Connected Advertising Blog

Mark Zuckerberg’s post today is indicative of what is happening on the internet… its about change. Stasis is not possible.

One of the foundational truths about working in interactive, digital advertising is that you have to be comfortable with the fact that you will be ignorant monthly, weekly and for stretches, even daily, about things you thought you knew. It changes, and you cannot predict how; it may be the technology, it may be how people use it, or even how people react to it.

So, while some will bash Mark for “lacking sensitivity” to privacy, I would suggest that the only reason we have Facebook, and other cutting edge sites, is because he and others like him are willing to be surprised and uncomfortable from time to time as they explore what digital technology can bring us. They make decisions, act on them and adjust.

If we only explore that which is known and safe, then we’re not exploring at all. So, get comfortable being uncomfortable once in a while and allow others the latitude to do the same.

There was a time, 15 – 20 years ago or more, when media plans consisted of distinct media, each with a life of its own. The only connection they had was their relative impact on TRPs, reach and frequency. If there was one media that appeared to be too expensive, you simple asked where you could make up the TRPs. Perhaps this is a bit of a simplification, but not much. The challenge in today’s environment is that, too often, digital media is viewed through a very similar lens.

When planning digital media, there is a disconnect between the channels. Search budgets are allocated irrespective of display, email is treated independent of social (if there is a social component) and offline activities are seldom weighed when planning online efforts. What the traditional planning process misses is the inherent integration of all these aspects, whether it is intended and managed, or not. It goes beyond leveraging synergies. By ‘disconnecting’ these channels, you run the real risk of undermining their inherent value.

Not too long ago, there was an argument that leveraging the synergies of the digital channels was the sole purview of the national advertiser. With the advances in our understanding of consumers, and the capabilities of technology, this is no longer the case. Consumers are fine-tuning their own experiences on the web and mobile to target localized content. Between geo targeted ad delivery on the internet, re-marketing technology, and GPS enabled mobile devises, local businesses have as much at stake, and opportunity, with integration as do the national advertisers; perhaps more. With each channel, such as display, social or mobile, we can see the connections between channels.

The fact is, people don’t often click on display ads. But, it would be a mistake to assume that this means display is not effective. People who are exposed to display ads, will search for the company or product in the search engines, or type the company website into their browser. In fact, according to a ComScore study there is a 45.7% lift in site visits as a result of exposure to display ads over a 4 week period. If you are not managing your search campaign in synergy with display, you’ll not only miss opportunities, but you’ll also make false attributions.  Your search campaign needs to highlight keywords, ad copy and landing pages that are directly related to the display ads. One of the most dangerous pitfalls in online advertising is creating experiences that diverge from consumer expectations. If your display ads set up expectations that are not experienced through your search, you’ll lose the customer. Unfortunately, when not integrating the two, you’re likely to assume the search campaign stumbled; not seeing the connection to the display program that initiated the search in the first place. By planning from an integrated approach, you’ll leverage the synergies and minimize the mistakes.

Social networks are growing and many consumers see this as the primary mode of communicating online. According to Nielsen, the average user of social media has increased their time in the space by 143%. In total, Americans are spending 210% more time on social networks than a year ago. Email, offline, and even online display advertising can all leverage the power of social media by providing customers with an easy way to become a fan or a follower. Of course, you’ll need to give people a reason. For small businesses, using the social networks can drive customers to the store, running time sensitive offers; Inventory can be move with very targeted messaging; create unique content messaging to niche areas of your customer base. One click from an email, or a display ad, or visit driven by in-store POS can be the start of long relationship with customers. But, it can only happen if you seen the connections between the different media.

Every year it seems like we have more reasons to believe we live in a world of change. Over 2009 and moving quickly into 2010, mobile has exerted itself as a true medium for non-phone two way digital communication. Google is aggressively pushing forward with integrating online and mobile experiences so users can research at their desktop and have the same information available on their mobile. While display advertising is still nascent, location based searches are growing strong. So, you have to managed your location information online. If you don’t, users can easily receive old or even entirely wrong information about your business. Understanding how your address and phone number are managed online is key to developing successful mobile experiences – the two are very connected. Search marketing has also evolved to present click-to-call phone numbers as well as URL. Facebook and twitter have mobile services that let people take the social network with them wherever they are. On the mobile platform, we are seeing the convergence of location information, search, social and display advertising. If you don’t manage the integration of your digital advertising, consumers could very easily have 3, 4 or even more very different experiences with your business, all on the same 3 inch screen.

