Marketing

How SBS is reporting the Socceroos’ victory SBS1 had one of its biggest TV audiences in recent years on Tuesday night with a metro audience of 1.117m tuning in for Australia’s match with Iran which saw the Socceroos qualify for the World Cup. The game brought SBS a 14 per cent share of the free to air audience – putting it ahead of ABC1′s 10.3 per cent share and within touching distance of Ten’s 14.5 per cent. Meanwhile, the loss of the halo effect of The Voice has had an immediate impact on Nine. For the first time since launch, Seven’s renovation House Rules beat The Block by 1.159m to 1.131m. Nine’s Celebrity Apprentice continued to lose ground, with the boardroom showdown rating 596,000, putting it 20th for the night. The challenge part of the show did not make it into the top 20 at all. Masterchef, on Ten, was 15th for the night, with just 643,000 viewers. It was just ahead of ABC1′s 7.30, which rated 643,000 according to the preliminary overnight data from OzTAM. Seven won the night with a 21.4 per cent share. Nine was on 18.4 per cent. Among the key advertising demographic of 25-54, fortunes changes slightly. The Block beat House Rules and Masterchef moved up to tenth. More follows later The post Socceroos deliver big night for SBS while House Rules overtakes The Block appeared first on mUmBRELLA.

Paid search mistake: Assuming you've hit a wall Many practitioners see their paid search efforts plateau and assume they can go no further. They're wrong. Josh Dreller, director of marketing research at Kenshoo, explains why you can always increase CTRs, quality scores, and optimization with paid search. Don't be fooled into thinking you can't do better. view full article | Add a comment

The banner ad is dying. Or is it? Online ad revenues remain on a hockey stick trajectory, clocking in at a record $9.6 billion in the first quarter of this year (yes, a bunch of this is search and video, but still). Yet the demise of the banner ad has long been predicted, and some say the deathwatch is imminent -- possibly before the end of the year. That banners aren't working very well is common knowledge. You've seen the stories: You're more likely to survive a plane crash/become a Navy Seal/summit Everest/be the next Beatle or Elvis than to click on a banner ad. That consumers don't interact with banners is no secret. In fact, it's entirely possible that most clicks are robot and/or click farm generated. Then there's the banner experiment Ted McConnell cooked up, a totally blank ad (no copy, no image, no nothing) that saw interaction rates that in many cases exceed those of "real" campaigns. The result of all this inefficiency, unsurprisingly, is severe downward price pressure on banners, much to the chagrin of online publishers. As one publisher put it in a recent conversation, "It's more expensive to get readers, and then when we do we can sell them for less." Yet at the same time, publishers speak of a "voracious appetite" for display ads and banners. "As publishers we'd tell advertisers that we're unique and special, but really we're not," one publisher confided just this morning, "When demand for banners was too high, we'd just rent an audience. We'd rent from Google, from telemarketers, or rent email lists. The performance isn't that different, and the advertisers don't really care." So let's get this straight: Display advertising doesn't work, it yields ever-diminishing revenues, and advertisers can't get enough of it? Houston, we've got a problem. We are witnessing a meteoric rise in marketing solutions such as native advertising and content marketing, often at the expense of display advertising (and research indicates this is the budget being raided to pay for content creation). Is it possible that digital ad solutions have become too automated? Too "set-and-forget?" And by automated, I'm not just referring to technological automation, but also to monodirectional campaign thinking; "throw a banner at it" being the de facto solution -- the box that needs to be ticked off on the marketing plan. Automated buying, automated optimization, automatic personalization, customization, targeting, retargeting. All seem to be working less effectively for all parties involved: the buyers, sellers, and intermediaries in the display advertising value chain. The inevitable reaction to all-automated, all-the-time display is the more labor intensive content and social channels. The question isn't whether or not the banner will die. It won't. The question is whether it can lead a more meaningful, rewarding life in the future. To do so it must become less commoditized, productized, and automated, and more integrated with its more labor-intensive marketing brethren. Rebecca Lieb is an analyst in digital advertising/media for Altimeter Group. On Twitter? Follow iMedia Connection at @iMediaTweet.view full article | Add a comment

