Archive for the ‘Marketing Technology’ Category
Mashable recently surveyed 2600+ people, asking them how they’re watching TV’s new fall lineup (TV sets or Computers). Although the top answer was still good old fashioned TV sets (at 28%) the combined answers of the other 72% were some form of the internet. It’s no surprise that, for now, Hulu owns a bug chunk of this 72%.
But, just like you can’t cut and paste radio ads into TV commercials, you can’t expect a typical :30 second TV spot to have much effect online. People expect more these days. Choices, interactivity, and amazing creative. In fact, interactivity and behavioral targeting are already becoming the norm, like Hulu’s “Which ad experience would you prefer?” commercial option. New technology like this allows consumers to pick the commercial they prefer to view. They’re willing to watch a commercial they can’t fast-forward through, but it better be worth it. That means relevant, useful or just darn good fun to watch.
Most Hulu viewers say they don’t mind watching good commercials online. A recent study showed they’re even willing to view more than the average four-minutes-per-hour of commercials currently being aired. BUT, they’d better be good. Which is where targeted consumer behavior comes in. The Hulu commercial choice in the photo above allows viewers to choose which type of hair product they want to view, so they can watch an ad that is relevant to their specific needs. Soon most video ads online will be behaviorally geared, derived from online viewing preferences like this. It’s just like what’s happening now with most online banner ads. Video commercials that are always specific to the viewer are the obvious next step in online technology.
While all this can seem a bit creepy, consumers seem to get past their privacy concerns quickly, seeing that the benefits of more targeted and relevant ads are worth allowing some cookies on their site. For advertisers, this means a much higher ability to fine tune target audiences than just gender, age and income brackets. Nielsen has already made great headway into this new genre of ratings with the intent of cutting out wasted airtime to the wrong audience.
The million dollar question remains. Will viewers gain a new level of appreciation for advertising online as the messages become more targeted, relevant and (hopefully) memorable in a good way? So far it seems that answer may be yes. But if and when tasteless, poorly produced ads start popping up one after another to the point that viewers forgot what they tuned in to watch, this new opportunity will die a quick death. It’s up to the ad industry, and our clients, to make sure this doesn’t happen. (Wish us luck)
Can’t keep up with the changing times in technology? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. But be prepared because things are only going to get crazier. Maybe we should all just buy stock in headache relievers?
Better yet, maybe we should just give ourselves a break. After all, our brains weren’t meant to complete multiple algorithms of complex problems in fractions of a second. Sure, today thousands of pieces of information are being put in front of us every moment via online technology, but that doesn’t mean we’re supposed to understand it all. We’re not stupid. We’re just human.
If you don’t quite get what we’re talking about here, it’s the intimidation factor. Have you said this lately: “I don’t understand Twitter. I don’t know what Google Analytics really is. I can’t figure out my email campaign report analysis. I don’t know what HTML5, java, css and Google Instant are.”
YOU’RE NOT ALONE. We hear it from our clients all the time. They often feel like everyone else knows all this stuff, but they don’t. Wrong. Most still don’t (Case in point, per a Forrester Research study this past July, only 2% of the US population can accurately explain what Twitter is). Feel better?
But face the facts, you’re going to have to find others you trust to help you integrate your business into this new world. You don’t have to know it, but you have to know and trust people who do.
What a surprise…once again it all boils down to that five letter word: T-R-U-S-T.
If you’ve visited our Brandtailers office you probably noticed that we have books everywhere. All on marketing and advertising. We’re fanatical about staying ahead of the curve, so we read a lot.
But, if you only have time to read a few books over the summer, how do you choose from Amazon’s 33,000 titles in marketing, advertising, and social media? Ugh.
We filtered through our library and found what we believe are today’s five best books to read. They offer you a well-rounded understanding of the latest consumer preferences, marketing strategies and technology need-to-knows. Hopefully you’ll have time to devour a few. (Oh, and for those of us who spend more time in their cars or at the gym than sitting with a book, there’s always Audible.com)
1. DON’T MAKE ME THINK – Steve Krug
Although it’s a couple years old, it’s still the best book on what makes a great website. It’s written in plain, and downright funny, language. We often give it to clients as gifts. It’s not for programmers. It’s for the rest of us.
2. TRIBES – Seth Godin
Seth hit another home run with Tribes. He took what is happening in the world of marketing and applied it to basic human behavior. By the time you finish this short book, you’ll feel like you’re viewing the world through a whole new lens.
3. THE NEW RULES OF MARKETING AND PR – David Meerman Scott
David just revised this book with new updates, so make sure you get the latest edition. It has the best examples of how things have changed for marketers, along with the new rules of engagement. It’s simple, useful and inspiring.
