Consumers Baffled by Techno-Speak

Striking another blow for plain speech, a recent study articulated what savvy copywriters have been preaching for years: use language appropriate to your market. Using highly technical terms is appropriate when reaching out to a tech-savvy B-2-B audience. But a survey designed to assess the digital smarts of 2,000 consumers, conducted by the Yankee Group for Advance Publications' Parade, found that consumers remain unsure about what technology products actually do. They're even confused about which products they own -- or at least think they own. What this means: Too often, tech manufacturers or retailers use the same language for their B-2-B and their mass retail audience. There's no point in talking about megapixels, if your audience doesn't know what that means. When writing your copy, begin with the basic question: Who am I talking to here? And build your sales language around the answer.

Finding the "lost" demographic.

Trying to hit that juicy demographic of young men 18 - 34? Go online. The ability to pinpoint a narrow slice of the Internet population is calling into question the whole idea of broad demographic categories. In part because the Net is one place where you can find a lot of young males, Internet advertising is experiencing a remarkable surge. Marketers are realizing they can slice and dice the demo and go for the 'bull's-eye target'. Add to that the ability to create an interactive experience memorable enough to break through the filter mechanism and generate buzz, and you've got something far more likely to register with media-saturated guys than advertising. What this means: Advertising isn't dead, but the models are changing. With the increasing popularity of tools like Tivo, viewers contorl the viewing experience more than ever. Pull marketing becomes more important. Advertisers will have to raise the creative bar if they want to reach anyone from this sensory-overloaded demographic in five years. The old rules will still apply, but the delivery will have to be fresh and unexpected. Read the Wired article here

Bobblehead Barry

From the Barry Manilow Official Merchandise Store, we bring you..... Copacabana Bobblehead! Yes, it's for real. Your wallet is not safe. Thanks to Dave Barry.

Another Manic Monday? Not for E-Mail Marketers

Delivering your e-mail early in the morning and early in the week get you a higher open rate, reports Return Path. Early and late in the day on Monday and Tuesday carried the best open rates, and Saturday and Sunday ranked at the bottom of the scale. Of course, if everybody sends their e-mail at the same time, we'll probably be back to where we started...

Coke or Pepsi? It's all in the head

If the tests all prove that people prefer the taste of Pepsi over Coke, why do Coke sales continue to leave Pepsi in the dust? 'Tis a puzzle, to be sure. So some scientists in Texas used a brain scanning technique to carry out a hi-tech version of the Pepsi challenge and found that, when it comes to fizzy black drinks, brand love is just as important as taste. So, yes, brand does matter. So there.

John Kerry's Coolest Line

Last night John Kerry answered the question of whether he could follow the charismatic John Edwards, with a brilliant speech. Low on Bush-bashing, and stirringly articulate. But shallow as I am, the line I loved best? "I've told you about our plans for the economy, for education, for health care, for energy independence. I want you to know more about them. So now I'm going to say something that Franklin Roosevelt could never have said in his acceptance speech: go to johnkerry.com.

Helpful E-mail glossary for the geek-challenged

Marketing Sherpa has published a helpful glossary of terms commonly used in E-mail marketing. Definitely useful for when you get the "huh?" response... Check it out here

Just for fun - unless you're featured in this...

I don't usually forward funny web links, but the following animation is one of the funniest I've seen in a long time. It's an even-handed satire of Bush and Kerry. Even if you don't follow US politics, or regardless of your political orientation, check it out (give it time to load and for the intro to start and stop): http://www.jibjab.com/thisland.html

Does Bill Gates Know Something You Don't?

The growth in the number of blogs, and those who read them, continues to attract attention from business leaders, including Microsoft's chairman Bill Gates, as a means of enhancing companies' communication more directly with employees, partners and customers. Reuters report here

Death of the Pops?

Are Pop-Ups and Pop-Unders dead? Current research from the Center for Media Research suggests so. The report for Web Media Industry World & Local News Segment Week Ending July 4, 2004 US, Home and Work, shows Pop-Unders and Pop-Ups garnering a negligible share of 57,481 impressions. Backlash is a bitch.

Linux Rocks Out!

This is an "inspired" use of Flash.  Catchy, targeted, sly, and clever.  A great example of Flash used appropriately to deliver a slam-bam marketing message. And it's downloadable to your hard drive, so you can view it on dial-up without choppy stops and starts. All too often, websites seem to create Flash for Flash's sake. Drives me crazy. If it doesn't drive the message, or further the sales process - what's the point? I've seen sites that were only viewable in the lastest Flash version, making them unreadable by vast numbers of Web users.  That's like telling those users who can't view your site - "Hey, you're just not cool enough for us, ya know? Sorry, loser!" And then there's the issue of waiting for a Flash file to load, only to get some boring piece of meh that's just designer ego-stroking. Buh-bye, says the user, and "Poof!" goes the sale. Don't annoy your users with techno-glitz. If that's your target market - Great! Otherwise keep it for your friends and family. It's all really a matter of knowing who you're trying to reach. If it's B-to-C, the chances are that almost 60% of the market looking for you is still on dial-up. Think they want to wait and grow old while your Flash loads? On the other hand, if your market is medium to large B-to-B, then you're pretty safe in assuming that they're on high-speed access. Flash away (but make it relevant!) Flash done well, and used appropriately can be a tremendously powerful tool. Whaddya bet this baby goes viral?  If you're on dial-up, you'll have to wait a while, but it's like, you know, worth it.

