June 13, 2008

A view along the East Bench

Social Networks are still sorting themselves out and what the ultimate end-game will be -- not unusual for any new technical product. Some of the annoyances reported by PC World include - a) design sensibility either too loose (MySpace) or too tight (LinkedIn), b) email glut and useless notices, c) porn, and d) unsolicited ads and spam.
Quantcast releases its new media planning tool. The company profiles website visitors; now you can define a target and see the sites that match the profile. Next up - link across all media properties.
Channel Overlap: Nearly two-thirds of those who listen to radio online also have a social network profile. Integrated plans need to have a long reach. From Arbitron and Edison research.
Demographic targeting online continues to get better as the data gets richer. Both Google and MSN are pushing the edge with their access to demos from the social networks. Not to be left out - YahooBuzz is blurring the lines of social, media and PR.
To control access to fans musicians are starting their own social networks using the large public networks as feeder programs. Its all about the email.
What do SI's Swimsuit Issue and Taco Bell's Fiesta Platters have in common? At first blush, not much. TB teamed up with model Daniella Sarahyba to create a web site where you are the photographer and create your own pix. Interactive.
Mobile 2d codes continue to evolve. An experiment at Case Western Reserve University has companies and students creating their own 'bar codes' and working across carriers. The idea is that any object can be a trigger for delivering content (and ads). But remember the Cue Cat. Mobile ads are still a novelty with high recall and action (via SMS).
From John Battelle: "why is it that a brand marketer looking to reach college educated women, 18-34, is willing to pay $40 CPMs in Vanity Fair, but just $3 in an ad network?
The first and most important reason is engagement - the reader of Vanity Fair is engaged in the magazine, and when she comes across that Lancome ad, the chances that the "between the ears magic" will occur is far greater than at a random site run by an ad network. The second and related reason is creative - a two-page spread is simply a far more effective media vehicle for the brand's message than the IAB unit. "
The UK's MediaEquals now trades US print, outdoor, and radio media just like a stock market.
Skype to go to Google?
Measuring the wrong metric is the quickest way to collapse. And online it is easy to measure computer-related metrics but not business-related ones.