Which creative elements seem to work the best in emerging media? Which don't seem as effective?

Emerging media has forever changed the communications dominion enjoyed by print and broadcast media. This shift has happened so rapidly that many integrated marketing communications (IMC) professionals continue to deliver products from a media world that no longer exists. Today every reader is a publisher and every click a vote in the marketplace of ideas, goods, and services. It is a data-rich world where every click and byte of each information transaction can be tracked. It's clearly time to explore new creative options!

Presenting the final creative keynote presentation for Breakthrough iMedia Summit 2007 Anne Benvenuto, EVP of strategic services for R/GA, used the mythological archetype Hydra -- a serpent figure with many heads -- to explain how agencies need to change their internal processes to successfully adapt to the demands of the new media market.

‘"The Hydra has new needs," Benvenuto said, using the metaphor to infer that today's media leaders need to inspire their teams to new heights to get the best outcome from emerging platforms and consumer-relevant content.
"Traditional media teams are not used to working with interactivity or with the people who bring those ideas to the table," Benvenuto said, attributing this divide to the fact that old media is rooted in a linear narrative, the basic concept behind TV. But it takes innovation and inspiration to stretch media concepts far enough to meet the behavioral and experiential demands of today's consumer.
Faced with consumers who are avidly co-creating and expecting high levels of creative outreach to win their loyalty -- or interest -- what are marketers doing to capture the online audience? …. One of the solutions, Benvenuto said, is to embrace complexity, and that means navigating through the broad array of deliverables in today's media world:’

So, as new media comes to us very fast, furious and with great complexity, which creative elements seem to work the best and the least? Thorough attention to layout, graphics, color and other creative aspects must be considered in order to be user-friendly and inviting. Too many links, photos or graphics may distract or even deter visitors, so the correct balance is vitally important. First impressions are key, and remember, you never get the opportunity to make first impressions twice!

What special, eye-catching innovations are companies using to start and build relationships with consumers? Are they working?

Acquiring and building consumer relationships today are quit different, especially through the use of new media. New media, such as mobile marketing, blogs, RSS feeds, podcasts, in-game advertising, and social marketing, have impacted traditional communications. And yes, they are working. Businesses are effectively integrating these new media opportunities into their marketing and sales strategies.

Today, consumers are empowered in ways like never before. With dozens of product choices available at the click of a mouse or through other mobile devices such as PDAs, the concepts of "instant gratification" and "personalization" are no longer the exception; they are the rule. If a consumer can't get what they need or want immediately, it's pretty simple to find other alternatives. Therefore, companies must utilize these new media technologies, and their eye-catching abilities to stay in the game.

Mobile marketing, for example, allows for the opportunity to deliver the right message to retail shoppers at the moment of decision – in and away from the store. This both improves the experience for the shoppers and increases the advertiser’s worth. Other new media avenues such as blogging, social marketing, and podcasts also offer great consumer relationship building opportunities.

Some of the factors that make blogs powerful as marketing tools include personal interaction through comments, instant notification of page updates through RSS feeds, and the overall friendly personalized tone and writing of the blog posts themselves. This coupled with the proven high search engine optimization value of blogs make them a marketer’s dream for building customer relations. The marketing purpose of the blog is for developing longer term relationships between the business and the general public. Over time, the readers naturally gravitate toward purchasing the company’s goods and services. A blog is relationship marketing at its best. The blogger provides helpful information, and links to other sites that benefit the readers. The visitors return the business' generosity with their purchasing dollars.

Buzz-building Techniques for Bloggers

Effective blogging is all about the “buzz” that you create. After all, who wants to spend time writing a blog if no one sees it or comments?
There are many ways to build buzz, but the bottom line is you have to “create” the buzz it just doesn’t happen – at first anyway. If done effective, though, you may be very surprised!
Below are several buzz building suggestions:

1) You should first make sure that your blog is viewable and accessible
2) Choose an audience for your blog; write quality content; and update often
3) Add your blog to blogger’s listings
4) Add your blog URL in your email signature block
5) Sumbit your address to blog search sites and directories such as Technorati, Popdex, and LS Blogs.
6) Submit blog to all search engines
7) Link to as many other blogs as possible
8) Install a blogroll, a very simple social networking scheme
9) Be an active commenter and leave a link back to your blog
10) Offer to exchange links on your site under your links section.

Why do we want to create buzz? What is all “the buzz” about buzz? Buzz is being created about everything from new products, to book reviews, to the adventures of motherhood. For products and services, it offers a low-cost, high-reach opportunity that hasn’t been possible. It allows us to come in contact with our audience and get real feedback which is invaluable. For individuals, such as the new mother seeking advice from those who have already trodden the path, it opens her doors to an endless amount of advice and feedback and the opportunity to exchange thoughts, joy and concerns with others who care.

You may say that blogging is connecting the people of our world one blog at a time!

What are the ethics involved in the use of emerging media in integrated marketing communications?

Emerging media through digital capabilities has expanded the integrated marketing communications (IMC) opportunities but it has also brought with it new ethical issues. Many feel that marketing through the use of digital media is intrusive. While the opportunity to market through digital media avenues is exciting for IMC professionals, we must be very careful not to cross the line and always remain ethical in our practices. Currently, the government only minimally regulates Internet marketing and therefore, until there are regulations put in place by the government, unfortunately, each individual is acting on his own code of ethics.

