What Is Becoming of Social Networking Strategy?

"Both Facebook and Twitter recently announced plans for enhancing their marketing capabilities in an effort to allow for more user-specific targeting.
Facebook’s plan involves allowing companies to match Facebook users’ email addresses, phone numbers, and game or app user IDs to their own customer lists," reports ClickZ. "Twitter, meanwhile, will be allowing marketers to target users based on what they are tweeting about and whom they are following. While keyword targeting was previously available, Twitter plans to increase search specificity, which will allow businesses to hone in and reach a more targeted audience. So what does this mean for strategic marketing plans?" Read more.

Imagine WWW.KNICKS.BBALL. Might Happen

"Earlier this year more than 1,900 applications were filed for generic top-level domain extensions. Think .food, .auto, .beauty and so on. Now brands are scrambling to figure out what do with all these domains when ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) begins releasing more than 1,400 new extensions in the second half of 2013 and early 2014," writes ClickZ. "One of Wolfe Domain's clients, Scripps Networks Interactive, filed for 13 gTLDs including .food, .diy and .HGTV. Like most brands that filed for gTLDs, Scripps's strategy will evolve over time and only after top-level domains reach their potential audiences. The media company plans to use the new domains to enhance brand equity and develop digital channels to better represent its core brands online." Read more.

U.S. Will Top All Countries on Mobile Internet Adveretising

"Spending on mobile Internet advertising in the US will top all other countries in the world for the first time this year, helping drive mobile ad spending worldwide above $6.43 billion in 2012, according to eMarketer’s first-ever forecast for worldwide mobile advertising spending." That's the post on eMarketers website. "Until this year, Japan was the world’s largest market for mobile advertising, with spending reaching nearly $1.37 billion in 2011, up from $1.01 billion in 2010." Read more.

Hackers Access a Million ID Numbers for Apple Devices/Apple Prevents Marketers from Tracking App Use

The New York Times blog Bits reports that "hackers released a file that they said contained a million identification numbers for Apple mobile devices, claiming that they had obtained it by hacking into the computer of an F.B.I. agent. The F.B.I. said it had no evidence that this was true....Apple’s unique device identifiers — known as U.D.I.D.’s — are 40-character strings of letters and numbers assigned to Apple devices...Apple stopped letting app developers take advantage of device identifiers last year, to make it harder for marketers to track its customers as they moved from app to app." Read more.

Coke's Facebook Site Tops 50 Million Fans

Coca-Cola recently topped 50 million fans on Facebook. The company celebrated by releasing the following statement, as noted by Marketing Pilgrim: “Throughout its history Coca-Cola has always had a role in bringing simple moments of happiness to people around the world every day,” said Joe Tripodi, chief marketing and commercial leadership officer, The Coca-Cola Company. “Today we have an engaged global community more than 50 million strong connected through Facebook. This provides an opportunity to engage our most supportive and enthusiastic fans in a quest to find ways to make the world a happier place.” Read more.

My Data = $$$

"There is a fundamental shift in attitudes towards privacy. Consumers know they are surrendering their data, and are willing to surrender privacy. But they treat it like cash: They want something in return," reports Marketing Vox. "So argues Dimitri Maex, Managing Director of OgilvyOne New York, the digital direct arm of Ogilvy & Mather, in his just-released book Sexy Little Numbers. As OgilvyOne describes Sexy Little Numbers, it 'shows how to grow your business using the data you already have.'" Read more.

Republicans Tweeting from Convention

"On Thursday when Mitt Romney is planned to give his acceptance speech for the Republican nomination here at the Party's convention, the Romney digital team will be aiming for big Twitter buzz. To facilitate that, the Romney camp will enter Twitter ad domain that is usually reserved for big Hollywood flicks or CPG brands: the Promoted Trend," goes the post on ClickZ. "Promoted Trends appear above Twitter's left-hand side list of organic trends, keywords that are getting lots of juice on Twitter at any given moment. Promoted Trends link to a list of tweets using the trend keyword - usually in hashtag form - topped by a Promoted Tweet by the same advertiser." Read more.

Twitter and Facebook Make Marketing Easier

"On August 30 Twitter announced the debut of “interest targeting” to Promoted Tweets and Promoted Accounts, in which brands can send tailored messages to Twitter users based on their interests." That's the word from Direct Marketeing News. "That same day, a rumor dropped that Facebook would enable businesses to target Facebook users based on email, user ID, or phone number—provided that the information had already been given to the business by the Facebook user." Read more.

Lead Generation and Brand Awareness Top Goals

"A report from WebMarketing123 found that 54 percent of B2B marketers consider lead generation the No. 1 digital marketing goal. Brand awareness came in at No. 2, cited by 28 percent. Developing a stronger presence on the web and building reputation among prospects has become more important for these companies in the last year, with more businesses actively marketing on the web," as found on the website Brafton. "According to the study, twice as many respondents named building awareness as a goal in this year's poll compared to last year. Internet marketing priorities are shifting, as just 10 percent of respondents said they consider increased sales their top goal." Read more.

You will notice that, as of yesterday, I have stopped using APA and restored to the more common use of links. If you click the name of the website quoted or the phrase "Read more," you will find the full article. For your reports in the class, you don't quote the blog. You quote the source, the article from which the blog quotation comes from.

Most-Liked Advertisers on Facebook

"When General Motors announced it was no longer buying ads on Facebook back in May 2012, it didn’t pull out of Facebook entirely. It still maintains a number of pages for its various brands with hundreds of thousands of “likes” each: its GM page: 403,000 likes; Chevrolet: 1.3 million likes; GMC Trucks: 703,000 likes; Corvette: 969,000 likes; and the Chevy Volt with 188,000 likes. Meanwhile, Facebook has GM back at the negotiating table, promising to give it and all its advertisers more data on how their ads turn into revenue," according to Say Daily. "The Ford Motor Company, meanwhile, has continued advertising on Facebook despite GM’s departure. How has that affected its likability? The Ford Motor Co Facebook page has 1.6 million likes (300,000 more than Chevy’s); Ford Trucks 651,000 likes (52,000 fewer than GMC); Ford Mustang 4.2 million likes (3.3 million more than Corvette); Ford Fusion Hybrid: 175,000 likes (13,000 fewer than the Volt).So, do ad dollars translate into likes? The answer is 'sometimes.'" Read more.

XBox Live Turns to Advertising

"Microsoft Corp has announced the general release of its NUads on Xbox LIVE," according to Media Buyer Planner. "Among the first buyers are Toyota, Unilever and Samsung Mobile USA, which are developing NUads campaigns to stream on Xbox LIVE this fall. NUads advertisements transform standard 30-second TV spots into actionable experiences using the power of voice and gesture controls of Kinect for Xbox 360." Read more.

