New Grande Guide to B2B Content Marketing Delivers Insights for Marketers

Content Marketing for B2B is quickly becoming one of the most important and effective methods for reaching buyers.  According to research by Junta 42/ContentMarketing Institute and MarketingProfs, the average company spends up to 26% on its content marketing efforts. A number that is much too large to be ignored.

Curious to know how content marketing is actually defined and what kinds of tactics fall under the content marketing umbrella? Be sure to read the latest Grande Guide titled The Grande Guide to B2B Content Marketing.  Authored by some of the greatest minds in content marketing including The Content Marketing Institute’s Joe Pullizzi and Eloqua’s VP of Content Marketing, Joe Chernov, in collaboration with CC Chapman and Ann Handley, co authors of the popular marketing book Content Rules.

The Guide touches on the ever-increasing number of ads that a person is exposed to in any given day (currently estimated at 5,000). And no, I am not kidding! Needless to say buyers (including you and me) have tuned out marketing messages. Businesses today must react by reaching buyers in different, more effective ways.  How can marketers today reach these elusive buyers? If you guessed content marketing you guessed right.

The Guide is full of fundamentals to get you up to speed quickly on the art and science of content marketing including the various kinds of content you can create to market your company, examples and methods of measuring success. To view the guide, click on the link below. 

http://www.slideshare.net/Eloqua/grande-guide-b2bcontentmarketing

Have you been successful in using content marketing? If so, please share your tips!

Online Display Ad Spending Rises, Metrics Need to Catch Up

According to data from eMarketer, U.S. online display ad spending is estimated to reach just under $22 billion by 2015. The 2010 spend was $9.91 million so we can see that the projected spend more than doubles in the next five years. If these figures are correct, display advertising will also overtake search spending.

Much of this growth in online advertising is attributable to online video ad spending, which grew 52 percent from 2010-2011 alone.

As advertising spends online continue to rise, digital marketers must get beyond the basic metrics like CTR and really be analyzing engagement metrics such as time-spent on ad views. Also understanding the correlation between social and online display advertising is becoming more important for seeing the full picture of display ad performance.

What metrics do you evaluate for online display advertising?

Branding Gone Bad - Abercrombie Offers to Payoff Jersey Shore Star

Just how far will a company go to preserve its brand integrity? Just ask upscale clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch (also affectionately referred to as A&F). Obviously famous people that associate themselves with a specific brand can have an impact on that brand's image and ultimately sales. Still, I have never heard of a clothing company offering to pay someone "not" to wear its brand as is the case with A&F executives offering to pay Jersey Shore star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino.

In a public statement released yesterday, A&F expressed a deep concern over the association with the Jersey Shore star and the A&F brand. They offered up what is described as a substantial payment to the star to wear an alternative brand. Wow! I don't know what to say. Good for them or what were they thinking? Here are my thoughts on the impact of this action by A&F below:

• First and foremost they have drawn attention to the situation (no pun intended).  I myself am an A&F customer for casual attire and had no idea that someone from Jersey Shore was wearing the brand because I do not watch the show, nor do I care what anyone from the show does let alone wears.
• A&F may have alienated a large group of their target audience (largely teens and young adults who watch the show on MTV). Whether this is their target demo or not this could likely hurt sales at least in the short-term as show loyalists react to the news. 
• My guess here is that some other brand like American Eagle will catch wind of this and offer to pay the Jersey shore star or whole cast to wear its line of clothing, realizing the potential lift in sales.

So I am curious to see how this unravels. Of course "The Situation" is now even more famous than he was before, which sortof backfired for A&F I think. Don't they realize that even bad publicity is good for brands - or was this public statement some sort of attempt at that on their part? Makes me wonder. Perhaps this was even a planned event concocted by some fancy New York PR agency. What are your thoughts? 

Justin Timberlake Invests in MySpace Purchase

He brought sexy back but can he bring MySpace back? That's the $35 million dollar question. Specific Media has confirmed Justin Timberlake's involvement in the purchase of the former social media giant.  According to Specific Media, Timberlake will also be involved in the plans for revamping the network.

The new vision for the MySpace network will be announced later this summer in an exclusive press conference.  Until then, Specific Media says that MySpace will become the premiere digital destination for original shows, video content and music.

Timberlake has been involved in other business ventures past and I think buying into MySpace, a social network most closely aligned with music and concerts is a good strategic move for someone as knowledgeable about the music business as he is. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for MySpace.

Most Popular Social Sites for Sharing Content

According to a recent study by social sharing company ShareThis, in which the content sharing habits of some 300 million+ users were studied, it was noted that Facebook largely dominates the sharing space with 56% of all shared content originating with Facebook as compared with Twitter at 8%.