One area of great concern is consumer privacy. Recently many privacy and consumer groups have come together to recommend a "Do Not Track List" and other policy solutions to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in order to offer consumers more control over online behavioral tracking.

Another area of concern is how intrusive can we be as IMC professionals without crossing the ethical line? For example, the youth market is more Internet-savvy than any other demographic; therefore they are a prime target audience of emerging media. Emerging media allows us to reach such prime targets while playing video games, surfing on the Web, by cell phone, etc.

Even journalists have to recheck their ethical standings as they contribute to online accessible articles. As these new forms of storytelling emerge, new technologies move to newsroom desktops and new efficiencies promise to change the dynamics between information providers and consumers, the line between news and opinion can easily be blurred, imperiling the credibility of the practitioners and their organizations. A team of online journalists from across the country came together to discuss the issues surrounding their work, and they created a set of guidelines for maintaining ethical journalism on the Web.

How is emerging media being used to enhance integrated marketing communications?

The best way to answer this question is to visit Media Week’s Digital Download . Upon entering this page you feel as though you have been propelled into the next century. With eye-catching advertisements of its own, and headlines such as U.S. Game Industry Sales Remain Robust and California Web Sales Tax Bill Faces Long Odds you will very quickly realize how different the advertising world has become.

One very effective advertiser on this page is Tremor Media, whose marketing slogan is “a seismic shift in advertising.” This slogan very effectively states what is happening within integrated marketing communications (IMC) – “it’s seismic activity!”

Successful IMC today is all about understanding and effectively using these “seismic” new media avenues. From in-gaming advertising, to Bluetooth marketing capabilities, to well created widgets, these tools are changing the way marketers showcase their products and consumers shop.

But how are these new media being used to enhance integrated marketing communications? First, we need to understand that today’s consumers aren’t like they use to be. There aren’t as many people reading newspapers, magazines, or even watching television. What they are doing is spending more time on web sites, on cell phones, playing video games, or participating in social networking or blogging. Therefore, today’s consumer is best known as the “wired consumer.” If you are an IMC professional, it is imperative that you understand the wired consumer.

The wired consumer opens up many new opportunities for IMC.
 The opportunity to reach a pre-qualified audience
 The opportunity for far greater exposure
 The opportunity for far greater exposure at a significantly lesser amount.

Advertisers now have the ability to target audiences where they are receptive to advertising messages – on hand-picked web sites with relevant content that they really care about; via cell phones and Bluetooth technology when they are near or attending a special event; while playing video games; and the list goes on. Campaigns can now utilize behavioral targeting, contextual targeting, standard channels, geography, day-part, browser type, operating system, and connection speed targeting to ensure that your ads are seen by the right audience, and only the right audience to make the most of your media budget and deliver a larger return on investment.

It’s Time for Marketers “To Get in the Game!”

Gaming (In-Game Advertising) refers to the use of computer and video games as a medium in which to deliver advertising. Gaming is one of the fastest growing global entertainment forms and presents unique marketing opportunities for brands targeting hard to reach consumers – specifically young adult males 18-34 and females who make up 30% of gamers. The latest developments in video game hardware and software deliver truly unique, ultra-immersive entertainment experiences and are the ultimate way to connect with a large audience that is highly engaged and can be targeted to meet your needs.

Hundreds of advertising firms have been created or have switched their focus to accommodate this highly sought-after type of advertising. In 2002, Massive Incorporated, a subsidiary of Microsoft, was formed to develop in-game advertising. Massive’s website touts them as a “pioneer in new media” who has developed a leading video game network. Massive offers great examples of different ways to advertise through gaming on their website. According to Massive, in 2005, spending on in-game advertising was $56 million (USD), and they expect this figure to grow to $1.8 billion by 2010.



IGA Worldwide, another prominent developer in this new form of advertising, says “70% of advertisers state that contextual advertising makes games more relevant,” and “one billion eyeball hours can be generated by a top-selling game.” IGA predicts this fastest growing entertainment sector to be a $2 billion industry by the end of the decade.

Still another leader in this industry, NeoEdge Networks’ chairman Nolan Bushnell founded the Atari Corporation in 1971 and is often referred to as the “Father of the Video Game industry.”

Marketing Opportunities in Chat Rooms

Who would think of using chat rooms as a marketing medium? Not I – until recently that is when I had a conversation with someone who had and then my curiosity was peaked!

A chat room (or chatroom) is a term used primarily by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing. The term can mean any technology ranging from real-time online chat via instant messaging and online forums to fully immersive graphical social environments.

Have you ever been to a chat room and posted a message? If so, did you consider giving an advertising pitch? If not you may have missed a golden opportunity.
Chat Room Marketing is the use of online chat rooms to promote your product or service. Chat rooms are usually broken into categories and it is important to find the right one where your targeted audience gathers. Create a chat room profile with your ad, business info, or signature file. Announce to everyone in the chat room something interesting or free that's offered on your web site. This will draw visitors to your web site.

