Social Marketing Advertising

As a follow-up to my Punt, Pass, & Kick: Email, Mobile, & Social Misses at Super Bowl XLVII post yesterday, our incredibly talented design team has whipped up an infographic to capture just how few of the Super Bowl advertisers sought to drive viewers to engage on the web or via mobile and social channels. When viewed in this format, the missed opportunity is pretty striking.

One other quick thought...can we really even say that an advertisement is "social" if it just throws up a Facebook icon, Twitter icon, or hashtag without any further explanation? Should we be providing viewers with context ...

The Super Bowl was slightly different than last year for the city of Indianapolis. IN 2012, we were the host city and millions around the world watched what has become America's largest sport event. With that said, New Orleans was an excellent host city and we were excited to track the social media experience of the Super Bowl once again. 

This year we asked our partner, Visible Technologies, to help us track the social media conversation relating to the Social Super Bowl. Visible is the leader in social media monitoring, analytics, and services for enterprises globally. They are an...

Did you see that blackout last night?!?  No, not the one that stopped Super Bowl XLVII dead in its tracks for over 30 minutes.  I'm talking about the near total blackout of meaningful email, mobile, and social calls-to-action in the commercials that brands were rumored to pay nearly $4 million per 30 seconds.

In my previous post, Super Bowl, Super Audience Building, I shared that I was looking forward to more brands hopefully following Papa John's lead by using their $4 million ad spend to build and engage email, mobile, and/or social audiences. To say I was sorely disappointed would be an...

Twitter has already created a way for consumers to communicate their thoughts to followers within seconds. Now they have progressed to allow users to share visual information and sound to their followers at the same speed. Last Thursday, Twitter launched a short video creation and sharing app called Vine.

The Vine iPhone app allows users to share 6-second video clips, and many brands have already begun to take notice. Six seconds at a time, users can get a glimpse of what’s happening in the world, including what their favorite brands are up to. So how can your business benefit from Twitter’s...

If there was ever a sporting event that didn't need another pixel devoted to its promotion, it is the Super Bowl. From its humble beginnings in front of 62,000 fans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (100,000 capacity, mind you), the "Big Game" has ballooned into a worldwide phenomenon that commands $4 million per 30-second advertisement. Marketers, of course, watch from start to finish--not so much for the game, although it has been super of late--but for those advertisements.  And we in the digital marketing space have paid particular attention to see if and when brands would finally realize...

I had the pleasure of interviewing Matt Thomson, VP of business development and platform at Klout. During the interview, we talked about the future of marketing, influencer relationships, and social currency. There are many times when brands focus so much on lead generation and advertising that they forget the influencers within their community. 

The key to a successful social, mobile, and email strategy? Social engagement. Personalization. Influence. We are seeing a mobilizing base of influencers that is useful. How do brands get a better share of voice within the influencer community that...

Over the past couple of months, it seems the majority of buzz and conversation in our industry has been related to mobile. From our Inspired Marketing Predictions for 2013 to redefining strategy, everything is related to the idea of mobile becoming increasingly important to the strategy of every marketer... especially retail. I debated calling this blog post "The Power of Now," because frankly... we are dealing with the idea of now. 

Give me my product now.

Let me browse products now. 

I want pricing on your product (and all your competitors) now. 

Not long ago, social changed the way people...

At Connections this year we recognized over 30 companies as finalists for our Power of One Awards. The marketing team from Blinds.com, a leading retailer in the window blinds and shade business, was recognized as a finalist for their "Entice and Engage" campaign that generated 175% growth to their email list. Featured below is a summary of how Blinds.com went about achieving these phenomenal business results.

THE BLINDS.COM STORY

The Blinds.com team wanted to grow their email list with engaged prospects that could be reached across a number of platforms—not just email. The team knew that...

Every year, one event consistently redefines the limits of hype, production value, and viewership when sports and entertainment are combined. That event, of course, is the Super Bowl. Companies spend millions of dollars to sponsor, advertise, and promote throughout the 4-hour broadcast, achieving a reach of over 100 million individuals. But not until 2013 has a brand attempted to create an interactive experience for these viewers.

The Super Bowl halftime performer was announced in early January to be Beyoncé, with the return of Destiny's Child. One would think that with this announcement, Pepsi...

As a nod to the North American International Auto Show starting today in Detroit, we present this bonus #InspiredMarketing Predictions post from Jamyn Edis of Dash Labs. These predictions have been compiled in our new whitepaper, Inspired Marketing Predictions for 2013.

The Automobile Ascends

As the evolution of consumer engagement moves from web to social to mobile, we'll see an increasing desire to leverage the latest innovations. The amusing thing is, a lot of that will be right under our noses— everyday objects. Some people call this the “internet of things.” Others call it “physical...

In this #InspiredMarketing blog series, we are sharing predictions on the future of marketing from 25 industry thought leaders. These predictions have been compiled in our new whitepaper, Inspired Marketing Predictions for 2013. In today’s post, Kip Edwardson from Scotts Miracle-Gro shares his thoughts.

