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Amongst the many reports that ad serving platforms such as Google Adwords and Yahoo! Search Marketing the content network is often seen as less reliable a producer than the search network. This is mostly because control measures in the content network are not as instant as those in the search network. A negative keyword becomes active when entered into the campaign or ad group, you don’t know what sites to exclude until your ads have been served there.
Whenever I start a content campaign one of the most important activities is to start excluding sites from having ads served. Using Google’s site placement report I can see what sites have served the ad. Then comes the evaluation of each site. When I look at sites that are serving clients’ content ads I consider the following:
1. Is the topic relevant to the client?
2. Is the site relevant to the target market?
3. What is the Google Page Rank of the site?
4. What is the Alexa rating of the site?
5. Is the site nothing more than a bunch of links, and no content?
6. Do I find more than one site that looks exactly the same except for the domain?
7. Where on the site do the ads appear?
There are a lot of junk site that have been put up by pyramid scheme companies that can suck the ROI out of a campaign if not kept in check. Having a plan of action on evaluating content network sites helps bring more control to content network campaigns.
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The display deal struck by Google and yahoo to show their ads side by side in Yahoo Search results. The buzz around industry publications is that advertising rates will increase as the two search marketing platforms compete side-by-side. Did you catch that – more competition must equal a higher price. If we let hype and hysteria cloud our judgment as marketers we end up on the wrong end of decisions.
The basic economics tell me that increased competition is good for the customer, not the seller. I think this is a way for Yahoo to really step up to the plate and show why they think their advertising gives users a better experience. I personally can’t wait till the FTC approves the deal and we can see how the two systems compete side by side in a way that has never happened before.
For now, don’t overreact, prepare. Now is the time to take stock of both campaigns and compare how they are performing. I am looking carefully at how Yahoo’s results have trended since they started generating buzz with their Microsoft fiasco. It will be interesting to see how this chapter in the search engine saga plays out.
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I was recently interviewed by the editor of Adweek regarding the largely overlooked power of the jingle. The argument, brands are missing an opportunity to improve brand recall through audio by attaching themselves to the sounds of an up and coming artist or a veteran as opposed to developing a distinguished and recognizable jingle. Many of us know some jingles can be annoying, but often what annoys us is the fact that they get stuck in your head. Remember this one? “plop plop fizz fizz oh what a relief it is” Can you name this brand? “Da da da da da…I’m lovin’ it.” A good jingle is simple and memorable. And, while a pop song can be memorable, the listener (the target audience) may not associate the song with the brand and sometimes when they do, they’re pissed because their favorite band or artist “sold out.” Building and maintaining a strong, differentiated, brand requires significant investment of time and resources, so why not differentiate the brand audibly as well? I think of at least 10 different things when I hear Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll– and not one of them is Cadillac. Conversely only one thing comes to mind when I hear “plop plop fizz fizz oh what a relief it is.”
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This week I was fortunate to attend the ROI Revolution Comprehensive Training Series at the Westin in Rosemont, IL (just outside Chicago). The presenters were extremely knowledgeable and covered a vast amount of information regarding Google Analytics. The training was broken out into 6 in-depth modules. Each training module drilled deep into specific details and instructions for the implementation of Google offerings. The training went beyond the tracking and reporting of website activity, it covered methods to successfully use Google analytics to optimize ppc campaigns. The live Q&A was also extremely helpful, and I benefited from other participants’ questions. The MP3 file of each module plus the workbook was a nice take away. Just today I went to the ROIs blog to read more on the topic of tagging offline ads. With the evolving Google offering taking advantage of trainings is key to managing successful search campaigns.
Dan Murray, Manager, Emerging Media
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TechCrunch reports confirmation that Yahoo will be announcing a partnership with the CBS Audience Network to serve video advertising and provide content through Yahoo TV. The CBS addition will be the largest percentage of content on Yahoo TV, joining Fox and NBC. The CBS Audience Network is currently providing content through it’s own web site, MSN, iTunes, YouTube Comcast’s Fancast, and AOL, with over 300 partners overall. Yahoo tested the relationship with CBS with a previous deal to stream local news and sports videos in sixteen metro areas, and content related to its 60 minutes program.
As more mainstream media companies begin partnerships to control revenue from consumers viewing content online This partnership with CBS makes MSN’s deal with HP seem like backwards thinking. As more people go to the Internet to watch television programs more advertisers are testing the digital waters.
Publishers are testing the digital environment with Yahoo as well. According to the c|net’s Caroline McCarthy, “the participant count for Yahoo’s local Newspaper Consortium advertising project is now up to 779 publications; members of the consortium will be the first to use Yahoo’s AMP technology when it debuts later this summer.”
As much as Microsoft and industry analysts want to count out Yahoo they are still #2 in search traffic, more than double the traffic of MSN. With each of these new offerings Yahoo is showing why they are #2 and why they are very relevant to advertisers looking past the Giant, Google.
Healthcare organizations who are already advertising on television will now have a major network to look to in testing new advertising avenues as consumers habits begin the, most likely decade long, period of change and adoption of new technology.
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While recently watching my beloved TV talk-show, “Ellen”, I experienced what can only be deemed a “huh?” moment during the commercials… I watched Ellen survey the crowd of her ‘people’ in order best determine how to secure Beyoncé tickets. She paused thoughtfully when she saw a dazed actor in a Romanesque costume walk by; this actor inspired her to call her ‘people’ at American Express….”huh?”…. Why, I asked myself, would an absentminded actor trigger Ellen to call upon a brand built on integrity, quality and customer service?
