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Been meaning to post this for a while... clever

UNIQLO LUCKY SWITCH from HN on Vimeo.

How Ad Position Affects Conversion Rates

Thanks Online Media Daily for this post on banner location.

For marketers wondering how conversion rates change depending on where ads appear on Web pages, Google Chief Economist Hal Varian appears to have an answer.

Varian calls the problem "tricky," because Google ranks ads by bid times and ad quality, so ads in higher positions tend to have higher quality. These higher-quality ads tend to have higher conversion rates. He writes in a post on the AdWords blog that this means marketers may see a correlation between auction position and conversion rates.

Another fact that influences conversions: marketers increasing bids might see their average position move lower on the page. That's because when bids increase, ads appear in new auctions, and tend to work their way up from the bottom. This can push down the campaign's overall position, he writes.

"We have used a statistical model to account for these effects and found that -- on average, there is very little variation in conversion rates by position for the same ad," Varian writes. "For example, for pages where 11 ads are shown the conversion rate varies by less than 5% across positions."

An ad that had a 1.0% conversion rate in the best position would have about a 0.95% conversion rate in the worst position, on average, Varian writes. He explains that ads above search results convert within ±2% of right-hand side positions.

Didit VP Mark Simon says the New York company sees similar conversion rates occurring with its clients. "Not all traffic is converting traffic," he says. "The trick is to offer the creative and post-click experience that draws in the right searchers and drives them to convert, while also targeting the right market segment to convert on a given term."

Great Superbowl ads

(THanks to Futrelab for this post by: Roger Dooley)

Most of us have gotten over our short-lived obsession with the 2009 Super Bowl ads, but at neuromarketing firm Sands Research technologists have been slaving away analyzing all 72 of those commercials. Sands measures viewers’ EEG activity to gauge both emotional and cognitive responses to ads. In addition, they collect questionnaires before and after the ads are viewed.potato_head_RD.jpgWhat makes an effective TV commercial? Dr. Stephen F. Sands, Chairman and Chief Science Officer, says,”We have found that an engaging story that maintains the viewer’s attention throughout the commercial, like this year’s Bridgestone Tire’s Taters (Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head) commercial or Coke’s Heist spot with the animated insects stealing a bottle of Coca-Cola, provides an overall strong and sustained brain response and a better measurement of favorable brand opinion.” Here are Sands Research’s top 10:

1. Bridgestone / Taters - 5.04
2. Coke / Heist - 4.62
3. Pixar / Up - 4.40
4. CareerBuilder / Tips - 4.40
5. Budweiser / Clydesdale Circus - 4.39
6. Universal / Fast and Furious - 4.37
7. GE / Scarecrow - 4.29
8. Taco Bell / Overrated - 4.28
9. Pedigree / Crazy Pets - 4.23
10. NBC / LMAO - 4.20

The number following each ad is what Sands calls the Neuro-Engagement Factor (NEF).

The worst scoring ad in 2009 was E-Trade’s Talking Baby ad, which scored a mere 2.61 on the NEF scale. Sands attributed the poor showing, at least in part, to the fact that a similar ad had been running throughout the preceding year.

Check out the complete comparative scoring of the 2009 Super Bowl ads at sandsresearch.com.

Click here to go to the original post

Online ad spend boom Down Under

Cheers Elizabeth Lloyd at imedaiconnection for this rundown on the state of affairs in the Australian online ad space

The latest figures show Australia has a bright future, both for online advertising opportunities as well as broadband subscriber growth.

According to the International Telecommunication Union, 74.3 percent of Australia's population is online -- out of 20.6 million inhabitants, 15.3 million are online (as of December 2007). With statistics like this, it is no surprise that Australia is one of the top 20 countries with the highest number of internet users.

What is interesting to note is how the internet has changed Australia's traditional media use. The World Internet Project in July 2008 published a report titled "CCi Digital Futures Report: The Internet in Australia" detailing:

• For users, the internet is now their most important source of information. Just under seven in ten users described the internet as 'important' or 'very important' compared to a third for television and less than a half for newspapers or radio. Internet users spend less time watching television, listening to radio and reading newspapers than nonusers.

