"I'm not concerned that it will be labelled as another flash mob. That's not why we made it and that's not what it is. It's not the theme that makes it relatable and relevant. It's the fact that it is so touching and it's a great story."
As flash mobs are mainly considered the thing of the past, why this approach? According to Seaton, Budweiser are big fans of hockey and part of its marketing strategy is to help provide more excitement and give more guys the opportunity to experience the game. The team behind the ad asked themselves how they could go and honour those guys who dedicate their lives to recreational hockey and give them an experience they'll never forget. This is the result:
Ameer Khan was one of the players on the ice.
Some guy shows up to watch one of our regular League games and later calls our team rep to say they would like to do a documentary about beer league hockey and if we would be interested in playing an exhibition game. So we show up at Port Credit Arena still not sure what's going on. The producer says just play and enjoy the game.
After the 1st period we notice the Budweiser Zamboni. Then by the 2nd period there are mascots, play by play announcers and 500 screaming fans wearing our jerseys. The noise was insane, couldn’t even hear the refs whistle.
Rhys Howell, who saw the video as it made its rounds yesterday, said "When I first saw the Budweiser video I was choked up because I instantly thought about how awesome those guys must have felt. How awesome would I have felt if I was on that rink when it happened? I guess that's what Budweiser want me to think and they want me to love Budweiser for changing my life if only for a moment."
"One of the powers of this spot is that everyone dreams about playing in front of fans," comments Seaton. “So this has legs around the world. We've left it to the consumer and it is travelling quite well. We will drive traffic to see it during the Super Bowl and then put out new content, including a 4 minute behind the scene piece, every two or three days. The campaign will be supported through Facebook, Twitter and traditional digital marketing."
Though there is growing attention around this video (which is at nearly half a million views in less than 2 days), not everyone is convinced of this approach. Leigh Caldwell of Inon states:
If they'd done it eight years ago it would have been original, heart-warming and surprising. We'd have watched it over and over on that new "YouTube" thing and emailed it to our friends on AIM. In 2012, it's trite, obvious and more likely to lead to a bunch of quickly-edited parodies on YouTube than to any genuine affection. Anyone who doesn't already love hockey isn't going to be swept up in a magical storm of teary manly joy by this fluff.
Howell isn't convinced he will change his mind about the brand but believes by sharing the video, "some people could be converted to the Bud side and really that's all that was required of me."
For Khan, being a part of this moment will become a central part of his own story. "Budweiser has made an emotional connection with me that will last a lifetime. Everyone on twitter is saying it brought them to tears and cheers. From now on every Budweiser I have will have a story."
This is exactly what Seaton and the Budweiser team were hoping for. "I would love if every person who watched it would feel the same way. We created a bond with those guys on the ice. Hopefully, their story has created the bond with the consumer. If that's what they take away, it's a positive view of the brand. And that's all that we wanted."
Budweiser has never seen the type of media and consumer interest as they’ve had so far through this video. Internally this is already being touted as best practise for them and they credit the story, rather than the delivery.
The big question is did it work for you? Do you think marketers need to focus more on the story in their campaigns? Or was this execution better left for the 2009 marketing vaults?
16 -24 year olds are heavy users of social networks, so you’d expect universities to have been ‘socially active’ by generating and posting interesting, engaging content (articles, images, video and audio) on their own websites, and then sharing it on social networks.
As the deadline for most university applications was the middle of January, we thought now would be a good time to analyse this type of university social visibility.
So we had a go at this using the weekly data that we collate in our social analytics database, examining the leading 20 Russell Group universities.
First off, to give you an idea of the overall volume of activity, our data estimates that taken altogether there are roughly 207,900 links every week related to content on the websites of the Russell Group universities posted on Twitter, Facebook (likes, comments and shares), Linkedin, Google+ and social bookmarking sites StumbleUpon and Delicious.
Here we’re talking about links to the universities’ own web pages which are Tweeted, liked, shared etc by users of the social sites we looked at (this average figure is based on the activity over an eight week period leading up to mid-January).
Taking a closer look at Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ we found that over the last three years, Facebook has been by far the most important in terms of generating links for the university sites we analysed, representing around 80% of all links.
Take a look at the full breakdown underneath (obviously as a relatively new site you would expect far fewer links on Google+. But bearing in mind Google’s recent Search Plus Your World announcement, this is likely to grow in importance now).
