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

June 3rd, 2010

Advertising to the social masses.

When we launch a program, given their short time frame, we often work with our clients on their media strategies. We’ll provide creative and technical support for banner ads and text links and the tracking of those links into the promotional experience. We’ll work on emails for blasts to existing lists, an absolutely surefire way to generate some engagement.

Some clients will want to embark on the great standby that is search advertising, putting ads on Google with specific keywords. The problem with that approach from a promotions angle is that consumers are rarely searching for the promotion, unless it has become an overnight success, something we always strive for but can never promise. Additionally promotions are about engaging the consumer with the brand, and educating them on a possibility that they likely don’t realize is available or haven’t taken note of.

Where we often push our clients to truly expel some advertising dollars and drive usage is social media. With over 103 million Americans (a 140% growth spurt from Jan 09) spending more than a quarter of their time on Facebook and Twitter – it makes sense to take the message to the social masses. Shout your message where the people are. And better yet, target only the people you want to target.

Can we help you soft launch your new power tool product? Sure let’s get on Facebook to drive some traffic. We’ll focus on Dallas, Atlanta and Nashville. We’ll target men, single and married, who are between the ages of 33 and 45. Facebook allows us to get very targeted demographically because of the information collected within a users profile. And now with the advent of the omnipotence of the “Like” button collecting your interests throughout the web, we can dive even deeper to target on interests like Housework, Remodeling, Plumbing, Carpentry, Your Brand, Your Competitors Brand and a slew of other possibilities. We don’t even have time to get into the power of the Facebook platform when integrated with a promotion, but there are huge opportunities there as well.

We find that in the promotional world that these targeted ads drive traffic. A recent program generated over 15k in clicks in just under 15 days with 40+ million impressions and past successes have seen anywhere from a quarter up to half of engaged and opted-in users can be driven from Facebook. Additionally the mandatory Facebook brand page can also a sizable lift in numbers, a first quarter program this year concluded in the client seeing a 110% increase in their fan-base on Facebook.

Taking your existing traditional and online media strategies and combining them with the CPC power of a Facebook ad can truly drive measurable results. Give us a shout if you want to talk more about results for your programs.

April 19th, 2010

USA TODAY’s Read Green, Ride Green Giveaway

USA TODAY announced today the interactive Read Green, Ride Green Giveaway offering e-Edition readers the chance to win a Ford Fusion Hybrid plus one of a total of more than two hundred daily prizes. The promotion is exclusively for e-Edition subscribers and free 30 day trial users.

Readers can register at ReadandRideGiveaway.com and then simply click through their USA TODAY e-Edition thereafter to participate every day for thirty days. The promotion is designed to engage USA TODAY’s interactive audience with a program imbedded within the e-Edition itself and reward subscribers and trial users as they catch up on news from anywhere they are connected.

Each day, one lucky winner will instantly be awarded a year long subscription to the e-Edition and all participants will receive one sweepstakes entry for a chance to win a Ford Fusion Hybrid, 2010’s Motor Trend Car of the Year.

For a detailed description of prizes, eligibility, entry instructions, rules and information about the Giveaway, please visit ReadandRideGiveaway.com. The Read Green, Ride Green Giveaway is designed, developed, and managed by teamDigital Promotions, Bethel, CT and administration is handled by Project Support Team, Inc.

USA TODAY was founded in 1982 with a mission to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation. Through its flagship newspaper and popular Web site, USA TODAY engages the national conversation and connects readers online through social media applications. USA TODAY, the nation’s number one newspaper in print circulation with a total average daily print circulation of nearly 1.9 million, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper Web site which launched in 1995, reach a combined 6.1 million readers daily. The USA TODAY news and information brand also includes: USA TODAY Education, USA TODAY Mobile and USA TODAY Sports Weekly. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).