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The phones have eyes: Vodafone?s augmented reality app brings t-shirts to life

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Mobile

October 19th, 2011 by Ben Fahy

With a big pitch on the go and some unwanted attention from the Commerce Commission and the ASA for misleading and irresponsible advertising, Vodafone’s been in the news a bit recently. But it’s got something slightly more positive to shout about now: an augmented reality (AR) application to celebrate its sponsorship of the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.

You savvy marcomms folk presumably know that AR is the overlaying of computer-generated content on a live view of the world (here’s a few fine examples). Some of you might even have AR business cards. But it’s still a fairly fringe technology in New Zealand, and, as far as Vodafone can tell, “it’s the first large-scale AR application of its kind” in New Zealand.

Smartphones, as the Web Vision video says, have eyes and ears, so the Vodafone app, which was created by Smudge Apps in Christchurch and can be downloaded at the Android Market, at the iTunes app store or by texting music to 898, allows users to hold up their phone, bring a t-shirt graphic to life and play Avalanche City’s latest single “You and I”.

1200 t-shirts have been made and hundreds of them will be worn for the next few weeks by Vodafone retail staff in the lead up to the awards at Vector Arena on November 3.

“Today’s technology is pretty incredible and we wanted to find a way of connecting our passion for Kiwi music with our love of cool innovation, while having some fun,” says Vodafone general manager of brand and communications, Suraiya Phillimore-Smith. “We know that Android and iPhone users are going to love seeing this in action in Vodafone retail stores. Our staff are going to be flat out standing around as customers point phones at their t-shirts.”

Music fans can also download the Avalanche City single straight to their smartphone via the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards app. In addition the app features highlights from the 2010 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards and finalist profiles.

Tags: Mobile, Smudge Apps, Suraiya Phillimore-Smith, VNZMA, Vodafone

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The blind leading the way ? from digital donations to Braille apps

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Digital

October 19th, 2011 by Cath Winks

The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB) has launched a new online collection tool for its Blind Week appeal, 25-31 October, making it the first charity in New Zealand to do so.

In an ever increasing digital world, the RNZFB understands the need to communicate with its wide supporter base through interactive online channels.

The virtual bucket collection tool, named by the RNZFB as ‘MyBucket’ and created by New Zealand company Givealittle, uses the unique potential of digital technology and social media to enable supporters to ‘shake a bucket’ in the online space.

RNZFB Ambassadors Mike Hosking and Kate Hawkesby, previous street appeal collectors, will be taking part in the online collection, as is Jax Hamilton, Masterchef finalist and the face of the RNZFB’s Bake a Difference for Blind Week event.

“We’re really excited to be launching ‘MyBucket’ for this year’s Blind Week appeal”, says RNZFB’s Sandra Budd.

“We all know that people are communicating more and more online, so this new tool makes it easy for our supporters to spread the word to family and friends about a cause they feel passionately about.

“In an economic climate like the one we’re experiencing, it’s also an extremely cost effective way for us to raise essential funds and awareness of our cause”, says Budd.

The MyBucket online collection will be live for just three weeks from now until  5 November and the RNZFB is encouraging registrations via http://mybucket.rnzfb.org.nz/ It only takes a few easy steps to sign up as collector, or to donate via a secure payment process, with 100 percent of donations going to the RNZFB.

Embracing all things digital, the RNZFB has also launched a Braille translator iPhone app for Blind Week, with the help of APPD Solutions. You can download this app free from the iTunes store; simply search Blind Week.

Funds raised from Blind Week will enable the RNZFB to continue providing its blind and partially sighted members with the full range of skills, tools and resources they need to lead independent lives.

For all things Blind Week, including making a donation, visit blindweek.org.nz, check us out on facebook.com/RNZFB, or call us on 0800 120 BLIND (0800 120 254).

Tags: Blind Week, Givealittle, RNZFB, Sandra Budd, The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind

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Howzat? - Worcestershire CCC clinches marketing award

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7:10am Wednesday 19th October 2011

JUDGES were hit for six as they named Worcestershire County Cricket Club winners of the Best Membership Campaign Award for 2011 AT the ECB's (England and Wales Cricket Board’s) recent Business of Cricket Awards, Worcestershire CCC earned the accolade.

