Viral marketing is a term that is much used, much abused probably.
Many have tried it, few have succeeded.
Click on the title to watch a video with some ingredients for success.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Do You Know Who's on Twitter? - eMarketer
Do You Know Who's on Twitter? - eMarketer
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The logical and right answer is: a lot or people and more precisely a lot of young people.
What I found more surprising though, is the 'activity map' of Twitter.
Twitter seems to be animated by very few very active people. The rest...just consume that content
Could we conclude on line media are not too different from off line media: A very small percentage of people create the content that is being consumed by the coach potatoes?
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The logical and right answer is: a lot or people and more precisely a lot of young people.
What I found more surprising though, is the 'activity map' of Twitter.
Twitter seems to be animated by very few very active people. The rest...just consume that content
Could we conclude on line media are not too different from off line media: A very small percentage of people create the content that is being consumed by the coach potatoes?
The next step in audience measurement
I seem to become obsessed by measurement. Why's that? Because I've come to realize that measurement is the only way to progress, the only way to make change.
The difficulty so far was that on the one hand we were being delivered audience data, with no link to sales, on on the other hand have our sales data, with no link to marketing communication.
And yes, through some modeling work and other research efforts we are trying to bridge this gap. Sometimes very successfully so, but not nearly enough.
In the US Starcom did a pair of upfront deals using so-called secondary guarantees based on consumers' purchasing behaviors and lifestyles. We'll be able to link audience data to purchase behavior. You can find more details in an Ad Age article by clicking on the title of this post.
Is it perfect from a methodology perspective? Probably not. It does not take into account the quality of the creative and does away with POS activities. Yet, it is definitely a step in the right direction.
The difficulty so far was that on the one hand we were being delivered audience data, with no link to sales, on on the other hand have our sales data, with no link to marketing communication.
And yes, through some modeling work and other research efforts we are trying to bridge this gap. Sometimes very successfully so, but not nearly enough.
In the US Starcom did a pair of upfront deals using so-called secondary guarantees based on consumers' purchasing behaviors and lifestyles. We'll be able to link audience data to purchase behavior. You can find more details in an Ad Age article by clicking on the title of this post.
Is it perfect from a methodology perspective? Probably not. It does not take into account the quality of the creative and does away with POS activities. Yet, it is definitely a step in the right direction.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
At the same time: Brand Marketers Embrace Social Media
Brand Marketers Embrace Social Media - eMarketer
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Now this is a nice follow-up on my post earlier today, and please allow me to be cynical for a second: we'd rather act like lemmings, throwing ourselves off the cliff than to stand out from the crowd and survive.
So whilst, in a rare case of honesty, our media consultants are telling us that social media are big, but not sure how to handle that beast, marketers have decided to jump and invet more in social media. The scary thing is that at the same time they admit not having the measurements in place. Ever tried to sell, say TV, to your boss this way: 'I'm not sure what it's getting us, nor the impact on your brands, but hey, it's big...'?
I can only repeat my advice: do it, but do is cautiously and wisely and measure whilst you do so. Because, if it's a success, we want you to do more. If not, we want you to learn from it.
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Now this is a nice follow-up on my post earlier today, and please allow me to be cynical for a second: we'd rather act like lemmings, throwing ourselves off the cliff than to stand out from the crowd and survive.
So whilst, in a rare case of honesty, our media consultants are telling us that social media are big, but not sure how to handle that beast, marketers have decided to jump and invet more in social media. The scary thing is that at the same time they admit not having the measurements in place. Ever tried to sell, say TV, to your boss this way: 'I'm not sure what it's getting us, nor the impact on your brands, but hey, it's big...'?
I can only repeat my advice: do it, but do is cautiously and wisely and measure whilst you do so. Because, if it's a success, we want you to do more. If not, we want you to learn from it.
The Future of Media » Blog Archive » Still think social media is a fad?
The Future of Media » Blog Archive » Still think social media is a fad?
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Nice piece of work on Social Media. Interesting data, although I would think most of it is not new to media professionals.
Even more interesting is the article though and especially this sentence: 'Right now, essentially we’re asking them to go on a lot of faith. Because we don’t have all the answers–not even Facebook does, although the Lab collectively suspects they will continue to lead the way and are getting closer.'
I read this as: it's huge, it's massive, but we don't know really how to use it. We don't know what works, and what not... We don't know the ROI.
