Dreamforce '12: Sales Cloud Product Keynote. Why Print Ads Still Work. “What was the rating and share for our spot in ‘Ally McBeal’ last night?” “How does the circulation of Forbes compare to Fortune?” These were the types of questions once asked of media professionals. And truth be told, they were pretty easy to answer. Today, however, the questions have changed significantly, especially in the B-to-B space. For years, clients and media planners applied an approach of looking primarily at circulation figures when evaluating magazines and other print publications. Seemingly overnight, marketers were able to get their hands on quick and precise metrics that went beyond simple reach and demonstrated perceived audience response.
As a result, many clients are questioning print’s performance, value and whether or not they should continue to run in the medium if they cannot glean the depth of response data seen with digital media. 1. 2. Startup Claims 80% Of Its Facebook Ad Clicks Are Coming From Bots. Image via WanderingStan.com UPDATED. A lot of people like to complain about their experiences on major web platforms such as Facebook, but most of them stick around as users, feeling that the pros outweigh the cons.
But Limited Run, a startup that makes a software platform for musicians and labels to sell physical products like vinyl records, says it has reached the final straw with its experience as a small business advertising on Facebook — and as a result is completely withdrawing its presence on the social networking platform. The core issue is that Limited Run says it has discovered 80 percent of the clicks it is receiving on Facebook appear to be coming from bots, rather than real people.
The company explained the situation in a message on its Facebook page (which Limited Run says it will delete in the coming days) which has also been picked up in an increasingly popular thread on Hacker News: More details on the tracking The timing question A truly people-powered social network. Artist Brands Street Advertising With Biting Error Messages.
Print is Dead? Not so Fast. Facebook's Zynga Alliance Demonstrates Its Threat to Google. Facebook knows who you are. Google knows what you're looking for. Which piece of information is more valuable? The future of online advertising - and the ad-driven, free sites we use every day - hinges on the answer. On Friday, Facebook took its first step toward proving that the big prize is in who you are. As the news website Inside Facebook first noticed, Facebook ads and Sponsored Stories now appear on Zynga.com looking just the way they would on Facebook itself. Google dominates online ads today. Google's indexing of the Web is so complete that it can also provide relevant ads on sites themselves. But the key here is the definition of that word relevance. Google's test of relevance is whether you've found what you're looking for.
The best thing Google has to go on with its ads is what you're searching for right now. If Google knew more about you, who you are, what your family is like and your real likes and dislikes, it would be able to fill in the blanks. Zynga Is Just a Prelude. Coca-Cola security camera ad. 6 Ways Advertisers Can Adapt To The New Mobile World. Moo.com Lets Businesses Design Cards Using Facebook Pages. Innovative card printing firm Moo.com has extended its Facebook-based card making initiative to businesses, with a new offer that allows companies to design cards using their Facebook Pages for free. Under the offer, businesses, such as restaurants, can create cards using details from their Facebook Page — including images and other details — which the company says will help them provide something different while making customers aware of their social presence.
The news comes after Moo.com introduced an offer allowing Facebook users to print business cards based on their timeline in January, and it is now building on that momentum to give businesses and companies the chance to follow suit. Companies that take up the offer will enjoy use Moo.com’s “Printfinity” feature, which allows them to select an array of different images to go on the cards, helping each out stand out as that little bit more unique and personal.
Controversial Facebook campaign features a model stripping for Likes. There’s been a lot of creative and interactive ways brands are utilizing the Like button on Facebook, so it didn’t take long for California-based clothing company Stüssy to realize it could garner new male fans by having a model strip according to the number of Likes the brand receives. The Dutch fan page for Stüssy features an attractive woman piled up in what we assume are the company’s entire line its latest collection. When a person clicks Like, the page takes you to a flash video of the model in various pictures wearing less clothes, and gets her down to a tank top and a pair of shorts. To continue getting the model more naked, you can share or invite friends to Like the page too to further undress her. However, Facebook’s photo guideline and policies do prohibit nudity so it’s safe to assume the model will probably strip down to her bikini at the very end. To call this explanation a euphemism is putting it lightly.
What’s weirder is that’s all the fan page contains. Advertising Means Nothing If You Don't Have Predictability. In Mobile Advertising, Does Size Matter? It’s the motion in the ocean that counts, right? Wrong. Well, at least that’s how it looks when it comes to mobile advertising. (Look out, inneractive infographic below!) If you take Google at its word, then 2011 has been the year of the tablet.
Or in their words, this year tablets “went mainstream”. Sure, Google would say that, as the creator of a rapidly-propagating mobile OS, right? Well, with total number of tablets sold expected to get close to 60 million by the end of the year, I think we may be able to give them the benefit of the doubt. Of course, when it comes to advertisers and developers considering mobile platforms, the question of where revenue is going to come from — and just how much — is crucial.
And, perhaps more importantly, the numbers show that nearly 80 percent of consumers are comfortable with or neutral towards mobile advertising. In the end, we’d like to see results for more devices, but this is a great start. YouTube's Most-Shared Ads of 2011. If we've learned anything about viral advertising in 2011, it's this — you can't touch The Force.