Always be aware of chat room rules before engaging the visitors in a sales pitch that could be considered SPAM. Send electronic messages to target people in the chat room that would be interested in your products or services to try to initiate a conversation with them. After a few moments indirectly bring your sales pitch into the conversation. This is a great way to do one-on-one selling electronically. Do not directly SPAM them with your messages.

Another great idea is to have a chat room on your Web site which will create an online community and bring visitors to your web site. You could possibly host a free online seminar in your chat room about a subject of your expertise or schedule experts to speak in your chat room. You can also use a chat room as a communications tool to meet with current customers to answer questions or solve problems.
Make sure your spelling and grammar is correct when chatting, so people understand what you are typing. Use some chat room emotions and acronyms to help people understand you're typing like " :D " to show you are laughing or " :) " to show you are smiling.

Marketing your products or services in chat rooms is a more personal way to gain new customers. Prospects are actually communicating with you instead of reading your ad.

Just exactly what are RSS Feeds?

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, and is used to describe the technology used in creating feeds. RSS is one of the two main families of web syndication formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts; Atom is the other. Web syndication is a form of syndication in which a section of a website is made available for other sites to use. All web feed formats are based on XML (Extensible Markup Language), a text-based computer language used to describe and distribute structured data and documents.

Syndication benefits both the websites providing information and the websites displaying it. For the receiving site, content syndication is an effective way of adding greater depth and immediacy of information to its pages, making it more attractive to users. For the transmitting site, syndication drives exposure across numerous online platforms. This generates new traffic for the transmitting site — making syndication a free and easy form of advertisement.

Web feeds (RSS feeds) have some advantages compared to receiving frequently published content via email:

• When subscribing to a feed, users do not disclose their email address, so users are not increasing their exposure to threats associated with email: spam, viruses, phishing, and identity theft.
• If users want to stop receiving news, they do not have to send an "unsubscribe" request; users can simply remove the feed from their aggregator.
• The feed items are automatically "sorted" in the sense that each feed URL has its own sets of entries (unlike an email box, where all mails are in one big pile and email programs have to resort to complicated rules and pattern matching).
A "Feed Reader" is required for using Web Feeds. This tool works like an automated e-mail program, but no e-mail address is needed. The user subscribes to a particular web feed, and thereafter receives updated contents, every time updating takes place. Feed Readers may be online (like a webmail account) or offline. Recently a number of mobile readers have arrived to the market. An offline web feed is downloaded to the user's system. Feed readers are used in personalized home page services like iGoogle or My Yahoo or My MSN to put content such as news, weather and stock quotes appear on the user’s personal page. Content from other sites can also be added to that personalized page, again using feeds.

A web feed is a data format used for providing users with frequently updated content. Content distributors syndicate a web feed, thereby allowing users to subscribe to it. Making a collection of web feeds accessible in one spot is known as aggregation, which is performed by an Internet aggregator. A web feed is also sometimes referred to as a syndicated feed.

In the typical scenario of using web feeds, a content provider publishes a feed link on their site which end users can register with an aggregator program (also called a feed reader or a news reader) running on their own machines; doing this is usually as simple as dragging the link from the web browser to the aggregator. When instructed, the aggregator asks all the servers in its feed list if they have new content; if so, the aggregator either makes a note of the new content or downloads it. Aggregators can be scheduled to check for new content periodically.

To explain all of the above in a visual context, see below:

1)
An RSS link appears on a website indicating feeds are available.

2)
After clicking on the RSS link you are taken to an RSS directory which gives you a list of all the feeds available.

3)
After making a selection of feed, you are directed to a page which tells you more about feeds and how it will work. Then it asks you to click one more time to "subscribe to this feed".

4)
Next, a screen will come up telling you where the feed will be saved on your computer and how to access it.

5)
To view your feeds, click the Favorites Center button and then click Feeds.

That is exactly what RSS feeds are!

Using Widgets in Marketing

Confused about how you can use widgets, gadgets and buttons in marketing?



Example widgets

What are widgets?
Widgets are visual tools made available on a web site or on a user's desktop. (The example widgets shown above can be found in the right-hand column of this post, along with other widgets.) They either provide some functionality, like a calculator or they provide real-time information, for example on news or weather.
They are often placed in the left or right sidebar, or in the body of an article. They are relatively easy for site owners to implement, especially if a widget template is used from a source such as GoodWidgets.com. There are several different types of widgets:

1. Web widgets.
These are buttons that create click-throughs. Many times partners will place these on their site and it will help drive visitors to your site and/or engage visitors with your brand when they're on other sites.

2.Google gadgets.
Google has many ready-made gadgets. It's worth considering this format so that you can syndicate it via Google. See examples of Google gadgets. (The Inspirational Quotes and Pictures and Bejeweled gadgets to the right are both Google gadgets.)

3. Desktop and operating system gadgets.
These have been around for awhile - See Skinkers gadget examples. You may have seen the BBC had a desktop Dr Who or Desktop Motty. They can work well if the brand is big enough to support it, but many feel they are invasive.
Vista, the new Microsoft OS also makes it easier to create and enable subscription to these gadgets and place them into Sidebars. See examples of Vista Sidebar gadgets.

• Google also has desktop gadgets

While gadgets may be worth considering if you are in news or travel, or high involvement brands like a football club, most feel they are too geeky to be relevant for company use.