Survey Says, Social Media Works

"Marketers dedicating more resources to social media marketing this year should be pleased to learn that new data suggests they’ll be seeing returns on their social investments. According to WebMarketing123‘s State of Digital Marketing report, B2C [business to consumer] and B2B [business to business] companies are winning leads and sales across social networks" (Survey: social marketing, 2012, Aug. 31).

Works Cited

Survey: social marketing drives sales, experts enhance success (2012, Aug. 31). Brafton.com. Retrieved from <http://www.brafton.com/news/survey-social-marketing-drives-sales-experts-enhance-success>.

Facebook's Ad Revenue Not as High as Expected

"eMarketer estimates that, while robust growth rates will continue for the foreseeable future, advertising revenues at Facebook will not fly as high this year as earlier predicted.
Ad revenues at the social networking giant will continue to rise this year, though at a significantly lower rate than in the past. Revenues will reach $4.23 billion, up 34.1% over 2011, and eMarketer predicts revenue increases in the double digits to continue through 2014, when Facebook’s worldwide ad revenues will reach $6.81 billion" (Reduced estimate, 2012, Aug. 31).

Works Cited

Reduce estimate for Facebook revenue (2012, Aug. 31). eMarketer.com. Retrieved from <http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1009314&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4#8rpdYDodbQEC8atM.99>.

Facebook Goes after Voters

"The Facebook Exchange is open for political business. Two digital ad firms that offer voter file-driven ad targeting are now part of the social giant's growing group of third-party partners. This week, Intermarkets and CampaignGrid said they are part of Facebook's real-time exchange, which opens Facebook Marketplace display ad inventory - the ads that sit on the right rail of the page - to advertisers buying through those outside ad firms" (Kaye, 2012, Aug. 30).

Works Cited

Kaye, Kate (2012, Aug. 30). Voter file data comes to Facebook. ClickZ.com. Retrieved from <http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2201998/voter-file-data-comes-to-facebook-ads>.

The Year of Mobile

"According to IBM and many other industry observers, 2012 is shaping up to be the year of mobile. As brands roll out new apps and optimize email and websites for customers using mobile devices, one particularly rich area for growth has been mobile search. But while marketers invest more and more in engaging customers who are seeking products or services through smartphones, many believe mobile search engine marketing (SEM) has much further to go. In areas such as tracking, geolocation and ease-of-use, mobile search appears poised for significant growth" (Palmer, Deluna, 2012, July 1).

Works Cited

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Palmer, Alex, and DeLuna, JoAnn (2012, July 1). Pinpointing mobile search. DMNews.com. Retrieved from <http://www.dmnews.com/pinpointing-mobile-search/article/246825/>

Marketing Tweet Sent to Republicans during the Convention

"The Chesapeake Energy Corporation rarely gets buy-in to spend the bulk of its media budget on digital, but it got just that for its efforts around the Republican National Convention [in Tampa, FL].
The firm and its CNG [compressed natural gas] Now initiative are ...promoting the benefits of using natural gas...It's targeting convention-goers who search for popular terms related to the event - like #RNC - with ads on Twitter. Some push its energy message, but others are more direct" (Kaye, 2012).

Works Cited

Kaye, Kate. (2012, Aug. 28). Natural gas group targets RNC-goers on Twitter. ClickZ.com. Retrieved from: <http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2201303/natural-gas-group-targets-rncgoers-on-twitter>.

Silverpop Helps with Marketing Automation

"Silverpop (a digital marketing technology providing unified marketing automation, email, mobile and social campaigning) is claiming a 40% increase in closed new business and more than 100% gain in Professional Services contracts compared to the first half of 2011; also, that it now manages the marketing campaigns of more than 5,000 brands.

"Never heard of them? You have probably heard of those brands, which include Arby's, Carfax, RSPCA, Aquent and Dairy Queen (among dozens of others). A Forrester Consulting study commissioned by Silverpop in the first half of 2012 indicated that 8 of 10 marketers surveyed feel that marketing automation will increase the efficiency of their marketing processes and more than half plan to increase their number of automated campaigns over the next 12 months" (Silverpop tops, 2012, Aug. 27). Read more.

Works Cited

Silveropop tops 5,000 brands. (2012, Aug. 27). MarketingVox.com. Retrieved from: <http://www.marketingvox.com/silverpop-tops-5000-brands-051452/?utm_campaign=rssfeed&utm_source=mv&utm_medium=textlink>.

Instagram Beccoming Important Social Media Site for Marketing

"Market research firm comScore recently reported that Instagram was the top gaining website for July, adding 38 percent more traffic from June. While the strong month was not enough to propel Instagram into the top 50 web properties, its growth demonstrates the value of making Instagram a part of social media marketing campaigns.

"According to the study, Instagram also saw its unique traffic grow from 16.5 million visitors to more than 22.7 million. While the photo-sharing platform recently reported more than 80 million people use its mobile apps, most don't actually navigate to Instagram.com. Still, its consistent improvements in website traffic are a sign that more people are using the site and researching the service for personal or marketing use" (Instagram: July's top 2012, Aug. 27). Read more.

Works Cited 

Instagram: July's top gaining site, visual content growing (2012, Aug. 27). Brafton.com. Retrieved from: <http://www.brafton.com/news/instagram-julys-top-gaining-site-visual-content-growing>.

Welcome to English 202

Welcome to English 202.

Various individuals have given English 202 different names. The school calls it advanced exposition. I call it business writing. I should rename it "Reading and Thinking."  The name probably sounds odd or too elemental. Not so. Most individuals do too little of both--in the world of school and the world of business. As you will hear me say, probably more than once, "We think we think more than we think."

To perform at an average level in this class, you will need to read all the assignments and more about Internet marketing.You will read to have information that your imaginations will re-formulate into unique concepts. When you do that, writing becomes easier, and you will hold the attention of a reader--a person with blood in his/her veins, who gets bored, who wants information, who does not give a darn about you or me because in the end reading is an egocentric act.

To achieve above-average work, you must think--not merely parrot (repeat) the ideas you will have read and those you hear about in class. In other words, you must learn how to integrate new ideas with old ones in order to create a different perspective for the reader. Otherwise you are wasting the reader's time.

When you write to another individual, you ask him/her to surrender her time to read your ideas. Why should the reader trouble herself with your ideas? Are you offering the reader [teacher, classmate, business associate] a "new" way of seeing a problem? Are you proposing a concept that will make the reader's life easier? Are you advancing knowledge--whether the subject is particle physics or the latest cosmetic disaster for a pop diva? Are you offering your ideas clearly and logically--based on standard American English? In other words, the average reader (not your friends reading a tweet) wants to know what she is getting out of reading your work.