Advertisers are starting to notice the shift from traditional to digital media -- it is evident in the rising online advertising expenditure. With growing internet penetration rates (in just eight years the number of online users has more than doubled), online advertising expenditure in Australia has showed record quarters. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Online Advertising Expenditure Report, which was published in June 2008, states:

• Online advertising expenditure in Australia for the second-quarter of 2008 totalled A$412.5 million, the largest second-quarter recorded. This is an increase of $28 million (or 7.3 percent) from the first-quarter of 2008, and is an increase of $87 million (or 26.7 percent) from the second-quarter of 2007.

What has contributed to increased penetration rates and the shift to digital media for information consumption is growth in the broadband market. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports that 22.8 percent of Australia's population falls in the broadband subscriber category (as of September 2007) -- just under four in five home connections are broadband.

Broadband does make a substantial difference to peoples' use of the internet. "The internet is more highly valued by those with broadband connections and they use the internet for longer and for a greater variety of purposes. Younger people have been quick to integrate the internet into their lives, they use the internet more and particularly for entertainment," according to the CCi report.

The internet is widely embraced in Australia. However, a digital divide does exist as a fifth of the population has never used it. With or without broadband, internet use varies greatly between different groups. The CCi report has found that "men, students, employed persons, younger people, higher educated and higher income individuals are all more likely to use the internet than women, retired people, home-makers, older people, lower educated and lower income individuals".

Aside from the demographics, what is interesting to note is the type of online media that is receiving the most attention. The IAB report cites that:

• The largest online advertising expenditure was search and directories, which comprised of 45.3 percent, while general display advertising and classifieds advertising accounted for 27.8 percent and 26.9 percent of the total advertising expenditure for the second-quarter of 2008, respectively. Finance, computers and communications, and motor vehicles sectors continue to be the dominant industries using general display advertising, and comprise over 50 percent of the general display spending.

Marketers take note of the online user demographics as well as the dominant sectors in all forms of online media. It is evident that Australia has a very promising future -- both for online advertising opportunities, as well as broadband subscriber growth. Not only does the number of broadband users increase, but online advertising expenditure statistics are very impressive.

Elizabeth Lloyd is co-founder and chief revenue officer, 9Global, Inc.

3 car brands spinning 'green' with innovative & relevant campaigns

Thanks to iMedia Connection for this post: http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/20863.asp

Eco-friendly campaigns that excel
By David Rossiter

Marketing opportunity can still knock -- even when the economy is taking its lumps. See which automotive companies are spinning "green" into gold with some innovative and relevant campaigns.

The price of fuel continues to climb, hitting record highs along the way. Everyone from airlines to movie studios, banks, bands and, of course, consumers are choosing to go carbon neutral in an effort to reduce their toll on our environment. Everywhere we look someone is touting the benefits of "going green." And nowhere is this more evident than in the automotive industry's marketing campaigns.

Their efforts are spurred by record low U.S. car sales across manufacturers. According to figures from Autodata Corp., July 2008 marked the worst month for sales in 16 years, and although August proved slightly more encouraging, sales were still more than 15 percent lower than the previous year. Research from TNS Media Intelligence, which tracks advertising spending, shows a shift in ad spending among auto manufacturers toward their smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles and away from trucks and SUVs.Is a green-themed car campaign enough to turn things around? Some are betting it is by investing in clever and elaborate online marketing initiatives designed to educate, entertain and ultimately lure consumers back to the dealership.

MINI creates CarFun

When it launched in August, MINI Cooper's CarFun Footprint microsite became an instant viral hit. It had all the trappings of an impactful campaign: an intuitive interactive tool, humor and a clever play on the trendy term "carbon footprint."

At the site, users are asked to select their make, model and color of car to calculate their "Fun Score," based on survey data from consumer research firm Strategic Vision, and "Green Score," which is sourced from the Environmental Protection Agency's Green Vehicle Guide. Together, the scores represent one's CarFun Footprint, and prompt a post-quiz response this like one: "You're driving a nice, comfortable sedan. Nice. Comfortable. And not particularly exciting. You could be driving a 37 mile per gallon MINI Cooper that takes nice and comfortable and adds the excitement of go-cart handling, starting at just $19,200."

