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June 10, 2013 · All, Sparking Conversation

Facebook Stats Say A Great Deal About Mobile Marketing

Facebook stats say a great deal about mobile marketing. Many have wondered if the social media giant has lost a bit of its luster, including my colleague Alex Realmuto. Yet, it seems like the more people there are complaining about Facebook, its addictiveness and its policies, the more there are signing up for it.

Simon Dumenco of AdAge made this quirky little observation in his recent article “If We’re All So Darn Sick of You, Facebook, Why Can’t We Quit You?” In it, he points out that a survey ran by Business Insider in 2011 and again in 2012 revealed that Facebook was the only major social media platform to lose ground in terms of usage from one year to another.

May 23, 2013 · All, Sparking Conversation

Bloomberg Businessweek New Marketing Strategy for Millennials

The Bloomberg Businessweek new marketing strategy for millennials is concentrating on those who still live at home with their parents (reminds me of a certain someone’s post from last year). The publication recently launched the website bbwgetsyouahead.com just in time for graduation. The site contains e-giftcards that can be sent to the to the “tenant” – along with a 12-month free subscription to Bloomberg Businessweek - by parents, significant others, friends, and various other parties that believe it is time to move on. Each card contains a somewhat comical comment about the situation. Some of my personal favorites include: “You’re not a professional ‘YouTuber’, you’re just not,” “I can’t keep paying for your drinks,” and “Roses are red. Violets are blue. Get a job.”

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It’s definitely an interesting play for the publication. According to Echo Media, the average reader of Bloomberg Businessweek is between the ages of 25 and 54 with an median income of roughly $90,000 – not exactly who you’d expect to be coming out of college. In addition, it rarely features stories revolving around subjects such as interviews or job hunting tips. However, according to Mashable, one of Businessweek‘s chief goals is to simply educate millennials about the business world.

May 21, 2013 · All, Sparking Conversation

Yahoo’s Acquisition of Tumblr Helps Marketing for Both Brands

Yahoo’s acquisition of Tumblr helps marketing for both brands. As one of the first orders of business following the new deal, which was made official earlier today, Yahoo plans to integrate advertising, search and content management on the back-end of the social media platform, according to MediaPost.com.

The six-year old Tumblr has done very little in the area of advertising, only adopting items such as sponsored content and in-stream mobile ads over the past year. Meanwhile, Yahoo is looking to bolster its image among Millennials. With the popularity of Tumblr among 18-34 year olds, the purchase would seem to be a logical step. With the new relationship, Yahoo can now use Tumblr as a platform to post “native” content for both itself and advertisers that would complement already published Tumblr stories. In addition, the search engine can use posted Tumblr content as part of its own news aggregation offerings on the Yahoo home page.

May 17, 2013 · All, Press

When Marketing to Millennials, the Key Is Choice

From Friday, May 17th, 2013 MediaPost: Engage: GenY – When Marketing to Millennials, the Key Is Choice

Millennials have quickly become the most coveted target demographic for brands. The reasons for this are clear. This group (generally considered to be consumers between the ages of 18 and 32) is the wave of the future. According to comScore.com, they account for about 79 million people in the United States and will make up 50% of the U.S. workforce by 2030.

However, while Millennials seem to be in abundance, some brands have found it difficult to capture their attention due to their unpredictable media consumption habits. At any given point, Millennials can be exposed to a commercial ad on television, a pop-up on their smartphone, or a PSA from online radio; the list seems infinite. With options galore, brands have to place more emphasis on the behavior of Millennials, and one of the most valued characteristics that they search for in a brand is variety.

May 16, 2013 · All, Sparking Conversation

Measuring Ratings of Videos Viewed Through Mobile

ABC has announced that it will begin measuring ratings of videos viewed through mobile during a trial run with Nielson. Nielson’s services already cover viewership on both computer and tablet browsers, however, this test run will be the first of its kind. According to AdAge, the move is concurrent with the launch of ABC’s Watch ABC app, which will allow cable and satellite subscribers to stream ABC’s live signal to mobile devices.

The move also comes at an ideal time for ABC as a network, with many television stations trying to woo advertisers to invest in their fall lineups. According to ABC’s VP of development and marketing, the network’s current mobile app saw a 71 percent increase in usage between February of 2012 and 2013. This follows other attempts by ABC to help advertisers better understand the value of media outside television. Earlier this year, ABC began using Nielson’s Online Campaign ratings to provide guarantees to advertisers for video programming distributed both on TV and online.

