Appeared in MediaPost, February 4, 2009, quoting RM'er Dave Tan:
Google came one step closer Wednesday to providing brands with a one-to-one mobile marketing and ad tool that speaks directly to consumers. The company, which dominates in the mobile mapping space, launched an add-on social network service called Latitude.
Click to view larger image.
And while the service clearly aims to focus on social networking--connecting friends and family by sharing their whereabouts--the application could easily adopt mobile marketing applications that target users with special deals and ads at specific locations such as in front of Starbucks or McDonald's as they drive or walk down the street. A Google spokeswoman declined to comment on future advertising possibilities around Google Latitude.
Industry insiders are not convinced the service will stop with a social network service to connect with friends and family. The social network is the next logical step for Google to further its mobile services--mapping, networking and advertising--but the technology makes location-based advertising a real possibility.
"From the social networking/tracking perspective, Google is playing catch-up to Loopt, but the long-term aspect of Latitude as another advertising conduit certainly makes it very interesting for many marketers," said Dave Tan, VP of content solutions at Resolution Media, an Omnicom Media Group company. "Mobile advertising tethered to GPS/cell-tower based location information has tremendous opportunities, but consumer privacy will be a huge area of concern."
Tan said marketers will have to tread gently and carefully watch consumer adoption and acceptance of location-specific ads. A few manufacturers have integrated location-based advertising platforms onto their systems with good results recently. Delivering relevant marketing messages will become the key to major adoption.
Google plans to address privacy concerns by requiring users to manually turn on the tracking software and make it easy to limit access or turn off. The company also said it would keep limited records on where people have been, and will only store the person's last location on computers.
Dan Mullen, president at AIM Global, an industry trade group focused on automatic identification technologies, believes the "opt-in" service may work even better between consumers and businesses, rather than between friends and families. It would give brands or retail stores an option to communicate one-on-one with consumers, promote products and services and offer special on-the-spot deals.
Stores would need WiFi or some type of technology that allows them to create a node to transmit to the network. "For instance, how many people truly want others to know their exact location?" he said. "On the other hand, a frequent shopper of a favorite store could be quite interested to get special offers from that store. If the store, rather than the individual, automatically pushes promotions and ads to key customers in the area it will probably seem less intrusive to some consumers."
For now, features are limited. Aside from the person's location, a picture displays on the map. The service uses cell-phone tower triangulation, GPS or Wi-Fi to identify locations on Research In Motion's (RIM's) BlackBerrys, and devices running Symbian and Windows Mobile. T-Mobile G1 and iPhone will soon support the service, too.
Google Peeks At Location-Specific Mobile Ads Through Latitude
Social Media Means Social Responsibility
By David Gould, President
In this age of the internet, where the written word has become as fluid as the spoken, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that we are responsible for what we write. We sometimes forget that the online written word is forever recorded to posterity. We’ve all heard the stories of internal or external company e-mails coming back to bite the sender, whether it be in a legal matter or a personal one. This same phenomenon has spread to blog posts and online reviews.
Specifically, in recent months we’ve seen articles regarding online reviews and libel suits. Does the average consumer have a legal responsibility when it comes to a review posted on Yelp, for instance? It’s tough to say. Certainly professional journalists who post their opinions in the traditional media are held to a certain legal standard. They do not have liberty to make false or defamatory accusations without proof to back up their claims. The lines become blurred when we enter the realm of the online review.
At what point does my expression of opinion cross the line into defamation and libel. I’m no lawyer (and don’t play one on TV either) and cannot speak to the letter of the law when it comes to libel, but I do think common sense applies. Clearly, if businesses want to leverage the power of viral marketing, they must be able to take the good with the bad, but must they also be subject to blatantly false or unsubstantiated accusations.
It’s a slippery slope no doubt. If every false claim and accusation were subject to legal prosecution, I suspect we would see a serious drop in the utility of online reviews. I believe that would be a bad thing for both consumers and businesses alike. I believe that the vast majority of reviews are useful and well intentioned, whether they be good or bad reviews. That said I do believe we all have, at the very least, a moral responsibility when crafting online reviews.
When researching this blog post I read a few articles about a chiropractor who sued an online reviewer for making false accusations. In the end, the parties settled out of court, but I thought it ironic that one of the comments posted to an article I read may actually skirt the limits of libel. In response to the article one reader commented, “The chiropractor is gouging the insurance providers. In the end we all pay for this.” One might infer that the chiropractor is making dishonest claims to the insurance provider.
Let’s hope for the reader’s sake, the chiropractor has put this incident in the past.
