Archive for May, 2008
May 8th, 2008
The Webby Awards honor excellence on the Internet, including Web sites, online film and video, mobile Web sites and interactive advertising from around the world. Stephen Colbert and will.i.am earned top honors at this year’s Webby Awards, announced Tuesday.
Colbert, the irreverent host of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report, was named person of the year thanks to the “innovative way he has used the Internet to interact with fans,” a Webby rep said in a statement. One highlight? During his aborted presidential campaign, the host’s “One Million Strong for Stephen T. Colbert” Facebook group attracted more than 78 members per minute in its first week.
“The Web is essentially improvisational. … The Internet is the shortest, hardest wall against which your voice will echo back,” Colbert said. “It’s a big place, but, boy, you get an echo back really fast.”
- Steven Colbert
Well said, Mr. Colbert. Especially when it comes to marketing and your message, evidenced by Colbert’s attracting 78 members per minute. Just when you thought no one was paying attention, think again. Be prepared when you put content out there because the ‘echo back’ will happen immediately. But for a good picture of who has got it right and to ignite your creativity, take a look at the winners (chosen from 8,000 entries), http://www.webbyawards.com/.
Some of the WEBBY winners:
Blog-Political: Huffington Post
Blog-Cultural: PostSecret
Magazine: National Geographic
Best mobile news site: CNN.com (voted by People’s Voice)
Newspaper: NYTimes.com
Politics: FactCheck.org
Community: Flickr
Weird: Passive-Aggressive Notes (Academy), I Can Has Cheezburger? (Popular Vote)
Social Networking: Flock The Social Web Browser (Academy), Facebook (Popular Vote)
Comedy - Long Form or Series: “Wainy Days”
May 6th, 2008
I was in line at the grocery store the other day and was reminded of a fundamental truth in advertising. People still circle ads with red markers, cut them out, paste them on the fridge, carry them inside wallets, give ads away, put ads on the walls, etc. Naturally, it is in advertisers’ best interests to encourage this behavior because “bookmarking”, a term used to describe the above behavior, gives the ad another chance to do its job, which is why we often see the dotted “cut here” lines around ads.
Fast forward to the future (now)… How will this translate when company’s develop online advertising campaigns? The problem with advertising on the web today is that while the digital medium itself provides almost unlimited mechanisms for archiving, manipulating and retrieving information, most online ads have all the fleeting properties of a TV commercial.
So what are advertisers to do? Our goal is to make it easy for customers to translate electronic ads into redeemable coupons they can use at point-of-sale. For example, we could equip online ads with a clipping mechanism — a small scissor icon that, when clicked, would produce a printer-friendly stand-alone version of the ad with extended information for future reference. Online ad networks could offer a repository of all offers they serve and a link that says “view more offers from this vendor” or “view similar offers”. We could even offer cell phone ads, most cell phones have photo capabilities, companies could send ads to customers via cell phone that could then be scanned at point of purchase.
May 6th, 2008
NBC will charge a record $3 million for a 30-second commercial in the 2009 SuperBowl, which is a 10% increase from the 2008 game. Locally, SuperBowl spots also cost way more than traditional spots…but is it worth it?
Nationally, companies usually get “buzz” after the game on YouTube and the talk shows, which can be beneficial (IF the commericial is a fan favorite, that is). Local advertisers who insert ads during the SuperBowl also can generate positive coverage, but I’m just not convinced that the buzz it may generate locally justifies the premium price point.
Or, put another way, I would probably advise a client that they’re better off buying more spots at a lower price point…unless they have money to burn.
Anyone think differently? What would you advise a business owner to do?
May 5th, 2008
According to a monthly survey by IAG Research and posted last week on Ad Age’s website, Philadelphia Cream Cheese scored the most-recalled new TV ad in March for it’s “1/3 Less Fat Philly Personal Trainer” ad:
UPDATE: Here’s the 2nd most-recalled ad by Cheez-It:
Rounding out the Top 10 of Most-Recalled spots were commercials by: Target, Lowe’, Volkswagen, Dannon, Travelers Insurance, Cialis, Expedia and Pizza Hut. These were ads whose viewers could recall within 24 hours the brand of an ad they were exposed to during the normal course of viewing TV.
Meanwhile, the most-LIKED commercial was a new one featuring a pink peanut M&M being attacked by squirrels while reading a magazine on a park bench (no luck finding a link to that one yet, however).
See the complete list here.
May 1st, 2008
I get asked all the time, “How do I get <insert event/product/announcement here> covered in the news?” Well, I say, that depends, but the first step is to do a news release.
So, a few tips on what EVERY news release MUST have:
1. Contact information. Seems like a no-brainer, but it’s not. And if you’re not in your office most of the time, then include an alternative way to get in touch with you. Deadlines wait for no man.
2. Date. So the media knows that they’re not dealing with outdated information.
3. An interesting, descriptive headline (and subhead if need be). Make it timely and topical. This is your best chance to getting a reporter’s attention.
4. The 5 Ws. Who, what, where, when, why - give ‘em all their answers up front. If reporters call because of your release, you want it to be for quotes that promote your organization’s mission…not for the address of where the new-product announcement is happening.
5. A reason to care. Editors and reporters can get dozens of releases - sometimes many more - every day. Make your information news-worthy so it grabs their attention. Before you send something, always ask yourself, “who cares?” If you answer, “no one,” rethink and rewrite it so that someone will.
6. Correct grammar & spelling. Proof read - sloppy writing will not win you any friends and just reflects poorly on your organization.
7. Company info. Include a brief description of your company - and your web address! - at the end.
Optional elements could include:
- A quote. Talk to a pertinent employee or customer & include their comments. Got a CEO who’s less than verbose? Write quotes for him/her and get a sign off if you must.
- Statistics, charts, graphs. Good, verifiable data - particularly if it ties in to a current industry or news trend - is like nectar to reporters. Find a nugget of data to tie into your release and you immediately broaden your announcement’s appeal and audience base.
In an future post, I’ll talk distribution and follow-up, two other keys to getting your news covered.
Next Posts
“The Web is essentially improvisational. … The Internet is the shortest, hardest wall against which your voice will echo back,” Colbert said. “It’s a big place, but, boy, you get an echo back really fast.”
