Hello John, we know all about you

Segmentation and personalisation seems par for the course in email marketing now - but don't overdo it. It seems that excessive personalisation can create a negative, Big Brother-ish style experience if that personalisation is irrelevant to the email contact. See the article at http://www.email-marketing-reports.com/iland/2008/07/can-you-have-too-much-personalization.html

Don't discount discount snail mail offers

We've become so keen to get in touch with the wired-up Gen Ys that we've over-emphasised electronic contact at the expense of direct mail. It turns out that they are now so un-used to receiving direct mail offers in the physical mailbox at home that teens really like being contacted this way. Ironically, this seems to be an (pardon the pun) "under the wire" way to reach them.
See the article at http://www.marketingprofs.com/news/marketing-inspiration/index.asp?nlid=454&cd=dmo121&adref=NmiM378

Combining online and TV to boost brand

Thanks future lab and Matt Rhodes

Recent research from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Thinkbox shows the power to the brand of using TV and internet together.

The research provides the data behind a trend that we’ve been observing for some time. Around 50% of the tech-savy population in the UK will be online whilst they’re wathcing TV (this kind of multi-tasking is why some people claim we now have 38 hours in our day!). People are truly cross-platform and so brand building needs to operate cross-platform too.

The other headline statistic from this research is that combining TV and online leads to a 47% increase in positive brand perceptions compared to using either in isolation. A consumer is more likely to purchase when the two are used together, and so it’s great for conversion too.

Digging beneath these headlines, it’s interesting to look at how best to combine these media:

• TV is best for telling people about a brand they have not yet heard of, sparking interest in a brand or persuading people to try a brand or product
• Online, on the other hand, is great at helping people to decide which brands are relevant, helps people to re-evaluate brands (and their existing brand choice) and is the best source at giving specific information to inform a purchase decision

Looking at this split, it is clear that TV and online both play different roles in the minds of consumers. TV is about the new and the now, it is good as an interventionist medium to tell people about new things they might not have considered. Online is about reflection and information. It’s less interventionist and more about the consumer using it to find the information they need and to inform themselves.

This seems to fit with the pattern of consumer behaviour online that we witness. More consumers are using online to find information about and even discuss a brand. We also see a high success rate of TV advertising causing people to go and visit websites in their own time to get more information about the brand or product.

It’s clear that the two media work well together and that to build a brand successfully a strategy is needed both for television brand building but also online. Brands need to own their online space and create successful and effective campaigns that are about building the brand online, and not just transactional.

Some more reading

• UK 2008 Ad Spend Growth Forecast Slips to 4%
• Response: TV viewers are not switching off for the internet
• Study: Ads in online shows work better than ads on TV
• Spending on online ads rises by 38%

Original post: http://blog.freshnetworks.com/2008/07/combining-online-and-tv-to-boost-brand/

Marketing wheel of misfortune

Thanks Mark @ Little Lucifer for sending through this post from Logic and Emotion about some digital lookouts

One of the ways I have "monetized" this blog and other efforts in the social space has been the privilege of getting out and speaking to folks in the marketing field from a variety of perspectives. The refreshing part for me is that many marketers who I talk to are expressing the desire to move away from gimmicks, and traditional campaign thinking to solutions that offer more long term value and builds relationships.

BUT

There are a great deal of hurdles that marketers who want to do less subservient chickens and more Nike+'s will face. This post isn't meant to be negative—it's a reality check. If marketers on both the client and agency side really want to extend their influence, we'll need to ween ourselves from the impulse to spin the "Wheel of Marketing Misfortune". It won't be as easy as it sounds. So here's where we need to get to work:

Microsite Madness
The Microsite is actually a great thing. It allows us to quickly launch an initiative that can link out to and be linked to from other sources and allows marketers to bypass slower moving large scale site efforts. But increasingly, microsites are being cranked out by the thousands. Many of them are sold as "high-engagement" vehicles when in reality they become souless, glossy artifacts that come off as traditional promotions in a digital shell. Microsites as a format are not inherently bad, but we really need to think about why users will want to spend some time there, and even more importantly, why they would come back.

