Digital Engagement Archives

February 24, 2019 By Benjamin Porter Leave a Comment

The Business of Two Party Control

In a recent LA Times Opinion section, Jonah Goldberg wrote an interesting piece about the decline of political power for the Democratic and Republican Parties. Mr. Goldberg points to the open primary system that, while allowing for greater public input, began a process of diluting “boss” control. I agree with his assessment but not entirely with his thoughts on the cause. I think the decline can be interpreted through the lens of a changing technological and cultural landscape – one with which entrepreneurs and creative leaders are quite familiar. (more…)

June 6, 2013 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Why Google Wants You to Avoid the Advertorial

The “advertorial” — you know, that big, lame advertisement disguised as an article — has made a comeback thanks to content marketing and Google isn’t happy about it. Companies are attracted to advertorials because they are essentially articles, reviews and write-ups created to look like they were written by someone who has used the product or service. But according to Google’s Matt Cutts, this digital engagement practice is a deceptive one and could get marketers in hot water with the world’s No. 1 search engine.

The inherent lack of transparency in advertorials is Google’s big issue. By not disclosing to readers that they are in fact reading paid content, Google feels advertorials mislead audiences. There are thousands of informational articles on the Internet, and a great many of them are sponsored content. But Google’s problem comes in when these articles are masquerading like legitimate news or feature articles put out by reporters and not companies. Google has recently penalized businesses that use advertorials to trick consumers, and Cutts says the company will continue to crack down on the practice. Most recently, Google penalized InterFlora after a massive advertorial campaign with links slipped by PageRank.

But this isn’t to say marketers should shy away from article and blog marketing. Google just wants us to be honest.

“If you are doing disclosure, you need to make sure that it’s clear to people,” Cutts said in a video released this week. “So a good rule of thumb is there should be clear and conspicuous disclosure. It shouldn’t be the case where people have to dig around buried in small print or have to click and look around a long time to find out, ‘Oh, this content that I am reading was actually paid.’”

April 5, 2013 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Five Things You Might Have Missed!

Looking for the best news tidbits from the worlds of content marketing and digital engagement? Then you, my friend, are in the right place. Please enjoy our five things you might have missed!

1.) Dos de Mayo: Before you bust out those margaritas and fancy sombrero, we thought you should know that Cinco de Mayo has moved. Or at least it will if the Most Interesting Man in the World from Dos Equis gets his way. Turns out the suave mustachioed know-it-all isn’t a fan of Sunday holidays and is rallying online to get it changed in a new video campaign. The brand is even throwing a Dos de Mayo party in Los Angeles to help their spokesman’s cause.

2.) Twitter Satisfaction: In other news involving salty old guys you just can’t hold down, this week the Rolling Stones rocked social media. The hashtag #StartMeUpWednesday dominated Twitter and Tumblr as the Stones announced new tour dates in the U.S. and UK. Sure, younger artists like One Direction or Taylor Swift would surely get more traction, but for a bunch of guys in their 70s, it’s impressive that the campaign got global recognition.

3.) Get it Right: Those smarties over at Oreo have figured out that while the customer isn’t always right, they certainly enjoy being right. The cookie giant’s SuperImportantTest.com makes both cookie lovers and creamy center fans feel like super geniuses when they answer this funny and clever online test.

4.) No Dummies: Here’s an unforgettable in store advertisement from Vivienne Westwood in Milan that slipped by us last fall. The boutique window featured mannequins with bruises and injuries to symbolize Italy’s growing problem with domestic violence. It’s a stunning and powerful campaign made even more so by a well-made video.

5.) From Pinterest to the Parking Lot: Imagine a Buick designed by Pinterest users. Well, it actually exists — and no, it doesn’t have a dashboard made out of pizza-muffins or an interior constructed from Vera Wang wedding dresses. The über stylish ride was the product of a closed contest conducted last October 2012. Buick invited ten of the top design, fashion, food and lifestyle bloggers to Detroit for an exclusive trip behind the scenes of the Buick Design Center. According to Buick’s YouTube channel, “After meeting the design team and exploring the vehicle, each blogger developed a Pinterest board showcasing how the Buick Encore speaks to their personal style and life passions. Blogger Michael Wurm Jr.’s pinboard was chosen in December 2012 as the inspiration for the Buick design team. His personalized, stylized Encore was revealed this week during the 2013 New York Auto Show.”

January 10, 2013 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Stop Being a Tool (and Other Helpful Email Marketing Tips)

It’s a story as old as AOL messenger. “A solid plan for email” is what you scratched earnestly at the top of your digital engagement to-do list several months ago. Thus, when you finally got around to handling it, you signed up with a content management system and pretty quickly you started filling up the inboxes of your loyal customers. Yet almost as quickly, these kind folks unsubscribed to your email list, leaving you wondering, “What the heck happened?” We can’t be sure, but it might have something with you being a total jerkface — or, at the very least, exhibiting what subscribers would consider jerkface-like behavior.