Prior to launching its campaign, MINI had already benefited from the halo effect of consumers' concerns about rising gas prices. (Autodata reports sales rose by more than 30 percent this year through July.) Its CarFun Footprint campaign, which includes print and outdoor advertising, further spotlights the brand's climate- (and wallet)-friendly design. It also puts the brand head-to-head with its competitors in an environment where the original small luxury vehicle is bound to come out ahead. Existing MINI drivers are sure to find validation in this playful initiative, while consumers interested in living greener (and having more fun in the process) can't help but ponder a buy.

Traversing our reliance on the pump

This summer, GM launched a collection of ecologically minded ads for its Chevy brand during the 2008 Beijing Olympics to underscore its more fuel-efficient vehicles. Among them were new ads for the company's existing "Gas Pumps Hate Us" series, where gas pumps were seen vandalizing cars in their frustration over not being needed. Also introduced were spots marking the upcoming launch of the Chevy Traverse, an eight-passenger SUV with impressive (relatively speaking) highway fuel economy.

Online, the campaign manifested itself with homepage takeovers and display ads. A new Traverse microsite makes the company's brand objective clear by featuring a background of silhouetted trees, and a section on the vehicle's fuel efficiency that pits the Traverse against its competitors.

Both campaign themes feed off consumers' common aggravation over the high price of fuel and endeavor to address their concerns, but in different ways. "Gas Pumps Hate Us" uses humor by personifying the pumps and creating an adversarial relationship between them and the driver not unlike that which we've all experienced -- albeit it in less tangibly aggressive way. The Traverse ads serve to address the more serious side of the issue with hard data consumers can really sink their teeth into.

Ford helps schools go green

Families have always been one of Ford's primary target audiences, and this fact is reflected in its recent "Educate to Escape" contest. Launched in March of this year, the effort found Ford partnering with ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" to award one U.S. school with an eco-friendly makeover based on essay submissions outlining why each entrant deserved help in going green.

"Ford maintains a commitment to lessen our overall impact on the planet with our products and our manufacturing plants," said a Ford Motor Company spokesperson of the campaign. By linking itself to an altruistic effort focused on sustainability and environmental conservation, the company was able to create a positive brand association that's made even more powerful through its subdued emphasis on its vehicles.

Should the message have been missed, Ford made sure to lead contest microsite visitors to a section of the Ford brand site that further addresses environmental issues with articles on its environmentally sustainable soy foam seats and fuel cell hybrid electric plug-in car. The move was a smart one; as effective as contest sponsorships can be in relaying a brand message to consumers, it never hurts to carry their interest in the campaign through to one's more sales-focused online destination.

You have to hand it to the automakers. In the face of one of the worst sales slumps in recent years, confronted with a drop in market value of domestic brands and a dramatic shift in consumer demand from large, typically inefficient vehicles to more compact models, they've had to get very creative -- and fast.

While it's far easier for these marketers to modify their messaging than change their product mix, it isn't easy to develop green campaigns that truly resonate with their potential customers. The theme is one that's being manipulated by virtually every type of business in every market segment in one way or another. Kudos to these car manufacturers for getting it so right.

Video Content Booming

Thanks to Digital Media for this article on how online video is growing in popularity so rapidly its now legitimately competing with regular TV viewing.

Video Content Booming

Online and mobile video consumption is moving to mainstream usage patterns with around a quarter of the Australian population watching online video two or more hours a week.

According to the Consumer Video Insights research report from Pure Profile and Venture One, digital video viewing is no longer the domain of just early-adopters, with 15% of Australians watching online content on their main “television” screen.

The 18 to 24 demographic continues to lead the trend as the heaviest consumers of online video, with 30% averaging 2-4 hours per week. 62% of that segment lists music videos and clips as the content most watched followed by news, comedy, sport and TV shows.

Other content such as webcams, user-generated content and short films are also being watched, but there is no willingness to pay a premium.

The research also indicates a number of significant growth areas, particularly in mobile content as more consumers take up premium content and data packs.

