Posts Tagged ‘Apparel Media Group’

Death of the Impression, Rise of the Data Economy

Friday, February 26th, 2010
Rise of the Data Economy

Rise of the Data Economy

Death of the Impression, Rise of the Data Economy

The promise of digital display advertising has always been that it would allow marketers to put the right message in front of the right customer at the right moment.  So what makes the ad valuable?  As ads generate more data, their values increase; every bit of data has value.

“It is about data… data in ways we have never before fathomed.  The future of advertising is not about social, not about viral videos, not about mobile, not about any new medium or any new ad unit– but about data.  Those who know what to do with this will be the new king makers, the new rulers of Madison Avenue — or the new creators of a new Avenue of media.” Michael D. Andrew, Director of Search and Analytics at Mediasmith

In the future, data will assist advertisers in devising more effective, efficient marketing campaigns.  Marketers that understand technology will utilize it to reach their target consumers.  In turn, advertisements will become more focused.  Marketers will feel empowered to make more informed decisions on the most beneficial platform to use to engage their consumers.

Measuring Return on Social Investment

Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Professionals Who Measure ROI

Percent of Professionals Who Measure ROI

Measuring Return on Social Investment

Managers rely on ROI to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and initiatives.  When calculating ROI, marketers must not forget about their beloved social media campaigns.

Wikipedia defines social media as media designed to be disseminated through social interaction and created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques.  Though social media marketing is scalable, according to a survey by Mzinga and Babson Executive Education, fewer than one in five marketers measured social media ROI in 2009.  “Marketers believe that measuring true ROI for social media is difficult” said Geoff Ramsey, eMarketer CEO.  “There are so many metrics available that it is difficult to choose which ones are the most important.  In addition, marketers do not start with clear objectives for using social media.”

Marketers should define their marketing goals and connect them to social media objectives.  Three steps can aid in the process; 1) identify marketing objectives; 2) choose measurement categories that match those objectives; and 3) track those metrics in the technologies they are using.

As more marketers measure social media campaigns, ROI, the true value of platforms that can effectively build brand loyalty will come to be known.

In 2010, Marketing Budgets Shifting to Interactive Mediums

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Percentage of Budget Shift

Major Portions of Marketing Budgets Are Shifting to Interactive Mediums in 2010

Alterian Annual Survey 2009

One of the key trends underscored by the 1,068 respondents polled by Alterian for its 7th Annual Industry Survey is the shift in marketing budgets away from traditional media.  “40% of respondents anticipate a shift of over a fifth of their budget towards digital channels, with 21% of respondents predicting more than a third of their budget will shift.”  The shift in budgeting is a result of the industry’s increasing awareness of the fact that traditional media channels just don’t deliver the results they used to.  “Empowered consumers today expect a customized, interactive brand experience that goes way beyond a 30-second television spot or two-dimensional print ad,” exclaims Forrester.

The benefit of interactive and social media to both the consumer and the campaigning brand is clear, but what is the benefit to agencies who embrace this trend?

“Success in digital, interactive and social channels would seem to come at a lower cost than success in traditional direct marketing,” says Alterian.  According to Forrester, “interactive tools are less expensive, more measurable, and better for direct response than traditional media.”

As demanding consumers expect customized, interactive brand experiences marketers are opting for the more attractive, less expensive interactive tools that are efficiently monitored and the return on investment can be accurately measured.  Forrester’s latest Interactive Marketing Forecast calls for spending on interactive marketing/advertising channels to grow to nearly $55 billion and represent approximately 21% of all marketing budgets by 2014.

The Results Are In: Consumers Demand Engagement!

Monday, February 1st, 2010
Multichannel Customer Engagement

Integrated Communication Strategies Are More Important Than Ever!

Consumers Demand Engagement

According to Alterian’s 7th Annual Industry Survey, marketers must move from a focus on siloed campaigns to an emphasis on listening and communicating with consumers across channels.  More than one-half of marketers worldwide reported directing at least “a fair amount” of effort toward integrating their communication strategies to emphasize multichannel consumer engagement.

“The only communication tolerated by consumers are those that are appropriate, timely and relevant – regardless of channel.  Engaging with customers is becoming paramount and the yardstick by which we measure those brands that survive and those that don’t.  Marketers now need to appeal to the individual and engage with customers on a one-to-one basis,” said David Eldridge, Alterian CEO.

Ford Changes “Focus” in 2010

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
2010 Ford Focus

2010 Ford "Focus"

2010 Ford “Focus” on Social Media

As Ford vehicles grow in convenience, Ford Motor Company grows it’s social media strategy.   J.D. Power & Associates estimates the average automaker allocates 9% of its spending to digital advertising, a figure expected to rise to around 12% by 2012 as more companies transition to social media and other interactive mediums from traditional television and print campaigns.