The annual Business of Cricket Awards showcases the marketing and PR across the 18 first class counties and MCC.

Winners were:

Best New/Lapsed Fan Campaign - Essex

Best Improvement in Customer Database and Relationship Building - Hampshire

Best Use of Digital Media - Warwickshire

Best Friends Life t20 Activation - Essex

Best Membership Campaign - Worcestershire

Best Integrated Campaign (International) - Warwickshire

Best Integrated Campaign (Domestic) - Derbyshire

Best Community Programme - Nottinghamshire

Best In Ground Event Package - Kent

Best PR/Media Management For a First Class County team - Nottinghamshire

The Commercial PR/Team of the Year - Nottinghamshire

Worcestershire CCC's entry for Best Friends Life t20 activation was also shortlisted.

Chief executive, David Leatherdale, said: "It is a great honour that Worcestershire CCC has been awarded the best membership campaign.

“This award is testament to our hardworking team and our loyal members, who have made the 2011 campaign such a success.”

Read these Business Daily stories

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Pay and Display

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Digital display is now more focused on targeting unique users to deliver value for brands, says Julia Smith of Jemm Media Group Ltd

With the global display market valued at around $24bn a year, the rise of digital display advertising is there for all to see, and it’s not finished yet. The UK market was valued at around £1bn in 2010, with display ads growing by 27.5%, acting as further evidence of the shift from traditional to digital.

Previously, the strategy behind display advertising was dominated by direct response goals. However, as technology has evolved it has opened the gates to powerful targeting techniques, helping marketers become more involved with brands. The new era in display advertising encompasses the increased use of data and enables more effective, successful and measureable campaigns - for branding and direct response campaigns alike.
Digital display is now more focused on targeting unique users to deliver value for brands. Every two days, the human race creates as much data as it had done from the dawn of civilisation until 2003. The data that’s being created allows display advertising to be increasingly relevant to those seeing it, making sure that the right audience are exposed to the right ad message. The more targeted an ad is, the more likely it’s going to grab attention and inspire a call to action.

While data and technology has sparked a revolution in how, when and where display ads are seen, the creative element for what actually goes in to the ad doesn't seem to have kept pace with the development of technology. Or perhaps it’s fairer to say it hasn’t changed enough.
I only hope that in the next year, interactivity and creativity step up to the plate and bring back some much needed creativity – but at the moment it feels like the days when an advert would jump out at you are long gone.

Julia Smith, 'The Voice' & Communications Director, Jemm Media Group Ltd

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Express Your Preference

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Email marketers need to adopt a new school approach which incorporates all the interactive power channels, says Simon Robinson, Senior Marketing and Alliances Director, Responsys EMEA

As an established, ubiquitous, interactive and inexpensive channel of engagement, email is one of the most popular delivery channels since it can be used to contact customers with relevant information at the optimum moment. To ensure that consumers receive relevant and timely emails, we recommend marketers set-up preference centres and encourage customers to share their interests. Data gleaned from preferences helps marketers to segment consumers according to their past behaviour and implement test and learn strategies that show the content users respond best to and the type of information that will get disengaged customers back into the fold.

Preference centres also act as a successful way to gain a customer’s permission to contact them with information across other channels. At a time when social media is a buzz word, m-commerce is rapidly evolving and email is one of the most used delivery channels, marketers are adopting a new-school marketing approach that incorporates all the interactive power channels - email, mobile, social and the web. Email can no longer be used in isolation, and must be used as part of a cross-channel marketing approach. Brands are increasingly using email to run 'join' or 'share with your network' campaigns to attract email subscribers to social media pages and share email content. With some subscribers viewing emails on their mobiles, marketers are also recognising the importance of providing mobile-friendly versions of websites and emails to increase the relevance and success of campaigns.

Marketing to today’s cross-channel consumer demands a more nimble approach and email has become a killer outbound channel for marketers because of its ability to raise brand awareness, increase conversions and drive traffic to other channels in the customer lifecycle. However, for campaigns to be truly successful, email must remain at the heart of a holistic marketing strategy to drive engagement with the brand.

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EUR/USD Lifts On EU Bailout News

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If you could only choose seven women to save, who would they be?

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CREATIVE

October 19th, 2011 by Cath Winks

That is the question asked by Colenso BBDO’s compelling Save Seven campaign for NZ Breast Cancer Foundation.

