GEN WOW: The Latest In Digital Marketing, from the Author of BRANDING UNBOUND, and THE ON-DEMAND BRAND

Study: Female Shoppers Influenced By Social Networking

Most women in the united states now use social networking sites - and 50% of them say this involvement influences their shopping habits, according to the SheSpeaks Second Annual Media Study.

Facebook appears to be the most popular of the sites for women, while MySpace has plummeted in popularity - down 33% in one year. Twitter..exists..with 38% participation, v. a full 95% for Facebook.

Apparently, 50% of female social media users say they have purchased products based on reviews and information on soc-nets, and 40% say they have used coupon codes found there. 

Put it all together and you understand why gift retailer 1-800-Flowers has flocked to Facebook, is now plunging into actual e-commerce via soc-nets, instead of relying on links directly to its website.

Get the full scoop from MarketingVox, here.

In my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND (April 2010, AMACOM BOOKS), I look at some of these dynamics, and how they've driven soc-net based offerings from the likes of Sephora. Check it out, here.

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Secret To Successful Facebook Fan Pages? Pre-Existing Popularity

Flying in the face of regular-joe-makes-good-with-social-networking mythos, E-Consultancy is reporting that well-known, established brands get the most out of venues like Facebook, not upstarts.

Just look at The Big Money's Facebook 50 ranking from the other day. According to analytics firm Sysomos, the vast bulk of branded fan pages have between 10 and 1,000 fans. Only 4% of fan pages have more than 10,000 fans, and less than 1/20th of a percent have more than a million fans - and they're brands like Coca-Cola and Starbucks. 

In my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND (Amacom/McGraw-Hill, Spring 2010), I posit that this dynamic holds sway in most forms of digital media, by the way. Viral videos rarely go viral on their own. The biggest sensations usually (not always, but usually) stem from established affinities or are promoted heavily in other media - especially traditional media. Ditto for social networking, branded games, augmented reality and more.

Read more about the book here.

And read the E-Consultancy piece here.

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Cyber Monday Sales Jump 20%; Mobile Payment In-Store Jumps 650%

The lowdown:

According to MSNBC, sales for Cyber Monday (otherwise known as "the first day back at your desk at work after Thanksgiving) surged 20% year of year.

This comes amid word that physical store sales burped up 0.9% - which, all things considered, is a sigh of relief.

Among the more interesting data points: Mobile payment in physical stores surged 650%.

Key takeaway: Smart retailers are going to bridge the digital-physical world gap. And if you want to get a sneak peak at how they're doing that, check out my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND (Spring 2010, Amacom/McGraw-Hill).

Read more on Cyber Monday sales, here.

And read more about mobile payments on Black Friday, here.

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Study: Recession-Scarred Consumer Landscape Sees Four Distinct Consumer Segments Emerge

A research firm says it has identified four distinct consumer groups emerging from the Great Recession.

Chatham, N.J.-based Decitica says a new study titled "Marketing to the Post-Recession Consumer" finds that the economic downturn has redrawn the American consumer map into four groups:

Steadfast Frugalists
Steadfast Frugalists are committed to self-restraint, engaging in prudence with unequivocal enthusiasm. They make up about one-fifth of American consumer, representing all income and age groups. "Marketers will find this group to be the most challenging, as they are the least brand loyal and most likely to discount marketing messages," notes Dr. Val Srinivas, principal at Decitica, in a statement

Eighty-percent of Steadfast Frugalists say the new behaviors they have adopted will likely stay with them for a long time.

Involuntary Penny-Pinchers
Involuntary Penny-Pinchers, about twenty-nine percent of the population, have been severely affected by the recession. They are mainly made up of households with less than $50,000 in income, with more women than men. 

Pragmatic Spenders
"Pragmatic Spenders are the most attractive group for marketers because of their higher spending power," says Dr. Val Srinivas. "While it is true that they have also curbed their spending, they are the most capable, both psychologically and financially, to willfully resurrect their past spending patterns," he added. This group comprises twenty-nine percent of consumers.