4. Social media widgets.
You see these everywhere - they are encouraged to get users to subscribe to RSS or bookmark the page on their favorite social media site like Delicious, Digg and Technorati. They provide shortcuts for visitors and are useful for site owners to see which articles are most popular. The big plus about this approach is that they encourage inbound links at a page level, which are great for search engine option.

5. Facebook applications.
A separate mention for Facebook applications. Facebook has opened up their API to enable developers to create small interactive apps that users can add to their space to personalize it. One branded Facebook application that is in the top 10 that really shows the viral power of these apps is from Travelpod.com which allows users to compete about where they have traveled. Just Giving has a branded app with several hundred users and their more general charitable giving widget which they say is one of the main referrers to their sites.

6. Mobile widgets
Many of the widget strategies discussed above are also being introduced for mobiles also, but this is a real niche area - if you are marketing to teenagers (a big niche) or Blackberry owners (another big niche).

7. Google Gadget Ads
These should not to be confused with Google Gadgets which are incorporated into personalized iGoogle homepages. They enable advertisers to incorporate a super-compact micro site within 3rd party sites via the Google AdSense network or other sites.
They use the same ad formats as other image ads, e.g. Medium Rectangle: 300 x 250. Here is an ad example from Honda.
How can widgets support marketing?
Widgets combine a range of digital marketing techniques:
• Online PR and strategic viral marketing
• Brand advertising and Brand engagement
• Direct response sales and lead generation through affiliate marketing
Widgets have great reach potential. You can encourage partners to place them on their sites and this will help educate people about your brand, and engage with your brand when they're not on your site (which is the majority of the time).
They offer your partner sites the opportunity to add value to their visitors through the gadget functionality or content, or to add to their brand through association with you (co-branding).
They also provide a direct response mechanism, so visitors can click through to your site to buy, or sign-up to what you are offering.
So, to summarize, benefits of widgets for web marketing include:
• Increase reach
• Relatively low cost
• Engage visitors with brand - particularly useful for products which are launched which require an increase in awareness.
• Can assist with Search Engine Optimization.
The main disadvantage is that they are only one tactic in your overall digital mix, so will likely not make a dramatic impact in comparison with paid search marketing for example.

Learn How to Make and Use Podcasts

As discussed in an earlier post, a podcast is an audio file that is broadcast over the web. Incorporating podcasts into your web sites has many benefits. It enables you to distribute audio/video content in addition to printed materials, like brochures or normal web content. It brings personality and interest to things like tutorials, success stories, and even sales pitches. One of the greatest benefits a podcast offers is portability. Those viewing your information no longer have to be tied to the desk for information. They can now carry it with them as they move around, on the go!

How can you produce your own podcasts? Let’s take a look.

Preproduction
Before thinking of stepping up to the microphone, much planning must be done. Preproduction takes over three-quarters of the time to produce a podcast. First keep the audience in mind. Who will listen to the podcast? Determining who exactly the audience is should help focus the podcast. The podcast will need a name. The more creative, the better! In preproduction, you must also decide upon the format for the podcast. Who will actually be heard in the recording? Should you have a host? What segments do you plan for the show? Perhaps you will want to share book reviews, conduct interviews or training. When planning, consider the length of your podcast. This will be based on your content and audience.

Recording
Recording will be a much quicker process if you have practiced what you plan to say before taping. It doesn't matter what platform or application you use to record the audio. One option is Audacity. It's open source, cross-platform, free and allows for mixing together multiple audio files. For the Macintosh platform, GarageBand is a popular choice which is also free. Many tutorials on Audacity and GarageBand can be found by Googling.

After recording, save your finished audio show at maximum quality in the native format of your audio application. That way you can go back and edit it or reuse it and you'll have a good version. Convert the file to MP3 format. Make sure you save it with a .mp3 file extension. The article Saving MP3 Files for Podcasting has more detailed information. Publish your MP3 file to your web server, and test them with any MP3 player. Create the RSS feed to your podcast.

Do Web site banner ads work?

All of us who spend time surfing the web see plenty of banner ads. While these ads come in all types of sizes and designs, they share one basic function, if you click on them, you are then linked to the advertiser’s Web site or information.

An advertiser that is interested in posting banner ads on other sites has three options. The advertiser can:
• Arrange to display banner ads for other companies in exchange for space to advertise their banner ad.
• Pay publisher sites to post its banner.
• Pay an organization, usually a banner network like DoubleClick or Flycast, to post the banner on a number of publisher sites.

Now, do banner ads work? There are mixed reviews on the success of banner ads. Reporting on click-through rates vary from .02% to 10-15%. However, the real bottom line appears to be in knowing how to use them.

In an Ezine Article Guaranteed Banner Success By Sean Houser, Houser reports “Some people don't like the thought of banner ads but they do work if you know how to use them.” The article goes through the important steps in making a banner ad on their suggested route to having a successful banner ad.

In another Ezine Article Useful Tips To Improve Online Banner Ad Effectiveness the author makes very informative suggestions on developing a successful online banner campaign. A few of those suggestions are:

Instead of placing the banner on the home page of a website, placing it on one of the sub-links will actually give you a much targeted audience. You will not be wasting impression on people who would as it is not be interested.