The REAL Problem With The Client/Agency RFP Process
By Aaron Goldman
Appeared in MediaPost's Search Insider
I had a notion to pick up the thread Gord Hotchkiss started about emerging applications of search but, once again, Steve Baldwin, derailed, er... inspired me. In his last column, Steve discussed the issues he sees with the current SEM agency procurement process -- namely, that it's comprised of tactical responses to long questionnaires created and evaluated by client in-house search personnel.
When All You Have is a Hammer, Everything's a Nail
While I commend Steve and George Michie -- whose Search Engine Land post Steve referenced -- for casting a spotlight on this very dysfunctional process, I don't think the answer lies in asking different questions in the RFP or reassigning responsibility for SEM agency selection. The problem with the process right now is the process itself.
And it's not just agencies that are dissatisfied with the status quo. A recent survey of 184 client marketing execs revealed consensus that the agency search process is "too time consuming," citing the quandary, "you're told so many things that you're not sure what to believe."
I recently posted a 4,000+ word manifesto on my digital marketing blog outlining the glitches in the current client/agency RFP system and a step-by-step guide to fixing them. That post covered broader pitches involving full-service creative and/or media AOR reviews, so I'll tailor it here to SEM-specific RFPs -- and try to do it with less than 1,000 words.
Reinventing the Wheel
Let's do away with the shuttling of paper back and forth between client and agency in the RFP process. Not only is it eco-unfriendly. but it's the cause of a major pain point cited by clients in the aforementioned survey. How can you know what to believe when you don't know who wrote what you're reading? (Hint: It ain't the day-to-day person that'll be working on your business.)
The only people qualified to tell you just how good an agency really is are their current clients. So, rather than asking the agency to respond to a list of RFP questions, let's have that agency's clients respond via 30-minute interviews. Who better to answer questions like, "Is the agency able to scale results year-over-year?" or "How often does account management staff turn over?"
Making a List, Checking It Twice
Another source of friction in the client/agency RFP process is how the considered set of agencies is chosen. As it stands, there's no definitive source of agency rankings with unassailable methodology. Sure, Ad Age ranks the top search agencies by estimated revenue (which is a crapshoot given most agencies can't disclose these figures) and you have the Forrester Wave report that evaluates select search firms on criteria like "campaign planning" and "executive vision" -- but these lists don't (and can't) provide a true indication of clients' overall satisfaction with their agencies.
I've become quite enamored with the Ultimate Question as a means to gauge how effective a company is at providing value to its customers. The idea is that responses to the question, "How likely is it that you would recommend this company to a friend or colleague?" can tell us more about that company than any exhaustive survey ever will.
I propose the creation of a third-party system that audits all clients at each agency on a quarterly basis, gathering responses to the Ultimate Question. This data would then be made available to clients when deciding what shops to include in their RFPs.
It's Not Me, It's You
The next step in improving the RFP process is to do away with all the speculative work that's required of agencies. Whether it's strategy development, full keyword list builds or performance projections, it's not fair to ask agencies to produce this without proper time and data disclosure to craft accurate solutions -- not to mention, turn all this intellectual property over to the client without compensation. It's also not fair to ask agencies to pull their people off current accounts to spend three to four weeks working on a new biz pitch.
My answer? Changing the scope of the RFP presentation round from "What will you do for my business?" to "What have you done for another business?" Anyone can make wild claims and promise, but only proven case studies can show prospective clients what they can expect from their new agency. Furthermore, I propose the presentations be attended by the actual client that the agency is offering up as a case study.
You Break It, You Don't Have to Buy It
The final component of my RFP makeover is to set some guidelines around how scopes of work and fees are developed. Rather than ask agencies to determine pricing during the RFP process based on limited information, let's have clients issue non-negotiable first 90-day SOW and fee requirements with the RFP. At that point, agencies can either opt in or out.
Once the winning agency is selected, the 90-day term commences and, at the end of that period, negotiations take place for ongoing scope and fees. Now, both sides are armed with the ammo needed to make sound decisions for their business. Should the client and agency not be able to come to terms at this stage, an industry-standard severance fee would be awarded to the shop and the two would part ways.
The Devil's in the Details
I've only scratched the surface in this column describing the system I think will create a more perfect union between clients and agencies. On my blog, I go into further detail about the specific parameters required to make this process work and list the pros and cons as well as barriers to adoption (chiefly, the fact that it puts most of the burden on clients rather than agencies.) I'm eager to hear people's thoughts on my proposal and encourage you to comment here or at Digital Sea Change in the hopes that we can collectively build a more effective RFP process. As James Ingram sang, "There's gotta be a better way."