Income has blunted the effects of the recession on this segment. Only twenty-eight percent of Pragmatic Spenders feel the recession has changed what and how they will buy in the future.

Apathetic Materialists
Apathetic Materialists seem least changed by the recession. They have not embraced the new frugality to the same extent as others, and get minimal satisfaction from such behaviors. Only about six percent in this group find price comparison to be satisfying, in contrast to eighty-five percent in the Steadfast Frugalists camp.

I haven't had time to dig into this yet, but it does sound interesting. On its surface, I am skeptical about some facets of the study. These four groups represent just about everyone in any economic environment, so it's not clear how the Great Recession has done anything more than solidify pre-existing behaviors for all those but the involuntary penny-pinchers, the ranks of which, no doubt, have swelled over the last two years.

But still - an interesting look at the consumer mindset as we dig our way out of a giant mess.

Read more, here.

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Why The DVR Didn't Kill The Television Star (Or Its Sponsors)

  Turns out the dreaded DVR hasn't been as deleterious to TV commercials as once feared.

Today's New York Times has shown that Nielsen studies show the DVR users sit through far more commercials than we once thought - and that when DVR viewership is weighed into original airing ratings, some shows see a significant ratings boost. DVR viewings of "The Office," for instance, boosts that show's ratings by 26%.

More amazing: 50% of viewers sit through the commercials.

Why? As Brad Adgate, the senior vice president for research at Horizon Media, tells the Times, "It's still a passive activity."

Sure sounds like it (though I only watch until I realize I'm watching a commercial, and then I fast forward)

Read more here.

(Separately, and a little more sadly, it turns out that despite all the presumed competition from video games and what not, children are watching more TV than ever - including 50% of the commercials they view on recorded shows, according to a separate Nielsen study.)

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Back from Digital Hollywood

Just don't call us the Digital Hollywood Squares.

I was in Santa Monica this week to participate in a panel discussion on games as an advertising and marketing platform for entertainment and consumer products brands.

It was a lively discussion with executives from several of the online and mobile gaming outfits, and hosted by James Green, CEO of Giant Realm. Great group of people, and an interesting debate.

Some really intelligent (and funny) people aboard - which made it feel like a game show.

Peter Marshall, eat your heart out.

Read more, here.

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See Rick at DTC Fall Conference: Top Digital Marketing Trends for Pharma Marketing in 2010

DTC's is having a decidedly tough year, what with the economy, reform measures like the "Just Say No To Drug Ads Act" and other reform measures, and new FTC rulings of search engine marketing and social networking.

So on Thursday, I'm going to be addressing the second day of the Fall DTC conference on ways to leverage the power of digital to reach consumers in amazing new (and highly ethical) ways.

This is the second time the conference has asked me to speak, and if it's anything like last time, it should be a lot of fun. Read more about the conference, here. 

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First Look: The Cover of My New Book, 'The On-Demand Brand'

Forgot to mention that during my speaking engagement at the Global Retail Executive Council at CTIA this week, I was able to share the first glimpse of the cover art for my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND (Amacom/McGraw-Hill, Spring, 2009). Be sure to read all about the book, here. 

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Survey: Most Americans Oppose Targeted Online Ads

It seems we're not that into a personally relevant advertising after all - at least if it comes at the expense of privacy.

According to findings from a new survey from the University of Pennsylvania and UC Berkley, finds two-thirds of Americans object to online tracking by advertisers - and the number skyrockets when they're told just how advertisers do it. And 92% say web sites and advertising companies should be required to delete all information about an individual on request.

Interestingly, the questions get different responses depending on what you ask. Do you want to be shown ads tailed to your interests? 67% say no. But discounts tailed to your interest? The majority of 18- to 49-year-olds say yes. Given that a lot of ads are designed to tout special offers and discounts, the data gets a little murky.

Still: the ability to track and target ads at users based on their age, gender, geographic location, profession, personal interests, online surfing activities, past purchase behavior, credit score and even prescription drug history is enough to given anyone the willies.

