www.beanstockadvertising.com

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2009/10/02/youtube-videos-in-adsense-could-drive-clicks

www.beanstockadvertising.com

U.S. Supreme Court, Virginia Pharmacy Board v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, 425 U.S. 748 (1976), p. 765.

www.beanstockadvertising.com

Search engines have become an increasingly important part of the online experience of American internet users. The most recent findings from Pew Internet & American Life tracking surveys and consumer behavior trends from the comScore Media Metrix consumer panel show that about 60 million American adults are using search engines on a typical day.

http://www.marketingtoday.com/search-engine-marketing/1105/search_engine_use_increases.htm

www.beanstockadvertising.com

IBM discovered that 71% of 18-24-year-olds spend more than two hours online per day, compared with only 48% of the same group who spend two hours watching television. One-third of them (32%) received advice about where to go on the Web mostly from friends.

Your own skepticism is also probably on the rise. We are living in a communications environment where there is a trust deficit. As a society, we no longer have confidence in advertising. We are hostile to those who appear to have ulterior motives, even if they’re just selling themselves.

You have to be smart about how you go about your marketing and establishing trust in this world of closed circles and specialized, niche groups that don’t need or want, and are leery of the opinions of those outside their own close-knit orbit.

http://www.trustagent.com/

www.beanstockadvertising.com

www.beanstockadvertising.com

• Search is still King of Digital - According to comScore, there were13.6 billion searches last month by online Americans. Google maintains the lion share of that volume, at 65%. Google’s continued dominance in search is why they continue to rake in the cash, generating $5.52 billion in revenue for Q2 2009. Simple math says Google is averaging $20 billion in revenue annually, while social darlings such as Twitter have yet to demonstrate a sound business model let alone any revenue. At the end of the day, the biggest business in Digital remains paid search advertising and display advertising. Companies spend millions on them and will continue to do so until these channels stop performing. Even Facebook, which boasts 250 million active users worldwide, only generates an estimated $300-$350 million in revenue, a mere fraction of Google’s financial success.
• Email Marketing, strong and still growing – Email has been and continues to be one of the workhorses of Digital communications. Despite all the innovation in communications technologies we’ve seen with the emergence of social, email continues to grow in total spend, offers mature measurement and analytics, and can be deployed very cost effectively as a result of falling CPMs and a high ROI.
• Mobile finally emerges as a viable option – Mobile device penetration is sufficiently high enough that it has become a viable option for companies to pursue cost effectively, and on terms consumers prefer. Already we’re seeing mobile economies generate substantial revenues. The Apple app store sells $200 million worth of mobile software applications each month, putting the iPhone app economy at $2.4 billion. Additionally, the Android marketplace brings in $5 million per month in mobile app sales.
• Online brands declared dead still thrive – Facebook and Twitter seem to dominate headlines and consumer attention, or do they? Myspace is still drawing in ~60 million unique visitors per month. While this trails Facebook by a wide margin, that is TRIPLE than number of active monthly unique visitors Twitter brings in. Now, that isn’t to mean I expect Myspace to win the social network arms race, but rather to demonstrate that it is still a thriving destination where millions of consumers spend their time. Looking at the top 50 most visited Web Properties in July 2009 and you can see other online brands that have been written off, Yahoo, AOL, even Microsoft Expedia.

There is no lacking for advice on the best ways to improve your social media strategies via the latest go-to social networks. Presently, much of the emphasis is on Twitter and Facebook, but not too long ago it was on MySpace and YouTube. Yet, even with the aid of the growing cadre of social media specialists and consultants, most advertisers and their advertising agencies are still finding it difficult to build and execute strategies that resonate with consumers while delivering consistent tangible results. It really takes a focused strategy and modern marketing communications plan that ties all the elements of an advertising campaign together. And it is important to know what consumers need from their advertising agencies and how they are using the new technologies available to them.

An example of a seismic behavioral shift in social networking is the growing number of consumers accessing and managing their social network experiences via their mobile devices. In the short amount of time that mobile access to social networks has been enabled, the adoption rates have been staggering. As an example, MySpace’s general manager of mobile, John Faith, recently announced that the firm is experiencing a 450 percent year-over-year growth rate in mobile subscribers and expects that within two years, half of the site’s traffic will be from mobile devices. Additionally, Facebook now boasts that it has over 30 million heavily engaged mobile subscribers, in a little less than two years since announcing its mobile plans. This fast growing trend is expected to gain steam as consumer adoption of sophisticated smart phones continues to grow.

