Short and Sweet Sells Your Stuff

Smith Magazine came up with a great project to engage an audience and promote their product at the same time. Isn't this what advertisers do all the time?

Ad Intelligence is Advantageous

As a PPC manager and strategist, I am very pleased and excited about the possibilities of Microsoft's adCenter add-in beta for Excel 2007 called Ad Intelligence. Just by going through the basic steps of this program, I realize how efficient of a tool this can be to my keyword building. It includes keyword suggestions, categorizations and extractions as well as monthly and daily traffic estimators. Some interesting organizers include the Geographic and Demographic tabs that breakdown the data of your keywords right into the spreadsheet. Ad Intelligence even drops in a easy-to-read color coded chart with the Monetization option which in my opinion is a nice change of pace compared to Google's Adwords templates. I highly reccommend this tool as an addition to marketers' resources for search-related campaigns. Especially with the highly-likely merge of MSN and Yahoo close at hand, you can bet this instrument will become a common and significant accessory to paid search.

Super? Not So Much

I know, I know. There's a million other people out there who have already written their reviews on last night's Superbowl commercials. There were winners and there were duds. However, I would like to dedicate this post to the top 10 that deserve kudos based on their effectiveness and creativity from a marketer's perspective. If you missed them last night, you can catch them all on Ad Age.

1. Audi's Offer You Can't Refuse
As the first few split seconds flashed on my screen, I instantly recognized the setup from my memories of The Godfather. As the camera closes in on the old man waking up to the horror in his bed, my interest peaked and I was dying to know who was responsible for this spoof. When the culprit turned out to be the Audi R8, I was awe-struck with its beauty, design and delivery. That ad left me stunned for 10 minutes and searching online for a price tag. Imagine how many other people all over the world did the same thing.

2. Myspace on My Time
I don't know how much Myspace paid for its Superbowl advertisement to Fox, but it went the different route by flashing its microsite url "myspace.com/superbowlads" across the screen every once in awhile during the game. This was a unique and interesting strategy where it compelled the audience to go online, whether it be right then and there or suffice as a mental reminder for surfing during work the next day.

3. Tide's Take on Interviews
Procter & Gamble's Tide To Go got me LOL with its "Silence the Stain" slogan. They even have a great tie-in campaign online at http://www.mytalkingstain.com/ where you can create your own talking stain for a chance to win their instant daily prizes. Good clean fun.

4. That Crafty Kraft
This ad shows men going NUTS over a neanderthal-looking woman. What's so irresistible about her? Why, it's the peanut perfume from Planters she's wearing, silly! I salute this one because it caters to both sexes of all ages and pokes fun at our society's obsession with dating and attraction. Now, if only it were this easy.

5. Suck One
For all the Bud Light lovers, Old School fans, frat boys and movie buffs, you can't go wrong with sexy Will Ferrell in short shorts. The tagline "(Bud Light) refreshes the palate and the loins" is memorable and gets you curious about Will's new movie coming out called "Semi-Pro". Two for one, not a bad combo.

6. Jiminy Firefly!
Careerbuilder went all out this year but their best ad by far had to be this one. It has all the elements of a great ad: cheesy theme song, cartoons and violence. Also, out of all one-line shooters they came up with, I think they said it great with "Wishing won't get you a better job".

7. Scary Simmons
This ad hits close to home; it was made by The Richards Group based in Dallas, TX. Hearing Richard Simmons scream is priceless.

8. Diet Pepsi Max: New Drug?
Here's another one that showcases celebrities and artists alike. I laughed and cringed at the same time when I heard the iconic song made famous by SNL's own Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan (who makes a cameo appearance at the end) in Night at the Roxbury. Even though the original idea is played out and already past its shelf-life, it's still relevant enough in the market to get a few chuckles. Does it compell people enough to buy and drink Diet Pepsi Max? TBD.

9. Pepsi's bringing sexyback
It's always fun to see some annoying celebrity or pop culture pimp get tossed around like a little doll. Hence the popularity of this other Pepsi Co ad. Sophomoric humor, crossdressing and adult benefits of signing up at pepsistuff.com is what makes this one a winner with the crowd.

10. I'm Renting A Clown
As creepy as this may have been, there's something mesmerizing about a real baby talking about trades and stock. Both ads were great. You're never too young to invest. Check it and click.

Anomaly Makes Jaws Sexy

What do you think of when someone says "bluetooth"? I bet it's nothing like this ad campaign the agency Anomaly put out for Jawbone.

The iPhone Inevitable

Why does it come as a surprise to some that about one million iPhones out of the 3.7 million sold have been unlocked? *Unlocked meaning the phone's settings are disabled to allow the use of any carrier's SIM card.

A new report by Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi traces the gaps between Apple's shipments, AT&T iPhone subscribers and European projections to estimate 1.4 million out there which are unlocked and/or still sitting on store shelves still packaged.

He also brings up the point of concern that there is excess stock of Apple's iPhone inventory. He claims that"if 10% were sold unlocked in the last quarter, it would leave more than one million iPhones unexplained and as many as 238 iPhones unsold per store". The Berstein report suggests that the iPhone's demand is waning and "end-user demand for iPhone is lower than many investors may think based on Apple's $4 million sales figure... and it points to slower iPhone sales in the current quarter, since much of this inventory is likely to be drawn down".