In my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, I look at the issue, and how most companies actually use tracking info to build profiles of users, instead of actually targeting specific individuals. Data is not usually personally identifiable. But I'm not sure anyone cares. Data that is collected can be misused - maybe not by Google or Yahoo or Facebook, but by someone - big brother or small brother (a stalker or criminals, for instance).

As a society, we will need to make decisions on how best to balance commercial interests and personal privacy.

According to at least one study, American seem to understand just what side of the argument they stand on.

Read more, here.

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Study: Interactive Advertising To Top $147 Billion Worldwide By 2012

That's pretty small compared to the $600 billion spent for all forms of advertising in 2007, according to research firm Kelsey Group.

But when you look at that 2012 benchmark, the firm says, interactive will grow at a 23.4 compound annual growth rate (CAGR), while advertising in general will grow just 2.7% CAGR to reach $707 billion in 2012.

"It's no surprise that the global advertising industry is experiencing a full-scale shift to mixed-media platforms, with interactive driving a significant share of overall industry growth," says Matt Booth, senior vice president, Interactive Local Media, The Kelsey Group. "We see Internet development-including increased subscriber/user access and broadband penetration-as a driver of both interactive advertising revenue as well as migration of traditional ad spending to new media platforms."

Interactive advertising, which comprises search (including local search), display advertising, classifieds and other interactive ad products, grew its share of global advertising revenues from 6.1 percent in 2006 to 7.4 percent in 2007. By 2012 Kelsey Group analysts expect the interactive share of global ad spending will reach 21 percent.

During the forecast period (2007-2012), the United States will see interactive advertising revenues grow from US$22.5 billion to US$62.4 billion (22.6 percent CAGR).

Couple of notes: Mobile is not included in any of these forecasts, which would cause upward pressure on interactive ad spend.

Read more about it, here.

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New York Times: The Web Is Really Ruled By Girls

That image of the geeky young web surfing dude is decidedly out of date.

Turns out girl power rules in the online world.

The New York Times is reporting that new research shows that among the youngest Internet users, the primary creators of Web content - blogs, graphics, photographs, websites - are digitally dexterous teenage girls.

In fact, the Pew Internet & American Life Project recently found that among Web users ages 12 to 17, significantly more girls than boys blog (35 percent of girls compared with 20 percent of boys) and create or work on their own Web pages (32 percent of girls compared with 22 percent of boys).

Ditto for building or working on Web sites for other people and creating profiles on social networking sites (70 percent of girls 15 to 17 have one, versus 57 percent of boys 15 to 17). Video posting was the sole area in which boys outdid girls: boys are almost twice as likely as girls to post video files.

This, of course, could have seismic implications for marketers trying to reach the digerati's youth contingent - a group that exists in the minds of most as being more male.

In a lot of popular marketing today, this cohort is also somehow equated with extreme sports.

Will the way we craft marketing communications aimed at the young and online change because of these findings? Should it?

Maybe, or maybe not. If you're selling female oriented products, the research tells you blogs and more social venues are the way to go, while products aimed at boys may leverage more linear (ie video), more viral, and generally more exhibitionist fare.

Come to think of it, maybe the research isn't that surprising after all.

Read the times, here.

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comScore Study Reveals Who Clicks on Banner Ads

A new study from comScore reveals that just 6% of all Internet users account for 50% of all display ad clicks.

What's more, these "natural born clickers" "skew towards Internet users between the ages of 25-44 and households with an income under $40,000."

Unfortunately, their online spending isn't proportionate to all that clicking - which means they dramatically distort the performance metrics of online ad campaigns.

Read it and weep, here.

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Study: Advergaming, Webisodes To See Double-Digit Growth

Branded entertainment is where it's at.

Ad Age is reporting that a new study from PQ Media indicates branded entertainment through initiatives like advergaming, webisodes and mobisodes will continue to see double-digit growth through 2012 - and reach $40 billion a year in that time frame.

