Teens Like the Offline World
July 28, 2008
Start a conversation about targeting teens with marketing and PR programs and the conversation inevitably turns to how to reach them online. It makes sense as teens are probably the most progressive in their online usage. But it can also lead to missed opportunities as teens, like all human beings, like to interact offline as well.
The offline habits of teens are highlighted by research from OTX and The Intelligence Group. You can find the fill study here. The following are some key highlights from the press release. These are good facts to consider when discussing how to use PR and marketing to reach teens.
- Teens do like to spend a lot of time online - they average of 11.5 hours per week with 24% spend more than 15 hours a week online).
- They learn about music, movies and other trends from social networking sites.
- They are receptive to ads on sites (according to this study, teens don’t hate ads…they probably, like the rest of us, just hate bad and annoying advertising).
- BUT
- 91% prefer real friends over online friends
- 82% would rather shop in a store than online
The simple takeaway is that teens are not so simple. There are some things they like to do online and some they prefer offline. So before jumping into that next online campaign plan targeting teens, first do a little research to find out if online is the best place to reach them or if you are able to reach them through offline targets as well. After all, teens, like the rest of us, live in an offline world. And they know it.
Are Video Games Finally Mainstream Entertainment
July 25, 2008
For years we’ve seen adults playing video games. However, from a marketing perspective, using video games still seem the be the domain of young ‘uns.
The latest Entertainment Software Association survey (read it here) found the following:
Game Trailers from E3
July 16, 2008
Dailymotion just posted new game trailers from E3 at http://www.dailymotion.com/Gametrailers. Even if you don’t like video games, the quality is amazing. If you’re a fan of CG animated movies, you’ll see how the line between movie entertainment and video games grows thinner every day.
Here’s what they have so far:
- Lord of the Rings: Conquest - E3 2008 interview
- Final Fantasy XIII - E3 2008 Trailer
- Gears of War 2 - E3 2008 Trailer
- Resident Evil 5 - E3 2008 Trailer
- The Last Remnant - E3 2008 Trailer
- Fallout 3 - E3 2008 Perfect Life Trailer
(disclosure: Dailymotion is a client of one of our main sponsors).
With Netflix Deal, XBox Prepares to Own Your TV
July 15, 2008
This week’s announcement that XBox would stream movies from Netflix was a significant step in Microsoft’s bid to own the digital living subscription and, potentially, marketing dollars. In the Netflix deal, Microsoft got more than a movie partner, they got a brand. For consumers that have trouble seeing the XBox as a movie box, the Netflix association should help quite a bit.
Picapps offers celebrity photos - will this help the ad-supported model take off?
July 10, 2008
For bloggers and other online media publishers wanting to photos without worrying about royalties, PicApp has been a great tool with an ad supported photo bank.
Now Picapp has announced a partnership with Splash News to deliver celebrity photos. Given the numerous personal and professional (but without photo budget) blogs out there devoted to celebrity news, it’s a sizable market. Two sites already noted for using the images are B5’s Lohan Group blog and Gossip Girl.
Is Google Old News? XBox, PS3 and Others Prepare to Leapfrog Search
July 8, 2008
Google dominates search on the PC screen, is making a play to dominate no the mobile screen but so far has shown little momentum on the screen that delivers, and will probably continue to deliver, big advertising revenue - the television screen.
Why?
- Ads still look best on television and they will become as interactive as online advertising. IPTV and interactive TV platforms will allow increased targeted and clicks and purchases right from the couch (couch potato purchases).
- People want TV. Remote clicking couch potatoes don’t want to become desk potatoes but they do watch Hulu when that’s the only way to get TV on demand (and we are in a when-we-want-it era). As online video become increasingly accessible through the TV (fast, high quality, TV interface etc), many web video hours will revert to TV watching hours.
- Your set top box will increase it’s share of Web features and technology while retaining that couch potato optimized TV interface and remote control controllability.
For an example of where we are heading, just plug in an XBox and you can download a variety of HD content for television watching using a remote control. Plug in a Sony Playstation 3 (or Nintendo Wii) and you can watch video through Web video sites using your remote control for the console. I particularly like the PS3 video in a Web browser experience as it shows the equivalent of unlimited TV on demand. From a media perspective, it’s the equivalent of being able to launch unlimited video channels just as you would as Web page (since it’s all Web technology designed for the bigger screen).
Now, in addition to the XBox 360’s and PS3’s (to be launched) video download stores, there are rumors of Netflix (and a few wishful rumors about Hulu) being made available through these consoles.
Now add in a video advertising network to these platforms and you have a whole new world of television media. Instead of watching a Netflix movie on a pay per view basis, you can watch a free one with commercials or in-video ads (which you can click on to purchase goods or get more information.
In the end, consumers, entertainers (would you rather be a TV star on a 17 inch screen or a 62 inch screen), media companies, brands and advertisers all are big fans of television. When they can combine TV screen size with Web type interactivity, choice and features, the hype momentum and dollars will likely swing back to focusing on the large screen. Set top box makers, cable and IPTV companies and the video game console makers are planning for that day.
Google Ad Planner - Initial Impressions
July 6, 2008
We received our beta invitation to the Google Ad Planner and quickly gave it a test run. Our first impression? Intuitive, fast and easy. Once again, Google shows that while they are an engineering and advertising driven company, they know how to design and interface that keeps us productive (not frustrated). That leads to a fast learning curve and an increase in usage.
What are Families Looking for Online? A Compete.com Pro Review and Example
July 4, 2008
We’ve been testing Compete.com’s new pro search analytics. Among the more interesting functions is the ability to see the top search words for behavioral interests. We took a look at family interest and were surprised at the results. While they may not represent all family interests, as the topics lean toward online activities for children, they do show a solid trend in the popularity of children’s online entertainment brands.
Recommended Search Engine Optimization Reading for Communications Professionals
July 4, 2008
A strong basic understanding of SEO is an increasingly important skill set for communications professionals. Whether marketing material or an article, writing something that is properly optimized for search engines is critical to having the right audience find the content. Here is a list of suggested pages and web sections to read from seomoz.org:
- http://www.seomoz.org/article/beginners-guide-to-search-engine-optimization
- http://www.seomoz.org/blog/my-personal-opinion-90-of-the-rankings-equation-lies-in-these-4-factors
- http://www.seomoz.org/article/search-ranking-factors
Here are some tools to try to get an idea for using SEO tools in day to day work:
- Keyword data from Wordtracker and Overture (Yahoo! Search Marketing)
- Term targeting from SEO Moz http://www.seomoz.org/term-target shows how well a page uses a keyword (such as the keyword people use to find information).
- How well a page is optimized for search - http://www.seomoz.org/page-strength
- Google’s keyword suggestion tool - https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
- Compete’s keyword suggestion tool based on a web site or user interest area - www.compete.com (sign up for the pro version)
Plink Brings Social Media into Media
July 2, 2008
Imagine there was a way to know what people are thinking while they’re looking at online media like pictures and videos. Think about how useful that information could be for data mining, or even for creating highly-targeted advertising campaigns. While a tool with that kind of power may be difficult to conceive of, Entertainment Media Works (EMW) Plink is a step in that direction.
