Sleeping at the Internet wheel
There seems to be a trend emerging wherein agencies and clients use new media and Web analytics to catch each other sleeping. It started with the Zappos agency review in July in which one respondent, Ignited, tracked Zappos’ review of its submission and found the company had spent fewer than 15 seconds per page viewing only five of the 25 pages submitted. Right, wrong or otherwise – as usual both sides have their story – the point is that Zappos was “found out” thanks to Google Analytics.
And just yesterday, Marty St. George, senior vice president of marketing and commercial at JetBlue, tweeted the following:
We're pitching our advertising AOR. Curious on digital savvy....first test is how many of the agencies will find me on twitter. #sneaky
10:57 AM Feb 17th from UberTwitter
I would look at these examples as an eye opener for parties on both sides – you better be on top of new media or it’s likely to bite you in the “you-know-what.” The hashtag #sneaky at the end of JetBlue’s tweet gives me a sense of the spirit in which it was done. But, for Ignited, I think it was a legitimate test to see if there was any valuable return on its hours of time invested.
Some follow-up tweets from JetBlue indicate the sneak attack may not have been as fun as initially thought, but it was a great wake-up call to agencies on the types of metrics some clients are beginning to use. No longer should we just view new media as a way to communicate, but realize that they’re also a way to track us, like a bloodhound. Sarbanes-Oxley would be proud – you can run, but you can’t hide.
As someone involved in business development, these tactics initially make me question the authenticity of a relationship we might be about to embark upon. If the client and/or agency is setting up “tests” for us to fail or pass and we don’t even know we’re being tested, it seems sneaky (no hashtag needed) to me – the wrong way to lay the foundation of a trusting relationship. Shouldn’t the quality of our work, the quality of our strategies speak volumes? Isn’t that what they are hiring us for?
The JetBlue example also feels arrogant. But even if I “passed” the test, found the tweet and presumably were as smart as the client, I’d constantly have to wonder what next test was being administered. Would I start to think up some of my own tests to get the upper hand (even if I never told the other party)? Wow, this could get interesting…
Tags: Twitter Trust strategy partnership trend newmedia
Did you like this post? Please share it:
 |  |  |  |
Email Post
Comments (0)
Fast food on trend in the new year
‘Tis the season to get skinny…and fast! The mother of all New Year’s resolutions didn’t disappoint in 2010, as “lose weight” tops the list again this year with 22 percent of consumers who made resolutions looking to shed some extra pounds.
Long on top of the weight-loss trend, fast food restaurants haven’t been shy about pushing lower-calorie/less-fat versions of their standard fare. This has been a boon for consumers who don’t want to make drastic changes to eating habits that may already include fast food indulgences. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, fast food diets can actually help some people lose weight, at least in the short term, if the products provide less fat, sugar, sodium and/or fewer calories.
The latest entrant into the fast-food diet wars is Taco Bell, who recently introduced its Drive-Thru Diet, featuring seven “Fresco” menu options with fewer than nine grams of fat. The campaign stars Christine, a woman who lost 54 lbs. in part by switching to Fresco menu items. Marketing is also supported by new media elements, including an online “Frescolution” pledge to eat less and exercise more, a Twitter contest and e-cards to invite friends to take the pledge. Taco Bell even joined forces with the NBA to promote the diet as part of a fit and healthy lifestyle.
The young campaign has already faced some harsh criticism, but by avoiding words like “healthy” or “weight loss,” Taco Bell is in the clear, at least from a legal standpoint. Marketing healthy foods or diets can be fraught with legal and ethical pitfalls. Below are some tips for authentically communicating your foods’ health messages:
- Provide the facts (even the less desirable ones): Your foods may be low in fat, but are they high in sodium? Let consumers know the whole health-related story. And be sure when using testimonials to provide your consumers with details about dietary and lifestyle habits outside of your diet.
- Avoid claims that aren’t substantiated with research: You could be opening yourself up to criticism, or even worse, liability if your claims are not founded on legitimate scientific research. Take the time to research your claims before slapping them on a Web site or billboard.
- Provide context: There’s no official definition of “health food,” so be careful if positioning foods as healthy vs. unhealthy. Instead, be upfront about the foods’ nutritional contents and how they vary from typical offerings.
- Engage a credible third party: Endorsement by a credible health expert can help communicate the real nutritional value of food offerings and convince skeptical consumers. Have a third-party expert serve as a spokesperson, or at least publicly sign-off on your products and promises, for your marketing campaign.
Tags: campaigns health nutrition trend food bestpractices
Did you like this post? Please share it:
| | | |
Email Post
Comments (0)
Digital Download
Your weekly glimpse into the world of new media
Mobile: Starbucks launches an iPhone app and outmaneuvers Dunkin’ by letting you actually pay for coffee with your phone. Mobile barcodes may be the next big marketing trend, as other retailers continue to experiment with them.
Experiential: To promote its Black Pepper Jack and Smoking Cheddar BBQ flavors, Doritos is brining back the Hotel 626 online fright fest – this time as Asylum 626 – to resurrect the retired flavors from the dead.
Social: Fast-casual TGI Friday’s new spokesperson is a lot more likeable than the chain expected. Its new Facebook campaign resulted in 500,000 friends in only six days.
Research: A new report from the e-Tailing Group finds five out of 10 social media tools have been adopted by more than 50 percent of brands and retailers.
Misstep: Google Gmail users were without access to their contacts while the search giant’s email platform suffered another outage.
Our favorite: The Starbucks iPhone app. Some day we’ll be able to run the whole world from our phones.
Tags: Facebook newmedia clients trend campaigns digitaldownload
Did you like this post? Please share it:
| | | |
Email Post
Comments (0)
Back-to-basics trend goes to the dogs
Does your dog have a better life than you? You buy him the latest designer duds and be-jeweled collars, you take him to the doggie day spa for some R & R, you sign him up for professional massages so he can work out all his stress. Puh-lease!
At a time when the Paris Hiltons of the world are toting their pooches around in Louis Vuitton handbags, Cone client ALPO® brand dog food is saying, “Get real!” It’s time to let dogs be dogs. This back-to-basics trend is building momentum as the economic realities of 2009 have many people calling for an end to gaudy displays of excess and a return to traditional, common sense values – even when it comes to our dogs.
According to an ALPO survey, pet parents are taking a simpler – and wallet-friendlier – approach to life with man’s best friend. When asked when their dog is happiest, 62 percent of owners say it is greeting them when they come home, being taken for a walk or a run (52%), receiving treats (48%), napping on the couch (32%) or chewing a bone (30%).
To celebrate the simple pleasures of just being a dog, ALPO is launching the ALPO Real Dogs Tell It Like It Is Contest. The national contest is searching for real dogs to share their stories about their favorite real dog behaviors, such as rolling in the mud, drooling for dinner or chasing a ball. Up to 20 winning “pawthors” will have their stories published in a first-of-its-kind “how-to” manual to help dogs be dogs.
Whether it's shopping at discount retailers, cooking more meals at home or letting dogs be dogs, consumers are simplifying their lives in an effort to focus on basic necessities. ALPO is leading the trend in the pet care industry allowing consumers to extend the back-to-basics mentality to their four-legged friends.
Tags: newmedia clients contest trend research
Did you like this post? Please share it:
| | | |
Email Post
Comments (0)
Home