The Changing Face of Digital Media & Marketing : Social Websites

Create Change

Scott Berg — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:35:00 GMT

A bold statement to say the least…but HP’s latest social media program is centered around that very phrase “Create Change.” When you purchase HP product through our online store, HP will donate 4% of the proceeds to one of seven charities listed…. Everything from Susan G. Komen to the American Red Cross to the World Wildlife Fund.

And you can post or send the offer to others you know through a variety of social platforms.

http://h30484.www3.hp.com/CreateChange/index.html

Scott

Global Expansion of Social Networks

Scott Berg — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:46:00 GMT

While reviewing the latest e-marketer article on Social Networking I found it interesting that Russia’s growth in people who created a social network profile was at 85.3%. India, China, Brazil follow with growth in the 60 to 70% some odd range.

Frankly those numbers surprised me… let me explain:

1. Technology – the technology pipeline in these countries seems to be developing faster than what I estimated….allowing for stable platforms, etc.

2. Time Spent – if these countries follow the US… look for shifts in media time spent to shift more to the digital side vs. the traditional media landscape.

3. Content Growth – with higher demand and usage will come the increased demand for content… with more video shifting to digital/online for viewing vs. current TV or satellite use.

We live in an increasingly “connected age”…as technology continues to expand, the world gets smaller, the access to information becomes easier and the authenticity of our brands is more important than ever.

Scott

The Internationalist Awards for Innovative Digital Marketing Solutions

Scott Berg — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:25:00 GMT

I have the honor of working with some of the leaders in the Digital Marketing world regarding a new Digital Marketing Solution Awards Event. Some of those names include Rob Norman, CEO of GroupM, Rishad Tobaccowala, CEO of Denuo and Chief Innovation Officer, Publicis Group. As you can tell these fellow judges are the cream of the crop – and the leaders who I and many of you look to for leadership and thoughts.

That being said…I’ve attached some information below on how to enter and participate.

A big thanks to Deborah Malone and the staff at The Internationalist for helping to drive this unique digital award judging.

Scott

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"We have moved from language-based or analog marketing to a system now dependent on 'ones' and 'zeros' or digital codes. Our way of creating marketing solutions must also now transform dramatically.." -Scott Berg, HP's Director of Digital Strategy and Jury Chairman

www.internationalist-awards.com

Marketers, today, need digital answers, but formulating the right questions is often challenging. With dozens of new forms of non-traditional advertising, the digital options can be overwhelming. Our industry can benefit from examples of best practices. Marketers today need digital solutions that bring results.

The Internationalist Awards for Innovative Digital Marketing Solutions will be the first international awards to be given based upon the geographic footprint of the campaign, specifically: a global campaign, a regional campaign, a local execution of a multinational campaign, and a local campaign worthy of international adaptation based upon world class standards.

These Awards are an outgrowth of The Internationalist's Awards for Innovation in Media and an acknowledgment of how today's marketing strategy is affected by the growth of Digital. They also reflect the way companies market their products. No other awards offer these types of international categories. Most are by product group (food, auto) or type of media (TV, print).

It's simple to enter-- just answer 5 critical questions about insights and solutions, the show up to 3 examples of the work. There are only 4 international entry categories.

CALL FOR ENTRIES DEADLINE is SEPTEMBER 8, 2009.

Winners will be announced in Autumn 2009. A Grand Prix will be announced, along with Gold, Silver and Bronze winners in each of the 4 international entry categories.

Winners will receive:

An Award statuette for office display.
The Internationalist will feature a story on the winners in its next edition.
All winners, including Honorable Mentions, will be showcased on www. internationalist-awards.com. A search feature will enable people to better access case study highlights.
Oxford University's SAID School of Business will use the winners as teaching case studies in their marketing program.

For more information on Judging, the Jury, Fees, and How to Enter, go to:

http://www.internationalist-awards.com

Created in January 2003 by Deborah Malone, The Internationalist was launched to connect the people and ideas in international advertising, marketing and media. Today The Internationalist has become a trusted source for international best practices, and is dedicated to the business needs and challenges of international marketing professionals as they participate in multinational branding and campaign building. The Internationalist is now IN PRINT, ONLINE and IN PERSON- all to better serve the needs of this community.