May 10, 2013 · All, Sparking Conversation

Are People Actually Giving Gifts Through Facebook

Are people actually giving gifts through Facebook? Last year, the site implemented the program in which users could send friends a gift – in the form of a gift card, bottle of wine, subscriptions, etc. – for a special occasion, such as a birthday, anniversary, or engagement, without even having to divert a great amount of attention away from their newsfeed. However, no one is exactly sure how much the service is bringing in for the social media giant. As Cotton Delo of AdAge pointed out, the company did not even bother to include it in its earnings report for the last quarter of 2012.

One of the issues regarding the platform is the fact that product brands are often times not prominently displayed. Therefore, the user is not exactly sure what they are getting before clicking. As a result, the act of buying a gift via Facebook is independent of the brand experience.

May 7, 2013 · All, Sparking Conversation

Americans Are Fed Up With Bad Ads

The majority of Americans are fed up with bad ads. According to InsightsOne, 87 percent of Americans ages 18 and over are so tired of annoying, irrelevant ads that they are willing to completely ignore the brand producing them. Approximately 23 percent said they will ignore a company after one disruptive popup or spam email, while 43 percent set their cutoff at two.

Those surveyed were not bias when it came to which form of media they found had the worst ads either. While spam and junk mail are first-to-mind, many other Americans pointed to channels such as social media, website banner ads, and, of course, television. As a matter of fact, 60 percent of the 91 percent of people who claim to see annoying ads on a regular basis picked television as the worst offender.

May 1, 2013 · All, Sparking Conversation

Is Tim Tebow Still Marketable?

In case you didn’t hear about it, Tim Tebow was released by the New York Jets on Monday morning. While experts and fans alike try to figure out what his next professional move will be, those in the marketing world wondering “is Tim Tebow still marketable?”

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ESPN’s Kristi Dosh points out that Tim Tebow is in a very different place than he was this time last year. Despite being replaced by future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, he was coming off leading the 1-4 Denver Broncos to a 7-4 record over the final eleven games of the regular season and upsetting the heavily favored Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card game. One would think that a move to the New York Jets would only help his marketing stock. Boy, were we all wrong.

April 26, 2013 · All

Cereal’s Latest Marketing Effort

Cap’n Crunch is getting his own talk show. You heard right. In the cereal’s latest marketing effort, the classic character, who made his commercial debut during Saturday morning cartoons in the 1960s, continuing strong through the 90s, will be featured in nine YouTube webisodes in which he will interview other cartoon and fictional characters. According to Mashable, installments will air on Tuesdays at 11:35pm starting May 7.

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Such a late airtime would imply an adult target audience. This is exactly what parent company Quaker Oats is looking to do – drum up nostalgia among Boomers and Generation X-ers. About two years ago rumors surfaced that the company was attempting to phase out the Cap’n. This was due to the fact he was absent from a large amount of Quaker Oat cereal commercials. However, following the chatter about his “retirement,” the Cap’n started gaining a stronger social media presence through Facebook and Twitter. According to MediaPost, the Cap’n now boasts about 270,000 Facebook fans and 14,000 Twitter followers.

April 24, 2013 · All, Sparking Conversation

Does Convenience Work as a Good Marketing Tactic?

Does convenience work as a good marketing tactic? Some fast food chains are betting on it by basically attempting to serve customers right on their couches. Yesterday Pizza Hut and Microsoft announced that consumers will now be able to purchase and order pizza through Xbox Live. Meanwhile, the Associated Press has reported that Burger King plans to take the next step in its delivery service experiment by expanding to select restaurants in Chicago and Los Angeles – the chain has already tested the concept in Washington, D.C., Houston, Miami and New York.

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In the case of Pizza Hut, the brand is hoping that this leads to a better connection with the coveted 18 to 24-year-old male demographic. According to Pizza Hut, 25% of all orders are currently digital. They expect that number to double within the next five years. Making ordering accessible through a game console will only expedite that growth. As Pizza Hut Chief Marketing Officer Kurt Kane pointed out, most families are now spending more time around game consoles than they are around dinner tables. Jest aside, it will be interesting to see how it translates, especially since snacking on pizza is something that has become so symbiotic with playing video games.

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