You,therefore, earn a reader's respect by offering her a new perspective or new idea in a format that makes it easier for the reader (not the writer) to understand. If you cannot achieve that, you fail--in business and in this classroom.

How do you come up with new ideas or perspectives? Reading. And you do not merely repeat what you have read. In that case, you only rehash information that a reader already could access. You read to pick up facts and ideas from experts in the field. You then take that information and integrate it into how you think. Eventually an original idea or perspective (original for you) will come out.

For this class, you will need a computer with Internet access. Use your own, a friend's, or one of the many in the school's library. Will I tolerate the excuse my computer crashed and I lost all my work. No. Save your material on a thumb drive, portable hard drive, or to a storage system on the Internet, such as Google's G-Drive (it's free if you have a Google account, which is also free).  and a office suite product. Use your own, a friend's, or one of many in the school's library.


You will need an office suite, such as Microsoft Office. (Microsoft Works will not work in this class.) You can get free office suites: OpenOffice, Libre Office, and IBM's Symphony. I use OpenOffice and Libre Office. They are excellent products that are compatible with Microsoft Office. The three have word processors (like Word), presentation software (like PowerPoint), and spreadsheet software (like Excel). OpenOffice and Libre Office also have graphics and data base management software. All three products have been around for more than a decade. They are reliable. If you have a broadband Internet connection, downloading will take about three minutes and installation about 20. OpenOffice and Libre Office work on PCs and Macs.

You will not need to buy a text. I provide you your reading material through links on the syllabus. You can access the syllabus from the class web page: http://www1bpt.bridgeport.edu/~jconlin/. Here are the links that you need for now.

Syllabus: <http://www.bridgeport.edu/~jconlin/Fall2012English202.pdf>
Course Description: <http://www1bpt.bridgeport.edu/~jconlin/CourseDescription.pdf>
Class Webpage: <http://www1bpt.bridgeport.edu/~jconlin/>
Class Blog: <http://dana238.blogspot.com/>

Start the semester right. Read the syllabus.

Finally, you will use APA citation formats for everything that you write this semester. Most students already have learned, and maybe mastered MLA. APA is not that different. Scroll down two posts and you will find the format for APA. Why am I making you use APA? Because UB's Business School has designated APA as its citation method of choice and the citation method that its MBA students must use. You can see examples of APA citation (intext and works cited listing) in the previous two posts.

See you tomorrow.

Facebook Releases Sponsored Search Results

"Facebook has fully rolled out sponsored search results, which allow marketers to target users searching for content or pages within their industry on the social network. As with other sponsored search efforts, companies can pay for placement atop suggested search results within Facebook to drive traffic to their brand Pages on the social network" (Facebook rolls, 2012)

"Facebook rolls out sponsored search results for marketers (2012, Aug. 24). Brafton.com. Retrieved from: <http://www.brafton.com/news/facebook-rolls-out-sponsored-search-results-for-marketers>.

Consumers Behave Differently on Social Web Sites

"The social-media world is often criticized for introducing new metrics [a way of measuring the demographics of a media] to marketers who want to better understand the social space and the effects it can have on a product or service. Why introduce new metrics, skeptics say, when the data landscape is already complex and confusing? Do we really need this, given the tried and true metrics of digital-media buying in use for the past decade? Let's take a step back. What is a metric? It's a standard of measurement. In advertising it is designed to define a specific type of consumer behavior, be it attention-centric (clicks, impressions, etc.) or more direct response-oriented (sales, conversions, etc.).There would be no use for new metrics if consumers on social platforms behaved as they do when on any other website. But consumers do behave differently when using social platforms and there are some key reasons why" (Sethi, 2012)

Sethi, Nikhil (2012, Aug. 22). "Do we need new metrics for social media. Yes, and here's why." AdAge.com. Retrieved from: <http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/metrics-social/236810/>

Different Industries Have Different Success with Facebook

"Facebook advertising-solutions company AdParlor analyzed the CPC and clickthrough rates on Facebook for more than 1,000 ad campaigns purchased through the company between September 1, 2011, and February 27, 2012," according to eMarketer. "The analysis found that some industries see more interest from consumers on Facebook than others. Industries typically perceived as more exciting saw a higher average daily CTR, with ads for movies and entertainment performing nearly five times as well as those for banking services." Read more. You might find that the data in the charts helpful when writing about a company.

Top 50 Users of YouTube Channels

"Socialbakers, a social media statistics portal, has decided to create a monthly infographic showing the top brands in the space," reports Marketing Pilgrim, thereby providing a source of companies for your long reports. "We’re bringing you this information, because we feel there’s always something to be learned from those at the top of the heap. Also, because we like infographics. ...First, let’s look at the Top 10 YouTube Brand Channels based on views. A deodorant for men tops the list with a drink aimed at adventurous men right below it. You have the game oriented EA and Playstation. Nikefootball and Volkswagen are also decidedly male. (Noticing a trend here?)" Read more. You should also go to the Socialbakers website found with the link above.

Top 50 Brand Marketers

"As marketers pursue their own content marketing strategies, they'll need a roadmap of the content marketing landscape, a guide to the precedents set by the pioneers. For that reason, we've compiled this list, 'Top Brands in Content Marketing in 2012,'" according to ClickZ. "We conducted a study analyzing top content marketing operations, evaluating them through qualitative and quantitative measures of their websites, content, and search and social efforts. Our lead findings are presented in the following slideshow." Read more for possible sources for your long report.

Consumers Recommend Brands

"Zuberance recently reported that the web has provided multiple channels for consumers to influence their friends, colleagues and others in terms of purchase decisions. The study suggests that social media marketing and website content can help businesses appeal to these brand advocates," according to Brafton News. "According to Zuberance, 38 percent of web users have recommended between five and nine brands to their friends and other web contacts. All of the users studied advocated at least one company, and 30 percent recommended between one and four businesses or other organizations." Read more.

B2B Customers Engage with Content Marketing

"A study from the DemandGen Report suggests that B2B companies can target new prospects with engaging and relevant content. At times, it can be difficult for companies to create this content effectively; however recent data demonstrates custom content marketing is quickly becoming a competitive necessity," according to Brafton News post. "DemandGen found that 90 percent of purchase decisions by B2B buyers begin with exposure to content marketing material. These professionals are bombarded with promotional information constantly. Creating original content that demonstrates the value of a product or service can be as compelling as any sales pitch." Read more.

Unilever Courts the Latino Market

"Unilever's Vivemejor, launched in May 2007 as a website and magazine for Latinos, has since expanded its presence to Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter," goes a ClickZ post. "In an email interview, Russel Lilly, Unilever multicultural marketing director, discussed the consumer packaged goods brand's approach to connecting with a community." Read more.

