June 12th, 2008 10:50am
Doug Burton
Imagine a site that you frequently visit, let’s say amazon.com. Given the exhaustive amount of information you initially find that it is difficult to navigate. But over time, you realize you’re finding the Web site is easy to navigate, more comfortable, and it gives you the information you need. Almost second nature. Is this a result of you simply learning how to navigate the site? Maybe not…
Here’s an article from MIT Tech review about websites that recognize the cognitive style of visitors by the way they click around and adapt their interfaces accordingly:
“The researchers’ initial studies show that morphing a website to suit different types of visitors could increase the site’s sales by about 20 percent. While quite a few sites, such as Amazon.com, offer personalized features, many of those sites adapt by drawing information from user profiles, stored cookies, or long questionnaires. The Sloan system, however, adapts to unknown users within the first few clicks on the website by analyzing each user’s pattern of clicks.
In addition to guessing at each user’s cognitive style by analyzing that person’s pattern of clicks, the system tracks data over time to see which versions of the website work most effectively for which cognitive styles.”
June 10th, 2008 08:53pm
Cindy Harris
MSNBC.com’s media blog - Test Pattern - is again hosting its annual “Best Of” television ad competition. It is an informal affair driven generally by user comments posted online, in other blogs and in other ways I’ve yet to formally discern. (Complete ground rules here).
It seems the Discovery Channel’s “I Love the World” promo is picking up steam this year:
Last year’s winners were:
2007’s Worst Ad: Sour Skittles “Milking Man” ad
2007’s Best Ad: PetSmart Bulldog puppy ad
Advertising moves the national conversation and, for better or worse, is one of the common denominators in our culture (How many people watch the Superbowl now just for the ads?). So, take a peek at some of the ads that are floating around and join in the conversation.
PS - Taking its place in the viral litany of add-ins, and for those Deadliest Catch geeks like me, Discovery Channel also lets you download the “Boom-di-ada” song as a ringtone, MP3 or images from the campaign as wallpaper. Check it out here.
June 10th, 2008 09:43am
Chris Kelley
Last week a couple of daredevils scaled the New York Times building. Stewart Elliot, Advertising Columnist at the Times, said he was grateful for the event. Though he said he thought that only the people inside the Times offices were climbing the walls, it cured him of his writers block for the keynote speech to the American Advertising Federation luncheon yesterday.
Elliot said he wasn’t the only one suffering from writer’s block lately. Mr. Big has trouble with his wedding vows in the new Sex and the city movie. And the all male copy writing staff of the tv drama, Mad Men did too when, in one episode, struggled with an ad concept for a new client which provided a chance for a female secretary to break the glass ceiling.
Elliot pondered how Don Draper and Roger Sterling, the 1960’s ad execs, would adapt to the challenges of advertising today. Consumers are younger, mere tech-savvy, more diverse and at the same time harder than ever to reach. Then too are the new media, including user generated content, mobile marketing, behavioral adertising and environmental claims. And certainly they’d wonder why they couldn’t smoke and drink at the office.
June 5th, 2008 09:48pm
Cindy Harris
The Mayor’s Arts Awards, presented by the Rockford Area Arts Council, are wrapping as I tap this out. The awards have little to do with advertising - the stated intention of ADwire - but are critically important to the cultural and economic health of our community. The arts affect us all and allow us to understand our world, to interpret our challenges and triumphs and are the lens through which we view our strengths, our frailties and our oneness.
As Greg Johnson from Beetcafe.com said in accepting his award for Community Impact by a Business, “Rockford has the best, most hidden, arts culture of anywhere he’s ever been.” And I concur. Without further ado, the recipients of this year’s Awards are:
(l to r) Rockford Area Arts Council Executive Director Anne O’Keefe, Individual Arts Advocate Recipient Ald. Doug Mark (Rockford’s 3rd) and Mayor Larry Morrissey
June 5th, 2008 09:07am
Cindy Harris
It’s not even two weeks before Father’s Day, so if you’re planning on doing a marketing push for your company, you should get on it if you haven’t already. High gas and food prices likely will take a bite out of Father’s Day gift giving; a recent survey done by the National Retailers Association (NRF) says their estimates put the loss as much as 8% versus last year, which leaves many local retailers wondering for what people are really looking for good ole Dad. Here are some promotional ideas to get you started:
- More than 40% of consumers plan on spending their time with Dad by treating him to a special outing, so a “Bring Your Kids” event or promotion for Father’s Day weekend would likely help sales. A good time with Dad at your establishment also will go a long way towards their recall of your brand and business. But, no one is having fun if the kids are bored and acting up - especially Dads on their “special” day. So remember to provide activities - bubbles, balloons, entertainment - as well as kid-friendly (and healthy) refreshments like water, juice, fruit or pretzels for the kids so they have fun with their Dad.
- Or offer a free “Daddy and Me” picture - a Polaroid in a paper frame with your store’s name and website on it, for example - to everyone who makes a purchase. This will create a concrete memory of your business that they will take home with them and, if you’re lucky, keep on the ‘fridge for months and in scrapbooks for years.
- Offer some sort of discount or gift card when a purchase is made for Dad - say, a 10% discount for July or a $10 gift card good for their next visit. Make sure it’s good for the next time the customer visits your store, however, to encourage a repeat visit.
- Donate a portion of your Father’s Day sales to an organization that supports and furthers the role of men in children’s lives…like Big Brothers, Big Sisters for example.
