From the roundtable this morning, it became really clear that a lot of clubs could use help with their websites. Many people didn’t have a content management system (or even know what one is), were delaying a new site because the chapter was going through an identity changeover, didn’t take credit cards via the web (or offline either), were paying for e-mail programs, didn’t know what RSS is- or know what to use for content.
All these questions and more can be answered by inviting The Next Wave to host a seminar for your AAF chapter. We’ll give a talk at your meeting, give a seminar that you can make money on, and provide assistance in building a site that can help your club grow. We’ll share the secrets of Google, the power of categories and tagging, and answer questions about if you should be on MySpace or Facebook, what to do about your member list, job banks, event calendars, building community- all using open source software and common sense.
Best of all, the information is from someone in your business- not a web geek. We share powerful information on how to get organic search results in Google so you don’t have to spend client budget on ad words- and how ad agencies fit into the new media landscape. We’ll also share our insight on how this technology is changing brand management and the media landscape. We can demonstrate how huge budget advertising is missing a low-budget opportunity for more eyeballs and how to build a better website for every agency.
Web 2.0 isn’t going anywhere- sooner or later your ad association, be it in Honolulu or Houston, Dayton or Daytona, will have to go 2.0. We’re here to help. A day with us will make you smarter- and make your life easier in maintaining your association website.
Call today, or e-mail, or visit our seminar site Websitetology, to learn more about how we can work together to make technology your best friend.
As the automobile became the primary transportation method for the nation, the buggy whip inventors created their best offerings. Too little, too late- and other than for collectors of buggy whips- totally valueless.
That’s our analogy for commercial ratings.
Nielsen has been ruling the roost with abstract data for decades- taking a percentage of the total viewers and making an educated, statistically based guess on how many viewers are watching a program. While this worked well with only 3 networks, in the days of cable tv, satellite tv, vcr’s and dvr’s it became less relevant- but the system was so well dug in, and the alternatives so few- that the advertising industry stuck with it.
With broadband sneaking into more homes, with DVR’s doing the same thing- and with Internet use skyrocketing- and the advent of Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) with products like AppleTV, we are seeing the last days for Nielsen- and no real use for rating TV spots.
Here is why: Advertising is expensive- and therefore, advertisers aren’t interested in reaching people via “broadcasting” anymore. Broadcast reaches “broad audiences” including those who aren’t eligible to buy your product. The web, IPTV, and hard-drive enabled TV systems (cable and satellite) are able to deliver content that is targeted and able to generate hard data back. The ultimate one-to-one marketing, where if an ad dollar is wasted- it will only be wasted one time. This is the future, and with the ad industry being a multi-billion dollar business, it won’t be long before marketers demand accountability more exact than if someone saw the commercial- as offered by Nielsen- or even if they liked the commercial- they want to know if you are a real business prospect- and what it would take to make you one.
Nielsen to Offer Commercial Ratings
NEW YORK Nielsen will begin supplying national commercial ratings starting in the fall, the company confirmed today.
If the networks and advertisers can agree on a standard, the commercial ratings could be used as currency to buy and sell ads by as early as the start of the 2007-08 TV season.
But for now, program ratings will continue to be the currency for ad transactions.
A Nielsen representative said it received requests from all five major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, CW, NBC and Fox) for commercial ratings based on live viewership plus seven days of recorded DVR playback viewing. Nielsen will begin delivering that data “sometime this fall,” the rep said. That will give the industry about a year to analyze the data before deciding whether or not to use it as currency in the following season.
The commercial ratings will provide the average audience for all paid national ads airing during each program transmitted by national broadcast and cable networks, the Nielsen rep said.
While the trade press, the buyers, and the networks talk about this “next big thing” they are just fiddling while Rome burns. The entire system of delivering advertising messages will be more like YouTube and GoogleVideo- with meta-tags driving ad choices with a rebate per-click to the viewer (that’s right- you will get paid for watching and interacting with advertising in the future) or similar to Amazon‘s suggestions with a profile built from information you have volunteered.