As well as creating a powerful cinema spot and TVC featuring seven very different women speaking candidly about their experiences fighting breast cancer, the real mission of the project is getting New Zealanders to choose the seven friends or family members they would save. They can choose to share the powerful vignette’s with them, by email or social media, and so increase the chances of them getting a check up.  And check ups save lives. It’s a simple, hard hitting and very very effective campaign, judging by the thousands of views it’s had on Youtube, and the comments left behind.

Behind each of the seven woman’s dialogue is a short film made by a different director.  They didn’t pick seven because it’s such a lucky number, but because seven women are diagnosed with breast cancer in New Zealand every day. The film is dedicated to the seven women who have shared their stories to make other women breast aware. Their message is to urge women that if they feel a change, to get it checked, because early detection is vital to survive this disease.  So what are you waiting for? Check those puppies out.

Jane’s story: ”I’m Jane Sweeney and I run a PR relations firm in Auckland. I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2009 and went from diagnosis to cure in under a month. I was determined that breast cancer would not define me, but what it taught me was to love life more. Now I want to experience all of life’s great things and of course spend more time with my fabulous 3 sons and husband. Sometimes I don’t really understand people who have glasses that are half empty or half full because all I know is that mine is always running over.”

Credits
Talent: Jane Sweeney
Director: Jae Morrison
Producer: Katie Knight
Music Licensing: Franklin Rd & Jonathan Hughes
Music Composition & Performance: Jonathan Besser (www.jonathanbesser.com)
Sound Recording/Mix: Images and Sound
Audio Engineer: James Hayday
Head of Sound / Managing Partner: Steve Finnigan
Managing Director: Melanie Langoltz
DOP / Edit & Post: Jae Morrison
FX: Blockhead
Flame: Mike Robinson
Producer: Angela Jackson Betts
Hair & Makeup: Claudia Rodrigues
Gear Rental: Kingsize Studios
Special thanks to: Jane’s Family, Adrienne Sutton, The Staff at Porter Novelli, Dr Alexander Ng, Dr Stephen Mills, The Staff at the Manurewa Super, Clinic, Mt Eden Church of Life, Facebook Buddies who supplied Images, Flickr Creative Commons Contributors, Zoe Hawkins, Kia Heinnen, Levi Slavin, Jen Storey, Paul Courtney, Tim Ellis, Eileen Cosgrove-Moloney

Helena’s story: ”I’m Helena McAlpine and I am 32 years old. I decided to make my experience with breast cancer a positive thing. So I shared my journey with as many people as possible because Cancer was not going to kill me. Women from all over the world contacted me and most of them got their breasts checked as a result. I had a full mastectomy and reconstruction, chemo and radiation therapy. I can’t deny that it wasn’t much fun, but the whole process was made easy by the support and dedication of my family and friends.”

Credits
Talent: Helena McAlpine
Director: Zia Mandviwalla
Producer: Chelsea Winstanley
Executive Producer: Matt Noonan
Animator: Suneil Narsai
DOP: Grant McKinnon
Sound: Gabriel Muller
Music Design: Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper
Audio Post Facility: Franklin Rd
Flame Artist: Ken Stewart
Curious Post Production
Production Co. Curious

Kat’s story: ”My name is Kat Wong. I was born in Hong Kong and moved to NZ when I was two years old. My mother had passed away from Ovarian Cancer when I was a child. I dreamt of pursuing a career in performing arts and trained as an actress at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in Wellington. In 2010, at the age of 28, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. I had successful surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments and am now working part-time again. I will continue to pursue acting in the future.”