Once you’ve decided on your promotion, support it with paid advertising (if you can afford it), fliers and posters in your store, an email blast to your subscribers, on your website, etc.
Send a news release to the local media, particularly the photo desk of your local newspaper, who will have roving photographers out and about on Father’s Day looking for an image that captures Father’s Day locally.
If you make a donation to a local charity, try to extend your media coverage by presenting the check to the charity’s officials during a media event orchestrated after Father’s Day.
(more…)
June 3rd, 2008 09:42am
Pam Maher
So you’ve created a great email newsletter. You’ve built your email lists. You’re ready to send it out. But take a step back and consider whether you’ve offered an “opt-out” option. Not only does including an opt-out make good marketing sense but, under the CAN-SPAM Act, it’s also federal law.
We’ve been doing enewsletters for years - both for clients and for our own company - and we sometimes sign up our clients and prospects because we think they’ll find the content relevant to what we’re working on for them or where they’re at in their business. But occasionally, someone will opt-out.
And that’s OK.
From a marketing point of view, it’s better to have subscribers opt-out than be annoyed with having received it and not know how to stop them from coming.
Perhaps more importantly is that not including an opt-out option is now a federal crime subject to up to $11,000 in fines every time it happens. In 2003, the federal government passed the CAN-SPAM act, which requires all commercial emails - those email messages “whose primary purpose is advertising or promoting a commercial product or service, including content on a Web site” - to include an opt-out procedure. Read more about the CAN-SPAM act here.
Updates to CAN-SPAM - On Tuesday, May 13, of this year, the FTC updated the CAN-SPAM laws to talk about the nature of the “sender” of promotional emails. Read more here.
Moral of the story - giving clients and subscribers an opt-out option is easy and the law.
June 2nd, 2008 04:44pm
Doug Burton
If you have ever filled out an online form you have probably seen this automatic response. My advice - This is not a practice I would recommend your organization implement. Four reasons why should suffice. First, CAPS are annoying. Second, the message tone is rude. Third, people hit “reply” anyway, and if you have “…@donotreply.com”, it actually ends up in the inbox of the owner of donotreply.com. Fourth, and most important, always give your customers a direct channel of communication with you. Make it personal.
June 2nd, 2008 11:22am
Cindy Harris
Today’s Advertising Age published a story that shows conclusively that when it comes to advertising, a good media mix of online, television, radio and print will produce a better return than using one vehicle exclusively.
In a survey of 25,000 consumers done by national media-tracking firm Advertising Perceptions, results showed consumers were more inclined to buy products when they saw a particular brand across media channels. So effective is a mix of media that most product categories studied showed at least a 20% increase in consumers who said they “intend to buy” the products that they had seen in multiple media channels.
For example:
- online and TV viewers were 27% more likely to intend to buy beer than those who viewed TV alone
- 22% more likely to intend to buy apparel than TV viewers alone and
- 21% more likely to intend to buy consumer electronics than TV viewers alone.
Here’s a visual that is pretty convincing:
It seems clear that online advertising must be part of any marketing plan these days, along with a good mix of other vehicles. Each type of advertising channel - TV, radio, print, online - have their advantages and drawbacks, but each makes multiple contact points with your customers.
I could write on this topic exclusively every day for the next year and not cover all the nuances of media buying and placement. Long story short, mix it up in your marketing plan. And don’t just rely on one channel to carry your company’s message.
May 29th, 2008 09:40am
Cindy Harris
Was someone at your company honored on the Rockford Chamber of Commerce’s “40 Under 40″ list? If so, don’t keep the good news to yourself. Sure, it was covered locally, but look further afield to gain additional publicity:
- Draft a news release about the honor, how the nominees were selected and then detail the accomplishments of your company’s particular honoree.
- Distribute it to the trade media that cover your industry and any other non-local publication that is appropriate, including the alumni office of the honoree’s college/university/high school and any other organization with which he or she is involved (like a church, professional organization, etc.)
- Whenever possible, email the release, a headshot and a link to the online version of the story (See sources below)
- Mailed or faxed releases are OK, but don’t have the advantage of automatically giving the media outlet the option of running the piece with the headshot.
We should all be proud of these accomplished professionals - so let’s talk it up!
40 Under 40 Source Material
PS - kudos to KMK Media Group’s own Pam Maher for her inclusion on the list!
May 28th, 2008 10:26am
Katharyn Havens
The Columbus Dispatch featured a story recently that highlights a trend across the country – the “staycation.” Does your business offer amenities that cater to the ‘staycationers’ that will be in Rockford this summer? With the high price of gas, many vacationers will be cutting back on travel and opting instead for spending time and money at home.
Think backyard bliss first of all. What can you offer that would make a backyard better? If your realm of expertise falls under food, swimming, lounging or socializing with friends at a small party, you can bet that there will be an audience this summer for your marketing efforts.
And what about relaxing? Salons and spas should be catering to those who may be staying in town to save some money on gas, yet who still will want to feel that they got some R&R time this summer. A spa and hotel package right here in Rockford could be a nice option for a staycation, but there are certainly those who have not thought of this as a good alternative to travel. With a little marketing effort started soon, the summer could look very different indeed. Use words like reconnect, home paradise, local leisure and highlight saving money without skipping the vacation feeling.
For more ideas, check out The Outdoor Living Guide from Consumer Reports:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/home-garden/resource-center/outdoor-living/0705_outdoor-living.htm
Columbus Dispatch article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/05/25/stay-home_summer.ART_ART_05-25-08_D1_QCA9F64.html
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