Would that mean that we don't use it? No! You want my advice: use, but with caution and make sure you have systems in place to learn from what you do.
Posted using ShareThis
Nice piece of work on Social Media. Interesting data, although I would think most of it is not new to media professionals.
Even more interesting is the article though and especially this sentence: 'Right now, essentially we’re asking them to go on a lot of faith. Because we don’t have all the answers–not even Facebook does, although the Lab collectively suspects they will continue to lead the way and are getting closer.'
I read this as: it's huge, it's massive, but we don't know really how to use it. We don't know what works, and what not... We don't know the ROI.
Would that mean that we don't use it? No! You want my advice: use, but with caution and make sure you have systems in place to learn from what you do.
Display Ad Success Beyond the Click - eMarketer
Display Ad Success Beyond the Click - eMarketer
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Yet another article on the power of Banners vs TV. The clash of the titans continues. In one corner nimble, yet powerful digital marketing tools, in the other corner, big, bulky, slow, but mighty TV advertising.
After 1000 rounds the jury still is still not conclusive of who the winner is.
Mr e-mktg juryman has declared digital as winner. There is no doubt in the mind of Mr. TV juryman, that TV is the clear winner. They both have a huge amount of evidence to support their believes!
Maybe we should bring in a third party juryman, one that brings with him a neutral set of metrics, that allows us to equally measure TV and online and truly compare. And you know what: I don't care! In this match there can't be a winner, there shouldn't be a winner. Rather than have them fight against each other, I would like to see them join forces!
So, stop this useless battle and integrate, because that is what our brands need.
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Yet another article on the power of Banners vs TV. The clash of the titans continues. In one corner nimble, yet powerful digital marketing tools, in the other corner, big, bulky, slow, but mighty TV advertising.
After 1000 rounds the jury still is still not conclusive of who the winner is.
Mr e-mktg juryman has declared digital as winner. There is no doubt in the mind of Mr. TV juryman, that TV is the clear winner. They both have a huge amount of evidence to support their believes!
Maybe we should bring in a third party juryman, one that brings with him a neutral set of metrics, that allows us to equally measure TV and online and truly compare. And you know what: I don't care! In this match there can't be a winner, there shouldn't be a winner. Rather than have them fight against each other, I would like to see them join forces!
So, stop this useless battle and integrate, because that is what our brands need.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
TV is dead, or not, yes it is, no it isn't...
As media professionals, over the last couple of years, we have witnessed many debates about effectiveness of of the various media channels. One of the most interesting and heated debates is the one about the future of TV. One day you read an article about the end of the 30" commercial, if not of television. The other day you stumble across a survey which claims that TV advertising remains as powerful as ever.
Why do we always talk about TV. Why is nobody telling me that the radio 30" commercial is dead?
I believe there are many reasons for that:
Firstly, in most markets TV is the most important medium in terms of time spent by consumers/audiences and budget invested by advertisers. That makes it the obvious victim.
Secondly, we tend to watch TV on a TV screen, the screen which is now believed to compete with other screens in and around the house. Comparing on line with TV therefore seems more obvious than to compare on line with, say radio.
Thirdly, television is the most recent of the mass media (before the Internet), therefore the only one that has not yet proven it's survival qualities. That alone makes it a easier victim than, let's say, radio.
Fourthly, TV advertising was once the proud symbol of western capitalism and of mass marketing. This makes it the prefect victim for some good 'old school marketing bashing'.
So, whilst we all sit and watch in amusements and witness all those insults, attacks and counter-attacks, we seem to be missing the key point. The question is not about which is stronger, TV or on line. The question is how we as advertisers can make best use of this vast array of contact points that we have at our disposal. How to use them in conjunction. How to make it bigger than the sum of the parts?
What made my mind wander off like that? Yet another survey, which will most probably trigger another debate, about the effectiveness of TV.
I copied an extract from the article. I hope you enjoy the reading and find it useful.
'TV ads still best says new survey
Data sourced from Financial Times; additional content by WARC staff,20 August 2009EDINBURGH:
A new survey commissioned for the annual Edinburgh International TV Festival reports that TV advertising is up to three times as effective as any other medium. The survey by Deloittes and online research firm YouGov asked 2,123 people in the UK to name the three advertising media that had 'most impact' and TV was the clear winner with 64%. Next came newspapers on 30% followed by magazines, radio and outdoor. Internet search, which has made huge inroads into the advertising market in the UK and elsewhere, scored just 12% while online display scored 8%. A total of 18% of respondents said they had gone to online video sites to see an ad again.The survey also found that 44% of respondents had researched a product online after seeing a TV ad, while 31% had bought a product in-store with 21% buying online. "TV was rated nearly three times more impactful than the next form of media," said Howard Davies of Deloittes.'