Track Your Bud

"Budweiser has introduced a digital campaign called "Track Your Bud." It urges consumers to trace the origins of the beer they hold in their hands to one of Budweiser's 12 U.S. breweries, via a QR Code," reports Marketing Vox. "Consumers use their smartphone to scan the QR code on Budweiser packaging and download the free "Track Your Bud" app. Or they can visit TrackYourBud.com." Read more.

Prez Spent $10 Million Online Already

"Online ad spending by President Obama's reelection campaign has reached over $8 million." So goes the ClickZ post. "When combined with web ad spending by the Democratic National Committee, the number tops the $10 million mark. By the end of January, GOP presidential candidates and the Republican National Committee together had spent just half that amount." Read more.

Hyundai Brands with the Oscars

"Hyundai was one brand determined to make the most of its Oscar airtime this year, and it certainly delivered," says ClickZ. "As the official automotive sponsor of the broadcast, it ran several new TV spots, but the two most notable were directed by past Academy Award nominee Wes Anderson to showcase the new Hyundai 2012 Azera. One of the clips was an amusing montage referencing several famed Hollywood films, while the other highlighted the car's comfortable (and "quiet") interior." Read more.

Ciroc Vodka Tweets Its Super Bowl Ads

"If it doesn't run on TV, can it still be considered a Super Bowl commercial? That's the question that Ciroc, the vodka from hip hop impresario Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs, set out to answer last month," reports ClickZ. "Working with its in-house ad agency, Blue Flame, Ciroc created a series of 15-second videos featuring Combs doing things you wouldn't expect of him, like bull fighting and curling. One of the ads showed Combs dancing salsa – a nod to the salsa dance that Victor Cruz, wide receiver for the New York Giants, performs every time he scores a touchdown.
When Cruz scored his first touchdown in the Super Bowl, Ciroc and Combs leapt into action: They tweeted the salsa ad and dedicated it to Cruz." Read more.

Annoying Customers?

Could Internet marketing, especially on mobile phones, annoy potential customers? Yes--if email tells the tale. According to Brafton News, "Email marketing campaigns that are either unsolicited or contain generalized content are unlikely to garner clickthroughs and potential conversions, according to a survey conducted by AYTM Market Research. More than 90 percent of consumers said they receive email messages that are not at all relevant to them. Just 6.3 percent of respondents said they have never received a message they did not sign up for. While some of these respondents said they enjoy the occasional unsolicited messages, 69.9 percent never open or act upon any of the information in the message. That said, email marketing campaigns are effective at appealing to users when they feel they have control over receiving them. More than 44 percent said they enroll in email campaigns for "a few" companies, 26.5 percent said they do for "some" companies and 9.8 percent do so for several organizations."Read more.

Are Marketers Using Social Networks Effectively?

"A report from A.T. Kearney found that more than 90 percent of businesses using social media marketing do no actively respond to communicate with their customers, despite evidence that active engagement helps businesses improve sales." Read more at Brafton News.

Airlines Use Social Media to Arrange Seating

"If you can use a social network to find a life partner, why not a flight partner?" That's the question asked by Marketing Pilgrim. "A new article in the New York Times talks about how some airlines are using social media to help frequent fliers find more compatible seatmates. KLM’s Meet and Seat program uses Facebook and LinkedIn profiles to help match up fliers on the same flights. The application allows you to choose which bits of information you want to share. It then displays the profiles of the other passengers and their seat assignments. Pick your preferred mate, then wait and see if he accepts you." Read more.

National Marketer Loses Control of Its Twitter Marketing Campaign

"National brands should try to remember that social network campaigns take away their ability to control the message," warns Direct Marketing News. "McDonald's learned this lesson the hard way in early February with its Twitter campaign that emphasized and promoted the company's policy of buying fresh produce from farmers. Two hashtags were used: #MeetTheFarmers and #McDStories. As it turned out, the #McDStories hashtag became quite popular, with Twitter users employing the hashtag to tell stories of alleged food poisoning, heroin use, obesity and a 'sensory experience of inhaling deeply from a freshly opened can of dog food.'” Read more.

Financial Institutions Not Using Social Networks

"Despite the need to connect with consumers across multiple channels, financial services institutions still don't view social media as an effective direct marketing channel. Industry experts agree that the disastrous economic crisis has made it vital for financial services marketers to rally consumers with engaging and relevant communications across channels, and marketers in this space can no longer lazily send credit card offers and perks through direct mail to generate consumer interest," according to Direct Marketing News. "To be effective, marketers must manage their brands' reputations and find consumers across digital channels. In spite of the multichannel sentiment, none of the marketers with whom Direct Marketing News spoke found it necessary to send direct response offers to consumers on social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter." Read more.

Smoothie King Gets Customers to Lose Weight

"Smoothie King launched an initiative in January geared towards promoting better health and helping its customers stick to their New Year weight loss resolutions," reports Direct Marketing News. "Visitors are encouraged to share their weight loss stories and upload before-and-after photos for the opportunity to win free smoothies and gift cards. People are also asked to share weight loss struggles for the chance to receive a free month of personal training and new workout gear. Everyone who submitted a struggle story received a free weight-burning Lean1 Smoothie." Read more.

Ad Age Analyzes Facebook's New Ad Page

"Facebook re-launched its advertising platform ...and made it crystal clear that your [marketers'] Facebook Page will be the centerpiece of your [marketers, not consumers such as you] paid, owned and earned strategies going forward," according to an Advertising Age post.

"The highlights of the announcements from the company's first-ever Facebook Marketing Conference include:

• Via Facebook's new "Reach Generator" product, brands now have the option to pay Facebook for guaranteed News Feed distribution to up to 75% of all their fans.
• Several new exciting new ad units were launched, where the content you post on your Page is the ad unit. There is more creating separate ad copy on Facebook.
• All brand Facebook Pages will get Timeline, just like personal pages."

Read more.

Will Google Users Revolt?

"Over the past six weeks, critics of [Google's privacy change]... have amassed a number of arguments. Google, they say, cannot make this change because it violates a 2011 consent agreement between Google and the Federal Trade Commission regarding privacy. More recently, it has been suggested that Google’s new privacy policy violates EU rules, according to ABC News." That is a portion of the post from Marketing Vox. Read more.

Assessing Ad Campaigns on Facebook to Get Easier

Brafton syas that "a report from TechCrunch suggests that Real-Time Insights may be coming to Facebook, which will help companies assess their social media marketing campaigns more effectively. According to the website, businesses using Facebook will see more rapid and accurate information relating to the amount of users accessing their social media content and the engagement it garners. With the Facebook Marketing Conference set to begin Wednesday, this may be one detail the company unveils at the event, TechCrunch suggests." Read more.