According to The Register, "unlocked phones represent a significant drag on the profitablility of the device. With Apple receving $300 to $400 in carrier payments for each iPhone sold, they generate 50% less revenue and up to 75% less profit than normal. The 1 million phones translates into as much as $400 million in lost revenue".

Coming from a consumer's perspective, I've always found a way to buy the latest mobile devices as soon as they come out. When Motorola's original MOTORAZR V3 showed itself for the first time in market in 2004, it was exclusive to Cingular's (now AT&T) network. I already had a T-Mobile contract and didn't want to break it so I went in search of an unlocked V3 on Ebay. In 2 weeks, I had a brand new unlocked RAZR at my door, popped in my SIM chip and escaped the costs and fees of changing carriers.

That was four years ago. You'd think by now the corporations would realize there's a huge demographic out there of tech-rebels like me. Supposedly, Apple has gone to great lengths to make it hard to unlock iPhones where updates to patch security bugs typically re-lock the handsets. However, hackers always prevail and found a work-around. Less than a week after the most recent version of the firmware was released, so-called jailbreaks that unlock the phone were circulating online.

Whether it's due to its retail pricetag, contractual and expensive service plans with AT&T or the disadvantage of being the first generation of its kind, the iPhone doesn't seem to be worth its weight to many consumers. Especially in our recent economic recession, people are planning to spend less in general. This in turn would probably cause Apple to lower the iPhone's selling price. Many are waiting for a more sophisticated and fine-tuned version. The rest are patiently waiting for the iPhone to go the way of the MOTORAZR and become available across all network carriers.

Now You CD, Now You Don't

Last month one sunny morning, I walked down the steps of my apartment to find a big Christmas surprise. Someone had broken into my car and stolen a boxed serving tray my sweet mum had given me. It was only worth about $30 for the $800 worth of damages ensued. The interesting thing I noticed was that through all the scattered glove-box items and rummaging of my art supplies, the intruder didn't think to take my music case of 300 CDs. They certainly found it, but thought them worthless. Is my taste in music really all that bad? I doubt it since there were plenty to choose from. Rather, I think it's a sign of the times which brings me to an article that was released today in the New York Times.

People are spending less money on CDs due to the growth of digital music sales. CDs are going the way of eight tracks and cassette tapes. This trend is causing the music industry to look elsewhere in the likes of internet providers and lawmakers. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry reported that overall sales of recorded music fell about 10 % in 2007 ($17.6 billion) however, worldwide digital music sales rose to $2.9 billion from $2.1 billion a year earlier which makes up 15 % of overall sales. CD sales were more than 20% down last year.

With the trend of everything going digital, security and legal rights have always been an ongoing battle. Piracy has record labels going to Internet service providers demanding strict rules and discipline. Remember what happened with Napster? That case really didn't deter too many copyright violators.

As an avid fan for all things Apple, I am guilty of being a contributing factor to the compact disc's slow dissapearance from technology. I purchase and download about 20 songs a month from iTunes. Think about it. It's easier to sit in the comfort of your home or office and with a click of a mouse, have instant access to your new and favorite music. Much more convenient compared to the old days where you had to drive to the nearest music store to pay for the same music which would have cost more (new album releases on iTunes go for $9.99 while in-store can range from $11.99 on up).

CD's that house music aren't the only ones losing their cool. Little by little, DVD sales are soon to follow suit. People are downloading movies and videos online now. Netflix and Apple have smartly picked up on this digital trend. A related playing component is the fact that within the next 5 years all television screens and cable networks will be streaming in HDTV. Everything you could ever want in terms of entertainment, news and information is literally at your fingertips. The way of wireless has brought a new meaning to the term "high tech".

Very soon, we will see the latest cars with built-in wireless transmitters for your iPods and bluetooth headsets; no need to buy these accessories separately. The 6-disc CD changer will no longer be a luxury to car owners. Maybe one day, we'll find the technology to command our car to play our favorite track and to allow the internal computer to automatically compile a DJ list based on our playback history. How cool would that be?

For now, I'll have to find a good use for my 300 CDs.

Slimming Down Your Space

Steve Jobs did it again. Not suprising to most avid Mac insiders and followers, Apple announced the launch of its MacBook Air today at the annual Macworld Expo in San Francisco. However, contrary to what Apple may say (you shouldn't believe everything you hear anyways, at least not from the media), the Sony X505 was actually the first ever world's thinnest notebook which released back in 2003. Other new Apple releases included iPhone software upgrades, iTunes movie rentals (giving Netflix a run for their money) and last but not least, the time capsule wireless hard drive. Still anticipate shelling out big bucks for these new toys.

Upcoming Ad Fads

A new eMarketer article was published today focusing on the 3 hidden media advertising trends in 2008. In fact, CEO and co-founder Geoff Ramsey quoted eMarketer's prediction of U.S's total online spending share to be 9.3% for 2008 compared to last year's 7.4%.