Also, people will always love crazy stunts and action-packed destruction — especially if there are Angry Birds thrown into the mix. Pop culture references, especially when Internet-related, also seemed to do really well this year. From the Royal Wedding to LMFAO, using someone or something that has a strong following always helps in achieving viral reach. And if that doesn't work, consider a male stripper or a monkey with an AK-47. We also learned that people like to be tricked. The more realistic your stunt is, the better. There are a couple videos that made the list this year that make you question whether the ad was staged or real, which always leads to sharing. If nothing else, there are a few touching videos that will leave you affected. Special thanks to our friends at Unruly for compiling this list. Facebook Timeline for Brands: The Complete Guide. Now that Facebook Timeline has finally rolled out for brands, companies have endless opportunities to refresh their social media strategy.
Sounds overwhelming, doesn't it? Let's break it down. As of Wednesday, brands can opt in on the new features. If you're not familiar with them, be sure to review them here before you dive into this project. Some of the prominent changes include a new layout with cover photo, highlighting features and the ability to edit and update without navigating to a separate page.
Timeline will automatically go live for all brand pages Mar. 30 As predicted, these new features will be a huge opportunity for brands that want to tell a more engaging and authentic story. Some feel that this could be a potential downfall for companies that do not excel at providing engaging content or brands with various operations compared to those who concisely define themselves under one umbrella.
7 Marketing Examples Using Facebook Fan Pages. Though it’s important to register an account on multiple social media platforms, companies must do more than simply maintain a steady presence and gradually grow their followers. Outgoing messages must be consistent yet diverse, and any opportunity for brand transparency allows clients and curious onlookers to not only get to know your product, but you as well.
However, social media audiences are quickly bored by generic templates, and Facebook’s constantly changing algorithms are pushing companies to engage their fans in new ways, rather than just collecting them. Fan Pages are the place to create a buzz about your brand and sustain it among your current and future followers…at a potentially exponential rate. I asked a panel of successful young entrepreneurs the following question: “What known brands are doing something incredibly innovative and out-of-the-box with their Facebook Fan Pages?”
1. -Ashley Bodi, Business Beware 2. -Andrew Saladino, Just Bath Vanities 3. -Josh Weiss, Bluegala 4. Marketing Genius: Two Twins Giggling As They Sell You Designer 3D Glasses. If you thought Apple’s marketing squad was genius, just wait until you watch this Kickstarter video from Ingri:Dahl. If you aren’t already familiar with the “company,” which you shouldn’t be, it’s basically two sisters named Kine and Einy, and they want to sell you a 3D clip-on for your glasses. It’s actually rather clever. The girls market fashionable 3D eyewear, and this 3D clip-on is just the latest in their collection. But that isn’t really the point. I’m more interested in how this set of twins is pitching their product. A glance at their website would lead you to believe that they’ve got a legit business (and I believe that’s the case), but the way they market themselves and their products on Kickstarter begs to differ.
The video goes a little something like this: “Hey guys! (giggle, giggle) Whispered: “Let’s do that again.” “We’re going to show you how to use the 3D clip-on… You take off your prescription glasses, clip it on, and put your glasses back on… How cool is that?!?!” Rob Walker: Package It Black. At my local convenience store yesterday, Marlboro Blacks caught my eye.
No surprise, given that a pack was on prominent display. Cursory Web investigation indicates that this product is only selectively available, perhaps in a testing phase, but I find it rather fascinating. Pairing the notion of cigarettes with the word “black,” underscored by packaging, called to mind a variety of associations, none of which might sound like a good idea — lungs blacked by smoking, darkened teeth, poisoned bodily systems, the blackness of death itself. All of which sounds like new-product suicide by design. But is it? Speculative package design by DJ Stout Marlboro Black immediately reminded me of a two sets of speculative cigarette-pack designs from recent years. Speculative package design by Build Marlboro Black, to me, offers a more subtle articulation of precisely the pack-as-warning strategy suggested by both imaginary designs above. 5 Proven Ways to Generate Revenue From Facebook.
Brian Carter is author of The Like Economy: How Businesses Make Money With Facebook and co-author of Facebook Marketing: Leveraging Facebook's Features For Your Marketing Campaigns. He is a keynote speaker, trainer and consultant. Facebook, with its 800+ million users, presents a huge opportunity for business. But the first question people ask is, "Can it really generate money?
" If you've read any of the Facebook marketing case studies over the last year, you've seen examples of small business profits and boosts in ecommerce sales via Facebook sharing. If your business is ready to move toward Facebook profits, your next question should be: "What distinguishes profitable and unprofitable Facebook marketing campaigns?
" First, consider your revenue model. There are a number of strategies companies use to do Facebook business effectively. 1. Marketers can leverage the massive reach and highly customizable targeting of Facebook's ad platform. 2. WUSLU is a Woot-like site for home decor. 3. 4.