Design your banners carefully. Do not reveal too much in the banner otherwise people will not click on it to find out more

The size of the banner must be kept between 5 and 20K. It is just possible that the banner may not load as quickly as the rest of the page and your target customer has moved on to the next page.

Animated banners always attract more attention than static banners

And the list goes on and the article wraps up with -

Properly researched and placed banner ads are highly effective. They are effective in branding a company name as well as driving highly targeted traffic to your site.

So, do banner ads work? It appears to all depend on the creativity and marketing capabilities of the developer!

Understanding the advertising capabilities of Bluetooth

If you are looking for a creative, cost-effective method to advertise, Bluetooth Mediaserver may be what you are looking for.

My first Bluetooth experience was only a couple of months ago when my 15 year old daughter enlightened me on the basics of Bluetooth. Soon thereafter, I began to read and study more on the opportunities of advertising via Bluetooth and my findings were amazing. If you are like me and are totally clueless about Bluetooth you can find out almost everything you need to know at http://www.what-is-bluetooth.com/. In a nutshell, according to What Is Bluetooth, "The technology of Bluetooth wireless is a short range communications method intended to replace the cables that connect portable or fixed devices while maintaining the highest levels of security."

Also found on the What Is Bluetooth site is 10 Benefits Of Bluetooth.

1. Wireless - As you probably already know, there are many benefits and advantages to using wireless devices. Along with improving safety as a result of eliminating wires you don't need, wireless also offers you plenty of other advantages. When traveling with your laptop or other wireless devices, you'll no longer have to worry about bringing connection cables.

2. Bluetooth is actually inexpensive - The technology of Bluetooth is cheap for companies to implement, which results in lower costs for the company. These savings are then passed from the company on to you.

3. Bluetooth is automatic - Bluetooth doesn't have you set up a connection or push any buttons. When two or more devices enter a range of up to 30 feet of each other, they will automatically begin to communicate without you having to do anything.

4. Standardized protocol - Bluetooth is standardized wireless, meaning that a high level of compatibility among devices is guaranteed. Bluetooth will connect devices to each other, even if they aren't the same model.

5. Low interference - Bluetooth devices almost always avoid interference from other wireless devices. Bluetooth uses a technique known as frequency hopping, and also low power wireless signals.

6. Low energy consumption - As a result of Bluetooth using low power signals, the technology requires very little energy and will use less battery or electrical power as a result. This is an excellent benefit for mobile devices, as Bluetooth won't drain the battery.

7. Sharing voice and data - The standard for Bluetooth will allow compatible devices to share data and voice communications. This is great for mobile phones and headsets, as Bluetooth simplifies driving and talking on your cell phone.

8. Instant PAN (Personal Area Network)- You can connect up to seven Bluetooth devices to each other within a range of up to 30 feet, forming a piconet or PAN. For a single room, you can also set up multiple piconets.

9. Upgradeable - Upgradeable is the standard for Bluetooth. There are newer versions of Bluetooth in the works, which offer many new advantages and backward compatible with older versions.

10. The technology stays - Bluetooth technology is a world wide, universal wireless standard. With it being as popular as it is, you can count on it being around for years to come. As more and more devices start to use Bluetooth technology, more manufacturers will be eager to make their products compatible. A chain reaction will occur, making Bluetooth the standard for cutting edge wireless.

I'm sure you will agree that this is awesome technology! Never before have brands, information providers, and retailers been enabled with the technology to send content and direct response advertising directly to a consumer's mobile phone. All consumers within relative proximity of a particular destination, retail store, or area can now be a pre-qualified target audience!

Have you tried social marketing?

According to the Social Marketing Institute , social marketing is the planning and implementation of programs designed to bring about social change using concepts from commercial marketing.

Social marketing was "born" as a discipline in the 1970s, when Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman realized that the same marketing principles that were being used to sell products to consumers could be used to "sell" ideas, attitudes and behaviors. Kotler and Andreasen define social marketing as "differing from other areas of marketing only with respect to the objectives of the marketer and his or her organization. Social marketing seeks to influence social behaviors not to benefit the marketer, but to benefit the target audience and the general society” (Weinreich Communications).

So what exactly does all of this mean? After diligently searching through tons of Web sites I found a great article on About.com - Strategic Social Marketing for Nonprofits by Nedra Kline Weinreich the president and founder of Weinreich Communications (also mentioned above)and the author of Hands-On Social Marketing: A Step-by-Step Guide. In this article Weinrich says “Social marketing uses the same tools and techniques of commercial marketing, but its purpose is to bring about positive health and social change. Social marketing's bottom line is behavior change.” The article is excellent and lends an avenue for a better understanding of what social change really is all about.

Today social marketing is rampant. See example social marketing campaigns at http://www.wwu.edu/chw/preventionandwellness/grantpages/socialmarketing.htm.

Let's discuss mobile marketing!

And – we’re not talking about moving billboards! Mobile Marketing in this discussion refers to marketing on or with a mobile device, such as a cell phone. Mobile marketing offers a new way of connecting with consumers.

Marketing on a mobile phone has become increasingly popular since the beginning of SMS (Short Message Service). Some feel that mobile marketing is intrusive, however over the past few years SMS has become a legitimate avenue for advertising. This is because networks such as the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) and the Mobile Marketing Association have set guidelines and best practices for mobile advertising.