In a race to outpace other automakers; Ford launched their first digital strategy, “Fiesta Movement Campaign.”  The 18 month program, which began in 2008, generated more than 11 million social media impressions, 5 million social media engagements and has prompted users to post 11,000 videos, 13,000 photos and 13,000 tweets.  A great start for a vehicle that is not even in dealerships as of yet.  Ford announced in January they would continue these efforts by moving 25% of their traditional media budget to interactive mediums.

Cause-Marketing: Innovation in an Uncertain Time

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Dawn Saves Wildlife campaign clipping

Cause – Marketing:  Set to change dramatically

In 2009 we saw an increase in the number and size of cause-marketing programs.  National campaigns such as Dawn Saves Wildlife, Sonic Drive-In:  Limeades for Learning and H&R Block: Dollar & Senses proliferated social media outlets.  By choosing causes that make sense for their brand as well as their consumers, brands can go a long way toward building greater customer equity with the same (or smaller) marketing budget.

Though most consumers are spending less than in 2007 and 2008, they are still spending.  As consumer confidence increases and unemployment tops out and reverses course, consumer spending will rebound, as it always has.  More than ever, consumers are looking for “good cause” companies and brands with which to align.  In an Edelman survey, two out of three consumers say they would switch brands if another brand of similar quality supported a good cause.  Consumers also stated that they weigh a brand’s image and reputation when making buying decisions.

Cause-marketing seems to be a win-win for both consumer products companies and recurring service providers alike.  Hard data demonstrates that brands putting significant resources behind cause-marketing initiatives benefit from increased awareness, positive word of mouth buzz and ultimately brand loyalty.  We expect cause-marketing spend to continue to rise through 2010 and beyond as more brands return to the age-old, high-return approach of emotional appeal.

Forecast US Mobile Advertising

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010
US Mobile Advertising Spending

US Mobile Advertising Spending

2010 Mobile Marketing Forecast

Mobile ad spending will rise from $416 million in 2009 to $593 million in 2010 as more brands and agencies integrate mobile into their marketing mix.  Advertisiers spent an estimated $416 million on mobile ads in 2009, up 30% from the previous year, according to research company eMarketer.

Consumers can expect to see many more advertisements on their mobile phones in the coming years and markets can look forward to a more engaged – and buying – consumer.  By 2012, eMarketer predicts, 74% of all mobile marketing is expected to be spent on text-messaging campaigns and in 2012 spending on mobile advertising is said to reach $1.56 billion.

Pepsi Benches Its Drinks

Thursday, December 17th, 2009
PEPSI Advertising Campaign featured Cindy Crawford

PEPSI Advertising Campaign featured Cindy Crawford

Pepsi Decides to Sit Out of Super Bowl

Pepsi decides to sit on the bench for this year’s Super Bowl; instead opting to put their advertising muscle behind new cause-related marketing programs.  The move is a significant shift in strategy for the beverage giant.  Pepsi’s new cause marketing program, “Pepsi Refresh Project”, will let consumers choose community programs to receive grant money from the beverage company.  Pepsi has set aside $20 million of its ad dollars for the program.

Ironically, the word of mouth generated by Pepsi’s decision NOT to advertised in the super bowl will garner more buzz for the brand then the ads might otherwise have themselves.  Pepsi will rely largely on public relations and 60% more spend on online ads in 2010.  Pepsi just gets it – the best way to reach younger audiences (a group of potential consumers who have their whole “consumer” lives ahead of them) is with high engagement platforms.  Long-considered a trendsetter in the marketing industry, Pepsi is once again leading the way for its peers.

Experiential Marketing Delivers Big Impact

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

Research Claims Experiential Delivers Biggest Marketing Benefit

A significant 89% of marketers said the ability of experiential marketing to build long-term customer relationships was the discipline’s biggest asset, according to a recent survey of 406 marketers across the globe by live marketing agency Jack Morton.  In the same study, 96% of marketers also identified building long-term customer relationships as the most important benefit of marketing currently.

Furthermore, an overwhelming 97% of marketers surveyed by Jack Morton Worldwide in the UK, Europe, the US, China and Australia recognised that, in tough times, engaging key stakeholders is an investment and not an expense. Critically, 96% agreed that this engagement (as opposed to ‘talking at’ or interruption marketing) is vital if brands are to maintain loyalty.

2010 Marketing Outlook Survey

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

2010 Outlook: Marketing Priorities and Plans

Customer acquisition is companies primary marketing goal of 2010, as stated in the B2B’s “2010 Outlook: Marketing Priorities and Plans” report.

While the economy had a devastating effect on marketing this year—with nearly 60% of b-to-b marketers slashing their budgets—next year looks much brighter, according to BtoB’s “2010 Outlook: Marketing Priorities and Plans” report.