Introducing... vidiSEO
By Matt Ballek, Natural Search Supervisor, Content Solutions
In case you haven't noticed, video had gone viral and we're all infected.
- Fact: YouTube is the #2 search engine on the web
- Fact: the number of video streams have increased by 70% in the past year
- Sorta-Fact: people watch a bazillion hours of video a day.
If you look at the popularity of video searches, you'll see that they dwarf searches for Barack Obama, bacon, and even the Jonas Brothers. Impossible ? See for yourself :
Click to view larger image.
With online video steadly on the rise, more and more videos will be competiting for viewers' attention. With this in mind, I've decided to combine my video production and SEO knowledge to create vidiSEO.com, a blog focusing on video optimization tips and tricks. My goal is to add value to the video SEO community through (fun-tastic) video tutorials. The first tutorial covers the basics of video optimization for video sharing websites. Watch it and start optimizing your video content today !
Subscribe to the vidiSEO YouTube Channel and be the first to see new tutorials as they are released. As always, your comments (and votes) are greatly appreciated, and may even appear in my next video.
Most Popular Mobile Search Terms of 2008
By Betsy Carpenter, Coordinator, Marketing & Strategic Partnerships
Bryson Meunier, our very own mobile search expert, recently posted to his own blog the top mobile search terms of 2008 by engine. Bryson stumbled upon the idea after reviewing his analytics traffic to realize many were searching for such data, but no one had delivered the results with the search volume and on one page...yet! In Bryson's words, "search and you shall receive."
Bryson's list currently walks through Yahoo!, AOL and Google India; never fear, Bryson promises more Google mobile data is in his blog's future. From his research, Bryson noted 4 top keywords Yahoo! and AOL had in common.
- craigslist
- myspace
- weather
Want to see the list in its entirety? Bryson outlines the top 10 from each engine, provides some comparative analysis of desktop vs. mobile and even outlines a few key observations. Research your audience and see what opportunity mobile may have in store for you!
The Lessons Learned from Slumdog Millionaire in a Recessionary Environment
By Viji Davis, VP, Client Services
A few short weeks ago, my husband Joey and I went to see Slumdog Millionaire. Little did I know at the time, how the movie has a lot of themes that tie into search marketing and our current economic conditions. As I see it, there are three overarching themes that can be applied to search in this recessionary environment.
1. Don’t overreact, go back to the basics and remember to learn from every experience
Throughout each stage of questions Jamal faced as a contestant on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, he was able to retain and apply the knowledge he had gained through the experiences of his life. Just like Jamal, remember your specific circumstances (industry, vertical, etc.) before assessing your position in this marketplace. Although trends do show a slowing down of spending across the board, including search, search is still growing year-over-year, just not as aggressively as before:
Click to view larger image.
This recessionary marketplace could provide many advertisers with the opportunity they are looking for. With slowed investments, this could be the perfect opportunity to capture more traffic and marketshare for a lowered cost. Don’t forget, consumers will not stop searching because of the economy. In fact, trends show that more consumers are spending more time online:
Click to view larger image.
Leveraging natural search is a must in periods of economic slow-down and will only help to further boost your campaigns. Ensuring all of your relevant content and products are available to consumers is essential. Spending a relatively lower investment to ensure all relevant pages are indexed and findable will assist in driving valuable traffic to your site. With consumers spending more and more time online, natural search will be key in keeping your brand in front of these consumers.
2. Remember what works but be creative in tough circumstances
Jamal and Salim faced many challenges throughout their lives. Without giving too much away, as young children, they had to be creative to survive. One example is the many ‘jobs’ they held as they were traveling by train as children to get from city to city.
I’ve talked about the benefits of traditional search. There are also a variety of other ways to reach your consumers. Consumers today are much more savvy and have a larger appetite for content via a variety of formats. Look at the success of YouTube!
One option to try according to eMarketer is Video. In their article ‘Retailers Take Note: Video Sells!’, “Among the benefits of videos touted by Web retailers are a lower number of abandoned shopping carts, reduced return rates and higher sales,” says Jeffrey Grau, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report, Video Usage in E-Commerce: The Best Is Yet to Come. “And those are just some of the benefits.”
Click to view larger image.
3. Be willing to make that big bet
Jamal made the biggest bet of his life when he was willing to gamble away $10MM Rupees in order to double it. Jamal was willing to take a chance and risk an already sizeable amount of winnings to go onto gameshow history.
What will your big bet be?