The Other Social Network--YouTube--Drawing Advertisers Big Time

"If you needed a sign of just how audacious YouTube's $100 million experiment in original content is, consider the asking price for advertisers: as much as $62 million for the exclusive...No one has paid that yet. Early deals are in the $5 million to $10 million range,: according to Advertising Age. "A smattering of the nation's biggest marketers have signed on, including Unilever, which is sponsoring "Young Hollywood Network,"...Toyota, which is backing a host of channels targeted at women,...and GM, which signed on last week to sponsor Red Bull's action sports channel and a package of automotive-focused channels. Chrysler, AT&T and Lowes are also appearing" on recently launched channels."  Read more.

Following Viewers, Marketers Turning to Smaller Social Networks

"While Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have been at the top of the social media heap in the US for several years now, new services and relaunched versions of older ones are rapidly gaining popularity among consumers and marketers," according to eMarketer. "One such site is Pinterest, where users and marketers alike can create online “pinboards” that showcase their taste and creativity. "    Read more.

Social Network Ad Revenue Continues Climb

"eMarketer expects global social network ad revenues to climb nearly 50% this year to $7.72 billion, up from $5.2 billion in 2011. Just under half of all revenues will come from a single market, the US." Read more.

Taco Bell Gets Its Tweeters to Tweet Again

"A just-ended contest from Taco Bell asked Twitter users to compose a tweet with the hashtags #DoritosLocosTacos and #Contest," reports ClickZ. "The Doritos Locos Tacos Hometown Tweet-Off ran from February 16 to 20. It promoted the Doritos Locos taco, which comes in a shell made from Nacho Cheese Doritos Chips and will debut on March 8. The Twitter user whose aptly hashtagged tweet is retweeted the most times wins a hometown visit from the Taco Bell Truck for an early taste. According to its Twitter profile, the Taco Bell Truck drives around the country handing out free tacos. Tressie Lieberman, director of digital marketing for Taco Bell, says it first started touring in 2009. @TacoBellTruck has 14,000 followers." Read more.

New Software Enables Fast Response to Real World for Advertisers

"Adobe announced the availability of Primetime Highlights, a web-based video clip editor designed for the creation of live video clips to be used for online advertising nearly instantaneously," reports ClickZ. "Using the tool, video publishers can quickly grab a clip, such as a great sports play, and then publish it along with a targeted ad. Clips can be delivered via an Adobe-provided video player within an existing mobile application or embedded in a website." What does this mean? A publisher like ESPN, along with an advertiser, could have posted the winning shot from last night's NBA All-Star game along side a particular advertisement. Read more.

Facebook Launching New Ad Format--More Advertiser Friendly

"Facebook will release a new, upgraded ad product on February 29, the company has confirmed to Direct Marketing News. The social network is expected to introduce these new ad products at the fMC event for marketers. According to a leaked presentation posted on Scribd by Peter Corbett of ad agency iStrategyLabs and later obtained by technology website GigaOm as well as numerous other media reports, the upgraded Premium Ads will allow brands to originate their Facebook ads from the company page, enabling a larger-format and more prominent placement of "likes" and comments." Read more.

Knick Phenom Lin Drives Facebook Likes

"When speaking about what their number of Facebook likes/fans means, marketers sometimes joke about giving Facebook a million dollars to get a million fans. Well to get a half million new Facebook fans in the last two weeks, all the New York Knicks had to do was give Jeremy Lin the basketball," according to ClickZ. "The NBA franchise on Friday disclosed that the sports phenom - dubbed "Linsanity" by newspaper writers - has been not only a dynamo on the court but in the digital realm as well. The 23 year old athlete has been the spark behind the team going from Facebook 1.4 million fans/likes earlier this month to its current 1.95 million." Read more.

Smartphones Playing Larger Role in Internet Marketing

"Market research firm comScore recently released its 2012 Mobile Future in Focus report, which suggests that smartphone use means businesses must ensure their web presence is optimized for mobile access and that they update their content marketing campaigns frequently enough to appeal to constant mobile searches," reports Brafton News. "ComScore reports that 42 percent of American mobile phone owners use smartphones. Most of these users take full advantage of the devices, which includes access to the web. Developing a site that allows on-the-go visitors full access to website content and ecommerce features will improve a brand's reputation and allow for more conversion opportunities." Read more.

Google Heightens Concerns about Privacy

"We're less than one week from the launch of Google's new privacy policy taking effect, but the controversial new plan from Google has already become a major point of discussion on the web. As a result, the internet marketing community saw developments that could impact search marketing campaigns this week when lawmakers took action to discuss the policy with Google." Read more from Brafton News. You can also read about states' attorneys general meeting with Google over privacy.

How Companies Can Manage Digital Data about Customers

"The amount of data we can collect from digital interactions by consumers is staggering, and making sense of it can seem daunting. This needn't be, though. You simply have to know which data are most relevant and how best to use them.

With that in mind, here's a quick primer on how to use data to drive your digital strategy," reports Advertising Age. "First-party, web-based data (the information you can learn about visitors to your sites) is often the most accessible and valuable. Visitors are generating useful signals with every action they take. These data sets belong to you, meaning you don't need to pay third parties to use them and you may use them as fully as the rights you've secured through your user terms." Read more.

Tweet Launches Kellogg Breakfast Cereal

"Twitter has done many things but we think this may be the first time a random tweet has inspired a new cereal brand. UK rocker Tim Burgess (frontman of The Charlatans) tweeted jokingly that he would love to launch a cereal called 'Totes Amazeballs' (slang for totally amazing), pretending Kellogg was interested," according to Creativity Online. "Kellogg picked up on the tweet…and created the product. As Burgess told NME.com, the product tastes something like Rocky Road ice cream, and he imagined it to be the kind of treat you'd want to eat to kill your hangover, especially the kind you get at music fests." Read more.

Music for Food, a United Biscuit Campaign

"UK food company United Biscuits is linking its various snack brands with music in a tie-up with Universal Music, Snacktracks. It's running an on-pack promotion through Wax Communications that gives consumers the opportunity to download more than 100, 000 songs from the Universal Music catalog," notes Creativity Online. "The promotion runs across 30 million packs of UB snack brands Hula Hoops, Mini Cheddars, Nik Naks, Skips, Discos and Wheat Crunchies. On the website, Snacktracks.co.uk, consumers can download a track for each pack they buy, having registered. There are also 'playlists' for each brand, matched to its brand personality( for example, the Mini Cheddars' playlist features 'absolute classics'.)" Read more.