Facebook: 80.25%.
Twitter: 19.28%.
LinkedIn: 0.11%.
Google+: 0.35%.
Next, the list underneath shows how our data ranks the universities’ sites in terms of social visibility.
The visibility score we use here is based on the total number of links a web domain has scored on the six social sites, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Delicious and StumbleUpon, while accounting for different weightings we give to links on individual social sites.
Social visibility of Russell Group universities
University of Cambridge. Visibility score: 462,823.
University of Oxford: 442,758.
London School of Economics: 286,859.
Newcastle Uinversity: 186,184.
University College London: 176,202.
University of Warwick: 169,462.
University of Manchester: 143,186.
University of Edinburgh: 131,053.
Queens University Belfast: 118,137.
University of Glasgow: 72,211.
University of Bristol: 70,656.
University of Nottingham: 64,381.
University of Leeds: 63,802.
Imperial College London: 47,321.
Cardiff University: 46,053.
University of Southampton: 44,106.
King’s College London: 31,762.
University of Liverpool: 20,444.
University of Birmingham: 15,873.
University of Sheffield: 9,912.
What types of content are heavily shared?
Well not surprisingly news page stories about new research studies and initiatives are quite common. While heavily shared links included software simulations, web cam images, jokes and podcasts.
Most universities are very active with numerous social network accounts serving different departments and groups.
Obviously much of the content is targeted at the current university population rather than prospective students, but it can provide some interesting insights to those wanting to know a little more about life at a particular institution.
The State of Digital Marketing in Australia report, published by Econsultancy in association with Marketing Magazine, looks in detail at the current level of spending across different traditional and online marketing channels across Australia.
More than 500 companies participated in this research, which also looks at how companies are measuring marketing effectiveness, examines the barriers to digital marketing and e-commerce in the region, as well as assessing the existing levels of industry skills and knowledge.
The 50-page report includes sections on:
Marketing budgets
Use of marketing channels
Use of marketing technology
Barriers to digital marketing
Barriers to e-commerce
Measuring marketing effectiveness
Industry skills, knowledge and support benchmarking
There are six key findings apparent from this research:
Marketers are shifting their focus towards digital
Established disciplines are being complemented by emerging channels
Barriers to increasing digital activity go beyond the financial
There is a digital skills knowledge gap
Senior managers are failing to lead from the top
Consumer online behaviour is widely underestimated and misinterpreted
Table of contents
Executive summary and highlights
Introduction by Marketing Magazine
About
Econsultancy
Marketing Magazine
Methodology and sample
Methodology
Respondent profiles
Findings
Budgets
Use of marketing channels
Outsourcing digital activity
Use of technology
Measuring marketing effectiveness
Return on investment
Barriers to digital marketing
Issues affecting digital marketing and e-commerce
Local barriers to increasing digital revenue streams
Knowledge, skills and support
Appendix
Download a copy of the report to learn more.
A free sample is available for those who want more detail about what is in the report.
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When it comes to internal challenges, the Media Growth Trends report, which was produced in conjunction with The Jordan, Edmiston Group, found that the biggest internal challenge to growth faced by companies today is talent acquisition. To thrive in highly-competitive markets, companies need to recruit the best and the brightest, but it's not easy.
Some of the hurdles companies most often cited:
Creating offering attractive compensation packages. Money isn't everything here, but whether it's money or intangibles, it's not always easy to meet the expectations of the top recruits.
Structural limitations which reduce the ability of new hires to effect change early on. For obvious reasons, it's nice to empower new employees to make a difference, but organisations aren't always structured for that.
Skepticism around flexible work arrangements. Demands for telecommuting, for instance, are increasing, particularly amongst younger members of the workforce, but changing management attitudes about how the workplace operates can be difficult.
So how are companies dealing with these challenges? Some are wisely focusing on internal development. Sometimes it's an outright necessity. As one CEO surveyed noted, "there aren't enough" experts to recruit in some markets. Other companies are willing to make exceptions for certain kinds of recruits. One publisher reported making a greater effort to accommodate developers: "without the tech talent to put ideas into action, all the learning we’re getting from customers can’t help us."