Claudia Sagripanti, VentureOne director, said the Consumer Video Insights report highlights the importance of online and mobile video as a vehicle for connecting and interacting with younger demographics and increasingly the broader Australian population. But warned: “Most consumers accept the advertising supported quid pro quo but will not stomach a forced approach.” Meanwhile, consumers are increasingly turning to their mobile phones for information such as maps, TV listings and restaurant and café guides in addition to traditional services such as news, sport and weather, a survey by the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association has revealed.

Demand for location-based services such as maps on mobile phones has increased by 347% over the past year, while interest in lifestyle information has rocketed by 174%, with television listings up 93%, according to the fourth Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index.

The online survey of 2000 Australians also found that 33% of respondents had purchased mobile content in the last 12 months, down on last year.

However, the number of units bought has risen with purchases of SMS alerts and games up 50%.

The top three types of content bought by mobile phone users over the past 12 months were games 43%, true tones 42% and wallpapers 33%.

The most popular content demanded by consumers in the future is digital music downloads 30%, games 27% and wallpapers 25%. Strong demanded is also expected for maps 31%, news 29% and weather 28%.

Commenting on the survey, Dr Marisa Maio Mackay, director of Research m.Net Corporation, which sponsored the survey along with Ideal Interfaces said:

“This survey indicates clear popular growth areas, such as the way that the content is purchased and shared amongst mobile users especially games, ringtones and wallpapers indicating a growing market and uptake of 3G services.” Over half of those questioned said they did not have a 3G phone, with a further 20% saying they didn¹t know if their phone was 3G.

“The mobile sector is on the cusp of an extremely exciting 12 to 18 months and our results show the growing uptake and interest in mobile technology.

We have reached a point where you are going to go beyond a group of high level users and early-adopters to the masses,” Maio Mackay added.

Visits to social networking and community service sites is still in its early stages according to the report, with 16% of respondents using their phones for this purpose with Facebook, MySpace and MSN Messenger the most popular sites.

Almost all Australian mobile phone users are creating content on their devices, with 96% having taken a photo on their phone.

Some 33% of phone users have created other content. Of those, over 70% had also created videos or music and 50% are sharing that content with MMS (63%) being the most used channel, closely followed by Bluetooth (61%).

The use of Bluetooth demonstrates a preference by consumers to avoid incurring data costs from their carrier when they share content. 55% of respondents had used content on their phones created by others, with 90% viewing photos. Those under 25 years were more likely to have created content to share with others.

http://www.digital-media.net.au/Article/Video-content-booming/203511.aspx

Capitalizing on Online Video's Strengths

Medium Has Yet to Pan Out Financially, but There May Be a Solution
Thanks to David Carson and AdAge

Online video now boasts a bigger audience than cable television, but its $1 billion in ad dollars is a fraction of the $70 billion in broadcast wealth many assumed would be redistributed. When will online video be the behemoth business everyone always crows about? Maybe when we quit treating its biggest strength as a weakness.

Old model won't fit
You see, online video is not TV. Sorry to state the obvious, but even though we all know it's a very different medium, we are trying to force-fit it with a television ad model. Publishers are trying to divert TV ad dollars to online video platforms and feel the need to use the same language and formats as TV. They do this thinking it will help them bridge the knowledge gap and convince TV media buyers to shift their dollars.

It's a critical error. The two media are so fundamentally different that making comparisons in format and language will eventually stunt the growth and impact of online video for creators and marketers alike.

Let me make a comparison. Imagine if Google's search business didn't include AdSense but marketers paid a CPM or flat fee to be listed within search results -- just like the Yellow Pages, or a newspaper. This does two things. First, it makes the search results unusable to users because it's placing paid-for hits above anything more relevant. Second, because the search is now not as useful, its future audience potential diminishes. We would have never experienced the incredible benefit that Google eventually provided to users and marketers. They could have easily gone down this road, but they didn't. They knew their medium was fundamentally different from print and used a new ad model that suited it better.

What's the big diff?
So what are the fundamental differences between TV and online video -- and what is the model?

People use them differently. TV attracts watchers, while online video attracts users. When I mention this to people, they always take issue with it. They say that people are, at the end of day, watching video. And I counter that just because TV and online video use moving images doesn't mean they're the same. It's like comparing Google to a magazine, or a newspaper: The fact that they all use words and paragraphs does make them similar in some ways, but they are obviously not the same. One major difference is how they're used.

