Online Payment, In-Store Pickup: An Emerging Trend to Capture Brand Loyalty?

Posted by: Matthew Bick // May 9th, 2012

Retail titan Walmart recently put a system in place to allow its customers to order products online and pickup and pay for their products at a store location of their choosing.  AdAge’s Jonathan Salem Baskin argues that this is a “novel pathway to building brand loyalty.”

Salem Baskin documents the losses that giants like Best Buy have incurred from being treated as “vast showrooms for merchandise” as a top area in which retailers can regain ground.  He describes, “The Walmart…program turns this phenomenon on its head and raises the potential for stores to do a lot more to reclaim their status as destinations for shoppers.”  He continues on to demonstrate numerous ways in which retailers have the opportunity to bring “meaning and purpose” back to in-store visits.

The retail industry is by no means the only industry in which “online order, in-store payment” is picking up steam.  The restaurant industry, specifically quick-serve chains, have been early adopters in this area.  Famous brands including Chipotle and Jimmy Johns have used apps that allow customers to place an order on any mobile device with the option of paying either via the app or in-store.

@MatthewBick

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Online Brand Advertising Set to Overtake Digital Direct Response

Posted by: Matthew Bick // February 8th, 2012

Marketing and advertising industry intelligence leader eMarketer has released statistics indicating that spend on digital brand advertising stands to pass digital direct response in 2012.  eMarketer, citing a survey conducted by DIGIDAY and Vizu, reports “more marketers plan to increase their online branding initiatives in 2012 than they do their direct response tactics.”

eMarketer lists “growing marketer interest in mobile advertising, social media, and online video” as the primary drivers behind the trend toward greater digital brand advertising spending in the new year.  eMarketer mentions another interesting pattern in the digital space for the upcoming year, indicating that many advertisers will put greater funding into online video content in particular than in 2011.  As marketers look to help define their brands online, easily accessible and relevant video content may quickly become a major demand from consumers in spite of more traditional direct response initiatives.

@MatthewBick

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Super Bowl Ads – Effective or Not?

Posted by: Kirsten Taylor // February 1st, 2012

I’m not the only one who watches the Super Bowl just for the ads, and companies know it. At the Super Bowl this year, a 30-second spot is going to cost $3.5 million, and according to the Brand Keys Super Bowl Engagement Survey, about half of the ads will fail to engage customers, drive positive behavior or sales, or build the brand.

According to Media Life Magazine, companies with $3.5 million to spend on a 30-second spot probably have a high awareness to begin with, and are seeking innovative ways to achieve this awareness.

However, wthr.com warns that brand recollection still needs to be a priority. For example, last year’s Darth Vader commercial was highly discussed but because it sought to entertain, very few remember the brand. (Ahem, it was Volkswagen).

@KirstenETaylor

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Google Set To Begin Integrating Google+ Content in Search Results with “Search plus Your World”

Posted by: Matthew Bick // January 25th, 2012

Google has finally announced that they will soon begin displaying content from its Google+ social network in its results.  Google+ has been slow to this point to gain mainstream acceptance, but the massive search engine may be angling toward convincing more brands to take advantage of their pages.

According to an official blog post, the search engine will allow users to conduct social network searches in addition to regular web searches Using the example of choosing a vacation destination, Google states that, “You can of course search the web, but what if you want to learn from the experiences your friends have had on their vacations? Just as in real life, your friends’ experiences are often so much more meaningful to you than impersonal content on the web.”

New features include Google+ posts, photos, and profiles appearing in searches when a user is signed in with their Google ID.   Google goes on to describe that their initiatives are designed to create a broad spectrum of user personalization, from none to results finely tailored to the individual.

However, many are quick to point out that Google may have brought an anti-trust storm upon itself.  Although Google claims that Google+ is, in fact, not a social network, it would be difficult to persuade the majority of internet users otherwise.  Google using one product to promote another in this manner may be the start to a dramatic fight in Washington.  In fact, just hours after the announcement, Twitter’s general consul  Tweeted his misgivings about the news.