While Mobile Marketing is still in its infancy in the U.S., it has expanded rapidly in Europe and Asia as a new channel to reach the consumer. Initially receiving negative response and considered as a form of spam, there are now 100 million advertising SMS sent out every month in Europe alone.

SMS services typically run off a short code, but sending text messages to an email address is another methodology. Short codes are 5 or 6 digit numbers that have been assigned by all the mobile operators in a given country for the use of brand campaign and other consumer services. One key criterion is that the consumer opts in to the service. The mobile operators demand a double opt in from the consumer and the ability for the consumer to opt out of the service at any time by sending the word STOP via SMS. These guidelines are established in the MMA Consumer Best Practices Guidelines which are followed by all mobile marketers in the United States.

Can we trust what we read in a blog?

Just this week I talked with an editor friend who has recently added blogging to his publications. In a casual conversation about the new venture, we began to discuss the types of conversations taking place through blogging and he expressed to me his excitement in this new venture. As we talked further, he told me recently he had attended a trade show seminar where a heated conversation had broken out over some very misleading facts. The person stating them truly believed what he was saying was the truth; however it was very bogus information.

Our conversation then shifted again and we began to discuss how many people are reading bogus information from blogs or other online sources and because they are seeing the information in print, they are taking it to be the gospel. This untrue, misguiding information is becoming a huge problem of being able to trust the information we find on the Internet.

In an online article Creator of web warns of fraudsters and cheaters (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2006/nov/03/news.newmedia). Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the Briton who founded the web in the early 1990s, says “if the internet is left to develop unchecked, "bad phenomena" will erode its usefulness.” He warns that "there is a great danger that it becomes a place where untruths start to spread more than truths, or it becomes a place which becomes increasingly unfair in some way". He singles out the rise of blogging as one of the most difficult areas for the continuing development of the web, because of the risks associated with inaccurate, defamatory and uncheckable information.

In another article Which reporting can we trust? (http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/blogspotting/archives/2005/09/sitting_around.html) the article discusses how it is the responsibility of the reporter to verify the information before use. The article states “With bloggers, our circle of contacts grows exponentially, and we have to sort out what to believe. The world doesn’t put information into neat boxes for us. Each one of us is an editor. It’s up to us to divide the information we come across into three piles: I’ve heard, I believe, I know.” This is the bottom line for trusting information in blogs – it is up to us to know it is factual before thinking or saying that it is so.


Sources:
Business Week (2005). Which reporting can we trust? Retrieved online February 10, `2008 from http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/blogspotting/archives/2005/09/sitti ng_around.html
The Guardian (2006). Creator of web warns of fraudsters and cheats. Retrieved online February 10, 2008 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2006/nov/03/news.newmedia

What sorts of emerging media are you exposed to and how do you feel about it? (Part two)

Until recently I didn’t pay much attention to the use of blogs. If they were being used much within my industry I didn’t realize it but all of a sudden they are all around me. Just a few days ago a friend within the industry sent me a message saying “My recent blog on gas stations advertising ethanol-free gasoline has struck a chord with a few readers. I thought you’d be interested to see what people are saying. http://www.fuelpub.com/interactive/2008/01/24/real-gas-sold-here-real-ignorance-too/”.

Today, as I attended a biodiesel conference in Orlando, Florida, I received an email with the subject line – Biodiesel Conference Blog Live. When opening the email, the message reads - “The National Biodiesel Conference & Expo is in full swing in Orlando, Fla. But if you can't be at the conference, we'll bring the conference to you! Check out all the day's highlights as they happen with the Conference Blog. You'll find out the latest in industry developments, including what new diesel vehicles will be on hand for today's Ride-and-Drive, and what the pulse is on industry issues like sustainability and fuel quality. The pictures and audio interviews will make you feel like you're there!

It’s amazing to me to see these blogs in use all around me. I’m glad that I now feel I can begin to use blogs as a marketing communication tool too!

What sorts of emerging media are you exposed to and how do you feel about it?

As I begin to explore more types of new media, I actually am becoming quite fascinated with the various types of emerging media. Over the last few weeks I’ve began dabbling in the use of blue-tooth technology which is quite fascinating. I purchased a new cell phone and my 15 year old daughter took it from me to activate the Bluetooth so she could share with me different ring-tones, etc. That was an education in itself and I'm not totally sure if I even halfway understand it but it appears to be remarkable technology. However, that topic will need to wait until I have a better understanding of its capabilities.

One emerging media, however, that I am starting to understand, partake in, and see the value of, is blogging. Blogs, in my opinion, allow an informal, unstructured, exchange of information that is an incredible opportunity for marketers. This new media opens a door to two-way communication and allows a “no barriers” feeling with participants which allows them to openly express their likes, dislikes, concerns, and ideas for improvement. Many top corporations have set up blogs which their CEOs/COOs actually take part in giving participants that “connected” feeling and are having great success with feedback.

One blog that I have found very interesting is the General Motors Corporation (GM) FastLane blog (http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/). This blog is set up to discuss GM vehicles but because of GM’s aggressive alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicle developments, the discussions of the blog ultimately end up on the alternative vehicle options; GM and its competitors’ involvement; and participant views on what Americans need to do to reduce our energy dependence and to clean up our smog-filled skies.