The internet's inherent strength is as a noisy feedback machine where billions of people can provide input, share, embed, create and sculpt their own video experiences. They become part of the experience, not simply observers -- not unlike the difference between TV and video games. You don't watch video games, you play them.

Televised video has different levels of quality, and so does online video. In each case, the quality is largely in the eye of the beholder, and with online video, the way that the clips are used adds another dimension for evaluation. Nonetheless, though I have seen expensive, professional video get smoked by a homemade video of a guy dancing at a high-school talent show, an advertiser is still more likely to prefer the expensive professional video than the one (er, many) that people actually watch, share, embed and comment on.

So why are we treating this inherent strength of the medium as a weakness? Even worse, why are we blindly accepting that the best way to build online-video markets is by applying an ad model from a completely different medium?

Overlooking the real strength
Because that's where marketers put their money. They see video on new boxes and think, "Hey, it's another place to put my video" and miss out on the real strength of the medium. Even worse, online-video companies feed this mentality by trying to showcase what the marketers think they want -- "quality content" -- and dismiss the entire feedback system that tells them what the users are actually doing.

People are not saying, "Gee, I like the idea of video on the Internet, but I'm not going to spend time with it until there is more quality content." The exact opposite is happening. Usage keeps growing as users find, consume, comment on, create and share videos by the billions. There is a value gap. The gap is between what people are actually doing and what advertisers think people should be watching. These two things are simply out of synch, and until we get them aligned, the market will putter along, with many lost opportunities.

People are moving to this new medium with or without the marketers' involvement -- that much is clear. The questions remaining to be answered are whether marketers will see the fundamental value and exploit it, and whether online-video companies will step up to the plate to get them there.

Full article at:
http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=130640

Bunch of interesting digital things

Thanks McCrudden for these

http://www.summize.com (twitter search tool)
http://www.netvibes.com/rgleeson (Renny's netvibes page that shows what he reads to keep up)
http://www.compfight.com (a flickr search tool that WILL FIND YOU PICTURES YOU WANT)

http://www.twistori.com (the twitter/summize tool searching twitter for 'love', 'hate', etc.)
http://tinyurl.com/5lgtrk (MadV on YouTube - he did the "one word" video thing where folks wrote on their hands)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoOCiaxIZF4 ("Follow Your Instinct" Choose-your-own-adventure video)
http://www.thewhalehunt.org/ (jonathan Harris's whale hunt site)
http://www.wefeelfine.org/ (Jonathan Harris's blog 'feeling' scanner)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fwQTHYTJQA (Star Wars "Revelations", the first ten minutes of the Fan Film.)
http://thisissand.com/ (The falling sand toy. Try it. You like it)
http://blip.fm/invite/rgleeson (Blip.fm - the endless playlist and song recommendation tool - this is an invite from Renny to join)

Http://www.ted.com (great website, clean interface, amazing films)
http://www.conversespellingbee.com/ (the converse spelling bee)
http://flickr.com/groups/whats_in_your_bag/ (the flickr group where people dump out their bags and photograph and tag the contents)

http://www.brandtags.net (clicking 'whatever it is they say it is' link lets you choose by brand to see responses to date)

http://digg.com/ (the user generated news source that feeds many blogs around the web)
http://labs.digg.com/ (different ways to look at the stories and experience of digg through some pretty freaking cool interfaces)

http://www.dipity.com/ (the timeline builder into which you can import flickr, blogs, twitter, etc, and see them on a timeline)

http://www.constantsetting.com/ (pulls sunset images from flickr in an endless slideshow)
http://www.noonebelongsheremorethanyou.com/ (Miranda July's stovetop interface)
http://www.opensourceresistance.net/ (the video of the NIN secret concert and "raid" by SWAT team - the conclusion of the Alternate Reality Game)

and as a bonus,
the future of pornography (mapping avatars/real world persona over robots you can interact with)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-hg4qCaR74

the robot that will hunt down the last surviving humans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHJJQ0zNNOM

McDonald's is Launching Their Own Virtual World

This Is Smart Business.
by: Scott Goodson thanks to FutureLab

What can we learn from McDonald's creating their own virtual world? That they are moving into their own customized world says one thing to me, that it will become more valuable for brands to create and curate their own virtual worlds rather than joining existing public virtual worlds.