Not surprising because the Twitter universe is so much smaller than Facebook.

New Cheech & Chong Shoe Intersects Brand and Culture for Nike

We all know Nike. It's one of those ubiquitous brands that transcends race, gender, class, age or sport.  From the Michael Jordan basketball ads of yesterday to the simple "Just do it" branding ads aimed at encouraging people to be active, Nike advertising consistently delivers on passion and emotion - connecting imagery and icons with ease.

Just how far will Nike go to connect with its potential customers is evidenced with its new Nike SB Dunk High 420 Cheech & Chong shoe, a skateboarding shoe with a lot of hype around it and rightfully so.  From the name itself to the marijuana-green laces, this is a shoe that is obviously designed to attract some attention. Sources say Nike plans to produce just 1,000 pairs of the Cheech & Chong shoes -  certainly driving the cost demand for such a product through the roof. Some similar niche shoes created by Nike in the past have commanded hundreds of dollars.

I'm interested in your opinion here. Should Nike, a global brand representing athletes in virtually every sport on the planet be promoting a shoe so obviously associated with smoking pot? Personal views aside, isn't this product a little skewed from Nike's inspirational, encouraging "Just do it" tagline? That is unless Just do it also embodies the meaning of Just do drugs. So please share your thoughts: is this a harmless campaign aimed at connecting Nike with pot-smoking skateboarding aficianadios or a campaign that advocates pot-smoking among young adults, who are generally the individuals into skate-boarding?

Starbucks Shows Simplicity Prevails in New Logo

When I first heard that Starbucks was launching a new logo I was surprised. Why would a brand as ubiquitous as Starbucks feel the need to update a logo that has so clearly been part of its success?  Perhaps you had the same thought. Imagine for a moment if you will that Nike had decided to revamp its swoosh? Why mess with something that works?

But then again I suppose all things evolve, logos included.  You'll see in the illustration to the right that the new Starbucks logo is more of a lineart version without the Starbucks Coffee name on it. From a branding standpoint this seems silly to me. When does a company ever want to use just a symbol to market itself versus its name? Sure many Starbucks fans may be able to spot the logo and render what it it - but what about the rest of the population? If they were not aware of or a customer of Starbucks before the new logo how will this convince them?

I completely understand and support the concept of simplicity but personally, I think they should have kept Starbucks Coffee in the logo and just evolved the artwork as they have done in the past. What are your thoughts?

Interesting Social Media Poll Results

There is so much information available on social media - albeit much of it useless.  I get excited whenever I come across actual data that substantiates using social as part of an overall business marketing strategy.  That being said, I am really happy to see that SmartBrief is polling users about their thoughts, feelings and opinions about social - because this is information we marketers can actually use to make decisions!

An interesting poll I saw posted this past week asked readers to select what causes them to unfollow an individual or business on social networks.  While some of the results were predictable others were insightful.

The single most important reason for unfollowing a person or business was that "Their over-communication gets overwhelming" (about 51% had this answer).  Additional answers were as follows:

• The person or business does not add value to my day with their irrelevant postings (33%)
• They only talk about themselves or act irresponsibly toward their audience (10%)
• They rarely communicate or update their networks (3%)
• They're not open to feedback, dialogue or user-generated content (3%)

What I take from this from a personal and professional level is to communicate daily with a reasonable amount of updates based on the network. Twitter for example is a content sharing network so posting 5, 10 or even 20x a day is acceptable if it is relevant and useful to your followers. On Facebook or LinkedIn, that many updates would annoy people and possibly cause them to unfollow.  

Also, be relevant! It's okay to post updates about what you're eating if you're a person but a business should refrain from such updates...unless your business is related to food. Make sense?

Finally, don't just talk about yourself.  Share and engage in dialogue. That is why people are so enamored with social media afterall. We are social beings. So be social and keep it responsible and you'll be on your way to realizing the value that this media generates.

Online Banner Ad Performance Declines

According to a new report released by MediaMind, average click-through rates on global banner advertising remains flat at 0.09%.  In the report titled "Standard Banners-Non-Standard Results", billions of ad impressions were examined over a two-year period. The report indicated that the use of standard web banners today does not equal the results of previous years, when online advertising was in its infancy. 

Better click-through results can be achieved today through the use of more sophisticated ads including rich media, video and flash.  Once a new media is no longer new we tend to tune it out. When this happens marketers have to look for more innovative ways of cutting through the clutter of the online advertising environment.