Mobile Phone Market More of an Opportunity for Marketers

"'2011 proved to be a groundbreaking year for the mobile industry, with smartphones hitting the mainstream, tablets emerging as a formidable fourth screen, and consumers increasingly integrating mobile behaviors into their lifestyles. As the industry continues to innovate and more consumers look to multiple devices and platforms to consume digital media, we expect the mobile and connected device landscape to be shaken up even further in 2012,' said Mark Donovan, comScore Senior Vice President of Mobile. 'As mobile channels present a more personal, social, and ubiquitous experience to consumers, advertisers and publishers have an opportunity to better engage target audiences, given an understanding of how to connect and leverage the unique characteristics of these emerging platforms.'" Read more. For a copy of the report, click this link.

Facebook Ad Revenue to Exceed $5 Billion in 2012

"eMarketer estimates Facebook's worldwide ad revenues will soar more than 60% this year to exceed $5 billion. Just over half of those dollars will come from the US, where Facebook will account for 6.5% of all online ad spending." Read more.

Republican Presidential Hopefuls Turn to Microtargeted Ads

"Online Data Helping Campaigns Customize Ads." That was a headline in today's New York Times. Here's a bit of the story:

Political campaigns, which have borrowed tricks from Madison Avenue for decades, are now fully engaged on the latest technological frontier in advertising: aiming specific ads at potential supporters based on where they live, the Web sites they visit and their voting records. 

Read more.

Marketers Go from Tracking Consumers to Each Other

"Yesmail Interactive has launched a tool that lets marketers track their competitors and follow new campaigns in real time. The platform, called Yesmail Market Intelligence, allows marketers who join to follow the digital marketing activity of other brands, from the times they deploy email blasts to the number of views their YouTube channel received the previous week," eports Digital Marketing News. "Yesmail, an Infogroup company, draws the data from publicly available sources and offers them to Market Intelligence members in a centralized, more easily navigable format." Read more.

AmEx Users Get to Run Promotional Ads to 300 Mil Users

"Twitter will soon be offering ads to small- and medium-sized businesses, and American Express cardmembers will get early access to it, the companies said on Feb. 17. The new self-service ads, which are scheduled to launch in late March, will allow small businesses to run their own promotional campaigns and access Twitter's more than 300 million users," says Direct Marketing News. "Through a partnership with the social media company, American Express has arranged it so that its cardmembers and merchants will be the first to try the new platform. American Express will give $100 in free Twitter advertising to the first 10,000 enterprise customers that register at ads.twitter.com/amex." Read more.

Sunday's Grammy's Helps with Marketing--Sort Of!

"Sunday night's Grammy Awards crept into web conversation on Monday morning, dominating search and social trends just as the Super Bowl did one week ago," notes Brafton."Based on data from Google trends, "grammys 2012" was among the most frequently searched terms throughout Monday, with the awards show accounting for nine of the 10 most popular search terms overall. As is the case with most other major events, content marketing campaigns that leveraged this topic likely saw increased interest from their readers. Moreover, social media marketing likely benefited from the Grammys as well, with the event trending late Sunday and into Monday morning. Pop star Adele was one of the most frequently discussed topics." Read more.

The Mobile Ad Apocalypse Approaches

"All advertising imposes costs on the consumer. For example, TV commercials interrupt shows, outdoor ads sometimes obscure or distract from prettier views, and the sheer weight of the ad pages in the September issue of Vogue has undoubtedly caused a fair number of arm strains and Prada bag collapses over the years. But because of consumers' close relationships with their mobile devices, the consumer costs of mobile advertising may be more visible and less tolerated than those of other media," observes a ClickZ post. "The industry is only beginning to pay attention to the consumer costs of mobile advertising, and if it doesn't proactively address these, there's at least a chance that a mobile ad apocalypse could occur." Read more.

Zatarain's Parties Socially for Mardi Gras

"As Fat Tuesday approaches, New Orleans-based Zatarain's is plumping up its digital and social media marketing efforts," notes ClickZ. "Mardi Gras is a big deal for the big easy food brand, and it's using Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, and a "Krewe" of bloggers to help revelers get in the spirit this all-important weekend." Read more.

Predicting if Someone Is Pregnant

"Andrew Pole had just started working as a statistician for Target in 2002, when two colleagues from the marketing department stopped by his desk to ask an odd question: 'If we wanted to figure out if a customer is pregnant, even if she didn’t want us to know, can you do that?'" Read the rest of the New York Times article to find out if Pole could.

Newspapers Get Readers Online

"Online news sites have long won the battle to get readers to move online –- although the question of whether readers should pay for that online content is another question," says Marketing Vox. "Perhaps an issue even more pertinent to publishers’ long time survival is when the advertisers will follow. Pew’s Project for Excellent in Journalism reports that online news sites are finding it difficult to convince advertisers to move from their traditional platforms to online outlets. One in five ads on news websites are house ads." Read more.

MySpace Finds New Growth

"MySpace's one-million growth in users this past month has not only brought attention to the site but also to one of its forthcoming initiatives — MySpace TV.  Announced last month, it will let artists and fans share and discover content," according to a Marketing Vox post. "Initial channels on MySpace TV will be music-focused, using MySpace’s music rights and leading library of 100,000 music videos and 42 million songs. Eventually, though, it will encompass movies, news, sports and reality channels." Read more.

Earlier this week Marketing Vox reported:  "MySpace, which was left for dead last year when Specific Media bought the site from News Corp., has returned to the headlines. Monday it announced that it had added one million new members since December with new signups going from zero to 40,000 per day." Read more.

Marketers Change as US Media Consumtion Habits Change

In class yesterday we discussed many matters. They frequently surrounded this point discussed in eMarketer a few days ago:

Changes in US media consumption habits have brands reevaluating their multichannel marketing programs. Marketers continue to combine channels with the purpose of achieving maximum reach, but as multiple digital devices become staples of US daily life, traditional media such as TV, print and radio are no longer the only channels offering marketers mass exposure. Read more.

Advertising Locally on the Internet

Neustar discusses five ways that a marketer can make her/his "local" advertising program more effective. In other words, small, local businesses can benefit from Internet marketing. Read more.

Consumers' Concerns about Privacy Loom over Marketers

"Consumer concerns regarding online privacy have been well documented by the media," eMarketer reports. "But brands, publishers, advertisers and solution providers that haven't been listening carefully and addressing consumer worries may soon find themselves at odds with their key internet audiences." Read more. Remember: In this class you have evolved into a marketer. If you "like" this issue, then think of it as a marketer--not as a consumer.

Online Advertising Stumbling over Itself

"comScore has released its 2012 U.S. Digital Future in Focus report," according to comScore. "This annual report examines how the prevailing trends in social media, search, online video, digital advertising, mobile and e-commerce defining the current marketplace and what these trends mean for the year ahead. “It’s no secret that the online advertising industry has long held the promise of being the most measureable of all media,” writes comScore. Sill, the complex online advertising ecosystem makes validation of delivery difficult. In preparation for this year’s Focus report, comScore conducted a U.S.-based Charter Study in December 2011 involving 12 national brands, 3,000 placements, 381,000 site domains and 1.7 billion ad impressions." Read more.