Viral Addiction
Let's be honest with ourselves. Marketers are severely addicted to the idea of "viral", and will do whatever it takes to make something reach this level of marketing nirvana. The problem with viral is that it's a crap shoot and all of the time spent chasing the "viral dragon" could be invested in improving the customer experience, which ironically is what creates authentic word of mouth in the first place. Again, viral is not a bad thing—but it's tricky business and marketers need to clearly identify the need for buzz before pursuing it at all costs

Flashturbation
We need to think of Flash the same we think about incredibly powerful mediums such as television and radio. When done well, television can inspire and motivate us—when done awfully it comes off as annoying and makes us want to flip channels. I think Flash is a wonderful technology and tool, but like any powerful tool it gets abused way too much, often times at the expense of the end user. I've written about Flashturbation before and urge designers and marketers to use the technology responsibly. Think about what happened to airbrush artists who spent all of their time pushing that technology to it's limit. Where are they now?

Death By Big Idea
"The Big Idea" is still very much alive and well—but it's less relevant than it's ever been. Especially big ideas that start with a top down broadcast messages first. This is campaign thinking in it's finest and does not translate directly in a fragmented 2.0 world. Bud.TV for example was a "big idea" fueled by traditional thinking—what followed was a "big bang" launch, but not the engagement. Marketers are going to need to diversify how we think, which means supporting both big ideas and lots of "big-little ideas" that can thrive in the niches. That's one of the biggest challenges marketers now face. Thinking in niche—the internet thrives on it.

Award Infatuation
Let's get this straight. Peer recognition is important and we should celebrate when one of our own does something remarkable. But the awards industry is here to make money too—and many of us are all too happy to forget about putting customers first in the pursuit of praise. Agencies especially have to come to terms with this and should all talke a cue from what's arguably the #1 brand in existence right now. Google. We really need to think hard about how compatible awards are with being "Googly". Actually, they are—but one needs to come before the other.

Social Media Goldrush
The "social revolution" is real, transformational and not going away. However, we need to proceed with a little caution. Not every tactic requires "conversation". Marketers need an intimate understanding of how social networks actually function and what is has to do with their business and brands. Then, we need to try a few things and learn by doing. But there's gold in them thar hills—which means that everyone right now who is claiming to be an expert in this area could potentially steer you wrong. I am way more active than most when it comes to the social space and I would NOT consider myself an expert. Let's be smart about how we can take advantage of the behavioral shift in this area. We'll need to be better at establishing credibility before we can guide, and the last thing we need is snake oil salesman.

Churn-n-Burn
Because much of marketing is deeply rooted in quick hits that demonstrate short term spikes, we've gotten used to an intense industry to work in that risks burning many of us out. The industry is fast paced and more than happy to put fresh meat to work. This is something that is not sustainable, especially in the digital space where there is a shortage of talent who truly knows what they are doing. We'll need to overcome this somehow and it will take some time.

Shiny Object Syndrome
I've talked about BSOS (Bright and Shiney Object Syndrome), and most marketers are guilty of it. It stems from the addiction to always looking for the "next big thing" without gaining a deep understanding of what's on our plate at the moment. The result is a loss of credibility both in and outside of the industry. We'll need to do a better job balancing what's next with what's already here. The real risk here is creating initiatives that bomb because we missed the mark on where the customer's head was actually at in order to satisfy where our heads may be at.

Banner-Palooza
We're turning the internet into Times Square. While we digital marketers claim to be cutting edge, we're not willing to turn down the lucrative ad banner business. Again, there's nothing wrong with it—but for aspiring designers who work in marketing and someday want to design the next You Tube, banner ads will most likely not help you get there.

Campaign-Itis
If we're truly living in an "application economy", then marketing/ad campaigns are not the end all be all though they are still important. But the biggest shift powered by digital is that the average Joe/Jane has become the new storyteller and digital experiences are becoming more important to an empowered consumer who frankly has more options than ever before. Point in case, I recently ordered a replacement keyboard for my family's HP computer and was severely disappointed to see that HP had downgraded their industrial design. The original keyboard was stylish, finished with metalic silver and felt right to the touch. The new keyboard only comes in back and feels like plastic. HP's campaign "The Computer is personal again" now feels like a lie to me. If we get another PC, it will probably not be an HP—and no campaign can influence that. It's time for marketers to bring the product, the experience and the marketing together because the average consumer is no longer making distinctions between them. The future of marketing will take both storytellers + experience people to pull it off.

