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OMMA Global 2010 Takeaways

30
March
2010

A summary of the trends and issues in online advertising from the OMMA Global 2010 Conference.

Stefanie Berliant
Client Services Manager

I had a great time at OMMA Global 2010 where there were great speakers, insights and case studies.  As a media planner and buyer, its nice once or twice a year to sit with peers and discuss issues and trends of advertising via the web, social media and games, and mobile. While mobile and social gaming ads are still trying to make a breakthrough, web advertising is continuing to adapt and expand.  One of the main focus points was fighting banner blindness with rich media ads and video. This format is still in its early stages as adoption rate is still low. Only 6% of online ads in the past two years were rich media ads in nature, according to Neal Mohan, Vice President, Product Management at Google.  However this format allows advertisers to share their story easily, and also allows users to experience a brand, as opposed to just being told what brand represents.

Part and parcel of these rich media ads is a high demand for good creatives. Rich ads provide “advertilitiy”-  display ads that provide utility. Creatives need to be interactive but also need to be aware of the user experience.  Interestingly enough, the definition of “best practices” is the antithesis of “innovation.” There is always going to be a need for real creativity and to make good quality ads so that users want to share your content. The web is inherently social and has allowed for a shift of power to consumers as it moves away from the traditional one way communication platform to multifaceted one.

An additional strength in web marketing is the behavioral targeting and retargeting technologies.  Advertisers have adopted and utilized these targeted methods to reach the right audience, at the right time, with scale.  Online marketing  fragmentation is no longer a problem due to better targeting  and real time data collection sources. Additionally attribution technologies are becoming more prevalent to tie online marketing tactics together as well as with offline conversions.

While online marketing has made several advances, there is a continual need to push for better technology and creativity. There needs to be more transparency and a better set of standards between publishers, advertisers and audiences especially now as privacy issues on the web is becoming a hot topic. I look forward to seeing what the new breakthroughs in online marketing will be this year.

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Survival of the Fittest?

22
October
2009

In times of economic crisis, being flexible and adapting to changing environments and customer expectations is the key to survival.

Christine Pepin
Media Coordinator

Throughout this difficult market, we have been ever more vigilant to the changing needs of our clients and understanding shifts within the marketplace as a whole.  In doing so, it has remained very important to recognize new consumer expectations, as they are the audiences in which our clients serve.  By understanding their constomers, we are better equipped to recommend strategies and consult on the best ways to reach them.  MarketingProfs has presented several considerations worth noting, especially for consultants looking to better identify with clients who are eagerly seeking the attention of their target audiences.

1.)     Transparency over spectacle

Due to the ease in which information is accessed, consumers are privy to a range of content about an organizations they support.  In turn, your reputation is ever more at risk as your audience can find the conversation about you.  So, focus on trust and gain it through transparency.

2.)    Dialogue over monologue

Broadcasting a message that elicits no response is a failed strategy and a way of the past.  Engage your customers by asking questions and focus on tactics that are pull strategies, not push.

3.)    “Fans” not customers

Treat customers as fans.  Give them a reason to share their experience with friends and advocate your brand.

4.)     Cultural value and immediate gratification

Organizations with cultural values similar to those of their fan base are bound to gain support.  But, the value that the fans seek is desired immediately and at a reasonable price.  So, identify both a sustaining cultural and economic value that can rival that of the competition.

5.)    New opportunities

When income decreases, consumers will be more financially conscious.  By the same token, marketers also have increasingly tight budgets and should explore powerful but affordable mediums to communicate.  Those that succeed will not only offer a product or service, but instead offer a solution to the consumer in our times of crisis. 

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Online Marketing Campaigns Still Facing High Click Fraud Rates

12
August
2009

While click fraud rates have slightly decreased, advertisers must continue to be aware of this ongoing issue.

Stefanie Berliant
Media Coordinator

Many of my previous posts have sung the praises of display advertising.  Banner advertising is great for branding, driving search, and supporting online conversion goals, but there is one major caveat to these programs: Click Fraud.  Many marketers define click fraud as any method of artificially inflating clicks or page impressions.  Some define it solely for Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns, however this is just as common with other campaign models such as Cost-Per-Thousand impressions (CPM).  You may ask yourself ‘Why would ad networks want to generate false clicks?’ Well, if the program is on a CPC model, then the advertising network garners revenue based on how many clicks are received. If a campaign is running on a CPM model, click fraud would help make an ad campaign appear more effective. Ad networks are not always the culprit either. Individual publishers within networks can also engage in this internet crime in order to increase their cut of the revenue generated. Direct competitors can also be the fraudsters, “spending” your money quickly in order to decrease your share of voice.    

While recent studies have shown that click fraud rates have decreased slightly in 2009, it still continues to be a major concern for online marketers as these bad clicks are increasingly coming from automated scripts.  There are companies who provide auditing services to combat click fraud, but they are not always going to be able to detect these malicious clicks 100% of the time as these scripts continue to become more sophisticated.  

Online advertisers must be aware of this problem and know the signs of when it is happening. Having a reliable analytics tool is the best step advertisers can take to not fall victim to this crime. Most analytics packages allow you to see geographically where most of these clicks are being generated or if specific keywords are receiving a surge in traffic. Advertisers must monitor and trend these metrics s to detect fraudulent clicks and making sure marketing budgets are being spent wisely.

