HAPPY MORNING
For the sheer insanity of it all, Folger's agency Saatchi & Saatchi succeeds at doing 5 seconds of product placement in a 90 second commercial.
We are speechless .... and laughing.
JUST ONE SECOND!
Clear Channel's recent announcement to examine the use of one second radio spots, or "blinks", in an effort to provide a means for brand extensions to a limited number of advertisers, clearly calls for a reality check.
Let's investigate a bit into the potential for these listener "blinks" (which, by the way, is more appropriately labeled for the visual experience provided by television or streaming video). There are a host of issues that surface at first blush.
Placement of these sound "bytes" must fit seamlessly into the radio genre of News, Talk or Music --- otherwise both stations and advertisers run the risk of adding clutter to an already cluttered environment.
It is unlikely that rating and pricing structures, given a limited number of potential clients, will generate any new and significant revenue streams for the stations. It is more likely that existing radio budgets will be cannibalized to fund these efforts. How many blinks equal a thirty; a fifteen; a five? Can we all recall when the standard unit for radio was a sixty?
Accountability and tracking of these units, through agency-wide enterprise financial systems, can turn into a nightmare. Agencies are already over-burdened with a deluge of paperwork and Sarbanes Oxley compliance issues.
Let's clear the air, blink three times and pretend this never happened.
Clear Channel's recent announcement to examine the use of one second radio spots, or "blinks", in an effort to provide a means for brand extensions to a limited number of advertisers, clearly calls for a reality check.
Let's investigate a bit into the potential for these listener "blinks" (which, by the way, is more appropriately labeled for the visual experience provided by television or streaming video). There are a host of issues that surface at first blush.
Placement of these sound "bytes" must fit seamlessly into the radio genre of News, Talk or Music --- otherwise both stations and advertisers run the risk of adding clutter to an already cluttered environment.
It is unlikely that rating and pricing structures, given a limited number of potential clients, will generate any new and significant revenue streams for the stations. It is more likely that existing radio budgets will be cannibalized to fund these efforts. How many blinks equal a thirty; a fifteen; a five? Can we all recall when the standard unit for radio was a sixty?
Accountability and tracking of these units, through agency-wide enterprise financial systems, can turn into a nightmare. Agencies are already over-burdened with a deluge of paperwork and Sarbanes Oxley compliance issues.
Let's clear the air, blink three times and pretend this never happened.
CONFESSIONS OF A MYSPACE USER
Turn to any of the trades and there is no doubt that there will be some article written about News Corp's MySpace.com site. The trades just can't stop chatting it up as the fastest growing social networking site on the net.
I couldn't help but wonder what all the hype was about and became a MySpace "user" (I use the term in an non-addictive sense) about 2 months ago.
Having created a profile, albeit under a false name, I ventured into the twilight zone of MySpace.
I was immediately bombarded by users who wanted to "be my friend". People I did not know nor wanted to know. People who, laughably, had upwards of several thousand "friends" on their profile. Useless banter with no redeeming social value other than curiosity and, dangerously, entrapment. In many cases I found the users to be trumped up imaginary persons often cloaked in the skin of others whose photos were "borrowed". Nothing on the site seemed real to the observing eye.
Browsing through the profiles I was not surprised to find sexually explicit and sometimes disturbing photos. I often worried about the kids who ran into these randomly accessible photos. I worried even more about kids that were underage and easily drawn into conversations with would-be predators.
Shocked at open profiles that suggested "I love kids and often go to playgrounds to just watch them" I decided to abandon the generally unhealthy site.
News Corp has a tiger by the tail .... and if it doesn't do something very quickly to turn this site into a more controlled environment, they run the risk of government scrutiny and intervention.
Frankly, I don't care how profitable this site is. Supporting it with advertising will eventually backfire with enraged parents, schools and communities demanding action.
This is not about free speech or rights under the constitution. It's about social consciousness....not social networking.
Turn to any of the trades and there is no doubt that there will be some article written about News Corp's MySpace.com site. The trades just can't stop chatting it up as the fastest growing social networking site on the net.
