Category Archives: channel marketing

How TV Ads Can Be Optimized for the New Consumer: Part 2

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In Part I of this 2-part article, I committed to analyze and critique real-life TV ads to see how they do at engaging me (and my many devices) while I watch TV in my living room. I did this exercise while watching NBC’s The Voice program during “blind auditions.” Yes, I’m addicted to this show, and yes it’s a guilty pleasure. Don’t judge!

I was analyzing these ads in a few different ways:

  • Frequency – Is the advertiser spending tons of money on a single campaign?
  • Call to action – Does a digital call to action exist? Is it explicit or implicit? Is it intuitive? Is it an engagement or a commerce CTA? (See Part I)
  • Landing page – How does the experience look and feel on my device of choice? Does it meet my expectations? Is it fast?
  • Multi-channel + Multi-device – Is the transition from channel to channel, and device to device, feel smooth and elegant (or disjointed and awkward)?

After reviewing my list of ads and evaluating some scenarios, I chose 3 ad campaigns as good examples that were either doing things well, doing things poorly, or both. Continue reading →

How TV Ads Can Be Optimized for the New Consumer: Part 1

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changing role of television in a multi-screen world

Image courtesy of the study "The New Multi-screen World," created by Google, Ipsos, and Sterling Brands

I recently read an interesting study, commissioned by Google, entitled “The New Multi-screen World: Understanding Cross-platform Consumer Behavior” [PDF here]. The research topic was broad, and several interesting theses were put forward by the researchers.

A few quick points of background on the study for those who haven’t/won’t read it:

  • 1,611 participants in 3 major US cities
  • 7,955 hours of digital activities logged
  • Text diaries, in-home interviews, and surveys were employed
  • Google partnered with Sterling Brands and Ipsos on the study

There were a few points in particular that resonated with me and inspired this post. So, as I go forward with my ideas, keep in mind that I’m not going to cover or summarize the entire study’s contents.

The first is that living rooms in the United States are essentially “multi-screen” now, meaning that it’s not just a TV anymore. It’s a TV, a smartphone, and quite often a laptop or tablet on the coffee table. This has advantages and disadvantages for those who’re trying to make profits off of television, but I believe that the living room is an exciting new playground for multichannel marketers. Continue reading →

Images Blocked Email of the Month: March 2012

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This happens to me SO often, and it drives me SO crazy, that I’m just going to have to do a monthly “wall of shame” series. I give you my first installment:

images blocked email exampleEmail marketers: Assume that your emails will be viewed with images blocked. Test your emails with images blocked. Put yourself in the recipients shoes, with images blocked, and ask: What’s in it for me?

Have some more atrocious/humorous examples? Email them to me at cro98102@gmail.com, and maybe I’ll put them in my ongoing “wall of shame”!

Lead Nurture Campaign Optimization: The Basics

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nurturing imageLead nurturing campaigns, generally delivered via automated series of emails, have long been an important part of online marketing in the B2B space. And for good reason–they are the best way to “nurture” a lead who isn’t ready to convert/buy by delivering timely messaging, helpful content, and repeated calls to engage with your business.

However, lead nurturing campaigns are often treated as “set it and forget it” initiatives, where less-than-ideal results are accepted as status quo for months or even years.

This is a shame, because like any marketing initiative, they can be improved using approaches that are being employed in website and landing page optimization. Continue reading →

F-Commerce Fails – The Hub Prevails

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Bloomberg recently published an article discussing household name brands that have shut down their Facebook stores due to under-performance. Retailers at Gamestop, Gap, J.C. Penney, and Nordstrom have all launched, and since abandoned, initiatives to sell through Facebook “tabs” as an e-commerce channel.

I can’t say I’m surprised by this data. The “F-commerce” model goes against a marketing concept that I believe in strongly: the “hub and spoke” model. Continue reading →