Traditional News Media Doing a "Crummy Job"

"A new study of advertising in news by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism reveals that even the top news websites have little success getting advertisers to move online from traditional platforms," reports Media Buyer Planner. "They are in fact 'doing a crummy job of capitalizing on online advertising’s growth,' as blogger Andrew Beaujon of the Poynter Institute describes. Pew examined 5,381 ads on 22 homepages and landing pages at different news operations. Those operations included 11 newspapers, four magazines, three cable news outlets, three commercial network broadcasts and two online-only outlets (Yahoo News and The Huffington Post)." Read more.

Super Bowl Commercials Integrate with Social Media

"For some, the week began on a high note, celebrating the New York Giants' win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. Internet marketers likely rejoiced too, but not necessarily because of the game's actual outcome," reports Brafton. "As is tradition, the commercials airing during the game generated substantial conversation on the web, and the integration of social media marketing into some of the campaigns signaled the channel's value to some of the most recognizable brands in the world. On Monday, Brafton highlighted the use of social in some of these campaigns, including Bud Light Platinum's use of the hashtag '#MakeItPlatinum,' which quickly became a trending topic on Twitter. Audi's '#SoLongVampires' achieved similar success after the ad featuring a car with especially bright lights killing a series of vampires became an instant hit." Read more.

What Does Google's New Privacy Mean to Digital Marketing?

"Another projected result is that Google will have a more comprehensive view of your online activity, which it can use to target ads to you," says a ClickZ post. "Many find this disturbing. First techies, then journalists, then politicians started clamoring about how the new policy presents a threat to users' privacy and violates the trust users had placed in Google. Even Microsoft jumped on the bandwagon, with a new ad casting doubt on the purity of Google's intentions and pointing to its own services as a privacy-friendly alternative." Read more.

The Role of Presidential Elections in Digital Marketing

"Presidential elections have served as important catalysts and benchmarks in the slow but steady adoption of digital marketing tactics by political campaigns," according to Ad Age. "The 2004 election represented a breakthrough, as the Dean campaign used emerging social networking tools and communities to generate a potent new stream of donations and to organize and engage supporters. In the 2008 cycle, the Obama campaign took this process to the next level, with a well-tuned digital marketing machine, blending search and display, social and email -- and blew the roof off with record-breaking levels of donations and digital engagement, not to mention a residual digital community the President's political organization continues to mine." Read more.

Vicks Helps Moms Track Flus

"Kaz, manufacturer for the Vicks brand, found an innovative way to target a very specific audience for its new behind-the-ear thermometer — moms and expectant mothers — by leveraging the geolocation abilities of smartphones, demographics data provided by apps and an algorithm created by Google that estimates regional flu activity based on Internet searches," according to Direct Marketing News. "Google aggregated Web searches from 2003 to 2008 with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, and using the location aspect of users' IP addresses, Google devised a formula to estimate regional flu activity based on Internet searches. Using Google's predictive model for the flu as its primary data, Kaz partnered with the third-party ad network Where.com to pinpoint the moms and moms-to-be who would be most interested in the noninvasive temperature-taker by indicating to them that they are in a region where the flu is prevalent, via ads served through a number of apps." Read more.

Google Opening Bids for Ads on Its Mobile Ad Network

"Next week advertising auctions for cost-per-click (CPC) placements on Google’s AdMob mobile ad network will take quality score into consideration," says Marketing Vox. "Specifically: on Wednesday, February 15th, ads will be displayed based on their quality of the ad and the bids of that impression. In addition, Google is removing minimum bids and targeting fees, instead letting the pricing be determined solely by market forces. This is part of Google’s strategy to move AdMob closer to its core AdWords product. Previously, the highest bidder won the impression on AdMob." Read more.

So You Thought Yahoo Was Following in the Footsteps of AOL, Newscape, and Alta Vista--Maybe Not

"Yesterday, Yahoo released out of beta a website that visualizes the traffic to Yahoo properties, letting users customize results...," according to an Ad Age post. "Yahoo hopes to roll out in the next few months that will personalize the content experience on its sites, said Mike Kerns, Yahoo's VP-social and personalization.... The hope, of course, is that a more-personalized experience will increase engagement and, with it, affinity for the Yahoo brand."  Read more.

Its Absurdity Is Its Effectiveness

"Visiting the local park not long ago, Shelley Davies-Carr and her four sons were suddenly surrounded by a gaggle of overexcited teenagers wielding cellphones and taking photographs. 'Oh, my God!' the teenagers shrieked, as only teenagers can. “ ‘"Charlie Bit My Finger!"' ” That's the lead of a New York Times post. "Indeed, it is hard to find anyone in the video-watching world who has not heard of “Charlie Bit My Finger,” a YouTube video featuring tiny Charlie Davies-Carr chomping on his older brother, Harry. Since it was posted in 2007, the 56-second clip of English-accented toddler indignation and infant bliss has been viewed a mind-boggling 417.6 million times, making it the most successful noncommercial video in YouTube history." Read more.

Social Platforms Growing Faster Than Can Be Tracked

"Social platforms are still in their Precambrian era, with new services emerging and consolidating large audiences almost faster than they can be tracked," according to ClickZ. "Meanwhile the social category as a whole is on the cusp of becoming the dominant form of online content, accounting for 16.6 percent of Internet minutes spent as 2011 drew to a close. A wide-ranging report from comScore found that while leader Facebook continues its impressive growth - reaching three out of four U.S. users - relative newcomers like Tumblr, Pinterest, and Google+ are evolving and growing at a steady clip." Read more.

Baby Boomers More Concerned about Data Collection Than Millenials

"Forrester just published survey results intended to answer the questions "Do people care if companies collect their data, and does it affect their decisions about the companies?'" That's the start of an Ad Age post. "The short answer to both questions is, yes.In a survey of 37,000 US and Canadian online adults, we first asked how concerned people were with companies accessing their personal information. More than 70% were concerned about social security numbers and credit cards. Less than half cared about their phone number, and only 19% were concerned about their online reviews. This proves people are at least thoughtful, and distinguish between extremely sensitive information and other information.The second big conclusion is that age matters, and young people are more open. For example, 47% of 55-64 year-olds were concerned about access to their behavioral data, compared to only 33% of those 18-24. Young people were also far more willing to give up information in exchange for discounts." Read more.

Pharmaceutical Brands Do More Digital Marketing

"A much-anticipated Facebook game from Boehringer Ingelheim, makers of Dulcolax, Zantac, and an array of prescription medications, is just one example of how pharma [pharmaceutical] brands are plowing ahead with digital campaigns," reports ClickZ. "Despite hand wringing about a lack of clear regulatory guidance, BI, Pfizer, and others were already breaking new ground before new draft social media guidelines were unveiled by the Food and Drug Administration in December." Read more.