So what does 9.3% translate into? How about $27.5 billion just for internet advertising. Most of the spend will be contributed to social network and online video advertising which are projected to be in the double-digit rates this year. Thanks to eMarketer, they've demonstrated this in easy-to-see charts.





Even though these two arenas are hot spots right now, they will probably only generate about 10% of total online advertising spend ($2.9 billion).

Geoff Ramsey thinks the three main trends for this year will relate to media fragmentation, the continual growth of the internet's reach and the emphasis on the consumer's content.

Media Fragmentation: On our way to closing the gap
Ad networks such as Google and Yahoo are still growing strong and becoming more mature and sophisticated in their ability to target specific consumer groups. We've been learning how to harness media fragmentation to cater to the needs of advertisers and consumers. In this way, advertisers have a bigger reach to audiences who share similar interests across endless, different websites.

Continual Growth of the Internet's Reach: Web is King
According to the article, "the Internet is becoming the central hub of most media and marketing campaigns-and for good reason. Not only is the Internet now used extensively by every major demographic group, and for a variety of purposes including information, communication and entertainment, but it also allows for a two-way interaction between consumers and marketers that is not found in any other medium". Along with the evolution comes various tools and measurement metrics that will help marketers optimize and support their media strategies.

Emphasis on the Consumer's Content: The Consumer is in Control
Media power is shifting from the interruption-disruption model towards the trend where consumers are more in control of their media content and ad intake. The internet audience is creating content on their own in the form of blogs, on social networks, wikis and other digital-communication platforms. Advertisers will have to follow suit in these formats if they want to keep up with the Joneses. The most successful and top-performing ad campaigns integrate entertainment, relevance and enough wow-factor that they will cause a buzz among consumers who will seek it out and share it. Create it and they will come.

The Eyes Have It

One interesting element to keep in mind this year for all digital marketers is making eye contact with your consumer. With the growth of visual marketing stimuli at every turn, it is getting harder to catch the general audience's attention with online and print campaigns.
Researchers have been reporting the science of tracking eye movements for years now and this little nugget is not a new discovery to the marketer's strategies in ad placements and targeting. However, with the technological winds of change comes the evolution of how people view and take in this material. Understanding the data from eye tracking trends is a valuable tool to customer behavior insight and measuring your marketing effectiveness.
Here is an exerpt from a report from Corbis on Eye Tracking Trends in Media Advertising:

“For many years the most consistent way users viewed pages, according to eye tracking tests, was in an “F” pattern (also known as the “golden triangle”). This means that viewers first looked at the upper left corner, then scanned down and over in a consistent pattern. But there’s evidence that this model is changing as more advertising is shifted online.
Gord Hotchkiss, president of Enquiro and a columnist for MediaPost.com’s Search Insider*, conducted some research recently on eye tracking and made some interesting and unexpected discoveries that run counter to the classic “F” conclusion. Hotchkiss’ research revealed that more people are viewing online content in an “E” pattern. They start by looking at graphics in the middle of the page first and then follow the copy up and down from there. And though bigger images were better at grabbing attention, this rule was still true even when small thumbprint images were used”.

So how can a marketer apply this knowledge? Here a few tips released from the Corbis corporation:

Headline or images? Yes! There is conflicting data on whether viewers spot headlines or graphics first, so best to hedge your bets and integrate the two smoothly by merging the headline and image. And keep in mind the “E” pattern when doing so.

Keep it simple. Online images that are too conceptual or vague are often passed over because they’re confusing. Make sure the image is directly relevant to the copy, especially in the headline, as noted above.

Keep it real. Viewers are instinctively drawn to human faces in ads and there’s growing evidence that “real people” rather than professional models are more likely to keep their attention.

More is not necessarily better. Though people gravitate towards imagery, too many pictures in one ad can confuse and clutter the message.

Don’t get too colorful. Eye tracking research has shown that black, white, red, yellow, blue and green are the most likely to get noticed online. This doesn’t mean you should ignore the rest of the rainbow, but it’s best to highlight your key message with one of these six shades.

Ad Growth Goes to TV & Web in 2008

2008 is certainly a happy new year for advertising and marketing agencies.
U.S. media advertising spending is estimated to go up 4% (about $479 billion) in '08 compared with 2007's 3%. Spending worldwide is expected to be 7%.












According to the report and GroupM's Futures Director Adam Smith, the global ad growth will primarily go to televison (50%) and internet (30%) marketing. Smith says spending on sponsorships and public relations is growing faster than for traditional advertising. He also predicts that "5% of global ad investment will shift from developed to emerging economies in 2008, the largest such shift ever recorded". China will lead with 21% of all new money and the U.S. next in line with 20%. What is bringing this shift? The forecasted spendings are influenced by the 2008 Olympics being held in China and the U.S. presidential election.

Some other highlights to look forward to in the new year:

~ Internet ad spending is expected to exceed 10% of global ad investment in 2008 for the first time ever
~Search will comprise 65-70% of measured online advertising in 2008, up from 50% in 2005
~Online advertising is expected to be the largest single medium for Sweden for the first time ever
~Advertising spending in newspapers and classified advertising in traditional sources is expected to continue to suffer