Why do we always talk about TV. Why is nobody telling me that the radio 30" commercial is dead?
I believe there are many reasons for that:
Firstly, in most markets TV is the most important medium in terms of time spent by consumers/audiences and budget invested by advertisers. That makes it the obvious victim.
Secondly, we tend to watch TV on a TV screen, the screen which is now believed to compete with other screens in and around the house. Comparing on line with TV therefore seems more obvious than to compare on line with, say radio.
Thirdly, television is the most recent of the mass media (before the Internet), therefore the only one that has not yet proven it's survival qualities. That alone makes it a easier victim than, let's say, radio.
Fourthly, TV advertising was once the proud symbol of western capitalism and of mass marketing. This makes it the prefect victim for some good 'old school marketing bashing'.
So, whilst we all sit and watch in amusements and witness all those insults, attacks and counter-attacks, we seem to be missing the key point. The question is not about which is stronger, TV or on line. The question is how we as advertisers can make best use of this vast array of contact points that we have at our disposal. How to use them in conjunction. How to make it bigger than the sum of the parts?
What made my mind wander off like that? Yet another survey, which will most probably trigger another debate, about the effectiveness of TV.
I copied an extract from the article. I hope you enjoy the reading and find it useful.
'TV ads still best says new survey
Data sourced from Financial Times; additional content by WARC staff,20 August 2009EDINBURGH:
A new survey commissioned for the annual Edinburgh International TV Festival reports that TV advertising is up to three times as effective as any other medium. The survey by Deloittes and online research firm YouGov asked 2,123 people in the UK to name the three advertising media that had 'most impact' and TV was the clear winner with 64%. Next came newspapers on 30% followed by magazines, radio and outdoor. Internet search, which has made huge inroads into the advertising market in the UK and elsewhere, scored just 12% while online display scored 8%. A total of 18% of respondents said they had gone to online video sites to see an ad again.The survey also found that 44% of respondents had researched a product online after seeing a TV ad, while 31% had bought a product in-store with 21% buying online. "TV was rated nearly three times more impactful than the next form of media," said Howard Davies of Deloittes.'
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The French might have cracked it
Interestingly, while Ad Age is reporting on the industry joining forces to understand the combined impact of the various screens, the French might have cracked it.
So I found out reading an article titled 'The French experience – Measuring the audience of a medium beyond its original form' by Laurent Battais, from Médiamétrie in France. The article explains how Médiamétrie has joined forces with the UDA (French advertisers organization) and representatives from the TV, Radio, Press or Internet advertising sales houses brokers, as well as media agencies.
Objectives were to (and I quote): 'to meet the needs:
for measuring the performance of a media brand irrespective of the distribution medium;
for monitoring the consumption of audiovisual content over all of the distribution media;
for enabling advertisers and media agencies to optimise their multimedia investments.'
Whilst the methodology used is obviously pretty complex, the French have approached it very smartly, by not reinventing the wheel, but combining data from existing tools.
So now, we know what the cumulative reach potential is of a radio station A with website B, rather than guessing it.
Is the this holy grail? Obviously not. The methodology has it's limitations. For instance, it is not developed to optimize buying. Also, the deliberate choice was made not to create a common currency across media. A TV GRP is not a radio GRP.
The tool being ready, field has been conducted and data are available. I am eager to find out how this impact our planning and if there are learnings we could benefit from in other markets too.
So I found out reading an article titled 'The French experience – Measuring the audience of a medium beyond its original form' by Laurent Battais, from Médiamétrie in France. The article explains how Médiamétrie has joined forces with the UDA (French advertisers organization) and representatives from the TV, Radio, Press or Internet advertising sales houses brokers, as well as media agencies.
Objectives were to (and I quote): 'to meet the needs:
for measuring the performance of a media brand irrespective of the distribution medium;
for monitoring the consumption of audiovisual content over all of the distribution media;
for enabling advertisers and media agencies to optimise their multimedia investments.'
Whilst the methodology used is obviously pretty complex, the French have approached it very smartly, by not reinventing the wheel, but combining data from existing tools.