Soon content producers will take their programming direct, via online hubs like the iTunes store or Amazon- getting paid directly from the consumer for their content. Discounting your media bill will be accomplished by your willingness to watch targeted TV spots- that help build your profile.
If you accept more commercials than your media bill- the proceeds go to the media producers- not to the intermediaries. This levels the playing field- and allows capitalism to do its thing- the way it was meant to.
There are two articles in Ad Age- talking about “engagement” and how “YouTube isn’t getting it done” which are still based on the idea that TV is driven through the old school “Network as middle-man” model. Once you realize that the new middle man will be the one who delivers 2-way feedback and links to your product- you realize how stupid this whole commercial rating discussion is.
If Proctor and Gamble took their “Soap Operas” offline- and onto their site- and charged $1 per show for an enhanced program- with 2 way connections with the characters- and then offered the content for free- if you answered some questions about Pringles, Tide or Gillette- don’t you think they would find that infinitely more useful than a rating of the viewership during their commercial?
Commercial ratings- the best buggy whip for last centuries marketers. Get used to it.
If you have questions about how to navigate this new media landscape feel free to contact us. Surf at the next wave dot biz.
Note: in today’s Ad Age, an article called “Revenge of the nerds” talks about this very subject- it seems Backchannel media has the right idea- except the part about the delivery system still including the networks.
Mr. Kokernak’s vision is to implement long-sought dreams of fully interactive, individually addressable and accountable TV. Backchannel wants to become the software and technology backbone of a new era dawning in TV as it transitions from analog to digital broadcasting — one Mr. Kokernak likens to the broadband tipping point that ushered in the age of YouTube.
In this era, ads are served to people according to the blocks or households where they live. They respond to TV ads with a simple remote click on an icon to, say, get more information about a car they just saw advertised, buy a song they just heard on the Grammys or the book Oprah just touted, or reserve a table at a nearby restaurant. In this era, based on real-time analysis of who’s clicking on what offers and programs, media plans change continuously.
TV, like the internet, but better?
In Backchannel’s vision, TV is a direct medium a la the internet, only, as Mr. Kokernak sees it, much better — without click fraud, phishing scams and other security threats. It’s enough, he believes, to shift much of the money that’s been going into search and other direct media back into TV, replace eyeball counts with the harder currency of response, and ultimately eliminate most upfront deals as dollars gravitate daily in a continuous-improvement cycle toward programming proven to generate response.
Sounds like a pay for performance plan doesn’t it?
Everyone knows the 80/20 rule, in fact an extension of this idea has become known as “the Long Tail.” However, the 80/40 rule might become the most important rule to marketers in the age of search engines and advertising effectiveness.
First- a reminder of what the 80/20 rule is:
Pareto’s Principle - The 80-20 Rule
n 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. In the late 1940s, Dr. Joseph M. Juran inaccurately attributed the 80/20 Rule to Pareto, calling it Pareto’s Principle. While it may be misnamed, Pareto’s Principle or Pareto’s Law as it is sometimes called, can be a very effective tool to help you manage effectively. Where It Came From
After Pareto made his observation and created his formula, many others observed similar phenomena in their own areas of expertise. Quality Management pioneer, Dr. Joseph Juran, working in the US in the 1930s and 40s recognized a universal principle he called the “vital few and trivial many” and reduced it to writing.
In an early work, a lack of precision on Juran’s part made it appear that he was applying Pareto’s observations about economics to a broader body of work. The name Pareto’s Principle stuck, probably because it sounded better than Juran’s Principle.
As a result, Dr. Juran’s observation of the “vital few and trivial many”, the principle that 20 percent of something always are responsible for 80 percent of the results, became known as Pareto’s Principle or the 80/20 Rule.
