by Next Wave Team | Jun 29, 2006 | Change the world, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Future of advertising, Marketing & the Web, Retail, Search and Business, Web strategy
Google Checkout Video Tour - Google Video
Google isn’t just the best search tool out there, it’s becoming the best of everything online. (It’s amazing what you can do with googles of cash). With a ton of money, and a different vision of the online world than Microsoft- Google is advancing into building relationships of convenience with their users- in other words, they keep trying to make your life easier- which is a GREAT marketing strategy.
We, at The Next Wave, like to say marketing is a simple concept- create lust, evoke trust. Google is working their way into the hearts of consumers everywhere by offering a complete selection of services- for free, that are useful, honest and open, that make your life online easier.
The big question will come when they face their first security failure- that is bound to happen. Will they do it more gracefully than PayPal, the VA, Ohio University or others- that have “lost” customer records.
Eventually, Google is going to be the king of digital content distribution (even though Apple has designed a better interface with the iTunes store and solved digital rights management issues) because they have the capital- the brains and the vision to do it right.
Google checkout is the first step to the complete customer relationship management solution- that will involve everything from Micro payments to credits for interacting with ads. Keep an eye on Google- they will inherit the earth- sooner than you think.
What do you think?
by Next Wave Team | Jun 26, 2006 | Advertising, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Future of advertising, Great Ad Agencies, Retail, VW advertising
Advertising Age - GM Moves $225 Million Cadillac Account to Modernista
The day of the Mega-Agency for Mega-Accounts may be nearly over. Car accounts, once only could go to the largest network agencies, with their large overhead, and even larger expense accounts.
Cadillac left Leo Burnett for upstart Modernista who has handled the Hummer account since it’s launch. Similar to the Crispin Porter + Bogusky win of VW, the move followed a move of the marketing chief from one brand to the other.
Unlike VW, Cadillac has a brand that has credible product- but is still not connecting with all its target markets with the right voice. The Burnett produced fashion show spot for the new Escalade that aired in the SuperBowl was blamed for the switch- but, once again- car clients are looking for excitement about their brand- generated by advertising, as opposed to being generated by the merits of the vehicle.
Toyota sells a ton of vehicles in this country- with the most unremarkable advertising- but a high quality, high value, reliable product.
We believe that there are more cost effective ways to market motor vehicles- including a total rebuilding of the dealer networks. Look to what Harley Davidson, Apple and Nike have done with their brand experience retail destinations for a look at what the future of automotive retailing should look like.
It’s not the agency that’s the problem in most cases- it’s the manufacturers who still haven’t let go of their old ways of doing business. The questions is can small ad agencies keep the creative energy and freshness once they land one of these monster accounts- and come under the watchful eye of the old school masters in a new school world?
It will be interesting to see what Modernista does with Cadillac- and if they will be able to hold on to Hummer too.
What do you think?
by Next Wave Team | Jun 21, 2006 | Advertising, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Future of advertising, Future of TV, Marketing & the Web
Nielsen to Offer Commercial Ratings
Yep, you read it right, Nielsen, the people who deliver the ratings for TV shows now are now going to offer ratings on commercials. This is so the networks can say- “sorry, we delivered an audience- they just thought your commercial sucked.”
Which brings me back to the monster sitting in the room- who is rating the audience? While Nielsen offers all kinds of demographic info- it’s still broad swipe data- which is so passe.
All these attempts to improvise a way to avoid the inevitable- a unique data set about each viewer- with all the likes and dislikes - and preferences- that allows advertisers to absolutely nail down who is seeing what ad- and when- and then getting feedback- think Amazon.com with it’s suggestions, it’s reviews - all on steroids- but not quite as bad as the ACLU pizza scenario. You would actually receive credit for viewing and interacting with commercials in the form of discounts on the programming you wish to watch.
The real future of TV advertising is more like a website- and as the two merge, you will be hard pressed to tell the difference. Commercials will have stats packages much like websites- telling marketers exactly what they need to know about the buyer- so they can either continue marketing to them, change their message, or abandon all hope.
And Nielsen, should abandon all hope of this service offering meaningful data.