The reason being that the brand not only benefits from being in an innovative virtual world, but it owns the media and, over time this media, will become more and more valuable. Very smart marketing on the part of the firm and equally smart business.
From Virtual Worlds: McDonald's is apparently in the process of soft-launching a virtual world to take over HappyMeal.com. It's not clear how old the world is, but the contest is still open for kids to pick the virtual world's name--and, according to the intro video, new games, lands, events, etc., to build the world from the ground up based on videos.. So I'm guessing the transition is pretty new, possibly even just from last week. There is already an eye toward real-world integration: entering a code from actual Happy Meal boxes and bags as well as McDonald's milk cartons and Apple Dipper bags will let users unlock exclusive items in the Flash-based virtual world. Treehouse There are also already a fair number of environments available for play in addition to a customizable treehouse where you can store some of your virtual goods. Other items will customize users' avatars, add interactive pets, or feature interactive characters from movies, comic books, and TV shows. Aside from the cost of a Happy Meal, the website says everything is free for its users. Users can also earn points towards purchases simply by completing activities in the virtual world, but it seems like there will still be exclusive items available only for McDonald's customers. There also appears to be a metagame, where characters earn points and have "smarts," "strength," and "spark," stats. Points are earned through all the in-world activities, and the goal is to "keep your avatar happy" by keeping all three stats at their maximum level while playing. I'm not sure what that does, though. In addition to the casual games, there are also larger quests for users to complete as interactive stories throughout the world. Piratebay The registration process doesn't take much information from users, keeping it fairly private. Users can also simply login quickly as guests without providing any information. Of course, then they can't build their characters and houses over time. On the safety side, users can chat and add to a buddy list, but it looks like chat is done entirely through pre-set phrases. However, while there's a "Parent's Retreat" on the main site, I can't find any information specifically about the virtual world to confirm its safety precautions.

Original Post: http://scottgoodson.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/08/mcdonalds-is-launching-their-own-virtual-world-this-is-smart-business.html

Why the Internet Enhances TV Advertising

Thanks to AdAge and David F. Poltrack for this article.

Over the past few years, we've gotten accustomed to hearing how the internet was going to reduce TV viewing and how it's going to supplant TV as the primary advertising medium. Much to the surprise of the pundits, these expected outcomes have yet to take place. TV usage is actually up compared to the year 2000 and continues to increase despite the fact that people are spending more and more time online. And the TV market remains very healthy. Not even the impact of a crippling strike and a recessionary economy could keep the upfront broadcast TV market from registering year-to-year gains.

From where I sit, the internet as a marketing medium has enhanced, not diminished, the value of TV advertising for marketers.

Steps to making a purchase

To understand how this could be, let's step back to Marketing 101 and the Consumer Adoption Process -- a progression of stages that bring the consumer to purchase a product or service. The four basic stages describe the consumer as first becoming aware of the product, then interested in it, then desirous, and finally a purchaser.

Traditionally, TV advertising has been viewed as having its greatest influence in the early stages of the model, making the consumer aware of the product, creating interest in the product and, to a lesser extent, creating a desire. As the consumer moves through this process, the role of TV is diminished and supplemented by other marketing forces.

The role of the internet is more pronounced in the latter stages of the process. The interested consumer goes to the web to learn more about the product. When the consumer finds more information about it, his or her desire for it increases, and the information leads to an actual purchase.

The internet has significantly increased the efficiency of this process. The consumer's interest can be more quickly addressed, and the conversion of that consumer from an interested party to a purchaser can be expedited.

TV's signals still strong

This brings us back to the role of TV advertising.

If the internet has increased the efficiency of the process by which "aware" and "interested" consumers are converted to purchasers, then the value of each aware or interested consumer is that much greater. No other medium can rival TV in developing awareness of a product, service or product feature.

So, if the internet has increased the rate of conversion of aware and interested consumers into purchasers, then TV's ability to produce aware and interested consumers has an even greater value to the marketer.

Here's some real data from a study we just conducted involving new cars.