The benefits of e-commerce personalization are well known -- increased conversion rates, larger order values, and more engaged customers. But as with most e-commerce strategies that offer rewards, personalization comes with inherent risks. Understanding these risks and their causes --also known as personalization sins -- is an integral step in making sure your company develops and executes a successful personalization strategy. To avoid these risks, let's explore seven of the most common personalization sins committed by e-commerce companies both large and small. Collecting personally identifiable information (PII) without permission One of the fastest ways to alienate customers is to collect PII without permission. Luckily, with advances in big data, machine learning, and real-time analytics, PII is not needed to provide a personalized e-commerce experience to individual customers. However, if a customer is willing to offer select PII by filling out a profile, you must use the data in an appropriate way. Using customer data without permission If a customer willingly provides you with PII, do not take it as an invitation to monetize and use that data in any way you see fit. Don't personalize an experience using unauthorized consumer data without permission. For example, it would be creepy if someone who I had never met came up to me on the street and started talking to me about my time in the Peace Corps. This same creepiness applies online. When determining where to draw the line, put yourself in the customer's shoes and ask yourself, "Would I provide my PII in order to receive a product or service?" If the answer is no, don't do it. Relying on profile data and past purchase history Many retailers limit their ability to give consumers relevant shopping experiences by their over reliance on profile data and past purchase history. While this data is helpful, they provide a stagnant picture of the past, not the future. If you purchased a mattress last week, it's unlikely that you will purchase another one this week. Once you start showing interest in something else, this information can be of limited value. Limiting the power of big data Building off of the prior sin, retailers should leverage the power of big data and machine learning to identify contextual cues -- search terms, dwell time, and click path -- to determine what consumers want today. These signals occur across all consumer touch points. Advanced analytics tools are available to capture this type of data and turn it into actionable business intelligence. Focusing on conversion at the expense of shopper engagement Omni-channel is about delivering the best possible consumer experience regardless of channel or device. It's about extending your brand across all touch points and building a relationship with your customer that sticks. Any consumer experience that rushes the buyer to convert also runs the risk of alienating or detracting from the long term relationship. It isn't about a one-time conversion. It's about getting shoppers to return to your site again and again for repeat purchases. Not leveraging online data to empower employees Sales associates are at the front line of your company. If you do not invest in the digital enablement of these employees, you are doing your customers a disservice. Sales associates need access to the data necessary to provide customers with an in-person omni-channel experience --e-commerce catalogs, in-store and online product availability, and technology that leverages online data to create a better in-store experience. One size fits none Unfortunately, no single personalization strategy will solve your needs for relevant content across all of your interactions. If you are searching for that one silver bullet, stop. To consistently deliver relevant content or products, you need a breadth of personalization approaches and algorithms. These range from using search terms on landing pages for onsite search

That’s the example Google used today in announcing the formal rollout of its local carousel search results. I’m not opted in to this yet, but when I look at the screenshot there … I don’t have a clue where to focus. I’m dying to know how the average searcher looks at it, aren’t you? This is a post from Matt McGee's blog, Small Business Search Marketing. I Want to See an Eye-Tracking & Click-Thru Heat Map for ThisAdvertisement: Local Presence for National Brands Local Market Launch delivers business listings management and local presence solutions for national brands, multi-location businesses, franchises, and local SMBs through a growing network of channel partners, including directory publishers, newspaper publishers, broadcast media companies, digital media agencies and certified marketing representatives (CMRs). http://localmarketlaunch.com