credits
Talent: Kat Wong
Talent: Roseanne Laing
Talent: Steven McKinney
Executive Producer: James Moore
Director: James Solomon
Producer: Leela Menon
DOP: Duncan Cole
DOP (pick up shoot): Marty Williams
Sound Recordist: Mike Westgate/Gabriel Muller
Gaffer/Grip: Fraser McKay
Best Boy: Alex Jenkins
Art Director: Hayley Williams
Make-up Artist/SFX Make-up: Emma Peters
Production Assistant/Data: Richard Simkins
Camera Assistant (interview): Manuel Castelltort
Offline Editor: Nathan Pickles
Online Facility/Grade: Fish Digital
Online Editors: Andrew Timms & Mat Ellin
Sound Design/Mix: Envy Studios
Sound Designer/Mixer: Vedat Kiyici
Foley Artist: Samantha Jukes
Music: Yulia, Ice Reign, Goodnight Little Robot Child & Frack (C Nikkel) Copyright Control, Performed by Princess Chelsea, Courtesy of Lil’ Chief Records. Additional compositions by Princess Chelsea, courtesy of Princess Chelsea and Franklin Rd
Special thanks to: Professional Lighting Services, Kingsize Studios, Rocket Rentals, Transformer Film (Craig Muirhead), Chelsea Nikkel and Franklin Rd, Superior Hair, Hollywood Props, Krukziener Properties, Civic Video Grey Lynn, Jon Bridges, Edward Clendon, Johnson & Laird, BCM Creatives, Auckland District Health Board.

Lea’s story: ”I’m Lea and I was diagnosed with breast cancer twice. I decided I didn’t want to go through this again, so my surgeon performed a bi-lateral mastectomy. My journey has been frightening and uplifting (no pun intended). It has shown my strength and my weaknesses. It’s taught me there’s beauty in imperfection and made me value my life. Plus my Breasts will still be perky when I’m 80, but at least I will get to be 80! Early detection saved my life ‘twice’ and for that I’ll always feel extremely lucky to be breast cancer ‘free’ for 8 years.”

Credits
Talent: Lea Deveareux
Director: Damien Shatford
Producer: Ben Dailey
MD: George Mackenzie
IV DOP: Shaun Pettigrew
IV Make Up: Miranda Raman
Editor: Damien Shatford
Sound Design/Mix: Claire Cowan
Production Company: The Sweetshop
Special thanks to: Broadcast NZ
Special thanks to: Native Tongue
Special thanks to: Melanie Bridge

Marilyn’s story: ”My name’s Marilyn, I’m from the Waikato and opened my hairdressing business called Marilyn’s, in Remuera in 1977 and haven’t looked back. I enjoy yoga several times a week, lots of walking and travelling. I have no family history of breast cancer but I was diagnosed in April 2010 by my annual mammogram. As the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes, I had a lumpectomy, followed by chemotherapy for 3 months and radiotherapy for 5 weeks. But I’ve remained fit and healthy since then – so far so good!”

Credits
Talent: Marilyn Whelan
Talent: Rex Walker
Talent: The staff of Marilyn’s
Executive Producer: James Moore
Director: Luke Savage
Producer: Leela Menon
DOP: Marty Williams
Sound Recordist: Gabriel Muller
Offline Editor: Nathan Pickles
Online Facility/Grade: Fish Digital
Online Editors: Andrew Timms & Mat Ellin
Sound Design/Mix: Liquid Studios
Music Composition: Peter Van Der Fluit
Special thanks to: Professional Lighting Services
Kingsize Studios

Fiona’s story: ”My name is Fiona Boyd and I’m 47 years old. I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the beginning of 2011. Sure it’s been tough emotionally, physically and spiritually but it has also given me time to think, to heal and to find out who Fiona really is. I like her. She is a really strong, independent kind and loving wahine. She is full of life and has a fun sense of humor. She is proud of her country and her culture. When life sends you lemons get the tequila out and have some fun.”

Credits
Talent: Fiona Boyd
Producer Scotland: Vivienne Jaspers
Producer NZ: Carne Bidwell
DOP: David Boni
Stills Photographer: Amelia Jacobsen
Editor: Richard Shaw
Music: Dean Roberts
Data Wrangler/2nd Camera Op: Mr. Mark Bogus
Sound Recordist: Graeme Deacon
Grade: Michael Robinson @ Blockhead
Sound: Dan Nathan @ Liquid Studios
Prodigy Films 2011

Niki’s story: ”I’m Niki Hastings-McFall and I am an artist. I live in West Auckland with my partner of 17 years, my dog Pansy and my two parrots, Lolly and Moochy. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer it was difficult, but I had help from friends and family to push through the fear to move forward. I’m now diagnosed cancer free and thoroughly enjoying living.”