Another way of recruiting talent that may become quite popular in 2012 is the acquihire. Many of the mid-to-large size companies were bullish on acquisitions prospects this year. Some, flush with cash thanks to recession-induced saving, are more than capable of making deals happen. With a growing number of startups formed in the past several years reaching a make-or-break point, we could start to see a flurry of young companies seeking an exit on realistic terms.
Acquihires, of course, aren't a perfect solution. Retaining the talent that comes through M&A can be tough (just ask AOL). So whether a company is recruiting via more traditional means or looking to acquire a company primarily for its talent, making sure that there's a satisfying environment for them is crucial to making such an acquisition successful.
This highlights perhaps one of key takeaway from the Media Growth Report: companies will have to be increasingly resourceful and willing to think outside the box to attract and retain the best of the best. From compensation packages to structural organisation to acquihires, finding and recruiting the right people will likely require a broader view of the market and far more thoughtfulness in 2012.
But putting looks aside, there is one big question everybody will be asking in the coming hours and days: does iBooks 2 really have the potential to revolutionise the textbook, making Apple the future of education in the process? The answer: probably not.
There are several key problems with iBooks 2:
Not every student can afford an iPad, and schools are broke. The iPad is an incredible device for students, and 1.5m iPads are currently used in education. But not every parent can shell out hundreds of dollars or pounds for an iPad, and not every school has the funds to equip their students with them. Dead trees aren't dead, and cheaper tablet devices (likely based on Android) will have a big role in this market.
iBooks 2 harks back to the CD-ROM era. Make no mistake about it, Apple is not "reinventing" the textbook. Rather, it is trying to take us back to the future, specifically the 1990s when interactive CD-ROMs were the next big thing in education. iBooks Author, which is used to compose iBooks 2 titles, is little more than HyperCard for the e-book/mobile app generation.
iBooks 2 won't really make textbooks less expensive. This isn't about greed. Apple taking a double-digit percentage cut of gross revenue increases pressure on margins, and authoring interactive content is not cheap. The output from the iBooks 2 authoring process isn't reusable anywhere else (as in, you can't sell an iBooks 2 title through non-Apple channels), producing a less-than-optimal investment scenario for publishers.
Publishers already offer app-like versions of textbooks. Initial textbook publishers on board for launch are Pearson, McGraw Hill and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This is for good reason: being seen as jumping on the Apple bandwagon is usually a good thing. But it's worth noting that most of these publishers already offer app-like interactive versions of their textbooks directly to schools. In some cases, their licenses for schools cost less than the texbooks in the new section of the iBookstore, which are $14.99. Selling app-like versions, whether through Apple or other channels, is only possible of course because of the revenue from physical textbooks. So if iBooks 2 (or any other digital format) killed off the hardcover textbook, producing these apps and selling them on the cheap at a profit would be impossible.
Apple doesn't seem to understand publishing. During its announcement, Apple kept referring to the fact that authors themselves can create interactive titles using iBooks Author, which is available for free download. But the authors of textbooks published by the big publishers don't compose their textbooks - the publishers do. Pointing this out may seem like nit-picking, but it hints at a fundamental naivety about the textbook publishing process on Apple's part.
Apple is but one channel. iBooks 2 is specific to one channel/device - the iPad. An important channel to be sure, but publishing is a multichannel world. It's hard to see the education industry standardising in any meaningful way around Apple hardware and software, meaning that publishers will be certainly be investing in making sure their content is available through all emerging channels, such as Android-based tablets.
At the end of the day, Apple's success with iBooks 2 will not be based on how "gorgeous" the texbooks on the iPad can be. It will be based on the ROI it delivers to publishers.
The iPad is an attractive channel for textbook publishers (as it is to all publishers) but you aren't going to see major textbook publishers putting their eggs in one basket.
From a pure product standpoint, iBooks 2 may be impressive, but from a commercial perspective, in a few years it will probably still be remembered as one of Steve Jobs' last pet projects.
Back in the UK, this week also saw the BBC release its iPlayer
viewing figures for December 2011 across connected TVs, mobile and tablet
devices.
The broadcaster revealed that 7m BBC programmes were watched on
the iPlayer via connected TV sets, up 1,000% year on year.
BBC iPlayer’s
general manager David Danker said that the growth of audience viewing across
TVs, mobile and tablets was “outpacing” that of the PC.
