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

March 12th, 2009

How Facebook is taking over our lives

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President Obama used it to get Elected. Dell is recruiting new hires from it. Microsoft’s new operating system borrows from it. Millions of new users are joining every week. So what’s next for Facebook?

Peter Lichtenstein, 57, recently became an official member of the Facebook army, 175 million strong and, Facebook says, growing at the astounding rate of about five million new users a week, making it a rare bright spot in a dismal economy. If Facebook were a country, it would have a population nearly as large as Brazil’s. It even edges out the U.S. television audience for Super Bowl XLIII, which drew a record-setting 152 million eyeballs.

But these days the folks fervently updating their Facebook pages aren’t just tech-savvy kids: The college and post-college crowd the site originally aimed to serve (18- to 24-year-olds) now makes up less than a quarter of users. The newest members - the ones behind Facebook’s accelerating growth rate - are more, ahem, mature types like Lichtenstein, who never thought they’d have the time or inclination to overshare on the web. It’s just that Facebook has finally started to make their busy lives a little more productive - and a lot more fun. READ MORE…

March 6th, 2009

5 Reasons Promotions Thrive in a Down Economy

As the economy continues to tumble, Marketers are looking for ways to squeeze more value from their budgets. Here’s what smart marketers should know:

1) Brand awareness ads lose their effectiveness. Advertising (or disruptive messaging) is mostly about generating awareness and reinforcing brands. In a recession, ordinary consumers aren’t as willing to spend. Sure, we’ll be aware of the product, but that doesn’t make much difference when you’re not spending. Advertising is also expensive and is a lot easier to cut than headcount.

2) Promotions are about engagement not awareness. Sweepstakes, Promotions & Contests are about rewarding consumers for their attention. You may resist advertising if your finances are tight, but if you have a chance to win cash or a great prize in a down economy it is more likely to get your attention.

3) Social media creates promotion buzz. Consumers are more likely to tell their friends about a great promotion than a brand. Blogs, word of mouth, social networks… are all about people connecting with other people. You may resist advertising if your finances are tight, but if your bud tells you that you could win a new car or tickets to the World Series, that’s more persuasive than advertising. Basically, in a recession, engagement is more important than awareness — and that’s where advertising flops and promotions succeed.

4) It’s less expensive. An interactive promotion campaign is typically $20K to $150K — a lot cheaper than a significant sized ad campaign. Recently we have seen significant growth in promotions paired with social media.

5) It’s measurable. Interactive promotions are highly measurable,  if it generates leads, or conversions, or buzz, or something useful — then you can prove it’s working. But you need to have a plan before you get started.

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 20th, 2009

VitaminWater goes to the Final Four

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VitaminWater revive is asking consumers to share their game winning moment, or re-enact a well-known game winning moment from NCAA Men’s March Madness history and submit it for a chance to win a trip to the 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four in Detroit!

Through March 21, consumers 18 or over  can enter, the VitaminWater, “Revive to Survive Video Contest” by submitting a 2 minute video re-enactment of their favorite game winning moment.

Judges will look for entertainment value, creative execution, overall quality of video to determine the winning video. Grand prize is a trip for the winner and a guest to attend the 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four including the semifinals & Championship Games in Detroit, MI between 4/3/09 and 4/7/09.

February 19th, 2009

True North Goes to the Oscars

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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 17th, 2009

Godiva Fulfills Chocolate Lovers Fantasy

For the second year in a row Godiva has brought back its Valentine’s Day promotion. Last year’s promotion was their biggest ever, providing the chance for a chocolate lover to win the ultimate chocolate fantasy!

The Grand Prize Winner of the Godiva 2nd Annual Valentine’s Day Promotion will receive a deluxe trip for two to New York City and stay in the exclusive Godiva Decadence Suite in NYC’s Bryant Park Hotel. This year’s experience year has been designed by Jonathan Adler. The suite boasts chocolate furnishings and accessories inspired by Adler’s signature pieces and Brooke Shields was on hand to unveil the suite.

To play the Godiva Valentine’s Day Game consumers can obtain a game piece which are included in specially marked Valentine’s Day gift boxes. 100 first prizes which consist of one year of Godiva products will also be awarded as 12 monthly shipments along with an item from the Jonathan Adler collection. Project Support Team (our sister agency) managed the promotion for Godiva again this year.

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 Reading…

February 12th, 2009

10 of the Smartest Brands in Social Media

As we battle a global recession, corporations are looking for new ways to sell their products and engage consumers. Many have turned to the Internet, with Social Media in particular, to market their goods. In the article Mashable looks at 10 companies that have done a phenomenal job of taking advantage of social media platforms. READ MORE…

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

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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, DoritosE*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…