Credits
Talent: Niki Hastings-McFall
Director: Zoe McIntosh
Executive Producer: Nik Beachman
Producer: Rebekah Kelly
DOP: Marty WIlliams
Gaffer/Grip: Fraser McKay
Sound Recordist: Mike Westgate
Editor: Cushla Dillon
Flame Artist: Leon Woods
Online Facility: Blockhead
Audio Post Production: Franklin Rd
Audio/Music Supervisor: Jonathan Hughes & Stacey Wah
Sound Engineer: Nich Cunningham
Production Company: Thick as Thieves
Music: Standing In Silence Parts 3 and 9 (R Sheehan) performed by Rhian Sheehan. Courtesy Mushroom Music Publishing (Paul McLaney) and Loop Recordings (Mikee Tucker).

The films can also be seen at www.saveseven.co.nz. 

Tags: Colenso BBDO, Fiona Boyd, Helena McAlpine, Jane Sweeney, Kat Wong, Lea Deveareux, Marilyn Whelan, Niki Hastings-McFall, NZ Breast Cancer Foundation, Save Seven

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TVNZ and Tequila\ go grandstanding with RWC-themed social TV innovation

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Social media

October 19th, 2011 by Ben Fahy

In a world where the internet is rarely more than an arm’s length away, broadcasting is becoming increasingly social. TVNZ’s youth channel U claimed to offer New Zealand’s first technology-based integration of social media into TV with its U Live Facebook application and, as part of its Rugby World Cup ‘One Love’ campaign, TVNZ is tapping into the ‘second screening’ trend once again with Grandstand, “a pioneering web-based chat-room” built by Tequila\. 

TVNZ research suggests over half of all viewers surf the web while watching TV, and nearly 30 percent of viewers frequently use social networking because of the connected community experience it provides. In the UK, it’s slightly higher, with a study commissioned by Intel that surveyed over 7,000 people in August 2010 finding that 45 percent used sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MSN to discuss a television programme while it was still being aired. The yoof are even more likely to discuss programmes online, with another UK study showing 80 percent of those under 25 communicated with friends when watching television, 72 percent posted comments on the shows currently commanding their attention using Twitter and 56 percent posted on Facebook.

While Grandstand, which aims to “bring fans together during every live match broadcast, no matter where they are or how they watch games”, doesn’t seem particularly pioneering in the sense that Twitter already does a similar job of categorising content with the use of hashtags, Tequila\’s creative director Ross Howard says it is arguably the first web-based application in the country to feature tailored versions for three different device types (computers and notebooks, iPad and mobiles such as iPhone and Android). And, by drawing upon and including conversations from various social networks, any user can join in and post through Grandstand to their own social media accounts.

“It’s been really satisfying for me to work with TVNZ again and continue the relationship we established through our joint development of the TVNZ OnDemand offer for the PS3,” says Howard. “Both Tequila\ and TVNZ agree digital is an increasingly important space for their commercial clients.”

“TVNZ is committed to connecting New Zealanders with compelling content that can be accessed through any screen so it’s been exciting to work with Tequila\ in delivering an entirely new digital platform to make that even more of a reality and supplement our traditional television offering,” says Tom Cotter, TVNZ’s general manager of of digital media.

On the analog side of things, Maori TV is sitting pretty in the RWC broadcasting cluster ruck, with the biggest cumulative audience of the free-to-air broadcasters.

Credits:

Tequila\

Geoff Deevereux, Managing Director

Ross Howard – Creative Director

Sarah Crosswell – Executive Producer

Henson Tan – Senior Producer

Anil Reddy – Senior Designer

Ee Venn Soh – Designer

Simon Betton – Front-end Developer

Patrick Li – Developer

TVNZ:

Tom Cotter – General Manager, Digital Media

Sarah Pritchett, Digital Media Product Manager

ENDS

Tags: Grandstand, Ross Howard, Social media, Tequila, TVNZ

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US losses its biggest ally

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BVR's Business Valuation & Bankruptcy Compendium: Case Law & Analysis

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US: 800.298.5699 Int'l: +1.240.747.3093 Receive email alerts of new market research reports in your industry. Sign Up Today > Email a colleague Printer format Questions about this report Order by fax Australia DollarsCanada DollarsChina Yuan RenminbiEuroHong Kong DollarsIsrael New ShekelsJapan YenMexico PesosSaudi Arabia RiyalsSingapore DollarsSweden KronorSwitzerland FrancsTaiwan New DollarsUnited Kingdom PoundsUnited States Dollars XE.com Home > Report Information Business Valuation Resources, LLC
October 15, 2011
331 Pages - Pub ID: BSVR6588827