We began by asking our respondents which of 11 new car models they recognize. On average 35% were aware of each new car, with recognition ranging from 18% to 68%. Approximately 11% of our respondents said they were considering purchasing a new car in the next year. The average awareness of the 11 new cars by these potential purchasers was 43%, ranging from 18% to 69%.

When asked about the source of their awareness of these cars, over half of both the total sample (57%) selected TV advertising. The second most mentioned source, magazines in every case, was only noted by less than one-fifth of the total respondents (17%). The choices encompassed all of the major media, including magazines and the internet, as well as "friends and/or family."

We next asked our respondents if they had sought out information about any of these cars. Among those aware of each car, an average of 10% sought out information about that car. As you would expect, the percentage was significantly higher for those in the market for a car, 24%, more than double.

Going online for info

Just as TV dominated the awareness measure, the internet dominated as a source of sought-after information. Just under half of the total sample (43%) cited the internet as a place where they went for this information, more than double the second source, the dealer (21%).

We see that the internet in the space of about a decade has become the primary source of information in this key category. There is no question that having this new resource available for consumers has increased the efficiency of converting an aware consumer into a purchaser, which places a higher value on each aware consumer. That, in turn, places a higher value on TV advertising as the leading producer of aware consumers.

Many commentators on the subject of the rise of the internet as an advertising medium have reported that marketers have been shifting money from TV advertising into internet advertising. No doubt, on a short-term basis, this has happened. Based on the research I just presented, it is the last thing they should be doing. If an effective internet marketing program increases the rate of conversion of aware consumers into purchasers, then you want to increase, not decrease, the number of aware consumers. Reducing the investment in TV advertising, the primary generator of awareness, undermines the value of the internet effort.

The awareness levels recorded by the various new cars in our survey demonstrate that even the biggest advertisers do not achieve universal awareness with their campaigns. Even brands like Coca-Cola and McDonald's, which have universal brand recognition, do not reach this level of awareness for individual campaigns covering specific features, promotional programs or product line extensions.

The transfer of advertising dollars from TV budgets to the internet to develop a viable internet marketing presence was a short-term solution driven more by expediency than sound marketing strategy. As the measured results from these early programs have come in, more and more marketers are realizing the complementary relationship of a strong TV campaign and a strong internet program. These marketers are holding steady or building up their TV campaigns in conjunction with the expansion of their internet marketing programs. They are funding these efforts either through the transfer of funds from less productive areas or from incremental sales.

Coordinate your messages

For the CMO, this means coordinating the messaging, content and timing of TV and internet components of the marketing plan. Marketers should take advantage of the high level of engagement that people have with their favorite television programs by combining sponsorship of these programs on TV with sponsorship of them online. More and more viewers of popular series are going online to follow these series. Sponsorship of the online site featuring these programs allows the advertiser to repeat their message to the viewer in an environment where people can be directed to the marketer's website. All of the networks are now offering these cross-platform opportunities.

Of course, marketers should also integrate an invitation to visit their websites directly into their TV commercials.

Smart marketers recognize this nexus between TV and the internet and are increasing their efforts in both media -- not trading off one against the other.

12 best practices for online consumer communities

Fantastic resource by Dion Hinchcliffe on how to best organize, prepare and manage online community projects.

1. Put the needs of the community first
2. Community id mostly not a technology problem
3. Active community management is essential
4. Measuring success with community requires new yardsticks
5. Consumer social networks, grassroots customer communities, and business-initiated customer communities are closely related yet very different creatures
6. Customer communities do work as a marketing channel, just not in the traditional way
7. The more the business is integrated, the better the community will work
8. Growth will come, but not until a community finds its identity
9. Mutual ownership and control of communities enables trust and involvement
10. Most communities are highly social entities, and the rules of social engagement apply
11. Going to the community, instead of making it come to you, is a risky but increasingly viable strategy
12. Connect the community with the other CRM-related aspects of the organization

For the full article visit: http://blogs.zdnet.com/Hinchcliffe/?p=190

Online marketing for Christmas starts now

While it's still 5 months off, now is the time to plan for online marketing for the all-important Christmas sales season for our retailers. This article gives a rather handy (but full-on!) 10-week countdown of marketing elements to include each week in the lead-up to Christmas. See the article at http://www.internetretailer.com/dailyNews.asp?id=27057