Get the Picture(s)!

As a fan of the Cleveland Browns and the Minnesota Vikings, I’ve been wrong more often than not when it comes to predicting the future. If I was right, my teams would have at least five Lombardi Trophies apiece. And I never did marry Drew Barrymore like I told everyone...

Millions of viewers to Sunday's NFL playoff broadcasts were given the rare treat of witnessing a revolution in the film industry's use of social media promotions. A 30-second spot for Broken City, the upcoming film starring Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe, used a tactic rarely seen by audiences up to that point. Instead of splicing intriguing one-liners and brief action scenes with quotes and ratings from industry critics, tweets from sneak preview audiences were used. Gone are the days of "Entertainment Weekly gives it 4 stars," and in is the era of "@emmadonnachie thinks Mark Wahlberg is...

Twitter announced last month that they have come to an agreement with Nielsen to create a "Nielsen Twitter TV Rating" -- a tool that will measure the total audience for social TV activity on Twitter, including both people who comment and people who are exposed to their comments. This announcement is worthy of much more than 140 characters. 

Twitter and social media have been changing the way we go about our everyday life since their introduction. This is just another step along the disruptive technology's path. Steve Hasker, President, Global Media Products and Advertiser Solutions at Nielsen,...

Over the next several weeks, we will be sharing predictions on the future of marketing from 25 industry thought leaders. These predictions have been compiled in our new whitepaper, Inspired Marketing Predictions for 2013. Today, our own Susan Marshall shares her thoughts.

Slimming Down, Shaping Up, & Getting Organized

It sounds like a New Year’s resolution that could easily go awry, but it sums up what will likely be a rude awakening for many marketers. Quality of fans and followers will matter more than quantity, and savvy marketers will begin to find creative ways to leverage social to drive...

Over the next several weeks, we will be sharing predictions on the future of marketing from 25 industry thought leaders. These predictions have been compiled in our new whitepaper, Inspired Marketing Predictions for 2013. Today, our own R.J. Talyor shares his thoughts.

Mobile ROI Takes Hold

2013 will be the year of the mobile return on investment (ROI). Marketers have already invested the resources into experimenting with mobile. In 2013, they’ll use data to prove what works, and what doesn’t.

No matter the sophistication level of a mobile program, marketers can calculate its ROI. And the good...

Over the next several weeks, we will be sharing predictions on the future of marketing from 25 industry thought leaders. These predictions have been compiled in our new whitepaper, Inspired Marketing Predictions for 2013. Today, Brent Hieggelke of Urban Airship shares his thoughts.

Mobile Apps Become a Strategic Imperative

Let’s just get this out of the way and proclaim 2013 as another “Year of Mobile.” In fact, global PC sales were outpaced by total smartphone sales starting in 2011, so it’s probably time for us to just agree that this is the decade of mobile. The fact is that mobile changes...

In Part 1 of my interview with Squawka co-founder and CEO Sanjit Atwal, we explored the company's efforts to provide a web application that gives soccer fans access to “Stats worth Sharing.” Today, we dive into how second-screen applications can turn popularity and relevancy into a profit.  

Organizations and brands looking to capitalize on advertising revenue are forced to straddle the fine line of marketing effectiveness versus annoyance during sporting events. Whether it be live and in person, at home on television, or through second screen applications, sports fans don’t always have the...

In addition to writing here on the ExactTarget blog, the good folks over at MediaPost let me wax poetic about travel marketing on a monthly basis. This month, in an article called The Social Photo Wars and You, I tackled a subject that warrants a bit more analysis--especially after this week's hubbub over Instagram's revised terms of service. The subject at issue is the battle royale brewing between Facebook/Instagram and Twitter over digital photographs.

Why digital photographs? Why now? Well, to answer those questions, I give you the words of legendary Scottish rock n' roll philosopher, Rod...

For those of you who do not know, apparently the world is going to end on Friday, December 21. This date is regarded as the end-date of a 5125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar. 

There are a couple of theories on how the world will end:

1. Mr. Earth meets Black Hole and the ensuing chaos will destroy mankind.
2. North Pole will play musical chairs with the South Pole and destroy mankind.
3. Aliens will visit the planet, consume all the fast food, and destroy mankind. 

Many scientists have shrugged off the notion of the world ending, stating that the 2012 phenomenon is purely a...

In its “Online Holiday Shopping Forecast and Trends” issued in September, eMarketer predicted that 25 percent of e-commerce sales will happen during the 2012 holiday season.

Without question, retailers are using traditional advertising tactics including radio and television commercials, direct mail and print ads to drive customers to stores. And many will use social media, online video, and in-store promotions.  But the biggest catalyst for holiday sales this year will be mobile.

New research Prosper Mobile Insights reveals why mobile devices are fueling holiday retail sales:

• 66 percent of...