Another positive thing about blogs is that they bring together an abundance of information on the topic being discussed. With all of the information and the number of comments and different opinions, a visitor can get a lot of information on a topic in one area. However, it is always important to remember postings and comments in a blog are “opinion” based and not always “fact” based.

How has the Internet and other technological advancements changed our lives?

Prior to 1996 the Internet was basically an unknown to me. The business I worked for was very antiquated and only one person, the accountant, had Internet service. Any Internet requests were flowed through that one person. In the fall of 1996 I relocated and began working for a very technologically advanced company. This company threw me into the real business-world of 1996. The unfortunate thing is that I was one of the lucky ones and there were more that were not as fortunate. I still find myself very behind with technology but I at least have a basic understanding. What about those who are totally left behind?

The Internet has changed my life in many different ways. I spend more time shopping online and less time in shopping malls; I keep in contact with friends and family much better than before; I spend endless hours researching both for professional and personal items and the list goes on. Unfortunately, the Internet has changed my life in some ways that aren’t so great – email consumes my life and there seems to be no catching up. Could this be why our work lives are moving so quickly? Another way that the Internet has affected my life in a less than pleasant way is the information and activities available to my teenage children. It’s impossible to keep curious children from accessing information on the Internet that they shouldn’t.

As far as other technologies, i.e., cell phones, ipods, digital cameras, digital tv, they are becoming “must haves” with the newer generation. Each one brings with it a nice little price tag and the new technology generations, I think, are going to have a tough time adjusting when they leave the nest and try to start out in their own lives on an entry-level salary trying to support the technological habits they have developed.

How as the Internet and other technological advancements affected you?

Some interesting comments on this subject can be found in a blog titled - When Reality Knocks No one has all the answers, but we have some good questions.

A brief explanation of several new media:

Web Sites - A website (alternatively, web site or Web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN.
A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML, that is almost always accessible via HTTP, a protocol that transfers information from the Web server to display in the user's Web browser.

All publicly accessible websites are seen collectively as constituting the "World Wide Web".
The pages of websites can usually be accessed from a common root URL called the homepage, and usually reside on the same physical server. The URLs of the pages organize them into a hierarchy, although the hyperlinks between them control how the reader perceives the overall structure and how the traffic flows between the different parts of the sites.
Some websites require a subscription to access some or all of their content. Examples of subscription sites include many business sites, parts of many news sites, academic journal sites, gaming sites, message boards, Web-based e-mail, services, social networking website, and sites providing real-time stock market data.

Video ads – are ads that combine the power of sound and motion. Online advertising is a form of advertising that uses the Internet and World Wide Web in order to deliver marketing messages and attract customers. Examples of online advertising include contextual ads on search engine results pages, banner ads, advertising networks and e-mail marketing, including e-mail spam.

A major result of online advertising is information and content that is not limited by geography or time. The emerging area of interactive advertising presents fresh challenges for advertisers who have hitherto adopted an interruptive strategy.
Online video directories for brands are a good example of interactive advertising. These directories complement television advertising and allow the viewer to view the commercials of a number of brands. If the advertiser has opted for a response feature, the viewer may then choose to visit the brand’s website, or interact with the advertiser through other touch points such as email, chat or phone. Response to brand communication is instantaneous, and conversion to business is very high. This is because in contrast to conventional forms of interruptive advertising, the viewer has actually chosen to see the commercial.

Widgets - Embeddable chunks of code have existed since the start of the World Wide Web. Web developers have long sought and used third party code chunks in their pages. It could be said that the original web widgets were the link counters and advertising banners that grew up alongside the early web. Later, ad and affiliate networks used code widgets for distribution purposes.

A widget is anything that can be embedded within a page of HTML, i.e. a web page. A widget adds some content to that page that is not static. Generally widgets are third party originated, though they can be home made. Widgets are also known as modules, snippets, and plug-ins.
Rich media, interactive entertainment widgets were first syndicated in large volume in 2001 by miniclip. Widgets are now commonplace and are used by bloggers, social network users, auction sites and owners of personal web sites. They exist on home page sites such as iGoogle, Netvibes, Pageflakes, SpringWidgets and yourminis. Widgets are used as a distribution method by ad networks such as Google’s AdSense, by media sites such as Flickr, by video sites such as YouTube and by hundreds of other organizations.

Applications can be integrated within a third party website by the placement of a small snippet of code. This is becoming a distribution or marketing channel for many companies. The code brings in ‘live’ content – advertisements, links, images – from a third party site without the web site owner having to update.

RSS Feeds - RSS (formally "RDF Site Summary", known colloquially as "Really Simple Syndication") is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts. An RSS document, which is called a "feed", "web feed", or "channel", contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with their favorite web sites in an automated manner that's easier than checking them manually.

RSS content can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader" or an "aggregator". The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed's link into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloading any updates that it finds.
The initials "RSS" are used to refer to the following formats:
Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0)

Podcasting - A podcast is a collection of digital media files which is distributed over the Internet, often using syndication feeds, for playback on portable media players and personal computers. The term, like "radio", can refer either to the content itself or to the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also termed podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster.