The Perth arm of The Brand Agency has picked up nominations in the Radio Lions shortlist in Cannes for a Perth Zoo campaign, while McCann Melbourne’s Dumb Ways to Die has been given the nod for Best Use of Radio as a Medium. The Brand Agency Perth has three pieces of work, all for Perth Zoo, shortlisted in the Entertainment and Leisure sub-category. DDB’s Melbourne and Sydney agencies were both shortlisted in Cars and Automotive Services while McCann Melbourne’s Dumb Ways To Die was shortlisted for Public Health and Safety, Best Scriptwriting, Best Use of Music and/or Design and Best Use of Radio as a Medium. The list of shortlisted Australian entries: Alcoholic Drinks: “Space Bored” by Jaygrey North Sydney for Four Pines Brewery’s Vostok Stout Beer Clothing: “Airport Security” by Whybin/TBWA Sydney for M.J Bale’s men’s suits “Flightmare” by Whybin/TBWA Sydney for M.J Bale’s men’s suits Cars and Automotive Services: “Kirsty” by DDB Melbourne for Britax’s Safe-N-Sound Sict “Joe” by DDB Melbourne for Britax’s Safe-N-Sound Sict “Barbara” by DDB Melbourne for Britax’s Safe-N-Sound Sict “Road” by DDB Sydney for Volkswagen Group Australia’s Driver Fatigue Technology “Street” by DDB Sydney for Volkswagen Group Australia’s Driver Fatigue Technology Entertainment and Leisure: “Guitar Duet” by M&C Saatchi Melbourne for Tennis Australia Australian Open 2013 “Beady Eyes” by The Brand Agency Perth for Perth Zoo Autumn Visit “Prickly”  by The Brand Agency Perth for Perth Zoo Autumn Visit “Urine”  by The Brand Agency Perth for Perth Zoo Autumn Visit Public Health and Safety: “Dumb Ways to Die (3 minute version)” by McCann Melbourne for Metro Trains Best use of Music and/or Sound Design “Dumb Ways To Die” by McCann Melbourne for Metro Trains Best Scriptwriting “Dumb Ways To Die” by McCann Melbourne for Metro Trains “Flightmare” by Whybin/TBWA Sydney for M.J Bale Mens’ Suits Best Use of Radio as a Medium “Dumb Ways To Die” by McCann Melbourne for Metro Trains The post Seven Aussie agencies on Radio Lions shortlist appeared first on mUmBRELLA.

A series of eight pieces of outdoor advertising by McCann, based on the Dumb Ways To Die viral video, has been awarded a campaign Gold Lion in the outdoor contest in Cannes Leo Burnett Sydney’s “Small World” picked up a slew of Silver Lions Sydney’s Droga5 was awarded a Silver Lion for the “Dangerous” series as well as a Bronze Lion for “Upside Down” and “Corkscrew” pieces for Platinum Blonde. The list: Outdoor gold campaign: “Helmet” by McCann Melbourne for Metro Trains “Moose” by McCann Melbourne for Metro Trains “Toast” by McCann Melbourne for Metro Trains “Bear” by McCann Melbourne for Metro Trains “Snake” by McCann Melbourne for Metro Trains “Piranha” by McCann Melbourne for Metro Trains “Hair” by McCann Melbourne for Metro Trains “Kidney” by McCann Melbourne for Metro Trains Silver campaign: “Small World 1” by Leo Burnett Sydney for Coca-Cola “Small World 2” by Leo Burnett Sydney for Coca-Cola “Small World 3” by Leo Burnett Sydney for Coca-Cola “Small World 4” by Leo Burnett Sydney for Coca-Cola “Dangerous Debris” by Droga5 Sydney for Pinnacle Liquor Group’s Dry Rock “Dangerous Animals” by Droga5 Sydney for Pinnacle Liquor Group’s Dry Rock Silver Lions: “A Place to Remember (The Long Table)” by Grey Melbourne for Transport Accident Commission’s Road Safety “Small World Machines” Leo Burnett Sydney for Coca-Cola Bronze campaign: “Upside Down” by Droga5 Sydney for Pinnacle Liquor Group’s Platinum Blonde “Corkscrew” by Droga5 Sydney for Pinnacle Liquor Group’s Platinum Blonde The post McCann’s Dumb Ways To Die gets Gold Lion for Outdoor appeared first on mUmBRELLA.