IKEA Enlists "Like" Buddies in New Marketing Campaign

"The 'Bring Your Own Friends' campaign from IKEA USA gave back to its customers while at the same time raised money for charity. Who can beat that? Plus, IKEA cleverly enlisted its own Facebook fans base to do some of the heavy marketing lifting for them," reports Direct Marketing News. "The way it worked was simple: IKEA told its more than 430,000 Facebook fans to invite buddies to bring along and enjoy a full day of free in-store meals, massages, gift card giveaways, discounts and other perks for one blowout shopping day in mid-January at IKEA stores nationwide." Read more.

Prez Returns to Online Advertising in Re-Election Bid

"Online ad spending by Obama for America and the Democratic National Committee reached more than $7 million in 2011," according to a CiickZ post. "From March through December, OFA alone bought more than $5 million worth of online ads, according to Federal Election Commission reports analyzed by ClickZ Politics. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama's reelection camp only recently began running television spots, reportedly making a relatively small national buy aimed at building his supporter list, and later pushing an economy and energy policy themed message to battleground states." Read more.

What Makes for a Good Social Media Campaign

"Ad Age and Creativity's latest trend report explores what it takes for brands to 'do good Facebook,'" and so starts the Ad Age post. "We gathered a roundtable of seasoned creatives, including Mr. Benjamin, a former CP&B co-CCO who helped steer notable Facebook campaigns such as Burger King's 'Whopper Sacrifice.' We were joined by his former Crispin colleague Paul Aaron, now digital executive creative director at Amalgamated; Tool's Jason Zada, EVB co-founder turned director, who created one of the most viral Facebook efforts of last year in 'Take This Lollipop'; Pereira & O'Dell Creative Director Jaime Robinson, who worked on the successful Intel-Toshiba 'Inside' social film; Team Detroit ECD Scott Lange, who oversaw Ford's 'Doug' social-media puppet effort; and Jung Von Matt Limmat's Livio Dainese, creative director on Graubunden Tourism's 'Obermutten Goes Global,' which earned a tiny Swiss town more Facebook action than the fan pages of Justin Beiber and Lady Gaga.If you don't know their work, you should. All of them have successfully navigated the social-media platform and created Facebook campaigns that people actually cared about." Read and see more (video).

Judging Celebs on Their Facebook Covers

"Securing the services of a supermodel to wear minimal clothing is standard for a Super Bowl advertiser, but hiring her based on her social-media credentials is a sign of the time," notes Advertising Age. "To help make its spot go viral, Kia Motors chose Adriana Lima, Motley Crue and MMA fighter Chuck Liddell to appear in its ad largely on the basis of their social graphs and the perceived power of their fan bases. In the ad, the Sandman pours too much sand in the eyes of a sleeping man and makes his dream world a manifestation of his deepest desires to drive around a raceway and be cheered on by legions by bikini-clad women." Read more.

See Growth of Internet Marketing during the Next Five Years

Source: eMarketer, 2012

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Homework Help

Some individuals find it helpful to talk out their thoughts.

You can do that in Monday's class. Bring in your thesis for the letter assignment. I will critique it. I will not say, "This stinks," or make a comment remotely close to that.

I will show you how to improve it, what details may support it, and if you wrote a conclusion rather than a thesis. If you wrote a conclusion, I will attempt to help you "back up" your thinking until you finally have a thesis.

I have done this in the past. The students who participate feel better about what they are thinking and usually find creating their assignments somewhat easier.

I look forward to seeing your theses on Monday.

By the way, you can also review them with me on Sunday between three and five. As always, I will be sitting in the library's coffee shop at that time, my office hours.

Millenials--Your Generation--Drive Digital Content

In Monday's class, I mentioned that your generation had $170 billion [see this blog posting] in purchasing power, that producers gear websites, movies, publications, books, and tv shows to your generation, and as a consequence, that your generation rules. Now your generation will dictate marketing content.

"In a few short years, millennials—consumers currently ages 18 to 34—will account for a sizeable portion of US purchase decision-makers. Yet Bazaarvoice found these digital natives are already using and creating online content to recommend or dissuade friends, family and anonymous site-visitors from a brand, product or service," reports eMarketer. "Compared to their older counterparts, baby boomers, millennial internet users showed a greater reliance on anonymous recommendations and reviews when making purchase decisions." Read more.

Now your generation does have large education loans, and they are coming of age during one of the most difficult economic times in the past 80 years. Yet your number--more than 85 million, 10 million more than the baby boomer generation (mine)--could set this nation in an entirely new economic direction, especially when you start building families. Doubt that. Read this.

Facebook Earned More Than $3B in Ad Rev in 2011

"Facebook's 2011 advertising revenues were $3.1 billion, up 69 percent from the year before, according to the Menlo Park, CA-based firm's S-1 filing today for its initial public offering. Facebook, which has increased its ad units per page from four to seven in the last two years, appears to have benefited greatly from those particular moves," notes ClickZ. "According to the filing, the primary reason for the jump in ad revenue was a 42 percent lift in the number of ads delivered, as well as an 18 percent hike in the average price per ad delivered." Read more.

WSJ Joins the Social Media Video Rush on YouTube

Media Buyer Planner reports that "the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) ...launched its dedicated YouTube channel, reports Investors Business Daily. First among its advertisers visible to YouTube viewers: the Ron Paul campaign (with a banner ad and 13-minute streaming infomercial), the United Arab Emirates and Boeing." Read more.

Marketers Looking to Use More Internet Marketing in 2012

"A report from Valpak and the Cox Media Group found that businesses are optimistic about 2012, and improved internet marketing is the cause. According to the study, companies believe that the web provides the best opportunities to boost sales, with search engine optimization coming out on top," says a post on Brafton News. "Sixty-seven percent [of marketers responding to the survey] report that they will center their efforts around SEO, ensuring that their website content is developed with keywords and the behavior of their target audience....Social media marketing will be a major component of campaigns for 57 percent of businesses." Read more.

Insurance Companies Spending More on Internet Marketing

"Healthcare reform and signs of economic recovery have insurance marketers retooling their direct marketing efforts to drive relevant messaging to consumers and prospects. Marketers are putting a premium on offering personalized, accurate content to different consumer demographics, while balancing privacy concerns," according to Direct Marketing News. "While many marketers have had to trim their budgets in recent years, the insurance industry has witnessed steady spending growth over the past few years. During the first three quarters of 2011, insurance television advertising spending increased 10% and Internet advertising spending increased 40% compared to the same period in 2010, according to Kantar Media." Read more.