Facebook Hits 200 Million Users

Scott Berg — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:30:00 GMT

Wow! That’s about the only word I can use to express my amazement over Facebook hitting the 200 million users mark.

But what I find interesting is the disparity between male and female users who are signing up – about 1/3 more total females vs. total males. In addition, the growth of new user especially in the 45 – 65 year old category. The other age groups are easy to understand. My take… the younger groups are pushing parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles to connect via Facebook in order to share family activities, photos, etc.

What that can mean to marketers is a broader age group to target as well as the use of Facebook as the platform for influencing the product and service recommendations usually people get from making a phone call.

Scott

2009 Digital Media Trends – Update & Scorecard

Scott Berg — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:28:00 GMT

Late last year I posted my 2009 Digital Media Trends. I thought it would be a good idea to see where they stand as well as add in a few other trends I’m starting to see emerge.

It’s the Economy Stupid...

More newspapers and print publications will go out of business -- I hate to actually say this one is dead on. All you have to read are the following articles on the demise of newspapers across the US.

San Francisco Chronicle Might Shut Down

Denver Rocky Mountain News Shuts Down

Derby Daily Reporter Shutting Down

Taconic Group Newspapers Shut Down

Accuracy: Dead On

Weaker online sites will see advertising revenue sales fall – the economy is not only pushing pure “print” revenue down, but newspapers online revenue as well as “pure play” digital advertising is taking a hit as budgets get tight.

Search Revenue Falling

Online Video Ad Revenue Decreasing

Digital Shops Begin to Feel Effects of the Economy

Accuracy: Dead On

Sponsorships will take a beating….

RBS Sports Sponsorships

Sports Sponsorships Take a Beating

Accuracy: Dead On

Social Websites will see a decrease in ad revenue –

Accuracy: Too early to tell

Community development will be a priority – marketers will engage differently with the end customer by developing stronger communities and/or engaging with current standing communities.

Accuracy: Too early to tell

Rise of the “Un-Badged Employee” – most people use reviews before making a product or service purchase… but in an economic downturn, that input revs up to make sure the purchase is what the consumer wants. Check out this article.

Accuracy: Dead on

SEO will become more important – with decreased budgets, SEM will also feel the budget pinch, so advertisers will focus more attention on SEO to decrease costs and increase search page placement.

US Search Spending Falters

Accuracy: Too early to tell

Again, mobile will struggle – tough to tell right now… but keep your eyes/ears tuned in the coming months.

Mobile Marketing Watch Newsletter

Accuracy: Too early to tell

Google will continue to gain share – ok this is a “duh” prediction, I admit it. But with Yahoo in turmoil, the recent layoffs, Microsoft not making headway on revenue in the online space… Google will extend it’s lead – either by sure will might and force or through acquisition.

Google’s Share Extends

Accuracy: Dead On

Online Upfronts get more momentum –

Accuracy: Too early to tell (but if I was a betting man) – I’d say I’m way off on this one. Prices are falling as demand craters… who wants to get locked in on long term inventory when the short term rates continue to fall.

Digital television platform (aka Canoe Ventures) will get serious attention – Certainly the new administration pushing back the digital transition date didn’t help, but frankly with the advertising world in a tail spin right now, Canoe still holds promise of better targeting….although I think most advertisers wished it were live and ready to go today.

Accuracy: Too early to tell

CRM and database marketing will make a comeback – well I’m not seeing it yet… although my email box is deluged daily with a great deal more email than ever, but I can’t attribute that to better CRM or just desperation on behalf of marketers. Plus, with the economy in the dumper, big tech projects are harder to sell unless they can guarantee a result.

Accuracy: Seems I was a bit too optimistic

Media inventory costs will decline – regardless of whether you’re buying upfront or not. This one is definitely on track… with the networks taking a bath on inventory, newspapers having difficulty selling pages prices are falling. What’s concerning is we’re only in March…what will this look like in July?

Accuracy: Dead On

Scott

Latest Video from Michael Mendenhall -- CMO of HP

Scott Berg — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:44:00 GMT

Thought I'd post the latest video posted on Marketwatch.com with our CMO - Michael Mendenhall.

http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/0692809B-0367-4F75-9545-73D6C5DFAC8A

Scott

When Twittering Goes Bad....