@MatthewBick

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How to Market to Millennials

Posted by: Kirsten Taylor // January 23rd, 2012

According to a recent study featured on AdAge, most millennials don’t respond to television ads like previous generations did, however this doesn’t mean they’re tuning out all digital ads. According to the research, millennials respond to the same advertising approaches as prior generations, including brand differentiation, competitive comparisons, information about new products and superiority claims. Millennials are simply more engaged in other kinds of media, including websites and digital media, when compared to their older counterparts.

This doesn’t mean that millennials don’t respond at all to television. As it turns out, they are less likely than their elders to recall a television ad, but when they do, they remember it much longer than seniors.

What does this teach us? The days of Mad Men are over and you can’t focus simply on print and television. Sorry Don Draper, digital is where it’s at.

@KirstenETaylor

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Can you hear me now?

Posted by: Kirsten Taylor // January 18th, 2012

Verizon announced last Thursday that they will begin issuing a “convenience fee” in mid-December to customers who choose to pay their monthly bills online or by phone.  As news of the $2 fee spread, Twitter, Facebook and blogs were bogged down with negative feedback.

According to an article in PR Daily, little had been done to address the negative commentary flooding their social media profiles. However, they did offer “a cheery post about gadgets and pets” and a post suggesting that “the deals keep getting better and better”. The company missed a vital opportunity to converse directly with their customers, probably leaving many to wonder, can you hear me now?

@KirstenETaylor

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The Mobile Landscape of 2012

Posted by: Liz Mortek // January 17th, 2012

A recent article on Online Media Daily explains that in 2011, we saw an explosion in mobile marketing in the form of apps, commerce and analytics. And, with the announcement that 3.7 million Android devices were activated over Christmas weekend and 242 million apps were sold on Christmas Day alone, the possibilities for mobile marketing will be endless in the coming year.

The article suggests five trends to look out for in 2012, including an increase in time and money being devoted to engaging on mobile platforms, more mobile purchases, more meaningful apps, and better identified segments and targets. These trends suggest that it will get easier and easier to have meaningful interactions with the right audiences.

@EMortek

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Reasons to Practice Social Monitoring Now

Posted by: Neil James // January 11th, 2012

Ever tried to put together a focus group? It’s a lot of work. Rounding up the participants, getting everything organized, hiring a moderator, and that’s before anybody even walks in the room. Therein lies the beauty of social monitoring programs – brands now have the ability to conduct focus groups 24 hours a day, seven days a week! According to Harris Interactive, one-quarter of Americans are talking about companies, brands or products online.

Denise Keller discusses the reasons your brand should explore a social monitoring program right now in a new article for Social Media Today, The Top 7 Reasons You Should Implement Social Media Intelligence. While citing the obvious benefits of a social monitoring program – unearthing new consumer insights and reputation management – for Keller, the ability to identify qualified leads and prospects is the top reason for launching a robust monitoring program.

@NeilAndrewJames

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Everybody in the World Finally Using Social Media

Posted by: Neil James // December 19th, 2011

Okay, that headline’s not exactly accurate. Not everybody uses social media. But according to a new study by Experian Simmons, as chronicled by Erik Sass in a new article for MediaPost, 98 percent of adults ages 18-24 use social media in a given month. But that’s not even Experian’s most interesting finding. Sass reports that more than four in five adults ages 55-64 are using social media in a typical month, as are 75 percent of adults over 65!

@NeilAndrewJames

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Why We Won’t See the Next Facebook or Twitter Anytime Soon

Posted by: Neil James // December 12th, 2011

One of the most common questions we field given our experience with social media is “so what’s the next Facebook? What’s going to replace Twitter?” At face value, it’s a logical question. As the Roman Empire and Myspace have proven, just because an institution is omnipresent today doesn’t guarantee its existence tomorrow.

But here’s something to consider. A new study by Pew Internet found that two-thirds of online adults use social media platforms – no huge surprise. The primary consideration in their adoption of these tools, however, is connecting with family members and friends. According to Pew, two-thirds of social media users cite staying in touch with friends and family members as the primary reason for using social media.

These facts pose problems for upstarts (Google+) looking to dethrone Facebook and Twitter as king of the social networks. In order to succeed, competing social media sites can’t just attract users, they need to attract entire social networks.

@NeilAndrewJames

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