So now, we know what the cumulative reach potential is of a radio station A with website B, rather than guessing it.
Is the this holy grail? Obviously not. The methodology has it's limitations. For instance, it is not developed to optimize buying. Also, the deliberate choice was made not to create a common currency across media. A TV GRP is not a radio GRP.
The tool being ready, field has been conducted and data are available. I am eager to find out how this impact our planning and if there are learnings we could benefit from in other markets too.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Should we go viral?
If the data about the impact of these viral campaigns are to be believed, we should all massively go viral.
What are the ingredients for success?
1. A healthy dose of seeding
2. Built-in interactivity: let the consumers mash up your creative
3. Last but not least: Strong and Entertaining Creative!
I'd say: content is still king. Forget about even trying to go viral if you don't have the right creative.
What are the ingredients for success?
1. A healthy dose of seeding
2. Built-in interactivity: let the consumers mash up your creative
3. Last but not least: Strong and Entertaining Creative!
I'd say: content is still king. Forget about even trying to go viral if you don't have the right creative.
The enduring Influence of TV Advertising
In case you started to doubt about the effectiveness of TV advertising....
Oscar Jamhouri from 'Integrated Marketing and Communications' and Marek L. Winiarz from 'Method Marketing Communications' published a very interesting article in The Journal of Advertising Research, with the very long title: 'The Enduring Influence of TV advertising And Communications Clout Patterns In the Global Marketplace'.
They used MCA (Market Contact Audit, a tool somewhat similar to Optimix) to come with the following conclusions:
1. TV remains one of the most influential contacts
2. TV retains its clout against the digital competition
3. TV clout is greater in Asia than Europe / North America
4. TV is influential with the young demographic
Does that mean that we should do TV only? Of course not. What is says is that TV is not dead (yet) and that continuing to invest money in TV advertising is OK. At the same time: we know that multi-media is both more effective and efficient that TV centric. TV is OK, so long as you don't overdo it!
Oscar Jamhouri from 'Integrated Marketing and Communications' and Marek L. Winiarz from 'Method Marketing Communications' published a very interesting article in The Journal of Advertising Research, with the very long title: 'The Enduring Influence of TV advertising And Communications Clout Patterns In the Global Marketplace'.
They used MCA (Market Contact Audit, a tool somewhat similar to Optimix) to come with the following conclusions:
1. TV remains one of the most influential contacts
2. TV retains its clout against the digital competition
3. TV clout is greater in Asia than Europe / North America
4. TV is influential with the young demographic
Does that mean that we should do TV only? Of course not. What is says is that TV is not dead (yet) and that continuing to invest money in TV advertising is OK. At the same time: we know that multi-media is both more effective and efficient that TV centric. TV is OK, so long as you don't overdo it!
Understanding Integrated Media
Phil Gullen sent me article that he's written for Admap Magazine years ago. Whilst reading it, I could only conclude that it is still as valid today as it was then.
Of course the world has evolved in the meantime and so have we. Yet, there is a lot of truth in Phil's article. Basically he is confirming a lot of things we've been saying for so many years and he's giving it a practical twist.
No, I'm not going to make life easy for you. I'm not going to post the article here. You'll have to reach out to me if you want to read it.
Johan
Enjoy your reading
Of course the world has evolved in the meantime and so have we. Yet, there is a lot of truth in Phil's article. Basically he is confirming a lot of things we've been saying for so many years and he's giving it a practical twist.
No, I'm not going to make life easy for you. I'm not going to post the article here. You'll have to reach out to me if you want to read it.
Johan
Enjoy your reading
From TV centric to...
Interesting article on measurement in AdAge MediaWorks. Now that consumers in the US are increasingly turning away from the TV screen, towards...others screens, advertisers, media owners and agencies desperately try to understand the impact of their communication efforts.
The same content can be viewed in different ways, on different screens. Barriers between TV and 'the Internet' are increasingly blurred. Research however is still very much technology driven, not allowing us to understand what the combined impact is of the different contact points.
In the US a JIC (joined industry committee) was created representing advertisers, media owners and media agencies. They have joined forces with the purpose of developing a research tool that can help them understand the combined reach and frequency of the various screens. It's not going to be an easy one and it's going to cost a lot of money, but the added value clear.
In the meantime, let's make sure we track the impact of our communication on our consumers: IMC Tracker is coming your way!