BVR's Business Valuation & Bankruptcy Compendium: Case Law and Analysis contains over 100 court case abstracts and full text opinions of bankruptcy cases involving a dispute over the value of a business. The compendium includes all precedent-setting cases in the United States over the last 15 years along with additional insight from legal and appraisal experts including Alisa Schlesinger, John Stockdale, Jr., and Shannon Pratt. The companion CD is fully indexed and contains hyperlinks to the full text of the actual court opinions.

Best selling features of the compendium include the full text of the United States Bankruptcy Rules along with a comprehensive bankruptcy glossary, making it a one-of-a-kind resource for valuation analysts, bankruptcy attorneys and researchers alike.

Section I: Supplemental Articles Advice to Debtors—and Creditors—For Valuation Disputes in Bankruptcy Litigation By Daniel Perry & Alisa Schlesinger Bankruptcy - A Brief Overview Analyzing a Professional’s Personal Goodwill Under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code: Just Whose Asset Is It? By John Stockdale, Jr., Esq. A Timely New Study of Bankruptcy Prediction Models from Morningstar By Warren Miller and James P. Harrington Fresh Start Reporting: A Growing Opportunity for Appraisers By C. Brett Cooper, CPA/ABV, ASA, BVAL, Cr.FA Fair Value vs. Fair Market Value: A Detailed Overview for BV Experts Jay Fishman, ASA, CBA; William Morrison; Shannon Pratt, DBA, CFA, FASA, MCBA, CM&A, MCBC Changing Law—and More Aggressive Attorneys—In Fraudulent Transfer Cases By Patrick McNally, MBA, CPA, ABV The World According to Delaware Chancery: A Vice Chancellor Offers Ten Tips to Appraisers The Adjusted Present Value: An Alternative Approach to the Effect of Debt on Business Value By Marianne DeMario, CPA/ABV, CFA, AM and Anthony Fazzone, CFA, ASA Teleconferece Transcript: Valuation Opportunities in Small Business and Personal Bankruptcy Cases Presenters: Paul Marquez & Jim Laurie Glossary: Bankruptcy & Business Valuation Section II: Court Case Abstracts Alphabetical Court Case Title Listing Court Cast Summary Table Court Case Abstracts Available on the Enclosed CD Interactive Version of the Compendium Full-Text Court Case Reports U.S. Bankruptcy Rules

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Euro declines on Spain's bonds rating cut

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China?s stocks open higher after Wall Street rally

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China’s stocks opened slightly higher on Wednesday after an overnight rally on the U.S. markets.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.18 percent to open at 2,387.83, while the Shenzhen Component Index opened 0.28 percent higher at 10,255.60.

The U.S. stocks ended sharply higher on Tuesday amid strong performance in financial sector and rumors about a two-trillion-euro rescue fund being planned to help troubled European governments and banks.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 180.05 points, or 1.58 percent, to 11,577.05 on Tuesday. – Xinhua

Tags: China stock, China stock market, China stock news

Posted by CBN on Oct 19 2011. Filed under Stock. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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Japan's all industries activities index

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EUR/USD Lifts On EU Bailout News_

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Searching For Social Success

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Jonathan Beeston explains what marketers need to know about integrating search and social media

As social media budgets increase, the pressure’s on to prove return on investment from marketing on social channels. Facebook advertising is still remarkably good value and is emerging as a serious contender to other performance marketing channels. Its use by brands is almost doubling each year (Efficient Frontier's quarterly analysis into the state and costs of digital marketing show that Facebook ads cost 22 per cent more in Q2 of 2011 than they did in Q1, and over the year, Facebook advertising is set to increase by a massive 80 per cent).

Of course, it’s still a small percentage of other marketing channels: currently brands advertising on Facebook spend about five per cent of what they spend on search campaigns. Yet Facebook offers great targeting, and measurement based on hard financial metrics that brands want in a time of tightened marketing budgets.

