Online Advertising Benefits Web Surfers, Says Study

“Europeans now spend an average of 24 hours on the internet every month,” starts the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) post. Almost all of the services that they use regularly—from email, instant messaging and maps to social networks...—are free, funded largely by online advertising. A new report commissioned by IAB Europe from McKinsey & Company … shows that advertising triples the value consumers receive from the Internet, by subsidizing such valuable services as email, comparison shopping, news alerts, social networking, and video entertainment,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO, IAB US. “This work contributes to a growing body of research—including the IAB US/Harvard study on ‘The Economic Value of the Advertising-Supported Internet Ecosystem’—which shows conclusively that online advertising is a boon to consumers and citizens worldwide.” Download the full report.

Maybe Eng 202 Will Help with Your Math

“Knowing a language that uses counting words can shape one’s ability to understand large numbers,” according to a post by Lisa Grossman in Wired . “A new study of deaf people who have made up their own hand signals to communicate shows that without number words, it’s hard to keep track of more than three objects at a time. 'Learning language really shapes the way we think,' said cognitive psychologist Elizabet Spaepen of the University of Chicago, lead author of a paper published Feb. 7 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 'It can change the way we conceptualize something as seemingly basic as number.'”

Facebook Wants to Give Away Your Cell Number

"I n a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Congressmen Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) requested information regarding the company’s plans to allow developers to access a user's mobile phone number and address provided the user gives the thumbs up to the developer's application,” reports eWeek . “Facebook originally proposed the idea in January, but agreed to back off temporarily after concerns were raised that rogue developers could abuse this situation.”

Social Media Not as Effective as Search Media

“ While many commentators have predicted growth in social media marketing in 2011, traditional internet marketing services strategies such as search engine optimisation may be more effective at seeing a return,” according to a ClickThrough post. Research by Foreesee Results “revealed that more people are likely to use search results as a major influence when making a purchase than use a social media recommendation.” Foresee studied “nearly 10,000 visitors to major retailers showed that 13 percent used a search engine as their primary reason for visiting a website, while three percent were directed via a social network.”

AOL -- The New "Media" Kid on the Block?

Over the weekend, AOL's DailyFinance noted that AOL purchased the online newspaper The Huffington Post. “The new group will have a combined base of 117 million unique visitors a month in the United States and 270 million around the world. Following the close of this transaction, AOL will accelerate its strategy to deliver a scaled and differentiated array of premium news, analysis, and entertainment produced by thousands of writers, editors, reporters, and videographers around the globe. ...“'The acquisition of The Huffington Post will create a next-generation American media company with global reach that combines content, community, and social experiences for consumers,'” said Tim Armstrong, Chairman and CEO of AOL. “'Together, our companies will embrace the digital future and become a digital destination that delivers unmatched experiences for both consumers and advertisers.'”

German Luxury Car Mfr.'s Pump Up Super Bowl Campaigns with Social Media

“Audi shifted its Super Bowl XLV campaign into high gear yesterday, running Promoted Trend and Promoted Tweet ads on Twitter. The German carmaker will hit top social media speed in the final two days leading up to its :60 spot in the big game,” according to ClickZ.

In an earlier report the same website noted: "Mercedes-Benz's seven-week Super Bowl campaign on Twitter is approaching the final lap and tweeting towards the finish line. Dubbed 'Tweet Race,' the effort was designed to create momentum for the German carmaker’s first-ever Super Bowl ad on Feb. 6."

Yahoo Goes after Hyperlocal Markets

Every website and search engine wants to attract advertisers who focus on local markets—meaning just the people in a town or a large or small neighborhood. Experts call it hyperlocal marketing. No site has succeed. Yahoo apparently is trying extra hard, according to MediaBuyerPlanner : “Yahoo has … decided on one thing it can do to release some of those local dollars [from hyperlocal advertisers]: set up a research project that will provide “consumer insights” designed to get retailers to spend their local ad budget with the portal.”

Facebook Giving Away Your Cell Number?

“Last month, Facebook told developers they’d be able to get users’ current address and mobile-phone numbers,” reports MediaBuyerPlanner. “Three days later, Facebook put the feature on hold while it works on a better procedure to make it explicit to users when exactly they’re granting access to their most direct contact information. Now two members of Congress want to know more about these plans.”

Smartphones Better for Ad Campaigns

“Compared to feature phone users, smartphone users are most impacted by mobile campaigns, according to the December 2010 SMART Report from Millennial Media,” reports MarketingVox. “Smartphone campaigns have 39% effectiveness in this area, about 39% more than the 28% effectiveness of feature phones. In addition, smartphones are 30% more effective than feature phones in the area of unaided awareness (17% compared to 13%), and 25% more effective in purchase intent (15% compared to 12%).” The question: Is it the phone as implied in this posting by MarketingVox or is it the type of individual who uses the smartphone versus the one who uses a feature phone?