Promoting affiliate products that you will believe in will not only make you feel better about yourself, but it may also help to increase your sales! When it comes to an affiliate program, one of the most common mistakes a program participant makes is choosing to sell a product that they do not believe in or fully stand behind, one hundred percent. Although you may be making money, you may also be creating a bad name for yourself. That is why it is important that you promote or sell products that you believe in. When it comes to promoting a product that you believe in, one of the most commonly asked questions is ?how?? The best way to promote a product that you believe in is to actually try out the product. For instance, if you are promoting an e-book, you may want to think about reading the e-book in question. In fact, if you ask, you may be given the e-book to review for free or for a discounted price. If you are interested in joining an affiliate program set up by a retailer, you will earn commission for all sales, not just a particular product. To test the waters, you may want to think about placing an order, even just a small one. This will give you a first hand look at the affiliate program that you will be promoting on your own site. Perhaps, the greatest reason why you should test out a product is because if you don?t like it, there is a good chance that your customers won?t like it as well. In a way, you can look at it as providing a service to the general public, at least internet users. By not agreeing to sell a poor quality product, you will be saving other consumers, just like you, money. In fact, you should be proud of yourself for refusing to do business with an affiliate program that doesn?t live up to par. Another reason why you should avoid doing business with an affiliate program that sells a poor quality product is because of your reputation. Although you are only directing customers to the site where they can buy the product in question, you may still be remembered for your part in the sale. Do you really want to be remembered as the guy or the woman who recommended a product that wasn?t even worth the money spent? As it was mentioned above, you may be making money with an affiliate program, even if the product being sold isn?t as good as it could have been. Although you may be making money will probably not last forever. In fact, you may soon find your sales decreasing, if the decrease hasn?t already started. You need to remember that customers talk. If a customer was not satisfied with the product that they purchased, they will likely talk to their friends, family members, and coworkers. They may even write negative reviews online. These negative reviews may cause other consumers to avoid purchasing the product that you are selling, as well as your whole website in general. The money that you can make, right away, may seem nice, at the time, but you need to remember to think long-term. Do you know what you want to do in the future, whether it is now or in a few years? If you are like many people, there is a good chance that you have no idea. What if you want to create your own products to sell online? As it was mentioned above, what you do online now can come back to haunt you. That is why it is important that you think about your future, in the business sense, and it what it may entail. If your dream is to one day start your own online business, you will want to refrain from bad publicity; bad publicity that may come in the form of a poorly run affiliate program. Although it was advised that you actually test out the products that you will be promoting, through an affiliate program, testing isn?t your only option. You can also research a product online. Reading customer reviews, both good and bad, may give you insight into the product you may have to sell. Better yet, it may help you decide whether or not it is a product that you want to be associated with.

The NSA isn't about to stop snooping on you anytime soon, but there are ways to throw them off your trail. Here are some tools to help you go private.Revelations of NSA surveillance have shaken the nation, but while many of us would love nothing more than to toss our phones out the window and avoid well-trafficked search engines like Yahoo and Google altogether, the government seems intent snopping on Americans whether they like it or not. Sometimes that's not a bad thing--but often it is. As blogger Sarah Downey writes, one of three things can happen when your data falls into a corporation's lap: Your privacy may be breached like the customers of LivingSocial; the company might use it in a way that makes you uncomfortable and/or violates your privacy; or the government may use it, courtesy of the NSA and PRISM. To help you sleep better at night, here's a roundup of tools that can help you go private. Mobile TextSecureTextSecure is an open source app that encrypts text so that no one can read it. Just keep in mind both the sender and respondent must use it in order for it to work. Also, while the content will be secure, your messages' destination will not. As a bonus, the app can encrypt old messages. RedPhoneDesigned by the makers of TextSecure, WhisperSystems, RedPhone features end-to-end encryption for calls, meaning no one can decipher your chat from beginning to end. RedPhone also forgoes assigning private numbers, so you can stick with the one you know and love. Calls can be placed via Wi-Fi or your mobile data plan. Onion Browser Using Tor, a free software and open network that blocks out surveillance, Onion encrypts web traffic, so no one can pinpoint your IP address. The browser also hides what platform you're on, be it tablet, cell phone, or desktop.Orbot Another Tor app, Orbot encrypts traffic by bouncing signals, much like a sped-up game of Pong. Created by The Guardian Project, Orbot proxies traffic so what you're clicking stays under wraps. MiscellaneousSilentCircle SilentCircle keeps companies from accessing unencrypted calls, messages, and emails. Though it's open-source, its code is audited to prevent back doors or loopholes. You can use it on Android or iOS platforms. SeecryptThis South African start-up will protect your calls and SMS messages on Android or iOS. Users are assigned a private number to allow for end-to-end encryption. WickrSimilar to Snapchat, this one-year-old app offers "military-grade encryption" of texts, pictures, and audio messages using a key that's unknown to the company. Wickr promises not to collect personal information, call logs, or location data. Its messages also self-destruct. DesktopBrowsingDuckDuckGoUnlike Google, DuckDuckGo doesn't store IP addresses. The partially open-source search engine is now available on several desktop and mobile platforms, including iOS.TorEver watch a CSI episode and hear the tech guy exclaim that the suspect's signal is moving? That movement is Tor. The network bounces traffic across computers so sites can't determine their origin. Onion PiFor those not on Tor, there's Onion Pi. Combining Raspberry Pi's microcomputer, USB Wi-Fi adapter, and an ethernet Cable, Onion Pi creates a small, potable private access point that directs traffic through Tor's larger network.Instant MessengerOTRLike many others on this list, OTR offers end-to-end encryption. Since it's an extension to regular networks, users will need to download supporting software such as Adium for iOS and Pidgin for Windows.Cryptocat This open-source software will keep the conversation top secret. The CloudCloudfoggerThis open-source app encrypts files before they go to the Cloud and is available on Android and iOS.InTheClearWhen all else fails, download InTheClear, a suite of applications that wipes data clean with just one swipe.