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My Summer with EyeTraffic Media

3
August
2009

Principal Manager’s NOTE: I thought that our online audiences would enjoy a new perspective on EyeTraffic Media – and our recent growth. Therefore, I asked our summer intern to reflect back on the ten weeks he spent with our company. Enjoy! – George A.

Chris Cohen
Staff Assistant

Since June 1, I’ve had the pleasure of interning at EyeTraffic Media for a third consecutive summer. While I was looking forward to another opportunity of serving as the Principal Manager’s assistant, I was in for a pleasant surprise when Media Coordinator Ryan Moss asked me to help build the SEO/PPC campaign for the JumpReach product (powered by EyeTraffic Media). After two summers of having responsibilities primarily concerned with office management, I was thrilled to be given the chance to directly work with a member of a rising interactive marketing firm.

I remember when Mr. Assimakopoulos (who reminds me of Ari Gold from Entourage), to make sure if I was remotely capable of assisting with such a task, asked me what a search engine was and advised me: “Don’t say Google.” I guess I gave him a satisfactory answer because he gave the nod to Ryan.

Although I had the most basic prior knowledge of SEO & PPC advertising, I had absolutely no idea of how much work went into constructing an effective campaign. From keyword research, to Ad Copies, to Negatives, I felt like a deer in headlights with all of these new concepts. With guidance from the other members like Keith Vera, Robin Dvorak, Christine Pepin, and Stefanie Berliant, Ryan and I were able to build what we hope will prove to be a very effective SEO and PPC campaigns for JumpReach.

While that was probably the most demanding of my responsibilities, I was also asked to maintain the Wiki, upload additional contacts, and attend to office management needs. Quick shout out to the Office Manager, Surrae Holloway, for staying on top of me, but really making my time here enjoyable. Man she is tough!

It’s interesting to see how EyeTraffic evolves year after year. With our country’s recent economic struggles, during my time here I wanted to make an effort to observe how a small business remains afloat and survives. EyeTraffic has been able to do so with its dedicated team.  Mr. Assimakopoulos continues to motivate and seek new opportunities all across the nation. Account Manager Keith Vera stays on top of his game day in and day out, and Media Coordinators Stefanie Berliant, Ryan Moss, and Christine Pepin are outstanding team players. Congratulations to Ryan for winning the most recent D.E.L.T.A. achievement award for his hard work and dedication over the recent months with the new JumpReach program.

Robin Dvorak is another member of the EyeTraffic team who has been invaluable in her assistance. With a lot of experience under her belt, her ideas and instincts are and will be continue to be essential to the development of the company.

This summer I’ve also had to share the internship spotlight with Blake Bowyer. He has been a pleasure to work with as well, and has done an excellent job managing the company Twitter account and assisting with the day-to-day activities.

Each summer when I intern with EyeTraffic I really try to get something out of it. Yes, I do enjoy the relaxed environment, good food, and comfortable office, but I try to take something that I can use when I go back to school and eventually become part of the “real world.” By learning real interactive marketing tactics and observing day-to-day business interactions, there is no doubt that my time here has been well spent, and I will take lessons with me that will do nothing but help me down the road.

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Week 2: Armchair Marketing and the Perceived Metrics Oxymoron

22
June
2009

Understanding a Modern Marketer’s Plight

Blake Bowyer
Media Program Analyst

One of the constraints of being in marketing: everyone thinks they know, but very few do. Seth Godin recently wrote in his blog that marketing is at its best when treated as both an art and a science. However, I’d expect that not many would consider marketing an art, much less a science. To most, marketing means advertising and advertising means Nike’s “Just Do It” and the Geico gecko – both disgustingly obvious, simple, and hardly worth the millions of dollars they cost.

However, that is the essence of marketing: it is the art of bringing social science to the public. No other discipline so frequently interacts with crowds – from the huddled masses to the small groups of the long tail – to communicate a message. Accounting, engineering, programming, and countless others happen behind the scenes with their own lingos and secret handshakes. Conversely, marketing’s primary objective is to interpret, relate, and measure messages and shake the hand of every person in the target audience (and even a few outside it).

Getting my M.S. in Marketing, this is a plea I make regularly. Even my title here at EyeTraffic Media – Media Program Analyst – isn’t one that spurs top-of-mind awareness from non-marketers. First off, it doesn’t have “marketing” or “communications” anywhere in it! Counterintuitive, right? Not exactly. As mobile, electronic, and other emerging media approach the forefront, marketers are given a stronger set of tools that reach out beyond the creative space. These tools are marketing metrics and they empower smart agencies by combining a stronger sense of ROI and performance with a much-needed level of accountability.

At EyeTraffic, we eat, sleep, and breathe metrics and encourage our clients to do the same. Though, that doesn’t mean we strip out all the fun stuff typically associated with marketing. The slogans, taglines, mascots, and jingles are still here, but we’re leveraging great tactics to make sure great creative doesn’t fall on deaf ears (or blind eyes). So, while it may seem like “marketing metrics” should fall under another department’s lexicon, they’re actually the boon of 21st century marketing agencies; and, most importantly, their clients.

After two weeks of telling people I work at a marketing firm and being asked what I think of the new, hilarious Whopper Jr. TV ads, I answer, “They’re funny, but they’re not positively impacting Burger King’s share of stores, share of sales, or recent sales growth.” The typical reply is, “Yeah, but they’re funny, right?” Yeah, they are funny and, just like marketing, humor is an art.  But, marketing’s also a science and humor alone won’t get results. Just ask the Pets.com sock puppet.

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