July 18, 2008

Interactive, social and direct media.

Music continues to push the edge of the envelope in social media applications. Radiohead's most recent entry was to publish various tracks of the song "Nude" - bass, drums, etc. and let fans remix it. Complete with voting site (www.radioheadremix.com), widget and GarageBand access code. Where the downstream money comes from is yet to be figured out.
Book to read -- if you want to get a firm footing in all things 'digital'; DigiMarketing by the folks at Ogilvy is a good place to start. www.digimarketingnow.com.
As with any new media category, it takes time to sort out the standards and best practices. Social media is no different and the question of where to start always crops up. Brent Csutoras of search engine land lists his along with some tools to help make the whole experience easier. These aren't stand alone apps, but a little of this and a little of that to make new applications.
Direct contact (postal and email) continues to rise. From Mintel Comeremedia: "... mailers of automotive, insurance, telecommunications and credit card mailers increased their current customer mailings by 52%, 29%, 22% and 18%, respectively,...Only mortgage and loan mailings declined by 3% last year. .... {on the email front], travel and leisure companies sent 40% of all current customer e-mails during 2007."
Ad supported sites continue to lower their financial projections as that market softens due to lack of performance. WebMD issued a cautionary note.
Continuing support for inline programs: "Print Newspaper Ads Drive Online Traffic and Purchases." The caveat is that the research was done among internet using newspaper readers. That said, some findings. 1) Providing a URL, preferably unique, was used by nearly half of those responding to ad followed by 31% using search. 2) When they researched they researched a number of products; so make sure you stand out online. 3) Newspapers are more useful than the Internet for learning about promotions and deciding where to buy.
Strategy defined: an absolutely crystal-clear concept that everyone can understand; expansive enough to accommodate the inevitable tactical shifts. (Gord Hotchkiss)
Thinking of a lead generation program? Gary Kreissman offers some advice and key questions.
- What is real cost of acquiring a customer?
- Which segments can we target?
- What should we offer them?
- Have we tested enough?
- Are we set up to customize?
- Are we able to follow-up?
- If it's not working, should we give up?
Publicis is the most digital of the major holding firms: 20% digital by year end.
Social media and advertising: still unchartered territory due to different expectations of people and advertisers. It is not the same as search so context/content relevant ads may be very inappropriate.