Various other research
revealed that at the end of 2011 there were 82m connected TVs in homes
worldwide and by 2016 that number is predicted to reach 892m.
Connected TVs have long been touted as the next ‘big’ thing but
has predominantly been the home for catch-up viewing.
In last year’s Adjust
Your Set and IAB research, marketers voted “watching
catch-up TV” as the most frequent activity on connected TVs. But this could be
about to change.
This year’s CES show allowed the various technology manufacturers
to showcase the future of smart TVs and even games consoles, such as
Microsoft’s Kinect, revealed a future of touch and voice control for the TV
set.
With the latest technology innovation, increase in cloud services and
faster internet speeds, audiences have greater freedom in the type of content
distributed into their homes and the screens they watch it on.
However, while
the technology may have arrived, the content propositions are still in their
infancy. Broadcasters will continue to distribute scheduled programmes and
catch-up services, but connected TVs will really come into their own when
brands develop complimentary content.
As 2011 showed, the amount of money spent on online video
advertising increased and 68% of marketers in 2012 intend to boost their budget
in this platform, according to a report by Break Media.
As YouTube continues to push professionally
produced channels, the shift
toward online spend across internet-enabled devices will increase. Connected
TVs will become, not only the centre of the connected-home, but a strong
influence over advertising budgets for brands.
The gap between a consumer’s first exposure to a brand and their
final purchasing decision has shrunk.
While CES 2012 showcased the technology
to make this happen, to instantly convert a consumer’s internet in a
traditional TV ad to a purchase on a companion device, we’re still waiting for
brands to develop the content strategies to bring that journey to
life.
We’ve seen first hand how first party data serves as a major success factor in performance display marketing campaigns and we believe this should be an added tool for advertisers in their 2012 campaigns, as it enhances targeting accuracy.
Below are the reasons why and how advertisers should develop their display ad campaigns, including creative and media bids, on first party data.
What is first Party data retargeting?
First party data is information shared by the advertiser with their performance display providers, such as data collected from their website analytics platforms, CRM systems and business analysis tools.
How is this different to third party data?
Third party data, such as behavioural or contextual information, is collected by retargeting providers or other third parties off-site and helps advertisers better understand a potential user’s interest for targeting purposes.
Conversely, first party data is extracted to better target returning customers by leveraging data that the advertiser already has about past purchases and product interest.
How does first party data enhance campaign performance?
While optimising campaigns based on off-site behavioral data is a valuable and effective targeting method, the campaign can be further enhanced by combining third party retargeting with the advertiser's own segmentations based on first party data.
When targeting is based on third party data only, both existing and potential audiences are approached in the same way. Meanwhile, advertisers’ known and valued customers are falling through the cracks and not effectively targeted to encourage return customers to convert.
This translates into advertisers allotting their budget to CPC or CPM campaigns, paying for banners that are not entirely relevant or accurate, given that current customers are being targeted in the same way as a “blind target”.
In contrast, first party data provides visibility to customers’ previous behavioural patterns that is used to create more personalized, dynamic ads that increase chances for conversion.
For example, advertisers can simultaneously personalise their campaign to different types of existing customers as well as target new customers.
Here’s an example:
Imagine a top tier fashion etailer looking to sell a wide selection of high-margin products such as a cashmere sweater in the men’s clothing section and black boots in the shoe section to an extended and existing customer base.
The target audience for each of these products is significantly different. Traditionally, this etailer would launch a CPM display campaign that is essentially a “blind” campaign with one-message fits all approach for no specific target audience.
The industry performance average for this type of general campaign amounts to a mere 0.1% CTR. Is this the most results oriented campaign this e-tailer can launch?
The answer is no. With the help of first party data retargeting, this etailer could tie its campaign to the company's business goals and tangible customer information already in its hands.
In turn, the provider would optimise the campaign so that each new potential customer would be exposed to the most effective message and the most relevant high-margin products according to the customer segment they belong to.
Additionally, media bids per impression would also reflect the value of the customer segment of each user and play a role in deciding the cost per conversion.
The impact
Our customers who have defined their campaign goal as increasing the percentage of new customers' sales out of their total sales are seeing over 25% of sales originating from new customers.
Other customers who focused on high margin products have increased these high-margin products' share from the total conversions of their website.
Bottom line: once your display campaign is optimised on a granular level to reach and convert your target segments, you can be certain that your online ad display spend is truly maximized.