Obesity and National Geographic

Here's a classic example of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing. Just as National Geographic magazine is tackling obesity in a cover story called "The Heavy Cost of Fat," its younger sibling, National Geographic Kids, is being accused of contributing to the obesity problem by running ads for unhealthy food. The catalyst appears to be the May issue of National Geographic' Kids, which featured a prominent ad for fast food chain, Arby's, on the cover. Perception, perception, people. It is so important to make your marketing plan coherent. The website should cohere with the brochure which should cohere with your press releases, and so on. Right down to the person who answers your phone. It's unlikely that an entity as substantial as National Geographic will suffer a long-term credibility blow from this, but for a smaller company or an entrepreneur, this kind of oversight could have painful (and costly!) repercussions. The answer? Plan, Compare, and Cross-check. Always.

It's Work-Related! Really!!

Talk about finding a niche....   Many employees spend significant amounts of their day dozing at their desk or catching powernaps in odd places. This company seeks to be the premier provider of professional nap centers in the United States. At $14 a pop for a 20 min nap, I wonder if you can include it on your expense report.... Zzzzzzzz...

Bug Me; Bug Me Not. That is The Question.

If you find it annoying to be asked to give your personal information before you can read a news article, you're not alone. Now that many online publications are requiring that consumers register before reading, it shouldn't be surprising that some online consumers are developing applications to avoid that. The most controversial seems to be Australian thorn-in-the-side-of-big-media BugMeNot.com. This website lets consumers anonymously share active user names and passwords for more than 14588 forced-registration sites. Blogs are buzzing with comments, both pro and con, on the issue. 'BugMeNot.com was created as a mechanism to quickly bypass the login of websites that require compulsory registration and/or the collection of personal/demographic information (such as the New York Times),' its FAQ declares. NYTimes.com and LATimes.com are currently the two most popular sites at BugMeNot.com, whose servers are based in the U.S. There are murmurings of lawsuits. The real issue here should be "perceived value". Readers resent being asked to pause and fill in forms for ...what? So they can be served more ads they don't want to see? Instead of talking lawsuits, the offended websites should be talking about how they can create a value that is such that their readers want to give them personal information. But that would be listening to the consumer, now wouldn't it?

Click Fraud May Be Driving Up Your PPC Costs.

The persistence of click fraud has exposed a fundamental weakness in the promising business of Internet search marketing, but most advertisers aren't sure how to address the problem. In one recent example of the problem, law enforcement officials say a California man created a software program that he claimed could let spammers bilk Google out of millions of dollars in fraudulent clicks. Authorities said he was arrested while trying to blackmail Google for $150,000 to hand over the program. some marketing executives estimate that up to 20 percent of fees in certain advertising categories continue to be based on nonexistent consumers in today's search industry. Read more about it here

On Target

You need market research to find your ideal target market for your advertising and marketing efforts. But surveys and focus groups cost big and your budget is small. What's a bootstrapped business to do?   Try these creative, budget-friendly ways to get to know your target audience.

That "Itsy Witsy, Teeny Weeny" thing again!

Online travel agency Lastminute.com has launched an advergame called Bikini Bounce in which players can avail themselves of the trampoline like qualities of the female breast to bounce. Catch floating beach wear and win points towards a trip to the Greek island of Kos.   OK...I know it's not politically correct, but it IS fun! Another great example of interactive advertising...

Text Ads Increase Brand Awareness

An Interactive Advertising Bureau study conducted by Nielsen//Netratings found that text ads, such as those appearing to the right of content in Google AdWords placements, increased brand awareness by 27 percent. The greatest effect was seen on unaided awareness, especially in cases where the text placement was the only ad or the top placement among several.   On average, when respondents were asked to name a specific leading brand within a tested industry, they were 27 percent more likely to name the brand displayed in the top spot compared to a control group not exposed to the ad. For the articles pages (pages containing contextually targeted text advertising), the text ad caused a 23 percent lift among respondents that saw the ads.   Read more here

What says cheap software better than an attractive woman birthing a farm animal?

Japanese software pioneer, SourceNext, has launched an astonishing advertising campaign featuring a horse, Japanese film star Norika Fujiwara and a couple of Slurpee slingers to promote StarSuite - Sun Microsystems' Japanese Office knock off based on the open source OpenOffice. Ironically, the ad is most readily viewed in Windows format. Read about it here

Is Your Business Usable--or Disposable?

Figure it out before your competitors do... Usability is an important element of competitiveness for most businesses. The Usability Professionals' Association describes usability as a quality of a product that makes it easy to use and a good fit for its users. Poor signage, mazelike phone-call routing and counterintuitive Web sites are examples of common usability failings. Many web sites suffer (and lose customers!) because of usability issues, and if your visitors can’t find what they’re looking for, you’ve lost them. This article refers mostly to the off-line world, but the points are well taken.

Dude, Have You Seen My Shirt?

Starting today, a San Francisco marketer is sending models out in public in T-shirts with built-in television sets. The company, Brand Marketers, will debut the T-shirts today at theaters, malls and elsewhere to promote the Fox movie "I, Robot." An 11-inch flat screen is mounted at chest level in each shirt, and four hidden speakers deliver sound. A shirt weighs about 6 1/2 pounds and costs about $1,000 to make. Rapid improvements in television and miniaturization suggest that the TV T-shirts are a pale prototype of what is to come. Read about it here…