Jumping into email is undoubtedly a wise move. It’s still one of the fastest ways to keep in touch with our loyal following. Still, to avoid being the aforementioned jerkface in question, some simple rules should be followed. Primarily, respect your subscribers. Before blasting them with tons of messages about new products and the latest snazzy editions of your email newsletter, maybe you should ask them first if they’re interested in this kind of thing. A quick email inquiring “Would you like to receive fun/interesting/money-saving/informative/fabulous email updates from us?” will help you determine quickly who’s onboard and who needs to be left alone. Once they’ve agreed, some simple wording that binds you from giving their email to any other company will help sweeten the deal, too. Also falling in the respect column is personalization. Personalization is currently a big buzzword in email marketing, but for a surprising reason — marketers are totally missing the boat on this. New reports are showing that even though most businesses have access to information which allows them to talk directly to their customers, they rarely use it in email marketing. This is crazy. Instead, if you know what kind of services they get from you each month, personalize an email to let them know about discounts or other services you think they might enjoy. Simple questions about gender, favorite things and interests can also help you create personalized emails for your followers help assure they get more of the kind of emails they actually want to open.

The journey from email supertool to email superstar can be a quick one with some simple tweaking of your current marketing practices. Be thoughtful about the amount of times you send email blasts. Listen to your gut. If you think you’ve sent out too many emails in a short period of time, you probably have. Cute and well-designed email newsletters get opened a lot more than ugly, boring ones, so make sure your blasts look as good as they read before they go out. Lastly, make it worth their while. We all have enough crap in our inboxes, so give them reasons to open your emails. Monthly deals, coupons, videos, contests, recipes, interviews and how-to articles are a few ways to liven up your email marketing.

Nobody wants to be a jerkface; with a little respect, creativity and thoughtfulness, you don’t have to be.

November 27, 2012 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Memorable Marketing is All About the Funny

While researching a piece on online marketing, I stumbled across the Overly Attached Computer. This viral phenomenon is a Samsung ad that has been spun off from the ridiculously popular Overly Attached Girlfriend videos which racked up millions of views earlier this fall. At a mere two weeks old, Overly Attached Computer is already hovering in the 5 million views neighborhood. Why? The concept — a stalkerish computer played by new comedy star Laina who warns her owner to pay attention to her or else — is certainly ridiculous and not exactly sophisticated. But when it comes to digital engagement that really resonates, a new study says ridiculous is exactly what followers want.

A recent report put out by Forbes Insights and Turn called “The New Rules of Engagement: Measuring the Power of Social Currency” finds that funny might just equal money. When asked what makes them stop and notice an advertisement, 67 percent said simply “It’s funny.” Even 14 percent of marketing professionals (who should be above a cheap laugh) confessed that funny wins when it comes to ads they remember. Well-designed or eye-catching was No. 2 (50 percent) with consumers and No. 1 (49 percent) with ad execs. Thought-provoking ads (33 percent), emotionally-charged campaigns (19 percent) and ads forwarded by friends or family (19 percent) rounded out the list for consumers.

These results are interesting, even if they hold few surprises. Turns out our tastes haven’t evolved that much even if online marketing seems to change daily. Whether it’s websites, custom content, social media marketing campaigns or viral videos, we the people will remember it if it’s easy on the eyes and makes us laugh.

So, dear readers, I ask you: What’s the funniest online campaign you can remember from 2012? While we’re at it, tell us about a great-looking website or social media campaign, too. Educate us in the comments section below!

November 23, 2012 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Five Things You Might Have Missed!

Even on Black Friday, we dish out the best online marketing news stories in our Five Things You Might Have Missed list. Tricky Twitter innovations, a Butterball-bashing viral hit and so much more are piled high on today’s plate. So pull up a chair and dig into our leftover-free buffet!

1.) Serve with Gin & Juice: Topping the list this week is a ridiculous-yet-viral treat of online video creation from Hot Pockets. “Pocket Like It’s Hot” is a music video style commercial featuring Snoop Dogg and a parody of his 2004 hit “Drop it Like It’s Hot.” With lyrics like “When the craving’s got a hold of you… Pocket like it’s hot… Pocket like it’s hot” and a video filled with hilarious hip hop swagger, it’s hard to believe it took Hot Pockets this long to use Snoop as a spokesperson. The timing must’ve been just right, however. The clip has already racked up over 6 million views in just under a week.

2.) Picture this: If you missed the rollout of yet another cool Twitter upgrade this week, you’re not alone. Fact is, Twitter seems to release some sort of nifty app or innovation nearly every week. This week, the company announced that it would now offer an image search which allows users to search for hashtagged images, signaling the brand’s bid to be considered a social image sharing network, too (a la Instagram). For Twitter marketing specialists, this makes finding image-rich tweets even easier and opens the doors for creative photo-centric campaigns.

3.) Black Friday Bungle: Every year, at least one big brand royally screws up an online Black Friday promotion. This year, the title for Biggest Online Marketing Screw-ups goes to Sears. Thanks largely to a time zone setting disaster, Sears had to send thousands of “oops!” emails to its early shoppers, who thought they could get their hands on a 32-inch TV for just $97 bucks and before Black Friday. Only problem is that most Sears didn’t have the TVs yet, leaving online customers in the lurch until their transactions could get cancelled, which could take days. All was made worse by some bad social media PR which tried to clear up the mess but just made people more angry. The whole fiasco is a great reminder for marketers to keep holiday deals super easy and to use social media to actually be helpful and sympathetic.