Integration, and targeted advertising, are available to businesses of every size. I’ve only highlighted a few examples of the inter-connectedness of digital advertising. All are within the control of small and medium size businesses. Whether you take the reins directly, or have an agency handle the heavy lifting for you, make 2010 the year you decide to integrate your digital marketing efforts.

Social  media is about sharing life in snippets. On the way down to a football tournament with my son, I was taking video and pictures to send back to my wife. While I could not share a great deal of detail, I was able to piece together enough snippets to give her a sense of the place and what is going on there. She could then imagine the rest.

When I read status on facebook or follow a string of tweets, I get snippets of my friends’ lives. I realized with this experience, that for most, I know little about the rest of their lives. For a few, I know enough to fill in the blanks.

Is that good enough? Are we comfortable diluting our relationships down to those snippets that can fit into a 30 sec video, or 140 character tweet, of a facebook update?

This is at once a personal question and a broader social question. I enjoy seeing what old high school classmates are up to. But sometimes, they post things that clearly show that they are simultaneously connected with me ( a long time unseen person), and (I hope) close knit friends. I have little to no context for the status, while others can fill in the blanks.

I believe snippets are a great way to reconnect across the distances of time and geography. But, we need to take care not to allow them to increase the distances between us. Status updates are not the same as conversations. Video and pictures are not the same as shared experiences. Social networks are not the same as social life. When your friends send you a snippet of their life, do you have the context to fill in the blanks?

To me, social media is an important part of consumer communications. But, with all things new, we need to avoid getting caught up in the hype. If we are focused on those who use social media, then we obviously need to base our decisions on what we know about them from our experiences and research. Where I have a concern is when we make broad, market wide strategic statements based on research that applies to a specific tactic (such as social). As we dive deeper into these specific tactics, particularly hot ones, we run the risk of magnifying research numbers beyond their true size and implication.

A recent release from Nielsen, if not read carefully, can create just such a scenario. In part, it reads…

…  “search” as the dominant form of Internet navigation or, how we get to where we we’re going on the web. However, as with most forms of evolution, change is constant, and over the past two years search navigation has appeared to shift to social media…

and

We continue to see that social media has not only changed the way consumers communicate and gather on the Web, but also impacted content discovery and navigation in a big way.

These are two very broad statements. Taken at face value, one might assume that we should shift a large share of resources away from search (for example) and into Social media.

[Nielsen divided respondents into three groups: Searchers (37%), Portalists (34%) and Socializers (18%).]

User Content usage

A more accurate depiction of the data would be to state that,  for Socializers  15% said that blogs are a trusted source of information online. Or,  Socializers ( 18%) who think blogs are a trusted sources (15% of the 18%) make up 2.7% of those surveyed.

To be fair, blogs were also sited as trusted sources of information for about 9% of Portalist and 6% of Searchers, or a about of 8% of those surveyed.

Taking a look at the survey graphs, you can see that the number for “facebook or Twitter” as trusted sources is even lower… among all groups.

Okay, enough with the percentages of percentages, the bottom line is read the detail of any survey, research or statement… about any media.

My final take on this is about the methodology. The survey method is a fine, valid way to get input from consumers or users. However, two points: First, the results that were quantified are based on the source the users “started” with. It does not speak to the overlap of sources used. So, even among those 18% that are heavy Socializers, there is nothing in the stated research results to suggest that they are not using other sources. Often, there is overlap between primary and secondary source usage, but there is nothing here to let us know either way. Second, be leery of self reported behavior. Again, not invalid, but needs to be backed by other data (observed). A good, recent perspective from Vovici.

I am not knocking social media. I believe in it as a way to keep up with the general perceptions of consumers, a way to provide feedback and develop more meaningful contact points. But, marketers need to engage social with their eyes wide open. Look at all numbers from a critical perspective.

