Sometimes, something that sounds too good to be true actually isn't. Paid Search (or Search Engine Marketing) really is one of the most effective and cost-efficient forms of advertising currently available. Read why I love Paid Search.
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Why I Love Paid Search
Posted by David Sonn on May 7th, 2012 at 12:05 pm
Tags: paid search, search engine advertising, search engine marketing, search marketing, sem
Posted in Media Planning & Buying, Opinions, Search, Websites | No Comments »
Creating “Cross-Platform” Campaigns: What Works, What to Avoid
Posted by Mark Ailsworth on May 7th, 2012 at 5:15 am
Over the past few years, our industry has seen significant growth in digital adoption and in the advancement of new technology. As more and more people are headed online, it has become clear that there are new channels for retailers to leverage when it comes to executing highly deliverable ad campaigns. Traditional advertising methods alone cannot deliver maximum reach, so marketers are exploring new advertising channels.
Today, more ad dollars are being allocated to digital and advertisers are working with retailers to develop campaigns that can be executed across all channels. Creating “cross-platform” campaigns can be difficult, however, when it comes to buying different types of media and integrating them into a single plan. From campaign creation to optimization and reporting, working across multiple platforms takes a great understanding of how to properly execute a campaign on every level.
At the recent ad:tech event held in San Francisco, there was a lot of discussion around the growth the digital advertising industry has seen and the challenges advertisers run into when executing “cross-platform” campaigns. A few of these challenges include:
Reducing complexity. When it comes to buying different types of media, there’s a concern for reducing the complexity of digital advertising and moving towards... Read more
Tags: digital advertising; cross-platform campaigns; retail marketing; localized ad targeting
Posted in Media Planning & Buying, Opinions, Targeting | No Comments »
What are the implications of the NewFronts (digital upfronts)?
Posted by Jeff Hinz on May 3rd, 2012 at 7:52 am
Yes, it’s an industry first. And yes, it’s taking a cue from broadcast television by following the money.
The key participants of the this year’s Digital Content NewFronts (Hulu, Microsoft Advertising, AOL, Yahoo, Google/YouTube, Vevo, Disney) are telling us as Steve Jobs once did: to think differently. This different thinking is evident as the digital content landscape continues to evolve, as people continue to shift, integrate and multi-task with media channels and on devices. Broadcast and digital are becoming more integrated. The time people used to spend watching is now spent interacting, socializing and searching. Video content is being pushed and pulled to all devices and consumers are watching video everywhere they go. But what will they watch down the road?
The mission of the Digital Content NewFront (DCNF) is to shape a new marketplace for connecting the wealth of native digital content with brand marketers and their media and marketing agencies. Similar to the Broadcast Television upfronts, the DCNF’s goal is to bring together a media industry comprised of the digital content space, brand marketers, investment, planning, across all media for a two-week series (April 19 – May 2) of events focused on digital content and media.
Before we move forward, let’s... Read more
Posted in Media Planning & Buying, Video | 1 Comment »
"All Politics Is Digital" — Metrics Matter More Than Ever
Posted by Mark Hughes on May 1st, 2012 at 7:13 am
Tip O’Neil once said, "all politics is local." Let me rephrase that for the ought-decade. All politics is digital. And to go one step further, all politics is branding.
I don't think I need to make a case for politics being digital, so I won't bore you with that. But politics is branding. And just like a brand, political campaigns and political issue initiatives need to know where their customers come from. In politics the customers are different. They’re called voters, donors, influencers, or volunteers. By identifying the media patterns of those “constituents” and ensuring that ads you run to support a campaign are relevant and visible, campaigns can act like the most successful brands.
Political Campaigns Are Brands
This ability to advertise to constituents like the most successful brands becomes eminently more urgent because of two trends. The first is the SuperPAC. SuperPACs are the Super Bowl of political spending. They are the force to dominate the battle of the airwaves with big impact. But as any battle tested brand knows, eventually you need to reach constituents on a micro level, giving way to the second most important trend in a political race: micro-donations. Here's what I mean. Four years and three... Read more
Tags: advertising, attribution, marketing metrics, politics
Posted in Emerging Platforms, Media Planning & Buying, Web Analytics | No Comments »
How To Get To Know The New SMB Buyer
Posted by Tony Zambito on April 18th, 2012 at 1:47 pm
This is part 2 of a series on the challenge of targeting SMB markets and how the use of buyer modeling and buyer-based marketing help organizations to grow their SMB customer base.
In the first article of this series, we visited two new realities. One, that many Fortune 1000 and Global 2000 organizations are turning a focused eye towards growing their SMB customer and revenue base. With revenue growth potential shrinking in larger strategic accounts due to budget and pricing pressures, many are dedicating attention and resources with more determination than in the past. The second reality is that they are finding a very different buyer this time around than in the past. Simply put, SMB buyers are more social, more sophisticated, more connected, and are transforming their buying behaviors at an accelerated pace. New technologies opening their world to advantages only once afforded to large enterprises.
Waking up to these new realities has set up another challenge for executive leaders. That is of how to get to know the new SMB buyer. Here’s how one sales executive put this to me recently:
“One of the things we realized is that we have got to... Read more
Tags: buyer experience, buyer modleing, buyer persona, buyer persona development, buyer persona marketing, buyer personas, buyer research, buyergraphics, buyerology, content, predictive buyer modleing, small business, small business marketing, social marketing, Tony Zambito
Posted in Creative Best Practices, Email, Emerging Platforms, Media Planning & Buying, Opinions, Search, Social Media, Targeting | No Comments »
