Media as Usual – February 19th February 22, 2010

• U.S. Web Usage Landscape is Shifting: This article forecasts increasing internet growth over the next 4 years, particularly for older Americans. More than one-half of new users will be ages 45 and up, a group that has been slower to adopt new technology than their younger counterparts. Another interesting…somewhat troubling…trend is the increase in internet usage among children ages 3 to 11. While younger generations will still be more engaged Internet users, this is an important trend for marketers to note particularly in the broader context of the aging American population. Marketers can no longer think of the Internet has a medium only to reach young people, while relying on traditional media channels to reach older consumers. More baby boomers are not only accessing the Internet from their laptops, but also mobile devices. I predict that in the next few years that we will see more Web, viral, and mobile campaigns specifically targeted to the over-50 crowd which has traditionally not been the focus for online advertisers.

• Texting Trumps Talking in U.S., Just Not as Ad Platform: U.S. mobile users send double the amount of text messages than they do calls. With the increasing curiosity and popularity of mobile marketing, text messaging is perhaps the most direct way to reach consumers. 68% of cellphone owners send texts, and while texting is still most popular with the 18-24 year-old demographic, 69% of 45-54 year-olds and 43% of 55-64 year-olds text. The advantages of text ads are clear – concise, targeted messages delivered directly to an ever increasing consumer base. There’s no need to even open a web browser or click through several pages. Of course, it’s no secret that consumers are bothered by most advertising and text advertising is no different. The majority of texters say that advertising delivered in this way would be unwelcome. I think what consumers are really saying is that ads that are uninteresting and irrelevant are unwelcome. If consumers opt-in to advertisements from products/companies/services that they are interested in, this wouldn’t be seen as intrusive because the texter would have control over content being delivered to their phone. Marketers need to be creative and find ways to engage consumers through text ads, such as encouraging responses back, texting coupons, etc.

Media as Usual – February 12th February 12, 2010

Just in case you missed it, here’s all the Super Bowl ads nicely compiled from last weekend. On with the news….

• With Buzz, Google Plunges Into Social Networking: This week Google introduced Buzz, a social media addition to Gmail accounts that lets users post photos, videos, and updates. Buzz doesn’t seem very innovative, taking a direct stab at its top two competitors: Facebook, with the ability to “comment” and “like” posts and Twitter, with its constant update of statuses from people that you “follow”.  Buzz seems a bit intrusive to email accounts, even though you can choose to hide Buzz just like with Google Chat. When you log onto Facebook or Twitter, it’s with the specific intent to engage in social networking. When you log onto Gmail, intent is to send or read an email. It will be interesting to see if Google Buzz catches on with consumers and if “Buzzing” becomes an adjective, as “Facebooking” or “Tweeting” have become common dialog today. In addition, Buzz has had a slew of privacy concerns, namely the fact that your followers are made public to anyone that views your profile. It seems that people who use Buzz will be existing Gmail users, as it’s unlikely that users would convert to Gmail simply to share updates with people that they are probably already connecting with on Facebook/Twitter.

• Why You Need a Strategy for Social Media: If anyone hasn’t gotten the message already, social media is here to stay. Sites such as Facebook have established themselves as legitimate media channels that should be part of any comprehensive marketing campaign. Integration is the key when it comes to working with social media. Ads must be strategically placed and content carefully planned out to align with the overall campaign or brand strategy. Social media can do a lot, but the vast majority of U.S. marketing executives say that their main reason for using social media is brand building and awareness. Ultimately purchases aren’t being made through social media, but first impressions are. High quality, informative ads and product pages are necessary for consumers to continue with their purchase decision process and go on a website or visit a store.

• Mobile Marketers Demand ROI: Mobile marketing is still uncharted territory for many companies. It’s not that companies are opposed to mobile marketing, but rather that they don’t know how to measure mobile campaign effectiveness. Like online advertising, one of the main goals of mobile marketing is to build company awareness and generate leads. Increase in customers or sales can certainly be one measure of mobile success, but it’s difficult to credit one media source in particular for an increase. While today’s consumer increasingly wants their information on the go, I can’t see many who would conduct an extensive product search for hours on end from their mobile device. Mobile marketing should give consumers general product or brand highlights, leaving other channels for more specific information. Mobile advertising also presents its own set of issues as banner ads are even smaller and more intrusive. Consumers are generally unwilling to click on ads on their laptops, even less so on their mobile devices.