become more fragmented, making them harder to reach. So how do you measure the success of these massive costs? Well, you try to figure out how many people saw the ad, it’s like measuring the success of a Google AdWords campaigns strictly by impressions, not very effective, since the majority of advertising messages are ignored by consumers. Traditional media relies entirely on one way communication, with as many people as possible, but then what? As advertising clutter continues to expand consumers ignore a larger percentage of the ads they see. All we have to do is click the skip button, change the channel, or turn our heads; which in most cases is exactly what we do.

Continue on…

May 14th, 2009

iPhone Continues to Grow as Ad Platform

iphone

Madison Avenue is plowing more resources into a new marketing medium: Apple Inc.’s iPhone.

In the past several months, companies such as Burger King Holdings Inc., Zippo Manufacturing Co. and Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. have experimented with promotional software applications that can be downloaded onto the iPhone, or they have created ads that are placed within other popular applications for the device.

At the most basic, marketers are taking advantage of the iPhone’s advanced video and screen capabilities by creating streaming video ads. But some are taking things further by offering ads disguised as apps. The latter allow users to do such things as play games or manipulate images by touching the phone’s screen.

Many marketers find “app-vertising” attractive because the iPhone’s audience has grown so quickly. The iPhone now has more than 20 million users, and more are likely to buy in because Apple is widely expected to unveil a new model in coming months. Analysts estimate that Apple’s iPod touch, which can also run downloaded apps, adds at least 15 million more users to the market. Continue on…

April 9th, 2009

Moving from Clicks to Conversions

For over a decade, Website publishers have relied on an old advertising model: Publishers provided advertisers access to online viewers, and the more desirable those viewers, the more online publisher charged for banner impressions. Like the early days of television this model worked (for a while), but as advertising clutter increased and consumers began to see banners as noise click-through rates have dropped to an all time low.

Marketers are now shifting their focus from a one dimensional awareness approach to integrated marketing strategies that leverage the engagement cycle to move consumers from awareness to conversion.

Unlike the sales funnel. Engagement is better thought of as a cycle, a series of touchpoints designed to create engagement with a brand in order to drive a purchase, each time in a meaningful and valuable way to both brand and consumer.

In the world of interactive promotions the engagement cycle is driven by three primary stages: awareness, activation, and conversion (or purchase). Throughout the cycle, marketers must measure in order to add value throughout the cycle.

Continue on…

March 13th, 2009

Advertising in the Digital Age

The emergence of digital media has created some very fundamental and important changes in the world of advertising. New digital technologies are creating a wide range of new possibilities for two-way communication and measurement. The power of promotions to cut through clutter and capture consumer interest and attention is also beginning to blur the line between advertising and promotional marketing strategies. These changes are redefining the rules for advertising in the digital age. Continue on…

March 1st, 2009

2009 Marketing Predictions

As the economy continues to spiral out of control, Marketers are rethinking their marketing & advertising strategies and looking to do more with less. Here’s what you can expect in the year ahead.

Measurement becomes king
As brands wise up and the economy tightens, marketers will flow dollars to channels that can be measured and provide a clear ROI.

Promotions overtake interactive brand marketing
Offline 60% of marketing dollars are promotional rather than brand focused. however, online only 22% of dollars are promotional. and on social networks the share is even lower. in 2009 expect to see more contests, sweepstakes, and sampling programs run through social networks (and expect them to be heavily measured)

Social spreads everywhere
Facebook connect, google friend connect, and myspaceID will bring social interactions to the rest of the web. Savvy marketers will begin to integrate social network features into their online brand presence.

Digital becomes the core
In 2009 brands will engage audiences with integrated marketing that places digital at the core of the marketing mix rather than an afterthought. Digital campaigns move beyond display media to other interactive platforms - including social networks and mobile platforms.

Mobile goes mainstream
New technologies and innovations driven by the success of the iPhone and new hide speed mobile networks will finally move mobile marketing beyond SMS and into the spotlight.

February 19th, 2009

True North Goes to the Oscars

TrueNorth Snacks is a new brand of 100% natural nut snacks made by Frito-Lay. They are currently sponsoring a consumer-generated-content contest which will result in them airing the most extraordinary “True North” story in a 60-second commercial directed by Helen Hunt during the Oscars. Consumers are invited to submit their own “True North” story in 300 words or less which they defined as something amazing, something that makes the world a better or more interesting place or simply a passion that inspires you to get up in the morning because you know it’s your purpose on earth.

There are currently 5 extraordinary True North stories featured as finalists here on their website that you can check out. One of these stories will be the winner and have their story turned into a commercial that will run during the Oscars. The winner will also receive $25,000 in cash.

February 12th, 2009

New Viral Campaigns not so Viral.

Last year McDonalds launched a television commercial for Chicken McNuggets featuring 2 guys who created viral buzz with a catchy rap jingle on YouTube. Now Visa has launched a travel-focused campaign starring internet celebrity Matt Harding, who dances his way through several locations across Asia, promoting Visa’s global currency campaign.

In the new commercial Matt celebrates the hassle-free joy of the unnecessary currency exchange due to the mass acceptance of Visa, as he travels around the world. The advert debuted in Hong Kong and Korea and will be broadcasted in eight countries and territories in the Asia Pacific region over the next few weeks.

After high school Harding decided to skip university and become a video game developer. His career took him to Brisbane for 2½ years. His first video, filmed while travelling with a co-worker, was made simply as a running gag for family and friends, but quickly spread virally across the web, when he posted his video of him dancing in front of landmarks and street scenes in various international locations on his YouTube account mattharding2718 in 2005. Today over 1,3 million people have watched that video. Continue on…

February 9th, 2009

Promotions 2.0 - The Future of Interactive Marketing

Advertising & marketing are going through a period of significant transformation. The old model of bombarding consumers with disruptive advertising is broken. This presentation offers a new model for marketers looking to create brand value in a 2.0 world

February 5th, 2009

Super Bowl Marketers Hone Digital Game

etrade

Super Bowl advertisers have stepped up their digital game this year.

Interactive TV ads, sophisticated search strategies, interactive contests, mobile-phone promotions and social-networking campaigns are just a few of the ways major marketers are extending the reach of their Super Bowl campaigns, including, Anheuser-Busch, Doritos, E*Trade Financial, CareerBuilder, Samsung and Pedigree.

“We’re definitely trying to change our mind-set to use mass TV in a more efficient and effective way,” says Matt Ramella, manager of media and digital marketing for Labatt Breweries of Canada, a unit of Anheuser-Busch InBev that also handles Canadian advertising for Budweiser. “Digital extensions pick up where mass media leaves off.”
By Emily Steel, WSJ READ MORE…

Promotions 2.0Blurring the line between interactive advertising, promotions and social network marketing.

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