Mike Volpe had a great post on Social media marketing lead gen. What he did, and more importantly, what he produced. Now, we all have different challenges when it comes to how we can use social media. There may be some very direct actions you can take. But, if you get nothing else out of his piece, remember and live this quote:

Social media marketing is not a campaign, it is a marketing lifestyle

People only talk about a product or company when they have a complaint, or at least that was the common wisdom. A study done by Jim Jansen, associate professor of information science and technology, IST doctoral student Mimi Zhang, undergraduate student Kate Sobel and Twitter chief scientist Abdur Chowdhury appears to tell us things are different. At least on Twitter.

According to Jensen

“A lot of the brand comments were positive,” he said. “There are some good products out there, or at least products that people are happy with.”

With 20% of the tweets requesting or providing information about products, we re-affirm the importance of engaging with people in the social media space. But, something to emphasize is that consumers are talking to consumers about their experiences. So, if you are going into the social space, you have to be genuine.

By keeping true in your off-line actions to the message, persona… brand, that you are promoting online, you reap the benefits;  positive input for other consumers. In the reverse, they can have some really tough words (classified as ‘wretched’) . eMarketer has a summary of the numbers.

Though it may not seem so at first, market norms are not nearly so punishing, nor their affect so enduring, as social norms.

If your working a social plan, or overseeing an agency or team that is, this is a good read:

Marketers have been approaching social with one of two lenses: 1) this is too risky, the content is too much on the edge, or 2) this is a group we cannot reach anywhere else, and it gives us a chance to speak to a new audience in a different way. Both set the Social media (primarily networks) among the fringe to either be avoided or chased.

Well, thats changing rapidly. Social networks are not just for the young people any more. Older folks, driven primarily by Facebook’s growth, are a growing part of the social network community according to Hitwise. 

The way we viewed social networks over the past few years needs to be broadened. A 40 year old mother of three is not going to respond the same as a 20 year old college student, and now they are both participating. When looking at content, creating content, engaging the people, we were focused on a segment that was rather well separated from other segments; they were actively on the social networks while the older segments were avoiding them. Now, with the fluidity of information and the adoption of social networks by a broader array of people, anything we do in one segment will quickly become visible to the others. The chances of alienating your base while trying to go after the new segments just increased.

This situation is reminiscent of an Oldsmobile move in the 90′s; that was a conscious effort to cater to a new demographic. If you remember Oldsmobile, you may also remember there last major campaign “Not your father’s Oldsmobile.” A big, national campaign. It failed to gain traction with the younger buyers, and simultaneously alienated the then current (but aging) customer base. That was an overt decision to go after one market while knowingly pushing away another. It failed.

In social, this same thing is very possible, but may be the result of unintended consequences rather than a strategic shift.

So, what is the best way to approach social? Actually, the same as it always was. Be true to yourself, your brand and your core customer base. It is not about Social media. It is about your customer. Social is another, and much more involved, way to interact with them.

Social media has taken a seat at the CMO table.
BrandWeek’s article, recounts that some companies have been stepping up social. I have heard their stories in the past. But recently, with all the hype, we seem to have lost site of the fact that social media has been actively engaged by companies like Wells Fargo for years. They were ahead of the curve in 2005. But the reasons for going into social are not alway clear, nor the same for different companies.

There is a lot new with Social. But, there is also a lot old. Unfortunately, with the net being all about tracking, the mainstream has (until recently) discounted social media as an important driver. They are now learning from the “old hands.” In the case of Dell, it was about containing the bad. In others, like Coke, it is about brand engagement. In others, it is about connecting the activity to a sale. The key to a good social marketing effort is to decide, before you dive in, what it is you are shooting for – setting your objectives. This isn’t new… it’s good old fashion marketing. Old principles still apply to new media.

Large, stable companies (even in this economy), have shown that social engagement on the net works. These are traditional marketers (I’d even throw Dell in there, though many would disagree), that demonstrated the value of good planning while leveraging the opportunities of new media.

http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/digital/e3ie2a94edbc5b0a7c1150d6cbf4741dede?pn=1