Social Networks: Making More $; Ways to Go--Though

The information about advertising revenue earned by social networks is confusing. One claims they are making more money; another warns that they are not working as effectively as search ads. eMarketer has the key to unlock the quandry: “Social networks are steadily increasing their share of total online ad spending in the US. In 2011, 10.8% of all US online ad spending will go to social networks. Next year, the share of spending going toward social destinations is expected to rise to 12.1%.

Social networks are increasing their revenue from advertising, but advertising on social networks fails to produce results advertisers get with search ads. See the iAd posting from today, as an example.

iAds Better Than TV Ads? Find Out!

The first iAds started appearing on iPhones and iPods seven months ago. To find out how effective the early advertising campaigns, Apple along with one of its major advertisers, Campbell's, funded a study. According to AdAge, “Those exposed to one of Campbell's iAds were more than twice as likely to recall it than those who had seen a TV ad.”

Facebook Ads: Twice as Much, Half as Good

“ While Facebook ads cost more than traditional banner ads, they only perform half as well, according to a survey [ PDF] by Webtrends ( via Mashable),” reports MarketingVox . “The study looked at 11,000 campaigns on Facebook to establish benchmarks for companies looking to advertise there. Webtrends found that the average click-through rate for Facebook ads in 2009 was 0.063% and 0.051% in 2010 - half as much as industry standard of .1%, Mashable points out. The cost per click was also $0.27 and $0.49 for those periods, respectively.”

Viral Videos for January

Top 10 Most-shared Online Videos January 2011, according to a post on MarketingVox:

1. DC Shoes - Ken Block’s Gymkhana Three, Part 2 – Ultimate Playground, L’Autodrome

2. Evian – Roller Babies

3. Icon Films - Motorcycle vs. Car Drift Battle

4. Danny MacAskill – Way Back Home

5. Tance Urban - The Most Amazing Beat Box Video Ever

6. Heineken – The Entrance

7. McDonald’s - BF&GF TVC

8. DC Shoes – Ken Block’s Gymkhana Two, The Infomercial

9. Lego - The Brick Thief

10. T-Mobile – Welcome Back

What does this mean? Every time an individual forwards a link, mentions a link on his/her Facebook page, or tweats the link, the advertiser gets free advertising.

Tips and Instructions for the Feb. 4 Assignment

Thanks to the weather we are running behind. You still need to do the writing assignment, which you should submit by email on Feb. 4 by 11:59 pm. (Remember you lose a letter grade for every “day” you submit it late.)

First step: Relax. Every student who submits the assignment as specified here will receive an “A” regardless of what errors I find in the paper's presentation. The assignment has two goals: to demonstrate your writing skill and to give you an opportunity to see how I comment.

Minimum Requirements for an A

• Copy and paste your report into your email window. Do not send attachments.

• Your email and the report should appear in the format that I covered in class. Have you forgotten? Click this link, read, and follow the directions.

• You need to have in-text citations and a works cited page (bibliography) at the end of the email. You will use MLA style. For assistance, you can click this link or you can refer to the works cited page for the “Internet Marketing” essay.

• You must cite both articles, “ Search Engines” and “Internet Marketing.” (The class blog is not a source. If you want to use ideas from the blog, click the link in the post to the original article, which you can use as a source.)

• Your report should run at least 750 words. Word counts in this class indicate a minimum—not a maximum. The word count also does not include “words” on the works cited page.

• Do not use first or second person for reasons that I will explain in class: I, we, me, my, mine, our, ours, you, your, and yours.

Avoid Defining and These Words

You should begin the semester attempting not to define. To repeat yesterday's lecture: Defining is using a “to be verb” (TBV) as the only verb in a sentence. TBV's include am, is, are, was, were, has/had/have been, will/could/should/would have been . How do you avoid it? You cannot. You usually must rewrite the entire sentence. You can use a to-be verb with an “ing” word, such as saying, writing, repeating, beginning.

You also should delete the following words from your writing: important, very, really, interesting, lot, lots, “going to” instead of will for future tense. Some students ask, “But what if it is important?” Then explain the importance with details and facts. Saying something is important merely defines a point with an opinion—which strangers (readers) rarely find convincing.