I couldn't help but wonder what all the hype was about and became a MySpace "user" (I use the term in an non-addictive sense) about 2 months ago.
Having created a profile, albeit under a false name, I ventured into the twilight zone of MySpace.
I was immediately bombarded by users who wanted to "be my friend". People I did not know nor wanted to know. People who, laughably, had upwards of several thousand "friends" on their profile. Useless banter with no redeeming social value other than curiosity and, dangerously, entrapment. In many cases I found the users to be trumped up imaginary persons often cloaked in the skin of others whose photos were "borrowed". Nothing on the site seemed real to the observing eye.
Browsing through the profiles I was not surprised to find sexually explicit and sometimes disturbing photos. I often worried about the kids who ran into these randomly accessible photos. I worried even more about kids that were underage and easily drawn into conversations with would-be predators.
Shocked at open profiles that suggested "I love kids and often go to playgrounds to just watch them" I decided to abandon the generally unhealthy site.
News Corp has a tiger by the tail .... and if it doesn't do something very quickly to turn this site into a more controlled environment, they run the risk of government scrutiny and intervention.
Frankly, I don't care how profitable this site is. Supporting it with advertising will eventually backfire with enraged parents, schools and communities demanding action.
This is not about free speech or rights under the constitution. It's about social consciousness....not social networking.
DRAINING THE POOL
The past weekend’s Wall Street Journal pulled the covers back on the hiring dilemma many of the “new era dot-coms” are facing. As forecasts for double digit growth in ad spending continues through the rest of the decade, HR departments must find new ways to keep the pool at least partially full.
Salaries for sales execs with just 5 years of experience, for example, are easily pushing for a base of $150,000 plus bonuses, plus commissions. And VPs leading the charge can command packages upwards of $500,000.
Ad agencies cannot compete with these salaries and can be expected to see a further drain on their tech savvy, digitally focused personnel.
Look to Google as an indicator of the demand. Tap into their career section and you’ll find open calls for upwards of 100 jobs. Multiply that demand by the needs of others in the same space (Yahoo, MSN, eBay) and you can paint a rosy picture for individuals considering a move.
Those who left the field during the dot-com bust have found greener pastures elsewhere and are reluctant to return, while traditional media sales execs have not yet caught up with (nor do many want to) the new surge.
As a result, the bottom layers will be easier to fill while the need for structured and seasoned professionals who may have a better grasp of client needs will fall short of the demand.
The past weekend’s Wall Street Journal pulled the covers back on the hiring dilemma many of the “new era dot-coms” are facing. As forecasts for double digit growth in ad spending continues through the rest of the decade, HR departments must find new ways to keep the pool at least partially full.
Salaries for sales execs with just 5 years of experience, for example, are easily pushing for a base of $150,000 plus bonuses, plus commissions. And VPs leading the charge can command packages upwards of $500,000.
Ad agencies cannot compete with these salaries and can be expected to see a further drain on their tech savvy, digitally focused personnel.
Look to Google as an indicator of the demand. Tap into their career section and you’ll find open calls for upwards of 100 jobs. Multiply that demand by the needs of others in the same space (Yahoo, MSN, eBay) and you can paint a rosy picture for individuals considering a move.
Those who left the field during the dot-com bust have found greener pastures elsewhere and are reluctant to return, while traditional media sales execs have not yet caught up with (nor do many want to) the new surge.
As a result, the bottom layers will be easier to fill while the need for structured and seasoned professionals who may have a better grasp of client needs will fall short of the demand.
A ROTTING APPLE IN THE BIG APPLE
Fanfair and hoopla aside, I made a visit yeaterday evening at 8:30 PM to Apple's flagship store in New York.
The store, open 24/7, 365 days a year, is easily spotted just across from the Plaza fountain on Fifth Avenue. Its entrance has been touted as a giant glass cube, leading down a circular glass stairway to an open retail space which has taken over the entire front of the original GM building.
The architects must be turning in their graves. Apple's references to the Pyramid at the Louvre in Paris is a far cry for this glass eyesore and is insulting to the French.
As you reach the retail floor, you are confronted by an enormous spacious display area for everything Apple and then some. The store is not exclusively Apple and is difficult to negotiate. Circuit City, or any other major electronics retailer, do a better job of store design and display.