Surfing the channels

Working out the return on investment from social marketing isn’t just done by comparing it to other channels (most notably search). It’s done by assessing what combination of channels will give the best return. And not always just online.

Marketing channels have a significant impact on each other. Efficient Frontier's research earlier this year showed that a TV campaign can result in an uplift on both site traffic and searches (up to 80 per cent in some cases). Online campaigns can drive offline sales (figures from Yahoo! indicate that this could reach 63 per cent). If a consumer researches the purchase of a new car online, they’re more likely to buy it from a car showroom, and will want to see the same prices as they saw shown on the car brand’s website.

Inconveniently, consumers channel hop. They’ll access the same website from three or four different devices, search on a mobile for a store they plan to visit on the high street, research a new phone by asking networks of friends on Facebook. It’s becoming harder and harder to divide up marketing departments (and budgets) into neat silos and compare results in order to plan and assign next year’s budget.

Social influence impacts the performance of marketing campaigns. Our searches are not limited to Google, but extend to our social networks (including a brand’s own pages within these networks). That means that as marketers, we have to respond with much more agility than traditionally we’ve been able to do. We have to react quickly to consumer response on social campaigns and redirect budgets accordingly. The days of ‘this is my TV spend for the year, and this is my social spend’ may be over, replaced by ‘this is my marketing spend, and I’ll re-allocate it according to how it performs through the year’.

Tracking the journey

That agility will need to span different channels. Understanding the journey a customer takes before they buy your product or service lets you put marketing budget where it’s most effective, rather than just at the last point before a consumer clicks through to your website. Traditionally, search and display have always been judged on the performance of this last click. But what happens when you factor-in direct brand engagement on Facebook? Or the result of a consumer asking their friends within a social network? The customer journey might start with a generic (non-brand specific) search, then move through a social network, be influenced by a TV ad, put aside for a few days and ended with a branded search that leads to a sale - possibly over the phone.

What campaign would that phone call be attributed to? Would a marketer know that that person is a brand fan on Facebook and has been interacting with the brand over multiple channels? To assign marketing budget effectively, you need to know which keyword, ad or channel had the most influence in directing the consumer towards your site. It’s likely to be more than one.

Between them, social media and search give marketers a gift: an almost-complete view of the customer, from what they’re looking for online through to how they respond to brands, either through straightforward advertising clicks or through engagement in social media campaigns. We can see what they like and want, and what they reject. We’ve always known which products and services sell and which don’t - but now we can see why.

Scaling up

Human engagement and analysis is, of course, an incredibly important part of social marketing. But it is only by using technology to support it that it is possible to segment and target audiences effectively on social channels and use the insight that can be garnered from social campaigns to inform future spend as the campaign develops, not after it’s all over.

It is following the same pattern as search. Searching is a human activity and brands have to respond with relevant results; technology has developed to assist brands in managing their responses and optimising their campaigns. In the same way, technology has developed to support social campaigns, to segment customers and show them only what they want to see from the brand, and to optimise social engagement over Facebook, Twitter, etc. Using this technology on social media (and Facebook specifically at the moment) has the potential to amplify a brand’s message through the social influence of each of that brand’s fans, through their network of trusted contacts, on a scale we could hardly imagine a few years ago.

Since the early days of paid search, it’s been possible to only pay for advertising that works (measured by clicks on the ad). Now, technology can be used to divert budget instantly towards the highest performing channel, campaign or target audience group (and away from the lowest-performing), across different channels. Automating the bidding process so that you pay the lowest possible amount for the best result whatever the channel means that spend can be adjusted constantly to give the highest possible ROI. Predictive modelling techniques let budget be set based on predicting ROI (with up to 95 per cent accuracy), so you can set an accurate budget and know in advance what the return is likely to be.
That makes looking at performance marketing in the round - not just in silos of search and social media - a very attractive option. 

Jonathan Beeston, Head of Global Marketing, Efficient Frontier
www.efrontier.com

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A public service announcement?

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Awards

October 19th, 2011 by StopPress Team

A friendly reminder from the Marketing Association that entries for the 2011 RSVP and Nexus Awards close on Friday 21 October at 5pm. Busy folk, or those with poor time management, can apply for an extension until Friday 28 October, 5pm by emailing event manager Marilena Rosu and coughing up $50. 

Tags: MA, Nexus, RSVP

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