Traditional media based advertising has a major flaw: all ads are temporary. The ad in todays paper is in tomorrows trash, the spot in the TV show is over and gone (or skipped by Tivo- or ignored the second time it’s viewed) and most importantly- the old John Wanamaker adage about half his ad budget being wasted- only he didn’t know which half- still, even in todays hyper-targeted media, is pretty close to true. I’ve seen many ads for feminine hygiene products- but will never need them.
The difference between spending your budget on old-school media campaigns and putting your best efforts into online strategy- is that only people interested in your product or service will be interacting with your site- and they are there actively looking for information to substantiate their buying decision.
This is where the 80/40™- rule comes into play- insight directly from The Next Wave: 80% of Internet usage begins in search, 40% of people using search- type your URL into a search, instead of a direct access to your site- and get search results- which could include people talking about your business negatively- or trying to steal your eyeballs- even after you have spent millions of dollars promoting your URL.
Once they get to your site- what do they get? If your site is in Flash, often times they get frustrated. Also- remember, since 80% of use begins in search- are they able to access the specific information they seek? Or just get to your site? Many Flash sites do not allow your visitors to link to interior content with an exclusive URL.
One of the new realities in advertising and marketing is that people are depending on the Internet more for researching purchases- even having access when mobile to the web through WAP enabled sites- or soon- to any site with the introduction of the Apple iPhone. Everything is changing rapidly- and if you don’t make your information search friendly- you won’t be relevant in the decision making process.
How do you solve the 80/40 rule™? Building sites to be search friendly is just the start. Also, remember, it’s not about chest-beating ego sites- it’s about delivering information to the consumer that answers their problem (and the consumer can be a B-to-B customer just as easily as a B-to-C consumer). Your site should be searchable as well. Make every piece of relevant data available- in a web friendly form- and don’t remove material- always update it with relevant news (since links shouldn’t be broken by your maintenance).
But most importantly- always be aware- that when someone is looking for you- 40% of the time, they may get search results instead of directly to your site and someone else may have the answer and steal your lunch- and that is a much bigger problem than the old 80/20 rule.
This before and after ad example will never win any awards, but, it could make the difference between being looked at- and being ignored.
The call came at 6pm tonight: Can you take this ad and make it better? In an hour?
This isn’t how to run a business, or how to get the best possible work, but it’s often the reality in advertising: you can have good, fast or cheap- pick any two.
The original isn’t really an ad at all. It’s an announcement. There isn’t really any type of call to action, or anything that would speak to the consumer emotionally. In fact, it’s mostly about the client- “the first place Dayton Bombers.” The ad was done by the ad department for a previous paid placement- you buy the space- we’ll have a flunky design something.
This is what we had to work with- plus the Kelly Cup logo. Some information could be stripped out- it wasn’t important to the customer: AA Hockey- well, there isn’t another team in Dayton, 1st place- doesn’t really matter in the minors as much as the majors, and the flow of white space is just all over the place.
So- take the elements that they have used all season- and try to make them work. The visiting team logo is only important to the hardcore fans- no one is coming to see the visiting team play so we can make that smaller. The McDonalds promo isn’t happening- so we loose that too. We’ve looked at the audience- and know that this is a NASCAR, WWF, Tough Man crowd- that loves to see fights- and to taunt the other team- so making the word “Fighting” a key part of the ad- may get some attention.
In less than an hour- this is the result. Not an award winner- but, at least bold, clean and making some sort of appeal to the emotional side of the fans.
What do you think?
We also threw together a low-budget TV spot to promote the game. Since we had no existing game footage to use (and couldn’t count on any great stuff in one game) we had to construct a concept that we could control. We were told the leading scorer spoke Romanian (not true) and thought we could have fun with a Borat style low budget spoof. The idea was to do something that would cut through the clutter of local ads (none have ever aired in Romanian in Dayton OH) and get people to look to their sets to see what’s going on. We also posted it on YouTube- where it has received over 600 views in 24 hours. The translator obviously knows less Romanian than we did.
We’ve been working on a local film festival and trying to get materials to promote the films. This shouldn’t be too difficult- wrong.