Asking for assistance is a joke. "You can make a reservation at this computer for our help desk".
All I asked for was a set of earphones that I lost. "Oh...those are not sold here. You'll need to make a reservation......". Dissapointment after dissapointment.
Shame on Apple. They still don't have their act together. This is one Apple that needs to be tossed out of the Big Apple barrel.
Fanfair and hoopla aside, I made a visit yeaterday evening at 8:30 PM to Apple's flagship store in New York.
The store, open 24/7, 365 days a year, is easily spotted just across from the Plaza fountain on Fifth Avenue. Its entrance has been touted as a giant glass cube, leading down a circular glass stairway to an open retail space which has taken over the entire front of the original GM building.
The architects must be turning in their graves. Apple's references to the Pyramid at the Louvre in Paris is a far cry for this glass eyesore and is insulting to the French.
As you reach the retail floor, you are confronted by an enormous spacious display area for everything Apple and then some. The store is not exclusively Apple and is difficult to negotiate. Circuit City, or any other major electronics retailer, do a better job of store design and display.
Asking for assistance is a joke. "You can make a reservation at this computer for our help desk".
All I asked for was a set of earphones that I lost. "Oh...those are not sold here. You'll need to make a reservation......". Dissapointment after dissapointment.
Shame on Apple. They still don't have their act together. This is one Apple that needs to be tossed out of the Big Apple barrel.
FAIR GAME FOR A YOUNG AUDIENCE
As CBS Corp. moves away from its Paramount theme parks in a $1.24 billion sale to Cedar Fair, is it missing an important and emerging outlet for content distribution?
CBS' seven theme parks, tagged with a 10 year licensing deal for familiar Nickelodeon characters (Sponge Bob Square Pants) may have, in the long run, been sold for a song.
With an explosive evolution in media access, the sites for these parks could have been integrated into a broader media strategy to create theme based content (ie. online gaming, rides, streaming adventure videos) for distribution to broad based, young consumer groups.
Kids, teens and young adults are the demographics marketers dreams are made of .... CBS, a network whose programing has always been associated with an older audience, missed the forest for the trees with the pruning of this asset.
The CBS deal brings the number of Cedar Fair theme parks up to 19. The right digital advances, coupled with a digital strategy to leverage its licensing deal, has the potential to place Cedar Fair in an enviable position as a major distribution channel reaching the fickle, elusive and valuable young audeince.
As CBS Corp. moves away from its Paramount theme parks in a $1.24 billion sale to Cedar Fair, is it missing an important and emerging outlet for content distribution?
CBS' seven theme parks, tagged with a 10 year licensing deal for familiar Nickelodeon characters (Sponge Bob Square Pants) may have, in the long run, been sold for a song.
With an explosive evolution in media access, the sites for these parks could have been integrated into a broader media strategy to create theme based content (ie. online gaming, rides, streaming adventure videos) for distribution to broad based, young consumer groups.
Kids, teens and young adults are the demographics marketers dreams are made of .... CBS, a network whose programing has always been associated with an older audience, missed the forest for the trees with the pruning of this asset.
The CBS deal brings the number of Cedar Fair theme parks up to 19. The right digital advances, coupled with a digital strategy to leverage its licensing deal, has the potential to place Cedar Fair in an enviable position as a major distribution channel reaching the fickle, elusive and valuable young audeince.
SOCIAL ADDICTION
Just one year ago, the three top ranking social networking sites combined (Classmates, MSN Groups and AOL Hometown) generated 35 million unique visits during April 2005.
Fast forward to April 2006..... MySpace leads the social networking pack with a whopping 367% increase to 38 million unique visits while the original top three performers slip to 33 million visits and YouTube makes its debut with 12.5 million.
The reality of this phenomenon should be taken seriously by the mainstream media channels as marketing opportunities expand in squared fashion. The integration of new and ever-changing options require a keen eye on the direction young America takes to establish themselves on their own media platforms.