4.) Side Dish of ‘Mercy:’ WARNING! Do not watch the ButterballAbuse.com video that’s been going around if you are sensitive to violence against animals. Yet this viral campaign strongly illustrates how powerful online videos can be when perfectly timed. The clip, produced by Mercy for Animals, has received major national notice and jump-started a new discussion about animal compassion.

5.) Sandy Stories: We round out this week’s list with the amazing way that Hurricane Sandy survivors are using storytelling app Backspaces. Backspaces is an app that inspires users to click photos and tell the stories of their lives as they unfold. Sandy Stories have popped up by the thousands on Backspaces, with photos of folks helping out communities affected by devastating storm. It’s an inspiring trend to see non-profits and regular old folk alike using smartphone sharing for the collective (feel) good of mankind.

November 21, 2012 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Mobile Shoppers Plan to Pig Out on Turkey Day

‘Member the good old days when ma and pa wouldn’t even think of answering their phone during Thanksgiving dinner? Neither do we. Digital engagement specialists will tell you that not only are those days totally over, but holidays are great opportunities to launch mobile marketing initiatives. In fact, Thanksgiving 2012 might just be remembered as the year mobile shopping was invited to the dinner table.

According to a Harris Interactive survey, 28 percent of those who own a smartphone or tablet plan on shopping from their mobile devices on Thanksgiving. Harris Interactive surveyed more than 2,000 adults on behalf of Digitas. That number is nearly doubled from the percentage who said they’d be mobile shopping in a similar survey from last year. Not surprisingly, a chunk of the increase in mobile shopping is being driven by students.

“Digitas found that nearly 40 percent of students plan to shop from their phones on Thanksgiving and more than 20 percent of students said they would actually forego going to a Thanksgiving meal if they knew in advance they couldn’t use their phones,” Mashable reports.

The depressing moniker of “Mobile Thursday” has even been slapped on Thanksgiving by the folks at Digitas, who argue that the day formerly known as Thanksgiving could provide unique marketing opportunities for brands.

“With more consumers shopping on their devices, brands are being provided with more mobile moments to address and create impact — even during a time of turkey, football and family,” Chia Chen, senior vice president of Mobile Practice Lead for Digitas, said in a statement.

Pumpkin pie and pilgrim purists can should relax this year, though. Thanksgiving as we know and love it isn’t headed for the endangered species list thanks to mobile commerce. While mobile device shopping has seen a significant bump, online shopping is still king. A full 76 percent of those surveyed said they still find shopping from a computer to be easier. Tablet and smartphone shopping is going to have to get a lot less glitchy and more user-friendly before it poses a serious Black Friday type of threat.

October 23, 2012 By Dawn Walnoha Leave a Comment

We Like to Watch: Marketing for the Social TV Set

For decades, brand engagement has been a mystery for companies of all sizes. How do companies interact with their customers in a fun and social way that keeps them interested? That’s the kind of question that keeps brilliant minds scratching their heads. Little did anyone know that the future of brand and digital engagement was sitting in the living rooms of everyone in America: Television. Thanks to social media platforms like Twitter and Get Glue, everybody is talking about TV again, and brands are eager to get in on the conversation.

From Forbes to The New York Times, everyone is talking about it. Outlets like TV Guide and E! are constantly changing to accommodate it. And most of us are doing it. The “it” in question is Social TV. Whether we check in during an episode of The Voice on Get Glue, tweet about the ending of Revenge on Twitter or use special Social TV apps to help find our favorite shows, the days of merely sitting around Ye Olde Boob Tube have certainly changed. During big events like award shows or the Olympics, viewers get extremely social.

Yet it doesn’t end there. Reality shows, dramas and even high-rated sitcoms trend like crazy on social media on the nights they air. Even daytime shows like The View and Price is Right are buzzed about during the week. An enthusiastic report from Dallas’ Markets & Markets even claimed that “the global Social TV market revenue is expected to grow from $151.14 billion in 2012 to $256.44 billion by 2017, at an estimated CAGR of 11.2 percent from 2012 to 2017.” Even though many industry experts say this number is inflated, the power of social TV can’t be denied.

The good news is that talking about TV is something any company can do with social media marketing. As long as the program trending relates to your company, we say chat away! If you’re a clothing boutique, for example, you’d be crazy not to tweet about Project Runway or Fashion Star with your followers. Checking in on Get Glue during home improvement shows if you’re an interior designer, dishing about bratty brides on Say Yes to the Dress if you’re a wedding planner and celebrating sports victories if you’re a personal trainer are a few more ways you can use Social TV to interact. And the best thing about talking about television with your customers? It’s basically free!

Go on… Grab some popcorn and your smartphone and start watching TV with your customers!

The Business of Two Party Control

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Why Google Wants You to Avoid the Advertorial

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Stop Being a Tool (and Other Helpful Email Marketing Tips)

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Five Things You Might Have Missed!

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Mobile Shoppers Plan to Pig Out on Turkey Day

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