"The overall trend is movement away from traditional advertising -- that is to say in broadcast television, radio, etc. They are all experiencing low single-digit growth, and with things like the writers strike, brands have definitely been looking elsewhere," says Patrick Quinn, president-CEO, PQ Media. "A lot of these alternative mediums are entertaining by nature, and therefore create powerful impressions on consumers. Brand recall on [them] has been much higher than the traditional 30-second spot. In the long run, they will come to play a more important role."

Indeed, as marketing venues, these seem so much more engaging than traditional media. And before I jump on the "TV's dead" bandwagon, I do want to say that marketers need to walk a fine line here.

It's not just about integrating things like advergames and webisodes into the marketing mix. It's making them the pay off to the marketing mix. Traditional media is good at sparking awareness, and these kinds of initiatives are good at taking the consumer to the next step in possibly sampling a product or accepting, and even seeking out, a brand.

On the complete other hand, however, it bears pointing out that these kinds of activities are also already being overvalued. The last click is valued more than all the other activities that got the consumer to that point, mostly because traditional is hard to measure.

Integration really is the name of the game, and all activities build out the brand presence.

Traditional's not dead. In fact, it's evolving into something more powerful - as the activation point to richer, fuller experiences in the digital realm.

Experiences that, let's not forget, are only useful if they are able to get consumers closer to a sale.

Read the Ad Age piece, here.

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Your 'Gen Wow' Poll Vote: This Election Year's Movie Title is 'No Country For Old Men'

We had to ask, and now the results are coming in.

The Gen Wow Poll (in the blog's far right column) asks, "Which current movie titles best describe this year's presidential election. Through Wednesday, survey says:

No Country for Old Men:   36.4%

Fool's Gold: 27.3%

Mad Money: 18.2%

Over Her Dead Body: 9.1%

National Treasure: Book of Secrets: 9.1%

There Will Be Blood/Jumper/Juno/27 Dresses: 0%

If I remember correctly, the poll closes Friday (Feb 15). So vote early and often, and I'll give final results next week.

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'Online At Work' Could Be A Key Audience for Advertisers

And I'm not just talking about B2B or business-related advertising.

According to new research, office workers are spending a sizable amount of time online doing non-work related things - shopping or consuming content, for instance. They key: In a recent study of 11,500 consumers, 33.1% of those making over $100,000 say work is the primary place they go online - a major departure from most demo profiles.

Read more, here.

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Gen Wow Live: 'Brilliant!'

Received this nice testimonial blurb from my recent presentation to direct-to-consumer (DC) pharmaceutical marketers, on my projections for the five most important digital marketing trends in 2008. It's always nice to hear compliments like this!

“Brilliant! One of our top-ranked speakers! Your insights on how marketers can capitalize on digital were clear and compelling – and provided our attendees with more than a few great ideas they could put into action the moment they returned to their offices. We’d have you back any time.”

Hellen Spanjer
COO
“DTC In The Age of Innovation” Conference

To see what others are saying about recent Gen Wow speaking engagements, click here.

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ADWEEK: First Ever Study on 'Experiential Marketing' - Including What It Means

For such a common term, it's a safe bet most of us couldn't define exactly what constitutes "experiential branding," how do do it.

Until now.

ADWEEK is reporting that a new survey conducted with an organization called the Experiential Marketing Forum (or EMF), for the first ever survey to "gauge the methods and frequency in which marketing and advertising professionals use experiential marketing as a meaningful branding device."

Key findings include:

What Experiential Marketing Means: Advertising and marketing professionals are consistent in their association of experiential marketing with the words, “sensory experience,"  “interaction” and “relationship.” More than half of the participants also selected the word “memories.”

How It’s Being Used: Approximately one-third of the respondents said they consider experiential marketing to be the “lifeblood” and the core of their organizations—used to build relationships, engage prospects, stimulate trial and create buzz.

What It Delivers: The vast majority of professionals indicate that “engagement” is the strongest suit of experiential marketing, delivering results such as loyalty, relevance, attention, emotion, memories, trust and product desire.

“Experiential marketing is fast becoming the clear differentiator for success in both the advertising industry and with its customers,” explains Erik Hauser, founder and director of the EMF, in a statement. “It’s the methodology of choice for smart marketers in a fragmented marketplace going through seismic changes.”