Movie after movie has a site built in Flash- with no way to easily get the images or synopsis that would make promoting a movie easy. Even finding the films “Official site” is next to impossible- and that’s even with the amazing resource of IMDB.com
So- a few tips to independent film makers (and maybe even some major film distributors):
Have searchable content- that means the viewer should be able to select and copy your text.
Have your film logo available as an .eps, or .ai, or even in a pdf, in case someone wants to use it to promote your film.
Have high resolution still photos from your film- for print articles about the film. Make sure you tag them so Google images can find them too- include names of stars, the name of the movie, not image001.jpg (it doesn’t hurt to have a stuffed/zip file for the complete press kit)
Keep your site up-to-date with news and showings. Flash makes this more difficult- a blog makes this easy.
Provide information that reviewers would find useful on the site: bio’s of actors, writers, the history that goes with your film.
Have film clips and trailers available in multiple resolutions- in a universal format. We prefer Quicktime, but, what ever you do- don’t embed them so we can’t use them on our promotional site.
Have your contact information available. If the film is available in subtitled form, make sure you have the site in each language.
Make sure you update your IMDB.com entry with your official site link.
The Next Wave can build you a very effective site, for a lot less than what these fancy Flash sites are costing- and get you better search position. But, this really isn’t being written to be a sales pitch- it’s written out of frustration because we can’t get what we need to promote a film festival.
A friend in the indy newspaper business sent me this from Editor & Publisher and asked my opinion. She knew I’d have one.
My initial response is that the gene pool needs thinning.
Although most major ad agencies still don’t understand delivery of online ads, or how to build searchable site content- it’s apparent that very few of them understand web statistics- a whopping 84% of advertisers and agencies seem to think you need a third party auditing firm to tell you who hits your own server!
We can save you a bunch of money on online advertising- let us show you how to analyze your results, and continue to build traffic, without having to buy keywords from Google. Organic results are worth more, cost less, and are so easy to attain- if you understand the basics of how this whole thing works.
ABC Study: Advertisers Don’t Believe Online Ads Are Measured Accurately
By E&P Staff
Published: February 08, 2007 5:10 PM ET
NEW YORK Few advertisers and agencies have confidence that their online ad impressions are measured and reported accurately, according to a new study sponsored by the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
In the survey, 84% of respondents say they believe that verification of online advertising activity by an independent third-party auditing firm will become increasingly important over the next three years.
On behalf of ABC, NSON Opinion Research surveyed 270 professionals involved in the buying or planning of online advertising in a Web-based poll conducted between Oct. 24 and Dec. 31, 2006.
“Just as publishers and print advertisers require accuracy and credibility in traditional media information, we’re seeing increased demand for transparency and accountability online,” Michael Lavery, ABC president and managing director, said in a statement.
Ninety-one percent of those surveyed said it’s important to audit ad impressions and delivery while 89% want to see the verification of online traffic.
Other findings in the study: 83% of respondents plan to increase online ad spending in 2007, more than half expect double-digit budget increases.
The age of respondents played a role in the results aswell. The younger the respondent, the more blasé they were about the data. Participants under 25 — 75% of those surveyed — said they trust metrics provided by online publishers while 22% of those 55-to-64 said the same thing.
The reason online campaigns, advertising and even the good old company website are so valuable is that there is an absolute way to measure what brings the customer to your business, what they looked at, how long they spent with your brand. The intimacy of the connection is up to you to nurture- but, it’s almost as good as having a feed directly from a helmet cam as they walked through your store- after completing an interview about what brought them in.
These stats, when analyzed by a brand manager, can tell you everything a focus group can, only better- since the customers have no idea they are being observed. The key to maximize effectiveness is to have content on your site that includes your competition- so you can also find out what customers thing of your them too.
There are a lot of stupid things being done online right now. Google is laughing all the way to the bank. If you want to keep them happy, don’t pay attention to what we are telling you- the Chief Marketing Officer and Advertising agency gene pool needs thinning too.