The Demise of the Lebron James Brand

Can the brand of a sports superstar be destroyed in one hour? One only has to look at Lebron James to answer that question.  He went from being the golden boy of basketball to being considered by many as a quitter and traitor.  He promised Cleveland a championship and he delivered an empty promise. Fans may have overlooked his decision to leave had it been delivered in a more respectful way.

The new Nike campaign that recaps Lebron's "decision" does nothing to reposition Lebron.  In fact his commercial just makes us Clevelanders relive the disappointment we felt just a few months ago when Lebron stuck it to us. Below you can see Cleveland's response to the new Lebron spot.  Really Lebron? Really Nike? Do you think you can rebuild the Lebron brand to what it was before the "decision". Good luck with that and if I were you I wouldn't count on the support of Northeast Ohio.

Political Advertising aka "Badvertising"

It happens every time an election approaches (especially a key election). Political candidates vie for their positions and the rest of us non-political beings are subjected to some of the worst advertising known to man. Something I like to call "badvertising".  Badvertising is advertising gone wrong. The sad part is that these ridiculous ads are often effective at getting peoples' attention. The fact that they are so bad leads people to remember them and make fun of them and they succeed in getting their message out albeit in a bad way.

This morning I shared a link on Twitter to Adweek's blog Adfreak.com called Election 2010: The 10 Freakiest Campaign Ads. You can read their whole article here http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/the-freakiest-campaign-ads-of-2010/.  It is worth viewing if like me you enjoy making fun of badvertising.

I wanted to share with you one exceptionally bad political ad. Now I am all for hip-hop music. On my running playlist you will find everything from Beastie Boys to Jay-z to Little Wayne. That being said, using a very poorly produced hip-hop video in a political ad campaign is strongly discouraged!




If you're thinking about running for office I applaud you for wanting to get involved! We need good people in office! But I ask you to PLEASE have some dignity and use a professional advertising agency or marketing professional to develop your campaign.

Biggest Brands of Halloween 2010

Yay, it's that time of the year again! You know - late October! Who doesn't love making a complete fool of themselves dressing up for Halloween? It could be the most fun holiday of the year...at least in my opinion.  

It's big business too! According to the National Retail Federation, the average American consumer is estimated to spend $66.28 on their costumes, candy and decorations. This is an 18% increase over 2009. Industry experts feel the increase is likely due to the down economy and consumers wanting to spend a little and have fun this Halloween.

So let's take a look at the biggest brands of Halloween for 2010. Are you ready?

• Lady Gaga - no surprise here as she had a very successful year including a highly-publicized tour.

• Jersey Shore - as if it is not bad enough to just watch the show (which btw is a complete and udder train-wreck albeit one that is hard to not watch), tons of people will be dressing up this year as the crew's Pauly D, Mike the Situation, Snooki, etc.

• Avatar - of course the biggest movie of the year would make the list.

• Other popular movie characters this year include Alice in Wonderland and Toy Story.

• 1980s retro - the 80s are coming back all-around and Halloween is no exception as many people will take this trend over the top with funny hair and clothes.

• The Old Spice Guy - one of the advertising industry's most popular campaigns will come to life with guys dressing up as the guy on the horse.

• Twilight - this one along with vampires in general will be big because lucky us, the whole vamp lit trend continues.

• Horror movie villians - there will be no shortage of Michael Myers, Freddie Krueggers and their other creepy counterparts.

• Funny couple costumes including my new favorite the Plug + Socket.

So there you have it. If you still haven't decided what to be you can opt for one of these popular Halloween Brands. Go ahead, we won't judge you if you dress up as Snooki or Pauly D (snickering). Want to add some good ones to the list? Leave your comments!

Branding Lessons: The Gap Logo

Branding is a complex process for any organization - especially when you're a large, national clothing chain such as The Gap.  Updating a brand requires considerable planning and a strong and strategic implementation. Can some please explain that to The Gap?

Some of you probably saw or heard about the new Gap logo unveiled via social media last week.  At the time I'm sure Gap's marketing execs thought it would be a great idea to use crowd sourcing to have Gap fans come up with a new logo.   As one might expect, the Gap logo redesign "contest" garnered a significant amount of interest from Gap fans, marketing execs, designers, wannabe marketers, wannabe designers, media and social media professionals.

Most people weren't sure why The Gap was changing its logo and why a professional agency wasn't used as opposed to the weak idea of using crowd sourcing for such an important business decision.  A lot of people just made fun of the new logo and the method it was developed.

When a company doesn't approach branding strategically, problems are likely to arise.  Take for example the backlash that The Gap has been enduring since last week.  Already Gap has announced it will stay with its original logo -- proving that the decision to crowd source a new brand identity is not a good one.