To get the full story, check out the Nov. 5 issue of ADWEEK. Or check out the EMF site at: www.experientialforum.com

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Hybrid Drivers: Not Who You Think They Are

It turns out hybrid owners want to save green all right - just not the kind you thought.

Citing stats from Autobytel.com, Reader's Digest (by way of the New York Times) is reporting that when it comes to hybrid owners,:

• 40% are Republican, 36% are Democrats

• 31% are in the Northeast and 21% are in the Midwest. Just 16% live on the West Coast

• 47% are over the age of 45

• A full 49% don't have a college degree, and 35% earn less than $40,000 per year

Actually, if you think about it, it makes some sense. There probably aren't as many environmentally-conscious "liberals" ready to buy a hybrid than there are pocketbook-conscious "conservatives" looking to save on gas.

Still - a mind bender, no doubt, for many.

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Study: Social Networking Reaches Nearly All Teens & 'Tweens

Call it "Where the Boys (and Girls) Are, 2007."

A new study from youth-oriented ad agency Alloy Marketing finds that a full 96% of online teens and 'tweens connect to a social network - MySpace, Second Life, Friendster, Bebo or otherwise - at least once per week, according to Advertising Age.

What's more, nearly half interacted with a brand in the space in the past month.

The study was commissioned by Grunwald  Associates  in an effort to ID  best practices for marketing to generation wow. If there was a theme to responses in the study, it was the usual:

"The operative distinction they're making is: 'Do not interrupt me en route to a connection with one of my peers or in the midst of a conversation,'" Alloy exec VP Samantha Skey tells the pub. "They're saying: 'Enhance or facilitate my social-networking experience. Offer me utilities to enhance my production process or tools to help me better able to express or engage myself.'"

Apparently this translates into a need to offer freebies like utilities, cool downloads, exclusive content or other items of interest to kids.

Which is all fine and good, and most assuredly true. But isn't it also true of any age, not just teens and 'tweens? Is there some cohort out there that loves advertising and enjoys being interrupted? Is there some consumer segment that doesn't like cool schwag? Interchange "Gen Y" with "Gen X" 10 years ago,and you could have said the exact same thing.

Generation wow isn't a demographic. It's a  psychographic, a mindset.

The study also found social networking is approaching parity with TV time among 9- to 17-year-olds. And when kids are multitasking, they're four times more likely to pay closer attention to whatever they're doing online than to whatever they're watching on the tube.

I would be hard pressed to find anyone of any age with which that's not true.

The net-net: Brands need to be looking at this stuff for all customer segments. Alloy would argue that it's especially true with the young, and they would get no argument from me. My point is that no matter their customer, all brands need to be embracing and capitalizing on digital, before the members of Generation Wow - no matter their age - seriously tune them out.

Read the full Ad Age report, here (sub. req.)

 

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Today's Gamer: Not Who You Think It Is

You think you know gamers? Think again.

Ad Age has an interesting piece on a new report from NPD titled "Online Gaming 2007: The Virtual Landscape."

Turns out that while console games remain the domain of the mostly young and mostly male, online gaming attracts all sorts.

Some stats:

• More than 42% of the total online gaming audience is female. They mostly play on PCs, instead of consoles, and they tend to go for card, puzzle and arcade games.

• Indeed, most gamers tend to play these casual games, not the massively multiplayer games that seem to get all the attention these days. The casual genre is the favorite of 44% of players, followed by family-entertainment at 25%. Those MMPG/MMRPGs? They're the favorite of just 19% of gamers.

• Gambling's also big. A full 17% of gamers say gambling and casino games are their favorites.

• Kids - and by this I mean those aged 6 to 12 - account for 20% of all online gamers. Scary, but true.

• Advertising-supported gaming models may prove most powerful. Turns out only about 1% of gamers trial and then buy a game online. It appears we want to play, but we want to play for free. Look for ad-supported games, advergaming and in-game advertising to play an increasingly important role in media buys aimed at gamers.

For more, click here.

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