Scott Berg — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:33:00 GMT

I strive to always be the "dumbest guy in the room".... hiring employees who are smarter than me, working for bosses who are brilliant, and employing suppliers and partners who are world class/scary smart. You know the kind of people who could launch the space shuttle from their desktop. Which brings me to the below article regarding the PR account vice president named James Andrews from Ketchum in Atlanta who flew to Memphis to visit FedEx, to consult with the agency about social media. Oh, I forgot to mention FedEx is one of the agency’s biggest clients.

http://www.davidhenderson.com/2009/01/21/key-online-influencer/

Common sense is powerful tool and "keeping thy mouth shut" sometimes is the best strategy of all. Just remember folks, you're only 1 tweet away from being called out and in trouble.

Scott

2009 Digital Media Trends

Scott Berg — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:21:00 GMT

About this time every year, I make my predictions on what I think lays ahead for the media industry. And again, this year, I’ll do the same, but with a slight focus on the Digital side of the world.

It’s the Economy stupid!

More newspapers and print publications will go out of business – as you’ve probably read, Tribune recently filed for bankruptcy. And with the current economic climate, print advertising will continue to suffer the woes they’ve been feeling the past 5 years. The problem… not only are advertisers shifting to digital, but the cost per thousand for online is usually significantly lower than other forms of media so it’s not a just a matter of gaining share, but they’re caught between a rock and hard place as it relates to raising prices.

Weaker online sites will see advertising revenue sales fall – reason? Advertisers are seeing advertising budgets decrease or be frozen… thus the pie is getting smaller.

Sponsorships will take a beating….unless they can offer a unique customer experience or become very digitally focused. Between NASCARs challenges, the NFL re-evaluating sponsorships, etc. The days of putting signage up in an arena or naming rights are gone. The next phase of sponsorship is customer engagement and digital experience.

Social Websites will see a decrease in ad revenue – for all the above reasons (see point a), but more because marketers are realizing that community development is critical.

Community development will be a priority – marketers will engage differently with the end customer by developing stronger communities and/or engaging with current standing communities.

Rise of the “Un-Badged Employee” – when people are look to purchase a product or service they usually ask around if anyone has any experience or recommendations. So marketers will start to drive more influence communications to key individuals who act as “brand ambassadors” and recommend the brand to others. Apple has been doing this for years, but it’s becoming more commonplace. If you don’t agree, just look at Amazon.com or CNET.com.

SEO will become more important – with decreased budgets, SEM will also feel the budget pinch, so advertisers will focus more attention on SEO to decrease costs and increase search page placement.

Again, mobile will struggle – although mobile applications are becoming more widespread and the use of data is becoming more commonplace, the issues of separate network carriers, too many media rep companies, and the general confusion of what you can/can’t do with mobile will keep it from gathering steam in the US.

Google will continue to gain share – ok this is a “duh” prediction, I admit it. But with Yahoo in turmoil, the recent layoffs, Microsoft not making headway on revenue in the online space… Google will extend it’s lead – either by sure will might and force or through acquisition.

Online Upfronts get more momentum – in order to secure inventory and reduce costs look for more advertisers to commit to online upfronts. Which begs the question, what about the television upfronts? Hell if I know. The past 3 years I’ve been predicting a shift in the amount of dollars going into the upfront and I’ve been wrong… suppose I’ll stick to that prediction this year because as my boss Chris Curtin is famous for saying “a broken clock is still correct 2 times a day.” Perhaps I’ll hit paydirt this year!

Digital television platform (aka Canoe Ventures) will get serious attention – as Canoe begins to roll out it’s digital tv platform, more advertisers will begin experimenting and targeting advertising in the new nirvana state of advertising.

CRM and database marketing will make a comeback – yes you heard me right, the data geeks will reign again. With Canoe Ventures, integration and analysis of click stream data, advertisers will become even more focused on eliminating inefficient advertising and marketing and getting the right message to the right person.

Media inventory costs will decline – regardless of whether you’re buying upfront or not. See point 1. The glut of inventory will put marketers in a stronger position to negotiate further cost cuts and added value. Look for the auto industry to cut spending so dramatically that prices could fall 30% in some media categories over the current levels.

So here are my thoughts… what do predict???

Scott