Do not use expressions such as I think, I believe, I feel . You are hedging. Of course, you think, believe, or feel. You wrote it so the reader already knows that you thought it, believed it, or felt it. You never state the obvious to a reader—unless you want to insult him/her. Not convinced? Tell me which sentence sounds more assured: 1. I believe in God. 2. God exists. The first affirms a personal belief; the second states a fact (albeit one of faith).

Finally, do not use contractions, such as isn't, aren't, won't, and hasn't.

You can check this link for a simpler explanation.

What Do I Expect?

In terms of content, I expect you to do the following:

• To read the two assigned readings, “Search Engines” and “Internet Marketing,” and

• To create your own theme, idea, or thesis by merging the ideas that you read with your own thinking, creating an “original” idea, a compelling reason why an individual should read your work. I mean original for you and the material you have read—not universally original. This link to the blog may help if you are having trouble.

I do not expect you to do additional research. I am not teaching you how to research. You should focus on how you present your ideas to a reader in a convincing manner. I expect you to struggle in your quest for that manner.

Should you want to do more research, fine. Save time and start with the blog. You will see Label lines at the end of each post. Find one that reads: Internet marketing overview. Read the postings. If one supports your idea, then click the link and read the article. If you use it, cite the article – not the blog.

Google Makes "Cloud" Computing Easier and Cheaper--but Why?

"Last year, Google began allowing users to upload docs of any file format up to 250 MB in size to Google Docs, turning the service from simply an online word processor into a cloud storage service," goes the NYTimes. "Today, the company has unveiled a number of user interface changes for Google Docs that continues the move toward becoming the mythical 'Gdrive' - a cloud-based file storage service."

In other words, an individual with a Google account can store text files on Google Docs, which some people have called Gdrive. The significance? I have stored files on my Gdrive. I can go anywhere in the world--without my computer--and access the files. I can also share them with other individuals, a free service that becomes increasingly valuable with the spread of e-reader apps for smart phones and tablets.

Egyptians Topple Gov't. with New Social Network Service

“'And the number is growing,' he said, raising his voice to be heard on the recording.” That's the start of a NYTimes post about how Egyptians are using a new social media service to take down a 30-year-old dictactorship. “Egyptian voices are trickling out through a new service that evades attempts by the authorities ...There is still some cellphone service, so a new social-media link that marries Google, Twitter and SayNow, a voice-based social media platform, gives Egyptians three phone numbers to call and leave a message, which is then posted on the Internet as a recorded Twitter message” that people listen to on phone or read at twitter.com/speak2tweet.

Google's Online Marketing Services Unfair? Someone Says Yes!

“Foundem has criticized Google's recent changes to its online marketing services strategy that has seen results from other vertical search engines and price comparison sites further downgraded,” says a post from ClickThrough-Marketing. “While Google has said its efforts are about reducing the amount of spam generated by copied content, Foundem is concerned that it will further disadvantage rivals, PC Pro reports.”

Meanwhile the NYTimes reports that "Google has weathered criticism in the past that it has copied some features of Microsoft’s Bing search engine, like background images. Now it has turned the tables, alleging that Bing copies something much more important: search results."

Audi and Others Extend Impact of Super Bowl Ads with Social Media

“When Audi's ad debuts Feb. 6 during Super Bowl XLV in the first break in the game, it will contain a hashtag so viewers can follow conversations about the ad on Twitter,” according to an AdAge post. “Will a majority of viewers have a clue what the symbol means? Probably not. But its mere presence is a sign that Super Bowl advertisers are tapping social media to extend their buy like never before. In Audi's case, the TV spot is the starting point and Twitter is the vehicle for extending the experience beyond the first pod of the game. ...”

Are More People Opting Out of Behaviorial Statistics?

“ Is the future of online advertising one of incredibly targeted advertising based on your interests, online activities and Facebook 'likes,' or is it one dictated by robust privacy controls that keep those details out of the hands of marketers? Increasingly, it seems to depend on who you ask,” goes the CNNreport . “In the past week, both Google and Mozilla (the organization that makes the Firefox browser) have introduced ways to opt out of so-called behavioral advertising -- industry speak for ads that target users through the use of cookies that can track your internet browsing and shopping history, among other activities.”

Income for Average Social Network User Up

“The average revenue per user of social networks should reach $4 this year. Social network advertising average revenue per user will approach $3.50, according to a new white paper from Deloitte. These figures are an improvement from estimates of more than $3.50 total average revenue per user and $3 advertising average revenue per user for 2010,” says MarketingVox. For the past five years, most social networks were attracting young individuals who did not make buying decisions for the household. The rise of revenue indicates social networking now pull in household buyers, the individuals many adveretisers want to reach.