My thoughts were echoed in Martin Jelsema’s recent post, “Brand icon should be relevant.” Here is an excerpt:
“…I vaguely remembered that American Express used the icon of a helmeted centurion. And I guess they’re bringing ‘him’ back as an identifier. I don’t know why. In fact, I don’t know why they used it in the first place. What does a Roman soldier from 2,000-years ago have to do with America (discovered about 500-years ago)? He represents neither America nor Express…”
Upon further postulation, however, I realized that this was more than just a revival of a ‘human’ icon from bygone society for brand personification sake. American Express’ move to revive the icon, known only as “Gladiator Head Design®” brings the history and legacy associated with both the brand and the icon of the ancient Roman, ‘Caput Mundi,’ into modern popular culture. By transplanting the gladiator icon into the modern-day Hollywood setting, American Express is repositioning their brand and reclaiming the modern day ‘center of the world’ as American Express territory.
Written by: Lisa Swarbrick – Associate Manager, Brand Strategy and Research
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A wise person (my boss) once told me that when concepting ideas for banner ads, it helps to think of each frame as a mini movie. She went on to say that each “mini movie” needed to engage the audience into wanting to see more. While this task is easier said than done, the logic makes sense – get the viewers to watch at least the beginning of your ad. If it’s interesting enough, maybe they’ll stick around through the credits.
Different things come into play when visualizing how a banner ad will work. How long will each frame last? How many frames will there be? Will one image dissolve into another? Should images even be used? But that’s sort of the beauty of it – anything goes, as long as it meshes with the client’s goals. When we started on banner ads for CareerBuilder.com, we were working with a campaign that was only text. But through the magic of Flash animation and the collaborative minds of the creative team, the static text ads were brought to life and got people clicking. Our banner ads may not have won an academy award, but we definitely drive sales, which feels a lot like getting two thumbs up.
Vicki Treptow, Copywriter
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There is one movie that can get away with extensive product placement – “Sex and the City.” One expects to see the high-end brands such as Louis Vuitton, Manolo Blahnik, Oscar de la Renta and Vivienne Westwood since fashion is a key “character” of “Sex and the City.”
Given the show’s popularity among the female demographic and since the movie has been described as “the Super Bowl for women,” a brand can gain a lot from being associated with this movie. However, New Line Cinema needed to select products that would not dilute the Sex and the City brand. As Julia Boorstin puts it, “The key about good product placement is that it shouldn’t be obvious.”
In the movie, brands outside of high-end fashion designers that are strongly affiliated with the Sex and the City brand were present. The placement of Vogue seems so natural with Carrie’s photo shoot of gorgeous wedding dresses, and the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is an appropriate tie-in with the fashion theme. Bag Borrow or Steal, which brings designer and luxury fashion brands to more people, is also mentioned.
Yet, the placement of branded bottled water in the movie seemed too “obvious” to me. Bottled water, unlike fashion or even alcohol, is not associated with the Sex and the City brand. I can understand that Glacéau wants more women to buy their Vitamin Water and Smart Water, but these two brands of water are neither made specifically for women nor do they have a clear tie-in with fashion. Therefore, the connection seems forced and even distracting.
The movie is gaining an extensive amount of promotion from sponsors, and that may be reason enough for some of the partnerships. However, I hope that in the future, New Line Cinema uses a film’s brand as a litmus test when seeking any partnerships for product placement.
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Several start-ups in the US have been working on helping advertisers integrate their traditional advertising such as newspaper, magazine, and billboards. The US start ups have been based on the same model pushed in Britain by News International, publisher of the popular tabloid “The Sun,” and that have been very successful in the advertising overload of Japan. The system is based on the use of a Quick Response (QR) code, a 2D barcode. Here in the US consumers want it easier than finding the barcode, and advertisers want to be able to use the system for more than just print media.
So, what if you could just take a picture of an ad? Easier right? As advertisers know, if it isn’t easy only the truly motivated will take action, leaving others to forget the ad they saw. So what would be easy enough to bring this type of integrated marketing to the US? AT&T is the first mobile provider to quietly make a deal with Mobot to allow users to send the pictures to Mobot via multimedia message (MMS), Verizon and T-Mobile are expected to follow suit.
Mobot, after using complex image recognition software, will then connect the consumer to digital media supporting whatever was advertised. Mobot CEO Russell Gocht told Marketing Daily at CTIA, “Computer vision has been in the research lab for 30 years. Some of the technology we use has been used for circuit board inspection.”
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Studies have shown that the average client/agency relationship lasts 2-3 years. Some organizations must be perpetually searching for new agency partners.
A strong client/agency relationship should be hitting its stride at 2-3 years. The agency has a solid understanding of the client’s products and/or services. The client has become comfortable with the agency’s approach to planning, strategy development and the creative product.
So what can be done to extend the length of the partnership?
One key is clearly identifying those areas where the agency can provide a higher level of value. Over the past ten years “DIY Marketing” has moved beyond a trend to a reality. Years ago, some organizations had no internal resources. Others may have had one designer, and perhaps a technical writer.
Today, clients’ in-house capabilities include designers, a full Web dev team, video, copywriters, media planners, etc. Every Movéo client has internal resources they leverage to produce a variety of communications.
Agencies need to recognize this fact and adjust their offering accordingly to best meet the needs of each client. This includes providing clients with “higher level” services such as research, brand strategy development, emerging media expertise, motion media, etc.
Client and agency must work together to identify the areas where the agency can truly provide value. Based on this understanding teams from each side can truly collaborate to produce highly effective work.
The result? Partnerships that last well beyond 2-3 years. Other nice by-products include an increase in brand value and enhanced business results.
Bob Murphy, Managing Partner