So that's the "Wheel of Marketing Misfortune" in a nutshell. There's no reason to sugercoat it. We're all smart people who want to make what we do better. Whether you're on the client or agency side—it's time to get to work.

Broadband and Internet Use in Australia

Thanks eMarkerter for this report: JULY 11, 2008

Small population, big pipes

In what is typically a sign of growing broadband usage, the number of dial-up subscribers in Australia showed a notable decline last year, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority. Meanwhile, the number of high-speed subscribers climbed markedly.

Indeed, broadband penetration in Australia has been rising dramatically over the past several years. A clear majority of households had a broadband connection in 2007, and in 2008 more than 63% of homes, numbering just over 5 million, are expected to be high-speed Internet subscribers. ADSL is by far the most popular broadband technology, projected this year to be installed in almost 4 million households. The use of cable technology for broadband access is a distant second, with 785,000 users projected for 2008.

Across the board, whether via ADSL, cable or other technologies, broadband penetration is expected to continue to climb through 2012, when more than three-quarters of households in Australia are projected to have broadband access of some type. It is safe to say that Australia, despite its small population, is poised to take a top spot among the giants of the industrialized world with regard to broadband penetration.

Although the majority of Internet users in Australia have broadband, their preferred online activities are not bandwidth-intensive, according to Nielsen Online data released in March 2008. Some 98% of those surveyed said they used e-mail while online last year, making it by far the most popular Internet activity in the country. Financial activities were also favorites, including banking (72%) and bill payment (66%).

A minority of respondents said they used the Internet for various e-commerce activities, including purchasing airline tickets (44%), booking hotel and travel arrangements (37%) and auctions (37%). Activities related to research and information are especially popular in Australia, with 62% of respondents reporting they used the Internet for maps and directions and 59% for directories (yellow and white pages).

Design your own Volvo

Now you can match your Nike's with your Volvo... thanks to Contagious for this post, also found at: http://www.contagiousmagazine.com/News%20Article.aspx?REF=857&IsArchive=false

Design Your Own Volvo C30
What kind of a brand identity does Volvo have? Big, safe - the kind of vehicles you'd want your family securely nestled within when navigating an icy Swedish road at dusk? Perhaps it's the classless utilitarian appeal of owning a car which looks just as happy sitting outside the golf club as it does in the car park of your local Ikea, effortlessly swallowing up that new Jizz 3-piece bedroom suite you've just bought? Perhaps. However, admirable as these qualities are, they are not in the slightest bit funky, hip, or as MTV's Xzibit or Tim Westwood would say 'bang in ur face - straight blazin'. Quite.

All this is set to change though, thanks to a new campaign which has just launched in Sweden allowing potential customers to design their own Volvo C30. Before you get too excited, this doesn’t mean you can dream up a six-wheeled bubble-roofed monstrosity (anyone remember the ‘Homer’?) What you can do though, is choose from a selection of 20 different designs of applique film to cover every panel on the car. These include butterflies, zebra stripes, flames, wood-effect and even tweed and tartan. The film is guaranteed to last for two years - protecting the paintwork beneath as well as giving your Volvo that much-needed personal touch.

The fully integrated campaign utilises a dedicated microsite with possibly one of the most slick and intuitive car configurators we’ve seen in a while. Not only can you chop and change the different patterns on the bodywork, but there is also the option to specify different types of interior trim. Quite refreshingly, as you customise (or rather ‘pimp’) to your heart’s content, a running total of how much the car will cost is displayed to the side - ensuring no nasty surprises at a later stage.

http://www.volvoc30.se

Creating your own virtual space for your own virtual self

This is a site by Google called Lively, that allows you to create an avatar and chat with your friends in rooms that you design yourself. You can then invite your friends into your room to chat or help you decorate it...

From initial browsing it seems like a bit more of a gimmick or a Habbo Hotel for grown ups, but perhaps it will catch on and allow groups of people to stylize cyberspace in an effortless and practical way???Thanks to Gareth for this post. The site can be found at: http://www.lively.com/html/landing.html