The term "podcast" is a portmanteau of the acronym "Pod" – standing for "Portable on Demand" – and "broadcast". The iPod name was coined with Pod, prefixed with the "i" commonly used by Apple for its products and services. The first podcasting scripts were developed for the iPod (see history of podcasting). These scripts allow podcasts to be automatically transferred to a mobile device after they are downloaded.[1]

Though podcasters' web sites may also offer direct download or streaming of their content, a podcast is distinguished from other digital media formats by its ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new content is added, using an aggregator or feed reader capable of reading feed formats such as RSS or Atom.

Banner Ads - A web banner or banner ad is a form of advertising on the World Wide Web. This form of online advertising entails embedding an advertisement into a web page. It is intended to attract traffic to a website by linking them to the web site of the advertiser. The advertisement is constructed from an image (GIF, JPEG, PNG), JavaScript program or multimedia object employing technologies such as Java, Shockwave or Flash, often employing animation or sound to maximize presence. Images are usually in a high-aspect ratio shape (i.e. either wide and short, or tall and narrow) hence the reference to banners. These images are usually placed on web pages that have interesting content, such as a newspaper article or an opinion piece.

Short Films - Short subject is a format description originally coined in the North American film industry in the early period of cinema. The description is now used almost interchangeably with short film; either term is often abbreviated to short (as a noun, e.g. 'a short'). Although the North American definition generally refers to films of between 20 and 40 minutes long, the definition refers to much shorter films in Europe, Latin America and Australasia. In New Zealand, for instance, the description can be used to describe any film that has a duration longer than 1 minute and shorter than 15 minutes. The North American definition also tends to focus much more on character whereas the European and Australasian forms tend to depend much more on visual drama and plot twists. In this way, the North American form can be understood to be a derivation of the feature film form, usually acting as a platform for aspirant Hollywood directors. Elsewhere, short films tend to work as showcases for cinematographers and commercial directors.

Blogs & vlogs - A blog (a portmanteau of web log) is a website where entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting) are part of a wider network of social media. Micro-blogging is another type of blogging which consists of blogs with very short posts.

Chat Rooms - A chat room or chatroom is a term used primarily by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing. The term can thus mean any technology ranging from real-time online chat over instant messaging and online forums to fully immersive graphical social environments.

Blue tooth - Bluetooth is an industrial specification for wireless personal area networks (PANs). Bluetooth provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices such as mobile phones, laptops, PCs, printers, digital cameras, and video game consoles over a secure, globally unlicensed short-range radio frequency. The Bluetooth specifications are developed and licensed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group.

In-Game Advertising - (IGA) refers to the use of computer and video games as a medium in which to deliver advertising. In 2005, spending on in-game advertising was USD$56 million, and this figure is estimated to grow to $1.8 billion by 2010 according to Massive Incorporated[1], although Yankee Group gives a lower estimate at $732 million.[2] In-game advertising is seen by some in the games industry as offering a new revenue stream, allowing developers to offset growing development costs and to take more risks in gameplay [3]. Some advertisers see in-game advertising as a prime way to target the male 18-34 demographic, who are increasingly neglecting television in favor of computer and video games.[4] Still others see in-game advertising as a way to reach into casual games, for example through NeoEdge Networks and titles like Diner Dash, and target a predominately female demographic, who are frequently harder to reach and impact. However, some "core" gamers see these moves as greedy and invasive, dubbing in-game advertising software as spyware. This view was demonstrated by the backlash against Electronic Arts' Battlefield 2142 which contained in-game advertisements from IGA Worldwide.[5] However, this does not stop traditional firms such as Nielsen Media Research branching out into the in-game advertising space, by announcing a new video games ratings service (similar to Nielsen ratings) called GamePlay Metrics to serve in-game advertisers.[6]

Social Networking - A social network is a social structure made of nodes (which are generally individuals or organizations) that are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as values, visions, idea, financial exchange, friends, kinship, dislike, conflict, trade, web links, sexual relations, disease transmission (epidemiology), or airline routes.

Social network analysis views social relationships in terms of nodes and ties. Nodes are the individual actors within the networks, and ties are the relationships between the actors. There can be many kinds of ties between the nodes. Research in a number of academic fields has shown that social networks operate on many levels, from families up to the level of nations, and play a critical role in determining the way problems are solved, organizations are run, and the degree to which individuals succeed in achieving their goals.

In its simplest form, a social network is a map of all of the relevant ties between the nodes being studied. The network can also be used to determine the social capital of individual actors. These concepts are often displayed in a social network diagram, where nodes are the points and ties are the lines.

Source:
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/

Behind on New Media? Let's learn together!

“Never before in history has innovation offered promise of so much to so many in so short a time.”-- Bill Gates, Founder Microsoft Corporation

If you are like me, you are slightly overwhelmed with the advancement of new media! Over the next few weeks let's discuss the different types of new media and learn together about the pros and cons of each as marketing communication tools.

Some of the new media we will discuss are:

Web Sites
Video ads
Widgets
RSS Feeds
Podcasting
Banner Ads
Short Films
Blogs & vlogs
Chat Rooms
Blue tooth
In-Game Advertising
Social Networking

Share your knowledge, advice, tips, etc. on each!