Good Read: Drake Morton

Tuning In To Media-savvy Girls:

10 Things To Know

By Denise Restauri  Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012

1. This is the time of the girl – we’ve seen it coming, and it’s here. Global organizations focusing on girl “upliftment,” serving future family “upliftment” is working. There are now more girls in U.S. universities than boys.

2. Address the “missing in media” puzzle. Geena Davis Institute on Gender Media:

Myth: Gender imbalance issues have gotten better. Fact: Statistically, there has been little forward movement for girls in media for six decades.

3. Youngster media queens are naturally on the rise. “It wouldn’t be fair for all the girls to buy princess and all the boys to buys superheroes cause… [some] girls want superheroes.” Check out 4-year old Riley on Marketing.

4. Know it and show it: Girls are into what they are into. They are a self-feeding society. Businesses that are on the outside need to get inside.

5. Sharers, creators and carers. They’ll share the “wow” stuff, and if such stuff isn’t out there, they’ll create it.

6. Real, extreme, & fantasy. Girls want to know about real girls doing real things (changing the world), and they want fantasy and extreme. They want it all.
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Good Read: Drake Morton

Rooting Out Worst Practices

by Sherrill Mane, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012

Welcome to one of our first New Year’s reminders. Perhaps we can make 2012 the year when “Best Practices for Conducting Online Ad Effectiveness Research” become standard operating procedures.  And, in a year of action, let’s encourage the vendors to do the research on research that the esteemed Dr. Paul Lavrakas recommended in his 2010 “An Evaluation of Methods Used to Assess the Effectiveness of Advertising on the Internet.” The list of issues and items to consider when adopting best practices is rather long, largely due to the inadequacies of the current research methods and the costs of doing better work.

Let’s address some of the most common misconceptions and root out some worst practices:

1.  It is essential that agency buyers work with their colleagues in research and analytics to determine what the objectives of the research are and which methodologies are most appropriate.
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Interesting Video Thoughts: Drake Morton

All Grown Up, Video Explodes In 2012

by Alison Provost , Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012

If you take a good, hard look at the online video industry, it’s pretty clear that the sector is maturing.  The signs that online video has grown beyond the infant and toddler stages are everywhere:  brands are getting much smarter about their online video strategies; the technology to support it is getting much more sophisticated and exciting; and measurement is becoming more defined and pervasive.

For brands aiming to capitalize on online video — and every brand worth its salt is now incorporating an online video strategy — it’s important to have a sense of how the industry will evolve in the coming months to avoid getting hamstrung by the inevitable growing pains that come with an industry’s maturation.

Here’s our take on the trends taking shape, along with some recommendations for how to navigate them.
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Good News for Retailers: Drake Morton

Facebook Commerce Holds Promise for Retailers

January 20, 2012

Social networks don’t account for much

eCommerce yet, but heavy Facebook users see it as a one-stop shop

Retailers are still in the early stages of using social media as a sales vehicle, but the channel is poised for growth. Booz & Company estimated that $1 billion in goods would be sold through social media in the US in 2011. That figure is expected to triple in 2012 and reach $14 billion by 2015.

Social media and ecommerce have evolved since 1-800-FLOWERS launched the first Facebook storefront in July 2009. Internet users have become more comfortable with online buying on Facebook as they spend more time on the site.

“It is not surprising that shopping and socializing—activities that complement each other in the real world—are beginning to converge online as well,” said Krista Garcia, eMarketer analyst and author of the new report, “Facebook Commerce: Reaching Shoppers Where They Socialize.” “As social media, and Facebook in particular, plays a larger role in consumers’ lives, people are becoming accustomed to performing routine tasks like reading news, watching videos and listening to music, as well as discovering products and shopping, all while staying logged in to a single site. Instead of compartmentalizing daily routines, social media users are treating Facebook as a one-stop platform.”

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Good Information on Ad Spend: Drake Morton

US Online Ad Spend to Close in on

$40 Billion

JANUARY 19, 2012

Online spending will grow 23.3% to $39.5 billion in 2012

US online ad spending will post growth well above 20% again this year to reach nearly $40 billion, eMarketer estimates, as the internet continues to prove its worth to advertisers in a tough economic climate.

“Advertisers’ comfort level with integrated marketing is greater than ever, and this is helping more advertisers—and more large brands—put a greater share of dollars online,” said David Hallerman, eMarketer principal analyst.

Double-digit growth is expected through 2014, when US online ad spending will reach $52.8 billion. In 2016, eMarketer expects advertisers to spend $62 billion online.

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It’s OK! Drake Morton

Embrace Your Inner ‘Screw-Up’

by Gord Hotchkiss , Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012

Humans hate making mistakes. But the fact is, making mistakes is an essential part of being human. Somehow, we have to learn to live on the edge of this paradox. For digital marketers, our entire industry is balanced on this particular precarious precipice.

There are a few rules of thumb to “screwing up” successfully:

You Can Only Learn from Others if You’re in the Middle of the Pack
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Good Read: Drake Morton

Data-Driven Creative

by Michael Kaushansky, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012

As we start the new year, we are entering the age of data-driven creative strategies. Including data as an input into the creative cycle will allow current trends, consumer sentiment, real-time behavior and attitudinal response to be interwoven into creative thinking, thus making a campaign more relevant, dynamic and effective.

Data can enhance creative in major ways throughout the creative lifecycle. Here are three major ways data can help:

1.        Help with design. The science of understanding how brands and products are perceived by the consumer is as old as marketing itself; however, current techniques allow marketers to quickly get a real-time pulse and dive deeper into the consumers’ psyche.  The following tools can provide help with design:
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Good Read: Drake Morton

Nine Steps To Getting The Big Stuff Done

by Loren McDonald, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

I urge you to think big in 2012: to identify the most critical aspect of your email program and focus on ways to improve it so that you can drive greater success and take your program to a higher level.

This, of course, raises the perennial frustration among marketers: “How can I work on this big, important project when I’m already stretched thin on the work my boss expects me to do every day?”

Below are several approaches to help you win over management, not just to get them to see things your way, but also to secure the resources you need:

1. Make the case for focusing on a major goal. You know your email program well enough to be able to identify what I call the fulcrum: the point in your email program that drives the majority of your future revenue, conversions, engagement or loyalty.
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You Need to Help: Drake Morton

By Perry Allison Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012

How Brands Can Grow Their Affluent Customer Base

By Partnering With Innovative Non-Profits

Affluent consumers are typically highly educated, involved in their community, and are avid shoppers. But, increasingly, they are also motivated to shop responsibly. We call these individuals Charitable Commerce Consumers.

In surveying this demographic, we found that this cohort has a median household income of $125,000 a year and a median net worth of $375,000. But what’s interesting is that 80% of them believe it is important for companies to give back and a staggering 90% say they are likely or very likely to shop with a company that supports charitable causes.
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Interesting Stats: Drake Morton

New Research: The Social Media Data Stacks

If you don’t think social media marketing can influence your marketing efforts, consider these facts:

• Social media site users spend an average of 5.4 hours a month engaged in networking sites.
• Facebook attracts 734.2 million unique visitors a month.
• Half of Twitter users discuss TV shows.

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