Baby Boomer, Gen X, Millennials – each label stands for an age group which, in theory, has similar wants, needs and goals. But a new study commissioned by MTV shows that there’s a big difference between the upper and lower age brackets that fall into the Millennial category. Keeping with the theme: older (or first wave) Millennials are like Harry Potter but younger (age 13-17) Millennials are more like Katniss of The Hunger Games. At first glance, these seem like cutesy pop culture references designed to capture the search engine spiders. But when you dig in deep, you’ll see that the comparisons fit – sadly. The study, “The New Millennials Will Keep Calm and Carry On” leads us to these two points. The Harry Potter Crowd: Today’s twenty-somethings represent the  Millennials that came of age in the economic boom of the 90s/early 2000s, a time of “Yes We Can” and the belief that college, working hard and playing by the rules would guarantee future success. Raised by idealistic Boomer parents, older Millennials were told they were special and gifted, with a magic wand capable of changing the world. The Katniss Crowd: Today’s tweens and teens have known a very different youth. They’ve come of age during the Great Recession, seeing college graduates struggling with huge student loan debt and living through a cascade of social-media amplified tragedies – from Hurricane Sandy to the Sandy Hook School shooting. While this reality is having a profound impact on Young Millennials’ world view, they still exhibit the optimism of their older counterparts, and instead of giving up are prepping, planning and specializing to achieve the future they want for themselves. Cautiously Fearful Over 60% of young Millennials said they are worried about the negative impact of today’s economy on their future. They say they’re worse off than their parents’ generation and they worry about getting a good education. As the mother of a Millennial, here are the responses that bring tears to my eyes. Half are afraid of violence at school but to make it through they’ve adopted a “Keep Calm and Carry On” mentality while remaining in “fast exit” mode. One third of those surveyed said they “plot out escape plans when in public places, because of events like Sandy Hook.” Stress and Tech 80% of young Millennials feel the need to unplug at times. They grew up in a world that is constantly connected with mobile phones, texting, social media and cameras in their pockets. 57% said that when technology becomes to much, they like to work with their hands and 82% said they concentrate on doing only one thing at a time. (A good lesson for all the adults reading this post.) They’ve also become experts at self-filtering. More than 75% said they try to avoid cruel or violent videos. 70% said they turn to YouTube to learn how to do things and they like being the expert on a subject (the guy who posts all of those old comic book covers or the girl who does Victorian nail design videos.) Keeping Calm While They Carry On The best thing the marketer can do to reach this crowd, is to understand that they come from a different place than those just a few years their senior. They’re more cautious. They’re not buying into the “you can do anything” view of the world. And they’re happy to put the phone on mute while they create things with their own two hands. Most of all, you need to understand that these teens and tweens like to hide in plain sight. So you may not see them, but they see you. Do you have an approach that works with the young Millennials? Tell us about it in the comment section below.