The same content can be viewed in different ways, on different screens. Barriers between TV and 'the Internet' are increasingly blurred. Research however is still very much technology driven, not allowing us to understand what the combined impact is of the different contact points.
In the US a JIC (joined industry committee) was created representing advertisers, media owners and media agencies. They have joined forces with the purpose of developing a research tool that can help them understand the combined reach and frequency of the various screens. It's not going to be an easy one and it's going to cost a lot of money, but the added value clear.
In the meantime, let's make sure we track the impact of our communication on our consumers: IMC Tracker is coming your way!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Marketers Need Metrics to Integrate Traditional and Digital Media - eMarketer
Marketers Need Metrics to Integrate Traditional and Digital Media - eMarketer
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Now this is an interesting article with a much broader scope than what the tittle suggests. What do US advertisers identify as the biggest challenge in integrating off line and on line media? Knowledge! 'Having metrics to properly allocate the mix of traditional and digital media'.
This means that if we want to become better at what we do (which I would hope all of us aspire to) we need to have the right measurement tools and make sure we capture actionable insights. This means we need to work with K&I to make sure that creating a better understanding of the ROI of our media investments is high on our priority list. Budget is an issue? Yes, but one that can be overcome with the right level of perseverance and creativity: there are media owners out there who are dying to prove the effectiveness of their media channel! And let's not forget too that our media agencies have a role to play
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Now this is an interesting article with a much broader scope than what the tittle suggests. What do US advertisers identify as the biggest challenge in integrating off line and on line media? Knowledge! 'Having metrics to properly allocate the mix of traditional and digital media'.
This means that if we want to become better at what we do (which I would hope all of us aspire to) we need to have the right measurement tools and make sure we capture actionable insights. This means we need to work with K&I to make sure that creating a better understanding of the ROI of our media investments is high on our priority list. Budget is an issue? Yes, but one that can be overcome with the right level of perseverance and creativity: there are media owners out there who are dying to prove the effectiveness of their media channel! And let's not forget too that our media agencies have a role to play
Marketers Embrace Twitter over Facebook - eMarketer
Marketers Embrace Twitter over Facebook - eMarketer
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Marketers are embracing Twitter more than they do Facebook. Is this because Twitter is delivering higher ROI or because Twitter has been more hyped? Difficult to say. Experience will tell.
Question remains: should we be investing more on Twitter?
Maybe so, but before we start shifting funds, let's consider the following: Nielsen NetRating pannel of 250.000 US internet users shows that Twitter.com under-indexes on the youth market by 36%. In June 2009, only 16% of Twitter users were under age of 25, whilst they make up nearly 25% of active US internet users.*
This said, Twitter is a rather powerful beast, reaching almost 11% of all active internet users in the US in June!
* more details in Nielsen News article of July 30th.
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Marketers are embracing Twitter more than they do Facebook. Is this because Twitter is delivering higher ROI or because Twitter has been more hyped? Difficult to say. Experience will tell.
Question remains: should we be investing more on Twitter?
Maybe so, but before we start shifting funds, let's consider the following: Nielsen NetRating pannel of 250.000 US internet users shows that Twitter.com under-indexes on the youth market by 36%. In June 2009, only 16% of Twitter users were under age of 25, whilst they make up nearly 25% of active US internet users.*
This said, Twitter is a rather powerful beast, reaching almost 11% of all active internet users in the US in June!
* more details in Nielsen News article of July 30th.
Welcome
Welcome to the The Media Wire.
The Media Wire is a blog that is created as a platform to share media facts and insights on a regular basis. What are the big trends out there that you as a media- or marketingprofessional, should be interested in. Don't expect big and bulky reports. The Media Wire is only offering snapshots of the local and European media landscape.
And since it's on line, it's interactive. It's a tool to dialogue and exchange information. But whilst doing so, please remember this is an open platfrom!
Enjoy and please remember, I am open to your contribution and comments.
Johan Houben
The Media Wire is a blog that is created as a platform to share media facts and insights on a regular basis. What are the big trends out there that you as a media- or marketingprofessional, should be interested in. Don't expect big and bulky reports. The Media Wire is only offering snapshots of the local and European media landscape.
And since it's on line, it's interactive. It's a tool to dialogue and exchange information. But whilst doing so, please remember this is an open platfrom!
Enjoy and please remember, I am open to your contribution and comments.
Johan Houben
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