Nielsen maintains that these sites enjoy a high retention rate. MySpace, for example, boasts a retention rate of 67%. Word to the wise ... that retention rates include existing but inactive accounts that contribute to the overall picture in an unhealthy way.
Marketers note: be wary that the lax supervision of questionable postings (pornographic or otherwise) doesn't slap a lid on its unbridled growth and the consumer tide turns against it.
Just one year ago, the three top ranking social networking sites combined (Classmates, MSN Groups and AOL Hometown) generated 35 million unique visits during April 2005.
Fast forward to April 2006..... MySpace leads the social networking pack with a whopping 367% increase to 38 million unique visits while the original top three performers slip to 33 million visits and YouTube makes its debut with 12.5 million.
The reality of this phenomenon should be taken seriously by the mainstream media channels as marketing opportunities expand in squared fashion. The integration of new and ever-changing options require a keen eye on the direction young America takes to establish themselves on their own media platforms.
Nielsen maintains that these sites enjoy a high retention rate. MySpace, for example, boasts a retention rate of 67%. Word to the wise ... that retention rates include existing but inactive accounts that contribute to the overall picture in an unhealthy way.
Marketers note: be wary that the lax supervision of questionable postings (pornographic or otherwise) doesn't slap a lid on its unbridled growth and the consumer tide turns against it.
Are You Web 2.0 Savvy? Do You Need To Be?
Turn to any consumer (and some marketers) and ask them how they like Web 2.0 compared to Web 1.0. Chances are you'll get a blank stare.
The concept is simple and unless you're a web designer or manage bells and whistles on your site, you don't really need to know all the terminology (AJAX, an acronym for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, for example) that created Web 2.0.
This new and improved version of the web allows for greater interactivity through blogs, Wikis, Social Networks, RSS Feeds and Virtual Conferencing among a host of other applications. Visitors to interactive sites can apply their own tags (keywords) to the information on hand, creating a public directory .... or folksonomy, generating a sense of community and, in the case of marketers, providing a platform for interactive testing and brainstorming with their customer base.
Web 2.0 has also created a new bubble of sorts with venture capitalists rushing to fund new versions of stale material.
While you do not, as a marketer, need to understand what makes Web 2.0 work, you do need to understand how it can be applied to leverage your business.
More power to the people.
Turn to any consumer (and some marketers) and ask them how they like Web 2.0 compared to Web 1.0. Chances are you'll get a blank stare.
The concept is simple and unless you're a web designer or manage bells and whistles on your site, you don't really need to know all the terminology (AJAX, an acronym for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, for example) that created Web 2.0.
This new and improved version of the web allows for greater interactivity through blogs, Wikis, Social Networks, RSS Feeds and Virtual Conferencing among a host of other applications. Visitors to interactive sites can apply their own tags (keywords) to the information on hand, creating a public directory .... or folksonomy, generating a sense of community and, in the case of marketers, providing a platform for interactive testing and brainstorming with their customer base.
Web 2.0 has also created a new bubble of sorts with venture capitalists rushing to fund new versions of stale material.
While you do not, as a marketer, need to understand what makes Web 2.0 work, you do need to understand how it can be applied to leverage your business.
More power to the people.
OnLine Media Auctions .... Coming of Age
Action by a group of heavyweight marketers, led by Wal-Mart and facilitated through the ANA, provides a healthy break in the clouds that have been hanging over this initiative for several years. A call by Wal-Mart's Julie Roehm to pool $50 million for the development of a market system and test will likely be met with resistance from major media outlets and major agencies.
That comes as no surprise given a similar test that proved successful, by HJ Heinz with Ariba several years back, seems to have been squelched when major media properties turned up the heat.
But several years and $50 million can make a difference.
While Julie Roehm and 10 other marketing partners will ante up the $50 million pool, we question the need to "reinvent the wheel" when reverse auction models have already made significant headway and investments into the framework and process that drives such models. The focus should be on process refinement across all media formats.
Enversa, funded by IMC2, is one such outfit that begs a hard look. Pouring millions into process development harkens back to the days of Mediaport .... a failed multi-million dollar attempt by major agencies to re-write agency process for the creation of a new-age, agnostic, enterprise-wide management system.