I'm curious would you consider crowd sourcing for your company or personal brand? Did you like the newly designed Gap logo or think returning to the classic logo was the right decision?

Sherwin Williams "Bees" Commercial Showcases the Fun of Choosing Paint

I really like the new Sherwin Williams Commercial! The idea of the bees decorating their hive with color is a cute analogy of people redecorating their homes with paint. The use of color is clever and fun. The music is hip and whimsical. Overall I think the commercial has a simple, feel good vibe to it that positions Sherwin in a positive light to consumers.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Today...Corn Sugar Tomorrow?

The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to allow manufacturers to use the term "corn sugar" instead of the now mandated "high fructose corn syrup" on ingredient lists, which has received a great deal of negative publicity in recent years.

According to CRA, research indicates that consumers are confused by labeling. Although regular sugar and high fructose corn syrup have the same amount of fructose, nearly 58 percent of consumers believe that high fructose corn syrup has more and is a less healthy ingredient than regular sugar.

From a branding standpoint this is an interesting case of a product (in this case an ingredient) having a negative perception based on consumer perceptions - although it really is not as bad as people perceive. 

Is Facebook the New Email?

It's interesting how many of us are connected to Facebook for all or most of the day. Of course that does not mean that we're just sitting around Facebooking and nothing else. Most of us are working or doing something else while on Facebook.

In a report by Morpace Omnibus about Multitasking while on Facebook, users indicated they are typically doing other tasks while using Facebook.

The survey used to compile the report asked facebook users to select the other activities they engage in while using Facebook. The results were as follows:

• 68% check email
• 55% search the Internet
• 47% watch TV
• 35% listen to music
• 29% talk on the phone
• 24% shop or do research

This got me thinking. Is Facebook the new email? We're always connected to it online, on our mobile phones, etc just as we are with email. And to take it a step further, in younger generations like my daughter's, they don't even use email anymore. They use Facebook to communicate with their peers. Interesting

Facebook Ad Sales Growing

According to a new estimate from eMarketer, Facebook ad sales will reach $1.2 billion in global advertising this year. That is nearly double the $665 million in ad sales the social media giant realized last year.

While the growth in ad sales may not surprise marketers, what is surprising is the segment attributing to much of that growth - Facebook's self-serve ad platform, which caters to local advertisers who have gotten away from the old tried and true yellow pages listings. eMarketer estimates that self-serve ads represent around half of Facebook's ad revenues. The other half is from display advertising.

I would expect to see ad spending increase on Facebook for the next couple of years as more companies - especially retail begin to focus more of their media spend on social networks as opposed to television networks and some of the more traditional media. Gap's fall campaign last year is a great example of this shift from traditional channels to social media channels (Facebook and YouTube).

Brand Loyalty is a lot like Love

Most of us have certain brands that we are loyal to. This got me thinking tonight that being loyal to a brand is a lot like loving someone. You start out slow to see if things are going to work and as things progress and trust is built you become loyal to the one you love. And so it is with brands.

For example if you ask any Apple fan to explain to you their loyalty you will quickly see their loving emotions evoked. Other strong brands that often build loyalty include Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Nike, Blackberry, Ford, Chevy, VW or just about any car brand, Trek or Specialized or Cannondale road bikes, Garmin, Gatorade, Grey Goose vodka, etc. I could go on and on but you see where I'm going with this.

So the question is do you love the brand you're with or try something new from time to time? The brands hope you remain loyal but just as people sour on relationships so to do brand ambassadors abandon ship sometimes. How do brands ensure their loyal customers stay loyal? As with love the best they can do is treat people well, meet their expectations and continue to provide quality and innovation in product or service.

Online Video Continues to Grow

Want proof that online videos are a good idea for promoting your business, product or service? According to the latest data released from Nielsen concerning June 2010, online video consumption was up 1.3% over June of last year and 4% over last month. That's more than 10 billion videos being streamed within a month!

Additionally average time spent watching video is up 3.1% over June of last year and 2.5% over May - showing that users are watching more intently.

Of course YouTube is the top channel for online video but others following in unique users for June after YouTube were Yahoo, Facebook, Microsoft Sites, Google and Hulu.

It's important to assess where your audience is before selecting specific marketing tactics but if you're audience includes web-savvy teens and adults you will certainly want to consider online video as part of your overall marketing effort.

Imagine Your GPS with the Voice of Yoda! Too Cool!

How cool do you think it would be to drive along and listen to Yoda tell you to hang a left at the next light? Pretty cool, huh? Well TomTom thinks so. I think their new commercial featuring Yoda is fun and will be a good candidate for going viral.