So if you are an advertiser eager to tap into the unrealized potential of social network marketing, here are a few reasons that you should consider incorporating mobile into your plans:

The future of social networks is indelibly tied to mobile: In the eyes of consumers, social networks and mobile phones have become highly synergistic; they use them both to stay connected to the people and things they care about most.
But the two platforms also feed and sustain one another. Consequently, as the market penetration of sophisticated mobile devices continues to grow, so too will the number of consumers accessing their social networks over those devices. In fact, research firm eMarketer forecasts that the number of mobile subscribers accessing social networks from their device will grow from 243 million in 2009 to over 800 million in 2012. Mobile social networking is also driving up usage and sales of mobile data packages — a fact that hasn’t been lost on wireless carriers. And the majority has rushed to build relationship with social network providers to keep consumers on their networks.
Mobile social networking experiences are becoming ever more compelling. Research firm ABI found in a recent study that presently more than 60 percent of those who presently access a social network on their phone do so mainly to check for messages or comments from friends. However, social networks are moving quickly to integrate a range of advanced mobile functionalities that will make it easier for users to manage pages and share real time experiences via their mobile devices.
For example, location and presence services, such as Loopt, allow users to see one another’s location and collaborate using their cell phones. In addition to giving users more reasons to stick around longer on the sites, the hope is also that these new functionalities create attractive marketing opportunities in local advertising and local search for brands that want to engage consumers looking to conduct real-time transactions.
Mobile social networks could deliver where their desktop counterparts have failed. There is growing evidence that social network users that access sites using their mobile phones are more engaged than those who do not. For example, Facebook recently reported that people who access its site via mobile devices are almost 50 percent more active on the site than non-mobile users.
This is good news for social networks and, potentially, for their advertising partners. The low CTR rates typically associated with social networks advertising are well publicized. Whereas, mobile advertising enjoys a reputation for exceptionally high click-through rates compared to its web counterparts. Combine this with the unique targeting options available on mobiles (geo, device specific, contextual, etc.) and mobile consumers’ desire for immediate action when they are on the go and there is the potential for marked improvement in the performance of social networking ad campaigns.

There are plenty of mobile social networking options. Most are aware of Facebook’s and MySpace’s mobile presence — these two industry giants have 30 million and 20 million mobile subscribers, respectively. However, there are plenty of mobile-only alternatives that are in many ways ahead of their traditionally PC-based counterparts in terms of innovative offerings. In fact, the last time I counted I found over 50 established mobile-only social media networks with sizable reported subscriber bases.
Most of these predate MySpace’s and Facebook’s mobile offerings, and some are investing in innovative technologies and strategies to compete with the market giants for users and advertisings dollars. For advertisers looking to test out cutting-edge strategies or desiring a glimpse into some of the exciting things now possible, these providers might be the perfect starting point.
Below are a few of the most notable mobile-only social networks that I’ve seen:

MocoSpace is an ad-sponsored social community that claims over 6 million subscribers. The company is one of the most well known mobile social networks and, as of March 2009, it was averaging over 1 billion page impressions worldwide, most of it in the U.S.

MyGamma is a mobile social network run by the BuzzCity, based in Singapore. The site draws over 3.2 million users from developing countries in Asia and Africa.

GyPSii is a locations-based mobile social network based in Amsterdam. The site allows users to locate where their friends and other members are in real time. GyPSii just recently secured a deal with wireless service provider, China Unicom’s Shanghai Unicom, to become the premier mobile social network solution for its new consumer offering.

Peperonity. Germany-based Peperonity lets users create their own mobile pages with video and photo sharing, friends list, downloads, chat, and flirting. The site is available in German, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Polish. It also claims over 3.5 million mobile pages and 12 million unique visitors per month users and Admob’s largest publisher.

Itsmy is a purely mobile, free, ad-supported social network. Registered users can create a mobile home page with profile, blogs, and a guestbook and can participate in chat, flirting, forums, and private messaging. Itsmy claims over 3 million total and over a million registered users. In March the company had 500 million page impressions. Itsmy’s users are concentrated in the U.S. (over 50 percent of the total users), followed by South Africa and India.

Zannel is a messaging service that lets users post video, picture, and texting updates to communicate with others across various devices. The site is frequently described as a “multimedia Twitter”.
When it comes to mobile social networking, there is no longer any question whether or not consumers will bite. Social network users are demonstrating daily that mobile can be a natural part of their overall experiences. The only question that remains is whether advertisers will be among the beneficiaries of this growing trend. My belief is that those advertising agencies who are willing to undergo a paradigm shift in their social networking strategies will find mobile marketing to be a useful and compelling way to get the returns that have thus far eluded them in social network marketing as it incorporates into overall marketing communications plans.

Hat Tip to James Briggs.

This is the story of how an advertising agency, through astute positioning, public relations, product placement, and marketing communications, changed our culture. In this modern, self-aware era, this story is a little disturbing for its far-reaching affect, but it is fascinating nonetheless. It’s unlikely today’s media-savvy public would fall so thoroughly and enthusiastically for a blatant ad campaign, especially one that benefitted a company with a virtual monopoly on the market, the way they did for DeBeers. But it is instructive that a well-choreographed and executed advertising campaign can have such a lasting and deeply-felt impact on the public’s buying habits.

The prestigious US magazine, Advertising Age, in its January 1999 edition, proclaimed “A Diamond is Forever”, the most recognized and effective advertising campaign of the twentieth century. Today, diamond engagement rings are commonplace, but were it not for a single company and its drive to dominate the diamond industry, history would have turned out differently.

Diamonds are not as rare as many people think; they are certainly not the rarest of gemstones – that honor goes to rubies – but they are the hardest. The illusion of diamond scarcity and its instant association with the concepts of romance and affluence can be traced back to a successful meeting in New York between Harry Oppenheimer and the president of N.W. Ayer & Son, Gerold M. Lauck, in September 1938.