The marketers are to be applauded for this bold, visionary step forward. The ANA has the dedication and diversified intellectual capital to facilitate the experiment. But both marketers and the ANA should not attempt to pull this off without the benefit of agency and media partner input. And at the very least it should review models that are already planted in the marketplace and not rely solely on the Google's of the world to do so.
Action by a group of heavyweight marketers, led by Wal-Mart and facilitated through the ANA, provides a healthy break in the clouds that have been hanging over this initiative for several years. A call by Wal-Mart's Julie Roehm to pool $50 million for the development of a market system and test will likely be met with resistance from major media outlets and major agencies.
That comes as no surprise given a similar test that proved successful, by HJ Heinz with Ariba several years back, seems to have been squelched when major media properties turned up the heat.
But several years and $50 million can make a difference.
While Julie Roehm and 10 other marketing partners will ante up the $50 million pool, we question the need to "reinvent the wheel" when reverse auction models have already made significant headway and investments into the framework and process that drives such models. The focus should be on process refinement across all media formats.
Enversa, funded by IMC2, is one such outfit that begs a hard look. Pouring millions into process development harkens back to the days of Mediaport .... a failed multi-million dollar attempt by major agencies to re-write agency process for the creation of a new-age, agnostic, enterprise-wide management system.
The marketers are to be applauded for this bold, visionary step forward. The ANA has the dedication and diversified intellectual capital to facilitate the experiment. But both marketers and the ANA should not attempt to pull this off without the benefit of agency and media partner input. And at the very least it should review models that are already planted in the marketplace and not rely solely on the Google's of the world to do so.
RFID....A balanced View
The controversy over the utilization of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags and how they may or may not impact privacy concerns, is a speed bump that suppliers and retailers must navigate in order for the technology to achieve widespread, consumer based use.
ROI data for businesses is now coming to light and it is more than encouraging. From Wal-Mart to P&G, to the Pharmaceutical firms, RFID tags are tracking the movement of pallets and case shipments from warehouse to retailers. Interrogators (readers) are also dropping in price to allow for case tracking from inventory to sales floors, preventing out of stock situations and lost sales.
Just recently, one firm announced the cost of the low frequency retail tags at just 5 cents (in bulk), pushing acceptance even further along. The next step for retailers is to integrate RFID data into back-end systems for refined control.
All this must be tempered with the potential abuse at the consumer level and steps necessary to minimize it. It is an issue that will likely demand government regulation.
The benefit to the consumer can, however, be significant and boundless. Consider, for example, a RFID tag on an airline boarding pass. Checkpoints at the gate can assess whether the passenger is within range of the gate. Children's clothing can be tagged by parents while traveling or in school as a deterrent to abduction. No doubt there are enormous advantages to be had.
RFID is here to stay. But PLEASE, take a lesson from consumer concerns about PC cookies, and temper its introduction with the proper education concerning its use.
The controversy over the utilization of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags and how they may or may not impact privacy concerns, is a speed bump that suppliers and retailers must navigate in order for the technology to achieve widespread, consumer based use.
ROI data for businesses is now coming to light and it is more than encouraging. From Wal-Mart to P&G, to the Pharmaceutical firms, RFID tags are tracking the movement of pallets and case shipments from warehouse to retailers. Interrogators (readers) are also dropping in price to allow for case tracking from inventory to sales floors, preventing out of stock situations and lost sales.
Just recently, one firm announced the cost of the low frequency retail tags at just 5 cents (in bulk), pushing acceptance even further along. The next step for retailers is to integrate RFID data into back-end systems for refined control.
All this must be tempered with the potential abuse at the consumer level and steps necessary to minimize it. It is an issue that will likely demand government regulation.
The benefit to the consumer can, however, be significant and boundless. Consider, for example, a RFID tag on an airline boarding pass. Checkpoints at the gate can assess whether the passenger is within range of the gate. Children's clothing can be tagged by parents while traveling or in school as a deterrent to abduction. No doubt there are enormous advantages to be had.
RFID is here to stay. But PLEASE, take a lesson from consumer concerns about PC cookies, and temper its introduction with the proper education concerning its use.
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