4. TRUST AGENTS – Chris Brogan and Julien Smith
For anyone who has spent a year or more in social media, this book may seem a bit simplistic. But the overall message of how trust drives today’s world of marketing is the most important and valuable take away. It makes you want to be a better person (and marketer).
5. WEB ANALYTICS 2.0 – Avinash Kaushik
OK, maybe sections of this book get into a little too much detail, but you can skip those parts. Avinash is so entertaining in the way he explains current web technology, you’ll be chuckling while learning. Don’t be afraid of the title (or his name).
What books would you add to this list?
The on-demand web video site Hulu announced a new subscription service Tuesday called Hulu Plus, which will allow users to unlock full seasons of premium shows on ABC, NBC and FOX across a variety of new platforms for a flat monthly fee of $9.99. This includes a growing library of 120 seasons of TV and 2,000 episodes, according to Hulu.
While the business world debates Hulu’s business model, we marketers are looking at it as one more significant move that will put television as we know it in the grave. Especially because Hulu is offering its new service in mobile formats on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, as well as select Samsung internet-enabled TVs and Blu-Ray players. It will also soon offer Hulu Plus service on PlayStation 3 and X-Box 360, as well as devices from Sony and Vuzio.
Advertising space will continue to be sold, which means Hulu is adopting Cable TV’s strategy of collecting fees from both advertisers and subscribers. But advertisers will soon be able to geo-target specific messages to specific audiences in specific areas making their ad dollars much more cost-effective. And millions of people have already said they’re willing to pay $9.99 a month in order to watch almost any show they want anywhere, anytime, on any media player.
But don’t throw your TV set away. After all, antique shops are always looking for classic oldies. Your 72″ screen may someday become a valuable relic.
If you don’t understand what Foursquare is, you’re just like 98% of all Americans. Feel better now? But you probably should know what it is and a bit about how it works, so you can understand its implications for the quickly emerging power of what we call geo-location and geo-targeting services.
Most people know what OnStar is. Or even Lo-Jack. They’re computer and satellite driven resources that know how to find your car in case of trouble. Take that concept and put it on your mobile phone. Then look at your phone as having the capability of being OnStar or Lo-Jack headquarters, where you can see where everyone in your network is. Real time.
But say you have a lot of friends. And you only want to know where those geographically closest to you are. Just use your phone to “check-in”, sharing where you are (i.e. Kung Pao China Buffet). The technology Foursquare offers lets your friends see that you’re there. You can also see which of your friends are there, or at another place close by. Like maybe within four square blocks of where you are. Get it?
Then get the restaurants, movie theaters and retail stores involved and allow them the opportunity to entice you in. They’ll offer free food, special coupons, and even ego-centric virtual power trips like making you the “Mayor of Kung Pao China Buffet” with extra little perks. All because you frequent that establishment more often (or just first). There’s more to it, but this is enough to give you what you should probably understand.
So, who cares you ask? For now, only about 2% of America. But think about the implications of this technology being at everyone’s fingertips. Very Big Brotherish, but also very convenient. Now, think about what will happen when Facebook takes it and runs with it, which they intend to do very, very soon.
Stand by. It’s only just begun.
Facebook is diving into the Geotargeting world. Google already has multiple tools tied to this technology. Foursquare and Gowalla are the current internet hotties, mostly because the strength of their location-based API’s are so intriguing. But what does this mean and why should you care? Well, for one thing, it takes the vastness of the internet and localizes it for business and personal use.
Case in point. You’re driving around an area looking for an interesting restaurant. You’d love to have a library of options at your fingertips but too many choices, especially irrelevant ones, are just as useless as none at all. So you push one simple button on your mobile phone and maybe add in the price range you’re looking for. And, oh, you’re in the mood for Thai food. As Emeril would say, BAM! You have the top options right there on your mobile phone, along with reviews. But that’s only the beginning. You also see who you know that’s eating there right now, how long the wait is, and what the specials are for that evening. And because your phone knows where you ate last night, last week, last month, it gives you a comparison in terms of how much you spent, and how many people who ate at the other places you ate at also ate at the restaurant options currently showing on your mobile phone.
This is a basic Geotargeting service that’s been around for a few years now. In the tech world it’s no longer a big deal. But the most important part of this technology is just now being realized, as people become more and more overwhelmed with the vast amount of information available to them (usually for free) online. When it comes to needing/doing things locally, this takes the online world and narrows it down to something as small as a neighborhood block.
Stop for a moment and think about how that can help your business. This technology not only allows them to find you, but you to find them. Hmmm…. Opportunity? We think so.