Harry Oppenheimer was the son of the founder of the company that would become the most successful cartel of the twentieth century – De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd. The South African company incorporated in 1888, during the burgeoning local diamond rush. At its formation and over the ensuing years, De Beers would successfully acquire countless interests in diamond mines and production facilities throughout the world.

The gift of love

N.W. Ayer & Son, a leading advertising agency in the United States, and the young Oppenheimer, encouraged by his bankers, sought to reverse the declining price of diamonds with a well-funded advertising campaign. Europeans were not yet taken with the idea of purchasing engagement rings featuring diamonds as the gemstone of choice. Moreover, impending war in Europe forced Oppenheimer and his bankers to promote their interests in their biggest market – the United States. At the time of the meeting with Ayer, three quarters of the cartel’s diamonds were being sold there. But difficulties beleaguered this market too; diamonds were of an inferior quality to those sold in Europe, and prices were low – an average of $80 per stone.

Oppenheimer told Ayer that De Beers had not approached any other agencies and that if Ayer’s plan was accepted, it would become the exclusive agency for promoting De Beers’ interests in the United States. This shrewd tactic proved to be a strong motivating factor for N.W. Ayer, and after extensive research, the agency proposed a campaign to “channel American spending toward larger and more expensive diamonds”.

To achieve this goal, Ayer further recommended strengthening the association of diamonds with romance. Young men, who purchased 90% of engagement rings, would be bombarded with the idea that diamonds were the gift of love. The first campaign aimed at men was launched in 1939 emphasizing the male’s business savvy. Women, too, would be targeted with the idea that no courtship would be complete without a sparkling diamond. Famous houses of worship were featured in follow up advertisements, establishing a link between diamonds and the sacred tradition of a religious wedding.

Ayer’s marketing plan included public relations, advertising, product placement in films and on television, radio programs publicizing diamond trends, portraits of betrothed socialites, stories and photographs of celebrities for inclusion in magazines and newspapers – all targeted at a specific goal – the idea that diamonds were eternal, forever linked with romance, emotionally valued, and a necessary luxury.

One strategically successful and aesthetically creative magazine campaign – The Great Artists – featured the paintings of Picasso, Derain, Dali and Dufy, accompanied with poetic copy and prominently featuring four diamonds ranging from a half to three carats. The idea was to associate diamonds with the sophisticated subtext of art. These advertisements appeared in Fortune, Vogue, Time, The New Yorker and other publications, circulated mainly to middle and upper class readers.

Ayer engaged jewelers to give talks, lectures, classes and informal meetings to thousands of young women. Ayer also arranged for movie stars to appear at social events adorned with diamonds. The agency used its influence to modify film scripts and movie titles to feature diamonds more prominently. One example is the 1941 film, Skylark, which has the female character shopping for diamonds.

By 1941, the downward trend in retail sales had been reversed and in just three years, sales of diamonds in the United States had risen 55%. Ayer’s success inspired the agency to pursue a new goal – to reinforce the “psychological necessity” of diamonds. An estimated 70 million people over the age of fifteen would be targeted with future marketing campaigns.

A diamond is forever

The slogan that would become the most resilient in history would be created in the office of N.W. Ayer in 1947. After a confounding series of unsuccessful attempts to produce a slogan for a new De Beers advertising campaign, Frances Gerety, a copywriter at the advertising agency, prayed for some divine assistance. Before heading home, she scrawled “a diamond is forever” on the bottom of a picture of two honeymooning lovers. It may have had humble beginnings, but according to Advertising Age, it is the most recognized slogan of the 20th century, and some ninety percent of all Americans know it. In less than a year, “A Diamond is Forever” became the official slogan of De Beers.

Hollywood’s association with the alluring gem would continue into the fifties with “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”, a box offices sensation starring screen icons Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell and featuring the sensuous song “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. Monroe’s feminine sensuality helped secure the appeal of diamonds for women. By the end of the 1950s, N.W. Ayer was pleased to announce to De Beers that its twenty-year marketing campaign had successfully influenced the American public to consider a diamond engagement ring a necessity to the engagement ritual.

Forever De Beers

Prior to the twentieth century, the proposal ritual in western tradition consisted of only two stages: a man asked a woman (in person or in a letter) for her hand in marriage, then met with her father to ask for his consent. The present day engagement proposal involving the giving of a diamond ring has augmented the erstwhile tradition and is now firmly established as a universal custom.

The inspired and brilliant marketing initiatives of one company, De Beers, and its talented throng of publicists, marketers, and advertisers has forever changed the way we perceive and value diamonds – symbols of esteem, wealth, luxury and above all, romance.

Just saw this on USAToday.com. This stuff does work.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-08-27-social-networks-marketers_N.htm

Beanstock is sending principal partner Jeff Carrington to the Word Press meetup in Dallas on Saturday. We’re looking forward to being a part of this group and getting to know some new friends. Jeff will be presenting on the importance of professional marketing and advertising to the blog world, and vice versa (the importance of the blog world to professional marketing and advertising).