Pretty much every marketer right now is trying to figure out the best ways to use social media. Sometimes the best way to learn is to look at what’s working. Mobile marketing company Ansible Mobile has set their sites on using social media to create differentiated brand identity and develop trust in a crowded competitive space. Here’s how they are doing it: (more…)
Earlier this month, the Online Publishers Association announced that a broad set of its members would be adopting new larger ad units. The initial list of participants is fairly impressive, including more than 2 dozen top tier publishers such as CNN, The NY Times, WSJ Network and ESPN. The full list of publishers reaches over 66% of the total Internet audience, or roughly 108 million visitors. These heavy hitters are adding some truly massive units to their arsenal of ad units.
The “Fixed Panel” – a 336×860 pixel banner. It’s wider than standard skyscraper and follows users as they scroll down the page.
The “XXL” – a 468×648 pixel box with expandable video capability.
The “Pushdown” – a 970×418 pixel unit that takes up over half of a page before rolling up.
There’s little doubt that these ads performed in tests leading to rollout. On a limited basis I’m sure they resulted in a lift in CTR, engagement, and possibly even conversions or transactions. It’s hard to disagree with the OPA’s intent to foster innovation and efficacy in the online space, but this particular move is a dangerous one that could easily backfire in the long term.
Usability and user experience aren’t words that typically make their way into a media professional’s daily routine. It’s an activity reserved for UX and design teams and is something most media professionals take for granted, both buyers and publishers. Although the skill sets of UX and media professionals are on opposite extremes, design and user experience dramatically dictate campaign performance. Anything that can swing conversion rates, page views per visit, and overall engagement with the brand should be discussed with as many stake holders as possible.
When creating microsite campaigns, direct response campaigns, brand engagement campaigns, and even banners there are a few tips that I picked up at at the UX Team of One panel at the 2009 SXSW interactive conference. The talk and examples were largely aimed at UX professionals but were alarmingly relevant to the entire project team, from developer to media supplier.
Tips and embedded presentation slides after the jump…
We at UsableClicks jump on any change we get to attend conferences and panels, learn about new technologies, and take every opportunity to stay on the cutting edge. This weekend Jim and Mike headed to SXSW Interactive (follow their notes via Twitter @usableclicks), and yesterday I attended Google Video View, a presentation held inside the Google Sales office. The Video View presentation was split in two parts.
Part 1: Obama Marketing Campaign Insights
The first was a keynote speech by Jim Margolis, senior advisor to the Barack Obama campaign. Much of his hour was spent showing commercial spots, but the message was always the same. The Obama campaign was a focused marketing effort that laid out and never wavered from their strategic imperatives, their primary tactics, and their brand message. Their insight into the market (the US population soon to elect a new president) and their dedication to a plan they believe would work paid off, and Obama was elected.
During News Corp’s quarterly earnings call earlier this month, global media mogul Rupert Murdoch explained his long-term position on Internet advertising. He states that the almost infinite increase in ad inventory is putting a constant downward pressure in prices, making it difficult to monetize audiences, especially with ad spending on the decline.
A large chunk of my responsibilities at Yahoo! deal with this exact problem. In an environment where online advertising is becoming a commodity, how do you maximize the selling of premium inventory while using networks and exchanges to monetize the gaps? All while achieving the highest possible rates the market will bear. In an ideal world, exchanges and adservers would maximize network traffic to monetize each impression to its fullest. The truth is that the imbalance between supply and demand, as well as the relative immaturity of exchanges is causing a huge gap, and impressions are selling for bargain bin prices.
Several months ago I read on a blog about an opportunity to test a new brand of coffee and give feedback on it before it went into market. As a mild coffee addict and increasing coffee snob, I jumped on the opportunity. I took a survey of my coffee drinking habits, gave over my address, and eventually received a packet of coffee in the mail: Joffrey’s Java Beta Test. At the time I thought of it as a random taste testing opportunity, ignoring all the signs that I was part of an elaborate and precise marketing scheme to spread the name of a relatively unknown coffee brand. Now, long after I burned through the coffee I stumbled across the very interesting story behind Joffrey’s Java Beta Test:
I am a Senior Strategist at SS+K. I handle digital & social media strategy for a number of clients. I also keep a personal blog here. View Kevin Skobac's profile
Pretty much every marketer right now is trying to figure out the best ways to use social media. Sometimes the best way to learn is to look at what’s working. Mobile marketing company Ansible Mobile has set their sites on using social media to create differentiated brand identity and develop trust in a crowded competitive space. Here’s how they are doing it: (more…)
We at UsableClicks jump on any change we get to attend 
During News Corp’s quarterly earnings call earlier this month, global media mogul Rupert Murdoch explained his 
View Kevin Skobac's profile