Best practices for your 2012 ad campaign
Define your marketing goals
First party data retargeting is a very catered approach to ad campaigns, which necessitates very catered performance goals. Before embarking on a campaign you should clearly specify the goals you would like to accomplish through the campaign.
For example, are you interested in reaching new users or increasing the revenues of existing customers?
Other elements to consider should include product choice such as whether it would be more effective to push specific product categories whose margins are higher or to target specific customer segments such as business customers amongst your website visitors.
In tandem, review both your current and future goals for expansion as campaigns can support both acquisition and retention goals.
Increase your data volume
Align your marketing goals with your data. For example, In order to be able to target a display campaign for your selected customer or visitor segments, you should be able to identify those segments as they enter your website and in turn, share the information with a trusted partner (such as yours truly).
Consider using a partner to make the most of data
To gain the full value of your data, partner with a provider specializing in campaign optimization that can help you integrate first party data into your campaign goals and strategy.
These partners should help align website data gathered via analytics solutions as well as CRM data for online display campaigns.
Such an alignment should impact the campaign’s creative content, such as products and messaging, which should be tailored to fit the user segment.
When it comes to media buy, each bid per impression should reflect predicted revenue for that impression (based on data on the segment or the product displayed).
As for campaign management, campaign frequency and recency should also reflect the value and preferences of each segment.
Use insights gained from on-going website optimization and DR efforts
A quick way to jumpstart a first-party data retargeting display campaign is to "recycle” effective segmentations and messages previously developed for Direct-Response efforts (such as email marketing).
Track your campaign
Since retargeting campaigns are closely aligned with your internal segmentation and relationship data, it is easier than most display campaigns to gauge the impact and performance of the retargeting campaign on each of the targeted segments.
For example, has the share of sales by the target segment increased from the total sales? Are there additional segments that should be targeted? Did the campaign generate more high-margin or low-margin product sales?
These metrics and conclusions should guide your future first party data retargeting efforts.
First, can you describe what "community building" means?
Sure, but first, let me be clear about what I mean when I say "online community."
Essentially, an online community is the 2012 version of a chat room or forum of the late 20th century. Social networking sites like the Big Four (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+) are today's main online communities.
They are places where people gather, virtually, to share ideas, gather information, and voice their opinion around a common topic. Community building is the process of growing, developing, and nurturing these virtual gathering places.
In this first part, we get introduced to some of the benefits of building a community. What would you say is the most common goal?
If I had to pick the most common goal of building a community, it would have to be engaging with current customers by providing a place to offer support and customer service.
Online communities can foster an environment for your customers to bond with each other, to share ideas and experiences, to sing your praises, and to commiserate over what they do not like.
Ideally, this turns your customers into advocates.
You've talked about customer engagement, but what about more directly revenue related activities?
As I said, there are many benefits of building a strong online community. Lead generation can certainly be another positive outcome.
We'll go into more detail on how to leverage your community for feedback, support, and of course sales, in a future report.
Suffice to say, a well-run online community can definitely be used to increase leads and...dare I say, sell!
What's the number one way in which companies stumble in the early days of community building?
The biggest "stumble" early on is usually is the result of community moderators (administrators) trying to keep too much control.
It's one thing to moderate and keep the community on track, ensure there are no personal attacks, etc. However, there is a fine line between being involved and being overbearing.
Once the community members feel like the administrator has taken over, the online community is in a risky place, one that can be seen as self-serving.
Remember, the community is not about you, it's all about the members.
Taking a look ahead, what does the rest of this series on community building cover?
In future reports, we'll be digging into ways to engage, grow, and leverage your community.
Specifically, we'll share some tips and tricks to carry on conversations across multiple platforms, discuss how email marketing can be the digital glue of online communities, and detail how to use your community to gather feedback, offer support, and sell!
Tell us about your experience with community building...
Well, first off, I'm a very social person by nature. I think that's one of the keys to community building / social media participation in general.
You have to like (love!) people. I mean, online communities are all about people, so if you don't love people, well ... you get the point.
Prior to starting out on my own, I held the title of Director of Community for Blue Sky Factory, an Email Service Provider. In the capacity of Director of Community, I was in charge of all of our social media efforts including building, growing, nurturing, and selling to our online communities.
